Qin Shilei looked up. The pack of Thunder Beasts was still bathing in the lightning, unaware that one of their companions was already injured and fleeing down the mountain.
Silver Dragon!
Qin Shilei shot another arrow, hoping to kill the Thunder Beast that had lost an eye.
The fleeing Thunder Beast stretched out its forelimbs and swiped, knocking away the arrow filled with lightning energy.
Silver Dragon, an attack that even Tyrants couldn't withstand, was swatted away?
No, Silver Dragon's power lay in its aggressive lightning energy, while Thunder Beasts were immune to most lightning-attribute attacks.
That's why the first Silver Dragon had only managed to blow out one of its eyes.
Seeing the Thunder Beast getting closer, Qin Shilei put away his short bow and took out the Blood Soul, preparing himself.
"Let me test your strength first."
The Thunder Beast drew nearer and then leaped, pouncing from the heights.
Qin Shilei took a step to the left, sidestepping the Thunder Beast's pounce, and his Blood Soul stabbed towards the beast's neck.
However, the Thunder Beast in mid-air extended its forelimbs and swiped forcefully, its thick paw meeting the sharp Blood Soul.
Upon contact, Qin Shilei felt a tremendous force surge through the Blood Soul, making his palm tingle.
The Thunder Beast's paw only sustained a shallow bloody gash.
So strong!
At least two or three stars stronger than the Thunder Beasts he encountered in the bamboo forest.
Seven Stars Fall Across the Sky!
Qin Shilei stopped clashing head-on with the Thunder Beast and instead continuously stabbed at its defensive weak points with the Blood Soul.
With a final thrust, he leaped into the air, cleaving the Thunder Beast's head with his sword.
The Thunder Beast attempted to block the Blood Soul again with its limbs, but the greatly empowered combat skill severed its wrist and then its head in one swift motion.
"Little brat, no matter how strong you are, you still end up dead by my sword."
Qin Shilei casually collected the treasure chest and the Thunder Beast's corpse from the ground.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, roars of Thunder Beasts echoed from the mountaintop.
Qin Shilei looked up and saw that the lightning on the mountaintop had stopped at some point, and the pack of Thunder Beasts was all gazing in his direction.
Busted!
Before he could hide back in the shadow of the giant rocks, the pack of Thunder Beasts came charging down with ferocious momentum.
The charging Thunder Beasts were like a thousand galloping horses, kicking up clouds of dust and causing the mountain to tremble.
Qin Shilei turned and ran, but his direction was not towards where An Qian and the others were hiding.
There were at least one to two hundred of these Thunder Beasts, and their strength was even greater than those encountered in the bamboo forest.
With such numbers and strength, even if Qin Shilei activated his "One-Punch Man" ability and fought alongside An Qian and the others, it was uncertain if they could defeat them, but they would surely suffer heavy casualties.
If he were to lure the Thunder Beasts towards An Qian and the others now, it would only put everyone in immediate peril.
Qin Shilei ran at full speed, with a large pack of formidable Thunder Beasts hot on his heels.
The charging Thunder Beasts caused rocks to tumble and dust to fly, creating a deafening roar.
Such a tremendous commotion naturally attracted the attention of those in the bamboo forest below the mountain.
Zhang Xiaoli's face changed, and she was about to rush out, "Brother Qin is in danger, we must hurry and help him."
An Qian grabbed Zhang Xiaoli, "Don't be impulsive. Qin Shilei is faster than the Thunder Beasts; he won't be caught for now."
Zhang Xiaoli glared at An Qian, "Are we just going to watch the Thunder Beasts catch up to Brother Qin? And let Brother Qin face so many of them alone?"
"Calm down," An Qian advised, "We're not ignoring him, but we shouldn't reveal our location for now, lest we attract the Thunder Beasts and cause Qin Shilei to worry about us too."
Zhang Xiaoli was only momentarily flustered; upon thinking about it, she realized An Qian was right.
Her and An Qian's strength was far inferior to Qin Shilei's. Since Qin Shilei hadn't led the Thunder Beasts to them, he must have felt that the pack posed too great a threat to their group.
And since the Thunder Beasts hadn't caught up to Qin Shilei yet, it meant he wasn't in immediate danger.
If she were to rush out now, she might end up requiring Qin Shilei to rescue her, which would force everyone to confront the Thunder Beasts.
"We'll follow from below the bamboo forest," An Qian pointed towards the bamboo forest on the right.
She then turned to Lu Tiangang and the others, "What are your opinions?"
"We'll follow you," Lu Tiangang said without hesitation.
"Good," Xia Yunyan replied with a cold single word.
"I, Xie Xingjian, have never abandoned allies," Xie Xingjian said with a resolute expression.
"Let's pursue them and see if we have a chance to kill this pack of Thunder Beasts," Hua Feng also nodded.
Seeing that everyone had no objections, An Qian and Zhang Xiaoli turned and rushed towards the bamboo forest on the right.
Lu Tiangang and his two subordinates also followed suit.
"Let's go too," Xia Yunyan beckoned to her last remaining subordinate and rushed forward.
"Hmph, idiot, with that Qin fellow luring away the Thunder Beasts, this is the perfect opportunity for me to reach the summit."
Hua Feng sneered, then turned and headed towards the mountaintop.
His two subordinates, who had already received his implicit instructions, followed closely behind, sprinting towards the peak.
Lu Tiangang and Xia Yunyan, who witnessed this, were visibly stunned.
They hadn't expected the usually boisterous Fire King to have such a plan.
They slowed their pace, a hint of hesitation creeping in.
An Qian's voice carried on the wind to their ears, "Have you thought this through? The summit may not necessarily be safe."
"Since we've formed an alliance, we must advance and retreat together," Lu Tiangang stated righteously, then quickened his pace to catch up.
"The King of Soldiers speaks wisely," Xia Yunyan's body flickered as she also followed.
Indeed, as An Qian had said, the summit was not necessarily safe.
Now that Hua Feng had ascended prematurely, if there were any treasures, he would have already claimed them, leaving nothing for them.
And if there were any dangers, they would serve to have Hua Feng scout the way first.
At this moment, Qin Shilei had led the pack of Thunder Beasts into the bamboo forest, charging furiously into the distance.
An Qian and the others followed a moderate distance behind the Thunder Beasts.
Qin Shilei's speed was faster than the Thunder Beasts, and he gradually widened the distance between them.
Seeing that the Thunder Beasts couldn't catch up to him, he began to entertain other thoughts.
He didn't lead the Thunder Beasts directly to the edge of the bamboo forest.
To prevent the Thunder Beasts from turning back to the mountaintop, Qin Shilei would occasionally turn around and shoot an arrow.
Although these ordinary arrows couldn't harm the Thunder Beasts, they enraged them, causing them to chase relentlessly.
After more than half an hour, Qin Shilei reached the edge of the bamboo forest, which was also the furthest point from the mountain.
By now, the pack of Thunder Beasts was several hundred meters behind and no longer chasing with the same desperation.
Qin Shilei circled along the boundary for another thousand meters, then turned and ran back towards the mountain.
After running a kilometer or two, he encountered An Qian and the others, who were circling back.
The Thunder Beasts behind them were nowhere to be seen, only the faint sounds of distant running could be heard occasionally.
Qin Shilei shouted loudly, "Turn around, we're going to the mountaintop."
Upon hearing this, An Qian and the others quickly turned and sprinted towards the mountain.