Chapter 461 - 458: Advancing to Red Rank

Chapter 461: Chapter 458: Advancing to Red Rank

After absorbing the Potion and feeling the immense Talent Power within his body, Zhu Xiu nodded. "Alright, let’s go together."

The wind howled and snow swirled. Yin Ze lowered his massive Phoenix form, his magnificent golden-red feathers a dazzling sight against the stark white world.

Wanwan leaped gracefully onto his broad back.

Zhu Xiu’s massive serpentine body slithered silently across the snow, leaving a winding trail. Yan Lie, holding their cub, stood guard at their side.

Following the lingering scent of Hua Han and the Flood Dragons on the air, they moved like expert hunters, tracking them swiftly across the vast, snowy plains.

After some time, the faint sounds of harsh shouts and pained groans drifted from the base of a leeward cliff up ahead.

Yin Ze’s sharp gaze pierced the blizzard, locking onto the target.

Several tall Flood Dragon Males were violently tossing a fiery-red figure onto the icy snow.

"Speak! Where in the hell did that female hide?" the leader of the Flood Dragon Males snarled, his voice sinister as he planted a foot on Hua Han’s bloodstained back.

The once-elegant and proud Fire Fox was now covered in wounds, his beautiful fur matted into clumps by blood and slush.

He struggled to lift his head and spat a mouthful of blood and snow at his tormentor. "Pah! You can forget about getting her location from me!"

"Tough talk, huh?" The Flood Dragon Male sneered, raising a Bone Whip covered in vicious barbs. "Since you’re looking to die, I’ll be happy to oblige!"

CRACK!

The whip tore through the air with a piercing shriek as it lashed down!

The barbs mercilessly ripped through flesh, splattering a startling spray of crimson across the pristine snow.

Hua Han’s body convulsed violently. He let out a suppressed groan but clenched his jaw, refusing to scream.

"Go on... If you’ve got the guts, then whip me to death..." Hua Han’s voice trembled with agony, yet it was laced with defiant mockery. "Even if you kill me... I’ll never tell you... where she is..."

His words thoroughly enraged the Flood Dragon Males.

"You’re asking for it!" The whip fell like a torrential downpour, each strike carving fresh, bloody wounds.

Hua Han lay curled up in the snow, his consciousness fading from the agony and cold. Only the deep-seated resolve in his heart kept him from succumbing.

"Stop!"

A clear, furious female voice suddenly rang out, cracking like thunder in the Flood Dragons’ ears.

They turned, their surprise turning to delight as they saw a slender figure arriving on a golden-red Phoenix through the swirling snow.

"Haha! The female delivered herself right to our doorstep!"

A greedy light flared in the lead Flood Dragon Male’s eyes. He kicked the dying Fire Fox at his feet. "Tsk... this useless fox has served his purpose. A pity for such a prime female. She’s going to die here today, right along with you!"

Hua Han’s heart plummeted.

He mustered his last ounce of strength, throwing his head back to scream at the sky, "Yin Ze! Who told you to bring her here? Get out of here! Take Wanwan and go!"

"Shut up!"

The only answer he received was another vicious lash of the whip, one that nearly knocked him unconscious.

Yin Ze dove like a flaming meteor, his massive wings kicking up a vortex of snow as he landed.

Bai Wanwan slid deftly from his back, her feet sinking deep into the frigid snow.

She walked step by step toward the garish splash of red in the center of the snowy clearing. Her small frame was held ramrod straight, her face a mask of glacial ice. Within her clear eyes burned a rage hot enough to incinerate the world.

The Flood Dragon Males watched with amusement, making no move to stop the seemingly fragile female.

She reached Hua Han’s side unimpeded. Ignoring the acrid stench of blood, she knelt without hesitation in the cold snow and gently gathered the wounded fox’s body into her arms.

"Hua Han..." Her voice was a soft whisper, as if afraid to startle him. Her trembling fingertips brushed the blood-matted fur from his face. "Does it hurt?"

It was as if her voice and warm embrace created a shield against the intense pain.

The familiar scent of the female he’d longed for enveloped him. In his daze, Hua Han felt as if he had drifted into a warm dream.

He instinctively nuzzled her arm with his cold nose, his voice weak and tinged with distress. "Why did you come... Hurry, have Yin Ze take you away. It’s dangerous. They’ll capture you..."

Bai Wanwan gently ran her fingers down his back, soothing his frayed nerves.

"Don’t worry," she said, her voice soft but laced with iron-cold resolve. "My Beast Husbands are all here. Today, not a single one of the beastmen who hurt you will leave this place alive!"

The lead Flood Dragon Male sneered, pointing at the proudly standing Yin Ze. "First, we’ll slaughter this meddlesome Phoenix. Then we’ll butcher this useless fox."

Several Flood Dragon Males roared and charged at Yin Ze, their forms cutting through the swirling snow.

Yin Ze, however, didn’t so much as flap a wing.

Just as the Flood Dragons were about to pounce before him.

HISS! A black streak of lightning shot out from the shadows of a nearby snowdrift.

It moved so fast it was beyond what the naked eye could follow.

Having advanced to the Red Rank, Zhu Xiu’s power and speed had taken a quantum leap. His massive tail, covered in cold, hard, silver scales, swept out with overwhelming force, causing the air to crackle under the strain.

BOOM! THUD! THUD!

The first two Flood Dragon Males to be hit went flying like rag dolls struck by a sledgehammer. They slammed into the distant cliff face with sickening crunches, the sound of their shattering bones sharp and clear.

Simultaneously, Zhu Xiu sank his deadly fangs into another Flood Dragon’s neck, injecting his lethal venom in an instant.

The Flood Dragon didn’t even have time to scream before it collapsed, its body convulsing violently as its skin rapidly turned a deathly blue-black.

The remaining Flood Dragons were utterly terrified. The giant snake’s power and speed were far beyond their imagination. They stood no chance against it.

The Flood Dragon Males exchanged terrified glances and immediately turned to flee.

But it was too late. Zhu Xiu had already locked onto their positions.

Without even needing Xin Feng, Jin Yi, or the other males to intervene, the battle was over. Under Zhu Xiu’s absolute, crushing power, the outcome was never in doubt.

In a matter of moments, all the Flood Dragon Males were nothing more than cold corpses littering the snow.

Zhu Xiu’s cold, reptilian eyes swept over the battlefield. Confirming there were no further threats, he deftly used his massive Snake Tail to coil around the corpses and fling them far into the distance, clearing the area.

Yan Lie, holding the cub, kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings.

Meanwhile, Zhu Xiu used his Snake Tail to clear the snow and debris from a cave entrance, creating a temporary shelter from the wind.

The males quickly got the cub settled.

Bai Wanwan carefully carried the fox into the relative warmth of the cave. She personally fetched clean snow, melted it, and began to gently wash his gruesome, crisscrossing wounds.

Her movements were infinitely gentle, terrified of causing him more pain.

Seeing her attention completely devoted to the fox, the other males felt a pang of unease, even though they had prepared themselves for this.

But when they remembered that this fox had been the one to care for and protect Wanwan on her journey, it seemed they had no reason not to accept him.