Chi Beasts vs Savage Beast

Lu Tzang carefully draped a blanket over Xiao Chan's resting figure, tucking it gently around her shoulders.

Her peaceful breathing filled the hideout, and he allowed himself a moment to admire her serene expression before shaking his head, dispelling the thoughts creeping into his mind.

"Rest well," he whispered softly before turning to leave.

Stepping outside, the morning sun bathed him in warm, golden light. Lu Tzang took a deep breath, feeling the invigorating energy of the forest around him.

He closed his eyes, his body stilling as he focused inwardly.

Slowly, faint strands of hair-like energy began to radiate from his body, invisible to the naked eye yet keenly felt by his sharpened senses.

The tendrils of energy spread outward, seeping into the ground, climbing tree trunks, and brushing against leaves.

Lu Tzang stood as still as a statue, attuned to the delicate feedback from the energy. Each strand acted as an extension of himself, giving him awareness of his surroundings.

"The northern corner," he murmured. "Two dense trees flanking an open patch of earth... clear."

He shifted his focus. "The east—shadowed rocks by the creek. No movement."

His awareness drifted further. "The western edge, near that fallen log..." He paused, the energy returning without any alarming sensation. "Quiet."

After a full sweep of the area, Lu Tzang opened his eyes. "No beasts, no danger," he muttered.

Satisfied, he stepped out of the protective range of his hideout and made his way deeper into the forest.

…

Hours passed, and Lu Tzang eventually came to a halt in a secluded corner of the forest.

The air here was heavier, laden with the faint musk of savage beasts.

Towering trees loomed overhead, their canopies casting fragmented shadows on the forest floor. Lu Tzang surveyed the area, his gaze sharp.

"This place..." he muttered, his voice low. His fingers traced the bark of a nearby tree as if reacquainting himself with an old battleground.

This was the place where he had first encountered the savage beasts when he was thrust into this cultivation novel world. Back then, he was weak, barely capable of defending himself.

The energy within him—Immortal Cultivation Chi—had felt foreign and wild.

The original Lu Tzang's fragmented memories had given him a name for it, but no instructions on how to use it.

"I avoided beasts at first," he murmured, crouching to examine claw marks etched into a nearby rock. "But they didn't avoid me."

A wry smile crossed his lips as he recalled the countless ambushes he had endured.

Through sheer desperation and survival instinct, he had learned to fight back.

It was here that he had tasted his first true victory—and learned which creatures he could take down with a single punch.

"Some of those beasts..." He glanced around, scanning for familiar signs. "They're still here, aren't they?"

He closed his eyes, steadying his breath. Energy rippled through his body as he reached out once more, sensing the faint presences of life in the distance.

None were close enough to be an immediate threat.

Standing tall, he called out, his voice firm. "System, are you ready?"

The air shimmered before him as the familiar system screen materialized.

Ding!

Pursuing Carnivorous Bloom Mortal Art, Level One, activated!

The words glowed brightly on the screen, and Lu Tzang's grin widened. "Let's see what these flowers of mine can do."

Not long, the forest seemed to quiet as Lu Tzang stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the peculiar creature before him.

It was a beast unlike anything he had seen before—a grotesquely fat monstrosity with the face of a bulging-eyed frog and the squishy, writhing body of a tadpole. Its slimy, spotted skin shimmered in the sparse sunlight filtering through the canopy, and its sheer size was almost comical—like an overinflated balloon about to burst.

Lu Tzang blinked, utterly speechless. "What… in the heavens... is this thing?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The creature stared back at him, its massive, unblinking eyes filled with what seemed like equal parts confusion and disdain.

The flabby folds around its mouth quivered as it let out a low, wet croak that echoed in the clearing.

"It's looking at me like I'm the absurd one," Lu Tzang thought with a wry grin.

He cracked his neck and took a step forward. "Alright, frog-face. You're not as big as a human, and I came here to test my skills. Let's see how strong you are."

The tension in the air thickened as Lu Tzang's aura flared.

The space around him distorted faintly, rippling with crimson energy.

Slowly, a shape began to take form beside him—an otherworldly bloom that pulsed with malice.

The flower was a grotesque marvel of nature, its petals blood-red and veined with pulsing black lines.

Rows of razor-sharp teeth lined the edges of its open maw, which dripped with a viscous, black fluid.

Its center swirled with endless hunger, as though it could devour the entire forest in a single bite.

The flower's vines twitched erratically, dragging its terrifying form across the ground as it swayed, sniffing for prey.

The frog-faced beast croaked again, louder this time, as if issuing a challenge. Despite its ludicrous appearance, a subtle aura of pressure emanated from its bloated body, clashing with the menacing energy of the carnivorous bloom.

The forest around them seemed to tremble as the two creatures stood off, their auras colliding invisibly.

Lu Tzang smirked, his confidence bolstered by the sheer ferocity of his summoned flower. Its razor-lined maw alone was more terrifying than the beast's absurd face.

"Let's see which one of you is uglier when this is over."

He raised a hand and pointed directly at the frog-faced monstrosity. "Go."

The carnivorous bloom lunged forward with terrifying speed, its vine-like limbs stretching and tearing through the ground as it surged toward its prey.

In his mind, Lu Tzang let his imagination run wild.

He pictured the flower's teeth ripping through the beast's slimy flesh with savage glee, the sound of tearing meat filling the air as crimson ichor sprayed in all directions.

The frog's blubbery body would be shredded into chunks, its organs splattering across the forest floor.

Its wide, terrified eyes would bulge even more as it realized its mistake too late.

"You'll regret crossing paths with me, you overgrown tadpole!"

Lu Tzang thought, barely suppressing a manic grin.

As the carnivorous bloom closed in on its prey, Lu Tzang couldn't help himself.

A low chuckle escaped his lips, growing into a deep, triumphant cackle that echoed through the clearing.

His laughter filled the forest, a sinister prelude to the bloody carnage he imagined would soon unfold.

However, the tense aura that had filled the clearing moments ago was shattered in an instant.

Lu Tzang's proud, menacing carnivorous bloom—the culmination of his hard-earned cultivation—was now wriggling helplessly on the grotesque tongue of the frog-faced beast.

The creature's massive, slimy tongue was as wide as the flower itself, curling beneath the sharp-toothed petals like an oversized pillow.

The flower thrashed and flailed, its crimson petals trembling with effort, its vines twisting in wild desperation.

Yet the more it struggled, the more helpless it seemed, as though some invisible adhesive had fastened it firmly to the frog's slick, mucus-coated tongue.

Lu Tzang's jaw dropped as he watched the absurd spectacle unfold. "What the—how is this even possible?! That tongue must be coated in something otherworldly! No, it's cheating! You bastard!"