Yun Qiang stopped nearby the river's beach, his eyes anxiously gazing at Tian Lei.
"What...." he took in some air, "now."
Tian Lei moved forward,
"I need time to prepare." his voice sounded steady and determined. "Buy me some time!"
Then, without waiting for Yun Qiang's response, he sat down on a rock and started meditating.
Yun Qiang gazed at him for a second. The thought of betrayal briefly flashed in his mind.
Maybe I can leave him here?
However, just as he made this thought, a loud and angry scream sounded behind him, killing every thought he had about escaping.
Yun Qiang quickly turned around while summoning his spear. He took a defensive battle position. He could already see them. Four beasts had just exited the edge of the forest and were now charging at them.
He bent his knees, trying to stabilize his pulsating legs. He let out a long breath, preparing for what was about to come. He only had five percent of his Qi left. Basically, he could only use Blood Spear two or three times before drying up his dantian.
The first beast to arrive was a bull, its head bent down as it moved forward.
Yun Qiang let out a long breath while firmly planting his legs on the ground, Tian Lei was behind him, so he couldn't dodge the incoming charge.
With the determination he moved his spear diagonally in a steady defensive position.
The moment his spear collided with the bull's horn, Yun Qiang knew he couldn't win in a contest of strength.
Worst of all, he had drastically underestimated the beast's strength, deluding himself into tanking its charge. Suddenly, a deafening sound rang in the air as the bull continued its charge, sending Yun Qiang's spear flying upwards without interrupting its terrifying advance.
With a terrifying momentum, the bull hit Yun Qiang, instantly caving his chest inward, making him spit blood. The corners of his vision started fading black, and he could feel his body getting flung away. However, with a sudden burst of strength, he stood in place, forcing his feet downward, making them sink into the wet ground.
Tian Lei was behind him. He didn't know how much time he needed, but this was his only chance to get out of this alive. He couldn't let the bull pass.
The bull seemed to see this as a challenge because, instead of throwing him to the side, it insisted in pushing forward, forcing Yun Qiang's backwards while his feet forcefully drew two long ditches in the mud.
Pain flared in Yun Qiang's back, and for a second, his vision went black.
But he couldn't give up.
He forced his mind awake and attacked the bull using his left hand, trying to strike the animal's head.
Luckily, the bull didn't try to dodge, still insisting in pushing his enemy against Tian Lei.
However, this proved to be a huge mistake because, at the last second, when Yun Qiang's punch was about to hit, Yun Qiang changed its form, sending his entire fingers inside one of the bull's eyes.
A small fountain of blood erupted from the bull as he sent Yun Qiang flying to the side.
Yun Qiang smiled, his hand completely red with the bull's blood. He could clearly see the damage he had done. Even if the bull survived this battle, then one of his eyes would be blind forever.
The bull turned, his eye filled with unmeasurable rage. He didn't care about stampeding towards Tian Lei anymore.
Now he only wanted Yun Qiang's death.
He wanted to kill him, eat his corpse, then destroy everything that remained of him.
Yun Qiang barely stood up, his legs were trembling while long, deep cuts ran along his arms. The situation was already bad with the enraged bull. However, it became worse.
Just as Yun Qiang was preparing to dodge the bull's second charge, he saw a black shadow quickly approaching him from the side.
The snake had arrived.
Once Yun Qiang sensed the snake's presence, he instantly threw himself to the side, barely dodging the black beast's surprise attack.
However, Yun Qiang knew this wouldn't be the end of his plight, and the moment his body touched the ground, he used what strength he had left to launch himself in another direction, barely dodging the snake's tail.
Weariness flashed in Yun Qiang's eyes. If the bull seemed a mindless animal that only had brute strength, this snake was completely different. Everything from the black scales to the vicious eyes screamed deviousness.
Suddenly, the snake launched another attack, trying to bite him. Yun Qiang was about to dodge again; however, his body involuntarily tensed.
His pupils shrank. Somehow, the snake had managed to poison him, temporarily paralyzing his body.
Hurriedly, Yun Qiang started circulating his remaining Qi to detox himself while the snake mercilessly attacked again.
His heart started beating faster as his mind realized the impending threat.
His Qi circulation speed was too slow. The snake would bite him before he had managed to free himself.
Luckily, the bull started charging towards him, not minding his devious ally.
This slowed down the snake just enough for Yun Qiang to regain his movement and launch himself away from danger.
However he didn't come out unscathed, the bull managed to step on him, completely breaking Yun Qiang's foot.
But this wasn't the end of hit, because due to the sudden pain Yun Qiang couldn't control the direction of his throw, and ended up close to the stone Tian Lei was sitting on.
Yun Qiang couldn't help but look at him with a pleading gaze. One beast was enough to test his limits, but were already on their way here.
There was no way he could resist till the remaining two beasts reached them.
Suddenly, a shadow momentarily blocked the sky before coming down towards them. The third animal, a red crane, had arrived.
