Vol. 1 - Ch. 329 - The Beast

As the sun sank toward the western horizon, a group made their way along a modestly wide road. The wheels of their cart ground over loose stones with a creaking, crunching sound. Yet, this sound could not mask the joy written plainly across everyone's faces.

"Uncle Lu, I never expected the herbs the village dug up this time to sell so well."

The young man pinched the bulging money pouch tied around his waist and his face lit up with delight.

"Indeed."

Beside him, Lu Meng nodded as well, a smile on his face.

Lu Family Village typically spent its days digging up medicinal herbs in the mountains and transporting them to Yunmeng City to sell, usually making the trip three or four times a year. This time, however, the herbs had sold far faster than expected.

What would have normally taken at least three or four days to sell had instead been cleared out in a single day. Naturally, everyone in the group was overjoyed by this turn of events since it meant they could head back to the village much sooner.

The only thing Lu Meng found a bit disappointing was that he hadn't spotted that clan with the massive green wolf beasts again on this trip out of the city otherwise he could have trailed behind them once more for safety.

Still, Lu Meng didn't dwell on it too much. Now that their goods were sold, the group's pace had picked up considerably, and it wouldn't be long before they made it back to the village. He figured their luck couldn't be so poor as to run into that ferocious beast again on the way home.

As nightfall approached and the sky quickly darkened, Lu Meng followed the same routine as before. He had the rest of the group set up camp and prepare for the night.

Their group had always included only a few martial artists, and traveling through the night simply wasn't practical with so many horses to manage.

While the others pitched camp, Lu Meng circled the perimeter to check that the campsite was secure.

"Hm?"

A rustling in the bushes nearby quickly caught Lu Meng's attention.

Seeing continuous movement in the undergrowth, Lu Meng's previously calm demeanor gradually turned tense. A flicker of wariness entered his eyes as he slowly approached the bushes.

When he was about half a meter away, Lu Meng abruptly pushed the brush aside. What he saw brought a wave of relief.

The rustling was nothing more than two small Black Gold Beasts engaged in mating activities.

Once they noticed Lu Meng, the two Black Gold Beasts hastily scurried off.

Just as Lu Meng let his guard down and prepared to move on and check the rest of the perimeter, a shrill, blood-curdling scream tore through the air behind him.

"AAAH!"

Lu Meng whipped his head around, and there, within his line of sight, stood a ferocious beast well over ten feet tall. Its body was armored with hard, rigid scales, and a pair of sharp horns jutted from its head. It had emerged from seemingly nowhere. At that moment, the beast held a villager clamped in its jaws.

Crunch.

The ferocious beast bit down with all its might, and a sharp, crisp crunching sound rang out from within its jaws.

Having easily dispatched one victim, the beast casually flung the villager's body from its mouth. Then, it turned toward the other villagers, who scattered and fled in every direction.

"Lu Shan!"

Watching this unfold, Lu Meng's eyes reddened with fury because the deceased was a young relative he had known for years.

The beast's aura was overwhelmingly powerful and unmistakably at the Innate Realm. Yet, watching his kinsman die in its jaws, Lu Meng charged forward without hesitation.

He knew that if he fled, no one present would survive.

Several villagers at the Body Tempering Realm quickly stepped forward from the fleeing crowd, attempting to hold back the rampaging beast.

Both sides clashed in a chaotic melee. However, the beast's Qi and Blood ran deep and powerful because it was at the Innate Realm. This beast's massive frame only made matters worse; a single swipe of its claws or a single bite was enough to leave a villager dead.

Even the handful of Body Tempering Realm martial artists who rushed forward to intervene couldn't withstand even a single exchange before being struck down with severe injuries.

In the blink of an eye, the group had already suffered devastating losses. Lu Meng, who stood at Mid-Stage Blood Coagulation Realm, was sent flying by the beast after only two exchanges.

Watching the beast slaughter villagers without restraint, Lu Meng roared in fury and charged forward once more. Yet again, his attacks were ineffective; he couldn't even wound the ferocious beast before him.

Seeing several more villagers cut down mercilessly, Lu Meng screamed out in fury.

"You damned beast!

"Come at me instead!"

Lu Meng's shouting quickly drew the creature's attention. A flicker of rage ignited in the beast's eyes, and it abandoned its attack on the villagers to charge straight at Lu Meng.

Pinned under the beast's gaze, Lu Meng felt a chill run through his entire body. By this point, however, there was no path of retreat left for him. All he could do was shout to the others:

"Run!"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, the beast lunged at him. Lu Meng scrambled to dodge, but a searing pain tore through his waist.

Before he could turn his head, another powerful gust of wind tore in from behind him. The beast's thick, overwhelming aura of Qi and Blood was so intense that Lu Meng could smell death closing in.

Yet years of drifting experience had honed Lu Meng's instincts, and he quickly ducked his head. In that instant, he felt a chilling sensation sweep across his scalp. Countless strands of hair were shredded by the sheer force of the beast's aura.

Had his reflexes not been so sharp, his head would have likely been separated from his body in that split second.

Even after dodging that fatal blow, Lu Meng's face remained ashen and pale.

He wouldn't have dared claim victory against a beast at Mid-Stage Blood Coagulation Realm, let alone one that had reached the Innate Realm!

Is this really how he was going to die? If he died here, would the other villagers stand a chance against this murderous beast?

If he had known things would turn out this way, perhaps they should have waited two more days before setting out. Then, perhaps, they wouldn't have crossed paths with this beast.

Regret welled up in Lu Meng's heart, but it was far too late for that now.

Just as he steeled himself to fight to the death and buy the other villagers a moment to flee, the beast suddenly went still, its gaze snapping toward the distance.

Lu Meng turned to look as well and saw over a dozen towering Azure Wolves leaping and bounding across the terrain amid the distant mountains and wilderness, with figures riding astride their backs.

"It's them!"

A flicker of hope lit up in Lu Meng's eyes, and he began shouting desperately, trying to catch the attention of Chen Tianyu's group.

The Azure Wolves moved with tremendous speed. Before Lu Meng's shouts could reach them, the dozen or so wolves had vanished from sight.

Watching the wolves disappear without so much as a backward glance clearly having neither heard his cries nor noticed the situation unfolding Lu Meng's ashen face grew even more despairing.

Once the wolves had vanished, the beast turned its gaze back toward Lu Meng.

"You damned beast!"

Lu Meng cursed furiously once again. This creature had proven itself remarkably cunning. Had it attacked just moments ago, it might have been noticed. But this beast had apparently sensed the wolves' approach in advance and deliberately suppressed its aura of Qi and Blood as they passed by.

Was this what a beast in the Innate Realm was truly capable of?

Damn it!

Lu Meng's curses only darkened the beast's expression further, and it lunged at him once more.

Already wounded, there was no way Lu Meng could withstand another assault. All he could do was quietly gather what remained of his Qi and Blood. He resolved to unleash one final strike before death took him, if nothing else, to leave at least one mark of injury upon the beast's body.

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