33: Chapter 33 The Leopard Dies from the Poisonous Needle, the Oriole Lurks Behind

The battle between Liu Xiong and the Blood Shadow Leopard had reached a white-hot intensity.

The Blood Shadow Leopard's ferocity was fully unleashed, but the poison was seeping deeper; the frigid Qi and toxins at the wound on its hind leg made its movements increasingly stiff and sluggish, and every pounce felt heavy.

Although Liu Xiong had a higher cultivation, his chest wound was deep enough to reveal bone, and the paralyzing toxin circulated with his blood, making half his body increasingly unresponsive, forcing him to rely on experience and sheer ruthlessness to hold on.

Mutual destruction was imminent.

But Lin Ye could not afford to wait.

The medicinal power of the life creation pill was about to be exhausted, and the Evil Qi in his left shoulder was stirring; he had to end the battle quickly to obtain items for healing.

Liu Xiong was a human Cultivator, cunning and ruthless; like a trapped beast fighting for its life, his final counterattack would surely be fierce, and he might even have a hidden trump card.

As for the Blood Shadow Leopard, although its Yao Beast body was strong, its intelligence was low; now, with the erosion of the potent poison and frigid energy, it was at its most vulnerable.

If he killed it first and took its horn, he would not only weaken one side's combat power, but its corpse could also serve as temporary cover, or even... be used to lure Liu Xiong.

With his plan set, Lin Ye's gaze locked tightly onto the hind leg joint of the Blood Shadow Leopard, which was slightly stiff due to the paralysis.

He slowly raised his right hand, fingers curled into a void grip.

He had no sword, but the [Severing Flow] Sword Intent in his mind had already been practiced thousands of times in his heart.

Although only the last trace of frigid Qi remained, combined with his recently achieved Qi Refining Stage 4 cultivation and the physical strength brought by the second level of the Mystic Jade Body, it was enough.

He was waiting, waiting for the most perfect moment.

The rain grew heavier, mist filled the air, and visibility in the mountains and forests became even lower.

Liu Xiong shot out another thin black needle; the Blood Shadow Leopard could not dodge in time and was struck in the shoulder blade again, the dark blue toxic light spreading, and its movements slowed by another fraction.

However, Liu Xiong himself groaned as the exertion affected his wound, and he stumbled.

Now!

Due to the pain and paralysis, the Blood Shadow Leopard's body experienced an extremely brief moment of stiffness, leaving its hind leg joint completely exposed!

Lin Ye moved!

He erupted from the shallow pit, without a shout, without any light, only concentrating all his essence, energy, and spirit into his right index and middle fingers.

Pointing his fingers like a sword, he poured that last trace of frigid Qi and the determination and forward momentum of the [Severing Flow] Sword Intent entirely into his fingertips!

Swish—!

An imperceptible yet extremely condensed pale blue Sword Qi (more accurately, a highly concentrated beam of frigid Qi) shot out, tearing through the curtain of rain, and precisely pierced into the joint gap of the Blood Shadow Leopard's injured hind leg!

Severing Flow—it did not just sever the flow of water, it severed vitality, it severed the continuity of movement!

Pfft!

The Sword Qi entered the body, and the frigid energy erupted!

The joint of the Blood Shadow Leopard's hind leg, already stiff from the toxins and frigid energy, was instantly frozen and embrittled, and then, under the force of its own pounce—

Crack!

A teeth-grinding sound of bone shattering rang out!

The Blood Shadow Leopard let out a shrill, miserable howl; its massive body lost balance and crashed to the ground, pinning Liu Xiong, who was preparing to press the attack, right underneath it!

"Ah!!" Caught off guard, Liu Xiong was pinned squarely by the hundreds of pounds of leopard carcass; his chest wound burst open, blood sprayed wildly, and he even inhaled the foul, toxic gas spewing from the Blood Shadow Leopard's mouth, causing his vision to blacken.

Good chance!

Having succeeded with one strike, Lin Ye did not linger, nor did he approach.

He knew well that he was at the end of his strength; he was no match for Liu Xiong in close-quarters combat.

Enduring the severe pain in his left shoulder and the exhaustion from his depleted Qi, his body pounced out again like a civet cat, but his target was not Liu Xiong—it was the blood-colored horn on the Blood Shadow Leopard's forehead!

His right hand pointed like a blade; although the frigid Qi was exhausted, the strength from the second level of the Mystic Jade Body remained, and his fingertips were covered in a thin, jade-colored luster as he slashed fiercely at the base of the horn!

Slash!

The horn broke off at the sound, and he snatched it up; it felt warm and smooth in his hand, yet it carried a fierce, bloody aura.

Got it! Flee immediately!

Without pausing, Lin Ye grabbed the horn and turned to bolt into the dense forest downstream of the mountain stream, while simultaneously pushing the last bit of his Qi Concealment Technique to the limit, attempting to blend into the rain and the jungle.

"Little bastard! How dare you snatch my things! Leave the leopard horn!" Liu Xiong was both shocked and furious; he had never expected that someone else was hiding nearby, and that they would be so insidious and ruthless, striking once and then fleeing far away.

