The sky hung in tense silence.
Wind rolled slowly across the ruined clouds.
Below, the fox stood on a shattered ridge of stone, her turquoise eyes shifting between the two figures hovering above the battlefield.
Both were injured.
Both were exhausted.
Yet neither showed the slightest intention of retreating.
High above—
The demonic cultivator wiped the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth. His expression was no longer playful. The wild grin from earlier had vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating stare.
The poison still circulated through his meridians.
He could feel it clearly.
Every movement forced the toxin deeper into his body.
His mind raced.
*If I continue fighting recklessly… the poison will eventually cripple me.*
His gaze sharpened as it locked onto the lizard.
*But it doesn't intend to let me leave…*
A faint smile slowly crept across his face again.
Then another thought surfaced—
*Such a creature may never appear again in this lifetime.*
Across from him, lightning crackled weakly around the lizard's body. The Blood Fury Mountain Tyrant Physique had already faded, the explosive strength it granted slowly receding.
But his golden eyes remained calm.
Watching.
Calculating.
The lizard could hear it clearly.
The cultivator's heartbeat.
Slower now.
Strained.
The poison was working.
But it wasn't working fast enough.
*If he recovers and manages to escape…*
The lizard's claws flexed slightly in the air.
*…it will be such a waste.*
Below, the fox suddenly sent a voice transmission.
**"Little White… we don't need to keep fighting."**
Her tone was serious.
**"The poison will eventually kill him. If we drag this out and escape, he'll die on his own."**
The lizard didn't respond immediately.
The cultivator suddenly spoke.
"You think you've won?"
His voice carried clearly across the sky.
He slowly raised one hand.
Golden energy began gathering again—far denser than before.
The fox's ears flattened instantly.
"…That's bad."
The cultivator's eyes burned with ruthless resolve.
"If I don't leave today… that poison might truly kill me."
Golden qi surged violently around him.
"So I only have one choice."
His aura exploded outward like a collapsing star.
"Kill you before that happens."
The sky trembled again.
This time—
He was no longer holding anything back.
A massive golden formation appeared behind him, runes igniting one after another like burning suns.
The fox's eyes widened.
"…A core technique."
Even she could feel it.
This attack would be on an entirely different level.
The cultivator raised both hands.
Golden light gathered into a massive spear above him—far larger than the previous one.
Its pressure crushed the air for hundreds of meters.
The cultivator stared directly at the lizard.
"Let me see…"
"…if you can survive **this**."
The spear began to descend.
But before it could fully fall—
The lizard moved.
Not forward.
Not upward.
Instead—
His wings folded slightly.
Lightning flickered faintly around his body.
Then—
He vanished.
The cultivator's eyes widened.
"What—"
The next instant—
The lizard appeared directly **behind him**.
Not through lightning.
Not through wind.
But through pure speed.
The cultivator turned instantly—
But he was already too late.
The lizard's jaws slammed down toward his neck.
CRUNCH!
The protective golden barrier shattered like glass beneath the bite.
The cultivator's eyes widened in shock.
*How—*
Then he realized.
The storm earlier.
The lightning serpent.
The massive attacks.
All of it had been meant for one purpose.
To make him believe the lizard would continue fighting with overwhelming techniques.
Instead—
The creature had quietly shifted tactics.
Predator tactics.
The lizard's claws dug into the cultivator's shoulders, locking him in place as lightning erupted across his body.
Blue fire ignited from the lizard's maw at point-blank range.
The cultivator roared in fury.
Golden energy exploded outward violently as he tried to break free.
Below, the fox stared upward in shock.
"…He went for the throat."
The sky exploded with lightning again.
And this time—
Neither of them held anything back.
The battle had turned into a **pure killing struggle**.
And only one of them would leave the sky alive.
The heavens roared with thunder.
Lightning cracked violently across the clouds as the lizard clamped down harder, his claws locking onto the demonic cultivator's shoulders like iron hooks.
Blue fire erupted from his maw at point-blank range.
The cultivator roared in fury.
Golden qi exploded outward as he forced the flames away, his spirit-grade artifact spinning violently around him like a blazing shield.
"You beast—!"
Before he could finish—
The lizard moved again.
A deep growl rumbled from his chest as his body twisted sharply.
His tail snapped forward.
The black scales flickered with lightning, compressing into a single piercing spike.
Then—
**THRUST.**
The spike punched forward.
Straight through the cultivator's abdomen.
Blood burst into the air.
The cultivator's pupils shrank.
For a brief moment, his energy faltered.
But a Golden Core cultivator was still a Golden Core cultivator.
Even gravely injured—
He retaliated instantly.
Golden energy surged violently through his meridians as he prepared to unleash a devastating counterattack.
But suddenly—
Two massive jade-green blades tore through the sky.
They descended like falling mountains.
The fox had moved.
Her eyes were sharp and cold as she controlled the blades with both hands.
"Little White—move!"
The blades crashed down.
The cultivator's eyes flashed with rage.
"You dare interfere?!"
His spirit tool instantly responded.
The golden artifact flashed across the sky, colliding with the jade blades in a violent explosion of qi.
The fox skidded slightly through the air from the backlash, but her lips curved faintly.
Because that attack—
Had never been meant to kill him.
The cultivator suddenly felt something.
A faint prick.
Right between his brows.
His eyes widened.
*When—*
A thin silver needle had already pierced straight into his head.
The fox's fingers were still raised from where she had flicked it.
Her voice was calm.
Almost amused.
"Well… we can't let you get too desperate and make a stupid decision that might harm us now, can we?"
The cultivator's body froze.
The needle itself wasn't powerful.
But it had been aimed perfectly—
Right at the point where his spiritual energy circulated through his mind.
For just a split second—
His control over his qi wavered.
And that was all the opening the lizard needed.
The lizard's golden eyes gleamed coldly.
Lightning erupted violently across his body.
His jaws opened wide again—
And this time—
They bit down completely.
CRUNCH.
The cultivator's protective qi shattered.
Blood sprayed across the sky.
The fox watched calmly.
Her voice soft.
"You should just die peacefully."
The cultivator's body trembled violently.
His Golden Core energy tried to surge one final time—
But the poison…
The wound…
The lightning tearing through his meridians…
Everything struck him at once.
His aura collapsed.
The storm clouds slowly quieted.
For a moment—
The sky fell silent.
The lizard slowly released his bite, blood dripping from his maw as he hovered there.
Below—
The fox exhaled softly.
"…What a troublesome Golden Core."
Then her ears twitched slightly.
Her gaze lifted toward the sky again.
Because even now—
She still wasn't completely certain…
Whether he was truly dead.