Chapter 56

Staring at the suddenly appearing giant magical beast, Xiao Yan’s back was drenched in cold sweat, a chill running through his body, leaving him rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

Appearing before Xiao Yan was a massive purple-and-white alternating fox, which was probably over ten meters tall, covered in long fur. Its fierce mouth revealed sharp fangs, and a pair of blood-red eyes emitted a cruel killing intent.

His gaze flickered over the purple fur, and Xiao Yan took a deep breath. "This fox’s strength is probably at the late-stage One-Star Dou Di level."

Xiao Yan speculated to himself that if it was at the late-stage One-Star Dou Di level, there might be a way to deal with it. He tightly gripped the Eternal Flame Ruler in his hand.

"Thump, thump!"

The fox’s massive mouth panted heavily, its blood-red eyes fixed on the human who had suddenly intruded into its territory. Its huge paws pressed into the ground, crushing several rocks into powder.

Looking at the fox that made no effort to hide its killing intent, Xiao Yan swallowed hard. "Old Master Zhan, what are my chances against this thing?" Xiao Yan asked. Perhaps only Old Master Zhan knew how strong this fox really was.

"Purple Crystal Fox. With your current strength, it’s indeed quite difficult to deal with it. The chances of winning are no more than thirty percent, but this Blood Nether Grass is rare. Don’t miss the opportunity," Old Master Zhan said lightly. Xiao Yan couldn’t help but roll his eyes—was life more important or the medicinal herb?

Xiao Yan had no choice but to focus his gaze on the fox again, carefully examining it. Suddenly, he noticed a terrifying wound on the fox’s abdomen.

The wound almost completely tore open the fox’s abdomen, and as it moved, fresh blood continuously gushed out, staining the nearby purple fur red.

Judging by the terrifying appearance of the wound, it was likely caused by some ferocious clawed magical beast. Injured magical beasts generally become extremely agitated, and unfortunately, Xiao Yan seemed to have intruded into the territory of this heavily wounded fox.

"It seems this Blood Nether Grass has brought you quite a few enemies," Xiao Yan said slowly. The clawed magical beast must have targeted the Blood Nether Grass, but was likely defeated and fled, leaving the fox with a severe injury.

Staring intently at the fox’s continuously bleeding wound, Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, and his heart raced. Although under normal circumstances, he couldn’t possibly defeat a fox with the strength of a late-stage One-Star Dou Di, the current situation seemed to be in his favor.

Xiao Yan tightly gripped the Eternal Flame Ruler. This was his first time facing a Dou Di-level magical beast, and today would be a tough battle. The current situation left no room for him to hold back.

Xiao Yan’s actions were undoubtedly a provocation to the agitated fox. Immediately, the magical beast’s paws slammed heavily on its chest’s hard armor, producing a clanging sound.

With a massive step, the fox’s eyes turned blood-red as it charged at Xiao Yan, white energy rapidly gathering on its huge claws, causing the surrounding air to instantly chill.

"Flame Emperor’s Body!"

Suddenly, dozens of flames appeared around Xiao Yan. Under his control, the rolling strange fire surged into his body, causing his figure to rapidly expand. As he expanded, brilliant flames quickly burst from his pores, transforming into fire dragons that coiled around him. The Eternal Flame Ruler also became massive.

After Xiao Yan activated the Flame Emperor’s Body, his figure instantly grew several dozen times larger. The size of the Flame Emperor’s Body could be controlled, and a larger body didn’t necessarily mean greater strength.

Xiao Yan’s expression became exceptionally solemn. He deeply exhaled a gust of wind and thunder, grabbed the ancient ruler formed by twenty-two strange fires, and with a step, the brilliant flame ruler sliced through the air, carrying boundless terrifying power, and fiercely struck the fox.

At this critical moment, Xiao Yan used all his strength.

A terrifying energy storm swept out, instantly turning the surrounding trees and rocks into powder, but the Blood Nether Grass remained unharmed. Xiao Yan also noticed this peculiar situation and thought, "What powerful spiritual energy!"

Xiao Yan’s Eternal Flame Ruler heavily struck the fox’s body. Although it was not in its complete form, the weapon formed by Heavenly Fire was extremely powerful.

"Bang!"

Due to its severe injuries, the fox was unable to dodge Xiao Yan’s powerful attack, and its massive body was forcefully thrown away. Despite such a heavy blow, the fox instantly stood up, breathing heavily: "Roar—"

"Such strong defense."

Xiao Yan was somewhat relieved; if the fox hadn’t been injured, this blow might not have hit.

However, after being struck by Xiao Yan’s full-force attack with the Eternal Flame Ruler, the fox’s abdominal wound burst open again, and blood flowed like water, staining the ground beneath it a deep red. As a Dou Di-level magical beast, although it had low intelligence, it still knew its internal condition. With a roar, it turned to flee.

Seeing the fox trying to escape, Xiao Yan, who had already used all his strength, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly, "Having come this far, how can I let the tiger return to the mountain?! Flame Profound Explosion!"

Xiao Yan’s figure suddenly appeared in front of the fox, which was about to escape, a dozen meters away. His left hand held the Eternal Flame Ruler, and his right hand, which had instantly grown larger, was filled with his last bit of strength. He fiercely punched the fox, which was losing a lot of blood.