He struggled to push away the leopard carcass pinning him down and stood up, ignoring the blood gushing from his chest; a cold, gleaming short blade was already in his hand, and he prepared to pursue Lin Ye.

But he was deeply poisoned and severely injured; he had barely run two steps before his legs went weak, and he nearly fell.

Watching Lin Ye's figure about to disappear into the rain.

A look of madness and heartache flashed in Liu Xiong's eyes; he suddenly pulled a crumpled yellow Talisman from his bosom and sprayed a mouthful of his essence blood onto it!

"Blood Escape Talisman! Go, chase!"

The yellow Talisman exploded, turning into a mass of blood-red light that enveloped Liu Xiong; his speed instantly increased several times over, transforming him into a bloody shadow as he chased furiously in the direction of Lin Ye's escape!

Although this would worsen his injuries and even damage his Foundation, the leopard horn was valuable, and it was tied to the gains of his adventure—it could not be lost!

Up ahead, Lin Ye felt the fierce, bloody aura rapidly approaching from behind and cursed inwardly; he hadn't expected Liu Xiong to have such a desperate escape Talisman.

He couldn't outrun him.

His eyes rapidly scanned the terrain ahead; the mountain stream curved here, the current was turbulent, and the banks were jagged with rocks.

Fight!

Lin Ye turned sharply, not continuing to flee along the river, but pouncing toward a huge reef behind the bend in the mountain stream where the current was strongest!

The bloody shadow Liu Xiong had become followed closely; seeing Lin Ye disappear behind the reef, he didn't even think; the blood light swirled, he rounded the reef, and the short blade in his hand, carrying a fierce force, slashed straight down!

"Die!"

The blade light fell, but it struck empty air!

Behind the reef, there was only the rushing river water; where was Lin Ye's shadow?!

Liu Xiong was stunned.

Just then, from a crevice in the slippery reef beneath his feet, a hand suddenly reached out, tightly gripping the Blood Shadow Leopard's horn!

The sharp, broken end of the horn stabbed fiercely toward Liu Xiong's unprotected ankle, left exposed because he had used the Blood Escape Talisman!

Lin Ye hadn't fled far at all; instead, he had used the reef's blind spot to hide in a pool of water beneath the reef!

He had gambled all his hope on this unexpected strike!

Liu Xiong reacted extremely quickly, shifting the momentum of his blade to block downwards.

But this stab from Lin Ye had been long premeditated, tricky, and ruthless, and Liu Xiong was severely injured and poisoned; his reaction was ultimately a beat too slow.

Swish!

Although the leopard horn wasn't sharp, under Lin Ye's full-force stab and the power of the second level of the Mystic Jade Body, it still plunged deep into Liu Xiong's ankle!

"Ah!" Liu Xiong cried out in pain, his legs went weak, and the effect of the Blood Escape Talisman was interrupted by the intense pain and his injuries.

Having succeeded, Lin Ye retreated immediately, not greedy for more; he pulled out the leopard horn, rolled, and plunged back into the deeper river water nearby, rushing downstream with the turbulent current.

"I'll kill you!!" Liu Xiong was furious, bordering on madness; ignoring the blood streaming from his ankle, he prepared to unleash another technique.

Suddenly, his face changed drastically; from the punctured wound on his ankle, a familiar sense of numbness and frigid energy surged—it was the Blood Shadow Leopard's potent toxin and the lingering aura of that previous frigid Sword Qi, which had entered his wound through the leopard horn!

The old poison was not yet cleared, and new poison had arrived!

Liu Xiong's vision went black; he could no longer hold on, and with a thud, he fell to his knees; the short blade in his hand clattered to the ground.

He tremblingly tried to reach for the antidote in his Storage Pouch, but his fingers were stiff and would not obey him at all.

As for Lin Ye, he had long since been swept away by the turbulent river, disappearing into the rain downstream.

The icy river water washed over his body, taking away some of his heat and temporarily masking his aura.

Lin Ye floated with the current for who knew how long until he bumped into a giant boulder in the river; only then did he manage to grab the edge of the stone and crawl onto the shore.

This was a more desolate river beach, surrounded by dense reed beds.

He collapsed into the mud, gasping for breath; the wound on his left shoulder had burst open again due to the strenuous exercise, dark red Evil Qi was spreading, and the pain was heart-piercing.

His Qi was completely exhausted, the effect of the life creation pill had worn off, and his body was extremely weak.

But in his hand, he was tightly gripping the blood-stained leopard horn, and... a small, wet leather pouch he had ripped from Liu Xiong's boot when pulling the horn out of his ankle—this seemed to be a personal pouch Liu Xiong used to carry important items.

He struggled to open the leather pouch; there wasn't much inside: a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a bottle of healing Medicinal Pill (Rejuvenation Pill), a bottle of antidote, and a black token engraved with the character "Shadow".

The token felt cold to the touch, neither metal nor wood.

And the moment he picked up the token, the ancient ring yuan sha on his left hand emitted an extremely faint vibration, tinged with disgust and vigilance.

This token... is strange!