C8 The Leader of the Blaze Taurus

Josh collapsed to the ground, panting heavily from exhaustion. Draco and his sister, though weary, were visibly thrilled by their accomplishment.

Draco spoke up, "Our success in slaying the elite Fire Bull owes much to Josh's assistance. But with only one Inner Core to claim, I propose that the one who takes it pays half their share of silver to the other. As for the horns and hide, shall we split those evenly?"

Lloyd nodded slightly, his expression one of quiet appreciation.

The siblings had proven themselves to be of good character. Draco had indeed exerted the most effort; others might have selfishly claimed the Inner Core for themselves.

Lloyd suggested that Josh take the Inner Core and compensate Draco and his sister with silver upon their return. Once the spoils were divided, their bag was brimming with bounty.

As they prepared to depart, a cacophony erupted in the distance. A massive beast soon emerged from the woods.

This was a Blaze Taurus, a formidable Fire Bull twice the size of the elite they had faced, with three-foot-long horns, including a third fiery red one. Its body was clad in palm-sized red scales, like a suit of armor, with muscles beneath as solid as stone, each inch pulsing with power.

"The leader of the Blaze Taurus!" Lloyd identified it instantly.

The trio's faces paled at the revelation.

Barbarian Beasts were categorized into five levels: infant, adult, elite, chief, and king. They hadn't anticipated the emergence of a chief beast among the Blaze Taurus, a creature far surpassing the elite in strength.

Clearly, their clash with the Fire Bull elite had drawn this Vicious Creature to them.

Josh and his companions shivered. They were far from spent, but the battle had drained much of their strength. The might of the Fire Bull elite was no longer just a concept—they had felt its terror firsthand.

Confronted with a chief beast many times more powerful, they would hesitate to engage even at full strength, devoid of any certainty of victory.

However, attempting to flee would be perilously dangerous.

The trio stood on the banks of a river in an open expanse, where the chief beast's sprint was both swift and ferocious. If it caught up to them, their fate would be sealed.

Moreover, this chief beast had the ability to launch fireballs. A hit from behind would spell disaster beyond imagination.

While they were still undecided about fighting or fleeing, the Fire Bull's chief beast unleashed a roar and charged at them with the force of a thunderbolt.

The entire valley quaked, its approach so powerful it seemed to shake the very heavens and earth.

"Damn it, we fight to the death!"

Draco clenched his jaw and charged, axe in hand. He leapt and brought the axe down hard on the Fire Bull's chief beast.

The beast countered, thrusting its horn against the axe. The impact sent Draco flying, and he crashed to the ground several yards away.

"Brother!" Aliana exclaimed, rushing to Draco's aid.

"The strength of this creature is brutally fierce!" Draco coughed up blood, his speech slurred. He rose to his feet, his axe-wielding hand trembling slightly, clearly indicating his injuries were not minor.

"Lloyd, get out of here!" Josh's eyes hardened with a seriousness never seen before. He bellowed and charged at the Fire Bull's chief beast with his sword drawn.

The trio fought a desperate battle against the chief beast. Its ferocity and rage were overwhelming, as it alternated between ramming with its horns and spitting fireballs, keeping them firmly on the defensive amidst the perilous fray.

Lloyd, however, was not one to flee or falter, even in the face of the chief beast's onslaught.

The gravity of the situation paled in comparison to the grander battles he had faced.

After a brief observation, he devised a strategy. "Josh, follow my lead. Move three steps to the right and execute Falling Foliage's Farewell!"

At that moment, Josh was a mere ten meters from the Fire Bull, which bore down on him, its sharp horns like twin daggers thrusting his way.

Upon hearing Lloyd's call, Joshua's response was almost reflexive. He shifted three steps to the right and leapt into the air, his sword technique multiplying into a flurry of shadows.

The sword shadows rained down upon the bull's head, momentarily slowing the chief beast's movements. Joshua managed to dodge the horns, sparing himself from the brunt of the impact.

His skillful adaptation of the First Strike not only halted the Fire Bull's charge but also ensured he wasn't struck head-on.

Before the trio could even register surprise, Lloyd's voice rang out again: "Draco, advance five steps and unleash Splitting Mountain with Giant Axe!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Draco strode forward and charged to the Fire Bull's left flank, his axe descending in a powerful chop.

"Aliana, two steps to your right, and execute Martial Skill of Shooting Stars!"

As Joshua issued the command, Aliana's sword danced in tandem.

Lloyd's brief guidance had shifted the tide in just a few exchanges, and the trio suddenly found themselves in a transformed battle.

Initially, each had been too preoccupied with the Fire Bull's relentless assault to consider their comrades. But with Lloyd's direction, they not only synchronized their efforts but also repelled the beast's onslaught.

They were inwardly astounded. To achieve such synergy, Lloyd had to anticipate the Fire Bull's moves and possess a deep understanding of their martial spells.

