Chapter 87: A Walking Beast Lure

WHOOSH!

In the next moment, Gareth and the Black Flame Leopard were already locked in a fierce battle.

For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.

Gareth’s Bloodline was a tier lower, but he possessed numerous powerful battle techniques and had the support of the Titan Giant Shield, which greatly enhanced his defensive and offensive capabilities. Although the shield was cracked, the damage was not serious enough to significantly affect its performance.

The Black Flame Leopard, on the other hand, possessed the higher-tier Abyssal Black Flame Bloodline, while its Black Leopard Bloodline granted it astonishing movement speed.

The difference in their overall strength was surprisingly small.

Thus, the battle quickly turned into a fierce stalemate.

Both possessed fire-attribute Bloodlines, causing their confrontation to be exceptionally explosive.

Flames erupted in all directions.

Sparks flew wildly.

The surrounding vegetation was scorched, and a strong smell of char permeated the air.

Although the Abyssal Black Flame Bloodline was slightly stronger, its neurotoxin had little effect on Gareth because of his fire-attribute Bloodline.

Otherwise, the outcome of this battle would likely have been decided long ago.

Meanwhile, Ryan watched the battle from a distance while accelerating his absorption of the Origin Stones in his hands.

The moment one Origin Stone was exhausted, he immediately replaced it with another.

Under this continuous absorption, the depleted Origin Energy within his body gradually began to recover.

At the same time, the healing pills he had swallowed were finally taking effect.

His external injuries slowly began to close, while the severe burns covering his body gradually faded.

A moment later, however, Gareth became increasingly alarmed as the battle continued.

This Second-Order Peak Black Flame Leopard was far more terrifying than he had expected!

He had already used almost every battle technique at his disposal, yet he could barely touch the creature.

Its movement speed was simply astonishing.

Most of his ranged attacks couldn’t even lock onto its position before it had already disappeared.

Only when Gareth deliberately took the risk of engaging it at close range, exchanging injuries for injuries, could he occasionally land a blow.

But even then, he was the one suffering more.

His Transformation-Type Bloodline had strengthened his body considerably, but it still couldn’t compare to the naturally terrifying physique of the Black Flame Leopard.

Every time the two exchanged blows at close range, Gareth’s injuries were heavier.

This desperate fighting style was clearly a losing battle.

Gareth was trapped in an extremely frustrating situation.

He couldn’t defeat the Black Flame Leopard.

He couldn’t escape from it either.

Under its relentless assault, his injuries continued to worsen.

After repeatedly using Spirit Rank Low Grade battle techniques, more than half of the Origin Energy within his body had already been consumed.

Even with the protection of the Titan Giant Shield, the Black Flame Leopard’s terrifying speed made it extremely difficult to defend against.

Whenever Gareth focused on blocking an attack from the front, the creature would suddenly appear from his side or behind him.

Its sharp claws and fangs repeatedly tore through the gaps in his defense.

In a short time, Gareth was already covered in gruesome wounds, his body drenched in blood.

He had also tried desperately to flee.

But every attempt ended in failure.

The speed of this Second-Order Peak Black Flame Leopard was simply too terrifying.

As long as it was determined to pursue him, Gareth’s current speed was completely insufficient to escape its attack range.

What Gareth couldn’t understand was why the Black Flame Leopard kept targeting him.

Why wasn’t it attacking Ryan?

Why was it completely ignoring the heavily injured Ryan and relentlessly pursuing him instead?

It seemed that unless he repelled or killed the creature, he would never be able to leave this place.

Gareth grew increasingly anxious.

During his fierce battle with the Black Flame Leopard, he repeatedly looked for opportunities to eliminate Ryan first.

If he couldn’t escape, then he might as well drag Ryan down with him.

Unfortunately, Ryan wasn’t giving him that opportunity.

Whenever Gareth tried to launch a sneak attack, Ryan would simply smile coldly and swing away using Spider Silk Swing.

Having recovered some of his Origin Energy, coupled with the assistance of his Godly Travel Boots, Ryan was now much more difficult to catch than before.

And Gareth was already struggling to deal with a single Black Flame Leopard.

Trying to pursue Ryan at the same time was simply impossible.

