In a hidden valley deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Bai Mu and Zygarde slipped in silently. Before them stood a peculiar Spirit Beast roughly six meters tall. Its body was mostly covered in brown fur, overlaid with grayish-white bony armor, giving it the appearance of a massive wild boar.
Savage—that was the first impression it gave.
Yet when Bai Mu's gaze shifted to its head, all his attention was seized by its eyes, pure and crystalline like diamonds, and its pair of tusks, equally hard and brilliant.
The contrast was absurd.
At that moment, an eight-thousand-year Vigorous Vajra Bear was pinned against the mountainside. Its chest had already been pierced clean through by the tusks. A strange gray mist continuously drifted out of its body, only to be absorbed bit by bit by the Spirit Beast's tusks and eyes.
The Vajra Bear's body aged and shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye, withering like a dying flower, while the tusks and eyes of the Time Hunter grew brighter and brighter.
Watching this scene, a sentence inexplicably surfaced in Bai Mu's mind—
[I just want to kill you and then plunder your time. What did I do wrong?]
"This thing won't be easy to deal with."
Bai Mu's expression grew serious.
He and Zygarde had fought ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts before, but a ruthless opponent with high attack, high defense, and such a special ability was clearly on another level.
I can fight, Zygarde transmitted, its eyes burning with battle intent.
"Hm?"
Just then, having finished its meal, the Tusk Hunter casually flung the bear's corpse aside and turned its head toward Bai Mu.
"It noticed us?"
Bai Mu's pupils shrank.
He and Zygarde were currently completely concealed, suppressing both presence and breath. Even Dugu Bo wouldn't necessarily notice them without being alerted.
Yet they had been exposed at a glance.
For a brief instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
No—it didn't just seem that way.
Bai Mu could clearly feel the airflow around him slowing, falling leaves hanging motionless in midair, even his own heartbeat felt as though it were being gripped by an invisible hand, each beat dragging out unnaturally.
"Is this… a Time Domain?"
The thought flashed through his mind.
"Roar!"
Zygarde let out a thunderous roar as a strange current surged from its body. Wherever it passed, the influence of the Time Domain vanished—and was forcibly reversed!
Aura Break!
Slowing the opponent turned into accelerating them instead!
"What a terrifying ability."
Bai Mu finally understood how this monster had been able to dominate other Spirit Beasts so easily.
"Hm?"
On the opposite side, the Tusk Hunter froze for a split second when its domain backfired. Then, a ruthless glint flashed in its eyes.
"Roar!"
In the next instant, it moved.
Its entire body lit up as if some acceleration technique had been activated. Its speed became terrifying.
One moment it was two hundred meters away; the next, it had already crossed half that distance. Its tusks gleamed with deadly light as it charged straight toward Bai Mu and Zygarde!
"Substitute!"
Without hesitation, Bai Mu and Zygarde used Substitute at the same time, taking the chance to retreat in opposite directions.
Bang!
With a deafening crash, both Substitutes were pierced straight through, bursting apart like bubbles.
"I'm leaving it to you, Little Soft! Glare, Heavy Stomp!"
Bai Mu shouted as he ran without looking back.
This Spirit Beast could see through invisibility—he needed to pull back and fight tactically.
"Roar~"
The Tusk Hunter prepared to give chase, but Zygarde suddenly fixed it with a fierce glare.
Instantly, numbness spread through its body, its speed dropping sharply.
"Awoo!"
Zygarde followed up with Heavy Stomp, shockwaves rippling outward.
Seeing that the power wasn't overwhelming—and unable to dodge anyway—the Tusk Hunter ignored it and charged straight at Zygarde.
But the moment it was struck, its speed dropped yet again.
"Roar!"
Its body stiff and numb, the Tusk Hunter roared in fury. Its body flared with light as it once more accelerated time and launched a ferocious Take Down at Zygarde.
You think that's enough to hit me?
Disdain flashed through Zygarde's eyes. It dodged with a light leap, then unleashed Dragon Pulse!
A purple, dragon-shaped wave roared forth, swallowing the Time Hunter whole.
Boom!
The violent explosion and the cracking earth testified to the terrifying power of the attack.
But—
Whoosh—
When the smoke was blown away by the wind, the Time Hunter stood there almost unscathed, aside from a few shallow marks on its armor.
"Roar!"
It bellowed angrily and opened its mouth, spewing out a breath of eerie gray mist.
"Awoo!"
Zygarde fired another Dragon Pulse in an attempt to disperse it, but the two attacks existed on completely different layers, passing through each other without effect.
"Extreme Speed! Dodge!"
Bai Mu's telepathic command rang out.
Swish!
Zygarde instantly turned into an afterimage, retreating at top speed and barely avoiding the gray mist.
Wherever the mist passed, plants withered and rocks weathered away—it was extremely sinister.
A thousand meters away, Bai Mu hid in a tree, holding his breath as he focused and began directing the battle from afar.
"Don't be careless. Its defense is extremely high—your attacks aren't dealing much damage."
"Use Dragon Dance to boost yourself, and keep using Heavy Stomp to cripple its speed!"
Understood!
Zygarde immediately began a fierce, mysterious dance. Violent shockwaves pulsed between its feet and the ground, rolling toward the Time Hunter.
"Roar~"
The Time Hunter's massive body made evasion impossible. It could only launch another brutal charge straight at Zygarde.
Each time it was struck by Heavy Stomp, its speed dropped another level.
By the end, it felt as though it were sinking into a swamp, its speed reduced to barely one-eighth of what it once was.
Meanwhile, Zygarde continued its dance.
"Attack! Earth Divine Power!"
After six consecutive Dragon Dances, Zygarde unleashed everything it had.
The ground shattered instantly as magnificent green divine light erupted violently from beneath the Time Hunter's feet!
Bang!
The earth tore apart, stones flying everywhere.
The power of the land engulfed the Time Hunter, battering it relentlessly.
Yet when the attack finally ended, although it looked battered and disheveled, its injuries were far lighter than expected.
"Wait—this thing is that tanky?"
"Did you dump all the time you plundered into boosting your defense?"
Bai Mu was stunned. At this rate, even if Zygarde fought at full power for an entire day, it might not be able to kill it.
The Time Hunter seemed to realize this as well. It snorted mockingly.
"Laugh all you want. You won't get the chance later."
Bai Mu sneered inwardly and gave the command:
"Substitute! Jungle Healing!"
"Awoo~"
Bathed in green life energy, Zygarde created Substitutes one after another, all of which were immediately taken over by Bai Mu.
"All of you—Crunch!"
Under Bai Mu's control, the Substitutes charged from all directions, jaws snapping down viciously on the Time Hunter.
It didn't believe such attacks could truly harm it, but it also wasn't the type to just stand there and take hits.
However, with its speed crippled, it couldn't block everything.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
One Substitute after another crashed in, dealing small but continuous damage.
Then—
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out.
A piece of its seemingly indestructible armor shattered.
Its defense dropped.
At that moment, the Time Hunter finally understood Bai Mu's strategy.
If the defense is too high—then weaken it.
"Roar—!"
Fear surged up in its heart. The Time Hunter went berserk, blasting away the remaining Substitutes and charging desperately toward the valley entrance at full power.
This dog was wrong.
It wasn't playing anymore.