60: The Metamorphosis of the Starbird
Just as the two beasts rushed over, Xie Ning's battle had already begun.
The Supersonic Mantis faced off against the Hypnosis Doll. Right from the start, it was a web of Blade Glows; one after another, the Blade Glows interlaced into a fine net and lunged straight at the Hypnosis Doll.
The Hypnosis Doll was a full 11 levels higher than the Supersonic Mantis, and its speed was no slower. Moving with agility, it easily evaded the Supersonic Mantis's attacks, then raised its hand toward the mantis to activate Hypnosis.
Unexpectedly, the Hypnosis that had never failed before faltered at this moment. The Supersonic Mantis only paused for a few seconds before quickly breaking free. Amidst the Hypnosis Doll's astonishment, it charged forward again to clash with it. Neither was slow, and with the Hypnosis Doll's hypnosis ineffective and the Supersonic Mantis covered in wounds, they were locked in a stalemate for a time.
"How is this possible..." Lame Uncle Wang looked at the battle in the air in disbelief. This scene was far beyond his expectations.
Silver Rank 6, a full major Realm higher, yet they were fighting evenly. Just what kind of monster was this?
"Hmph! Nothing is impossible. Prepare to die!"
As he spoke, Xie Ning accelerated, leaving a trail of afterimages. With his fists wrapped in flames, he dodged the Charm Fox's impact, leapt up, and smashed a heavy punch toward Lame Uncle Wang.
Boom!
"You think you're the only one whose Physical Body can fight?"
The scene of Lame Uncle Wang being killed by Xie Ning did not happen. He raised his hand to parry, blocking Xie Ning's attack, and sent another punch toward Xie Ning's abdomen.
Seeing that his strike was ineffective and Lame Uncle Wang was counterattacking, Xie Ning cast another Beast Taming Skill on himself, forming a layer of crimson armor.
It was precisely Elemental Armor Transformation. Who would have thought that a Beast Taming Skill intended for beasts would be used on a human?
Lame Uncle Wang's fist struck the elemental armor on the abdomen. His skin was scorched black and flames invaded his body, forcing him to quickly retreat.
Xie Ning also showed his ruthlessness at this moment. His pair of fire fists smashed out haphazardly, like the legendary wild flailing punches, yet they were remarkably effective. He pressed on step by step, leaving Lame Uncle Wang with no room to dodge and forcing him into a direct confrontation.
For a while, the two fought to a standstill. Xie Ning's eyes turned red with battle lust; though he took many blows, Lame Uncle Wang was also frequently hit.
Their beasts wanted to help, but both were firmly pinned down by their opponents.
The air was the Supersonic Mantis's battlefield, but on the ground, even more brilliant flares of fire exploded continuously, with one roar following another.
The Poison Flame White Wolf, by its own strength, held back the Iron-backed Dire Wolf and the Charm Fox.
Within a circular fire curtain thirty meters in diameter, the Poison Flame White Wolf tore at the Direwolf and the Charm Fox.
The Poison Flame White Wolf's flames scorched the Iron-backed Dire Wolf's body black, but the latter's physical strength far surpassed the wolf's. It bit the Poison Flame White Wolf until it was covered in blood. However, the Poison Flame White Wolf was cunning; seeing that close combat wasn't working, it simply chased the Charm Fox while breathing fire, driving it away while the Iron-backed Dire Wolf chased after it.
There were two other battlefields outside the fire curtain.
The Flowing Fire Ice Lion was facing the Tyrannosaurus Crocodile, the Ice Ghost, and the Mountain Wind Boar.
Under Lu Bingyun's command, as soon as the battle started, it dodged the Mountain Wind Boar, endured a claw strike from the Tyrannosaurus Crocodile, and rushed toward the Ice Ghost. Cold energy erupted from its body, condensing into dozens of ice spikes that stabbed straight at the Ice Ghost.
The Ice Ghost grinned evilly, advancing instead of retreating. Its body became translucent as it tried to pass through the ice spikes to charge forward.
Unexpectedly, just as it entered the ice spikes, the Flowing Fire Ice Lion let out a roar. The ice spikes turned into flowing fire and instantly ignited, incinerating the Ice Ghost amidst its shrill screams.
