Two Ferocious Predators

A long sigh escaped from Zhang Baichi's mouth. The Black Heaven Qi in his body was roiling and silver Sword Qi gathered around his sword. '…Is this the first time I'm really giving it my all? This feeling sucks.'

Using all of one's power at once meant putting a huge strain one's body and mind, something that Zhang Baichi was currently experiencing for himself. 'Still, it's not as bad as the feeling when I used the Spiritual Jades.'

The Mutated Cloudwolf in front of him gnashed its teeth and was ready to pounce on them any moment.

With a calm expression, Zhang Baichi turned to the young woman by his side. "Hey, you. Stay in the back and don't directly face the Demonbeast. And don't touch the Sword Qi. It'll cut you up."

She looked puzzled, but still nodded her head. The strength Zhang Baichi had shown before and the strength he exuded now were completely different. Shouldn't even tell how strong he actually was.

With a loud howl, the Mutated Cloudwolf jumped at them and swiped out with its claw.

Zhang Baichi's body tensed, and he used the Torrential Stampede Movement Technique at full force; His speed was already blinding before, yet it had nearly doubled this time.

Zhang Baichi met the wolf's claw with a strike of his own, same as he did before.

The two clashed with each other and the ground beneath Zhang Baichi's feet cracked. Blood splattered and the rebound force forced both, Zhang Baichi and the Mutated Cloudwolf, back.

'It's working.' Zhang Baichi thought to himself. With sharp eyes, he immediately noticed a clear laceration on the wolf's paw. His Sword Qi could break the wolf's defences!

Not wanting to be forced back, Zhang Baichi used the rebound from the previous clash to spin his body around, delivering another strike to the wolf; This time aimed at its shoulder.

Densely packed, steel-like scales blocked his sword again, creating sparks as the metal sword grinded against them.

The Mutated Cloudwolf reacted quickly, turned its head, and tried to bite Zhang Baichi, who could only dodge back from his position.

Still, Zhang Baichi's expression was calm. 'Just the fur can't stop Sword Qi, but are the scales still too much?'

A quick glance at his sword showed now noticeable damage to the blade, yet there were deep scratches on the dark brown scales of the wolf, right where his strike hit the beast.

He absentmindedly dodged another swiping claw and shifted to the side of the Demonbeast. His right arm flickered, and he delivered another strike to the Mutated Cloudwolf's shoulder, striking against the dark brown scales again.

Sparks flew and the sword and scales grinded against each other. This time, small chips of scale broke off and were swept away by the impact. 'It's working.'

Trails of silvery white sparkles lingered in the air and followed Zhang Baichi's every move.

In its rage, the Mutated Cloudwolf didn't pay any attention to these trails, breaking through the with just its body alone. With every step of the wolf, sparks flew, and its defences wore down, slowly but surely.

Within just a minute, Zhang Baichi had exchanged dozens of blows with the Mutated Cloudwolf.

He took a deep breath and glanced at his hand. It was shaking slightly and even felt a bit numb. As things stood, he wouldn't be able to keep fighting like this for any longer than five minutes total.

'Still, its enough', His eyes blazed with excitement and thrill as he turned back to the Mutated Cloudwolf.

Most of its scales had lost their lustre and were worn down. Bits and pieces, and scraps of all sizes were missing from its armour like appearance. Its fur was a mess of short and long streaks of hair, while blood seeped out from various cuts.

By now, the surrounding area was laced with trails and trails of starlight-like Sword Qi.

It was clear that Zhang Baichi had the advantage.

Yet, the beast still refused to back away. It stared Zhang Baichi down with ferociousness flashing in its eyes, seemingly on the verge of going berserk.

The same was true for Zhang Baichi. While he was far from madness or going berserk, his eyes flashed with the same ferociousness and lust for battle as the Demonbeast in front of him.

From the side, the young woman of the Willow Tree Pavilion stared at the both of them with a sluggish expression.

Human cultivator? Demonbeast? It didn't make a difference. Both Zhang Baichi and the Mutated Cloudwolf were predators staring down their preys.

One of them had to die, that was inevitable.

However, her hands started to get sweaty with that in mind. What if Zhang Baichi lost? Can he, a human, outlast the tenaciousness and endurance of a Demonbeast?

She wanted to help. No, she had to help. But there was no opening. The moment she made a move, she knew she would be a liability. There was no chance for her to assist Zhang Baichi.

