Btth: The Rise of Qingshan

"This is the Fifth-rank Kui Wood Beast!"

Yan Qingshan gazed from afar at this wolf-bear-like exotic beast. Even in its slumber, it exuded an immense oppressive aura.

The Fifth-rank Kui Wood Beast, a rather rare wood-type magical beast, mostly dwelled in flourishing peach blossom forests.

Due to their unique nature, the peach forests they inhabited would gradually transform, giving rise to natural treasures like Peach Essence Fruits and Peach Blossom Miasma.

As a wood-attributed magical beast, the Kui Wood Beast possessed a rare beast flame. Their Peach Blossom flame was relatively docile, yet its destructive power was not to be underestimated, making the Kui Wood Beast a formidable force among Fifth-rank wood-attributed magical beasts.

The Peach Blossom Flame within a Fifth-Order Kui Wood Beast could also yield a beast flame seed. Due to its docile nature and considerable power, this beast flame was highly sought after by low to mid-level alchemists, making it a very popular and rare treasure.

Yan Qingshan's purpose in coming here was precisely for the Kui Wood Beast's Peach Blossom Flame. Of course, obtaining some Peach Essence Fruits would also be a bonus.

With the Kui Wood Beast currently in slumber, it presented an excellent opportunity.

"Fifth-rank Kui Wood Beast, even in its slumber, its vigilance won't be low, and... its strength is not to be trifled with. Although the flame spirit Serpent has an elemental advantage, the Kui Wood Beast's resistance to fire is extremely strong due to its Peach Blossom Flame, and its combat power might even be greater."

Yan Qingshan, along with Qing Ling and the Chi Lian, concealed their presence and observed the Fifth-rank Kui Wood Beast from a distance.

This powerful wolf-bear-like magical beast, though still asleep, had its Peach Blossom Flames constantly flickering and occasionally flaring up, making it seem extremely difficult to provoke.

…

Sssss... Sssss…

Within the silent Ten-Mile Peach Forest, rustling sounds suddenly arose, accompanied by hissing noises reminiscent of snakes, echoing one after another.

The sounds weren't initially loud, but as thousands of serpent beasts hissed in unison, they finally roused the overlord of this domain.

"Awoo~~"

A nearly four-meter-tall bear-like magical beast stood upright, emitting wolf-like howls. The pink flames on its body surged to their peak, and with a spring of its curved legs, it swiftly dashed towards the area where the snake calls were most intense.

At the edge of the Ten-Mile Peach Forest, countless snakes gathered, devouring and wreaking havoc. Behind them, a ten-meter-long two-headed flame spirit serpent kept its gaze fixed in one direction.

"Roar~~"

Suddenly, one head of the two-headed flame spirit serpent turned back, its scales bristling slightly, and a sharp hissing sound echoed through the nearby forest. Qing Ling, hiding not far behind, received the signal and quickly retreated further away.

The once-silent peach forest was now filled with rustling sounds, and as the sounds drew closer, the ground began to tremble intermittently.

Within the pink peach forest, a stream of fire suddenly appeared, followed by approaching footsteps. With a loud bang, a standing figure leaped into the midst of the snakes, its pale green skin enveloped in pink flames.

"Awoo~~"

The Kui Wood Beast's flames surged again as it spotted the two-headed flame spirit serpent, emitting warning roars. The aura of this unfamiliar magical beast made it feel uneasy and slightly fearful.

Both the two-headed flame spirit serpent and the Kui Wood Beast were Fifth-rank, but wood attributes were naturally countered by fire. Although the Kui Wood Beast possessed the Peach Blossom Flame, its resistance to flames was strong.

However, the two-headed flame spirit serpent was the guardian beast of the Green Lotus Core Flame and had advanced to the Fifth-rank using the Green Lotus Core Flame's energy, naturally possessing a trace of heavenly flame aura.

When an heavenly flame appeared, all other flames would submit. The Peach Blossom Flame was naturally affected as well. The unpredictable Heavenly Flame aura made the Kui Wood Beast feel uneasy and fearful.

In the Ten-Mile Peach Forest, a serpent and a bear faced each other, their powerful auras gradually rising. Under the pressure of these two auras, the surrounding snake tide retreated, and the fluttering peach petals were crushed by the wind pressure.

The two-headed flame spirit serpent fully extended its body, its ten-meter-long body writhing as it moved forward. Its enchanting serpent eyes were fixed on the Kui Wood Beast below, and sparks of red mixed with azure flashed as its tongue flickered.

Provoked repeatedly, the Kui Wood Beast couldn't bear it any longer. It took the initiative, emitting an angry roar and stomping its feet on the ground. Its massive body charged straight towards the two-headed flame spirit serpent like a cannonball.

Amidst the sharp whistling of the wind, the Kui Wood Beast aimed its claws at the two-headed flame spirit serpent's abdomen, intending to strike its vital heart. Its sharp claws gleamed coldly, surrounded by pink fire energy.

However, although the Kui Wood Beast's speed was extremely fast, the two-headed flame spirit serpent was even faster. A surge of red light erupted, and a massive tail, carrying intense crimson flames, slammed down on the Kui Wood Beast's body from above.

An immense force exploded, and the Kui Wood Beast was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through countless peach trees, leaving the forest scarred and the ground in disarray.

Naturally, the Kui Wood Beast was extremely enraged by this heavy blow. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and its claws gleamed coldly. As it prepared to counterattack, the two-headed flame spirit serpent's next wave of attacks arrived.

