Chapter 335 - 166: Mountain Forest and Verification

Chapter 335: Chapter 166: Mountain Forest and Verification

To make matters worse, it was windy tonight.

The wind blew embers into the distance, igniting more of the vegetation. The blaze was expanding at a visible rate, forming an ever-widening wall of fire.

Xu Mo glanced at the expanding sea of fire, then at the third piece of wood in his hand. The corner of his mouth twitched.

He had, it seemed, done something stupid. He’d set the mountain on fire.

Xu Mo slowly turned his back to the ever-growing blaze. The firelight cast a long shadow before him. ’I can just imagine what I look like right now,’ he thought. ’My back to the inferno, flames roaring into the sky, a nonchalant expression on my face... If only someone were here to get a few close-ups—’

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

"If this got into the papers, I wonder if it would be for the fashion section or the crime blotter."

With that, Xu Mo tossed aside the piece of wood and headed for his SUV.

"Bye-bye~"

’The last thing I want is to be burned alive by my own fire.’

Just then, an enraged roar echoed from behind him.

"ROAR—!!!"

The sound was deafening, laced with boundless fury and killing intent. Xu Mo glanced back. The shadow that had been hiding for so long could finally restrain itself no more. It burst from the darkness on all fours, lunging straight for him.

The firelight revealed its silhouette. It was a massive feline, a full size larger than the Black Panther Saber-toothed Beast from before. Its fur was pure black, but in the flickering light, one could make out faint golden spots. Its fangs were easily a dozen centimeters long, curved like hooks, and glinted coldly in the firelight. Its pupils were vertical slits, fixed on Xu Mo and radiating pure killing intent.

"I’ve been waiting for you!"

Xu Mo bellowed, gripping his Triangular Spike as he charged forward to meet it.

The shadow’s speed was astonishing. It was on him in the blink of an eye. Its sharp claws swiped out, stirring a violent gust of wind as they aimed straight for Xu Mo’s throat.

Xu Mo sidestepped the claw and thrust the Triangular Spike in a backhanded strike at its abdomen.

The creature’s reflexes were incredibly fast. It contorted its body in mid-air, dodging the strike. Its tail whipped around like an iron rod, lashing at Xu Mo’s head.

Xu Mo ducked under the tail. At the same time, he pushed off with his feet, lunging forward and stabbing the Triangular Spike toward its hind leg.

The shadow landed, rolled to dodge again, then turned to face Xu Mo, a low growl rumbling in its throat.

Xu Mo stopped as well, staring back at it.

Man and beast stood in a standoff at the edge of the inferno.

The firelight danced across their bodies, stretching their shadows long. The surrounding flames grew, and a wave of heat washed over them, but neither moved.

CRACKLE, POP! As the flames devoured the dry wood around them, they both moved at the same instant.

The shadow pounced again, this time in a direct frontal assault. Its speed was pushed to the limit, leaving afterimages in the air. Claws, fangs, tail—it unleashed every weapon in its arsenal, becoming a whirlwind of death.

Instead of retreating, Xu Mo advanced. The Triangular Spike in his hand became a flash of lightning. He weaved through the shadow’s onslaught, every dodge perfectly timed, every thrust aimed at a vital point.

CLANG! SHIICK!

The Triangular Spike clashed with its claws, producing a metallic ring before scraping across its fur and drawing a spray of black blood.

The shadow let out a pained howl, its assault growing even more frantic. Its claws swiped and its fangs snapped, again and again, but Xu Mo always managed to dodge at the last possible moment and counter with a stab.

The shadow’s attacks grew more frenzied, but also sloppier. Xu Mo could sense its stamina draining, its speed diminishing.

Finally, an opening appeared.

The shadow’s claw swiped through empty air, leaving a subtle flaw in its defense.

Xu Mo didn’t miss the chance. He put everything he had into a final burst of power, and the Triangular Spike shot out like a bolt of lightning, aimed straight for the shadow’s head.

The shadow tried to dodge, but it was too late.

THUNK—!

The Triangular Spike plunged through its eye socket, straight through the brain, and out the back of its skull.

The shadow’s body went rigid. It let out a short whimper before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.

Xu Mo stood panting, his hand still gripping the Triangular Spike. He looked down at the corpse, then used the spike to pry open its skull. Inside, he found a Crystal Core.

’A second one!’

A Crystal Core, identical to the one from the Black Panther Saber-toothed Beast, was now in Xu Mo’s hand. But just like the first one, it gave off no energy fluctuations.

Xu Mo slipped the Crystal Core into his pocket and glanced back at the inferno. The fire was now completely out of control.

Flames soared into the sky, rolling waves of heat billowed out, and sparks flew in every direction, igniting more trees. From the distance came the faint, terrified cries of animals fleeing for their lives from the sudden mountain fire.

Xu Mo fell silent for a moment, then murmured, "Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to."

His apology offered, Xu Mo turned and got into the SUV. The engine roared to life as he sped down the mountainside and drove off into the distance.

Behind him, the mountain forest had been completely transformed into a sea of fire.

Xu Mo sped through the night.

In the rearview mirror, the burning mountain grew more distant, but its fiery glow remained clear. Half the sky was stained red, as if someone had ignited a colossal lamp in the distance.

"Next time, I’m definitely not playing with fire~"