Chapter 00116: The True Demon Beast (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Shangguan Yulin)
# The True Demon Beast (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Shangguan Yulin)
Chapter 116
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 116: The True Demon Beast (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Shangguan Yulin)
Even with a three-meter-long energy vein, Ding Huan effortlessly emerged from the cliff cave using the Wind Riding Technique.
"Big brother, are we really leaving Earth?" Qi Xin Yue wasn't particularly attached to the idea of leaving Earth.
Her only family was her mother, and after leaving Luo Shen Valley, she knew she would never see her mother again.
Her master had told her that her mother stayed on Zhan Shen Continent solely for her sake.
If not for her, her mother would have left with her master long ago.
As for where her mother would go, Qi Xin Yue had no idea.
"Yes, I feel my strength is still too low. I can't progress further on Earth. Before leaving, there are a few things I need to take care of," Ding Huan sighed.
No matter what, Earth was the place that had raised him.
If he wasn't mistaken, in his previous life, after he left Earth, it was likely overrun by ferocious beasts.
As for humanity, even if they weren't completely wiped out, they would have been reduced to mere vassals of the beasts.
So, before leaving this time, Ding Huan planned to eliminate those powerful beasts.
If the Great Desolate Golden Ape couldn't be tamed, he would kill it too.
There was no room for mercy now.
He might never return, so he wanted to do something for Earth.
Qi Xin Yue had been with Ding Huan for quite some time and understood his character.
Despite his ruthless decisiveness in dealing with alien invaders, deep down, Ding Huan had a sentimental attachment to Earth.
She knew that when he said he had a few things to take care of, he was likely referring to eliminating the giant ape and the demon dragon at the human defense line.
After some hesitation, she spoke up, "Big brother, I heard from Cang Bei Chun that there's a beast in the Kunlun Mountains that's beyond level nine. I'm not sure what kind of beast it is, but I suspect he wasn't lying."
A beast beyond level nine in the Kunlun Mountains? That would make it a demon beast, wouldn't it?
Ding Huan was momentarily stunned, then seemed to realize something and quickened his pace.
In no time, he arrived at the outskirts of the Blue Star.
"It seems there really is a demon beast here, one that's beyond level nine," Ding Huan observed the damaged protective barrier around the Blue Star.
The barrier had been set up by Lao Liu, who was meticulous in his work, using thick trees and large rocks.
Now, there was a massive gap in it.
Clearly, someone—or something—had been here.
Aside from someone as strong as Cang Bei Chun, ordinary people wouldn't be able to reach this place.
That meant a beast had come here.
Strangely, after tearing open the barrier, the beast hadn't damaged the Blue Star itself.
"Did a beast come here?" Qi Xin Yue also noticed the situation.
The barrier around the Blue Star hadn't been randomly destroyed; it had been dismantled in an orderly manner.
The gap was neat and tidy, something only a human could do.
But Ding Huan was certain it wasn't a human.
This had to be an intelligent demon beast.
"Not only did a beast come here, but it's also waiting for us nearby, watching us right now. No, this isn't just a beast—it's a demon beast," Ding Huan said as his divine sense swept out.
"Ah..."
Qi Xin Yue gasped in shock.
She knew exactly how terrifying a demon beast could be.
That demon dragon from before had been severely injured, yet Ding Huan and Zhong Chi had nearly lost when they fought it together.
Only later, after reaching level five as a gene cultivator, did she understand why Ding Huan had won.
If Ding Huan were still at his previous strength and fought that injured demon dragon again, he would most likely lose.
In truth, Ding Huan's Wind Blade Technique and Fireball Technique weren't that powerful.
He had won because of tactical strategy—using the Wind Blade to tear open the dragon's wounds and then throwing a fireball into them.
If the dragon had realized how weak those techniques were, Ding Huan's tactics would have been useless.
Ding Huan, however, was puzzled.
His divine sense hadn't detected any demon beast nearby.
His current range was about four to five kilometers.
Could the demon beast be watching him from over ten kilometers away?
Ding Huan guessed that the demon beast had come here not for the Blue Star itself, but because it had sensed the Zhan Shen crystals and energy veins on board.
As Ding Huan approached the Blue Star, he noticed that the exterior had been struck by something—no, more like clawed.
This had to be the work of the demon beast.
However, the materials used to build the Blue Star were incredibly tough.
Even a demon beast couldn't leave a scratch on it.
Ding Huan had previously used his Star Blade to slash up the interior of the ship, leading him to believe the materials weren't that special.
Now he realized that the exterior and interior were made of different materials.
