Even Xie Zhaolin couldn't help but step back half a pace at the sight.
As the dust finally cleared, the massive lizard stood bathed in blood, yet it refused to fall! Its once jet-black scales were cracked all over, raw flesh showing beneath, but its blood-red eyes blazed with even greater savagery than before.
"Roar!"
With an earth-shaking bellow, every bone spike along its spine shot upright, clicking together like grinding steel. Each one gleamed with a cold, eerie light, and their tips dripped with dark green venom.
"Not good!" Her heart pounded wildly. She quickly formed a defensive seal. "Fall back, now!"
The words had barely left her lips when dozens of bone spikes shot forth!
They sliced through the air with piercing shrieks.
Shuang Ling spat out a blast of foxfire, barely managing to melt the three aimed straight at her face. Dian Diao transformed into lightning midair, intercepting several more.
Xue Xiao ignored its injuries, diving to block some with its wings.
But some still slipped through!
"Pft!"
A bone spike pierced her thigh, spraying blood. She let out a muffled groan, dropping to one knee. The next spike came in a flash, aimed right at her chest!
At the last instant, Teng She lunged forward, coiling its body around the strike. The spike tore through its serpentine flesh, beads of blood scattering. Teng She writhed in agony but stubbornly locked itself around the spike, refusing to let it move closer.
"Teng She!" Her chest tightened in anguish. She hurriedly pulled it back into the Soul-Nurturing Pearl. By now, her body was covered in wounds, her spiritual power and baleful qi nearly spent. Even her beast souls were battered and broken.
The lizard was heavily injured too, but its bloodlust only grew. Each step it took made the ground tremble, its blood-red eyes burning with merciless killing intent. It was completely enraged now.
She forced herself upright, lips curling in a bitter smile. She hadn't expected its vitality to be so tenacious. Even a self-detonating artifact hadn't been enough to finish it. Her eyes darted around. The narrow space left no room to dodge, and her beast souls were already on the verge of collapse.
The lizard's blood-red gaze locked on her, burning with endless battle intent.
"I've gotta escape!"
She didn't hesitate. Through the contract, she commanded, "Cover my retreat!" At the same time, she pulled out an Escape Talisman.
Shuang Ling instantly understood, breathing a burst of icy-blue foxfire to disrupt the beast. Dian Diao flashed in front of its eyes, sparks dancing as it tried to distract it. She took the chance to activate the talisman. But just as its power was about to surge, the lizard let out another deafening roar!
"Roar!"
The sound spread like a tangible wave, shaking the earth itself. The Escape Talisman's light flickered, then shattered under the pressure! Her face went pale. This beast actually knew how to break escape arts! It lunged, gaping maw inches from her face.
The stench of blood and rot washed over her.
Bang!
At the final moment, Bing Jing leapt from behind, transforming into a massive shield. It braced itself against the lizard's bite.
But against such power, its defense was laughably fragile. Cracks spiderwebbed across the shield in mere seconds, and she heard its agonized spirit-cry echoing in her soul.
"Dian Diao!"
A streak of purple lightning blazed through the air. Dian Diao's body erupted with light as it slammed into the beast's eye.
The lizard howled, releasing its grip. The ice shield broke apart and reformed into Bing Jing's tiger form, but its crystalline body was now riddled with cracks, its glow dim.
No time to waste. She bit her tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the Escape Talisman.
The talisman flared with crimson light, trembling violently.
"Go!"
She swept Bing Jing into the Soul-Nurturing Pearl, then forced the talisman into action. Red light enveloped her and her remaining beasts, space twisting violently around them.
The lizard roared in fury, whipping its tail like a thunderclap. But the moment it touched the crimson barrier, an unseen force rebounded it away.
"Roar!"
Its enraged bellow shook her ears as her body began to fade from sight. In that final instant, she saw the beast hurl itself toward the teleportation array, trying to cut off her retreat.
"Buzz!"
The world spun. Her body felt like it was being torn apart. The unstable talisman dragged her through turbulent space, tearing at her bones. She finally slammed into the ground near the teleportation array, her left arm a mangled mess of blood and flesh.
"Cough!" She spat blood, forcing herself upright.
Shuang Ling and Xue Xiao hurried to support her on either side, while Dian Diao stood guard, watching for pursuit. Ignoring the pain, she rushed to activate the teleportation array. But even the simplest hand seals were shaky and sluggish under her heavy wounds.
The array's faint glow spread slowly, far weaker than before. Her face tightened. The spirit stones had run dry. With trembling hands, she shoved a few top-grade stones into the grooves.
Her heart hammered in her chest. The ground trembled as heavy footsteps thundered closer.
"Faster… faster!" She glared at the array lines, watching the glow gradually intensify. Just as it was about to fully activate—
Boom!
A massive shadow burst into view from the tunnel. It was the blood-drenched lizard, eyes locked squarely on her! It slammed its legs into the ground, its colossal body shooting forward like an arrow.
"Roar!"
The roar shook the cavern. Its claw swept down, almost touching the edge of the teleportation array. At the very last instant, the array fully ignited. Her body vanished into light, leaving only a fading afterimage.
The lizard's claw raked across that afterimage, carving three deep scars into the array's surface. When her vision cleared, she was back on the cliff's edge. She staggered up, immediately checking on her beasts.
Shuang Ling's tail had been severed, Xue Xiao's wings were riddled with bloody holes, Dian Diao's lightning was dim, while Teng She and Bing Jing lay unconscious, gravely wounded.
Only Feng Wang remained unscathed.
With trembling hands, she pulled out healing pills, feeding them to her beast souls one by one before swallowing one herself. The warmth spread through her battered body, easing the pain a little. She assessed her wounds. Her left arm was ruined, her right leg pierced clean through, her back throbbed with burning pain, and her spiritual power was nearly gone.
"This time… I really walked the edge of death…" She gave a bitter laugh and sat cross-legged, starting to regulate her breath.
Her beast souls slipped into slumber, slowly healing their injuries.
Silence fell over the cliff, but her heart refused to calm. That lizard's strength had far surpassed her expectations. If her guess was right…
That might've only been a juvenile.