Chapter 530: A Single Claw Strikes!

A teeming Monkey Horde.

Those yellow creatures with banana‑shaped tufts on their heads were surging forward from the other end of the street in a massive wave.

The small ones were only half a human's height, hopping about on the ground; the large ones stood two or three meters tall, marching with heavy steps that made the ground tremble slightly with each footfall.

San Yue Qi's pupils dilated slightly.

(So many… more than what I saw in Rewind…)

Sha Jin squinted at the Monkeys, his brows furrowing slightly.

These creatures… look somewhat familiar.

He seemed to have seen something similar in some company document.

He couldn't recall.

Sha Jin shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it for now.

His gaze passed over the Monkeys and settled on the center of the formation—

There stood four towering Giant Monkeys, each three to four meters tall, muscles bulging, marching in orderly steps.

Each bore a massive sedan chair on its shoulders.

The sedan chair was absurdly luxurious, with golden drapes hanging down, embroidered with intricate patterns, and jingling bells hanging at its four corners.

The whole chair was decorated like the imperial carriage of ancient emperors, standing out strikingly in the dim mirror world.

Seated atop the chair was a person.

She had long violet hair, gentle features, both hands neatly placed on her knees, and a perfectly straight back.

Ying.

San Yue Qi's eyes widened instantly.

(Ying?!)

She almost shouted, but Sha Jin stopped her with a hand.

"Umm—!"

Sha Jin raised a finger to his lips, lowering his voice: "Don't make a sound."

San Yue Qi nodded frantically, her eyes still glued to the sedan chair.

Ying sat there, looking a bit nervous—though she tried to maintain a dignified posture, the slightly pursed lips and occasional glances around betrayed her.

The Monkey Horde passed them in a massive surge, heading toward the other end of the street.

The sedan chair receded in view, eventually disappearing at the street's end.

Footsteps faded away.

The surroundings returned to a death‑like silence.

Sha Jin lowered his hand, and San Yue Qi stepped back a few paces, gasping heavily.

"Is that someone you know?" Sha Jin asked.

San Yue Qi nodded vigorously: "She's Lin's sister! Ying! How did she end up here! How did those Monkeys—"

She couldn't continue, her mind a tangled mess.

Sha Jin watched the direction where the Monkey Horde vanished, looking thoughtful.

"Do you want to go back and take a look?"

San Yue Qi was startled for a moment, then nodded forcefully.

Sha Jin smiled and slipped the weight into his pocket.

"Alright, I'm curious too."

He strode out of the doorway, heading that way.

After a few steps, he glanced back at San Yue Qi, who was still frozen in place:

"Not going?"

San Yue Qi hurried to follow.

Perspective shift.

Jing Yuan stood still, looking at the green‑haired girl before him.

The wind rustled through the treetops, producing a soft rustle.

"Huo Huo, right?"

His tone was Calm, as if making small talk.

Huo Huo said nothing.

She simply stared at him quietly.

That gaze was too Calm, so Calm it made the hair stand up on one's skin.

Jing Yuan's mind flashed with information about the girl—Apprentice Judge of the Ten Kings Office, a Fox People girl possessed by Suiyang.

The data said she was timid and averse to trouble, wishing to hide under a table when faced with evil spirits.

But this one…

Jing Yuan looked at the expressionless girl before him, with a Giant Fox standing behind her, and fell into contemplation.

(The data outdated? Or she's controlled by Suiyang?)

He recalled the records on Suiyang—those energy beings that like to parasitize hosts, manipulate the host's body, and siphon emotional energy.

If the Huo Huo before him were completely controlled by Suiyang…

Jing Yuan was about to speak to test—

Huo Huo moved.

She raised her hand.

Just such a simple move.

The huge Lapis Flame fox behind her suddenly lowered its head, and those hollow eyes instantly locked onto Jing Yuan!

Then—

A claw slaps down!

The claw was half a basketball court in size, bearing a whistling wind and scorching Lapis Flame, and came down like a mountain crushing from above!

Jing Yuan's pupils narrowed slightly.

He didn't hard block it.

He pushed off his feet, and his whole body shot backward like a golden flash for ten meters!

Boom—!!!

The giant claw struck the ground, and the earth trembled violently!

Shattered stone and soil splattered everywhere, leaving a massive claw imprint over five meters in diameter, its edges burning with Lapis Flame!

Jing Yuan landed on a treetop, his single foot perched on a slender branch tip, his body gently swaying with the branch.

He looked at the still smoking claw imprint, and his mouth twitched.

(That girl... really acts the moment she says she'll act.)

He lifted his head and looked at the Giant Fox.

That thing stared at him, Lapis Flame burning on its body, its massive Tail swaying slowly, each swing stirring a wave of scorching air.

Huo Huo behind it still stood with arms crossed, expressionless, watching him, as if that claw was just a greeting.

"Since that's the case..."

Jing Yuan sighed, twisted his wrist, and the Golden Spear spun half a circle in his palm, "Then we can only strike first before anything else."

He pressed a point under his foot, and his whole body surged like a golden streak straight at the Giant Fox!

The Giant Fox raised its claw again!

This time Jing Yuan didn't dodge.

He spun rapidly in midair, the Golden Spear like a swimming dragon, its tip precisely striking the center of the descending giant claw!

Clang—!!!

The massive metallic clash exploded across the Forest Park sky!

The shockwave spread outward, the surrounding trees were snapped at the waist, branches and leaves flung about!

Jing Yuan was knocked back three meters by the tremendous force, but that giant claw was also lifted upward by his spear!

(Has substance? No…)

Jing Yuan squinted.

The feel of that spear just now was very strange.

It could hit, but the sensation was like attacking a solidified flame.

The Giant Fox gave him no time to think.

Another claw had already slammed down!

After landing, Jing Yuan bounced up again, the Golden Spear sweeping horizontally, colliding hard with that claw!

Clang—!

Another fierce collision!

This time Jing Yuan wasn't knocked back.

He used the momentum in midair to turn, the spear tip drawing a golden arc, thrusting straight at the Giant Fox's neck!

The Giant Fox's massive head tilted slightly, allowing that spear to pierce its own body—

"Sss!"

The spear tip plunged into the Lapis Flame, piercing its "body".

No blood.

No wound.

Only those Lapis Flames rippled slightly, as if digesting this strike.

Jing Yuan's brows furrowed.

(This thing... can absorb attacks?)

Just then—

The flame on the Giant Fox's body surged violently!

Within those Lapis Flames, strands of violet‑black light suddenly appeared!

The lights seemed alive, wandering within the flames, entwining with the Lapis Flame!

Jing Yuan's pupils narrowed slightly.

He saw clearly.

Those violet‑black lights—identical to the Flame on the Berserker that the Giant Fox had swallowed!

(Is it digesting that thing's power?)

The Giant Fox lifted its head and let out a thunderous long howl!

The sound rolled like thunder across the sky, shaking the entire Forest Park!

A flock of birds in the distance startled into flight, swirling chaotically in the sky!

Lapis Flame and violet‑black Flame intertwined, burning even more fiercely on the Giant Fox's body.

Its size seemed to swell another layer, and within those hollow eyes, faint violet‑black lights flickered.

It lowered its head, locking onto Jing Yuan again.

This time, it opened its mouth—

A pillar of fire, intertwined with cyan-gold and purple-black, burst forth!

That fire pillar was as thick as three meters, and everything in its path turned to ash!

The ground was plowed into a deep trench, and the soil gave off a pungent smoke!

Jing Yuan dodged to the side, and the fire pillar brushed past his body, exploding in the forest behind him!

"Boom——!!!"