Chapter 25: Extraordinary Creatures

"Bang!"

In the abandoned zoo, an explosion echoed. In the darkness, a figure seemed to have suffered a terrible attack, being thrown backward. Finally, it crashed through a thick cement wall, crushing the weeds and shrubs along the way.

The powerful impact caused the wall to crack.

"Ugh!"

Qin Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, instantly wilting. Her green vertical pupils were bloodshot.

"Waaah!"

The eerie cry of a baby echoed again, reverberating in the darkness. It was unpredictable, sometimes distant, sometimes close, and occasionally right behind you.

Qin Qing's vertical pupils darted around, trying to lock onto the creature in the darkness, but she failed each time, only occasionally catching a glimpse of a bizarre humanoid figure in her peripheral vision.

"In front? Right? No, it's the left."

Suddenly.

The strange humanoid figure darted out of the darkness with an incredible speed, attacking again. Although Qin Qing had locked onto it, in her eyes, she could only see a blur.

The movement was too fast for her eyes to capture accurately.

Even her evolved vertical pupils couldn't capture the figure. Clearly, the creature's strength surpassed Qin Qing's current level. A moment of inattention could lead to her instant death.

"Courting death."

Suddenly, Yang Yilong's angry shout echoed, and a white arc flashed around. The darkness was instantly dispelled as he rushed out from another direction, trying to intercept before Qin Qing was attacked.

The strange humanoid figure seemed to sense danger, abandoning the chance to kill Qin Qing. It stopped in an unbelievable manner midway, then blended back into the surrounding darkness.

"Waaah!"

The baby-like cry echoed again, still reverberating around.

Yang Yilong stopped in front of Qin Qing, looking at the creature that had hidden itself, with a few traces of anger on his face. His current state was particularly divine, with his hair and clothes floating. His eyes emitted a white glow, and a terrifying aura wrapped around his right arm.

The fallen leaves and weeds nearby were instantly pulverized when they got close.

Amid the drifting dust, an outline of an invisible long sword seemed to appear faintly on his arm.

"Compared to last time, this thing has grown stronger again. Its growth speed surpasses our cultivation speed, and it's getting more cunning. It knows it can't beat you, so it keeps wearing you down." Qin Qing coughed weakly twice, standing up again.

Although she could still move, she had lost the ability to fight, barely able to protect herself.

In her vision.

Some kind of energy converged in a special trajectory in Yang Yilong's right hand, condensing. This energy was invisible to the naked eye, but in her vision, it was brilliant, more dazzling than anything in reality.

"If I were weaker than that thing, I could accept failure. But now I have the power to kill it. If I still have to flee, it means I'm just a useless coward. Qin Qing, I dragged you into this mess. I planned to hunt that thing down and share half with you to thank you for saving my life last time. I didn't expect things to turn out this way."

Qin Qing said, "It's not your fault. That thing changed a lot after suffering a bit last time. Its growth this time has completely made up for its previous weaknesses. Before, I could still keep up with its movements and reactions, but this time, it's completely overwhelming me."

"I can see that. This thing is highly intelligent and has an extremely strong learning ability. If we don't kill it this time, we won't have any chance next time." Yang Yilong's eyes were resolute. "No matter what, let's fight once more."

"If we lose, I'll die here with you."

Sensing Yang Yilong's determination, Qin Qing didn't argue further. "Since you're ready for a fight to the death, there's nothing more to say. Let's hunt it down and go back together."

"Alright," Yang Yilong nodded slightly.

"Go."

Qin Qing moved again, her figure darting up at an incredible speed, almost flying close to the ground. Her green vertical pupils kept moving, locking onto the eerie crying sound in the distance.

Yang Yilong also moved suddenly, and the two of them flanked from the left and right, charging towards the cry.

The baby-like cry echoed again.

The humanoid creature sensed their murderous intent and danger, so it didn't choose to confront them directly. Instead, it fled quickly, not giving Yang Yilong and Qin Qing any chance to close in. It maintained a distance just enough to avoid being caught while also ready to turn and counterattack.

Clearly, this humanoid creature didn't intend to let Yang Yilong and Qin Qing go either. It wanted to kill these two evil prisoners here.

Perhaps the creature thought Yang Yilong's growth rate was also too fast. Last time, it had the chance to kill him, but after some time, it almost got killed by him instead. If it allowed him to continue growing, it would be very dangerous for itself.

Both sides were determined to kill each other. The battle continued and was far from over.

"It's not an illusion. My eyes can start locking onto it now. Is it deliberately slowing down to lure me in for a counterattack? Or is its speed really decreasing?"

Qin Qing and Yang Yilong had been attacking together for a while without any results, but she noticed the creature's movements becoming sluggish.

