Free Web NovelChapter 343: Chapter 343: Getting There First
It let out a pained shriek as the feelers on its head were sliced clean off, and the Twin Blood Lotus fell into Song Wanning’s hands.
Seeing the treasure it was about to obtain vanish, the demon beast roared in fury and, without a second thought, raised its claw to strike at Song Wanning.
Only then did Song Wanning get a clear look at the demon beast’s size. Its massive body filled the entire space beneath the Spiritual Spring.
Moreover, its aura indicated it was at least a Sixth-rank Demon Beast, equivalent to a human in the Void Refining Stage.
But its aura was fluctuating, as if it was on the verge of advancing to the next rank.
Song Wanning’s expression hardened. ’Whether in cultivation or sheer size, it’s far stronger than me. I can’t fight it head-on.’
A flurry of thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. She quickly placed the Twin Blood Lotus into her Storage Ring while swimming swiftly toward the shore.
At that moment, the demon beast had already raised its claw, aiming straight for her head.
Song Wanning spun around and slashed with her sword. The powerful sword light knocked the demon beast’s claw back slightly, giving her the chance to dodge out of the way.
As the gust from its strike swept past, she used the force to surge forward, successfully reaching the shore.
Without a moment’s rest, a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. She spun around and unleashed a bolt of Divine Thunder.
The demon beast was furiously charging after her, but as soon as its head broke the surface, it was struck by the Divine Thunder.
Demon beasts were naturally afraid of thunder, to say nothing of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder like this. It was so terrified it immediately tried to hide at the bottom of the spring.
BOOM—
With a massive roar, countless arcs of lightning filled the spring water, striking the demon beast until it shrieked incessantly, its body trembling uncontrollably.
Song Wanning had intended to use this opportunity to escape, but while the Divine Thunder had halted its pursuit, it had also driven the demon beast into a frenzy.
It roared, thrashing wildly as if that could break apart the Divine Thunder clinging to its body.
THUMP—
BOOM—
Countless shockwaves erupted from the bottom of the spring. Song Wanning, who had just taken flight, was knocked out of the air and fell swiftly to the ground.
By now, the demon beast had thrashed its way half-upright. It planted a claw on the shore, trying to drag itself out of the Power of thunder and lightning.
Before Song Wanning could even steady herself, she slashed out with her sword again.
The demon beast struggled to its feet in a panic, only to be struck again, making it howl in pain. After a desperate, flailing struggle, it finally managed to haul itself out of the Spiritual Spring.
Ptooey—
It spat out a mouthful of blood. Its entire body was still severely numb and ached all over, leaving it with little strength.
What infuriated it even more, however, was that when it looked up, the culprit was gone!
The Nightmare Demon Beast saw stars, its chest aching with rage.
"Fine, fine, fine—"
It suddenly spoke in human tongue, "Damn it, she actually got away! Just wait, I’m gonna kill you!!!!"
’I’ve been lying in wait for over ten years! I finally managed to sneak over while that thing was out, only to have some stinking human snatch it from under my nose.’
’And all this commotion is definitely going to lure that thing back.’
"Shit, and now I have to clean up this mess!!!!"
The Nightmare Demon Beast looked at the tracks its massive body had left behind, hurriedly erased the evidence, and then sank back to the bottom of the pool, escaping through a tunnel it had dug.
’The original master of this place is a seventh-rank demon beast. I’m no match for it.’
’But for the Twin Blood Lotus here, I’ve painstakingly lain low for more than a decade!!!’
’During that time, I didn’t dare move or make a scene, just stayed holed up deep underground, terrified of making the slightest noise that might wake the seventh-rank demon beast.’
’Today, I finally waited until that beast went into heat and snuck over. I was just about to pick the Blood Lotus when someone not only uprooted it but also slashed my head with a sword.’
’And to top it all off, I got struck by lightning until I was completely disoriented. It was painful and humiliating.’
"Goddammit, I refuse to believe you can get away! When I find you, I’ll swallow you whole!!!!"
...
The sound of the Divine Thunder was jarringly out of place in Cannibal Valley, attracting the attention of nearly every living creature in the vicinity.
The Red Wind Beast, which was in the middle of indulging itself with a female beast, suddenly stiffened, its face turning pale for a moment.
It kicked the female beast away and rushed out of the cave.
The Divine Thunder was no longer visible, but the sound had clearly come from the direction of its own lair.
GRRRR...
It slammed a claw into the ground in fury and shot off at high speed.
’Before I left, I clearly checked the entire area! There weren’t any demon beasts nearby!’
’And I’ve only been gone for a little while. I can’t be that unlucky, can I?’
The Red Wind Beast was burning with anxiety. It moved as fast as a whirlwind, so quick that it left only a trail of afterimages.
Meanwhile, Xiao Heyun, who was hurrying over, stopped in his tracks and stared in astonishment at the flash of Divine Thunder in the distance.
’Isn’t that the direction the System mentioned?’
His heart skipped a beat, and he grew anxious.
"System, System, did something happen to the treasure?"
"It’s highly likely!"
The System also grew tense. Its energy was limited, but it quickly ran a scan and found that the treasure was still in that direction.
"Hurry! The treasure is still over there! Any later and something might change!"
The commotion from the Divine Thunder was bound to attract the attention of other creatures. It would be difficult for the Host to take the item then.
Xiao Heyun immediately picked up his pace, his expression growing uglier.
’This is the second time I’ve seen Divine Thunder recently...’
A thoughtful look flickered in his eyes. ’Back when I was hunting the Heavenly Demon, I happened to run into it just as it was struck by lightning...’
’How long has it been since then?’
The image of Song Wanning’s stunningly beautiful face appeared in Xiao Heyun’s mind, and he narrowed his eyes.
"System, do you think it’s possible for the Divine Thunder to be cast by a person?"
"Like someone with a mutated Thunder Spirit Root..."
Suspicion grew in his heart. ’Could the Divine Thunder be related to Song Wanning?’
"Impossible."
The System stated unequivocally.
"This is Nine Heavens Divine Thunder. Strictly speaking, it’s equivalent to Heavenly Punishment, not some ordinary Heavenly Thunder!"
"A mutated Thunder Spirit Root just makes one’s combat power stronger and allows them to create Thunder Attribute talismans. Someone with extraordinary talent might be able to summon Heavenly Thunder, but that’s a one-in-ten-thousand prodigy..."
’An ordinary person wouldn’t even dare to touch Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, let alone summon it.’
’I can’t even imagine someone introducing a Divine Thunder Seed into their body. Wouldn’t they just die a violent death?’
’Even with a Jiezhi Space, no one would dare do that...’
"Is that so?"
Xiao Heyun breathed a sigh of relief, his doubts gradually fading away.
’If the System says it’s impossible, then it must be impossible.’
’It seems this must be a natural phenomenon caused by the treasure maturing!!!’
A glint flashed in his eyes, and he pushed himself to move even faster.
Finally, he arrived in front of the cave and plunged inside without a second thought.
However, once inside, he found the entire cave in a state of chaos, with water from the spring soaking the shore.
The place was a total wreck.
And the treasure was nowhere to be found.
"FUCK!!!"
"Who the fuck snatched the treasure first?"
Xiao Heyun’s face instantly darkened. He grabbed his long saber and began slashing wildly, venting his fury.
The System was also fuming; it had never expected someone would beat them to it.
But before they could think any further, something suddenly shot into the cave entrance!
