A streak of golden light shot from Ji An's fingertip, aimed straight at the beast's eye. This time, however, he only used about forty percent of his strength.
The Firehorn Rhino's defense was terrifyingly tough, but its eyes weren't covered by scales.
The beast reacted with shocking speed. With just a slight tilt of its head, it shifted its vulnerable point out of harm's way.
The golden light struck its hard forehead instead, barely piercing its thick armored hide.
At that exact moment, the rhino's attack arrived. Fiery red filled Ji An's vision, a blazing torrent of fire-element energy rushing toward him. He could almost smell his own hair starting to burn.
A sheet of water-blue light shimmered into existence before him. Water Curtain Technique, released just in time, blocked the flood of fire.
Even as he retreated at top speed, Ji An triggered a talisman in his hand. A second water curtain flared into being, forming a double layer of defense.
Red and blue collided, fire and water clashing in violent opposition.
Ripples spread across the watery barrier, like a still lake struck by a boulder.
But the flames still couldn't pierce the seemingly thin sheet of water. Instead, the blaze rebounded, spilling back upon itself.
A heartbeat later, the beast's massive hooves slammed down. The first water curtain shattered like glass, exploding into fragments of spiritual light. Firelight scattered into dazzling hues.
The rhino's whole body gleamed snow-white, and its horn turned a glowing orange as it charged at the second barrier.
Ji An's pupils shrank. He instantly triggered another talisman and raised the Stone Turtle Shield before him.
He retreated again, his fingers weaving seals. A third Water Curtain Technique surged up before him.
The color of flame determined its power: red, yellow, blue, white, then purple.
Fire-element spells of Qi Refining usually burned red, like furnace flames. Orange, though between red and yellow, meant this beast was on the verge of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm.
Seriously? Ji An thought, half-exasperated. Barely joined the squad, and twice now I've run into beasts this strong. My luck is ridiculous.
Seeing Ji An calmly casting spells and activating talismans like flowing water, Jiang Qiuyue had been content to let him stall and wear down the beast's energy. But when she spotted the horn's color, she dropped the thought and immediately unleashed Cold Wind Technique.
The second water curtain shattered in a blink, exploding into motes of light. The Firehorn Rhino plowed headlong into the third barrier.
Its orange horn crashed against the watery shield, waves rippling outward. Yet the curtain held firm.
Even as the beast slammed against it, another sheet of rippling water spread before Ji An; his fourth Water Curtain was already ready.
A blast of frigid wind, ten feet wide, swept in. Frost spread faintly across the rhino's hide.
The beast bellowed in fury. It loathed this icy sensation.
As rage surged, its massive body swelled even larger, and the frost evaporated instantly.
Water subdued fire, but when the fire was overwhelming, a splash of water was nothing but fuel.
By now, Chen Moxuan had helped Tian Yulei stabilize their own fight. Rushing over, he also unleashed Cold Wind Technique.
Having noticed Ji An's dire situation earlier, he shouted,
"All-out attack! We've only got a few dozen breaths at most!"
The Firehorn Rhino opened its jaws wide, spewing a pillar of flame that met Chen's cold wind head-on, clashing evenly in midair.
But now it faced not one opponent; two more blasts of freezing wind struck from the side. The scorched-red ground hissed and cooled, a veil of steam rising.
Chu He drove his heavy artifact downward, slamming hard into the rhino's nose beneath its horn.
Firehorn Rhinos had almost no weak points aside from their eyes and the narrow passage beneath their tails.
But the nose, right under the horn, was what people called a weak spot that wasn't a weak spot. If struck with overwhelming force, it was the most likely place to deal critical damage.
"Now!"
Ji An surged forward from behind his curtain of water, his Geng Metal Finger charged to full.
The beast howled in pain, instinctively opening its mouth. For just an instant, its massive head froze in place.
That moment was all Ji An needed.
The golden light condensed into a beam as thick as his little finger, brimming with unmatched sharpness, and shot straight into the rhino's eye. This time, it could not evade.
The beast leapt wildly, thrashing like a maddened bull, then crashed heavily to the ground.
"Beautiful! Next one!"
Chen Moxuan cheered, thrilled by the flawless timing. A strike like that, off by even a heartbeat, would have given the beast enough time to react.
With the strongest Firehorn Rhino slain, taking down the other one would tip the scales of victory entirely in their favor.
By now, the herd was less than a mile away.
The five of them surged forward together, sparing no Cold Wind Talismans, determined to finish off the second Qi Refining ninth-layer rhino before the herd reached them.
"Fight as you fall back!"
Chen Moxuan shouted, his spirits soaring. Once they eliminated the three rhinos at the seventh layer, the rest of the herd would be nothing to fear.
Firehorn Rhinos were notoriously hot-tempered. Seeing a companion killed only drove them into greater frenzy, making them fight to the death.
That nature cut both ways: against weaker foes, it meant relentless pursuit, often ending in slaughter. But if the opponent was stronger, such fury often doomed the entire herd.
The others' faces shone with excitement. The second ninth-layer rhino was dealt with swiftly, saving them a good number of talismans. Now, the squad had the capital to play this fight at their own pace.
Suddenly, Chu He caught sight of several black dots in the sky above, no more than a dozen or so yards away.
Focusing, he realized it was four people, their faces wrapped in gray cloth!
His expression hardened, and he gave a sharp, rapid warning whistle:
"Right flank! Someone's approaching on spirit birds!"
The newcomers clearly heard him. One of them let out a strange, mocking laugh:
"Fortune smiles on us today, brothers! Once the beasts crash in, we'll take our time carving them up!"
Chen Moxuan's heart sank. With the beast horde already charging and now enemies lurking in the skies, this was dangerous.
The others' faces darkened as well. This was the worst kind of situation, having to split attention between the herd below and the ambushers above. One mistake could mean death.
Even if they managed to kill every Firehorn Rhino, they might not have the strength left to handle these scavenger cultivators.
Ji An's eyes flashed. Forming a hand seal, he released Minor Rain Technique.
White clouds swirled into being, spreading wide, and with a steady patter, spiritual rain began to fall.
He cast the spell again. Two banks of clouds merged, a heavy curtain of rain shielding them all.
You can use it like that?
Chen Moxuan's eyes lit with sudden admiration. He couldn't help but marvel at his junior's creativity.
A simple planting spell, turned into a weapon to alter the weather, thick gray mist cloaked everything, making it impossible for enemies in the sky to see clearly. Without vision, ambushes became meaningless.
But… just how big was this cloud?
No words were needed. Everyone instinctively pressed into the cover of the rain.
Better to let enemies band together than fight on two fronts. This was the iron rule of seasoned beast-hunting squads.
The would-be robbers froze midair, stunned. With the view below completely obscured, how were they supposed to interfere?
One of them, a gaunt cultivator, refused to accept that his prize had slipped away. Spurring his talisman bird, he dove sharply, trying to snatch one last chance to strike.
A black iron shield strapped across his chest, he guided his flying sword down in a gleaming arc straight toward Ji An, who was lagging at the rear.
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