'Should I run away?' When two beasts fought in the wild, the best thing to do was to run away. It seemed to be the right answer for this situation as well…

Moreover, sounds of battle still came from further away. There was another Mutated Cloudwolf currently facing off against the rest of her and Zhang Baichi's groups.

She was lost in thought and couldn't decide what to do, or who to help. But the Demonbeasts would obviously not wait for an answer.

The Mutated Cloudwolf at the 5th Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm howled and once again pounced at Zhang Baichi, ignoring the Sword Qi grinding against its scales and cutting through its fur.

Zhang Baichi's body tensed up once again and he jumped forward at just the right moment. With one foot stomping on the ground, his other let shot upwards.

His knee perfectly rammed into the Demonbeast's lower jaw, forcing its mouth shut; Another attack was blocked, just like that.

The wolf's momentum wasn't stopped though and Zhang Baichi could only turn to the side. While moving, his hands moved naturally, delivering three strikes to the beast's side in quick succession.

Scales cracked and splintered, fur was cut, and blood was drawn from another wound, yet Zhang Baichi had still not managed to land any lethal blow.

'It's getting more and more mad. And its even more protective of its underbelly.', Zhang Baichi frowned.

The sect disciples had easily managed to land two or three hits on its underbelly when they were fighting the beast as a group, but Zhang Baichi hasn't been able to do so, at all.

'Is it… learning?' His frown deepened. This was a terrifying thought. A Demonbeast that powerful, and smart enough to learn from fighting humans?

He attacked again, creating another wound at the beast's shoulder, trying to mangle it with consecutive attacks.

By now, blood was incessantly flowing from its shoulder, but the damage was still not enough to affect its movements or the fight as a whole.

Zhang Baichi's grip on his sword strengthened. 'I need a conclusive strike. If things continue like this, I'll run out of steam first.'

With the Fractured Star Sword Technique, he would easily be able to land a decisive blow, but that was only if he had some higher mastery of the technique. 'My current prowess at the Stardust Stage is not enough. I need more. More explosive power. Sharper cuts. Stronger Sword Qi…'

He continued to fight the Demonbeast, his advantage dwindling with each clash.

The Mutated Cloudwolf was getting more and more aggressive, clashing with him, and not caring for any additional injuries, while Zhang Baichi's whole body was slowly going numb from the shock.

Four minutes into the fight, the Mutated Cloudwolf looked like a bloody mess.

Blood was seeping through its scales, its fur was thoroughly soaked with blood, its claws and maw were injured, and its left shoulder was mangled, causing it to limp.

Zhang Baichi was much better off. He wasn't injured other than some scratches from flying rocks and dirt. His body was soaked in sweat, and he was breathing heavily. Moreover, his right arm that was holding his sword, was shaking.

Still, his eyes were still blazing with fighting spirit. From an outside perspective, he even seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

He once again grabbed on to his sword with vice-like strength and jumped at the Mutated Cloudwolf with ferocious vigour. 'Just a bit more…!'

The bloody fight continued and the Black Heaven Qi and starlight-like Sword Qi still blazed around him unwaveringly. 'Just a bit more and these scales will be cut…!'

For a while now, the advantage between Zhang Baichi and the Mutated Cloudwolf stopped shifting. The wolf had gone berserk and attacked with unequalled ferocity as injuries accumulated on its body.

Zhang Baichi grew more and more exhausted, but his attacks sublimated with each slash. They became more precise, and each slash was aimed to take the Mutated Cloudwolf's live.

With each clash, the Sword Qi around Zhang Baichi grew sharper and sharper, the starlight-like silvery glow becoming deeper and deeper.

Moments later, Zhang Baichi's eyes flashed. "Come on now!"

He stomped the ground and grabbed the sword with both hands; The Sword Qi surrounding him stirring like a storm as he brought his sword down with an overhead clash.

Blood splattered, the Mutated Cloudwolf's pained howl echoed in the dry steppe.

With a crash, the beast fell to the ground after stumbling a few steps to Zhang Baichi's left. On his right, the Mutated Cloudwolf's left front leg lay in the dirt, mangled, bloodied, and finally wholly cut off.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on comprehending Quasi-Sword Intent.]

The system's interface appeared in his vision, but he quickly tapped it away. He broke into a ferocious, but tired grin with his teeth showing. "Time for round two, mother*cker."