As Shi Yao and Li Wuji ventured deeper into the tranquil forest, the world around them seemed to breathe a collective sigh of peaceful stillness. The air was filled with the lazy chirping of unseen birds nestled high in the canopy overhead, and shafts of brilliant sunlight pierced through the dense tapestry of leaves, painting golden rays upon the mossy forest floor. For a fleeting moment, Shi Yao allowed himself to forget the nagging weakness that permeated his body, the invisible chains of his seemingly predetermined fate, and the persistent ache that clung to him like a second skin.
Then, without warning, the earth beneath their feet began to move. It started as a subtle tremor, a mere whisper of vibration in the soil, easily dismissed as the shifting of roots or the movement of small creatures.
But in the space of a single breath, the forest's serene facade shattered completely.
A violent quake erupted, tearing through the ground with a furious energy that felt like a monstrous beast suddenly breaking free from its ancient restraints. A deep, guttural rumble rose from the very bowels of the earth, steadily growing into a deafening roar that drowned out every other sound, a primordial bellow of raw power unleashed.
Birds exploded from the trees in panicked flocks, their frantic calls adding to the cacophony as the sky above was suddenly filled with chaotic movement. Ancient trees bowed and groaned under an unseen, immense pressure, their thick, gnarled roots ripped violently from the soil as jagged fissures tore open the ground, snaking across the forest floor like gaping wounds.
The air itself became thick and choking, filled with swirling dust, a whirlwind of dislodged leaves, and the sharp crack of falling branches. Squirrels, deer, and foxes bolted past them in a wild frenzy of primal fear, their instincts screaming of imminent death and urging them towards any semblance of safety.
Shi Yao stumbled precariously, instinctively reaching out to grip the nearest tree for support as the ground bucked and swayed beneath him, his eyes wide with utter disbelief at the sudden and terrifying turn of events. The very world around him felt as though it had turned against him, its once tranquil beauty now a scene of violent upheaval.
Then, cutting through the deafening roar of the earthquake, he heard Li Wuji's voice panicked, his tone trembling with a fear that belied his usual calm urgency.
"Young master!" Wuji shouted, his face ashen and drenched in a sheen of panicked sweat as he turned sharply towards Shi Yao, his eyes wide with alarm. "We need to run! A beast... Foundation Establishment stage it's coming this way! We have to leave now, immediately, before it sees us! There's no time to lose!"
Shi Yao blinked in stunned disbelief, his heart pounding erratically against his ribs like a trapped bird.
The words struck him with the force of thunder, but his body seemed frozen, incapable of movement. His mind raced, struggling to process the sudden information, but for a fleeting moment, he couldn't think coherently. A complex mix of emotions flickered across his face raw fear, an overwhelming sense of helplessness, and a surge of bitter frustration at his own physical limitations. Yet, behind the fear, a strange and incongruous glimmer of excitement and even a hint of morbid curiosity began to sparkle in the depths of his eyes.
"Foundation Establishment... so they really exist..." he muttered almost inaudibly under his breath, his voice a mix of awe and utter disbelief at the sheer scale of what Wuji was describing. "To think I'd actually see one in person this soon..."
He never got to finish his sentence.
Before the last syllable had even left his lips, Li Wuji had already surged forward with an incredible burst of speed, scooping Shi Yao up in a strong grunt and throwing his surprisingly light form over his shoulder without a moment's hesitation. Without pausing to look back or assess the situation further, Wuji broke into a full-fledged sprint, his powerful legs pumping furiously against the uneven ground.
The world around Shi Yao became a dizzying blur of chaotic motion and speed. Trees whizzed by in a streaked kaleidoscope of brown and green, their forms indistinct in his rapidly shifting vision. The wind howled in his ears, a deafening rush of air tugging at his loose robes and whipping his hair around his face.
His body jolted violently with each powerful stride that Wuji took, sharp lances of pain shooting through his weakened frame from the unaccustomed motion but he didn't utter a single complaint. Not now, not with the palpable sense of immediate danger radiating from Wuji. He could feel Wuji's raw desperation in every ragged breath he took and in the thunderous impact of each footfall pounding against the unforgiving forest floor.
He's scared, Shi Yao thought distantly, his mind still struggling to catch up with the sudden and terrifying events. Truly, deeply scared.
Li Wuji's thoughts raced as fast as his legs carried him, a frantic internal monologue fueled by adrenaline and terror. Damn it! Qi Refinement Layer 7 is no match for a Foundation Establishment stage beast. And carrying Shi Yao like this it's like tying a massive stone to my back, slowing me down even further. If I stop to fight, I will surely die. If I continue to run, I still might die, but at least there's a sliver of hope. But I can't, I absolutely cannot leave him here to face that monster alone.