"No, it's not deliberately slowing down. It's starting to get exhausted like us. That's why my eyes can catch it now. This is an opportunity. If my vertical pupils can lock onto it, it's a chance."

Qin Qing glanced at Yang Yilong.

Yang Yilong was panting. The brilliant light on his right hand had dimmed significantly and was about to go out, but he still maintained it with effort. Once this 'sword' disappeared, they might really get counterattacked by the creature.

"Can we still have a chance to strike?" Yang Yilong seemed to notice Qin Qing's gaze and looked over.

Their eyes met, and they seemed to understand each other's thoughts.

Qin Qing nodded slightly in agreement.

The next moment.

Qin Qing's speed suddenly increased, and the little remaining energy in her body was rapidly being consumed.

She had to squeeze out the last of her strength to create an opportunity for Yang Yilong to strike.

In the darkness, Qin Qing's figure was like a white rainbow, suddenly overtaking the humanoid creature's figure in the blink of an eye, even surpassing it.

"Wow!"

A cry of surprise and terror echoed.

The humanoid creature seemed unprepared for this turn of events. It had been controlling the distance, but when its stamina weakened, Qin Qing seized the opportunity.

But when it saw that Qin Qing was the one attacking, the humanoid creature let out a roar and immediately extended a furry humanoid arm, but strangely, instead of a hand, it had the hoof of a beast.

The hoof shimmered, forming a circular mark, visible even without using spiritual vision.

"Qin Qing, get back!" Yang Yilong sensed danger and shouted suddenly.

But it was too late.

In battles at this speed, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Qin Qing's figure briefly overlapped with the humanoid creature's, but in an instant, the two figures separated rapidly. Then, Qin Qing's figure seemed to dissolve, blood spraying in the air, instantly filling the atmosphere with a strong scent of blood.

Meanwhile, the humanoid creature only paused for a moment, taking a few steps back, but it didn't seem to suffer any serious injury.

However, Qin Qing's desperate attack wasn't meant to kill but to intercept, creating an opportunity for Yang Yilong to strike.

"Die!"

Yang Yilong's eyes gleamed with vitality as he struck horizontally like a divine being. A sword-shaped outline appeared on his right arm, slashing towards the humanoid creature at an incredible speed.

Sensing the imminent death.

The creature let out a sharp cry like a baby and turned its head.

But it was too late.

The surroundings brightened, and an invisible sword had already swept across its body.

And in this brief moment of illumination, the true appearance of this creature was revealed.

It had a humanoid body but with a monstrous head resembling that of a goat. This appearance was close to the demonic images in Western legends but with some differences, especially in its teeth, which were both bloodthirsty and cruel.

Clearly, this was some unknown extraordinary creature.

However, at this moment.

This extraordinary creature was cut in half, blood gushing from the severed part, splattering all over the ground.

But even though it was severed, the creature was still alive. Using what seemed like human arms with hooves, it supported its upper body and lunged towards Yang Yilong.

However, this counterattack was futile.

The creature's head was instantly split in half.

Under such a deadly attack, the life of the extraordinary creature began to rapidly fade. But even as it was dying, the severed head continued to wriggle on the ground, emitting a grotesque sight.

"Qin Qing, how are you?" Yang Yilong ignored the struggling creature on the verge of death and hurried to his teammate's side.

"I... I can't... I can't feel my lower body." Qin Qing lay limp on the ground, in a strange posture.

Yang Yilong quickly checked Qin Qing's injuries but couldn't help a slight change in his expression.

Qin Qing's back was a mess of flesh and blood, nearly half of her body taken away by the creature's hooves. Her spine was shattered. If it weren't for the resilience of cultivators, such injuries would undoubtedly be fatal.

"Several sections of the spine are shattered, the injury is quite severe, but the internal organs are okay. It's okay, as long as we get back safely, it can be treated. It's just a matter of spending a bit more money. You don't have to worry." Yang Yilong quickly considered various medical plans in his mind, then sighed in relief.

As cultivators evolved, the world's medical system was also advancing rapidly.

"That's good. We can't stay here now. The smell of blood will attract other creatures. Let's leave quickly." Qin Qing's face was somewhat pale but still rational.

"Okay."

Yang Yilong nodded. He didn't have the strength to hunt down other creatures anymore. They had to leave promptly, or they'd both be in danger if they encountered more threats.

He quickly picked up Qin Qing, preparing to clean up the corpse and leave.

But at that moment.

Inside the darkened abandoned zoo, the roars and howls of various beasts echoed.

"No, the creature's sound is transmitting some kind of message to the surrounding beasts." Qin Qing realized, seeing the humanoid creature with a goat's head still whimpering, feeling something ominous.

"I've noticed too."

Yang Yilong understood and swiftly silenced the creature, then packed up the corpse, and promptly departed.