Along with the thunder beast's low growl, the azure clouds in the sky seemed drawn by some invisible force, churning and roiling. Then, before the dumbfounded eyes of everyone present, the clouds actually transformed into the shape of an inverted funnel, frantically pouring into the Silver Night Thunder Beast's body.
In the span of just three breaths, the azure clouds that had been blanketing the sky vanished entirely, all of them absorbed into the Silver Night Thunder Beast.
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed at the sight, every hair on his body standing on end. Although the Silver Night Thunder Beast appeared unchanged on the surface, he could faintly sense a dangerous aura emanating from within it.
Meanwhile, Wang Yuhan and Shen Fanlei, who had been planning to rush in for the kill while the beast was motionless, had already closed in on the demon beast. But before either of them could unleash any killing move, the Silver Night Thunder Beast suddenly fixed them with its enormous eyes—a gaze carrying an almost human-like contempt and mockery.
In the next instant, a terrifying pressure erupted from within the Silver Night Thunder Beast, as if absorbing the azure clouds had drastically boosted its power.
Only now did Wang Yuhan finally realize something was wrong. He barked a low shout: "Not good!"
His body spun, and from within him, palm-sized diamond-shaped energy shields shot out one after another, densely surrounding him on all sides. Shen Fanlei also sensed the danger—lightning crackled around him, forming what appeared to be a suit of lightning armor, looking incredibly imposing.
But the Silver Night Thunder Beast paid them no heed. It simply flickered and vanished in a streak of lightning. In the next moment, Wang Yuhan's muffled grunt and Shen Fanlei's furious roar rang out simultaneously. Both were sent crashing down from the sky by a tremendous force, as if struck by a devastating blow.
Every single one of Wang Yuhan's diamond-shaped energy shields had been shattered to dust, and Shen Fanlei's lightning armor had dimmed instantly. It was clearly visible that both their faces had gone deathly pale as they simultaneously sprayed a mist of blood—apparently severely injured.
This entire turn of events unfolded in the blink of an eye. Shen Shitao and Lü Ying, who had been lurking below and ready to act, watched it all with ashen faces, letting out cries of alarm. Their resolve to join the fight evaporated in an instant. Both shot forward, each catching one of the fallen fighters to check on their injuries.
In midair, the beast's shadow flickered, and the Silver Night Thunder Beast that had vanished earlier reappeared. This time, it cast a cold glance at Yang Yan, who was standing by the Thunder Pool using her methods to collect the Thunder Liquid. A flash of anger crossed its beastly eyes, its body swayed, and it vanished once more.
Its power had indeed increased dramatically after absorbing the azure clouds.
Yang Yan stood her ground, but her instincts still registered a sliver of danger. Red light flickered across her body's surface as a protective layer materialized almost instantly. The moment the barrier formed, it shattered. In the void, the phantom of the Silver Night Thunder Beast flickered in and out of view—so fast that Yang Yan could barely track it.
Her face paled slightly, though she quickly composed herself.
Just as the Silver Night Thunder Beast was about to strike her down, Yang Kai suddenly appeared before Yang Yan, throwing a fist wreathed in demonic flame into the empty air.
A thunderous boom erupted. The shockwave rolled outward as Yang Kai was sent flying backward, snatching Yang Yan up as he went. The vanished Silver Night Thunder Beast let out a low growl and reappeared, seemingly unsteady on its feet—its massive body staggering backward, its four powerful claws gouging visible marks into the air.
The moment it steadied itself, it let out a thunderous roar. A massive sphere of lightning materialized in its maw, and with a slight flick of its head, the sphere hurtled toward Yang Kai with tremendous momentum.
Yang Kai's expression was solemn. A golden thread shot from his fingertip and in an instant expanded into a vast golden net, enveloping the lightning sphere and slicing into it. Before the sphere could reach him, it burst apart under the external force, countless tiny lightning serpents pouring out and dissipating into heaven and earth.
The golden thread passed through the area of writhing lightning serpents and struck directly at the Silver Night Thunder Beast, piercing toward its body like a sharp blade.
A soft sound rang out as brilliant sparks erupted from the Silver Night Thunder Beast's surface. The incredibly sharp golden thread failed to pierce straight through—the scales covering its body blocked it, and the thread penetrated less than three inches before losing all its momentum.
Yang Kai seemed to have anticipated this. He stared coldly at the Silver Night Thunder Beast, and a lotus bud about to bloom appeared serenely within his eyes. This Silver Night Thunder Beast was quite extraordinary, and its cultivation realm was far above his own. If Yang Kai wanted a quick victory, he had no choice but to unleash his trump card.
The Silver Night Thunder Beast saw the lotus and instinctively sensed danger. Panic and unease filled its beastly eyes. It no longer dared to meet Yang Kai's gaze, and with a flick of its body, it plunged into the Thunder Pool and vanished.
Ripples spread across the Thunder Pool, and the place fell silent once more.
It had fled without even fighting, which greatly surprised Yang Kai.
But Yang Kai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. In truth, he didn't want to fight the Silver Night Thunder Beast to the death at a time like this. The beast retreating of its own accord was undoubtedly the best possible outcome. Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai wouldn't have let a ninth-rank thunder beast slip away either.
Over there, Shen Shitao and Lü Ying had just helped the injured Wang Yuhan and Shen Fanlei back to their feet. Glancing over, they saw the Silver Night Thunder Beast slinking away in disarray. The sight left them dumbstruck—they had no idea what Yang Kai had done to frighten off such a creature.
They exchanged bewildered glances, unsettled and uncertain.
At that moment, Yang Yan quietly passed a small object to Yang Kai, then leaned close and whispered something in his ear.