Yun Heng looked at Yun Zhao and the Shadow Guards beside her.
“Let's go down and take a look.”
The group descended from midair, quickly arriving near the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard.
Only when she actually stood on the ground did Yun Heng get a clearer look at its appearance.
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard was entirely covered in heavy, dark green armor plating that was almost black. Each scale was the size of half a person, with a layer of grayish-white frost clinging to the edges.
A row of backward-curving bone spikes grew along its back, stretching from the top of its head all the way to its thick tail.
Its limbs were short and thick, with sharp claws dug deep into the permafrost.
A pair of dull yellow, vertical pupils stared coldly ahead, and the blood of spirit beasts still stained its massive maw.
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard had long since noticed their approach.
It lowered its head to look at Yun Heng and the others standing before it, its eyes filled with blatant contempt.
“Human cultivators?”
A deep voice boomed, causing the nearby ground to tremble slightly.
“What are you doing in my territory?”
“Could it be that you have come to seek death?”
As soon as it finished speaking, the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard abruptly raised its front claw and slammed it directly down toward their position.
Even before the giant claw landed, its immense power forced the ground beneath it to cave inward.
Yun Heng's expression changed.
“Get out of the way!”
The group scattered in different directions at the same time.
Boom!
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard's massive claw slammed heavily onto the ground.
Large swathes of permafrost shattered instantly, sending countless rock fragments flying in all directions.
Yun Heng landed a short distance away, swinging her sword to slice through the rocks flying toward her.
This Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard was indeed unreasonable, immediately resorting to violence without a word.
Gripping the Tianheng Sword, Yun Heng raised her voice and said,
“Senior, please wait!”
“This junior knows that you were slumbering underground and are displeased because you woke up early due to the anomalies in the cold veins.”
“However, the nearby spirit beasts are fleeing south, forming a beast tide that threatens the cities of the Northern Wilderness.”
“Could you please spare the spirit beasts in this area?”
“This junior is willing to offer natural treasures that will surely satisfy you.”
If she could offer something to make the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard return underground, it would naturally be better than confronting it head-on.
Hearing this, the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard slightly narrowed its dull yellow, vertical pupils.
Its massive head slowly lowered, drawing closer and closer to Yun Heng and the others.
Yun Heng tightened her grip on the Tianheng Sword.
“You want to negotiate with me?”
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard's voice carried a hint of mockery.
“If you want to trade for the lives of those spirit beasts, it is not entirely out of the question.”
Its gaze swept past Yun Heng and landed on Yun Zhao.
“The rest of you must stay.”
“Especially the female cultivator behind you.”
“Her cultivation is decent, and the spiritual energy inside her body should be much tastier than those spirit beasts.”
“How about we trade her life for the lives of those spirit beasts?”
Yun Heng's gaze instantly turned cold.
It wanted her to leave Yun Zhao behind?
How could that be possible?
This Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard had absolutely no intention of negotiating with her. In its eyes, whether it was the surrounding spirit beasts or Yun Heng's group, they were all merely prey to be devoured.
Yun Heng sneered.
It refused to take the easy way out.
Despite its high cultivation, this creature was utterly barbaric—nothing more than a beast devoid of any humanity.
There was no reasoning with it.
Since that was the case, she could only fight.
Yun Heng slowly raised the Tianheng Sword.
Standing behind her, Yun Zhao and the ten Shadow Guards also drew their longswords simultaneously.
Sensing their fighting intent, the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard suddenly unleashed its full pressure.
The aura of a peak Void Refinement Realm desolate beast crashed down on them like a massive mountain.
Yun Heng felt a tightness in her chest, and the flow of spiritual energy in her body slowed down.
She grit her teeth, forcing herself to stand firm.
This battle would be incredibly dangerous.
But she was determined to fight.
【Host, the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard has three primary abilities.】
【Submerging underground, devouring spiritual energy, and its hardened carapace.】
Yun Heng quickly replied in her mind,
“Understood.”
The moment she finished speaking, the ten Shadow Guards moved first.
Xuan Yi through Xuan Shi rushed toward the ground at the same time, landing in various positions around the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard.
The ten of them thrust their longswords into the ground, channeling their spiritual energy down through the blades.
One by one, array patterns lit up on the permafrost, quickly linking together to form a sword formation specifically designed to seal off the underground.
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard excelled at submerging underground.
Once it escaped into the cold veins, forcing it back out would not be an easy task.
Seeing the Shadow Guards' actions, the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard immediately realized their goal.
It let out an angry roar and swept its massive tail outward, attempting to destroy the sword formation beneath its feet.
Yun Zhao instantly appeared in front of the Shadow Guards.
She slashed her longsword forward, clashing head-on with the sweeping tail of the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard.
Boom!
The two forces exploded.
A massive wave of spiritual energy rippled outward.
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard's tail was forced back, and Yun Zhao took a step backward under the powerful impact.
Meanwhile, Yun Heng had already flown above the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard.
She gripped the Tianheng Sword with both hands, pouring all of her spiritual energy into the blade.
The Tianheng Sword shone with a dazzling silvery-blue light.
Yun Heng cleaved downward from above, landing a heavy strike on the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard's back.
The hard scales collided with the sword's edge, producing a piercing, grating sound.
The sharp blade of the Tianheng Sword broke through the outer layer of scales, leaving a deep wound on the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard's back.
A large amount of dark red blood welled from the wound.
“Roar!”
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard cried out in pain, letting out an angry howl.
It had not expected a mere late stage Soul Transformation Realm cultivator to actually pierce its scales.
Its thick tail suddenly whipped upward, lashing toward Yun Heng, who was standing on its back.
Yun Heng reacted extremely quickly.
She spun around and swung her sword again to strike the oncoming massive tail.
The sword light flashed.
Another wound appeared on the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard's tail, and blood flowed continuously.
Yun Heng's arms were also numbed by the force carried in the tail, and she was knocked backward a considerable distance.
The Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard was thoroughly enraged.
It whipped its body around, its dull yellow vertical pupils locking onto Yun Heng.
“A mere Soul Transformation!”
Its massive front claw, carrying terrifying power, slammed down heavily toward Yun Heng.
Yun Heng raised the Tianheng Sword to block.
The sword edge and the giant claw collided in midair.
For a moment, the two forces were locked in a stalemate.
The spiritual energy inside Yun Heng's body surged frantically as she tightly gripped the hilt with both hands.
However, the gap in cultivation between her and the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard was simply too vast.
After only a brief stalemate, the strength behind the beast's giant claw surged once more.
Unable to hold her ground, Yun Heng was sent flying backward.
She forcibly adjusted her posture in midair, finally landing on her feet and sliding backward for dozens of feet before coming to a halt.
The intense pain throbbing in her arms made her almost lose her grip on the sword.
Before the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard could follow up its attack, Yun Zhao had already closed in on its side.
Seizing the opportunity, she slashed her sword toward the beast's neck.
The longsword cut through the scales, leaving a bloody gash on the side of its neck.
Injured once again, the Spirit-Devouring Desolate Lizard flew into a complete frenzy.
It suddenly opened its massive maw.
A powerful devouring force erupted instantly.
The surrounding spiritual energy, the shattered stones on the ground, and the cold mist in the air were all sucked uncontrollably toward its mouth.
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