The loud crashing sounds from behind made Chang Long realize that the Beast King Jezebel was already in pursuit, moving much faster than she had anticipated. In re monts, Jezebel was nearly close enough to grab her. Realizing there was no hope of reaching the Guardian Fire, Chang Long shot upward, aiming to fly through the thick canopy of the Purple Forest and escape outside. But it seed Jezebel had anticipated this. Even though Chang Long had flown beyond Jezebel's imdiate reach, the Beast King grinned wickedly and pointed her slender finger. A dark purple-black beam shot out, incinerating everything it touched in a flash of matching flas. Chang Long's eyes widened in terror as she frantically weaved through the air, narrowly avoiding the deadly beam. To her surprise, she found herself flying with a dexterity she had not expected, managing to evade Jezebel's attacks with only a hair's breadth to spare each ti. Finally, she broke through the treetops and escaped the Purple Forest.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Chang Long was glad she had managed to get away. Outside the forest, the sun was setting, painting the entire sky in shades of red. Most of the beasts in the grassy fields below had already disappeared, replaced by nocturnal creatures. Hovering above the Purple Forest, Chang Long waited cautiously, hoping that Jezebel might grow tired of waiting and leave. If that happened, she could return to retrieve her Sovereign Sword. However, the unsettling silence below made Chang Long uneasy. Jezebel had not left, yet she was not attacking either. Why was she not making a move? Maybe, she was waiting for nightfall. Or perhaps she was preparing to cast so powerful skill that required a long incantation? Or maybe…
Rumbleeee!
Chang Long's heart nearly stopped as Jezebel suddenly burst through the treetops in front of her, ripping apart dozens of trees in the process, leaving a massive hole. The Beast King smiled nacingly and pointed her finger toward Chang Long, sending her fleeing back down to the forest. But this ti what she saw startled her, Jezebel's massive hand reached up from below and grabbed her with terrifying precision.
Thankfully, she had managed to retract her wings just in ti—otherwise, she feared they would have been crippled beyond use. Even so, Jezebel's grip was crushing, causing Chang Long's health to plumt by 60% in an instant.
"I expected more from you, human. I thought you'd be more fun to play with!"
Jezebel taunted, squeezing Chang Long harder, her bones cracking audibly. As Chang Long's health drained further and her consciousness began to fade, she desperately rembered the one skill that could save her in this dire situation.
"Dinsional Shift!"
Chang Long shouted aloud, and in the blink of an eye, her body vanished from the grasp of the Beast King Jezebel. Jezebel, montarily stunned, stared at her now empty hand in confusion, unable to believe her eyes. anwhile, not far from where Jezebel stood, a weary figure materialized, accompanied by a faint blue-white fla. That figure was Chang Long, panting heavily from exhaustion, but she had narrowly escaped Jezebel's clutches. She quickly pulled out a blood crystal to consu and regain so health to continue her journey toward where she had left her sword, following the remnants of the Tornado Wing's trail.
Chang Long sprinted with all her might along the path she hoped would lead to the Guardian Fire. But no matter how far she ran, there was no sign of clearing or the fire. She knew that if she continued like this, Jezebel would eventually find her again, and with the Dinsional Shift skill on cooldown, she would have to die this ti round.
"If only I had listened to Kimhant and gone to see Brother Jie earlier,"
Chang Long muttered tiredly as she kept running, even though her body scread for rest. Her thoughts drifted to the small cabin atop the mountain where Miracle Doctor Zhang Yijie lived, the herbal garden, the waterfall, and the Shape-shifting Pills.
"That's it. The Shape-shifting Pills!"
She suddenly rembered. That was the solution to her current predicant. Chang Long hurriedly rummaged through her bag and found the wooden box containing the Shape-shifting Pills that Doctor Zhang had given her as compensation for when his tiger, Tai Yand, had scared her by holding her away in his mouth while she was in her child form.
