Chapter 729: Death of Bei Gong

A mountain-lord-level beast, Qiongqi, if it joined the battlefield now, could reverse the tide—Li Yi had barely managed to nearly kill another Bloodline Warrior using the Baoyue Bow and Wu Jin Arrows.

Once the situation settled, the three of them could unite to surround and slay this Red Gold Mountain Lord, securing victory in this great battle.

But if this Qiongqi joined now, siding with either side would instantly turn the favorable situation upside down.

Accompanied by the roar of a mountain-lord beast, violent tremors soon echoed from the distant ridges, revealing a massive beast sprinting across the mountains.

The beast resembled a ferocious tiger, yet bore a pair of wings on its back; as it flapped them, yellow sand filled the air and shattered rocks flew like a raging tornado.

At this moment, the mountain-lord Qiongqi charged forward with ferocity, unleashing terrifying power—wherever it passed, the mountain ridges collapsed.

In terms of strength.

This Qiongqi was stronger than the Bloodline Warrior Bei Gong, second only to the Red Gold Mountain Lord Huohuo; had it not been subdued by Huohuo, it would have been at least a ten-mountain-lord-level entity in the outside world.

Xuan Yuezi and Xiang Xiangzi were currently working together to suppress Huohuo, draining his stamina.

The effect was clear: Huohuo was suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Seal, his power far from peak—he knew well that he could not defeat these two female mountain lords in a short time; both were exhausting each other.

To change this situation, a third mountain-lord-level force must enter the battle.

"Qiongqi, aid Bei Gong—kill their bloodline heirs!" roared the Red Gold Mountain Lord Huohuo, issuing the command to the beast.

He did not order Qiongqi to assist him, but instead to join Bei Gong in killing Li Yi, for eliminating Li Yi was far easier than killing Xuan Yuezi and Xiang Xiangzi.

"Damn it!" Xiang Xiangzi was both shocked and furious.

She hadn't expected the enemy to judge the situation so precisely—they hadn't sent the beast to aid them, but to target Tai Yi.

"We can't break away to help Tai Yi," Xuan Yuezi's eyes showed anxiety, yet she had no spare energy—just suppressing this Red Gold Mountain Lord had drained all her magic power.

Had she not continuously drawn in celestial spiritual energy to replenish herself, she would have already lost.

If she so much as blinked, and Huohuo broke free, the situation would only worsen.

"Wait a moment—Tai Yi seemed to have prepared a countermeasure against this mountain-lord beast. If not, we retreat immediately," Xiang Xiangzi also couldn't spare herself; she could only hope Li Yi had a plan.

Otherwise, they'd have to flee.

At this moment.

The beast Qiongqi had already charged forward, ignoring the Red Gold Mountain Lord Huohuo, roaring as it lunged toward Li Yi's direction.

Li Yi's gaze flickered—he saw the beast Qiongqi too—but he had no Wu Jin Arrows left; he couldn't fight a second mountain-lord-level force. After all, he was fighting above his realm—if he himself were at the Three Flowers realm, killing Bei Gong and Qiongqi would be effortless.

Yet he still didn't know how Jiang Mingtian was faring; it was too early to draw conclusions.

"Hah! You're dead!" Bei Gong, ignoring his wounds, laughed wildly as he swung his Red Gold Halberd toward Li Yi.

The terrifying halberd descended, giving Li Yi no chance to breathe.

He intended to pin Li Yi down, then kill him together with Qiongqi.

"You think I'm afraid? You, wounded, dare kill me? So eager? Then I'll send you on your way first!" Li Yi roared, his body flickering into mist, evading the blow.

Then he coalesced, surging forward with the power of Long Hu, his fist wrapped in silver lightning, striking Bei Gong's body with full force.

Bei Gong dodged vital points, but his chest took another punch.

Due to the earlier Wu Jin Arrow, his Red Gold battle armor was already damaged, his mighty body riddled with cracks—now struck again, he spat a mouthful of blood, and his cracks multiplied instantly.

"Die!" Bei Gong snarled, swinging his halberd again.

He felt his life force draining rapidly—this level of injury couldn't be reversed even by his bloodline's power; he'd likely die here today—but before death, he must take Li Yi with him.

Facing the halberd's descent, Li Yi didn't dodge—he merely avoided vital spots, relying on the Chi Yu Zi Jin Armor to absorb the blow.

The terrifying force erupted—even the mid-grade Dao artifact's defense couldn't fully block it; some force still passed through the armor into Li Yi's body.

Yet Li Yi's physique was astonishing—he absorbed the blow without breaking.

"Your strength has weakened," Li Yi roared, delivering another punch—same power of three dragons, three tigers—striking directly at Bei Gong's wound.

