Chapter 5: Preparation (Part 2)

Guo Shier felt a slight headache. He hadn’t expected that while he was casting spells upstairs, such things would happen downstairs. He said, “I’ll go take a look.”
Eagle Demon said, “Let me lead the way. I know where they are.”
The two flew along the deep ditch and soon spotted Zhang Yaojin and the others, all of them lying on the edge of the ditch. Guo Shier breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that they might start fighting, but it seemed things weren’t that serious.
When Zhou Xiaoling saw Guo Shier coming, she couldn’t help but smile and say, “Shier, why did you come out?”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “My task is done. The old hero will be busy in the next few days, after which we’ll set up traps. What are you all doing here?” Their voices were low. No one dared speak loudly here; although it might not necessarily alert Gu Xi Bi, caution was still necessary.
Zhang Yaojin glanced back, gave Guo Shier a faint nod without expression, then turned to look outside the ditch again.
Xian Ru Dai slid down from the edge of the ditch and hovered in the air, whispering, “Brother Shier, is everything ready?”
Guo Shier replied, “Almost. We’ll wait until the old hero finishes.”
Luo Zhan lay beside Zhang Yaojin. Guo Shier flew over and also lay on the edge of the ditch, asking, “What are you looking at? You can’t see Gu Xi Bi from here.”
Zhang Yaojin didn’t speak. Luo Zhan said, “They’re making a bet—whether any Spirit Beasts will fly by today and whether they’ll be eaten by Gu Xi Bi.”
Guo Shier asked, “Are these two separate bets?”
Zhang Yaojin replied indifferently, “It’s one bet. I bet that any Spirit Beasts that fly by will be eaten by Gu Xi Bi, while she bets that no Spirit Beasts will fly by today…”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but smile bitterly. What kind of bets were these? Someone as rational as Zhang Yaojin was engaging in such childish bets. As long as the two didn’t start fighting, he had nothing to say and could just let things take their course. He didn’t even ask what the stakes were.
After watching for a while, everything remained quiet. Guo Shier said, “I’ll go back first. You continue.” Feeling that nothing serious was going on, he stopped worrying.
……
Han Bing Baiyan and the others stared at a Level 15 Spirit Beast not far away, their faces showing excitement. He asked, “Fourth brother, shall we attack? This Spirit Beast can at least produce a hundred or so Spirit Bead orbs.”
Tian Baiyan replied, “We’re here to find the altar, not to kill Spirit Beasts. Although we’re in large numbers this time, we might not be able to kill a Level 15 Spirit Beast. It’s a Spirit Beast of the most defensive variant—Ironclad Bull—so it’s very difficult to break through its Spirit Shell.”

Hanbing Baiyan said reluctantly, “Go around? What a shame… It took so much effort to get this far.”
Tian Baiyan replied, “Lao Liu, what’s wrong with you lately? You’re impulsive and greedy—this won’t do.”
Hanbing Baiyan’s face turned slightly red as he whispered, “Alright, let’s go around…” No sooner had he finished speaking than the Iron-Armored Bull locked eyes with them. Its massive body turned toward them, letting out a furious roar.
A junior Grand Sage said, “Bad news—it’s seen us.”
Tian Baiyan shouted, “If we can’t escape, kill it!” He gave a decisive order; there was no way to flee now.
Hanbing Baiyan said, “I’ll hold it off while the others attack!” He rushed at the Iron-Armored Bull, drawing his life sigil blade—a giant axe.
As a spirit beast formed from the Iron-Armored Bull, it was known for its thick skin and durable flesh. Though not as powerful as its original form, it was still extremely tough among spirit beasts—weak in offense but astonishingly strong in defense.
With a body over 200 meters long and two huge bull horns, it charged at them with a thunderous roar, its hoofbeats shaking the ground.
Hanbing Baiyan faced it head-on. His axe rapidly grew larger, rising above his head until it reached eight meters in length. Yet compared to the Iron-Armored Bull’s size, it was still minuscule—like using a small dagger against a water buffalo; they were completely on different levels.
The Iron-Armored Bull glowed with green light, its two horns stretching over 20 meters long, like two sharp spears, aimed straight at Hanbing Baiyan.
Both sides moved at incredible speeds. Just as they were about to collide, Hanbing Baiyan suddenly rolled to the side, his axe swerving aside to graze the bull’s horns. The Iron-Armored Bull continued charging unimpeded. Hanbing Baiyan, now on the side, swung his eight-meter-long axe fiercely at the bull’s neck.
Crack!
Moo!
The Iron-Armored Bull roared as a gap appeared in its neck. The recoil sent Hanbing Baiyan flying. In the blink of an eye, the wound healed. Hanbing Baiyan shouted, “This guy’s defense is too strong! Fight it at close range!”
Tian Baiyan produced a golden cone in his hand—his life sigil blade, the Great Golden Cone. He flew high into the air, cast a few spells, and the Great Golden Cone suddenly grew to over ten meters long. With a roar, he shouted, “Stab!” He held the cone in his hand and plunged downward from the sky.
The terrifying howl of the Great Golden Cone pierced the air as it pierced straight into the Iron-Armored Bull’s back.