There was only one way to avoid detection in the Purple Forest—she had to blend in with the beasts. She looked around at the creatures lurking in the shadows and found herself drawn to a large, black skeleton. In the darkness, it was almost invisible, and none of the other beasts seed to want to ss with it. Chang Long quickly stowed away her Guiding Fla and popped a Shape-shifting Pill into her mouth, focusing on the image of the black skeleton. A bright light flashed around her, and in an instant, her body transford into a black skeleton, just like the one that had been staring at her in confusion monts before.
Though the beasts around her seed slightly perplexed, none of them paid her any more attention. They resud their aimless shuffling, dragging their lifeless bodies as if nothing had happened. Chang Long now walked safely and unnoticed among them in the dark. In the distance, the sound of crashing trees echoed, and she guessed that Jezebel was still rampaging, searching for her. Judging by the wailing cries of the undead beasts, it seed Jezebel was attacking anything in her way. Chang Long quickened her pace, trying to get as far away from Jezebel's location as possible.
When she was alone, she practically ran, but when she encountered groups of undead beasts, she mimicked their aimless wandering to avoid drawing attention. She knew she had limited ti—the Shape-shifting Pill would only last an hour, and she had to make the most of it.
"Spirit Summoning, Devi-chan,"
Chang Long whispered, activating her skill. Devi-chan appeared from the soul tablet, recoiling in shock when he saw his summoner had turned into a skeleton.
"I… Is that really you, missy?"
Devi-chan asked, pointing a trembling finger at Chang Long's skeletal form. He wondered if his dreams of her becoming the Supre King was still possible now that she had transford into a skeleton.
"Uh-huh, it's . Why so surprised? I used a Shape-shifting Pill! Now, help out, Devi-chan. I'm starting to lose track—the Tornado Wing's trail is nearly gone,"
Chang Long explained while glancing around. Despite the muted colors, she realized her skeletal form gave her clearer vision in the dim environnt.
"Um… This form is only temporary, right?"
Devi-chan asked. While he admitted that skeletal Chang Long looked cool, he preferred her original form.
"Of course. There's no way I'm staying like this forever."
Chang Long snapped irritably. Devi-chan chuckled and floated off to scout the path ahead. Soon after, he returned to guide her, chatting with her to keep her company as they headed toward the Guardian Fire. Nearly an hour passed, and at last, Chang Long reached the Guardian Fire. But to her shock, Jezebel was waiting there.
The Beast King Jezebel turned to look at Chang Long's black skeleton form with mild curiosity. Normally, black skeletons resided in the deeper parts of the forest, but she did not seem to dwell on it much. Instead, she greeted Chang Long and imdiately asked about the one human Jezebel was convinced had not escaped the Purple Forest.
"You there, skeleton. Have you seen a human in this forest?"
Jezebel asked Chang Long in her skeletal form. Chang Long glanced around, unsure of how to respond. She was not even sure if the beasts in the Purple Forest were capable of speech.
"Don't just stand there dumbfounded. I know you can't speak, so... if you've seen the human, nod. If you haven't, shake your head!"
Jezebel commanded sternly. Chang Long quickly shook her head in response.
"What? I thought that human would co back here. You should've crossed paths with them on your way,"
Jezebel muttered in frustration. She had been certain that Chang Long would return, but now it seed she had disappeared without a trace.
Devi-chan glanced nervously at Jezebel, then back at Chang Long, only to be utterly shocked. Chang Long's form was beginning to change—the Shape-shifting Pill was wearing off as its ti limit approached. Her skeletal body was starting to show patches of flesh. Thankfully, Jezebel had not noticed the transformation yet.
"Missy, you're turning back to your original form."
Devi-chan warned in a panic. Chang Long quickly looked down at herself, realizing that her body now resembled a decomposing corpse, with patches of skin peeling off her black skeleton.
"This is bad. I don't even know if the pill has a cooldown."
