Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Lorant was also startled by the sudden movement of the Luli Ice Flame Hound.

He couldn't control himself and stumbled onto the nearby sack of grain, colliding with it so forcefully that his nose stung and tears welled up in his eyes.

However, the situation didn't give him time to ease his pain. Covering his nose, Lorant lifted his head and discovered what had made the Luli Ice Flame Hound stop.

In the center of the road not far away, a black shadow was hovering quietly in mid-air.

It was a pure darkness, appearing as an oval shape, with surrounding light being swallowed and distorted by its presence. Around its body, the light was fragmented into thin, fragile ribbon-like strands.

Upon closer inspection, it looked like numerous slender black creatures floating in the air.

Lorant quickly covered his nose and rolled off the cart.

Swiftly and calmly, he untied the rope between the Luli Ice Flame Hound and the cart.

None of them combined could match a single Luli Ice Flame Hound, and Lorant was well aware of this.

When danger approached, his first priority was to free the powerful combatants.

The freed Little Yi did not rush into action. Its eyes were fixed on the unknown entity not far away, slowly moving to stand in front of Lorant.

After a brief moment of panic, Silem followed his brother's example and untied Little Eight. He and Luca then ran to the other Luli Ice Flame Hounds.

Each Luli Ice Flame Hound freed added another layer of defense against the unknown danger, which was all they could do at the moment.

Lorant had never seen this creature before, but he knew what kind of beast it was.

To breed pets, Lorant had read the Compendium of Exotic Beasts as bedtime stories. Although many descriptions in the book were inaccurate, it was comprehensive in terms of species.

The 'Shadow Demon,' a Level Seven exotic beast, was one of the inaccurately described creatures in the compendium.

For these beasts that couldn't be simulated in the breeding simulator, Lorant had only glanced over their descriptions without much attention.

So while he knew the vague abilities of the Shadow Demon, he lacked a clear understanding of how terrifying it truly was.

As for why this creature managed to break through the outpost's defenses and reach the rear, Lorant had no idea.

Remembering that it was a Level Seven beast was already a testament to his familiarity with the compendium.

To expect him to recite its abilities like an expert would be too much.

But none of that mattered now.

What mattered was surviving with his brother.

The shadow in the middle of the road did not move further. For some reason, it watched as the three of them freed all twelve Luli Ice Flame Hounds.

"This is a Shadow Demon!" Luca, who clearly recognized the creature, whispered to the brothers while quickly raising his shield to protect them.

As a knight stationed at the outpost, he knew much more about the beasts living in the Black Forest than Lorant did.

Lorant had only studied the beasts to understand their information for breeding simulations, paying little attention to those that couldn't be simulated.

Luca, however, needed to survive, and knowing more about the beasts increased their chances of escaping and surviving.

"This is a Level Seven beast, skilled in stealth and assassination. I can't believe it managed to come here unnoticed."

Lorant nodded, recalling some information. This beast was a formidable Level Seven creature, and its most troubling feature was its nature.

"Shadow Demons rarely appear alone," Lorant continued, scanning the surroundings. "There must be other beasts around!" he said confidently.

Meanwhile, two Luli Ice Flame Hounds positioned themselves to protect Lorant and Silem, while the others split into three teams, one approaching from the front and the other two flanking the Shadow Demon.

The Luli Ice Flame Hounds decided to deal with the immediate threat first. As for any other potential beasts lurking nearby, they could only remain vigilant until they sensed something.

Leading the charge, Little Eight and two companions rushed forward, while Little Yi provided cover from a distance with a continuous stream of flame balls.

"Brother, do you mean there might be other Shadow Demons?" Silem, following Lorant nervously, scanned the surroundings, unsure whether to look for another Shadow Demon or something else.

Lorant shook his head firmly. "No, Shadow Demons rarely appear in groups, but they often travel with other high-level beasts!"

This was why they were so difficult to handle.

