"Whoosh… Boom!!"
A foot-long wind blade struck the Ironhide Rhino's head, erupting in a flash of cyan light. The beast merely shook its skull, leaving a faint white mark that faded instantly.
"Moo!!"
Enraged, the rhino lowered its head and charged like a battering ram toward a middle-aged man in a yellow robe. The man leaped sideways, narrowly avoiding the collision.
"Hah!!"
A sharp cry rang out as a purple lightning bolt thicker than an arm crashed onto the rhino's back. The beast shuddered but wheeled toward the source—a young woman in white robes. With a furious scrape of its hoof, it lunged at her.
The woman flitted backward like a butterfly, landing on a tree trunk before darting away.
"Crash!!"
The rhino plowed into the tree, snapping it in half. Splinters flew as the beast whirled, its eyes locking onto the woman again. Orange light flared around its body, and its hooves slammed into the ground.
"Boom!!!"
The earth quaked. A ripple of orange energy surged outward, destabilizing the ground beneath the woman's feet. She stumbled and fell.
"Xiaojing!!"
"Miss!!"
Shouts erupted as the rhino barreled toward her. Talismans flashed, but the beast ignored the attacks, fixated on its target.
The woman raised her hand, summoning a golden spiritual light barrier.
"Boom!!"
The barrier shattered instantly under the rhino's impact. She flew backward, slamming into a cliff wall before crumpling to the ground, blood trickling from her lips.
As the rhino charged again, she fumbled for a golden talisman—her last resort.
"Swoosh!"
A golden figure dropped from above, shielding her. The rhino collided with a dense golden barrier, halting mid-charge.
"Thud!!!"
The ground trembled. To everyone's shock, the rhino… stopped.
A silver glint flashed. A blade pierced the beast's skull with a wet schlick.
"Awooo!!"
The rhino collapsed, dead.
"It's… dead?!"
The group gaped, struggling to process how the invincible creature had fallen so easily.
...
Lin Feng dismissed his barrier, inspecting the cracked Spirit Light Talisman in his hand—60% integrity loss. He retrieved his sword from the rhino's skull and stored the carcass in his storage ring.
Turning, he faced the white-robed woman.
She leaned against the cliff, raven hair disheveled, lips parted in shock. Lin Feng's gaze lingered briefly before he offered a polite smile. "Are you alright?"
Hah! The classic damsel-in-distress trope! Finally, I get to play the hero… Feels good!
...
No gratitude came. The woman stared wordlessly, dazed.
"Miss!"
"Xiaojing, are you hurt?"
A scarred man and a green-robed beauty rushed to her side. Another man—scholarly in yellow robes—approached Lin Feng, bowing stiffly. "Thank you for your aid, young master." His eyes flicked to Lin Feng's storage ring, suspicion veiled.
Lin Feng nodded. "No need."
He strode to the Azure Sky Grass, dug it up with a dagger, and stored it away.
The scholar's brow twitched but he remained silent.
As Lin Feng turned to leave, the white-robed woman finally snapped, "He stole our herb!!"
The green-robed girl sighed. "He saved you, Xiaojing. Consider it payment."
"Payment?!" Xiaojing seethed. "We wasted talismans fighting that beast! He didn't even ask!"
"But without him…"
"I had a Golden Shield Talisman! I didn't need his help!" She brandished the unused talisman, though her trembling hands betrayed her.
The scarred man interjected, "Miss, he wielded a peak-grade artifact. Best not provoke him."
Xiaojing huffed. "So what if he has fancy tools? I hope I never see him again… or else!"
...
Lin Feng, already miles away, smirked as if hearing her thoughts. Heroic exits… underrated.