The scream tore through the heavens.
It was not merely a sound—it was domination.
A shrill, ancient roar exploded from the Abyss Spine Beast's throat, rolling outward like an invisible tide. The air itself seemed to shatter as a crushing pressure descended upon the land.
At the edge of the Great Forest, the fleeing tribal people froze.
Then—
They collapsed.
Bodies slammed to the ground as though struck by an unseen hand. Knees crashed into dirt
and stone, bones trembling under unbearable weight. Faces drained of colour; breath was
ripped from lungs. Children cried out before their voices were crushed into silence.
It felt as if the sky itself had fallen.
Grandma Lu's vision went black for a moment as the pressure slammed into her back. She
staggered, nearly dropping to her knees, instinctively twisting her body to shield the infant
strapped against her chest.
"So… strong…" she gasped.
This was not the pressure of a normal beast.
This was the might of something born to stand above mortals.
Several people fainted instantly.
Others vomited blood.
Only the warriors remained standing—barely.
Their legs trembled violently, muscles screaming in protest as they forced themselves
upright. Years of hunting beasts, facing death again and again, allowed them to resist where
ordinary mortals could not.
"Get up!" one warrior roared, veins bulging in his neck. "Everyone—get up!"
Another warrior clenched his teeth, forcing himself forward despite the pressure crushing his chest. He grabbed an elder by the arm and hauled him upright.
"Move!" he shouted. "Don't stop—don't even look back!"
One of the elders struggled to his feet, his face pale as death. His voice shook as he shouted with everything he had left:
"What terrifying qi… We cannot stay here!"
His eyes swept over the tribal people.
"Run! Run deeper into the forest—now!"
The command snapped something inside them.
Fear turned into motion.
Supported by the warriors, the tribe staggered forward, dragging one another as they fled into the shadows of the Great Forest. Branches whipped across their faces. Roots caught at their feet. Still, no one dared slow down.
Grandma Lu forced her trembling legs to move.
Each step felt like wading through a raging river.
Hold on, she told herself. Just a little longer.
The infant stirred against her chest, whimpering softly.
She tightened her arms protectively.
"Don't be afraid," she whispered hoarsely. "Grandma is here."
As they ran, the pressure gradually eased—but the echo of that scream still rang in their bones.
They followed the warriors through narrow paths hidden beneath thick foliage. These were routes only hunters knew—shortcuts carved by years of survival at the forest's edge.
Behind them, the sky burned.
Grandma Lu couldn't stop herself from glancing back.
High above the ruins, cultivators clashed with the monstrous beast—figures streaking through
the sky like falling stars. Explosions of light tore through the darkness. Spiritual techniques
bloomed and shattered, illuminating the night in violent flashes.
She watched cultivators fall—some screaming, some silent—yet others surged forward without hesitation.
For greed.
For power.
For something that lay hidden within the beast's flesh.
Her lips trembled.
"Is all of this… worth it?" she murmured.
Her gaze softened, filled with weary understanding.
"Humans truly are strange creatures," she whispered. "Capable of kindness… and cruelty beyond measure."
Then she turned away.
The forest swallowed them whole.
The Abyss Spine Beast roared again.
Its massive body was a grotesque fusion of bone and flesh, jagged spines protruding from its
back like broken spears. Lava dripped from its scales, hissing as it struck the ground. Each
breath it took distorted the air around it.
Cultivators swarmed.
Spiritual techniques slammed into its hide—blades of wind, spears of lightning, torrents of
flame. Some struck true, tearing chunks of flesh free. Others shattered uselessly against its
corrupted defences.
Low-level cultivators screamed as they were crushed beneath its claws or incinerated by its breath.
"Pathetic!" Fang Lei laughed wildly, crimson aura flaring around him as blood-red chains
shot from his hands, wrapping around the beast's limbs. "Struggle! Scream! That's what
you're good at!"
The beast thrashed violently, snapping the chains apart with brute force.
Su Mei hovered gracefully above, her violet robes billowing as lotus-shaped seals bloomed
beneath her feet. With a calm gesture, petals of condensed spiritual energy rained down like
blades, slicing into the beast's exposed wounds.
"Aim for the joints, the beast seems already at death's door step," she commanded coolly.
Yuan Li stood at a distance, hands forming precise seals as azure light gathered around him. His eyes were sharp, calculating every movement.
Its regeneration is slowing, but why is the beast's vitality extremely low, he noted. is it because of the treasure...
Then—
A thunderous laugh echoed.
"Out of the way!"
Martial General Xu exploded forward.
His body became a streak of ferocious light as he closed the distance in an instant. Spiritual energy surged around his fist, compressing into something dense and violent.
He struck.
The punch landed squarely against the beast's skull.
BOOM!
The impact shook the earth. The Abyss Spine Beast was blasted backward, its massive body slamming into the ground with a deafening crash. Craters spread outward like spiderwebs.
The beast howled, staggering—then, with a furious screech, it forced itself upright once more.
Xu landed heavily, cracking the stone beneath his feet.
"Tough bastard," he grinned. "Good."
Ji Han observed silently from afar.
His gaze never left the beast—not its movements, not its wounds, but something deeper. Something wrong.
It's resisting… too deliberately, he thought.
The beast roared again—louder, sharper.
Cultivators faltered as a second wave of suppression crashed down upon them. Even Yuan Li's brows furrowed as he reinforced his defences.
Then—
The beast's throat convulsed.
Something surged upward.
In the chaos of night and blinding light, none noticed—none except Ji Han.
A dark silhouette shot from the beast's mouth, carried by the force of the scream. It vanished into the sky, swallowed by shadows.
Ji Han's eyes narrowed.
That was…
The scream ended.
The Abyss Spine Beast's body stiffened violently.
Then it collapsed.
Its massive form trembled once—twice—and went still.
Silence fell.
Heavy. Unnatural.
The beast was dead.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then excitement erupted.
"It's over!"
"We killed it!"
Xu laughed loudly, planting his axe into the ground. "Hahaha! Did you see that? This treasure is as good as mine!"
Yuan Li frowned slightly. Something felt off—but the powerful qi still radiated strongly from the beast's abdomen.
Su Mei descended slowly, eyes shining. "The treasure's aura remains."
Fang Lei licked his lips. "Cut it open already."
Ji Han hesitated.
"I think I saw something," he said slowly.
All eyes turned to him.
"When it screamed… something came out."
Xu burst into laughter. "You're imagining things."
He waved dismissively. "Look—the qi is still there. The treasure hasn't gone anywhere."
His gaze sharpened. "You've fought long enough. If you're tired, feel free to return to your Dao Immortal Sect."
The words carried mockery.
Ji Han frowned, doubt flickering across his calm expression.
Was I mistaken…?
After a tense silence, Yuan Li spoke. "Arguing now benefits no one."
Su Mei nodded. "We share it."
Even Fang Lei smirked. "Fine. For now."
Xu grinned. "Agreed."
He stepped forward.
Raising his axe, he brought it down toward the beast's abdomen—
Deep within the Great Forest, the villagers collapsed in exhaustion.
Warriors fought off lesser beasts drawn by the chaos, blood staining their blades. Elders chanted prayers through cracked lips.
Grandma Lu sank against a tree, her legs finally giving out.
The infant slept quietly.
Unaware that fate had already taken notice.
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading.
If you enjoyed this chapter, consider leaving a comment or adding the novel to your library.
The journey has only begun.
◆ This work is an original story by Zümrüt . Unauthorized reposting is prohibited