Chapter 265: Backfiring

The howl echoed through the vast mountains, sounding like a tiger's roar in the forest, yet also like a lone wolf singing to the moon—no one could tell what it was. Determining its direction was nearly impossible; it seemed to come from beyond countless ridges, then suddenly felt right before one's eyes, sending shivers down the spine.

Such a spiritual beast—anyone could tell at a glance it was beyond his reach to challenge. Yet to flee, he didn't know where to run. Liu Liu Xiaolou gathered his courage, climbed the giant Struck Banyan tree before him, and hid among the canopy, scanning all around.

Under the moonlight, dense black shadows suddenly surged from the east, slicing through the night sky. When he focused, he saw countless startled birds rapidly flying toward him.

Looking back at where the birds had taken flight, patches of tall and short trees across the distant mountains began to sway. More flying creatures swept over his head, fleeing wildly toward the west.

At last, Liu Liu Xiaolou was certain: the howl echoing through the mountains came from those swaying woods. And the rippling canopy above them seemed to move like a living thing, swiftly rolling toward his position.

No more hesitation. Liu Liu Xiaolou pushed off from the canopy, dropped down, and fled wildly in the direction of the startled birds.

Trees and shrubs flashed past him; mounds and gullies slipped beneath his feet as he sprinted through the forest at full speed.

After a moment, he sensed something odd beside him. He turned his head—and saw a sleek figure that had silently caught up, running shoulder to shoulder with him. The shadow was a spotted leopard, also turning to look at him, its eyes glowing with a deep blue light.

Caught off guard, Liu Liu Xiaolou recoiled. The leopard was enormous—half again as large as any he'd seen in Mount Mount Wuling. Its long tail curled and lashed, crackling with sparks of lightning. Clearly, it was a spiritual leopard.

Even a Qi Refining late-stage cultivator in Mount Mount Wuling had no guarantee against a spiritual leopard. This one was visibly bulkier, more agile, and with that tail crackling with lightning—it sent a chill down his spine.

Liu Liu Xiaolou broke into a cold sweat, hesitated for a step—and the massive spiritual leopard leapt past him, vanishing into the dense forest ahead.

He'd just begun to exhale when the howls and growls behind him grew louder. His breath snapped back in. He channeled true qi and sprinted again with all his strength.

But the trees and vines ahead grew denser, slashing across his body, tearing his black robes into tattered strips. In moments, he was in rags. The torn clothes didn't matter—but they severely slowed his escape.

After fleeing for who knew how long, a dappled tiger appeared to his left. It didn't even glance at him, leaping past to flee ahead.

Then a herd of wild boars surged past him, frantic and wild…

Then several large snakes coiled around tree trunks, whipping themselves forward in elastic leaps…

Then a group of strange mountain deer bounded over his head, hopping and skipping…

Liu Liu Xiaolou panicked. Everyone was fleeing for their lives—it was a race for survival. The slower you ran, the more you became a shield for others. And the consequences of being that shield… were unthinkable.

He rummaged through his space bag and pulled out the Three Mystery Sword. A three-foot blade of light shot from its tip, splitting into three branches, which he whirled into a swirling flower of light. With this blade-flower clearing the way, thorns, vines, and thickets ahead were shredded instantly, no longer blocking his path—his speed surged back.

The howls behind him never ceased. At their closest, they felt as if right behind his back. Still, strange spiritual beasts kept overtaking him—even ordinary animals sometimes left him behind, winning the race for life.

When danger came closest, he even felt vibrations beneath his feet—as if a blood-dripping maw were mere steps behind, ready to swallow him whole in an instant.

He fled in such desperation until dawn. He didn't know how far he'd run, but the howls finally faded. His true qi was nearly exhausted. He slowed to a walk and retracted the Three Mystery Sword's blade.

Spotting a cliff nearby, he leapt up to its peak and turned to look back. The forest behind was utterly still. Even now, he had no idea what creature had been chasing him—the one he'd never seen.

That heart-stopping night left him utterly drained. He chose a large tree, climbed into its thick canopy, and sat cross-legged to meditate.

He meditated for over an hour before his true qi recovered to sixty percent.

He'd planned to meditate two more hours—but suddenly, a prickling dread crawled up his spine. Something was watching him.

He opened his eyes. The massive spiritual leopard from last night—its tail crackling with lightning—had appeared on a branch opposite him. It crouched low, creeping forward with caution, only a few feet away!

You damned beast! Just escaped one danger, and now you're targeting me? Are you going to make me your prey?

A surge of rage rose in Liu Liu Xiaolou's chest. He drew the Three Mystery Sword from his space bag. The blade's light surged with the wind, its three branches curling like supple tentacles, dancing before the leopard.

The leopard shrank back two steps, then leapt sideways onto another tree, attempting to attack from another angle. Liu Liu Xiaolou half-turned, keeping the Three Mystery Sword pointed at it.

For a moment, both froze—then they struck at once. The leopard lunged forward, its fangs elongating three inches, snapping down. Simultaneously, its tail swept sideways, crashing into the Three Mystery Sword.

The sword's light tangled first with the leopard's tail. A crackling hiss erupted—and Liu Liu Xiaolou felt his entire body go numb. The sword nearly slipped from his grip.

Damn beast! It's really electric! This sword won't work anymore.

He hastily retreated backward, retracting the Three Mystery Sword, and flung out his array disc, activating the Abyssal Blackstone Array, hoping to stall it.

Once activated, the array's effect was… unexpectedly…

Terrible.

The spiritual leopard acted as if it hadn't seen the array at all—it simply charged straight through. The Abyssal Blackstone Array was a mirage array, and its effectiveness depended entirely on the target's subjective perception. But spiritual beasts had weak subjective awareness, extremely limited imagination—almost blank slates. Naturally, they were immune to illusions.

The leopard charged forward, its two front paws lunging for Liu Liu Xiaolou's head, claws extended—each over two inches long, shimmering with starlight, clearly deadly.

In desperation, Liu Liu Xiaolou threw out the glass shield he'd taken from Lu Mr.. A waterfall of glassy light cascaded down its surface, finally blocking the leopard's razor-sharp claws.

No wonder this was a top-grade artifact used by Foundation Establishment cultivators—it was truly excellent.

Seizing the moment, Liu Liu Xiaolou extended a strand of Mysterious Incense, poured true qi into it, and began burning. The incense dispersed in the hissing sound of the leopard's claws scraping the glass shield, drawn into the leopard's nostrils.

Liu Liu Xiaolou silently counted: "One, two, three…"

At ten, the leopard showed no sign of fainting. Its eyes grew even deeper blue, fixed on Liu Liu Xiaolou as it panted heavily.

Liu Liu Xiaolou felt dread surge.

The leopard suddenly stood upright. Its genitalia surged forward like a red-hot iron rod, thrusting violently toward Liu Liu Xiaolou.

The glass shield blocked the thrust—but not the force behind it. Liu Liu Xiaolou felt as if struck by a tidal wave, powerless against the overwhelming force. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

Damn it! I've made things worse!

Liu Liu Xiaolou revised his assessment of this leopard: it was a ferocious beast capable of challenging a Foundation Establishment cultivator—he was no match for it at all!

Using the momentum of his flight, Liu Liu Xiaolou turned and fled!

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