Screech!
The massive three-headed demonic griffin let out a mournful cry. Its entire upper body was drenched in blood, yet instead of weakening, its aura rose sharply. Its wings—dozens of meters long—shone with brilliant hues of crimson, azure, and violet, each feather radiating dazzling light.
Like a cornered beast, it was preparing for a final desperate struggle.
But before it could, the Night Thunder Dream Beast burst forth from the shadows on the Tyrant Mountain cliffs. With a thunderous leap, it slammed down hard onto the broad back of the three-headed griffin, its four claws digging deep into the creature's bones.
Boom!
The Wind Flame Thunder Griffin leader's brewing demonic spell was forcibly interrupted. Both beasts plummeted from the cliff, crashing violently against the rocky walls. The griffin, missing its central head, was completely disoriented—its bones shattered all over.
Only the Night Thunder Dream Beast managed to escape the fall, using its Shadow Step to leap through the darkness mid-air, avoiding any major injuries.
Hovering above, Lu Jun glanced down but didn't interfere. He trusted that the Night Thunder Dream Beast could handle it. In terms of battle experience, this creature had roamed the Summoning Plane alone, having faced countless powerful foes—far beyond what the three-headed griffin could compare to.
It wouldn't take long for it to slay this Commander-level peak leader.
Rumble! Rumble!
In the meantime, Lu Jun had already crushed two Commanders face-to-face. With his two Ghost Fiends and the summoned Thunder Griffins beast tide under his command, only two or three lesser Commanders remained. They charged toward him but were quickly overwhelmed by his merged Elemental Holy Spirit's water magic, forced into complete retreat.
In the void above, streaks of pitch-black rivers of water stretched across the sky, glimmering faintly with starlight. Thirty-six colossal Water Dragons filled the mountaintop, ferociously tearing into the monster birds.
Below, Asharuiya was holding a summoning formation in her hands. Seeing this scene, she froze in disbelief. It seemed she didn't even need to act—Lu Jun alone was effortlessly butchering an entire Commander-level flock. It was terrifying.
She thought in shock, "Every Commander-level creature commands legions of subordinates—each one tyrannical and arrogant. Even group-type species are troublesome to deal with… yet Lu Jun seems even more terrifying than they are."
Little did she know, if Lu Jun could hear her thoughts, he would only find them amusing. After all, he hadn't even used his Space, Psychic, or Metal elements yet—this was merely half his full strength.
The Wind Flame Thunder Griffins flock realized the situation was hopeless. Several Commander-level monsters, though grievously wounded, were stubbornly enduring Lu Jun's water magic, trying desperately to flee.
Seeing this, Lu Jun frowned slightly. If he were alone, he could have easily handled them—whether by luring them with Psychic Illusions, binding them with Space Lock, or executing them with Metal Edge. But with an outsider present, he couldn't expose those abilities.
The Water Element was better suited for attrition, not swift aerial kills.
"Dark Sealing Formation!"
Fortunately, Asharuiya was no fool. Acting decisively, she cast her magic. A vast black array unfolded in midair, enveloping the fleeing creatures. Several Commander-level rocs froze in place for a few seconds, unable to move.
Had these Wind Flame Thunder Griffins been at full strength, not even a Dark Angel-empowered shadow spell could have immobilized them. But now, in their wounded state, the effect was perfect.
"Good opportunity!"
Lu Jun's mind flickered. His movements were swift—he manifested the Tai'a Sword, refraining from using any Metal-element magic. Wielding it purely as a weapon would prevent Asharuiya from noticing anything unusual—she would just assume it was a powerful enchanted sword.
In the next instant, his blood energy ignited, his skin glowing like crimson glass. Gripping the sword tightly, he leapt from the Heavenly River beneath his feet, passing by a Commander-level Wind Flame Thunder Griffin.
Slash!
A fountain of blood erupted as the massive bird's head was sent flying. Its neck gushed like a scarlet spring.
Meanwhile, the two Ghost Fiends also moved. The white-robed female ghost swung her Earthen Mace fiercely, smashing it down on another Thunder Griffin's skull. Its body turned to stone midair before shattering like brittle rock. The black-robed male ghost lashed out with his hooked chain, piercing straight through another Commander's wings.
