Himeko had no idea that an outer-sect elder was watching the battlefield from above, quietly safeguarding her.
At this moment, she was standing face-to-face with the overwhelming might of the Mangfang Elephant alongside a group of martial artists.
Jiang Yan stood at the very front.
Himeko and Draymond took the flanks.
Behind them were numerous Grandmasters.
As for the Innate realm warriors—
Faced with the pressure of an early-stage Essence-Refining Mangfang Elephant, they couldn't even remain standing. They were completely useless here and had wisely retreated long ago.
Jiang Yan looked calm on the surface, but deep in his eyes lay an inescapable heaviness.
He was indeed at the late stage of the Landed Immortal realm, but…
This was an early-stage Essence-Refining ferocious beast.
It wasn't something a martial artist could be compared to.
This creature could still take his life.
Himeko felt even worse.
This Mangfang Elephant gave her more pressure than Benares ever had.
At the very least, it was on the level of a Judgement-class Honkai Beast.
The Plague Gem might not be able to do much to it.
Still, she wasn't the main damage dealer this time.
The real fight belonged to Jiang Yan.
"Are all Essence-Refining ferocious beasts this terrifying?"
Himeko took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her discomfort.
Draymond shook his head.
"Most Essence-Refining ferocious beasts are beyond what martial artists can handle. Landed Immortals can exchange blows with them."
"With Mr. Jiang Yan's strength, ordinary ones wouldn't be his match—but this is a Mangfang Elephant."
"It's among the strongest of the early-stage Essence-Refining beasts. Massive size, terrifying destructive power, thick hide and flesh…"
"Although it's slower, at this realm, it's still faster than what most Great Grandmasters can keep up with."
"Its tusks can easily pierce the defenses of other Essence-Refining beasts, and its physical body is its strongest weapon."
"On top of that, its trunk can unleash tidal waves of spiritual energy. This thing is extremely hard to deal with."
"Only inner disciples with divine abilities can handle it. Outer disciples don't stand a chance."
Himeko fell silent for a moment, then asked,
"What are the odds?"
"Less than thirty percent," Draymond sighed.
"But there's no need to panic. Worst case, we activate the formation—this beast will die for sure. Or we hold on until the outer elders arrive."
"Activating the formation consumes spirit stones. You know how precious those are."
"And if the outer elders intervene directly, they'll inevitably be questioned by the inner law enforcement hall. That's considered negligence on duty—we won't have it easy either."
Himeko rolled her shoulders, loosening her joints.
"So the goal is to resolve this ourselves if possible, right?"
"That's right."
"Then let's do it ourselves."
She smiled, her fighting spirit surging.
Since arriving in Mount Shu's world, she had gained control over the Plague Gem.
Yet she hadn't had a proper battle even once.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Dangerous, sure—but perfect.
This Mangfang Elephant… in the Honkai world, even a Honkai Energy fission bomb might not kill it in one shot.
It was simply too large.
A moving city, practically.
Only Durandal could probably take it down alone.
But Himeko had confidence.
She wasn't fighting alone.
Ahead was Jiang Yan, a Landed Immortal.
Behind her stood Mount Shu itself.
And if things truly went south… she could always ask Alice for help later. As an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, Alice could easily turn a blind eye to something like this.
In other words—
This was a fight with no worries holding her back.
She had never experienced a battle this liberating before.
Now…
It was time to enjoy herself.
Jiang Yan glanced back at the others and spoke softly,
"Be careful."
The moment his words fell, his figure blurred and vanished, reappearing atop the Mangfang Elephant's head.
The fishing rod in his hand had already been replaced by an ancient, simple blade. Against such an enemy, he couldn't afford carelessness.
"From a thousand mountains, no birds take flight…"
A lone cry rang out.
Brilliant white light condensed into a sword shadow over a thousand meters long and came crashing down.
Yet despite its overwhelming momentum, three to four tenths of its power dissolved the moment it struck the Mangfang Elephant.
Jiang Yan sighed inwardly.
There was no helping it. Without cultivating immortality, without true essence, martial artists were naturally suppressed when facing ferocious beasts overflowing with spiritual energy.
Even so, the strike stunned Himeko.
If that sword were aimed at her, she knew she wouldn't be able to dodge it.
"Miss Himeko, be careful. Assist Mr. Jiang Yan!"
Draymond warned softly as he leapt forward, charging at the Mangfang Elephant.
The Grandmasters followed, surging forward like ants daring to challenge an elephant.
The scene instantly brought Himeko back to the battlefield against Honkai.
Her blood boiled.
But passion was one thing—
The world wasn't overflowing with protagonists blessed by fate.
Someone like Kiana was already absurd enough.
Himeko knew she wasn't that lucky.
The moment her crimson-flame-wreathed fist smashed into the Mangfang Elephant's head, she understood—
She was no longer the reckless girl who believed passion could solve everything.
With the Plague Gem fully unleashed, combined with the still-unspent vitality from the Third-Turn Rebirth Pill—
Himeko was certain she was stronger than the true Herrscher of Flame ever had been.
She might not match Sirin, but she was definitely stronger than Wendy, and likely on par with Welt.
Theresa wouldn't be able to deal with her either.
To defeat her now, one would need either a Honkai Energy fission bomb—or Durandal herself.
A full-power punch should at least shatter an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
By any standard, that was absurd strength.