The two-headed flame spirit serpent had anticipated its counterattack. After gaining the upper hand, it pressed on relentlessly, its figure quickly rising and coiling around a large peach tree.

Gaining a height advantage, it opened its massive mouth, and a stream of crimson magma flames crashed towards the Kui Wood Beast.

The scorching magma flames were mixed with Heavenly Flame aura, and the Kui Wood Beast dared not confront them head-on, quickly dodging to the side.

Just as it leaped away, the flame spirit serpent's other mouth aimed and shot out another stream of crimson flames. This time, it was in mid-air and couldn't dodge.

With a loud explosion, the Kui Wood Beast's body erupted with a massive amount of Peach Blossom Flame in an instant. The crimson flames collided with the Peach Blossom Flame, and the spreading Peach Blossom Flame ignited the surrounding peach forest, forcing the two-headed flame spirit serpent to temporarily retreat.

The Kui Wood Beast's aura surged within the sea of fire. It quickly opened its claws and roared, absorbing the vast Peach Blossom Flame back into its body.

The burning peach trees withered and died, and the Kui Wood Beast's aura rapidly increased, vaguely surpassing the two-headed flame spirit serpent.

Magical beasts in their favorable habitats could often surpass their ranks. Just like in the magma land, a Fourth-rank two-headed flame spirit serpent could rival a Fifth-rank magical beast.

In this transformed peach forest, all the peach trees were fuel for the Peach Blossom Flame. Once ignited, the refined energy would be quickly extracted and absorbed by the Kui Wood Beast, temporarily boosting its combat power.

Of course, this method consumed a lot of peach trees, and cultivating suitable peach trees for conversion was not an easy task for the Kui Wood Beast, so it rarely used this move.

However, this time, the two-headed flame spirit serpent had thoroughly enraged it, forcing it to use this ultimate move. Streams of Peach Blossom Flame surged towards the two-headed flame spirit serpent, and wherever they passed, peach branches, blossoms, and leaves were quickly burned and absorbed, making the Kui Wood Beast's Peach Blossom Flame even more powerful.

The two-headed flame spirit serpent quickly weaved and dodged, avoiding the Kui Wood Beast's attacks, occasionally retaliating with streams of crimson magma.

The two magical beasts didn't engage in close combat, which was different from typical magical beast battles.

In typical magical beast battles, the two sides would rely on their physical strength for close combat, with energy clashes being rare.

But these two were different. The two-headed flame spirit serpent had learned from Yan Qingshan, knowing that snakes were disadvantaged in close combat due to the lack of claws and feet, and coiling around other magical beasts was dangerous.

The Kui Wood Beast, despite its sturdy appearance, was also not adept at close combat. Wood-attributed magical beasts generally had low elemental damage and relied on close combat, but the Kui Wood Beast was an oddity among wood-attributed beasts.

Due to the Peach Blossom Flame, its energy abilities were extremely strong, allowing it to develop another attack mode. It mostly relied on flames, using its claws only for probing. Realizing that close combat was impossible, it didn't bother trying again.

The battle between the two-headed flame spirit serpent and the Kui Wood Beast resembled two mages exchanging volleys, with splashes of crimson flames and Peach Blossom Flame.

The Peach Blossom Flame was mostly absorbed by the Kui Wood Beast, while the crimson flames spread unrestrained, igniting large swathes of the peach forest.

Crimson flames spread through the forest, and the smoke became increasingly irritating. The Kui Wood Beast was even more enraged. This was its home, and it was being destroyed like this, unforgivable!

"Chi Lian!!!"

A voice suddenly rang out from above. One head of the two-headed flame spirit serpent lifted, and a flash of vigilance crossed the Kui Wood Beast's eyes. Then, it abruptly looked up.

In the sky, Yan Qingshan spread his pair of purple wings, fanning them. In his hand were three spirit fruits radiating Peach Blossom Flame, the very Peach Essence Fruits that the Kui Wood Beast had painstakingly cultivated.

These three Peach Essence Fruits were different from ordinary ones. Ordinary Peach Essence Fruits were just food, and the Kui Wood Beast didn't care much about them.

But these three fruits were meticulously cultivated by the Kui Wood Beast with its internal energy, capable of absorbing and storing its Peach Blossom Flame, to be used for breaking through to higher levels in the future.

"Roar!!!"

The Kui Wood Beast sprang up, flames erupting, aiming straight for Yan Qingshan in midair. Although it couldn't use the human's Dou Qi Wings, it had the ability to glide for a short time, bursting out Peach Blossom Flame like a rocket thruster, enabling it to fly briefly.

"Heh..."

Yan Qingshan chuckled, tossing two of the three Peach Essence Fruits to opposite sides, while quickly retreating with the last one, forcing the Kui Wood Beast to choose one of three.

The Kui Wood Beast quickly flew towards the nearest one, falling right into Yan Qingshan's trap. Yan Qingshan spread his wings and bypassed it, flying towards another one, while the two-headed flame spirit serpent, already prepared, cooperated perfectly.

Just as the Kui Wood Beast caught its treasure, a stream of crimson magma flames struck its flesh from below. Although it wasn't severely burned due to the Peach Blossom Flame barrier, it suffered a heavy blow from the impact.

Poomph…

The Kui Wood Beast was sent flying sideways, landing with its legs weakened and collapsing to the ground. Its trembling limbs could no longer support it to continue the fight.