Yun Qiang stared at Tian Lei. The appearance of the crane had taken him by surprise, there was no way he could dodge this attack.
His only hope was Tian Lei's plan.
Time rewound to a few hours ago.
Yun Qiang and Tian Lei ran beside each other, their breaths heavy but steady. Two hours had passed since their duel was interrupted by the beast tide.
Yun Qiang ducked to dodge an incoming branch before doing a small jump.
His mind was caught in a dilemma. The beasts behind them were slowly gaining ground. According to his estimation, they would be forced to fight them. So he had three choices: fight now, run and fight later, or...
Should I kill him now? Maybe the beasts will stop and eat him...
He slightly tilted his spear to the side, an extremely small movement in their chaotic run. However, Tian Lei instantly noticed.
"Fighting each other will only slow us down." Tian Lei's voice was filled with determination and confidence. He clearly didn't think he would lose if a fight broke out.
Yun Qiang bit his lips. A hint of regret flashed in his eyes.
"Any other ideas?"
"You go forward and clear the branches while I use my sword aura to slow them down."
Yun Qiang hesitated. Going forward to cut down branches would make him an easy target for Tian Lei's sword.
A grim expression appeared on Tian Lei's face.
"I know a forbidden technique. We can go to the Lifen River. If you buy me enough time, I can kill them."
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Only their heavy breathing and rushing wind filled their ears.
Suddenly, Tian Lei turned around, completely exposing his flank to Yun Qiang. Then, with a swift movement, he drew a long upward arc with his blade, launching a wave of sword energy towards the beasts.
"This is my goodwill. You either attack me now or clear the way towards the river."
Yun Qiang gritted his teeth while forcefully moving forward. He had decided to trust Tian Lei.
Time returned to the present.
Panic filled Yun Qiang's eyes. The third beast, a crane, had reached them. Hunger filled its eyes as it rapidly dived towards the injured Yun Qiang.
Yun Qiang's gaze moved towards Tian Lei, his mind already regretting his decision to trust the guy. The crane's claws were only a few meters from him, and if Tian Lei didn't act now, he would definitely die.
Bitterness filled his heart. Even if he knew what was killing him, he still didn't know why or how these spiritual beasts had appeared.
He stared at the claws. They were only one meter away from him.
Maybe I will transform like last time...
For a brief moment, his heart filled with hope. However, it quickly disappeared. There was no way something like that could happen for a second time.
Suddenly, Tian Lei's body started emitting light. Yun Qiang's pupils shrank. Maybe he could still be saved.
Then Tian Lei opened his eyes. His eyes were white and completely devoid of pupils; however, they emitted a blinding golden light similar to concentrated sunlight.
Before any of the beasts could reach Tian Lei, he stood up and moved his hands towards his sword. The moment he touched it, the light coming from his eyes became even more intense, and a series of illusory swords started appearing in the air, forming a strange circular pattern.
His hand moved to unsheath the blade. However, the moment the metal from his blade was about to show, Tian Lei's face contorted into one filled with pain and fatigue. With immense struggle, his trembling hand partially unsheathed his blade, showing only a tenth of its edge.
In that moment, the blades that surrounded him shot out, killing all four beasts. Even the lion that was waiting for his chance in the distance was killed by Tian Lei's blades. However, the animals' bodies were enough to stop the swords, and they even went further, penetrating them side to side before digging deep into the ground below.
This kind of power was extremely shocking. It could rival a Golden Core cultivator. Yun Qiang even found himself subconsciously trembling when he saw the power of Tian Lei's forbidden technique.
However, this power clearly had come with a cost because, after the beasts died, Tian Lei also fell to the ground. His eyes had returned to normal, and the strands of hair that dotted his figure had turned white. Clearly, he had sacrificed some of his lifespan to execute this move.
Yun Qiang smiled. Once again, he had survived.
Slowly, he started crawling towards Tian Lei, wanting to check his condition. However, he had also reached his limits. His injuries were still there, and his broken foot forced him to crawl in an awkward and uneven way.
He only managed to crawl a few paces, then he lost consciousness. His body rested on the bloodied ground.
When he woke up, it was already night. It was a moonless night, and only the stars weakly illuminated the dark sky.
Pain still flared in his body. His mind was still muffled, and he was clearly on the verge of losing his senses again. Only the pain coming from his broken foot kept him awake.
He crawled around, his hands tasting the ground, looking for his spear. His eyes squinted as he tried to orient himself in the darkness.
Only when he found his spear did he manage to stand up, using his weapon as an improvised cane.
Then, with trembling and slow steps, he walked towards a certain direction.
While crawling around, he had found Tian Lei. The man was alive but unconscious. Once he reached his body, he grabbed the collar of his robe and started dragging him away.
By dawn, he had found a small cavern, where he threw Tian Lei's body inside and sat down with him.
The entire process was done mechanically, almost by instinct, without thinking. He didn't stop to think where he was, nor did he notice that the beasts' bodies were dry and devoid of blood. He only wanted a calm place where he could rest and heal.