82: One whale falls, and all things come to life? No, it was the turtles that ate them!

He carefully concealed his own aura, like a stubborn rock at the bottom of the river, quietly using [Earth Vein Sensing] to conduct a deeper level of investigation.

Simultaneously, he summoned his ten underlings.

Due to the Domination talent, Li Qing could directly issue tasks into their minds.

In less than a moment, the ten underlings arrived from different directions.

At Li Qing's command, they all went ahead to scout the path.

Underlings could be replaced if lost.

But if he himself was gone, he would be truly gone.

No other reason!

Just being cautious!

Not long after.

The underlings returned one after another.

The information they fed back shook him to his core.

It was a giant beast, its size even larger than his current Earth Spirit Turtle Clone.

Its life aura was extremely faint, as if it had fallen into the deepest state of suspended animation.

Yet, the energy contained within its body was vast as the sea, far exceeding the sum total of all the Vicious Beasts he had devoured before!

If not for their absolute submission to Li Qing.

They absolutely would not have been able to resist the urge to go forward and devour it.

Since the underlings all said its life aura was faint.

"Fortune favors the bold!"

Li Qing's gaze became resolute.

Currently, the evolution value he gained daily was limited.

Today was an unexpected boon.

It couldn't be like this every day.

The Great Xia Martial Selection was imminent; Jinling City was just the starting point.

He needed more powerful strength to face the unknowns of the future.

He had to check out any Opportunity!

"You all return. Meet at the usual place later and be prepared!"

"Yes!" The ten beasts of burden once again had to toil, foolishly beginning to capture Vicious Beasts in the Great River.

Li Qing focused his mind and spirit; the Earth Spirit Turtle Clone's massive body began to move.

It did not charge directly at the ancient beast. Instead, in the waters above its sleeping place, it silently activated [Mystic Water Manipulation].

Silently and imperceptibly, the water flow within a radius of a thousand meters began to rotate and compress in a mysterious manner.

Water, at this moment, was no longer gentle, but transformed into a terrifying cage and weapon.

At the same time, [Earth Vein Sensing] linked with the [Great Strength] talent; the silt and rocks at the riverbed began to tremble.

An invisible force of the earth, from below, firmly locked down that area.

Above was the Mystic Water Cage; below was the Earth Lockdown.

An inescapable net had been laid!

After completing all this, the Earth Spirit Turtle took a deep breath and opened its massive maw.

A Mystic Water Spike, condensed to the extreme, aimed at the silt a hundred meters below, shot out explosively!

"Thud!"

The water spike easily pierced through the thick silt, accurately stabbing into the body of that slumbering ancient beast.

"ROAR!!!"

A roar unlike any known creature erupted violently from the depths of the riverbed.

This sound did not travel through the water; it directly vibrated on the Soul level.

The entire riverbed seemed to experience a violent earthquake; turbid silt surged upwards, and the river water within a ten-mile radius instantly boiled!

[Monoceros Salamander (Fourth-tier Late Stage Vicious Beast)]

[Lifespan nearing its end, ferocious nature untamed!]

Seeing the System's notification, Li Qing finally felt relieved.

Thankfully, it wasn't fifth-tier.

Then, your life, I'll take it!

A behemoth violently broke free from the silt.

Its appearance resembled a giant salamander with limbs, its body covered in dark golden keratin scales.

A spiral horn grew on its head, emitting a faint, eerie glow.

Its eyes were pure gold, filled with a savage and brutal aura.

The moment it awoke, it sensed something amiss with its body.

Although that Mystic Water Spike had not inflicted serious injury, the sense of humiliation from being awakened sent it into a frenzy.

However, when it tried to charge out, it found the surrounding water flow heavy as a mountain, suppressing it firmly.

From below, the ground also emitted a powerful suction force, rendering it immobile.

The ancient beast's golden pupils instantly locked onto the Earth Spirit Turtle not far away.

It was it!

Furious rage caused the energy within its body to boil over completely.

"Hummm—"

The horn on its head suddenly lit up. A destructive golden beam of light tore through the viscous water flow, blasting towards the Earth Spirit Turtle.

Li Qing's heart tightened. This ancient beast's strength truly lived up to being a Fourth-tier Vicious Beast, comparable to a Human Race Spirit Transformation Realm expert!

But he did not retreat in the slightest.

The [Mysterious Armor] talent was pushed to its limit. A thick, earthy-yellow halo appeared on the heavy turtle shell, as if covered by a layer of earthen armor.

"Boom!"

The golden beam solidly struck the turtle shell.

The Earth Spirit Turtle's massive body was blasted back dozens of meters. A shallow white mark was left on the shell, but it was not pierced.

It withstood it!

Li Qing's mind settled.

Although this ancient beast's energy was vast, due to sleeping for too long and its Lifespan nearing its end.

Its attack methods were simplistic, and its consciousness was chaotic.

Then he would be spared a bitter battle!

Seizing the moment when the ancient beast's aura slightly receded after its attack, the Earth Spirit Turtle's massive body charged forward violently, ignoring the water resistance, and crashed into it fiercely.

This was the most primitive, most savage form of close combat!

"Bang!!"

The collision of the two riverbed behemoths stirred up towering waves, even forming a massive whirlpool on the surface of the Qiu River.

The ancient beast was knocked back repeatedly. Its seemingly sturdy dark golden keratin scales, upon colliding with the [Mysterious Armor], actually emitted the sound of cracking under strain.

The Earth Spirit Turtle's strength, bolstered by both [Great Strength] and [Earth Vein Sensing], had reached an unimaginable degree!

The ancient beast went completely berserk. It opened its massive maw, wanting to bite the Earth Spirit Turtle's neck.

But the Earth Spirit Turtle simply retracted its head, causing the attack to miss.

The next second, the Earth Spirit Turtle's massive maw shot out like lightning, and in turn, bit down on the ancient beast's neck!

"Crack!"

The sound of bone fracturing rang out.

Fear appeared in the ancient beast's golden pupils.

It had lived too long, sleeping at the bottom of this Great River for who knows how many years, once the overlord of these waters.

Even with its Lifespan nearing its end and its vitality dried up, it had never imagined it would be restrained so humiliatingly, its vital point firmly clamped by another giant beast.

"Roar—!"

The Monoceros Salamander let out an unwilling roar.

Its massive body twisted and rolled frantically, trying to break free from the Earth Spirit Turtle's maw.

Every swing churned the riverbed into chaos; countless silt and water plants were swept up, forming a huge, turbid whirlpool.

However, it was useless.

The power granted by the [Great Strength] talent and [Earth Vein Sensing] made Li Qing feel as one with the entire riverbed earth, stable as Mount Tai.

No matter how the ancient beast struggled, it could not budge him in the slightest.

"Crack! Crack!"

The sound of neck bones fracturing was clearly audible in the turbid water.

The Monoceros Salamander's struggles grew weaker and weaker; the golden light in its pupils rapidly dimmed.

The vast energy within its body was dissipating at an incredible speed.

Li Qing's mind was utterly calm, without the slightest relaxation.

He controlled the Earth Spirit Turtle, continuously increasing the biting force, completely severing this ancient beast's last vestige of vitality.

Finally, after one last faint twitch, this Fourth-tier Late Stage Vicious Beast that had lived for centuries, its massive body completely stiffened, without a single trace of sound or breath.

Almost at the same time, a cold System notification tone rang out in Li Qing's mind!

[Ding!]

[Killed Fourth-tier Late Stage Vicious Beast 'Monoceros Salamander'. evolution value +780!]

[Obtained Fourth-tier Late Stage ferocious beast essence blood x1]