"Blood covenant scroll, drawing upon the power of the stars to manifest as Xuanwu, pledge to me."
A grand and resonant voice echoed between heaven and earth. Gradually, the straight beam of light shooting from the clouds faded away, and a massive figure appeared before Jiang Yuan.
A colossal black turtle materialized in front of Jiang Yuan, with a thick python coiled around its body, differing slightly from the mythical depiction of Xuanwu as a turtle with a snake's back.
[Sacred Beast: Xuanwu] Level: 105 Health: 15,000,000 Attack Power: Special Skills: [Innate Brute Force], grants all allied units within 30 meters a 15% strength boost. [Water Healing Shield], provides the host with a water-patterned shield equal to 50% of Xuanwu's health. [Ultimate Art: Water Annihilates the Eight Wastelands], Xuanwu spews a water column in a fan-shaped area in front, dealing damage per second to enemies for 10 seconds. Duration: 90 seconds Cooldown: 120 seconds Description: The seven mansions of Dipper, Ox, Girl, Void, Danger, House, and Wall have the form of a turtle and snake, hence called Xuanwu.
"Ding! Sacred beast summoning skills cannot be amplified by the 'Summon Beast Frenzy' skill!"
When Jiang Yuan tried to summon more Xuanwu, the system immediately sent a warning chime.
"Ah, what a shame. Such a powerful sacred beast can only summon one!"
Hearing the alert in his ears, Jiang Yuan's face fell. If he could summon ten thousand like the Dragon Beard Tiger, he could practically bulldoze through the game "Ten Thousand Realms"!
No choice, Jiang Yuan had to summon a thousand Dragon Beard Tigers instead, lining them up on either side of the sacred beast Xuanwu, then issued the attack command.
"Boom!"
Xuanwu's thick limbs stomped the ground, producing a deafening rumble. The bizarre monster "Lili" across from him let out a terrified cry at the sight of Jiang Yuan's summoned sacred beast, clearly frightened.
"Smack!"
Xuanwu raised a massive foreleg and slammed it onto "Lili," a damage number popping up above its head. Jiang Yuan squinted—over two hundred thousand!
The green serpent coiled around the black giant turtle suddenly straightened, opened its gaping maw, and bit down on "Lili's" back.
"Oww~ Oww~"
"Lili" let out a piercing scream, its body writhing wildly until it finally broke free from the serpent's jaws, leaving a half-meter-long gash on its back.
With the sacred beast Xuanwu joining the fray, the tide of battle turned. The thousand Dragon Beard Tigers surged forward, surrounding "Lili" as it was wounded by Xuanwu's bite.
"Woof! Woof!"
The demon "Lili" roared in pain, its health bar above its head plummeting rapidly. In just a few dozen seconds, it lost two to three million health!
Just then, the demon "Lili" suddenly leaped out of the Dragon Beard Tigers' encirclement, its two sharp fangs aimed at Jiang Yuan. Lowering its head like a maddened wild bull, it charged at him.
"Pop!"
A soft sound rang out, and a blue, shimmering barrier suddenly appeared around Jiang Yuan, enveloping him from head to toe.
"Lili" slammed into Jiang Yuan, the barrier rippling with blue waves. A damage number of "-" floated above Jiang Yuan's head, yet he remained completely unharmed!
This was the sacred beast Xuanwu's innate skill "Water Healing Shield," providing Jiang Yuan with a shield that could absorb 7,500,000 damage!
The demon "Lili" rammed Jiang Yuan's body frantically, but Jiang Yuan stood unmoved. Damage numbers kept popping up above his head, yet his health bar stayed full!
At that moment, the black giant turtle and the green giant serpent forming the sacred beast Xuanwu both opened their mouths, spewing thick water jets onto "Lili." The immense force sent it flying back over ten meters!
The sacred beast Xuanwu unleashed its ultimate skill—[Ultimate Art: Water Annihilates the Eight Wastelands]!
The demon "Lili's" body involuntarily stumbled backward, its health bar dropping rapidly until it fell to half health.
About a minute and a half passed, and Xuanwu's massive figure slowly dissipated. Jiang Yuan glanced at his skill bar—the "Sacred Beast Xuanwu" skill on the Four Sacred Beasts page was on cooldown but had already recharged two-thirds. In about 30 seconds, it would be ready to use again!
After Xuanwu vanished, the water shield on Jiang Yuan also disappeared. He quickly used the "Soul Sacrifice" skill, sacrificing a nearby Dragon Beard Tiger to gain its full attributes.
The demon "Lili," which had been on the receiving end, saw the terrifying Xuanwu gone and bared its ferocious fangs, charging at Jiang Yuan!
"Summon Beast Follow!"
Seeing this, Jiang Yuan instantly activated a skill, pulling the thousand Dragon Beard Tigers in front of him as a shield, then rolled to the right, dodging "Lili's" powerful charge.
After a series of evasive maneuvers to avoid "Lili's" rushes, Jiang Yuan finally endured until the "Sacred Beast Xuanwu" skill cooldown ended. He raised his hand and summoned the sacred beast again.
"Blood covenant scroll, drawing upon the power of the stars to manifest as Xuanwu, pledge to me."
The grand voice echoed across heaven and earth once more. Under the demon "Lili's" terrified gaze, the sacred beast Xuanwu reappeared before it!
The sacred beast Xuanwu, formed from the power of the Big Dipper stars, lifted its thick foreleg and stomped on "Lili." The latter let out a scream, its health bar instantly dropping by several hundred thousand.
"Oww! Oww!"
Ninety seconds passed, and the sacred beast Xuanwu dissolved into countless specks of light scattering across the sky. By then, the demon "Lili's" health was below a third. It cast a look of deep fear at Jiang Yuan, tucked its tail, and fled headlong into the depths of East Forest Mountain.
"Meow!"
After "Lili" fled, Meow Meow let out a joyful cry and limped toward the cave. Jiang Yuan quickly followed.
Deep inside the cave, Jiang Yuan found Meow Meow lying beside a man dressed in ancient clothes, its pink tongue licking the man's half-eaten face.
Jiang Yuan slowly approached, stroking the back of Meow Meow, which was whimpering softly, and examined the mutilated male corpse before him.
Suddenly, the pitch-black cave burst with golden light, dazzling Jiang Yuan so much he had to shield his eyes.
After a moment, the golden light faded, and a translucent figure appeared before Jiang Yuan. The figure wore the same clothes as the corpse, with long hair bound by a golden headband on its forehead.
"Meow! Meow!"
Seeing this figure, Meow Meow immediately stood on its hind legs, its cries growing even more sorrowful.
The man's ethereal form looked at Meow Meow, a gentle smile spreading across his face as he spoke slowly.
"Beiluoshimen, I finally see you again!"