"Old Ghost Shi, that's an actual level 3 Hell Minotaur."
The terrifying, bloodthirsty killing intent radiating from the Hell Minotaur was undeniable. Even with his recent advances in strength, Tianlei knew he couldn't withstand a single blow from the creature.
Even with its visible wounds, deep gashes oozing dark ichor . it remained a dangerous opponent.
The Hell Minotaur's eyes flickered toward the two of them. It snarled, saliva dripping from its jagged maw.
As if anticipating its next meal, its forked tongue shot out, licking its lips with grotesque hunger.
"Bastard," Shi Guyin cursed under his breath.
Tianlei could sense the raw anger in his voice. After all, most of Shi Guyin's clansmen had been slaughtered by Hell Minotaurs commanded by the Mad Bull King. His desire for vengeance was palpable, like a storm brewing in the air.
The Hell Minotaur roared, a deafening bellow that sent dust and rubble flying toward them. Most of it clashed harmlessly against Tianlei's skin, while Shi Guyin simply raised his hand, forming an illusory barrier of swirling mist in front of him.
"Old Ghost, do something!"
From Shi Guyin's fingertip, a beam of light shot out.
"Noisy brat."
It sliced through the air, colliding with the Hell Minotaur's massive head.
Tianlei regained his stance as the beast stumbled backward. It shook its horned skull vigorously, letting out a low, rumbling growl of frustration.
"Time to test your new strength," Shi Guyin said, his eyes still locked on the Hell Minotaur with unyielding focus.
An actual level 3 beast had strength comparable to a Vanguard-level master. Even with his jump from 3-star to 7-star, the gap felt enormous, like a chasm he could barely peer across.
"I managed to defeat a Vanguard-level master… I can do this," Tianlei encouraged himself inwardly, even as fear threatened to make his knees buckle.
A light flashed from his ring, materializing his lotus staff in his grip. He swung it above his head and sprinted toward the beast like a reckless fool charging into the abyss.
The Hell Minotaur stomped its hooves on the ground. From its wounds, a blood-like substance seeped out, coalescing into its massive palms.
There, it formed a flaming orb of crimson energy. It crushed the orb into the earth, and the entire area within ten meters erupted in a violent explosion, sending Tianlei hurtling through the air.
Tianlei felt weightless for a heart-stopping moment before gravity yanked him back down. But instead of crashing horribly, he halted mid-air, suspended by an invisible force.
The Hell Minotaur lunged forward, its sickle-shaped claws ready to rend him apart.
He flicked his lotus staff in its direction. The claw collided with the staff's ethereal barrier, the impact sending Tianlei flying into a nearby tree with bone-jarring force.
He finally hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from his lungs.
"What the…?"
The previous Hell Minotaurs he had fought alongside the Feather Lady hadn't possessed such terrifying techniques. If they had, he might never have survived those encounters.
"That is one of the Hell Minotaur's most devastating abilities, called Gravity of Light. Unlike its Stillness Illusion technique, this one is far more potent," Shi Guyin explained calmly.
He had merely levitated in his ghostly form, observing without further intervention.
"How do you expect me to win against that…?"
The Hell Minotaur roared again and slammed its sickle-shaped claw into the ground.
The earth cracked open, and blinding light erupted upward in a cascading explosion. This time, the blast's reach extended even to Shi Guyin. But instead of being flung away, he remained rooted in place, his illusory misty form phasing through the chaos unscathed.
The Hell Minotaur charged toward Shi Guyin, aiming to smash him aside.
"Dancing Ghosts!"
Shi Guyin's body dissolved into countless trails of mist that swirled like vengeful spirits, rushing toward the Hell Minotaur and halting its momentum in an instant.
The beast froze, its eyes darting wildly as it swung its sickle-shaped claws in all directions, desperately trying to slash through the ethereal tendrils.
The rotating mists struck its body repeatedly, lifting it off the ground in a vortex of spectral energy.
