Chapter 26: The Jet-Black Lion

Bang!

With a single gunshot, a giant wolf slowly collapsed to the ground.

[Spirit Power +1]

[Spirit Power: 39]

The remaining wolves stared at their fallen companion with sorrow in their eyes, but when they looked at Fang Qingyun, their expressions grew even more savage and ferocious.

At that moment, the brutal nature of the fiends was laid bare.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Fang Qingyun said coldly, kicking aside a wolf’s corpse and pulling his long blade free before aiming his gun at another wolf. “At the academies of the Human Race, we watch documentaries every week. They’re all about how your kind ravages us.”

“Ten thousand years ago, to you fiends, my people were little more than food—slaughtered and tormented at will. Countless humans perished beneath your fangs over millennia, and now, just a few of you have died and you can’t stand it?”

“Your tolerance for pain is pathetic. No wonder we were able to found our nation and flourish, even when we were at such a disadvantage!”

[Spirit Power +1]

[Spirit Power: 40]

[Spirit Power +1]

[Spirit Power: 41]

Fang Qingyun’s body swayed slightly.

The suffocating pressure returned, heavier than ever.

He understood now: for the rest of this fight, the gun was his best hope.

He barely had the strength left to protect himself.

Fifteen bullets remained in the magazine. It would be a stretch to deal with all the wolves left.

If things got desperate, he could only use his points.

Just as Fang Qingyun prepared to act, an earth-shattering roar erupted.

What power, what savagery, what overwhelming presence was contained in that roar! And above all, a sense of majesty that could not be concealed.

It was as if a king had arrived.

Fang Qingyun’s face changed. Instinctively, he gripped his gun and blade tighter, his gaze fixed on the source of the roar.

The giant wolves, hearing this obviously fiendish howl, did not look pleased—instead, their eyes filled with anxiety and terror.

Even the alpha wolf.

It let out a low, urgent growl, as though urging the pack to flee at once.

Bang! Bang! Bang bang!

Heavy footsteps accompanied the gunshots as a towering figure emerged.

“Heavens…” Fang Qingyun’s breath caught in his throat. In the next instant, he turned and fled without hesitation.

No way he could win.

Absolutely no way.

A towering beast over three meters tall and seven meters long had appeared.

Its body was shaped like a lion, covered head to toe in dense black scales.

Its eyes blazed blood-red, and a single horn jutted from its brow.

Half-beast, half-fiend?

Nonsense.

This was a purebred fiend.

It was just like the spider fiend he’d encountered before. Though perhaps not as strong as that one, it was still far beyond what Fang Qingyun could handle.

Compared to this lion, the alpha wolf was nothing.

Between a quasi-warrior and a true warrior lay an unbridgeable chasm.

The same was true for half-fiends and true fiends.

If Fang Qingyun had been at his peak, he might have dared to give it a try.

But now? Run!

The lion glanced at Fang Qingyun, utterly indifferent, then turned to size up the wolves.

The alpha wolf gave a mournful howl.

The other wolves snarled threateningly, but unlike earlier, they’d lost all courage—the terror in their eyes was plain as day.

All that remained was fear and retreat.

The pitch-black lion eyed the pack with mocking amusement, its body tensing before it launched itself at them.

Howls, then a tremendous crash!

Several giant wolves were sent flying in an instant.

Even before they hit the ground, the sound of bones shattering echoed through the air.

Those that landed managed a feeble struggle or two, but couldn’t rise again.

With a casual swipe, the black lion sent two more wolves flying.

The remaining wolves gathered their courage and bit down with their fangs, but their teeth shattered against the lion’s scales.

The lion watched them coldly, as if waiting for their futile attacks to end.

A few seconds later, it grew impatient and swept its massive paw, flattening the entire pack.

Only the alpha was left.

It backed away, eyes wide with terror, and whimpered—a sound halfway between pleading and submission.

But all it received in response was a gaping, bloody maw.

The black lion clamped down, exerted immense force, and tore the alpha wolf in half.

The leader of a pack of over twenty, dead just like that.

After finishing, the black lion strolled over to a large tree and looked up.

Fang Qingyun hadn’t bothered to hide—he sat on a thick branch, staring back at the lion.

Run?

Where could he run?

Weighed down by over a thousand kilos, carrying two blades and a gun, in the forest—outrunning a lion?

Especially a fiend-level lion?

Dream on.

So, Fang Qingyun had chosen to climb.

He glanced at the wolves, especially the alpha.

With their massive bodies, they looked formidable enough, but in the lion’s jaws, they were playthings.

As for himself…

He figured if he was handed to the lion, it would be like a pig swallowed in one gulp.

The black lion watched him coolly from below.

Fang Qingyun waved. “Hey there, friend—how about we talk this out?”

A trace of mockery flickered in the lion’s eyes.

Did this human really think he could beg for mercy?

But—

“How about I kill you instead?” Fang Qingyun said earnestly. “Look, I’ve killed quite a few of your kind in this secret realm. The weaker ones give me a light orb, the stronger ones two. I’m awfully curious what I’d get for taking down a true fiend. Care to find out with me?”

The lion’s expression turned cold.

This human was courting death.

With a roar of authority, the lion charged the tree and slammed its paw against the trunk.

Crack! Crackle!

The whole tree shuddered, fissures spreading along the trunk.

“Damn!” Fang Qingyun exclaimed, startled.

So fierce?

Bang!

With another blow, the tree—over a meter thick—snapped in two.

“Hell, I ought to report you to the Forestry Bureau. This tree’s at least a hundred years old—enjoy your time in prison!” Fang Qingyun cursed, pushing off hard and leaping to another tree.

What did the forest have in abundance? Trees!

One tree after another—perfect for escape.

When he’d climbed up earlier, Fang Qingyun had known he couldn’t hope to fend off the lion like the wolves could.

He’d already picked his escape route.

Landing safely, he raised his gun and fired at the lion.

Bang!

Ping!

The bullet bounced off its scales.

The lion glared coldly at him.

“What are you looking at?” Fang Qingyun sneered, firing again.

This time, his hand wavered ever so slightly as he pulled the trigger.

The bullet altered its path mid-flight, deviating from its original trajectory.

The lion’s eyes narrowed—it shut them just in time.

Ping!

The bullet struck its eyelid.

The lion roared in fury.

Against a fiend—especially one of this rank—ordinary bullets were nearly useless, even against its vulnerable eyelids.

But it still hurt.

Now truly enraged, the black lion resolved to mash this human into pulp.