Chapter 26: Defeated

The forest shook as massive beasts surged forth—Dragonhorn Elephants, Fire Rhinoceroses, Tigers, Kui Beasts, and Leopard Hounds—all charging in groups, smashing trees as if a mountain flood were raging. The scene was a dark, chaotic expanse.

Leaves were whirling and boulders rolling. The ground quaked, creating a terrifying spectacle.

"Ah!"

The people of the Bi Village were the first to be struck. Due to their position, in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen individuals were hurled several meters by the towering beasts and then trampled underfoot, their bones shattered and flesh reduced to a bloody mess.

The dozens of giant wolves turned and fled. The Bi Village people on top of them turned pale. Among those who had just died were their own familiar relatives, now separated by an irreversible divide of life and death.

"Prepare!" Shi Yunfeng roared.

The tide of beasts surged towards Shi Yunfeng and his group, smashing everything in their path. The giant trees were broken, and nothing could halt their advance.

"Kill!"

Shi Linhu shouted, taking out a matte beast bone. His left arm's runes flickered, and then he pressed the bone against his arm. Instantly, the light intensified as the beast bone fused with his flesh and blood, becoming one with his arm.

With a thunderous roar, it was as if an ancient relic had been revived. A formidable aura surged, causing the entire forest to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck.

All the giant beasts were stunned. Instinctively, they trembled, as if facing a king of beasts, too intimidated to advance, quickly circumventing the area.

"Whooo!"

In the sky, the old Bi was howling long and mournfully, like a vengeful ghost crying out. Its voice was chilling as it urged the beasts to attack, aiming to eradicate the people of Shi Village. Some beasts hesitated under pressure, while others suddenly stood upright, preparing to charge at Shi Village.

"Open!"

Shi Linhu roared. The runes on his left arm sparkled densely and brilliantly before forming an ancient beast king's primal seal, resembling a portal through which a massive beast seemed about to emerge.

"Roar!"

A deep roar reverberated through the mountains. Shi Linhu's body grew substantially taller, ripping through his clothes. His bronze-colored physique now stood over three meters high.

He swung a punch, and with a thunderous crash, a beast in front howled in agony as its entire body exploded, blood and flesh scattering everywhere in a grotesque scene.

Most importantly, the aura of a wild beast king spread overwhelmingly, causing the giant beasts to tremble and shiver, no longer daring to attack or advance.

"Whooo!"

The old Bi in the sky had a change of expression, both startled and greedy, with a glint of cunning in its eyes. It realized the strength behind Shi Village, which made it wary, but it would not give up. The treasure body of the Suanni (a legendary beast) was crucial to it, promising a significant transformation.

The old Bi launched an attack, but not against Shi Linhu. Instead, it targeted the other people in Shi Village, its cunning and cruelty aimed at exhausting Shi Linhu's energy with its treasure, to wear him down.

"Damned!"

Shi Linhu's three-meter-tall form generated explosive power. His muscles bulged, and the runes on his left arm glowed fiercely. He struck the sky, and a beast's shadow emerged, turning into a whirlwind that swept upwards, breaking and bending all surrounding vegetation.

The old Bi was startled and quickly dodged, its mouth emitting runes that coalesced into a radiant mist, which collided with the indistinct beast figure.

Shi Linhu staggered, blood spilling from his mouth. The ancestral artifact was astonishing, but his mastery of bone runes was insufficient to fully control it, allowing only a fraction of its power to be unleashed.

Even so, it was impressive enough to halt the old Bi’s movement and block the radiant mist it emitted. The old Bi showed a look of surprise and its eyes burned with even greater intensity.

Now, the Suanni, the crimson treasure horns, and even this ancestral artifact had become targets of its desire. The old Bi's eyes gleamed with a cold, vicious light. It let out a howl, summoning the giant wolves to reappear, obeying its commands and attacking in coordination.

In this critical situation, the old Bi remained cautious, hovering above and launching attacks from the sky.

"Lame old wolf, come down if you dare!" Shi Linhu taunted, pointing.

