The leader stood, the device in his hand pulsing brighter. "Spread out. Check for tracks. If there's a Spirit Beast nearby, we're not leaving empty-handed."
Yun Kai's lips curled, a bitter smile hidden beneath his blindfold. They'd walked into a predator's den, and he wasn't sure who the real prey was anymore—them, or the beast lurking in the shadows. For now, he'd stay hidden like a ghost in the trees. The palace might not trust a blind prince's warnings, but Yun Kai didn't need their approval to act.
The ground suddenly trembled faintly with a pulse too subtle for the group below to notice. But Yun Kai felt it, his senses screaming danger.
At that moment, the beast-tracking device flared, its hum spiking into a shrill whine that pierced the stillness. The leader's head snapped up, eyes narrowing, but the warning came too late. A shadow lunged from the underbrush, huge and sleek, a blur of midnight fur and gleaming fangs. It slammed into one of the men with the force of a collapsing mountain, his scream cut short as claws raked through flesh and bone. Blood sprayed, painting the leaves crimson, and the clearing exploded into chaos.
Yun Kai clung to his perch, his senses ablaze with the carnage below. The beast, which appeared to be a mid-level Spirit Beast, Saber-tooth Panther, with nearly two meters of raw, feral fury, radiated a presence that pressed against his mind like a storm.
Spirit Beasts, unlike the Mortal-ranked beasts, had kindled their inner Qi, granting them cunning and power akin to Blood Condensation or Bone Forging cultivators. This one, with its rippling muscles and saber-like canines, matched the latter, far outstripping the five intruders.
The group was no rabble, though. Four stood at the peak of Blood Condensation, their Qi surging through tempered veins. At the same time, their leader, a lean man with a scar across his jaw, radiated an early Tendon Transformation Stage strength, a step below Bone Forging, and woefully outmatched here.
Yun Kai's lips twitched, a grim satisfaction flickering beneath his blindfold. These schemers, so smug about toppling the royal clan, now faced a predator that cared nothing for their plans.
"Formation!" the leader barked, his voice steady despite the mangled corpse at his feet. His beast-tracking device clattered to the ground, forgotten, as he drew a curved saber, its edge shimmering with infused Qi.
The remaining three men and the woman fanned out while drawing their weapons—swords, a spear, and a pair of daggers—gleaming under the faint sunlight. Their auras flared, Blood Condensation Qi weaving into a crude battle array, a net of energy meant to bind and overwhelm.
The Saber-tooth Panther snarled, its amber eyes glowing with odd intelligence. Its tail lashed, cracking like a whip, and Qi rippled through its fur, amplifying its speed and strength. It lunged, targeting the woman, whose daggers spun in a dance of silver light.
She twisted, her movement fluid as water, channeling the Windstep Art to dodge the beast's claws by a hair's breadth. Her blades lashed out, carving shallow cuts across the panther's flank, but its Qi-hardened hide barely bled.
"Hold the line!" the leader roared, leaping forward. His saber slashed in a crescent arc, the Iron Cleaving Strike igniting the air with a metallic screech.
The blade bit into the panther's shoulder, drawing a spray of dark blood, but the beast wheeled with terrifying speed, its jaws snapping inches from his throat. He stumbled back, Qi surging to reinforce his tendons, barely keeping his balance.
The spearman seized the opening, thrusting with the Piercing Fang Technique. His weapon glowed, Qi condensing at the tip into a drill-like force. The spear struck the panther's ribs, but the beast's Qi flared, deflecting the blow with a clang like steel on stone.
It retaliated with a swipe of its claws, imbued with Qi, tearing through the spearman's chest. Armor shredded like paper, and he crumpled, gurgling blood, his defense shattered.
"Damn it!" one of the swordsmen cursed, his face pale. He and his partner attacked in tandem, their Twin Serpent Swords Art weaving a net of slashing Qi.
Blades danced, slicing at the panther's legs, aiming to cripple its mobility. The beast roared, its roar erupting in a shockwave of sound and Qi. The swordsmen staggered, ears bleeding, their formation crumbling as the panther pounced.
It caught one swordsman mid-step, fangs sinking into his shoulder. Bones crunched, and his scream echoed through the trees as the beast shook him like a rag doll before hurling him into a tree. The trunk splintered, and he slumped, lifeless, his Qi fading like a snuffed candle.
Yun Kai's senses tracked every move, his heart pounding, but his body still. The panther's power was overwhelming, and its Qi reserves were as deep as a river, while the intruders' strength waned.
The woman darted in again, her daggers flashing with Shadow Sting Art, aiming for the beast's eyes. She scored a hit, black blood welling from a shallow gash, but the panther's tail whipped out, catching her mid-leap. She crashed into the dirt, ribs cracking, her Qi flickering weakly.
The leader fought on, his saber a blur of Iron Tempest Strikes. Each blow carried the weight of his Tendon Transformation cultivation, carving deeper wounds into the panther's hide. "Die, you bastard!" he snarled, the thought of taming it having long disappeared from his mind.
Qi surged through his body to fuel a final, powerful slash. The air screamed as the blade descended, aimed at the beast's neck.
But the panther was faster. It twisted, its speed blurring its form into a streak of shadow. The saber struck empty ground, earth exploding in a shower of dirt. The beast reappeared behind the leader, claws raking across his back. His Qi armor shattered, blood spraying as he staggered forward, gasping.
The panther's eyes locked onto him, and with a single bound, it closed the distance. Its jaws clamped around his skull, crushing it in a spray of reddish-white gooey matter. The body twitched once, then stilled.