Under the surge of Long Hu power, the already cracked Red Gold armor shattered violently—Bei Gong's injuries worsened; the cracks expanded, and even flesh peeled away.

Though Bei Gong's body glowed green, using the life force within his Bloodline to forcibly slow the spread of injury, this wound had become an irreparable weakness.

"Cough. Cough."

Bei Gong's massive body retreated rapidly; gritting his teeth against the pain, he dared not engage Li Yi in direct combat—his strength had plummeted severely; fighting head-on gave him no advantage.

"Qiongqi, kill him!" he shouted desperately, fearing he'd die before Li Yi did.

Suddenly.

The massive form of Qiongqi had already arrived—but unexpectedly, it ignored Li Yi entirely, instead attacking Bei Gong, opening its tooth-filled maw and biting down immediately.

"What?"

This sudden turn stunned Bei Gong—he had no time to react, for he never expected Qiongqi to turn on him; add his severe injuries, he could only watch helplessly as the fangs tore down.

Green Bloodline blood sprayed out.

Bei Gong, standing midair, now became a headless corpse.

His head had been bitten clean off by the Qiongqi in an instant.

"Hah! Success! Li Yi, don't blame me for taking the easy win—I feared if I waited longer, something might go wrong."

A jubilant laugh rang out—suddenly, a figure emerged from beneath Qiongqi's wings: Jiang Mingtian, who had vanished earlier.

Li Yi was momentarily stunned.

He hadn't expected this mountain-lord-level Bloodline Warrior to die so easily.

Recovering, he looked at Jiang Mingtian: "You tamed this beast Qiongqi?"

"Yes! What a tremendous surprise—the Control Beast Talisman, after a full year of cultivation, finally subdued this beast!" Jiang Mingtian was ecstatic.

He hadn't expected things to go this smoothly—the Control Beast Talisman he'd made a year ago had successfully tamed a mountain-lord-level beast.

Yet this mountain-lord Qiongqi was indeed resilient.

It took so long for the talisman to take effect—had the time been shorter, success wouldn't have been so certain.

"Good. Very good," Li Yi was also pleased.

Bei Gong was dead, and the mountain-lord beast had been tamed—this battle was surely theirs.

"Bei Gong. Qiongqi."

Yet the next moment, beneath the Heavenly Dao Seal, the Red Gold Mountain Lord Huohuo's eyes bulged with rage—he never imagined things would turn like this.

His Bloodline Warrior had perished, and even the beast that followed him had been tamed by another.

Though unbelievable, the reality before him forced him to accept it.

"So, Tai Yi had a hidden plan."

Xuan Yuezi and Xiang Xiangzi were now delighted—the enemy had lost a mountain-lord warrior, and the beast sent to aid him had been tamed; the outcome was now settled.

This single Red Gold Mountain Lord could no longer turn the tide.

At this moment, Li Yi looked at Bei Gong's corpse, then immediately said: "Jiang Mingtian, send the beast Qiongqi against the Red Gold Mountain Lord—only by killing him can this matter truly end, lest delays bring unforeseen trouble."

"Understood." Jiang Mingtian no longer hid—he leapt down from Qiongqi's back and issued the command.

The beast Qiongqi roared, stirring a violent storm, charging again toward the Red Gold Mountain Lord.

Li Yi now began scanning the surroundings.

He needed to retrieve his Wu Jin Arrow—only the Wu Jin Arrow could pierce the Red Gold armor and deliver a fatal strike to the Red Gold Mountain Lord.

But Bei Gong, clever as he was, had pulled out the Wu Jin Arrow after being wounded and discarded it somewhere—everywhere was mountains, shattered rocks, ruins; once buried, the Wu Jin Arrow would be nearly impossible to find.

Li Yi wasn't that great demon Feng Yu, who could command the Wu Jin Arrow to return automatically—each shot required manual retrieval.

He'd once lost a Wu Jin Arrow during battle in the Demon God Realm.

"I won't find this Wu Jin Arrow anytime soon—I'll have to search slowly after the battle ends," Li Yi said after circling several times with no success.

This was the Red Gold Mountain Range—the Red Gold energy masked the Wu Jin Arrow's aura, making it undetectable.

On the other side, the battle erupted again.

The beast Qiongqi, without hesitation, attacked its former master.

Under the weight of the Heavenly Dao Seal, the Red Gold Mountain Lord Huohuo, facing a ten-mountain-lord-level beast, was overwhelmed—he roared in fury, his body blazing with flames, squeezing every ounce of power from his Bloodline.

With no reinforcements left, if he couldn't change the situation, he would die here today.

