Chapter 334: Terrifying Recovery

Little Green Snake rapidly grew in size, expanding from merely thumb-thick into a massive creature dozens of meters long. Its edges shimmered with pale golden scales under sunlight, resembling a perfect large-scale artwork that made Little Green appear both terrifying and sacred.
The Four-Star Elephant King stood over ten meters tall. As it walked through the forest, even small trees couldn’t conceal its enormous frame.
Little Green confronted the three Elephant Kings head-on.
A rare battle between Four-Star monster beasts commenced. Having undergone Jiang Li’s training and bloodline development, Little Green could no longer be considered an ordinary Four-Star contract beast. In actual combat, it could fight against two Four-Star monster beasts simultaneously.
The Bone-Winged White Tiger was similar – possessing the bloodline of Qiongqi, a legendary immortal beast from the celestial realm that brought ancestral glory.
Little Green raised its head proudly, weaving through the elephant herd like a swimming dragon to engage the three Elephant Kings, while the Bone-Winged White Tiger dealt with the remaining Sabertooth Elephants.
The three Elephant Kings resembled small mountains, their massive bodies creating tremors with each step. Their tusks functioned like divine blades, slicing through trees, splitting the earth, and stirring up dust – leaving disaster in their wake.
In a moment of carelessness, Little Green got cornered by two Elephant Kings, their tusks nearly piercing straight through its body. Sensing danger, it let out a long cry and released draconic blood pressure, startling the three Elephant Kings into retreating several thundering steps backward.
Extending two dragon claws, Little Green viciously tore through thick elephant hide, exposing gushing crimson blood. The Elephant King’s blood proved corrosive, sizzling upon contact with the ground as it burned away all vegetation, leaving behind a small patch of barren wasteland devoid of life. Even Little Green’s claws suffered burns.
Despite continuous blood loss, the Elephant King recklessly charged at Little Green. Strangely, as its blood diminished, its strength increased!
The other two Elephant Kings flanked Little Green, provoking its fury. Executing a Blue Dragon Tail Whip technique, it smashed the tusks clean off one Elephant King, sending the massive beast crashing down. Sabertooth Elephants’ bodies were too cumbersome – once fallen, they required several minutes to struggle upright.
Little Green then coiled its elongated body around another Elephant King’s neck. The enraged beast thrashed wildly, attempting to dislodge the nuisance. This posed no threat as Little Green tightened its grip until – crack! – the Elephant King’s neck snapped cleanly.
With two Elephant Kings defeated, only the blood-strengthened one remained. Little Green chose direct physical combat – the most primitive yet authentic method for monster beasts.
Where Sabertooth Elephants boasted raw power, dragonkind prided themselves on physical resilience. Their clash shook heaven and earth!
Just as Little Green gained the upper hand, the Elephant King’s aura suddenly surged. “It broke through to Five-Star!” Little Green exclaimed in disbelief. Leveling up mid-battle while critically injured – was this fair?
Though the Elephant King’s wounds healed and its corrosive blood ceased being a threat, a greater problem emerged: Little Green, freshly advanced to Four-Star, now faced a Five-Star opponent. In the Nine Provinces, this equaled an early Nascent Soul cultivator fighting an early Divine Transformation expert – an entire major realm difference!
Briefly stunned, Little Green hastily refocused – distraction meant death in battle. But it reacted too late as the Elephant King charged with mountain-toppling momentum.
Just when Little Green assumed defeat, Xia Chao came flying in with a kick to the Elephant King’s face, slightly altering its trajectory. This minor deviation meant Little Green only lost some scales and flesh – no fatal damage.
Never did Little Green expect rescue from this “weak” beastmaster. The Elephant King’s ear flick sent Xia Chao flying. A casual strike from a Divine Transformation being was too much for a mere Golden Core cultivator – Xia Chao’s organs were displaced from the impact.
Yet as he landed, the Evergreen Technique activated, completely healing his injuries. “Fighting distracted? You got a death wish?” Xia Chao scolded.
Little Green flushed, wanting to retort but finding no valid argument – the criticism was justified.
“Let’s fight together.” Xia Chao mounted Little Green.
“What are you doing?” Little Green frowned. Though its dozens-of-meters-long frame barely registered the hundred-plus-pound human, the sensation felt… peculiar.
“Helping you recover. The Evergreen Technique works on others too – direct contact maximizes effects.” As Xia Chao’s hands touched Little Green’s body, scales regrew and lost flesh regenerated at visible speeds.
“So fast!” Little Green gasped, astonished that Xia Chao could extend his rapid recovery to others.
“You think I trained three months for nothing? I can heal whatever injuries you get.” Seeing Little Green’s amazement made Xia Chao feel his efforts worthwhile. “Play it safe. With me here, we can outlast it.”
“Mm.” Little Green chose to trust Xia Chao’s judgment.
The Five-Star Elephant King was undoubtedly formidable – the undisputed ruler of the Danger Zone. A hundreds-meter-tall phantom emerged behind it, collapsing mountains with full-force charges, transforming peaks into plains. Many nearby monster beasts perished in this devastation – even ordinary Three-Star Sabertooth Elephants weren’t spared. The Elephant King recognized no allies, only itself.
Heeding Xia Chao’s advice, Little Green abandoned brute force, instead employing mystical arts to summon wind, rain, thunder and lightning – gradually draining the Elephant King’s stamina. Even when hit, Xia Chao ensured instant recovery.
“This fighting style feels amazing!” Little Green’s crisp, pleasant voice made Xia Chao’s heart itch. Without injury concerns, it fluidly alternated between melee and spellcasting, mastering its powers with growing proficiency.
Unable to sustain attrition warfare, the exhausted Elephant King finally succumbed to Little Green’s diving finisher.
“Incredible! You actually defeated a Five-Star!” Qiu Shi arrived, astonished that what the academy described as war-altering terrors could fall to his friend and contract beast’s coordination. Initially disadvantaged, Qiu Shi and the Bone-Winged White Tiger had turned the tide against remaining Sabertooth Elephants.
“Check this out!” Xia Chao exclaimed. Beneath the collapsed mountain lay what appeared to be a massive underground bunker – clearly man-made, not monster-built. Yet with a Safe Zone packed with One-Star and Two-Star beasts separating this area from human territory, how could human structures exist here? The scale suggested construction requiring tens of thousands of workers.
“There’s writing here: Shelter No. 93, completed in Lingxi Calendar… 4,200?”
“Impossible!” Qiu Shi objected loudly. “It’s only 2,000 in the Lingxi Calendar now! How could there be structures from 4,200?”
“Why not investigate?” Jiang Li suddenly appeared, munching on half-eaten roasted apples. Since Baixue Ling refused them, he’d enjoy them himself – ugly but tasty. Baixue Ling simply couldn’t comprehend Jiang Li’s tastes.
With Jiang Li and Baixue Ling present, the two humans and their beasts felt secure enough to explore whatever mysteries the bunker held.