This move is extremely ruthless. The Iron-Armored Bull is huge and difficult to maneuver; its attack methods are nothing but charging, making it the least threatening for professionals.
Boom!
The giant golden spear plunged into the Iron-Armored Bull’s back, sinking several meters deep. The bull roared, “Moo!” The sound made everyone tremble.
Han Bing Baiyan shouted, “Good! Attack together!” Several other Grand Saints rushed forward, slashing with knives and axes, their life-force blades cutting wildly.
Suddenly, the Iron-Armored Bull spun in place, its massive body turning rapidly, knocking two Grand Saints who were too close flying away. Tian Baiyan pulled out the giant golden spear, creating a hole in the bull’s back. As it was a Spirit Beast, no blood flowed out—instead, pure soul energy emerged. But the hole quickly closed, becoming invisible within seconds.
Tian Baiyan was shocked. The Iron-Armored Bull’s healing ability was incredibly strong; it would be hard to kill it unless its body was shattered instantly.
The two Grand Saints who were knocked away suffered minor injuries, not serious enough, but enough to instill fear in everyone.
One Grand Saint attacked from behind the Iron-Armored Bull. He chanted spells, summoning numerous phantom symbols. The air around him fluctuated violently, and a chill rose. Then he shouted, “Freeze!” A giant ice spear was launched at a rather cunning spot—the bull’s anus. Although the Iron-Armored Bull was a Spirit Beast and didn’t need an anus, it still had one due to its original form.
The giant ice spear pierced deeply. The Grand Saint was overjoyed; he hadn’t expected to hit the target on the first try. Seeing the ice spear sink in, he cheered, “Explose!”
Suddenly, a huge hoof appeared before him. Before the Grand Saint could react, the hoof kicked him, like a mountain crashing down. He was flung away, with crackling sounds—bones breaking. At the same time, the ice spear exploded.
Moo! Moo…
Spirit Beasts could also feel pain. Though it had kicked away the annoying Grand Saint behind it, the Iron-Armored Bull was also injured, and it went berserk.
Tian Baiyan was alarmed. He knew that Grand Saint was at least seriously injured. After all, the kicking move was the Iron-Armored Bull’s ultimate skill, allowing it to accurately attack targets behind it. Its hooves were over eight or nine meters in diameter, and their force was astonishing once unleashed.
“Go save them quickly!”

There were eight Grand Saints in total, and one of them had already been injured. Tian Baiyan was secretly alarmed; he realized that his group didn’t have any particularly effective methods to kill this Iron-Armored Bull. This was the tragedy of ordinary family professionals—they lacked special skills and effective talismanic weapons. It wasn’t noticeable in normal times, but when facing powerful opponents or beasts, their inadequacies became apparent. The Grand Saint who had been kicked away was barely clinging to life. The blow had been so severe that it had shattered almost all his bones; he kept spitting out mouthfuls of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs. Another Grand Saint flew down and stuffed a talisman pill into his mouth. Fortunately, thanks to timely treatment, he wouldn’t die, but too severely injured, he could only rest aside. Yet the Iron-Armored Bull wouldn’t give up on him. After circling once, its blood-red eyes locked onto him. The Bull hated this despicable guy deeply—the blow had caused agony that reached its soul, and it wanted to trample him to death. The Bull lowered its head, arched its body, and let out a deep roar, “Moo!” Then it charged forward at the Grand Saint lying on the ground. Hanbing Baiyan shouted, “Take him and run quickly!” The Iron-Armored Bull was extremely fast, and so was the Grand Saint. One of the Grand Saints picked up the injured person and flew swiftly into the air, no longer caring whether there were spirit beasts in the sky. Just as the Grand Saint had risen a hundred meters high, the Iron-Armored Bull charged at him, creating a howling wind that made him break into a cold sweat. Tian Baiyan ordered decisively, “Circle around it, and the others, keep slashing!” Aside from the two Grand Saints in the sky, the rest were frantically slashing around. The Iron-Armored Bull was stubborn, focusing solely on chasing that annoying guy, seemingly determined to tear him to pieces before stopping, which gave the others an opportunity. Tian Baiyan landed directly on the Iron-Armored Bull’s back, holding a large golden spear, and stabbed downward fiercely. Hanbing Baiyan roared, “I refuse to believe we can’t kill you!” He also slashed wildly. Tian Baiyan shouted, “Let’s wear it down to death!” The Iron-Armored Bull jumped around wildly, circling on the ground and letting out roars. It was not only angry but also felt powerless. These professionals were too weak, leaving it with no way to exert its strength. Gradually, Tian Baiyan took control of the situation; he saw hope for victory and shouted, “Push harder!” Suddenly, one of the Grand Saints cried out in terror, “It’s bad!” Hanbing Baiyan demanded, “What?” Tian Baiyan turned around and couldn’t help but gasp in shock.