Chapter 90

On the first night, only a few unobservant small beasts came to disturb them, and they were easily dealt with by Yangguang.

The next morning, as the sky just began to brighten, the three of them got up to pack their bags and continued their journey. Along the way, they killed four wild boars with tusks, and Xu Dong took the opportunity to replenish the power of his blood-flesh armor to 220.

The cooperation among the three began to show results. Usually, Xu Dong would lure the beasts, Yangguang would take the brunt of the attacks, and Qidao would follow up with a sword strike. When facing one-star awakened precious beasts, the trio was invincible, able to kill wherever they pointed, with almost no match.

Yangguang, who was leading the way, suddenly raised his fist in a stop gesture. Even Fatao, the mechanical creature, raised his nose as if sensing something in the air.

"Everyone, be careful. Ahead, we will encounter two-star awakened precious beasts," Yangguang warned. "With our strength, we can easily kill a lone two-star awakened precious beast. However, if two appear at once, there's a possibility of getting injured. If more than two... everyone must rely on their own luck!"

As if to jinx it, the moment he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from ahead.

The group looked alertly in that direction. Soon, a large terrestrial raptor, about as tall as a person and weighing around 200 pounds, sauntered out of the bushes and into their view.

At first glance, this raptor resembled an ostrich Xu Dong had seen in his previous life, but upon closer inspection, its legs were like steel, and each foot had four sharp claws, as sharp as blades. One could imagine the terrifying effect if this raptor charged at high speed and then clawed down, leaving deep wounds on its target.

The raptor also had a sharp, pointed beak, like a long, slender spear, which could pierce through metal and stone when used effectively!

This raptor, however, had a cute name: Lingniao (Spirit Bird).

It was hard to imagine that a bird with such a name, which sounded so full of spirit, had such strong aggression and a vengeful nature.

The Lingniao turned its eyes and saw the three of them, suddenly letting out a shrill cry. It spread its legs and, in the blink of an eye, reached its maximum speed. Its head pointed forward, like a knight charging with a long spear.

Estimating the speed of the Lingniao, Xu Dong's expression changed. This feathered beast, in terms of movement speed, was much faster than a two-star agility-type awakened being!

The Lingniao, like a gray lightning bolt, silently approached Yangguang.

As it got close, a faint buzzing sound reached everyone's ears, caused by the beak rubbing against the air. Xu Dong could even vaguely see a cone of air around the beak. His expression changed, and he shouted, "Yangguang, back up! You can't block it!"

At the same time, the ancient armor activated, and he used the Tiger Pounce Heavy Strike. With a powerful push from his legs, his figure lunged forward like a tiger, fiercely cutting into the Lingniao from the side.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked by, and the Lingniao abruptly turned its head and pecked, piercing a hole in Xu Dong's hand, causing blood to spray in the air.

Xu Dong's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth. As he quickly pulled back his hand, a howl erupted from his throat, shaking the Lingniao and making it stagger. He then followed up with a Tiger Pounce Rending Strike, which hit the Lingniao's wing with a powerful force.

The Tiger Pounce Rending Strike was incredibly powerful, and Xu Dong even used a strong skill. Combined with the appropriate techniques, the enhancement reached a staggering 90%!

This level of nearly double the strength output was almost on par with a three-star strength-type awakened being!

However, the Lingniao's feathers were as tough as steel, and its skin was also very resilient. Xu Dong's Tiger Pounce Rending Strike only managed to pluck a few feathers and knock the Lingniao back two meters, but it was not a fatal blow!

At this moment, Xu Dong finally gained a direct understanding of the strength of two-star awakened precious beasts.

Even a same-level armored warrior couldn't match a precious beast!

After Xu Dong slapped the Lingniao away, without needing to be told, Qidao rushed forward with a cold expression. His large sword hummed and trembled, and he slashed through the air, creating a rolling wave of energy.

Unexpectedly, the precious beast, at this critical moment, kicked its legs wildly, creating a strong current of air, and quickly regained its footing. Its long, sharp beak sliced through the air, making a whistling sound, like a master swordsman's swift and precise strike after years of practice.

Clang!

The beak and the sword collided, sparking a flash of fire.

Qidao was knocked back, landing heavily and looking pale, with a split in her right palm, making it difficult to grip the large sword.

However, her strength was not to be underestimated. She used her muscle-twisting technique to the fullest, delivering a powerful blow to the Lingniao's beak, causing it to spew a large mouthful of blood.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Lingniao was catching its breath, Yangguang charged forward like an angry bull, pouncing and tightly gripping the Lingniao's neck. He then wrapped his arms around it, and the fine scales on his arms made a creaking sound. The Lingniao's tongue protruded due to the difficulty in breathing.

