Chapter 159: Chapter 137: Guardian Beast’s First Battle!

He didn’t try to turn back and check—that would only waste precious time to evade.

His Magical Power erupted. Unleashing the Spirit Crane Body Technique with all his might, he pushed off the ground. As if weightless, his body shot diagonally into a dense thicket to his right.

But his opponent was astonishingly fast as well.

"BANG!"

A deep, yet piercing, gunshot shattered the silence of the mountain forest.

The bullet all but grazed Yang Qi’s left flank, letting out a sharp whistle as it tore through the air!

HUMMM~

A soft, muffled thud sounded.

Yang Qi felt something slam into his waist. The impact was powerful, but it hadn’t broken through.

The Body Protection Talisman he always wore had passively activated!

The Protective Energy had formed a thin but durable barrier, deflecting the fatal blow.

Yang Qi used the momentum to dive into the thicket, curling his body into a ball. At the same time, he activated the Basic Spirit Communication Technique and issued a command.

"Xiaojiu, go for his eyes!"

"MROWL—"

The instant Yang Qi’s words fell, a piercing, bloodcurdling yowl—nothing like that of a housecat—erupted from the shadows behind "Brother Han."

A shadow, quick as black lightning, shot out.

It was Xiaojiu, who had, at some unknown point, silently crept into the perfect position to strike.

Its target was clear: it went straight for the man’s face!

Its sharp claws glinted in the air as they slashed viciously at "Brother Han’s" eyes.

"AHH—"

A heart-piercing scream tore through the air.

"Brother Han" had never expected a cat to be lying in wait, much less one that could launch such a swift, deadly attack.

He instinctively raised a hand to block. Overwhelmed by pain and shock, his gun hand spasmed, and he fired wildly.

BANG!

BANG!

Two more shots rang out, the bullets flying off target.

And in that fleeting moment—as his movements grew clumsy and his mind reeled from the pain and obstructed vision—

Yang Qi shot up from the thicket, not a hint of panic on his face.

His Magical Power surged as he made a grabbing motion through the air, aimed at "Brother Han’s" gun hand.

’Small Transport Technique!’

An invisible force instantly gripped the pistol.

"Hu Zi, ram his left side!"

The instant Yang Qi gave the command, Hu Zi shot forward like a cannonball, slamming into his target.

"Brother Han" was just turning to fire when the invisible threads of Yang Qi’s Magical Power yanked hard.

THWACK!

Hu Zi slammed into "Brother Han." A second before he hit the ground, the gun seemed to leap from his hand, tracing an arc before landing deep in a dense, thorny thicket.

"Hu Zi, bite his left leg! Leopard, bite his right hand!"

Yang Qi’s commands continued.

"WOOF!"

"WOOF WOOF!"

Hu Zi scrambled up and pounced, sinking his teeth into the bleeding wound on "Brother Han’s" left calf. The searing pain made the man scream again.

Leopard was just as fast, precisely clamping down on "Brother Han’s" right wrist—the one he had yet to pull back after losing the gun. The immense pressure of the bite threatened to snap the bone.

"AGHHH!!"

"Brother Han" screamed in agony.

His face was a mask of insanity. His uninjured left hand frantically reached for a bulging pocket, trying to pull something out.

Yang Qi saw this clearly and immediately issued a new command.

"Leopard, his left hand! Drag it out!"

Leopard instantly released the right wrist and lunged for "Brother Han’s" left. Biting down on the man’s wrist, the dog began to drag it away.

"Xiaojiu, his eyes again!"

Yang Qi commanded again.

Obeying the command, Xiaojiu used "Brother Han’s" body as a springboard, its claws once again slashing viciously across the man’s cheek and eye socket.

Blood sprayed!

"AHH—MY EYES!"

"Brother Han" howled in agony, thrashing on the ground.

As he thrashed, a dark, fist-sized oval object tumbled from his torn pocket and landed on the gravel beside him.

Yang Qi’s gaze locked onto it, his pupils contracting sharply.

The dark casing, the shape he’d seen in movies...

’A grenade!?’

’Just who the hell is this guy?’

’A fellow hiker? Lost? Injured? What a load of bullshit!’

’He’s clearly a desperado!’

’He doesn’t just have a gun—the son of a bitch has a grenade!’

The shock was fleeting. The mental fortitude gained from his cultivation instantly suppressed any trace of panic.

He neither retreated nor stood there dumbly.

His Magical Power circulated rapidly once more. Locking onto the dangerous black sphere on the ground, he again used the Small Transport Technique.

An unseen force scooped up the grenade. As if grabbed by an invisible hand, it soared in a parabola and landed in a thicket on the far side.

Having done all this, Yang Qi let out a small sigh of relief. He looked at "Brother Han," who was still screaming and thrashing on the ground, eyes bleeding, while Hu Zi and Leopard pinned down his limbs.

Xiaojiu leaped gracefully back to Yang Qi’s feet, licked its bloody paws, and stared coldly at the enemy on the ground.

The mountain forest grew quiet again, the silence broken only by "Brother Han’s" pained groans and gasps.

Yang Qi pulled out his phone, stepped forward, and took two clear photos of "Brother Han’s" face.

Then, checking his phone’s signal, he used the Spirit Crane Body Technique to ascend the nearest large tree. Standing at the top, he sent the photos to Deng Lei before dialing his number.

"Captain Deng, I just sent two photos. See if you recognize him. The guy has a standard-issue pistol and a grenade. He’s definitely not some random person..."

"What? A standard-issue pistol? And a grenade?!"

Before Yang Qi could finish, Deng Lei’s voice on the other end of the line shot up, filled with shock and urgency. "Advisor Yang! Where are you? That man is extremely dangerous! Don’t do anything reckless! Find a safe place and hide!"