"Boom!"
Hearing the deafening explosion, Xiao Tianyang's instincts kicked in. His hairs stood on end as he instinctively dodged to the left.
Sure enough, a scorching black fireball whooshed past his clothes, barely missing him. That was close!
"No way! It's classified as a strength-type beast, yet it can still breathe fireballs?!"
Xiao Tianyang's lips twitched slightly. "Now I'm even more certain—this guy is out for revenge!"
As he ran, the distance between him and his pursuer rapidly shrank. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Another explosion thundered behind him, but strangely, he felt no heat. Confused, the young man unintentionally glanced up and gasped, "It's in the sky!"
To be fair, even without the young man's exclamation, Xiao Tianyang had already realized it.
After all, as long as he wasn't blind, he could clearly see the massive black shadow looming above him.
"Forget it! If it's fate, I can't avoid it anyway!" Gritting his teeth, Xiao Tianyang exerted all his strength and hurled the young man away.
"No!" The youth screamed in protest.
Ignoring him, Xiao Tianyang swiftly turned his back, retracting his Xuanjing Phoenix Wings. Without hesitation, he pulled out three talismans and hurled them at his attacker.
The moment the young man landed, the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Beast's massive foot came crashing down on Xiao Tianyang!
But that wasn't the end.
As if venting its fury—or perhaps sensing that Xiao Tianyang was still alive—the beast let out a deafening roar, pounded its chest, and channeled searing black flames into the soles of its feet, unleashing a devastating impact like a cannon blast.
Waves of destruction spread outward, reducing trees and the surrounding terrain to rubble.
"Rumble!"
The young man quickly activated his first soul skill to shield himself from the oncoming shockwave and dust.
"Xiao Tianyang..." He called out in a low voice, concern evident in his tone, "Get out of there!"
A thunderous roar shattered his thoughts.
Suddenly, the mountains trembled violently. A catastrophe even more terrifying than before unfolded—it was as if an earthquake had struck!
To clarify, due to geological stability, earthquakes had never occurred on the Douluo Continent. This was, in fact, the young man's first encounter with such a phenomenon.
Of course, in a way, this wasn't a natural disaster. It was man-made.
And the mastermind? Xiao Tianyang!
"Skreech!"
A hint of panic flashed across the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Beast's face.
After all, earthquakes were a manifestation of nature's wrath. As a creature born of nature, its reaction was understandable.
Of course, if it had known the earthquake was Xiao Tianyang's doing, its response might have been different.
At least, for now, it remained unaware.
Seizing the brief moment of loosened restraint, Xiao Tianyang frantically rolled and crawled his way out of the crater where he had been pinned.
"Hey! What are you standing around for?!" Seeing the stunned young man, Xiao Tianyang grabbed his hand and took off running without hesitation.
"Hurry up and run!"
He swiftly pulled out another talisman, one with a blue background and red inscriptions. The moment he uttered the activation phrase, it disintegrated into ash and enveloped him.
In an instant, his speed, which had started to wane, surged once more. A strange sensation of blending into the environment washed over him.
"Roar!"
The Sky-Swallowing Demonic Beast, realizing it had been deceived, grew even more furious. It doubled its speed, spewing fireballs recklessly in Xiao Tianyang's direction.
"This can't go on!" Xiao Tianyang glanced at the young man. "We need to split up! That thing is after me—it has nothing to do with you!"
Before the young man could respond, Xiao Tianyang tossed him aside and bolted away.
Part of this decision was to keep the storyline intact.
But another part was practical—carrying the young man was slowing him down.
And he was right. The beast's target was him alone. Dragging the youth along was pointless.
As expected, the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Beast didn't spare the young man a second glance and continued its relentless pursuit of Xiao Tianyang.
Wings of light unfurled behind the young man, slowing his descent and helping him regain balance. But just as he prepared to retreat, realization struck him.
"There's no point in chasing after him now. If I head back for reinforcements, there might still be hope..."
However, after a brief hesitation, he turned back again. "Xiao Tianyang, you better survive! Otherwise, I swear I'll hunt you down myself!"
Meanwhile, Xiao Tianyang remained oblivious to the young man's words.
Not that it mattered.
After all, as the saying goes, distant water can't put out a nearby fire.
The Sky-Swallowing Demonic Beast was like a rampaging storm, chasing him down relentlessly. What else could he do but keep running?
"I only have one Speed Talisman left, and it's only effective under specific conditions..."
Glancing at the fading ashes on his body, Xiao Tianyang clenched his jaw. "Damn it! If this keeps up, I'm dead for sure. I need a plan!"
Suddenly, a metaphorical lightbulb flashed above his head.
"How did I forget about this?!" Without wasting a second, he reached into his Youhai Storage Ring and retrieved a compass.
Muttering under his breath, he prayed, "I just need to trap it—just for half a minute!"
With that, he dropped the compass and darted away.
A moment later, a soft 'click' echoed behind him.
"Roar!" A piercing dragon's cry erupted.
Eight majestic golden dragons materialized, intertwining to form an ethereal formation that locked the Sky-Swallowing Demonic Beast in place.
"The Eight-Dragon Immortal Trap Formation from another world—even in its incomplete form, it should hold up," Xiao Tianyang reassured himself.
[**The Eight-Dragon Immortal Trap Formation is featured in the Chinese web novel Top Grade Immortal Emperor in the Flower City**]
Wasting no time, he pushed his speed to the limit, ignoring the beast's roars and furious thrashing.
Two minutes passed, and the furious sounds behind him gradually faded.
The suffocating sense of impending doom slowly lifted...
At that moment, Xiao Tianyang felt an overwhelming gratitude for simply being alive.
His soul power depleted, his Xuanjing Phoenix Wings retracted on their own, and he plummeted to the ground.
"Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of dirt and grass. "I swear, next time, I'm staying away from the these undead type beasts. No way am I letting something like this happen again!"
"Woof!"
A bark sounded from the nearby bushes as Bubu, his loyal companion, emerged.
Xiao Tianyang glanced at the beast and asked seriously, "Did you memorize its scent?"
"Woof woof!"
"Good."
Using a tree for support, Xiao Tianyang forced himself to his feet. "This place isn't safe. Let's move."
He had barely escaped the jaws of death.
Had it not been for his arsenal of magic tools, he might not have made it out alive this time.
But one question lingered—how had such a massive beast managed to sneak up on him?
Even if he had concealed his aura, it was impossible not to make a sound, right?
Xiao Tianyang was truly baffled.
But now wasn't the time for answers.
With his soul power and stamina completely drained, even walking was a struggle. Talking was a luxury.
…
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