In desperation.

Huohuo, like a mad beast, gripped his Red Gold Axe and struggled to raise it, swinging it at Qiongqi.

Faintly, a divine phantom coalesced in an instant.

He forcibly activated a Divine Art, amplifying the strike's power.

BOOM!

The heavens and earth erupted in a cataclysmic blow.

Qiongqi was struck by the axe—blood sprayed, its body torn open by a gruesome wound, its massive form crashing heavily to the ground.

"How is this possible? He still has strength to counterattack?" Jiang Mingtian was horrified.

He didn't want his hard-won tamed beast to be slain by a single axe blow.

"Roar!"

Yet the beast Qiongqi did not die—it became even more ferocious, flapping its wings again and charging forward, claws slamming into the Red Gold Mountain Lord.

Relying on his Red Gold heavy armor, Huohuo absorbed the blow, yet his massive body staggered backward repeatedly.

The Heavenly Dao Seal fell again, forcing him to spit blood.

"Just a dying beast's last struggle," Xiang Xiangzi sneered.

She saw clearly—he'd forced out one final strike, trying to kill the beast, but clearly, he was exhausted; he could no longer unleash that world-splitting blow.

Still, the blow had badly wounded the beast.

But after that strike, his defeat began—he would have no more counterattacks; all that remained was to wait, and he would collapse under the assault.

The subsequent events proved this true.

The Red Gold Mountain Lord Huohuo's final strike failed to kill the beast Qiongqi—he could only passively defend against Qiongqi's attacks.

In just moments, his body was covered in wounds, crimson blood flowing continuously.

His strength was plummeting rapidly; within moments he was gasping for breath, drenched in sweat.

"Red Gold Mountain is finished—he'll be slaughtered here by the challengers."

"Heaven above, the Mountain Lord is about to be defeated—this place will change hands."

"Beigong of the Divine Blood Warriors died a tragic death; the opponent's strength was clearly no greater than his, yet a single arrow pierced him, leaving him powerless to turn the tide."

At this moment, in Red Mountain City, many warriors and merchant lords could not help but whisper among themselves at the scene.

Some gasped in awe, others trembled in fear, and still others sighed in lament.

But no matter what, the situation was now clear: this Red Gold Mountain Lord, Huohuo, was about to meet his end. Though the challengers had won by numbers, as Mountain Lord, such risks were to be expected—if he could not handle them, his defeat was no one's fault but his own.

"Great Li Yi—does he truly mean to seize Red Gold Mountain and become a regional lord?"

In a corner of the city.

Nü Heng, this mature and beautiful woman stared in shock at the scene unfolding afar; she had never imagined that merely stopping by Red Gold Mountain to do business, she would witness something so astonishing.

Legendary rises often occur precisely in such unremarkable moments.

"No wonder Great Li Yi refused to form an alliance with me and establish a Divine Blood clan—he already knows two beautiful female Mountain Lords." Nü Heng then sighed helplessly; compared to those two, she was truly far inferior.

And just as everyone believed the battle would end here—

Suddenly—

In Red Mountain City, another divine light shot skyward, golden and radiant as the sun, illuminating the entire city the moment it appeared.

Countless people turned to look.

Immediately, a merchant lord cried out: "That's the aura of the Divine Wood Clan's Divine Blood Warrior—does a powerful figure from the Divine Wood Clan also intend to join this merchant-lord battle?"

"Likely hoping to profit from both sides' weakness—this is the Red Gold Mountain Range; if seized, it could bring immense wealth. Even the Divine Wood Clan's warriors are tempted."

"This Divine Wood Warrior, though a Mountain Lord, is surely only between the 10th and 20th Mountain Lord ranks—insufficient to stand against all of them, or he wouldn't have waited until now to show himself."

Though these merchant lords were weak in strength, their insight and experience were formidable.

The sudden newcomer from the Divine Wood Clan was a 15th Mountain Lord, a direct Divine Blood descendant named Mu Tuo. He had come to Red Cloud City today to conduct a transaction with the Red Gold Mountain Lord.

To exchange Divine Wood Leaves for Red Gold.

Such trade occurred annually—it was not unusual.

Moreover, this newly emerged Divine Blood descendant, Mu Tuo, was young, clad in golden armor, wielding a spear forged from Red Gold; his entire body was covered in golden patterns resembling golden leaves, radiating a sacred, radiant aura.

Mu Tuo's display of Mountain Lord aura instantly put Xuan Yue Zi, Xiang Xiang Zi, Jiang Mingtian, and Li Yi on high alert.

"Has the opportunist arrived?"

The thought flashed through every mind.

(End of Chapter)