As a spirit, the old Bi was supposed to instill fear in humans of the Great Wilderness, but now it was being dismissed. The old Bi, however, remained unfazed and cold-eyed, never rushing or showing anger.

Despite its immense strength, it was being so careful, which was frustrating.

The giant wolves howled continuously, launching sneak attacks. The villagers were in grave danger, struggling to keep up.

"Boom!"

The old Bi moved. Its runes sparkled, and its short front claws flashed with golden light. An ancient treasure symbol coalesced and crashed down, forming a golden giant claw that descended from the sky.

The Shi Village people were alarmed. This was a manifestation of the primal seal, turned into a golden claw, aiming to suppress everyone.

"Lame old wolf, die!" Shi Linhu roared, exerting all his effort to activate the bone runes' power. His left arm resonated, and an ancient symbol glowed, forming a more tangible beast figure, resembling a Hu (a legendary beast), emerging from the symbol with overwhelming ferocity.

"Roar!" The deafening roar shook the heavens. The beast figure collided with the golden claw, lightning and thunder illuminating the dark sky in a horrifying display.

The golden claw could not descend. Instead, it swept through the air, shattering a low stone mountain in the distance with a crack, causing rocks to tumble and roll.

The crowd stood in stunned silence, recognizing the terror of the old Bi.

Shi Linhu gasped for breath, struggling to cope. The ancestral artifact was too powerful and difficult to wield fully.

"Whooo!"

The old Bi howled, rallying the wolves and the other giant beasts. Seeing Shi Linhu at a disadvantage, they resumed following the old Bi’s commands.

The situation was extremely dire, with the lives of Shi Village's people hanging by a thread.

At this point, the old Bi relaxed, having understood Shi Village's strength. It no longer hesitated and began to dive down, attacking with reckless abandon.

"Whooo!"

Little One took action, summoning a string of beast fangs. The treasure shone, each piece dazzling like stars, aimed at piercing the old Bi’s body.

The old Bi was enraged for the first time. These were its own fallen teeth, painstakingly refined into a powerful treasure, now controlled by a mere child.

It dove down fiercely, chanting a spell, attempting to forcibly retrieve the shimmering white beast teeth.

Suddenly, Little One’s entire body radiated with brilliance. The runes, like a spider’s web, enveloped him, and he quickly pressed a blood-stained ancient beast hide against his chest.

Stars shone from there, the beast hide merging with his chest and flesh, becoming one entity. A terrifying aura spread, like a hurricane sweeping through the heavens and earth.

The howling was unending, with many giant beasts trembling in fear, some even kneeling.

The beast hide merged with Little One’s skin, its brilliance forming a pattern and turning into an ancient symbol, making his entire small body shine like a blazing fire. An overwhelming ferocity emanated, intimidating all directions.

This was Shi Village’s second ancestral artifact. Originally meant for Shi Feijiao, it had been secretly given to Little One due to his superior mastery of runes, becoming their trump card.

A roar of a wild beast echoed, shaking the Great Wilderness. On Little One’s chest, the symbol formed a portal, through which a terrifying beast emerged, resembling a Bi (another legendary beast), directly confronting the descending old Bi.

The old Bi was startled by the sudden turn of events. It was too late to evade; it could only swing its claws, and once again a golden giant claw materialized, descending to suppress the attack.

With a loud crack, as if a mountain had shattered, the golden claw was smashed to pieces. The indistinct ancient relic beast embraced its true form and fiercely crushed it, emitting a piercingly tragic cry from the sky.

The vicious and cunning old Bi, with its two-meter-long body nearly torn in half, struggled to free itself but was still hit by a sharp claw. With a loud crack, its leg twisted and deformed completely.

Little One wielded the ancestral artifact with a power far exceeding that of Shi Linhu or Shi Feijiao, though he could not fully unleash its true might.

It was clear that Shi Village had a glorious past. These two ancestral artifacts, if exposed, might attract the covetous eyes of major clans, potentially leading to great disaster.