In the end, Gareth could only turn his attention back to the Black Flame Leopard and temporarily suppress his desire to kill Ryan.

ROAR!

Suddenly, several more Exotic Beasts charged out of the forest.

Gareth’s expression changed.

As the beasts rushed past Ryan, something extremely strange happened.

They completely ignored Ryan.

Instead, they charged directly toward Gareth.

"What the hell?!"

Gareth’s eyes widened.

"Why are these Exotic Beasts, just like the Black Flame Leopard, completely ignoring Ryan and all coming after me?!"

He immediately swung his palm.

BOOM!

A fiery palm strike blasted toward the approaching beasts, sending several of them flying.

But amidst his shock and anger, Gareth suddenly noticed something.

The Exotic Beasts surrounding him were looking at him strangely.

Their eyes contained an unmistakable, almost covetous hunger.

Gareth’s expression changed.

Then, as if a flash of lightning had passed through his mind, he suddenly remembered something.

That strange-smelling liquid.

"Could it be because of that foul-smelling liquid earlier...?"

His heart sank.

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.

That liquid must have possessed an extraordinary attraction to Exotic Beasts.

A monster-luring effect!

Otherwise, why would every Exotic Beast ignore Ryan and attack only him?

Why would they look at him with such undisguised hunger?

Gareth finally understood.

It was simply because he had never encountered Hundred Mile Fragrance before.

The pill was extremely obscure and rarely used.

After all, the wilderness was already filled with countless Exotic Beasts, and ordinary Bloodline Fighters entering the wilderness always acted cautiously.

They generally tried to fight their opponents one-on-one.

No sane Bloodline Fighter would deliberately attract a large number of Exotic Beasts to themselves.

That would simply be inviting death.

"Damn it!" Gareth suddenly turned toward Ryan. "Ryan, did you do something to me?!"

His roar echoed through the forest.

He had finally figured out the crux of the problem.

Given Ryan’s current strength, there was no way he could openly evade the senses of so many Exotic Beasts.

There was only one explanation.

That foul-smelling liquid had been deliberately placed on him.

Ryan had somehow turned him into a walking beacon for Exotic Beasts.

"Heh heh..." Ryan, who had finally recovered some of his Origin Energy, smiled playfully. "You’re a little late to figure it out."

He didn’t directly admit anything.

But his ambiguous response was enough.

Gareth’s face immediately turned green with rage.

"Damn it! Ryan, I wish you a terrible death!"

He was truly furious. He had never imagined that he would be tricked without even realizing it.

Looking at the endless stream of Exotic Beasts gathering around him, then remembering the foul-smelling liquid that had splattered all over his body, Gareth felt a chill run down his spine.

He had become a walking monster lure.

The realization was terrifying.

At that moment, Gareth desperately wanted to rush over and tear Ryan apart with his own hands.

But the Black Flame Leopard seized the opening.

WHOOSH!

Its black figure flashed forward.

Gareth hurriedly raised the Titan Giant Shield to block the attack.

BOOM!

The impact forced him backward.

By the time Gareth regained his balance, Ryan had already used Spider Silk Swing to retreat far away.

He had no intention of giving Gareth another opportunity to attack him.

Ryan eventually landed on a sturdy tree branch with an excellent view of the battlefield.

He settled down comfortably.

At this point, he almost looked like a spectator watching a performance.

After several rounds of frantic Origin Stone absorption, Ryan had already recovered a small portion of his Origin Energy.

His internal injuries were far from healed, and the circulation of his Origin Energy and blood remained somewhat sluggish.

However, the healing pills had already restored roughly forty to fifty percent of his external burns.

His confidence gradually returned.

In his current condition, as long as nothing unexpected happened, he was confident that he could escape safely.

But he had no intention of leaving yet.

He wanted to witness Gareth’s death with his own eyes.

Otherwise, allowing Gareth to survive would leave behind endless trouble.

Even if Ryan couldn’t personally kill him, collecting Gareth’s corpse and spatial ring afterward would be satisfying enough.

He sincerely hoped these Exotic Beasts wouldn’t completely devour the man’s corpse.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

More and more Exotic Beasts continued to arrive.

They came in all shapes and sizes, and their strengths varied greatly.