A single Shadow Demon wouldn't concern Lorant much when he had twelve Luli Ice Flame Hounds. A pack of Luli Ice Flame Hounds was different from a single one; their combined strength was more than just twelve times that of one.

Their cooperation and intelligence were their greatest weapons.

Lorant wasn't worried about the Shadow Demon overwhelming the hounds; he was concerned about the unknown high-level beasts lurking nearby.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any signs of them.

"Could the other high-level beast still be in the Black Forest?" Silem guessed.

"No, Shadow Demons are the best spatial transporters. Other beasts always hide within them," Luca said quickly. "Its current oval shape means the beasts inside have been released."

"Then where are they?" Lorant frowned, deep in thought. Suddenly, he felt weightless.

He saw himself and the two people and two beasts beside him slowly floating upward as if gravity had vanished.

"!!!"

The first to notice was Little Seven, guarding them.

Xiao Qi floated in the air, twisting its body to stabilize itself. Then, with a flick of its tail, a massive firework ball, nearly fifty centimeters in diameter, shot straight toward the group's heads.

Lorant followed the trajectory of the firework ball and saw, above them, where he had initially mistaken it for clouds, a flock of oddly shaped winged beasts.

These beasts looked like ordinary birds but had slender necks and sharp beaks. At first glance, they resembled enlarged pointed bottles floating in the sky.

White mist enveloped these ten or so beasts.

"Sharpbeaks!" Luca's face turned grim. "Those disgusting creatures!"

Even without him saying it, Lorant was well aware of these beasts.

Sharpbeaks were level-seven beasts that lived in family groups, roaming around riding on something called 'pseudo-clouds.'

This substance was formed from the 'cloud glands' in their bodies after death, symbolizing their family.

It was also their primary tool for disguise.

Such a group of beasts was one of the most troublesome types among all level-seven beasts.

The main reason was their sheer number; they always appeared in groups of over a dozen. Ordinary level-seven professionals would rather avoid these annoying creatures, which had little practical value.

These beasts also possessed a unique magic that required a group effort.

It was the current 'chaos field,' which negated gravity over an entire area, causing everyone to float up.

Xiao Qi's firework ball hit one of the Sharpbeaks accurately, but as level-seven beasts, their individual capabilities, though not outstanding compared to other level-seven beasts, were still formidable.

They couldn't be easily defeated by a single firework ball.

The Sharpbeak, in pain, let out a shrill scream and immediately broke away from the group, turning its sharp beak towards the group like a falling spear, diving straight down.

As soon as Xiao Qi took flight, it adjusted its center of gravity and quickly grabbed Lorant with its claws, shielding him under its belly.

When the Sharpbeak attacked, Xiao Qi instinctively wanted to dodge.

With its reaction speed, even in this difficult floating state, dodging wasn't a problem.

However, while it could dodge, Lorant could not.

In a split second, Xiao Qi unleashed a series of firework balls at the Sharpbeak, while flames erupted from its back.

Ice-blue flames ignited on the Ice Flame Hound's back, growing to over two meters high in an instant.

The intense heat caused the surrounding air to tremble slightly.

To achieve maximum falling speed, the Sharpbeak had folded its wings completely.

This made it slightly slower when trying to change direction.

The scorching air and spreading flames caused the Sharpbeak's aim to waver slightly.

Its sharp beak, originally aimed at the Ice Flame Hound's neck, now headed straight for Xiao Qi's head.

A flash of red light in the Sharpbeak's eyes revealed its satisfaction at this slight deviation, allowing it to kill this irritating creature!

Just as the Sharpbeak was secretly pleased, the ice flames around Xiao Qi suddenly condensed into a burning stick, striking the Sharpbeak forcefully.

Caught off guard, the Sharpbeak let out a mournful cry as the ice flame struck it. In that moment, Xiao Qi twisted its body, opened its mouth wide, and bit down hard on the Sharpbeak's slender neck!