The beast coiled, its body dozens of meters long and thick as an ancient tree trunk, before striking again with blinding speed.
Clara leapt high, flipping mid-air to evade the strike, her feet landing on the serpent's head. With a yell, she channeled her Qi into a hammering blow, cracking several scales and drawing black blood.
Enraged, the snake lashed its tail, catching her mid-leap and sending her hurtling into a boulder. Dust and debris exploded outward, but she emerged unscathed, her golden Qi shimmering fiercely.
The serpent attempted to crush her with its massive coils, wrapping around her in a death grip. She gritted her teeth, veins bulging as she pushed back with raw strength. With a roar, she broke free, shattering its coils with a burst of Qi.
Summoning all her might, she leapt onto its back, gripping its head. Her fists rained down, each strike a thunderclap. The snake thrashed, but she held firm. With a final, explosive punch, she shattered its skull.
The beast collapsed, lifeless. She stood atop it, victorious, her breathing heavy but steady.
She had just killed a magical beast at the peak of Rank 3. Such a feat left the surrounding members of her team in awe and reverence for her.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, she stored the massive body of the snake. Due to her power and status, her storage ring possessed far more space than that of her comrades.
It was just enough to fit in the dozens of metre long snake. She took out her sect token to check her current rank.
Satisfied, she instructed the remaining members of her team to search the lair of the snake.
They didn't waste time and swiftly scouted the cave that had been the resting place for the snake over the past few days.
Luckily for them, they were able to find some Rank 2 herbs, which made this trip worthwhile for the other members.
Meanwhile, Adrian woke up feeling far more refreshed than ever. Even though there was no concept of day and night inside the blood star, he still woke up very early in the morning.
It was a force of habit. After a light breakfast, he exited the blood star and landed inside the dark cave. After carefully removing the blockade, he successfully emerged outside where the sun was just starting to rise.
Adrian continued on his journey in the outer regions, where he was lucky enough not to encounter any more powerful beasts.
However, his good luck didn't last long because as he was standing on the branch of a tall tree, he could hear the sound of battle from a distance.
He immediately restrained his aura to the minimum, putting on his cloak and hood before stealthily going to check on what was happening.
The scene that greeted him was bewildering. A team of about four individuals could be seen facing off against a giant boar-like creature.
There were already three bodies on the ground, clearly victims of the boar's onslaught.
Among the remaining individuals, varying degrees of injuries could be seen on their bodies. Their faces were with shock and fear as they couldn't believe their eyes.
Among them, the one in the forefront, a tall and burly man, could be seen taking deep, heavy breaths. His unstable aura radiated the power of a golden core formation in the seventh stage.
The giant saber in his hands could be seen trembling slightly as he raised it again in an attempt to battle the beast.
The beast, however, wasn't completely fine. Small cuts could be seen all over its body, causing the ground surrounding it to be filled with small drops of blood.
The boar let out a loud roar before charging towards another member of the group that was farther away. This sudden action caught the group off guard.
Before they realized what was happening, the boar was right in front of the woman. She tried to defend herself by placing her sword in-between her and the boar, but it was a futile attempt.
Her fifth-stage Golden Core Formation realm strength was no match for the massive boar. The sword was knocked out of her hands before she was impaled by the boar.
Her eyes widened in shock as she was lifted off the ground before being swung away by the boar.
Only when her body landed on the ground did her teammates regain their wits and yell out.
"Kelly!" The only remaining female member of the team yelled. Her voice was hoarse as tears started streaming down her face.
"Damn it!" The burly man yelled in fury. However, in actuality, a subtle undertone of fear could be heard.
They were now down to three people. Initially, when they found the boar, they were confident that they could hunt it and sell it for a profit.
But now, all that confidence had gone up in smoke as his thoughts were now filled with how to escape.
"What do we do now, captain?"
He jolted as the voice of the only other male startled him out of his thoughts. He took a look around, surveying this scene. His gaze landed back on the boar, who had just turned its attention back on the rest of the team.
Their eyes locked as the boar let out a large grunt. It's hooves we're already stomping into the ground, preparing for another charge.
"We don't have a choice, do we?" The leader retorted.
"The only way we'll be able to get out of this is if we kill that thing." He said, but his words betrayed a sense of doubt.
"I'm sure it's already tired. Look, it's already covered in wounds. If we hang in for just a while longer, we'll be able to kill it."
As he said this, his shaky lands became steady as he raised his giant saber into the air. It seemed as if he was able to convince himself with his own words.
Before the man by his side could retort, another order came his way.