It wouldn't be surprising for a martial master responsible for training to exhibit strong leadership, but Lloyd was merely a martial artist in the middle period of Qi Condensation.

Unbeknownst to them, Lloyd had committed all their techniques to memory in just half a day of observing their battles against the Barbarian Beasts.

Now, Lloyd's commands flowed effortlessly, as if he had rehearsed each maneuver countless times.

Yet, despite their coordinated defense, they could only fend off the Fire Bull's attacks or inflict minor wounds, unable to deliver a crippling blow. If the stalemate dragged on, defeat was inevitable.

But as Draco once again intercepted the Fire Bull, Lloyd seized his moment.

Spotting an opening, he executed Lightning Steps to vault onto the back of the beast.

"Bloodthirsty Sword!"

With a thunderous cry, his iron sword plunged into the previously wounded neck of the Fire Bull.

The sword thrust into the Fire Bull's neck bone felt like striking iron, jarring Lloyd's arm until it went numb.

In pain, the Fire Bull convulsed, desperately trying to buck Lloyd off.

Clutching the Fire Bull's mane, Lloyd raised his sword and struck again!

With each violent shake, the Fire Bull failed to dislodge Lloyd; instead, it gave him the chance to land another blow.

Three strikes!

Four strikes!

Five strikes!

Each of Lloyd's strikes was more powerful, more ferocious, and more lethal than the last.

The sword voraciously absorbed Genuine Qi, glowing with an intense red light.

Yet, after five consecutive stabs, the Fire Bull still lived.

With a fierce cry, Lloyd summoned his Genuine Qi and delivered a devastating sixth strike.

The iron sword plunged into the Fire Bull's neck wound, shattering its spine.

The Fire Bull emitted a sky-shattering wail, its body quaking violently.

The event unfolded in the blink of an eye, startling Draco and the others with its abruptness.

None of them had anticipated Lloyd's sudden entry into the fray, nor that he would critically wound the Fire Bull with just six strikes.

Any one of them would have struggled to deliver such precise, repeated stabs to the same spot without being thrown off.

What the three Monolith Stage Martial Apprentices couldn't achieve, the Qi Condensation Stage Martial Apprentice did—a feat beyond belief!

Just then, a faint twang sliced through the air, and an arrow flew from a distance, striking the Fire Bull's eye. Most of the shaft buried itself deep in the bull's skull.

The Fire Bull screamed in agony and, with a final thrash, collapsed heavily to the ground.

Lloyd was flung to the earth, his iron sword slipping from his grasp as he coughed up blood.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Josh hurried over, his voice laced with concern.

Weakly, Lloyd gestured with his hand and downed a self-crafted healing pill. Only after a moment did he exhale softly.

Despite leveraging the Celestial Flame Embodiment Spell and the Bloodthirsty Sword to take down the Fire Bull leader, his overexertion and the six successive strikes caused his Genuine Qi to recoil, damaging his internal organs.

Though the injury wasn't too severe, the healing pills he could currently concoct weren't enough to provide immediate relief. He'd likely need another two weeks to fully recuperate.

Draco was still reeling from witnessing Lloyd slay the Fire Bull chieftain, but he quickly turned his gaze in the direction from which the arrow had come. A group of young men was approaching from there.

"Shoot, it's Elowen!" Draco muttered under his breath.

Josh's face grew stern as he recognized the newcomers.

Lloyd glanced over and saw the party of five. The one leading them was a burly teenager, barely in his mid-teens, yet his demeanor was intimidating.

Armed with a longbow and a quiver at his hip, it was clear he was the archer.

This was none other than Magnus's older brother, Elowen.

Elowen stood out from his brother Magnus, who possessed only average talent. Though just a few months his senior, Elowen was already the Calderon family's most promising disciple, with his cultivation reaching the late stages of the Monolith Stage.

His three companions also boasted cultivation levels of the Middle Period or higher.

Bringing up the rear was the tall and muscular Magnus.

Upon spotting Lloyd, Magnus's anger flared. He quickly whispered something to his brother.

Elowen burst into a boisterous laugh. "Ah, it's the Haynes family's little runts."

With his brother backing him up, Magnus exuded arrogance. He folded his arms and taunted, "Lloyd, I never imagined a loser like you would make it into the Martial Academy. What was your father thinking? Did he send you here to be everyone's laughingstock?"

The Calderon family's disciples erupted into laughter, clearly familiar with Lloyd's infamous reputation.

Josh wasn't about to let Lloyd be ridiculed. He countered loudly, "What do you know? Lloyd has reached the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage!"

"The Middle Period of Qi Condensation Stage?" Magnus paused, then it clicked. That's why he hadn't been able to knock Lloyd down with a punch outside the apothecary.

Fuming with humiliation, he felt as though Lloyd had made a fool of him.

Elowen scoffed, looking down on Lloyd with contempt. "You're merely at the Middle Period of the Qi Condensation Stage. Killing you would be no different than squashing a disposable ant. No matter how much you struggle, you'll never be a match for me."