Chapter 12: You are the one who takes care of this dog

Luo Qingchen nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“That’s right. Didn’t you say you’ve followed the Ancestor for 300 years? With three hundred years of cultivation, taking down four middle Foundation Establishment magical beasts should be a walk in the park, right?”

Xiao Bai’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“I am a freaking treasure-hunting spirit beast!”

He spun around in circles, frantic.

“I’m just a dog!”

“My usual job is finding herbs, digging up spirit stones, and at most, helping track down enemies!”

“You want me to go into melee combat with four monsters covered in scales?”

“You might as well just stew me right now. There isn’t much difference between feeding them or feeding you guys!”

Xiao Bai barked furiously at Luo Qingchen, his temper flaring.

Luo Qingchen made a clicking sound with her tongue and tapped Xiao Bai on the head with the hilt of her blade.

“Don’t get so worked up. It’s not like I’m asking you to kill them.”

“You’re fast. Your job is to lure those four away and lead them in circles through the woods.”

“Once Senior Sister and I finish things on this side, we’ll go and back you up.”

Xiao Bai stopped his barking.

He looked at Luo Qingchen suspiciously.

‘Just lead them in circles? I don’t have to bite them?’

“No need.”

“Then can you guys hurry up? This dog’s physical strength is limited; I can’t run for that long.”

“Rest assured, Senior Sister’s sword is very fast.”

Luo Qingchen patted her chest in a guarantee.

Xiao Bai hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Ling Xiyue.

Ling Xiyue didn’t look at him; she merely unsheathed her Green Scale Sword by 1 inch.

A teal sword intent pulsed at the mouth of the scabbard.

Xiao Bai swallowed hard.

“Fine. This dog will put his life on the line today.”

Seeing that the plan was settled, Ling Xiyue flicked her wrist, and the Green Scale Sword let out a clear, high-pitched ring.

Teal sword intent flowed along the blade.

She pushed off with her toes, her figure gliding gracefully out of the woods and straight toward the riverbank.

By the river, eight Scale-Horned Beasts currently gnawing on white bones stopped their movements simultaneously.

They turned their heads in unison, their dull yellow vertical pupils staring intently at the intruder who had barged into their territory.

Low growls vibrated in their throats.

Ling Xiyue was about to swing her sword when her footsteps suddenly jerked to a halt.

She stared fixedly at the two Scale-Horned Beasts in the center of the pack, which were significantly larger than the others.

The scales on these two beasts were not dull red; instead, they gave off a strange, purplish-black hue.

As they stood up, a violent pressure instantly swept across the surroundings.

Early Core Formation!

Ling Xiyue clenched her back teeth.

‘I must be going crazy.’

‘I actually believed the nonsense of a dog!’

Didn’t he say they were all middle Foundation Establishment?

Ordinarily, if she were at her peak, dealing with these two early Core Formation magical beasts wouldn’t be much of a problem.

But she still had internal injuries left by a peak Core Formation expert, and her spiritual energy circulation was extremely sluggish.

Ling Xiyue took a deep breath and shouted without looking back.

“There are two at the early Core Formation stage!”

“I can only stall these two!”

“Figure out the rest yourselves! I’ll come to support you once I’ve dealt with them!”

Before her voice had even faded, she had already charged forward with her sword, forcibly separating the two purplish-black Scale-Horned Beasts from the pack.

Standing at the edge of the woods, Luo Qingchen felt her scalp go numb upon hearing those words.

Early Core Formation?

‘Is this dog’s nose just for decoration!’

She turned her head and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Xiao Bai! The situation has changed!”

“Pull five of them!”

“Did you hear me? Pull five!”

There was no response.

Luo Qingchen looked down and saw that the ground beside her was empty.

The Samoyed was nowhere to be seen.

She hurriedly looked into the distance.

In the forest several hundred meters away, a white ball of fur was sprinting at an exaggerated speed.

His four short legs were moving so fast they were practically smoking.

Tightly following behind Xiao Bai’s rear were four Scale-Horned Beasts with blood-red eyes.

“Luo Qingchen, you really aren’t human! You’re the one who should be the dog!”

Xiao Bai cursed loudly as he ran.

His voice echoed through the forest, sounding incredibly wretched.

“This dog has been royally screwed by you!”

“Just you wait! If this dog makes it back alive, I’m going to bite your underwear to shreds!”

Luo Qingchen’s lips twitched twice.

