A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 134 The Wrath of the Black Panther and the Struggle for Survival

The black panther, stabbed in the abdomen by Huanmo, gushed blood from the blade, staining its glossy black fur crimson. Yet, the ferocity in its eyes only intensified, like a demon utterly enraged, determined to tear those who had offended it to shreds. It writhed wildly, the immense force numbing Huanmo's hands, making it almost lose its grip on the sword hilt, and dragging him erratically.

Huanmo inwardly groaned. She had thought this fatal sword strike would finish off this troublesome creature, but she hadn't expected it to be so tenacious. Now, she was in such a dangerous situation that a slight misstep would likely cost her her life in the leopard's jaws. "Damn it, I won't fall into your hands today, you beast!" Huanmo gritted her teeth and silently vowed. She struggled to steady herself, trying to thrust the sword deeper into the black leopard's body, but the leopard's struggles were too great, making her somewhat powerless.

Seeing Huanmo in danger, Wanru (the woman in white) was frantic with worry. She played her jade flute more urgently, her spiritual energy surging forth and transforming into increasingly sharp wind blades that hurtled towards the black panther. These wind blades, carrying Wanru's anxious yet resolute will, rained down on the black panther. "Huanmo, hold on!" Wanru cried out in her heart, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Yet, she dared not take her eyes off the black panther for a moment, hoping that these attacks would distract it and help Huanmo escape the perilous situation.

Ling'er hid behind the gray-robed old man, her big eyes filled with terror, tears welling up in her eyes, but she held back her sobs. She clutched the book tightly, her little hands turning white from the force, praying incessantly, "Sister, brother, you must be alright! Please don't let this big black panther hurt you." She anxiously flipped through the book, hoping to find a way to deal with the black panther, even if it was just a sliver of hope.

The gray-robed elder, leaning on his cane, wore a grave expression. He maintained his spiritual energy shield to deflect the powerful impact of the black panther's tail sweep while simultaneously monitoring the battle on Huanmo's side. "This black panther seems to have become a spirit; it's so difficult to deal with. This can't go on like this," he thought anxiously. He slammed his cane heavily on the ground, then released another wisp of spiritual energy, transforming it into a rope that wrapped around the black panther, attempting to help Huanmo restrain its movements.

The black panther sensed the attacks coming from all directions. It suddenly swung its head, opened its blood-red maw, and bit at the wind blades. Its sharp teeth shattered several wind blades, turning them into specks of spiritual energy that dissipated into the air. Then, it twisted its body, avoiding the gray-robed old man's spiritual energy ropes. However, this movement widened the wound on its abdomen, and blood gushed out, staining the surrounding ground crimson.

Seizing the opportunity, Huanmo roared and, with all his might, pushed the sword deeper into the black panther's body. The black panther let out a piercing scream, echoing through the eerie forest, filled with boundless pain and rage. Its eyes turned bloodshot, like two burning flames, and it lunged at Huanmo recklessly, its sharp claws slashing towards Huanmo's face with such speed that no one could react in time.

Seeing this, Wanru was frantic. Without thinking, she rushed towards Huanmo, holding her jade flute horizontally in front of her and channeling all her spiritual power into it, trying to block the black panther's fatal blow. Just as the black panther's claws were about to touch Wanru, Ling'er suddenly shouted, "The scroll says that the black panther's weak point is on the back of its neck, where there is a spiritual acupoint. Striking it will temporarily incapacitate it!"

Upon hearing this, Huanmo's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, she seized the opportunity while the black panther was attacking Wanru, swiftly drawing her sword and flashing behind the panther like a ghost. The black panther sensed Huanmo's intention and tried to turn and intercept her, but Wanru seized the moment, striking the panther's head hard with her jade flute. Although the blow didn't cause significant damage, it slowed the panther's movements, buying Huanmo precious time.

Huanmo leaped high into the air, his sword imbued with chilling spiritual power, and plunged it fiercely into the acupoint on the back of the black panther's neck. The sword strike was perfectly precise; the moment the tip pierced the acupoint, the black panther's body stiffened abruptly, then collapsed to the ground like a small mountain, completely still, with only its heaving abdomen proving that it still had a trace of life.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could even catch their breath, the surroundings suddenly changed. The trees along the previously gloomy and dimly lit path began to shake violently, their leaves rustling as if issuing some kind of warning. The ground also began to tremble, and cracks spread from the ground, faintly emitting an eerie light, as if something terrifying was about to burst forth from the earth.

Huanmo's expression changed. She gripped her sword tightly and looked around warily. "What's going on? We just dealt with the black panther, is there another danger?" An ominous premonition rose in her heart. She had already exhausted a lot of spiritual energy fighting the black panther. If another powerful enemy came now, it would be troublesome.

Wanru also looked solemn. He walked to Huanmo's side and glanced around. "It seems this test isn't over yet. We need to quickly recover some spiritual energy to prepare for the upcoming changes." As he spoke, he took out a pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and began to silently circulate his spiritual energy to regulate his breathing.

Ling'er's face turned pale with fright. She clung tightly to the gray-robed old man's clothes, her body trembling. "Grandpa, I'm so scared. Are we going to encounter something even more terrifying?" Her voice was choked with sobs, and her eyes were filled with helplessness and fear.

The old man in the gray robe gently patted Ling'er's shoulder and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, child, Grandpa is here. We'll figure something out together." But he also knew in his heart that these successive dangers were probably linked one after another, and he didn't know what kind of troublesome situation might arise next.

Just then, from the cracks in the ground, skulls emitting a ghostly light slowly rose up. Their eye sockets burned with eerie blue flames, making a "crackling" sound as they floated towards the group. The scene was extremely sinister and terrifying, as if evil spirits crawled out of hell to reap their lives.

Faced with these suddenly appearing skulls, how will the group cope? Can they once again escape danger and continue exploring along this path to find the key to the artifact? Everything has plunged into new unknowns and crises, awaiting their unraveling…