The Lingniao let out a shrill cry. At this moment, it spread its wings, and a strong current of air blew, making its feathers rustle. A chilling whistling sound could be heard.

Qi!

Xu Dong's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Yangguang, let go quickly!"

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Yangguang was hit by what seemed like countless invisible arrows, and the powerful force sent him flying.

The Lingniao, hating the human who had choked its neck, kicked its legs and, with a spinning shadow, instantly rushed to where Yangguang was falling. It then reared back its long, hard beak and thrust it forward!

Whoosh!

A large conical vortex appeared.

This power was enough to easily pierce through Yangguang's defenses!

In a hurry, Xu Dong activated the Small Steps skill, dashing forward like a gust of wind, leaving a trail of fallen leaves and branches in his wake.

Biting his lip and lowering his shoulder, he charged forward!

The beak, which was sure to hit, missed by a hair, only grazing Yangguang's arm, leaving a few red marks.

Yangguang fell, nearly disintegrating from the pain.

Xu Dong pushed the Lingniao away and, without stopping, grabbed a three-edged dagger.

The Lingniao, having been hit by Xu Dong's Tiger Pounce Rending Strike, then clashed swords with Qidao, and finally been entangled by Yangguang, was already weakened. Seizing this opportunity, Xu Dong pounced on the Lingniao.

He then slashed horizontally with the dagger, creating a deep, ghastly wound on its neck, from which a large amount of blood gushed out, cutting off its last breath. After a few flaps of its wings, the Lingniao fell to the ground, lifeless.

At this moment, the three of them finally wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads and let out a long sigh of relief.

Yangguang, still shaken, said, "That was really close. We almost got killed."

He looked deeply at Xu Dong, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Thank you just now. If you hadn't arrived in time, I would have been dead."

Xu Dong panted for a moment. He suddenly realized that his other leg, which did not have the ancient leg armor activated, had suffered a ligament injury due to the extreme speed of the Small Steps skill. Hearing Yangguang's words of gratitude, he was slightly surprised, not expecting this young man to say such a thing.

Licking his lips, Xu Dong waved his hand and said, "Actually, even if you don't admit it, we are a team. We are partners, and isn't this what partners should do?"

After killing the Lingniao, the group began to strip it for materials. The most useful parts of the Lingniao were its beak, which was as hard as steel, and its legs, which had incredible gripping power. After collecting the materials, Xu Dong took the opportunity to activate the Devour skill, absorbing all of the Lingniao's life energy.

Two-star awakened precious beasts were indeed extraordinary. Xu Dong had never felt this so vividly before. Although the power of his blood-flesh armor could not be increased, his physical strength continued to grow. He was confident that if he faced ten to twenty more Lingniaos, he could reach the state of being invincible without the ancient armor activated.

The three of them continued their journey. While resting, Xu Dong suddenly had an idea and opened the map, pointing to the location of the Starlight Grass and their current position. "From here to the other side of the valley, the straight-line distance is not far. It would take no more than fifteen days."

"Have you noticed," Xu Dong mused, "that although the Ghost Forest is full of dangers, it is also an excellent place for training. For example, fighting the Lingniao can improve sword skills, and for Yangguang, it provides a good opportunity to practice close combat and entanglement techniques. Just pursuing the mission goal and wasting extra time would be too wasteful."

Hearing this, Qidao's eyes lit up.

However, Yangguang raised a crucial question: "Yang Shaoxing could catch up at any time. How do you think we should escape then?"

Yangguang asked how to escape, not how to fight.

In fact, they all knew that with their current strength, they would be easily defeated by Yang Shaoxing's group.

Xu Dong looked at the map, and after a moment, a confident smile appeared on his face. He said calmly, "If we can make it through today, once we reach this position, we will have a chance to escape successfully. Moreover, using this method, we can also increase our speed."

Yangguang and Qidao also looked at the map.

"Are you saying... is this reliable? Do you think they won't think of this method?"

Xu Dong shrugged. "It depends on the value of this map. We can only hope that the map they have is much worse than this one, so they won't realize this route."

At the same time, deep in the Ghost Forest, a Lingniao was happily pecking at fat insects hidden in a decaying tree trunk. A large, agile shadow approached silently, but the Lingniao did not sense it.

Suddenly, the terrifying figure lunged forward, opening its mouth and biting the Lingniao's head.

A bone-chilling crack echoed, and the Lingniao's beak, known for its hardness, shattered into pieces!

The Lingniao, which had been so troublesome for Xu Dong and his group, did not even have time to react before being swallowed whole by the beast.

Sss!

The terrifying figure, still unsatisfied, suddenly left to find its next prey.

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