While he could slash up the inside, the outside was nearly indestructible.
The demon beast was clearly intelligent.
After failing to leave any marks on the Blue Star, it had stopped trying to damage it and even wiped away the claw marks, making it harder for Ding Huan to notice at first.
Ding Huan was certain that as soon as he opened the Blue Star, the beast would rush in to seize it.
He extended his divine sense again, refusing to believe that a demon beast could cover over ten kilometers in an instant to stop him from entering the Blue Star.
This time, Ding Huan noticed something unusual.
Less than two hundred meters away, there was a massive boulder with an ancient, withered tree beside it.
The tree's circumference was at least twenty meters, making it an old tree, though not as ancient as the ten-thousand-year cypress in Luohe City.
Perched on the tree was a large owl.
At first glance, the owl's color blended perfectly with the tree bark, making it nearly invisible.
This was undoubtedly a mutated owl.
Ordinary owls were no more than a meter long, but this one was at least three meters.
Its massive beak rested against the tree, looking completely natural.
Its half-open eyes caught Ding Huan's attention, and he soon sensed the faint demonic energy emanating from the owl.
Ding Huan sighed inwardly.
His divine sense still had room for improvement.
If it were more refined, he could distinguish between living and non-living entities.
Being able to detect life forms would have allowed him to spot the owl immediately.
As it was, his divine sense was only slightly better than his eyesight.
"Xin Yue, you and Lao Liu take this energy vein up first," Ding Huan pointed to the energy vein he had just placed on the ground.
Lao Liu immediately grabbed the vein.
Even though he couldn't cultivate, holding onto the several-meter-long energy vein gave him a sense of comfort.
Qi Xin Yue had the authority to open the Blue Star's hatch.
She walked over and opened it, releasing a surge of dense natural energy.
Ding Huan, with his back to the owl, appeared to be inspecting the energy vein.
His wooden spear was in hand, but the tip was pointed downward.
At that moment, something shot toward Ding Huan's back at a speed comparable to that of a light crossbow bolt.
Simultaneously, Ding Huan thrust his White Hardwood Spear forward.
As he bent over, he launched the spear.
He was worried that if the owl was truly a demon beast, he might not be able to defeat it.
So, he reasoned that if the owl was waiting for the Blue Star's hatch to open, it would likely attack the moment it did.
In this situation, the owl would see him as the greatest threat and target him first.
Hundreds of spear lights erupted, converging into a single line.
This was the characteristic of the first form of the Nine Paths Spear Technique—Soul Shattering Spear.
It could unleash hundreds of spear lights in an instant, or condense them into a single, devastating strike.
"Boom!"
A shrill owl cry echoed as feathers scattered and a spray of blood filled the air.
"Crack!" Ding Huan's White Hardwood Spear snapped in two, and a powerful recoil forced him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Ding Huan knew that such a terrifying impact couldn't have come from an ordinary beast.
This had to be a demon beast, and one that had only recently advanced.
Its combat abilities weren't fully developed, which was why he had managed to severely injure it with his sneak attack.
A gray shadow darted into the depths of the mountains, disappearing in an instant.
"Big brother..."
Qi Xin Yue's face turned pale.
The exchange between Ding Huan and the owl had lasted only a moment.
The owl had aimed to ambush Ding Huan, but he had been prepared.
Although Ding Huan's speed couldn't match the mutated owl's, he had struck first.
As the owl charged at his back, Ding Huan's spear pierced its chest, puncturing its heart.
Even as a demon beast, when the owl gathered its energy to attack, its heart pumped faster.
Ding Huan's spear strike was devastating, causing a massive hemorrhage in the owl's heart.
"Xin Yue, you and Lao Liu get into the Blue Star and wait for me to return..."
Ding Huan said, then flashed away, chasing after the owl's retreating figure.
He was almost certain that in a direct confrontation, he wouldn't be able to defeat the owl.
Its speed and cunning were too much.
The owl's overconfidence in its sneak attack had been its downfall.
If it had faced him head-on, Ding Huan wouldn't have been able to inflict such a severe injury.
Now that the owl was wounded, Ding Huan wasn't about to let it escape.
If he missed this opportunity, unless he reached the Foundation Establishment stage in gene cultivation, he would never be able to defeat this owl.
Leaving such a powerful demon beast on Earth would be a disaster.
As he watched Ding Huan chase after the owl, Lao Liu felt even more relieved about his earlier decision.
Ding Huan hadn't lied to him.
Forget the demon dragon and the giant ape Ding Huan had mentioned earlier—this owl alone could easily crush him.
(End of Chapter)