Enraged, the old Bi soared into the sky, circling above. Not only was it unable to recover its treasure, but it also suffered severe injury. As a deceitful and ruthless being, it could not tolerate this.

It howled in fury as it circled above, but the other giant beasts and fierce wolves dared not attack, hesitating to follow its commands, frightened by the ancestral artifact in Little One's hands.

The old Bi went mad, continuously circling and occasionally diving down to strike with incredible speed. Unfortunately, it was difficult to track its movements, and the ancestral artifact failed to hit it several times.

"This is bad. It wants to exhaust our strength and then kill us. Using the ancestral artifact consumes too much energy," Shi Yunfeng frowned.

Little One winked at him, showing a hint of joy.

Once again, the fierce old Bi attacked, nearly tearing apart a dozen people. The golden giant claw was terrifyingly powerful, but fortunately, Shi Linhu managed to block it.

Even so, some of the golden light still struck, sending seven or eight people flying, their bodies covered in blood and gore, looking quite grim.

"Clang!"

Suddenly, the critically injured and dying Azure-scaled Eagle lying on the ground suddenly opened its eyes, its wings flapping, creating a strong wind that lifted it into the sky. Its sharp, green beak was dazzling, and it quickly formed a crescent moon shape before flying out.

The old Bi, caught off guard, did not expect a nearly dead bird to suddenly revive with such fierceness. It howled like a ghost and rapidly evaded, but was still a step too late.

With a splat, blood splattered as its rear leg was shattered by the green moon.

"Bang!"

At the same time, the Azure-scaled Eagle arrived and extended a large claw, which was equally dazzling and razor-sharp, grasping the old Bi and causing blood to spurt out.

The old Bi was furious and struggled with all its might, nearly breaking the Azure-scaled Eagle's claw. It regained freedom, its body covered in golden runes, preparing to strike back at the fierce bird.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, another change occurred. Shi Linhu, using the power of the ancestral artifact, threw Little One high into the air. Shi Hao, with clear eyes, used the mysterious power of the beast hide to strike at the old Bi.

A Bi (another legendary beast) emerged, its fierce aura intimidating the wilderness, making all beasts submit and birds tremble. The world fell silent.

"Boom!"

The beast struck the old Bi, runes intertwining and divine light bursting forth, like two comets colliding in the night sky, emitting a blinding brilliance.

A torrential blood rain fell. The old Bi howled mournfully as its body was nearly destroyed, with the rear half of its body vanishing, a horrific sight. It fled without looking back.

The Azure-scaled Eagle swayed, catching the falling Little One, then maneuvered to dive into the forest with a crash.

"Quick, return to the village!" Shi Yunfeng shouted.

They had won by a stroke of luck. The old Bi had been caught off guard and severely injured by the suddenly revived Azure-scaled Eagle. Otherwise, everyone would have perished here.

They feared that once the old Bi recovered its composure, it would come back with renewed ferocity. If that happened, they would still be in grave danger, as the beast’s strength was formidable.

The group, moving with great urgency, headed towards Shi Village, not daring to pause for a moment.

As for the Bi Village people, many were dead or injured. Under the assault of the giant beasts, more than half had been turned into a bloody mess.

Now was not the time for reckoning. The Shi Village people ignored them and fled swiftly to avoid further accidents.

However, as Shi Village came into view, the old Bi, missing part of its body, pursued them. It could not tolerate losing the Suanni's treasure body. If it obtained it, it could heal its injuries and possibly make a breakthrough.

"This is terrible. Injured beasts are the most dangerous; it will fight desperately," the Shi Village people felt a heavy shadow of dread.

They were one mile from the village, but it felt like an insurmountable chasm. The old Bi blocked their path, preparing to attack with all its might.

"Spirit, please protect your people. Do not stick to old ways. Come out of the village and guard us," a villager prayed.

A large, charred willow tree had only one tender green branch, emitting a gentle glow in the darkness, with a hazy light enveloping the entire village.

Suddenly, the tender shoot moved, transforming into a green misty chain that extended over a mile, streaking through the air like lightning.