That damn dog certainly ran fast.

But here was the problem.

Xiao Bai had pulled four away, and Ling Xiyue was stalling two.

Two middle Foundation Establishment Scale-Horned Beasts remained on the scene.

They didn’t chase Xiao Bai, nor did they help their leaders.

Instead, they turned their heads and set their sights on Luo Qingchen, who was standing at the edge of the woods.

The two Scale-Horned Beasts lowered their bodies, their front claws digging deep furrows into the ground.

Foul-smelling saliva dripped from the corners of their mouths.

Luo Qingchen swallowed hard.

She gripped the Five Elements Blade in her hand.

Running was definitely not an option; it was obvious that her two legs couldn’t outrun their four legs, especially when their cultivation was higher than hers.

She could only steel herself and face them.

“Come on then!”

Luo Qingchen shouted to embolden herself.

She mobilized the spiritual energy within her Dantian, pouring all of it into her legs.

The techniques of *Ghost Cry, God Wail* flashed through her mind.

The Scale-Horned Beast on the left was the first to strike.

Its back legs exerted sudden force, its massive body transforming into a red blur as it lunged straight for Luo Qingchen’s face.

Its bloody maw opened, revealing a mess of jagged fangs.

Luo Qingchen did not retreat.

She suddenly ducked low, using her right leg as an axis to spin like a top for half a turn.

The Scale-Horned Beast flew past, narrowly missing the top of her head.

A foul wind brushed her face.

Luo Qingchen seized the opportunity, swinging the Five Elements Blade upward in a sweeping motion.

*Clang!*

A piercing sound of metal striking metal rang out.

The edge of the Five Elements Blade slid across the scales on the beast’s abdomen, sending up a long trail of sparks.

Luo Qingchen felt a numbing sensation in the webbing of her thumb; the dagger nearly flew out of her hand.

Using the force of the recoil, she took three continuous steps back to create distance.

She looked down.

The beast’s abdomen only showed a shallow white mark.

The skin hadn’t even broken!

“Are you kidding me!”

Luo Qingchen cursed under her breath.

“What did this thing grow up eating? Its hide is so thick!”

Although the Five Elements Blade was a spiritual tool and incredibly sharp, her own cultivation was too low.

With the spiritual energy of the early Foundation Establishment stage, she couldn’t fully exert the power of the dagger.

Against a middle Foundation Establishment magical beast, it was like she was just giving it a shave!

Before she could catch her breath, the Scale-Horned Beast on the right charged.

It didn’t lunge; instead, it lowered its head, using the two curved short horns on its skull to ram toward Luo Qingchen’s waist.

Luo Qingchen quickly utilized her movement technique.

Stepping with a bizarre rhythm, her body twisted into an almost impossible angle.

The short horns grazed her clothes, tearing away a large piece of fabric.

Luo Qingchen took the chance to raise her hand, stabbing the Five Elements Blade fiercely toward the beast’s neck.

*Ding!*

Another crisp sound.

The tip of the dagger pressed against the scales, unable to penetrate even half an inch further.

The Scale-Horned Beast jerked its head.

The massive force sent Luo Qingchen flying.

Luo Qingchen flipped in mid-air and landed on her feet, sliding back another 15 meters before she stabilized herself.

She panted heavily, her chest heaving.

The strength and defense of these two monsters far exceeded her expectations.

A direct confrontation was definitely out of the question.

She could only rely on her footwork and the techniques of *Ghost Cry, God Wail* to dance around them.

Luo Qingchen changed her tactics.

She stopped attacking proactively and instead used the terrain and her footwork to dodge constantly.

When a beast lunged, she would sidestep and leave a slash on its body in passing.

When a beast rammed her, she would use the force against it, parrying with her dagger to deflect the attack.

*Clang! Ding! Clank!*

The sound of metal clashing rang out continuously along the riverbank.

Luo Qingchen was like a slippery loach, weaving left and right under the pincer attacks of the two Scale-Horned Beasts.

The Five Elements Blade in her hand danced frantically.

One slash, two slashes, ten slashes, a hundred slashes.

She pushed her “shaving” strategy to the limit.

Although each strike only left a white mark or cut through a tiny bit of the surface skin, the sheer number of hits added up.

The two Scale-Horned Beasts grew increasingly agitated by her slippery fighting style.

They roared repeatedly, their attacks becoming more and more disorganized.