Chang Long quickly checked the status of the Shape-shifting Pill and discovered, to her dismay, that it had a cooldown of one whole day. She needed to retreat from this area imdiately and stay off the ground, or else once she reverted to her human form, the other beasts would attack her anyway. Glancing nervously at the Beast King Jezebel, Chang Long began to carefully back away, hoping to slip out of sight and climb a tree as fast as possible.
Snap!
A dry twig underfoot shattered Chang Long's hopes in an instant. Jezebel whipped around, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she studied Chang Long's skeletal form.
"Are you alright, skeleton? You seem different."
Chang Long shook her head so quickly that her bony skull almost flew off her neck. She knew she looked absurdly horrendous, but that was not the point. The real fear was getting discovered by a Beast King as powerful as Jezebel, at level 130.
As Chang Long continued to back away, she rummaged through her bag for anything useful. Her hand grabbed a giant chili pepper she had obtained after killing the Paprika Rabbits. She sighed in despair, knowing there was nothing useful left in her inventory. Still, she checked the status of the chili since she had already pulled it out.
"Giant Chili Pepper: Enhances the power of fire-elent beasts, tripling the strength of their fire attacks. Side effect: Extrely spicy!"
Chang Long read the description under her breath, considering her options when, suddenly, her body began to glow brightly.
All the undead creatures, including Jezebel, turned to stare at Chang Long in unison. She stood there, her face pale but her eyes resolute. She quickly summoned the Guiding Fla again, keeping the other undead beasts at bay. Jezebel, initially stunned, soon broke into a wicked grin.
"Quite the trickster, human. I like it!"
Jezebel said coldly, her beautiful but terrifying eyes locking onto Chang Long.
"You've got your surprises too. But of course, you're a level 130 Beast King, after all. If I didn't have a few tricks up my sleeve, I'd be eting the Reaper by now."
"Spirit Summoning Hisa-chan. Unseal Kitsune."
Chang Long replied calmly, though internally, she was trembling. At least if she could have Hisa-chan possessed her, she might be able to fight her.
As soon as Kitsune erged from the ring, he hissed. Chang Long picked him up and deliberately walked toward the Guardian Fire. Jezebel watched her with a look of suspicion, puzzled by the sudden surge of bravery in the human. However, the proud Beast King did not pay it much mind. She knew that she was far more powerful than the human standing before her. With a dismissive smirk, Jezebel regarded Chang Long with overconfidence, thinking it would be easy to defeat her. After all, the only thing Chang Long had summoned was a small, seemingly insignificant fox.
"You really think standing your ground will let you defeat ?"
The Beast King Jezebel spoke in a calm, even tone, her eyes fixed on Chang Long, who now stood defiantly instead of running away like she had during their first encounter. This change stirred a slight unease within Jezebel.
"Running wouldn't help anyway. I might as well fight you and gain so experience. It's not every day you get to face a high-level Beast King one-on-one,"
Chang Long replied with a smile. Indeed, why should she panic or run when she had a chance of defeating Jezebel and leveling up dramatically? If she failed, the worst that would happen was losing a level.
"Bold words... I like your courage!"
Jezebel said with a wicked grin, releasing a dark and malevolent aura that quickly enveloped the clearing. Chang Long wasted no ti; she quickly shoved the giant, bright red chili pepper into Kitsune's mouth, ordering him to chew and swallow despite his reluctance. The surrounding undead creatures, sensing that their queen was about to fight seriously, retreated hundreds of ters away. Jezebel's dark aura continued to spread, filling the entire area with a suffocating sense of evil.
Fwoosh!
Kitsune turned bright red, sweating profusely, but now brimming with overwhelming energy, ready to unleash it at any mont. Unable to hold back any longer, the fox spat out a massive golden fireball, accompanied by a silent cry of agony that no one could hear (It's so spicy!). The fireball flew straight toward the Guardian Fire, and unlike before, there was no delay. As soon as Kitsune's flas touched the wood, the Guardian Fire blazed to life instantly, burning brightly.
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