Chapter 178: Frenzy

Strange beasts are generally much stronger than beings of the same realm, and most of them possess extremely low spiritual awareness.

The green-skinned strange beast before Lu Fang wasn't just far more intelligent than its kind—it could even speak, proving its uniqueness.

Before he could respond.

Pan, beside him, sensing the green-skinned beast's power, involuntarily cried out: "It's an unknown entity from the snowy mountains."

Xue Luo Sha had heard of the green-skinned beast's existence but didn't know its exact realm; now that she saw it with her own eyes, she could sense it was immensely powerful—possibly stronger than all three of them combined.

For a moment, she was caught off guard.

She had only heard rumors that strange beasts in the snowy mountains were extremely powerful and dangerous; she never dreamed she'd actually encounter one.

The green-skinned beast stepped forward irritably, glaring fixedly at Lu Fang as if pressuring him—or demanding an answer.

Lu Fang met its gaze calmly and said: "You say you want something from me. I'm willing to give it—but shouldn't you tell me what it is?"

He was filled with confusion. The green-skinned beast was a creature of the snowy mountains—why would it want something from him?

They had never met before, surely.

Lu Fang was confident: based on his memory and his grasp of the Dao's momentum, if he had ever encountered this green-skinned beast, he couldn't possibly have forgotten it entirely.

Yet the moment they met, it claimed it wanted something from him.

That made no sense.

As the saying goes: when something happens abnormally, there's always a trick behind it. Lu Fang needed to know what this trick was.

The green-skinned beast snorted coldly: "I don't know what it is—I just feel it's…"—its voice cut off abruptly; its body froze, and within a few breaths, its eyes turned blood-red.

As if it had entered a state of frenzy.

Without warning, it lunged at Lu Fang like a wild beast.

The instant Lu Fang sensed something was wrong, he summoned Qimen Flying Armor and activated the Extraordinary Power: Dirge of Fallen Petals.

Before the green-skinned beast could reach him, petals of peach blossom descended from the sky, locking it in place. *Clang! As the Book Spirit Yan Chixia appeared, a glowing little sword stabbed straight toward it.

Due to the Book Spirit's unique nature, it could grow stronger alongside Lu Fang's cultivation level.

Yan Chixia was now Fifth Rank, Third Stage—and even against the green-skinned beast, she held her own. Combined with Lu Fang's assaults, the beast, under normal circumstances, would have already shown signs of wanting to retreat.

But this version of it was not normal.

"Let me lend you a hand."

Xue Luo Sha drew a whip and moved forward to assist Lu Fang in attacking the green-skinned beast; she sensed its power and feared for his safety.

But this was clearly wrong.

Because Lu Fang shared a mental link with the Book Spirit Yan Chixia and wielded Extraordinary Powers, though he couldn't defeat the green-skinned beast outright, he was confident he could hold it off—if Xue Luo Sha suddenly joined the fight,

he wasn't sure he could guarantee her safety.

Realizing this, Lu Fang stepped back two paces, his eyes locked on the green-skinned beast in its frenzy, and said to Xue Luo Sha behind him: "It seems its specialty is stealth and ambush—it's not as strong as it appears."

"You don't need to be here. I'll hold it off. You two go outside and summon help."

Xue Luo Sha frowned: "I'll stay and help you. More hands mean more support. Besides, sending for help only needs one person. Pan, find a chance to leave and get help. I've seen how strong this green-skinned beast is."

Pan glanced at Xue Luo Sha, surprised by her decision. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, then after much thought, nodded.

"Thank you, Marquis Wen Guan, for holding it."

As soon as he spoke, Pan seized the right moment and vanished in a streak of light.

Clearly, the green-skinned beast in its frenzy was mentally confused—it acted purely on instinct, seeking to slaughter every living being nearby.

Just now, it had been enraged by Lu Fang's attacks and was solely focused on tearing him to pieces; it hadn't even noticed those who had left.

Under the green-skinned beast's full assault, Lu Fang truly felt its strength: its speed was astonishing, far exceeding any fourth-rank being he had ever encountered.

Even though he had been extremely cautious.

He had nearly been injured.

Without hesitation, he activated the Extraordinary Power: Conceal Heaven and Cover Earth, transforming into his strongest state—the Giant.

The green-skinned beast before him was the strongest opponent he had ever faced—he had no choice but to do this.

If he didn't use his Extraordinary Power, he and Xue Luo Sha might not survive until reinforcements arrived.

"This…"

Xue Luo Sha had ignored Lu Fang's advice. In the few brief exchanges she'd had with the green-skinned beast, she had nearly been killed—only Lu Fang's Heaven-and-Earth Momentum technique had allowed her to escape repeatedly.

She now understood: simply staying out of the fight was already helping Lu Fang greatly.

When she first saw Lu Fang transform into a Giant, she was stunned. Her first thought was: My heavens! A Sixth Rank, Third Stage Confucian scholar, fighting evenly against an exceptionally rare fourth-rank strange beast!

She had already thought him incredibly strong.

But seeing this, she realized she had still underestimated him.

Thanks to her internal energy cultivation, Lu Fang had developed exquisite control over momentum. He had tested before: even in his transformed state, he could still use Heaven-and-Earth Momentum without interfering with other Extraordinary Powers.

That was why a Sixth Rank, Third Stage Confucian scholar could stand toe-to-toe with a fourth-rank strange beast.

With Dirge of Fallen Petals restricting it, and Heaven-and-Earth Momentum further limiting it, the frenzied fourth-rank beast was severely crippled—unable to unleash even half its full power.

Lu Fang wasn't in a rush. He had no desire to clash head-on or prove superiority—he was purely focused on holding it off, waiting for reinforcements to arrive, ensuring a safer resolution.

After all, he held the advantages of timing, terrain, and circumstance—there was nothing left to do but wait.

The green-skinned beast's attacks were ferocious, but as it failed to land a single blow on Lu Fang, its blood-red eyes suddenly returned to normal.

The moment it regained its reason, it didn't hesitate—it turned and activated its stealth ability, sprinting desperately out of the cave.

Lu Fang wouldn't let it escape—he chased after it.

Thanks to the target-lock of Dirge of Fallen Petals, even though it was invisible, peach petals still trailed after it—saving Lu Fang considerable trouble.