The sun on the horizon finally brushed lightly against the western skyline. The fiery red afterglow set the clouds ablaze, casting a red light over the land, like a drunken old man. In Jingdong City, amidst the atmosphere of countless homes' cooking smoke, life gradually slowed down, filled with peacefulness.
Seeing the red clouds drench the leaves on the mountains, Qingyan wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiled wearily, and called out to Muxiao Xiaoyu not far away:
"Xiaoyu, we've been at this all afternoon, and you're still so excited. Aren't you tired? Dinner time is only half an hour away, going back to the family will be just in time. If your family head finds out about this and punishes you, it won't be my concern."
Shrugging, Qingyan smiled helplessly. Only by invoking the name of the Mugu family head could he make this spoiled young lady restrain herself a little.
Sure enough, Muxiao Xiaoyu's body trembled slightly, the arrow in her hand skewed, and when she shot, it went completely wide, scaring the prey away.
She put away the short bow, and with slight annoyance between her brows, Muxiao Xiaoyu turned to scold Qingyan, "Xiao Yan, you scoundrel! Stop always scaring me with that tyrant act. Do you think I'm really afraid of him?"
As she spoke, Muxiao Xiaoyu even made a formidable fist gesture, looking fierce.
After a while, Qingyan continued to smile silently, and finally Muxiao Xiaoyu let out a sigh, drooping a little as she said, "Alright, let's go home…"
Watching Xiaoyu's figure lead the way, Qingyan let out a low laugh at himself, tightened the quiver on his back, and followed behind her.
Because of his strange physical condition, he normally advanced in cultivation extremely slowly. Even though he and Xiaoyu were the same age, in terms of cultivation, he couldn't even reach half of her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have to hide and be bullied by this young lady all the time. Now, he could only stay behind this woman. Although it felt extremely humiliating, there was no other choice.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a tremendous roar exploded from the dense forest behind. The sound reverberated deafeningly through the mountains and woods, and even the ground beneath seemed to tremble slightly. Almost simultaneously, a heavy aura suddenly appeared!This absolute majesty derived from power made it difficult for Qingyan and the other to even breathe!\ Instinctively moving closer, Qingyan pressed his back against Mugong Xiaoyu's, and in his breathing, he suddenly caught a faint scent from Mugong Xiaoyu's body. However, this usually irresistible scent now did not stir any thoughts at all. Because the enormous figure that suddenly appeared before them was enough to make one feel suffocated!\ Its towering body was almost two meters high! On its crimson fur, grey-black charcoal leopard patterns were faintly imprinted. An indistinct aura of menace emanated from it, causing Qingyan's body to tremble heavily! Its pair of blood-red eyes burned like fire. Its gaping fangs were as big as half of Qingyan's body, inhaling and exhaling scorching flames, to the point that even the moisture in the air seemed to evaporate! At the tip of the whip-like tail behind it, a dense spiritual fire blazed, intertwined with three red rings, radiating a strong battle aura. Wherever it passed, the ground was left parched, and some areas even caught fire!\ It was an enraged third-rank fierce leopard! Qingyan's heart sank deeply. Because, compared to it, his and Mugong Xiaoyu's level of strength was not even on the same plane!\ The fierce leopard was inherently a combative magical beast, and its combat abilities undoubtedly placed it among the top of its rank. The magical ring that only appeared in battle further highlighted its grade, reaching a third-rank level. Moreover, its furious, chaotic aura was entirely in a state of madness! In any respect, Qingyan and his companion could only be like two ants under its crushing feet!\ Its violent aura surged like a mountain! With each breath, it exhaled scorching heavy air. The fierce leopard only paused briefly; realizing Qingyan and the other posed no threat, it suddenly sprang off the ground, showing no intention of changing direction. Bearing down in Qingyan's direction, it charged with an aura as heavy as a mountain!\ "Ugh…" Almost simultaneously, Mugong Xiaoyu behind him was startled by this oppressive aura, fainting immediately and nearly collapsing to the ground.No wonder—this child was only fifteen years old and had been pampered since childhood as a young lady. Although she possessed considerable strength, when faced with a true life-or-death situation, how could she withstand such pressure? For example, a child, even if holding a sharp sword, when confronted by a bloodthirsty killer closing in step by step, could they summon the willpower to overcome fear and gather the courage to raise their sword to fight? Naturally, the answer is no.
But Qingyan was different.
Qingyan supported Muguang Xiaoyu with his hands and gently set her on the ground. In an instant, a pair of eyes became bloodshot, completely red! His body crouched, limbs on the ground, resembling a bloodthirsty beast!
Because he himself had once been a beast! Qingyan's body trembled, blood boiling! Even though the power differential was enormous, with Xiaoyu as a burden, Qingyan had no retreat, only a desperate fight!
He did not think about anything else—no thoughts of consequences, no thoughts of being unable to conquer. At this moment, Qingyan only had a single consciousness of battle, raging through his heart. This was the beast; when the martial blood in the body boiled, there was nothing to consider except fighting.
"Ugh…" In a low, somewhat hoarse voice, after five years of fully becoming human, Qingyan returned to the state of a beast for the first time, without the slightest discomfort. Perhaps these childhood instincts were deeply ingrained in Qingyan's body.
Pushing off his back legs, Qingyan shot forward like a streaking arrow. Completely ignoring the leopard's impact, as solid as a mountain, he aimed for its throat, ready to bite fiercely!
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past Qingyan's head, and there was a loud "boom." The leaping leopard in front unexpectedly stopped midair and turned right, almost at the same speed, crashing heavily into a large tree that could take two people to embrace. After a moment, with several cracking sounds, the tree collapsed with a tremendous crash!
Beside Qingyan, a figure appeared at some unknown moment. This figure wore a gray-black mercenary cloak, and the shadow under the cloak and hood completely concealed the face. The not very tall body surprisingly possessed the raw strength to punch a raging, third-tier leopard away?
