Chapter 493 - 214: Stone Lion
The deeper one ventured into Luoxing Slope, the more rugged and strange the terrain became. The metallic Evil Qi suffusing the air also grew denser. An ordinary person staying here for too long would likely find their circulation stagnating and their True Astral sluggish.
A massive meteorite crater appeared ahead, its walls steep. The bottom was littered with countless dark-red ore fragments that faintly emanated a warm aura. This was one of the objectives of his trip: Blazing Fire Ore.
However, just as Chen Qing prepared to leap into the crater to start collecting, a dark boulder ahead and to his side, the size of a small mountain, suddenly stirred!
RUMBLE!
Debris rained down. It was a colossal beast that had been lying in wait, feigning sleep!
It resembled a giant lion but was hairless. Its body was covered in overlapping layers of gray-black, scale-like rock armor that seemed to have formed naturally. A faint, dark-red light swirled in the crevices, reminiscent of subterranean lava.
Its head was massive, its maw gaping to reveal jagged teeth like shattered stone pillars. A pair of amber, reptilian pupils locked coldly onto Chen Qing as the beast let out a low, thunderous growl.
Stone Lion!
Chen Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He instantly recognized it as one of Luoxing Slope’s Overlord Level Exotic Beasts.
Its power was far beyond that of the Stone-Armored Antelope he had fought earlier. Judging by its ferocious aura and what looked like an impenetrable suit of Rock Armor, its strength was definitely at the Mid-stage Astral Force, if not higher. The beast was renowned for its defense and power.
The Stone Lion kicked off with its hind legs. Its enormous frame shot forward with a speed that defied its bulk, like a colossal stone cannonball wreathed in an Evil Wind!
Its massive, rock-armored forepaw slammed down, the sheer force of the blow causing the gravel on the ground to burst apart!
Chen Qing didn’t dare meet the blow head-on. He instantly pushed his Startled Swan Escape Shadow Technique to the limit, his body drifting backward like a wisp of smoke.
BOOM!
A deep crater appeared where the Stone Lion’s giant paw had landed, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward.
Its first strike having missed, the Stone Lion roared in fury and lunged again, this time even faster. Its colossal body all but sealed off Chen Qing’s escape routes, while its steel-whip-like stone tail swept in silently to cut off his retreat.
Chen Qing’s gaze hardened. ’Ordinary attacks won’t be enough to pierce its defense.’
The Five Elements True Astral within him roared to life. Boundless power surged forth, infusing his Cloud-Coiling Spear.
Once again, a five-colored light flowed across the spear’s shaft, weaving and intertwining as it radiated a terrifying, destructive aura.
This time, he held nothing back.
No longer dodging, Chen Qing charged forward instead. Wielding the immense power of the Five Elements Rotation, he fearlessly brought his Cloud-Coiling Spear up to meet the Stone Lion’s descending paw.
His Spear Momentum carried the weight of a mountain!
CLANG—!!!
A deafening clang of metal on metal erupted, as if a colossal hammer had struck divine steel!
A shockwave rippled outward in a ring, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Chen Qing felt a slight numbness in his arm as the impact sent him sliding back several yards, his feet carving two shallow trenches in the ground.
The Stone Lion actually let out a pained roar from the force of the blow. A web of fine cracks had appeared on the Rock Armor of its massive forepaw, from which dark-red blood began to seep.
Under the power of the Five Elements True Astral, even the Stone Lion, renowned for its defenses, had been grievously wounded.
The pain completely unleashed the Stone Lion’s ferocity. Its amber pupils turned blood-red, and the dark-red light in the crevices of its Rock Armor flared brightly, as if an internal furnace had just been ignited.
It opened its massive maw, and a torrent of incredibly scorching, dark-red breath, like a river of fire, surged toward Chen Qing, threatening to engulf him completely.
The very rock on the ground began to show signs of melting wherever the stream passed!
With a flurry of steps, Chen Qing pushed his Startled Swan Escape Shadow Technique to its absolute limit, narrowly dodging the main torrent of the beast’s breath by a hair’s breadth.
Seizing the lull between breaths, he exploded into action once more. He frantically poured his Five Elements True Astral into the Cloud-Coiling Spear, causing the five-colored light at its tip to flare and condense to a single, brilliant point.
His body moved with the spear, man and weapon becoming one!
Like a five-colored bolt of lightning tearing through the dim sky, he thrust toward the Stone Lion’s relatively vulnerable eye.
The Stone Lion violently jerked its head aside. The spear tip scraped past its eye socket, striking the hard Rock Armor of its cheekbone and sending a shower of brilliant sparks into the air.
Sparks flew and the sounds of their clash echoed without end.
Finally, after a battle that lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Chen Qing saw the perfect opportunity.
The Stone Lion had overextended on a powerful lunge, its old momentum spent before it could gather new strength. For a brief moment, a section of Rock Armor beneath its neck was exposed.
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes as he focused all his strength into a single thrust.
The Cloud-Coiling Spear let out a low growl. With unstoppable momentum, it struck the damaged section of Rock Armor with absolute precision.
SQUELCH—!
This time, the True Astral, imbued with the destructive power of the Five Elements, finally shattered its defenses!
With unstoppable force, the spear tip plunged deep into the Stone Lion’s neck.
ROAR—!!!
The Stone Lion let out an earth-shattering, agonized howl. Its massive body convulsed violently as dark-red blood gushed out like a fountain.
Chen Qing gripped his spear tightly, continuously unleashing his True Astral to utterly extinguish the beast’s life force.
A few moments later, the Stone Lion’s struggles weakened. It finally crashed to the ground with a tremor, its amber pupils losing all their light, becoming dull and lifeless.
Chen Qing pulled out his spear. The intense battle with this tough-hided Stone Lion had taken a significant toll on him.
’No wonder it’s worth over three hundred Contribution Points.’
After resting for a moment, he began to process his prize.
He carefully extracted several "Meteorite Iron Cores" from the Stone Lion’s body. They were not fully digested and had become fused with the beast’s flesh and sinew.
The quality of these Ores was exceptional, far surpassing that of ordinary Blazing Fire Ore. Turning them in to the Sect would earn him at least three hundred Contribution Points.
Furthermore, the Stone Lion’s heart Essence Blood was also extremely valuable. Chen Qing carefully collected it in a Jade Bottle.
’A bountiful harvest!’
Chen Qing straightened up, taking a deep breath of Luoxing Slope’s rust- and blood-scented air. He was just about to head down into the crater to collect the Blazing Fire Ore.
Just then, the sound of an extremely violent clash of auras suddenly echoed from nearby, interspersed with the sharp clang of clashing Weapons.
Clearly, people were engaged in a fierce battle in that area, and it was no small skirmish.
Chen Qing froze, his gaze turning toward the source of the sound. His brow furrowed slightly.
’Have other disciples on their own training missions run into a powerful foe?’
’Or... is someone being killed for their loot?’
....