"Boss." Bei Bei's voice rang out in Lin Lei's mind.
Lin Lei held the Black Ivory Heavy Sword in one hand and tapped his foot to twist midair and fly backward. At the same time, he transmitted a message: "Bei Bei, don't rush. Let me have a proper fight with this mysterious black panther first. If I can't handle it, then you can step in. You're my trump card, after all."
Bei Bei understood and shrank back, retreating to one side.
In Lin Lei's heart, the urge to fight surged. He had been in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for so long, and it had truly been ages since he had encountered an opponent against whom he could unleash his full strength. Saint Realm magic beasts were too powerful, and ordinary ninth-level magic beasts—Lin Lei could utterly crush them with speed alone now.
Only this mysterious black panther was faster than him.
"Roar~~" The enormous black panther landed, its cold, dark eyes locking onto Lin Lei completely.
A hint of a smile touched Lin Lei's lips.
"Its body got bigger, but its speed has dropped a bit." Lin Lei noticed clearly that the panther's speed had decreased by roughly twenty to thirty percent. With the 'Rapid' auxiliary magic already enhancing himself, he felt entirely confident in handling it now.
But Lin Lei also understood.
The body had grown larger, and the speed had slowed. However, the panther's attack power had likely increased as well. At its normal size, the black panther could already tear through his dragon scales. There was no way Lin Lei would let this panther land a hit on him now.
The mysterious black panther shot toward Lin Lei with a whoosh, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
"Whoosh."
At that moment, Lin Lei pressed himself flat against the snow-covered ground, lunging forward and diving straight beneath the leaping panther's belly. At the same time, his heavy sword thrust upward toward the panther's underside—
"Clang—"
Lin Lei's heavy sword collided with the panther's razor claws once more. The panther's body was bigger now, and though its speed had dropped slightly, the speed of its claw strikes remained terrifying.
"Whoosh!" That black panther tail, a full seven or eight meters long, tore through the air and whipped violently toward Lin Lei.
Lin Lei's right foot slammed against the ground, launching his body sideways toward a massive tree that would take three or four people to wrap their arms around. His legs kicked狠狠ly against the trunk—
"Crack!" The great tree snapped and crashed to the ground, its dense, thick branches tumbling down in a chaotic mess.
But Lin Lei was already diving at astonishing speed toward the mysterious black panther, both hands gripping the Black Ivory Heavy Sword as he hacked down from above at the panther's body.
"Sss~~" The sword plummeted at extreme speed, the Black Ivory Heavy Sword shrieking through the air with a piercing whistle.
Yet this time the giant black panther simply turned its head to look at Lin Lei, remaining completely motionless, letting Lin Lei's attack come. It was clear the panther understood that with its enlarged body, it could no longer dominate Lin Lei in speed.
"Whoosh~~"
The Black Ivory Heavy Sword in Lin Lei's hands suddenly became ethereal, as though weightless and devoid of force. The blade vibrated ceaselessly, yet its speed grew even faster.
"Thud!" The Black Ivory Heavy Sword struck the panther's body.
A flicker of surprise appeared in the originally cold and haughty eyes of the black panther, because the Black Ivory Heavy Sword carried no visible destructive force at all. Without a moment's hesitation, the panther whipped that long, slender black tail—seven or eight meters in length—straight at Lin Lei.
"Thunderclap Rush." Lin Lei's once calm eyes blazed like cracking lightning.
The black panther suddenly felt it—the Black Ivory Heavy Sword that had made contact with its back erupted with an absolutely terrifying burst of power, explosive and instantaneous, violent and blindingly fast, like a volcano erupting.
"Thud."
The panther's legs buckled, and its entire body sank significantly lower. Its sleek, glossy black fur rippled like waves in an instant.
"Roar~~" A trickle of blood escaped the corner of the panther's mouth.
This kind of attack—striking heavy as if it were light—was a masterful application of raw power and Battle Qi. It wasn't some clumsy hack or slash. The impact force detonated in an instant. Even though the panther's defense was terrifying and its fur could dissipate the majority of the impact on contact, a considerable amount of force still penetrated its body, rattling it and causing injury.
"Crack!"
That slender tail, lashing like a whip, slammed savagely into Lin Lei's body. The dragon scales around his waist shattered, and Lin Lei was sent flying through the air.
Just as he was about to crash into a tree, Lin Lei shot out his right hand. His fingers clamped onto the trunk like steel claws, and his body came to rest against the high part of the tree as casually as standing on flat ground.
"Sure enough, after its body grew larger, this panther's attack power increased significantly." Lin Lei glanced at the torn scales on his waist and the blood seeping through. In his mind, he now had a clear picture of the mysterious black panther's combat ability. "As for defense—that hasn't changed much."
After the transformation, this black panther's defense remained about the same, its speed had decreased, but its attack power had gone up.
"Looks like Thunderclap Rush is still effective." Lin Lei was quite satisfied with the results of that strike.
This panther's defense was fearsome. Even an explosive technique like Thunderclap Rush—its fur managed to dissipate most of the force, and not a single mark appeared on the coat itself.
If it had been a straightforward attack relying purely on physical strength or Battle Qi, it probably wouldn't have harmed the panther in the least.
"Time for magic."
Lin Lei began silently reciting his incantation. He was currently perched on a branch about thirty meters above the ground, while below, the black panther looked up at him with cold eyes. Seeing that Lin Lei had no intention of coming down, the peak ninth-level magic beast—its intelligence was extraordinary—immediately assessed the situation.
You won't come down? Then I'll go up!
"Whoosh." The giant panther, easily five meters tall, tapped its hind legs and launched itself directly toward Lin Lei. One leap carried it over thirty meters—a terrifying display of raw athleticism.
Lin Lei's mind was still as water.
Even as the massive panther sprang upward toward him, he continued chanting his spell. Only when it was close did he slap the tree trunk with his right hand, sending himself flying sideways at great speed.
The section of trunk he had struck splintered and broke apart.