And yet—
That punch barely did anything.
The Mangfang Elephant merely paused for a brief instant before flying into a rage, violently snapping its head upward and sending Himeko flying.
She staggered backward over a thousand meters, shattering the ground as she bled off the force.
The Mangfang Elephant roared, the shockwave alone collapsing nearby buildings.
Fortunately, the residents had already evacuated, and this was the outer edge of Mount Shu Village.
At worst, repairs would be troublesome later.
Immortal cultivators wouldn't concern themselves with village reconstruction anyway.
Himeko rubbed her numb wrist, staring at the beast with a grave expression.
A black shadow flashed past—
It was Draymond.
His condition wasn't much better.
It looked like the elephant's trunk had brushed him lightly.
From Himeko's experience, at least four of his bones were broken.
Draymond didn't dare be careless. He swallowed a pill, his shattered bones instantly healing, then tossed a bottle toward Himeko.
"Miss Himeko, don't act on impulse. An early-stage Essence-Refining Mangfang Elephant isn't something we can face head-on."
Himeko glanced at her reddened wrist and nodded deeply.
Just the backlash alone had nearly broken it.
If not for the lingering vitality of the Third-Turn Rebirth Pill, it would have snapped outright.
"Our task is to harass it and create openings for Mr. Jiang Yan to strike," Draymond said.
As he spoke, he tossed her a weapon.
"This is Wolf's Gravestone. Grand Master Jean had Cloud Retainer help mass-produce it. Don't fight barehanded."
Himeko weighed it in her hand.
The weapon felt perfectly suited to her.
Its appearance was plain, scarred with ferocious claw marks—
Yet it resonated with the Honkai energy within her, boosting her power significantly.
It couldn't compare to a Divine Key, but it wasn't far off either.
"Thanks."
She didn't force the issue, steadied her mindset, and looked toward Jiang Yan.
His movements were agile and fluid, yet even he avoided facing the Mangfang Elephant head-on.
That realization eased Himeko slightly.
If even Jiang Yan wouldn't confront it directly, then she—armed with a Plague Gem she hadn't fully mastered and without her Vermilion Knight armor—
Really shouldn't get cocky.
"Draymond, move the battlefield! If this continues, Mount Shu Village will be destroyed!"
Jiang Yan called out after dodging a wave of spiritual energy.
Draymond didn't reply. Instead, he gathered his inner force and shouted,
"Everyone—retreat outside Mount Shu Village!"
The next moment, after Jiang Yan and hundreds of Grandmasters unleashed a coordinated volley of attacks, they immediately activated their movement techniques and fled outward.
The Mangfang Elephant was thoroughly enraged.
Lacking intelligence, it naturally prioritized the greatest threat—Jiang Yan.
With a thunderous bellow, it turned and charged.
The earth shook violently, like a magnitude ten earthquake. Trees hundreds of meters tall were flattened into a straight path.
Dust rose high enough to blot out the sky, its unstoppable momentum striking terror into all who saw it.
Himeko's heart sank.
This thing's environmental destruction was probably worse than Benares'.
Judgement-class?
She shook her head.
She didn't even know how to classify this beast anymore.
Draymond had already given chase.
Himeko followed without hesitation, Honkai energy surging as she streaked after them like a red meteor.
High above, Yunqing followed leisurely.
He sighed inwardly.
No wonder Cloud Retainer valued Jiang Yan so highly. This man's talent was anything but ordinary.
Even without visible spiritual roots, his battle instincts and comprehension surpassed all outer disciples.
Barring accidents, he would surely become an inner sect prodigy.
And Himeko…
All the more reason not to let anything happen to them.
With that thought, Yunqing discreetly placed a few safeguards on both Himeko and Jiang Yan—
Just in case.
They pursued for over an hour.
At the speed of martial artists and the Mangfang Elephant, they had long since left Mount Shu Village far behind.
Only upon reaching an open plain did Jiang Yan finally manage to pause and catch his breath.
The震动 behind him was already close.
Though not fast by Essence-Refining standards, it was still an Essence-Refining beast—and it was charging in a straight line.
He hastily swallowed a pill to recover his inner force.
Before he could refine it, the Mangfang Elephant arrived.
Jiang Yan had no time to hesitate. He turned and slashed.
Now that they were far from Mount Shu Village, he no longer held back.
This sword strike unleashed a thousand-meter arc of light.
The charging Mangfang Elephant couldn't dodge and took it head-on.
Its seemingly indestructible defense split open, leaving a massive gash.
Scalding blood sprayed out, and wherever it fell, the land withered instantly.
In normal circumstances, the martial artists would be heartbroken—
An early-stage Essence-Refining beast was a priceless treasure.
But now, none of that mattered.
This was a fight for survival.
The Mangfang Elephant howled in pain, growing even more violent.
It stomped its forelegs down—
The ground cracked and surged like a raging tide.
Several Grandmasters who failed to evade in time were caught and gravely injured, though comrades quickly dragged them away.
Himeko arrived just in time to witness the devastation, like a meteor impact zone.
A bead of cold sweat slid down her temple.
This thing…
Was the most terrifying enemy she had ever faced.
Even the Herrscher of the Void during the Battle of Destiny hadn't felt this oppressive—
After all, Sirin back then hadn't been at her peak.
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