Then, without any warning, the inevitable happened. A sudden blur of movement caught the corner of Li Wuji's eye, followed by a sickening, sharp crack of bone and an explosion of excruciating pain across his left shoulder. He was sent flying through the air like a discarded ragdoll, crashing violently through tree after tree, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs. The rough bark splintered against his skin, and a shower of leaves exploded into the air around him. He lost his grip on Shi Yao mid-flight, the force of the blow simply too sudden and overwhelming to resist.
Shi Yao, suddenly airborne and completely helpless, hurtled through the air and slammed into a nearby tree with a bone-rattling thud that stole his breath away. A sharp crack echoed through the forest, sickeningly distinct, as his frail body crumpled to the ground at the base of the tree, a spray of bright red blood splashing from his mouth as the world tilted and spun violently around him, his vision blurring at the edges.
Pain. Deep, searing, all-consuming pain flooded every fiber of his being, washing over him in relentless waves. His entire body screamed in agony, each shallow breath a monumental struggle, his vision swimming in a disorienting haze of red.
Then, through the swirling dust and fallen leaves, he saw it. A monstrous figure stepped into view, its presence radiating an aura of pure, unadulterated menace. It stood upright, towering over the surrounding foliage like a distorted imitation of a man, but that was where any resemblance to humanity abruptly ended. It was a wolf, but of an impossible size hulking and powerfully sinewy, its coarse grey fur streaked with patches of black and glistening with fresh crimson blood. Its eyes burned with an unnatural, blood-red intensity, gleaming with a primal hatred that seemed to pierce through the very air. And the aura emanating from it... gods, it was terrifying.
A foul, thick miasma of raw killing intent oozed from its massive body, so heavy and palpable that it pressed down on Shi Yao like the crushing weight of a mountain. The very air around the beast seemed to twist and distort, rippling with oppressive pressure. The frantic chirping of birds abruptly ceased, and even the buzzing of insects vanished as they fled in terror. The wind itself seemed to refuse to brush past its imposing form.
Shi Yao could barely draw a breath, his weakened body shaking violently beneath the suffocating force of the beast's presence. So this is... the pressure of a Foundation Establishment stage beast... he thought hazily, a strange and morbid spark of awe flickering through the overwhelming haze of pain that enveloped him. It's like standing before a living calamity, a force of nature unleashed...
Not far away, Li Wuji groaned in pain, his body battered and bruised from the brutal impact. With a supreme effort of will, he forced himself to his knees, driving his sword into the soft soil to halt his uncontrolled slide across the forest floor.
Dirt flew up in small clods, and droplets of bright red blood dripped steadily from his split lips, staining the ground beneath him. Damn it... it caught up to us, he gritted his teeth, the pain in his shoulder searing. Shi Yao won't survive this if I don't do something, anything. Even if I die trying...
With a grunt of pain, he pushed himself to his feet, lifting his sword with a trembling hand.
A pale blue light, the manifestation of his Qi, shimmered around the sharpened steel of the blade, humming with a low, barely audible energy. The aura wasn't particularly strong, a testament to his lower cultivation level, but it was undeniably resolute, a beacon of defiance in the face of overwhelming power. His grip tightened on the hilt, his knuckles white.
With a desperate shout, fueled by adrenaline and a fierce determination to protect the young master, he dashed forward, swinging the blade in a swift arc towards the beast's exposed side a clean, precise strike honed from years of rigorous training.
But the monstrous wolf vanished from his sight as if it had never been there at all. Li Wuji's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as his blade sliced through empty air and then
BOOM.
The unleashed sword aura, a wave of concentrated Qi, carved a destructive path through the surrounding forest, a powerful shockwave blasting outwards with immense force. Trees were cleaved clean in half as if they were mere twigs, their massive tops collapsing like dominoes in a chain reaction of destruction. Birds fell silently from the sky, their fragile bodies unable to withstand the sheer force of the energy released. The ground beneath their feet quaked anew, the tremors even more violent than before.
Then, before Wuji could even register what had happened, behind him
A heavy, earth-shattering blow landed squarely in his gut, the force of the impact driving the air from his lungs in a strangled gasp. The beast had somehow reappeared behind him, its movements impossibly fast.
CRACK.
The brutal punch sent Wuji hurtling backward through the air like a broken doll, his ribs audibly shattering under the immense force of the attack. He crashed through three thick trees in rapid succession, the impact splintering the wood and tearing through the foliage, before finally skidding to a halt on the forest floor, his body crumpling into a broken heap. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his vision blurring as pain washed over him in overwhelming waves.
Shi Yao, still sprawled against the base of the tree where he had fallen, watched the horrifying scene unfold in silent terror, his own body wracked with pain and his vision fading in and out. He was utterly powerless, with no strength left to help Li Wuji, no power to intervene in the brutal display of dominance. And yet, as he stared at the monstrous creature stepping closer towards him, a small, faint but defiantly persistent part of him refused to look away, his gaze locked on the terrifying spectacle.