In just a few breaths, three Commander-level Thunder Griffins had been slain, leaving only two that managed to break free of the Dark Sealing Formation and flee into the distance.
Seeing this, Lu Jun showed a trace of regret. That would have to do.
Boom!
Suddenly, before the two fleeing Commanders could even celebrate their escape, two gray-white pillars of light crashed down from the sky, slamming into their backs. Both monsters plummeted to the ground, leaving behind two enormous craters. Their bodies were torn apart, blood splattering everywhere.
Lu Jun, nearing the end of his Wind Flame Thunder Griffin extermination, raised an eyebrow at the disturbance. Looking closer, he realized those "pillars" were actually the legs of a Mountain Giant.
It stood there silently, its colossal body blotting out the sun, a massive face looming high in the sky—an awe-inspiring, terrifying sight.
Asharuiya gasped and instantly transformed into a shadow, retreating behind Lu Jun. Her graceful silhouette shimmered faintly as she said in a grave voice,
"It's here."
Crash! Lu Jun, however, showed no fear. His brow lifted slightly as he stepped upon the surging Heavenly River, ascending to a height equal to that of the Mountain Giant, meeting its gaze calmly.
The atmosphere between the two sides grew increasingly tense, as though a single wrong word could ignite battle.
Moments later, the Mountain Giant took the initiative to retreat, vanishing into thin air without a trace. It had sensed the dark resentful spirits coiled around Lu Jun — the unwilling remnants of a fallen Monarch-level creature.
Asharuiya finally exhaled slowly, her heart settling back into her chest. After a long silence, she said, "My contracted beast told me that there's the death aura of my kin on you. It seems the intelligence from Egypt was true."
Lu Jun turned his head slightly, noticing her attempt to ease their relationship. He smiled faintly and replied politely, "Just so-so."
As the two Ghost Fiends swept over the Tyrant Mountain Peaks, a chilling wind followed in their wake. They slaughtered the remaining Windflame Thunder Griffin, finally bringing the battle to an end.
More than twenty demonic beasts had all perished.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Standing amidst the pile of corpses, Lu Jun watched as clusters of blazing azure flames—rings of ghostly blue moons—converged into the White Tiger Pendant, the rate of soul condensation astonishingly high.
Twelve fragments from the Advanced Warrior-level beasts, five refined Soul Essences; eight fragments from the Commander-level beasts, one refined Soul Essence.
Why did the former yield more than the latter? The reason was simple—the weakest of the Windflame Thunder Griffin were at the advanced Warrior level. Strictly speaking, their souls had already evolved to a pseudo-Commander level. When condensed down to Commander-level Soul Essences, the number naturally increased.
As for the latter, they were pure Commander-level beings. A ten-to-one ratio was already terrifying enough, and that lone Soul Essence came from the Three-Headed Thunder Griffin leader.
"Not a bad haul. I can now unlock my second Level-5 Intermediate Spell."
Lu Jun thought to himself, collecting all the corpses into his spatial dimension, planning to sell them later—including the Commander-level Soul Essence.
Asharuiya merely watched beside him, neither competing nor asking for anything, looking as though she didn't need them. When the White Tiger Pendant absorbed the Soul Essences, she sensed a faint fluctuation but only pondered silently without asking further.
Lu Jun didn't ask whether she wanted any either—after all, she was an intelligence operative, a master of trade and information. Money was not something she lacked.
Once everything was settled, the two ascended to the very peak of the Tyrant Mountain Range. There, before them, floated a dim yellow Thunder Pool, dazzling and radiant, emanating a vast aura of destruction that shook their hearts.
Neigh!
At that moment, the Night Thunder Dream Beast silently emerged from the shadows beside them, calling out a few times to Lu Jun.
Upon hearing it, Lu Jun was slightly surprised. "You're saying that by using this Supreme Soul Seed Thunder, you can refine your Dark Thunder to the peak of the Commander Level?!"
The Nightmare Thunder Dream Beast nodded. Now that it had reached the Great Commander level, it was time to consider breaking its bloodline shackles and advancing to Monarch rank.
However, it could still temper itself further at the Commander stage. Once it reached the absolute peak, unable to progress any further, it would then seek a supreme treasure to ascend to Monarch in one strike.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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