The weaker Exotic Beasts from the surrounding areas were naturally the first to arrive.

Their sheer numbers were already overwhelming, filling the forest in dense waves.

The stronger Exotic Beasts generally resided deeper within the Ashfall Forest.

They would only pick up the strange scent much later.

Unless they happened to be nearby, even powerful Exotic Beasts wouldn’t arrive as quickly as the weaker ones.

At this moment, Gareth was still struggling desperately.

His entire body was covered in blood, and he was clearly too occupied to pay much attention to the growing horde surrounding him.

During the chaotic battle, he narrowly dodged another attack from the Black Flame Leopard before unleashing a powerful fiery killing technique.

BOOM!

A terrifying wave of flames swept outward.

A large number of low-grade Exotic Beasts were instantly killed.

Blood splattered across the forest floor, and corpses began piling up.

But before Gareth could even catch his breath, another wave of Exotic Beasts filled the empty space.

They came endlessly.

Wave after wave.

It was like a mighty river that could never run dry.

Gareth’s face was drenched in cold sweat.

A terrifying sense of impending death suddenly enveloped his entire body.

"No..."

His breathing became hurried.

"No!"

His survival instinct erupted.

Gareth’s eyes gradually turned bloodshot.

Under the overwhelming pressure, he became completely ruthless.

His figure flashed repeatedly as he unleashed one attack after another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Another large group of low-grade Exotic Beasts fell.

Yet the moment they died, even more creatures surged forward to replace them.

ROAR!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shook the entire forest.

Among the endless beast horde, a gigantic figure suddenly emerged.

It was a massive bear standing nearly nine meters tall.

The moment it appeared, the surrounding Exotic Beasts became restless.

A thick earthy-yellow protective light enveloped its enormous body.

Dazzling light constantly flowed across the surface of the shield.

Then—

BOOM!

The giant bear charged forward.

Its enormous body crashed through the beast horde like a moving mountain.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

One Exotic Beast after another was sent flying.

The giant bear ruthlessly cleared a path through the horde before finally stopping not far from Gareth.

Its enormous eyes locked onto him.

Saliva dripped continuously from the corners of its mouth.

~Drop~

~Drop~

~Drop~

The foul-smelling saliva splattered onto the ground.

The surrounding Exotic Beasts instinctively retreated.

Fear appeared in their eyes.

Even the Black Flame Leopard didn’t dare provoke the enormous creature.

It immediately moved to the side, temporarily avoiding its edge.

Ryan’s pupils constricted.

"A king among Third-Order Peaks... The Earth Tyrant Bear?"

His expression changed instantly. The leisurely smile on his face disappeared.

Ryan immediately shifted his position and prepared to use Spider Silk Swing at the slightest sign of danger.

He planned to wait until this terrifying battle ended and the Exotic Beasts dispersed before returning to collect Gareth’s corpse and whatever spoils remained.

Third-Order Peak.

That was equivalent to the human Origin Transcendent Realm Peak.

Ryan had heard that the Earth Tyrant Bear was one of the two most violent existences below the Fourth Order.

Not only was its defense terrifying, but its offensive power was equally monstrous.

Its thick hide made it incredibly difficult to injure, while its enormous strength allowed it to kill opponents with frightening ease.

If Ryan accidentally attracted its attention now, he feared he wouldn’t even have the opportunity to escape.

"Damn it..."

"Third-Order Peak... the Earth Tyrant Bear!"

Gareth’s expression became completely hopeless when he saw the enormous creature.

This was an existence infinitely close to the Fourth Order.

His eyes widened in horror.

His face became deathly pale. And the Origin Energy within his body was already approaching its limit.

"No..."

His body trembled slightly.

"I cannot die!"

But then something changed.

A strange ruthlessness appeared in Gareth’s eyes.

It was as though he had finally made a decision.

His despair disappeared.

His bloodshot eyes widened.

He clenched his teeth tightly, his expression becoming ferocious.

Then, without hesitation, he frantically activated the crimson flame Bloodline within his body.

The flames surrounding him suddenly began burning with unprecedented intensity.

A strange and powerful aura erupted from his body.

"Spirit Rank Low Grade Secret Art..." Gareth’s voice was hoarse. "Scarlet Flame Blood Burning Technique!"