Chapter 964: 964. Chapter 962: The Scene Is Exceptionally Brutal

964. Chapter 962: The Scene Is Exceptionally Brutal

He is merely an ordinary existence; how could he possibly defeat a sixth‑level demon beast?

"It's over!" Lu Yuan despaired, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Chirp!"

Just then, the flying eagle swooped back, emitting a shrill, piercing cry that made one's hair stand on end.

Its wings flapped, whipping up violent gusts that swept toward the black flood dragon.

"Get out of my way!" the black flood dragon suddenly raised its head, its copper‑bell‑like vertical pupils shooting icy light, and it spat a stream of emerald‑green poison.

These liquids were corrosive; wherever they passed, the ground instantly turned black, with wisps of black smoke rising.

Rumble…

The black flood dragon flicked its tail, producing a howling, air‑splitting sound as it swept aside, directly scattering the emerald‑green poison with terrifying force.

Whoosh——

Seeing this, the flying eagle flapped its wings to dodge, circled around the black flood dragon, and lunged at Lu Yuan.

"Roar!" the black flood dragon flew into a rage, letting out a low growl as it opened its blood‑filled maw and unleashed a massive, mighty true‑essence attack.

"No… don't eat me…" Lu Yuan's face fell, his legs went weak, he almost knelt on the ground, and he cried out in terror.

He was merely an ordinary being; how could he withstand the deadly attack of a sixth‑level demon beast?

"Chirp!"

The flying eagle beat its wings, bringing forth a burst of force, easily evaded the attack, swooped down, and prepared to snap Lu Yuan's neck.

"I haven't lived enough—I don't want to die!" Lu Yuan was terrified to the extreme, feeling death closing in.

Pfft!

However, just as Lu Yuan thought death was certain, a dagger suddenly appeared in the flying eagle's abdomen, piercing its dantian and drawing a thread of blood.

"How… how could you…?" the flying eagle's eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

When was this dagger plunged into its belly?

Lu Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long, turbid breath.

Had it not been for the critical moment when Lu Yuan produced the treasure map to save his life, he would already be a corpse.

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at the treasure map; his face changed and his gaze went blank.

The once plain treasure map now radiated a splendid blue light, with threads of blue radiance flowing through it, extraordinarily mysterious.

At the same time, powerful auras surged from the forest at the mountain's base, sweeping over him and making Lu Yuan's body go rigid, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, chilling him to the bone.

"Hiss…" the black flood dragon sensed something amiss, quickly restrained its aura, retreated to a corner, and warily surveyed its surroundings.

"Roar!" Suddenly, a thunder‑like howl rang out, its sound waves rippling outward like waves, shocking and tumultuous.

"How… how familiar this voice sounds?" Upon hearing it, Lu Yuan's expression hardened, his heartbeat stopped, and his gaze turned toward the mountain's base.

"Is… this the roar of the black tiger?" Lu Yuan's eyes widened, his expression stiff, his face full of astonishment.

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!" At the mountain's base, the howls surged like a tide, deafeningly loud, bright and brimming with savage ferocity.

"What… what on earth is going on?" Lu Yuan was utterly dumbfounded, his mind filled with confusion, unable to comprehend what had happened.

The howls continued; at the mountain's base, the black tiger lifted its massive head and roared angrily.

Upon its back, a huge pattern suddenly appeared.

The pattern resembled cracks and runes, containing a profound, inscrutable aura, as if it communicated with another realm, astonishing to behold. When this huge pattern emerged, a vast, ancient aura surged forth, making Lu Yuan's body tremble, his soul throb, and a feeling of submission rise within him.

This feeling was intensely strong; even in his family's ancestral hall he had never experienced anything so sacred, filling him with reverence.

"Roar! Roar roar roar…"

The howls grew fiercer; the black tiger's body burst with brilliant light, scales appearing piece by piece, covering its whole form and ultimately transforming into a five‑zhang‑high iron‑tower giant, like a moving fortress.

"Roar!" the iron‑tower giant raised its head and roared, making the mountains tremble, a dense muffled sound ringing out, deafening.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" the black flood dragon, frightened, involuntarily stepped back several paces.

"Roar roar roar…"

The iron‑tower giant strode through the air; with each step the earth shuddered violently, the void humming like a muffled thunderclap.

In the blink of an eye, the iron‑tower giant closed in on the black flood dragon, swung its fan‑sized palm, and slammed it with violent force onto the dragon's head.

"Boom!" with a tremendous crash, the black flood dragon was flung backward, its massive body slamming heavily into the cliff wall, leaving a huge dent.

"Roar roar roar…"

The iron‑tower giant glared, roared madly, stepped forward with its huge feet, and relentlessly pounded the black flood dragon with its fists.

"Bang!"

"Crack!"

The black flood dragon was powerful and agile; at the critical moment it dodged the vital strike, but its shoulder gave way and collapsed.

The iron‑tower giant's strength was terrifying—it weighed ten‑thousand‑jin, and even its thick hide could hardly bear it.

"Ahwoo~" the black flood dragon let out a mournful howl, its body swaying as it struggled to rise.

Its whole body was drenched in blood, looking utterly miserable, its eyes filled with panic—clearly it had suffered grave injuries.

The iron‑tower giant hesitated not, leapt up, and brought its right foot down hard.

"Thud!" with a dull boom, the iron‑tower giant's foot came down, crushing half of the black flood dragon's body, flesh and blood flying everywhere—an extraordinarily brutal scene.

"Ahhmm~" the black flood dragon, unable to bear the pain, let out a horrific wail.

"Although this python has been severely wounded, its combat power remains formidable; we should not linger." Lu Yuan frowned slightly and immediately decided to leave.

"Whoosh!" Lu Yuan moved with lightning speed, vanishing into the forest; shortly afterward he appeared in a quiet grove, where he hid behind a large tree.

He took a healing pill from his storage ring, swallowed it, circulated his cultivation method, and refined the medicinal power to heal his wounds.

After several minutes, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes; his face was pallid, devoid of color.

Just now that scene was too dangerous; a little carelessness would have endangered my life; fortunately I took the wound-healing pill in time, otherwise I would surely have lost my life.

"I never expected that the information hidden on this treasure map would actually be the name of a demon beast..." Lu Yuan muttered, his expression growing more doubtful.

The treasure map records the name of a demon beast; could it be……

Suddenly, Lu Yuan's pupils contracted to pinpoints, his face filled with shock.

"Could this really be the Wasteland Ruins?" Lu Yuan breathed rapidly, his heart pounding wildly, his face full of excitement.

If my guess is correct, this place is definitely the Wasteland Ruins.

Back then, the Azure Cloud Kingdom was a vassal state of the Wasteland, not far away; therefore, the royal ancestors once built Huangcheng here to honor the departed spirits.

It's a pity that later generations gradually forgot this matter; even now, no one knows that the emperors, kings, dukes, and generals of the Azure Cloud Kingdom across generations are buried here. (End of chapter)