"Fool, why just stand there?" Shi Guyin's voice echoed from within the storm.
"I might accidentally kill you," Tianlei replied, hesitating.
"I'd be intrigued to find out."
A piercing light shot from Tianlei's eyes toward the misty tornado.
His Drowning Cursed Mind technique, though far superior to his earlier abilities, felt inadequate against the Old Ghost's mastery. It passed harmlessly through the mist and struck the Hell Minotaur's head squarely.
Tianlei heard a guttural scream echo through the tornado.
The vortex exploded outward, dissolving into countless wisps of mist that reformed into Shi Guyin's ghostly figure.
The Hell Minotaur plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground with a thunderous impact. Yet, its labored breathing proved it was still alive.
"It's still alive?"
"Yes. Killing it outright would be a waste. I've merely crippled its meridians. In essence, it will no longer pose a threat or grow stronger."
Tianlei approached cautiously, his legs still numb from the earlier shocks. The Hell Minotaur's eyes were wide open, its chest heaving in ragged gasps, but its limbs lay limp and unresponsive.
This was a fate worse than death: eternal paralysis, forever barred from advancing in strength. For a magical beast or cultivator, it was the ultimate torment.
"Its Gravity of Light technique is powerful. If I could master it, it would be perfect."
"Great. That means no need to hunt for contract beasts just yet."
Tianlei extended a hand toward it. A silver glow enveloped the beast before it vanished into his storage ring.
"I'll keep it ,so I can master the technique."
Shi Guyin regarded Tianlei for a long moment.
"If I were versed in human cultivation arts, I'd take you as my disciple. Huh. Just don't lose yourself to the absolute corruption of too much power."
He dissolved into a trail of mist and flowed back into the storage ring.
Tianlei bowed slightly ." I am ambitious, still I retain my humanity "
He then closed his eyes and touched the ring. At first, there was only the whisper of the forest breeze. Then, a sharp light tore through the canopy, enveloping him in a blinding aura.
He was lifted off the ground and hurled through a void of swirling space.
His feet finally touched solid earth after what felt like an eternity compressed into seconds.
He landed near a large, familiar bottomless pit. He gazed into its depths as the light faded into shadow.
A faint smile crept onto his face.
He was no longer trapped in that cursed military branch, he was back at Golden Earth Academy. No matter how alien this place sometimes felt, it offered a semblance of security, a refuge from the chaos outside.
He strolled out of the chamber casually, his pace quickening as strength returned to his limbs.
Tianlei bypassed a woman who couldn't stop staring at him, brushing off her gaze.
The halls were quiet, devoid of student chatter, only a few cleaners shuffled about. He deliberately avoided the main paths as he emerged from the Beast Hall into the vast grounds of Golden Earth Academy.
Then the sunlight hit him. It seared his flesh like a branding iron, twisting his face in agony as he let out a barely controlled scream.
"Why is it so hot?"
He couldn't tell if it was because he hadn't seen proper sunlight in weeks or if the sun had somehow drawn closer to the earth in his absence.
Some passing girls glanced at him, their eyes widening as if beholding a monstrous apparition. He wasn't the most handsome, nor the ugliest, yet every gaze seemed riveted on him with a mix of horror and curiosity.
"Geez, what happened to him?" someone whispered nearby.
Tianlei felt a wave of exhaustion. Maybe there was something wrong with his appearance after all.
He scrambled to find a reflective surface and spotted one in the blacked-out screen of a nearby announcement board. He stepped in front of it and froze as his reflection stared back.
He was still clad in his provisional executor-assigned uniform, tattered and stained from battle. But his hair had turned stark white, like fresh snow under moonlight, and his skin no longer resembled anything human.
His hands retained a hint of their original color, but the rest of his exposed flesh had transformed into a faint, ethereal hue of mist
He took a step back, and the reflection mirrored him perfectly.
"Crap… was this caused by…"
"Hell no. I need to get out of here."