Taking advantage of the Ice Ghost's carelessness to kill it instantly, the Flowing Fire Ice Lion then faced a tough battle. The strength-type Tyrannosaurus Crocodile and the defense-type Mountain Wind Boar coordinated so well that even at the Transcendent Level, it found itself in a perilous situation.
On the other side, the Thunderclap Rabbit facing the Thunder Dragonfly was the most frustrated. Its long-range lightning had little effect on the Thunder Dragonfly, and it couldn't fly for close combat. It could only wait for the Thunder Dragonfly to fly down itself. But after being hit once just now, the dragonfly no longer dared to descend recklessly, only releasing lightning from afar in the sky, making the Thunderclap Rabbit stomp its feet in rage.
Even though it was two levels higher than its opponent, it could only stare helplessly because it couldn't fly.
With a helpless look, Xiao Ya could only stand beside Lan Yu, calling her name repeatedly.
Finally, after another call, Xiao Ya's eyes regained their luster.
"Xiao Ya? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lan Yu first gave Xiao Ya a puzzled look, then heard the sounds of battle. Turning her head, she saw Xie Ning fighting with several beasts and was startled. "What's going on?"
"It's a long story. You were just hypnotized by the enemy and took the..."
Before Xiao Ya could finish, Lu Bingyun interrupted her. "An enemy ambushed us just now. After you were hypnotized, the Heavenly Star Bird's wing was slashed while trying to save you. Xie Ning just helped treat it."
After speaking, Lu Bingyun gave Xiao Ya a look. Xiao Ya opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, just pouting.
"What!" Lan Yu trembled all over and quickly looked at the Heavenly Star Bird guarding beside her, whose wing was mostly recovered. She also saw the half-severed wing on the ground. She crouched down and hugged the Heavenly Star Bird. "Thank you for saving me. The wound must hurt a lot..."
The Heavenly Star Bird shook its head, pointed at the battle, and chirped.
"But your injury isn't healed yet."
"Chirp chirp!"
"Alright, I understand. Go then... be careful."
As she finished, the Heavenly Star Bird's gaze became determined. It spread its wings of uneven length, flapped them hard, and flew into the air.
To everyone's surprise, as the Heavenly Star Bird took flight, a surge of energy emerged from its body. Its Aura surged, and it broke through to Bronze Rank 4. Its wingspan grew from three meters to five meters, and its body length also increased significantly.
"This is..."
"A level up! No, not just a level up, it also activated its potential."
The three girls looking up at the Heavenly Star Bird were both surprised and delighted.
The upgraded Heavenly Star Bird's nearly repaired wings were now completely healed. It soared upward with a burst of speed, heading straight for the Thunder Dragonfly.
"Chirp chirp!"
Below, the frustrated Thunderclap Rabbit heard the Heavenly Star Bird's words and nodded. It turned toward the Flowing Fire Ice Lion, lightning surging as it jumped high and smashed a punch onto the head of the Tyrannosaurus Crocodile, which couldn't dodge in time. Sitting on its back, it rained down a flurry of punches.
The situation underwent a subtle change.
Bang! Bang! Bang... The battle between the Supersonic Mantis and the Hypnosis Doll reached a fever pitch. Ignoring the bleeding wounds on its body, the Supersonic Mantis swung its right arm, and several Blade Glows hit the Hypnosis Doll, causing its spiritual form to waver.
The Supersonic Mantis could sense changes in its surroundings through air currents, so the Hypnosis Doll's invisibility techniques were useless against it. However, the Hypnosis Doll's energy-based body also significantly reduced the impact of every hit from the Supersonic Mantis.
The Hypnosis Doll, hit once more, showed an angry expression. From the appearance of a small doll, it rapidly transformed into the image of a 1.8-meter-tall, completely naked, bald woman. It glared at the Supersonic Mantis with a face full of fury.
This was the Hypnosis Doll's strongest state, where its strength, speed, and other attributes were enhanced. However, in this state, it changed from a phantom to a physical entity, becoming capable of being injured, and it could no longer use its hypnosis ability.
This was the image of Lame Uncle Wang's primary beast that was exposed to the world. It was also because this form served as a disguise that most people didn't know his beast was actually a hypnosis-type.
Other beasts might be troubled to see an enemy grow stronger, but for the Supersonic Mantis, it was quite the opposite.
Even Xie Ning, who was locked in a fierce fight with Lame Uncle Wang, caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye, and his expression turned solemn.
"Next, you shall die."