Three-second Fire seemed to notice Feng Hao’s confusion and explained earnestly, "This is perfectly normal. Magical Beasts are different from you humans. You can only unlock the Physical Strength gene after reaching level one hundred, whereas Magical Beasts can unlock it long before that. Some with powerful bloodlines are born with the [Physical Strength] gene."
"No wonder." Feng Hao nodded in sudden understanding, his brows knitting together.
The so-called Physical Strength gene determined the body’s toughness, much like vitality. The higher one’s physical strength, the greater their resistance to damage from weapons and Secret Techniques. In simple terms, it just meant they were harder to injure.
Generally, when a Mage reached level one hundred and evolved into a cosmic lifeform, they could activate this special gene.
However, Magical Beasts had naturally stronger physiques, allowing them to activate it before level one hundred. This was one of the reasons High-level Magical Beasts were so formidable!
Of course, neither equipment durability nor physical strength was absolute. Even if a weapon lacked sharpness or destructive power, it could still cause damage by striking the same spot repeatedly—like dripping water wearing through stone.
The Red Ostrich’s Qi Blood was a staggering five hundred forty thousand points, and it possessed immense vitality. With Feng Hao’s current damage output, seriously wounding it would be a tall order.
What’s more, he was currently dangling from the Red Ostrich’s body, completely off-balance, which meant his attacks were sporadic at best.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Despite this, Feng Hao didn’t back down. He only had one option: carve out a wound, no matter how small. Once he did, he could solve the problem with poison.
’A Tier Nine Magical Beast, huh? I’ll be damned if I don’t drag you back to complete this quest!’
Feng Hao cursed under his breath as he hacked away, doing his best to strike the same spot repeatedly.
At the same time, the Red Ostrich’s flailing flight felt just like one of Mei Meimei’s joyrides, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
Down below, the Silver Moon Wolf pair had long forgotten their own injuries. They sprinted after the Red Ostrich, their eyes fixed on its flight path. They had no choice—their little one was still with Feng Hao. How could they not be frantic?
Time ticked by, second by agonizing second. The arm Feng Hao used to grip the chain was screaming in protest, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
Finally, his relentless efforts paid off. With a sorrowful screech from the Red Ostrich, he managed to create a tiny gash on its back.
The wound was small, but for someone who used poison, drawing blood was all that mattered.
’Haha! Let’s see you fly now!’
Feng Hao let out a wild laugh. With help from Three-second Fire, he coated his Divine Spirit Dagger in several virulent poisons at once. Focusing his Divine Sense to its absolute limit, he zeroed in on the wound and plunged the blade in.
SHINK!
A cold light flashed. While the strike itself didn’t cause much damage, it widened the gash considerably.
At the same time, Soft Bone Powder, A Little Red, Blood Toxin, and Burial Poison surged into the bloodstream, rapidly spreading throughout the Red Ostrich’s body. The once-crimson wound turned a sickly dark purple in the blink of an eye.
The Red Ostrich’s Qi Blood was incredibly high, so the effects of poisons like A Little Red, Blood Toxin, and Burial Poison weren’t immediately obvious. The effect of the [Soft Bone Powder], however, was undeniable.
As its bones began to soften, the Red Ostrich’s flight speed noticeably decreased.
Then, with another sorrowful screech, the bones in its wings shattered instantly. The entire creature plummeted downward like a falling Fireball.
BOOM!
Its massive body slammed into the ground, gouging out a huge, bowl-shaped crater. Fire and air blasted outward, incinerating vast patches of vegetation.
The Silver Moon Wolf pair let out howls of triumphant joy and sprinted over.
As the saying goes, a tiger taken from the mountains can be bullied by dogs. A bird that can no longer fly is no different from a sitting duck.
In the forest and on the ground, the Silver Moon Wolves were the true Kings. The moment the Red Ostrich crashed, all the pent-up fury and pride of the Silver Moon Wolf pair erupted. Weaving back and forth, the male and female tore and bit at their foe, quickly ripping off one of the Red Ostrich’s wings.
With that, the Red Ostrich completely lost its ability to fly. It was like a pheasant dropped into a wolf pack; even as a Tier Nine Magical Beast, it could not escape the nightmare of being torn to shreds by predators!
The fall had left Feng Hao dizzy and disoriented. He had lost more than half of his Qi Blood and sustained some minor injuries, but was otherwise unharmed.
After tossing back a few pills, he charged forward and rejoined the fight.
As it turned out, the Red Ostrich still had some fight left in it. As a Tier Nine Magical Beast, it was still a powerful combatant even on the ground. The Silver Moon Wolf pair, though fierce, had already sustained considerable injuries, leaving them in a state equivalent to a Tier Seven Magical Beast at best.
"Brother Wolf, Sister Wolf, don’t rush in! Here, take these!" Feng Hao said with a slight grin, tossing out two Tier Nine Healing Medicines.
The Silver Moon Wolf pair had long since let down their guard around Feng Hao. Like trained dogs receiving a treat, they easily snatched the medicines from the air and swallowed them.
Under the potent effects of the Tier Nine Healing Medicine, the Silver Moon Wolf pair’s injuries healed at a visible rate, and their combat effectiveness soared!
The Red Ostrich, on the other hand, was growing steadily weaker under the poison’s effects. It was now gasping for air, struggling just to spit a single plume of fire.
Feng Hao didn’t stay idle. With Three-second Fire’s help, he completely ignored the Red Ostrich’s flame attacks. Following the rhythm of the wolves’ assault, he unleashed one brilliant combo after another.
However, just as Feng Hao thought the ninety thousand points were in the bag, the unexpected happened.
The instant the Red Ostrich’s vitality hit zero, the flames covering its body didn’t die out. Instead, they erupted in a violent, golden-red radiance, like magma about to burst.
"This is bad! This mongrel bird actually has a trace of phoenix bloodline! Get back—!"
Just as Feng Hao stood there, stunned, Three-second Fire shrieked in alarm. In a panic, it transformed into a layer of crimson protection that enveloped him.
Feng Hao snapped to his senses. With no time to think, he burned through all his remaining Magic Power to execute a backward Shadow Strike, retreating as fast as he could.
BOOM!
The instant Feng Hao teleported away, the Red Ostrich violently self-destructed. A terrifying, golden-red light illuminated the entire forest, instantly turning everything within a several-thousand-meter radius into a flaming wasteland.
A violent shockwave surged outward like a tsunami. Even though Feng Hao had teleported a great distance, he was still caught by the terrifying force and sent flying.
Feng Hao felt his consciousness begin to fade. Over one hundred thousand of his Qi Blood had been vaporized in an instant, leaving him with only 17 points of life.
As for the Silver Moon Wolf pair, they had been completely engulfed by the terrifying light, their fate unknown.
When the light faded, Feng Hao forced himself up, enduring the excruciating pain. Still in a daze, he subconsciously downed a handful of pills, slowly returning to a state of clarity.
"Xiao San’Er... Xiao San’Er...?" The moment he was lucid, Feng Hao tried to communicate with Three-second Fire in his sea of consciousness.
After a long moment, a weak, tired voice replied, ’It’s a good thing I used my very essence to protect you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have even a cinder left.’
A warmth spread through Feng Hao’s chest. "What just happened?" he asked gravely.
Three-second Fire replied with a wry laugh, ’That Red Ostrich had a trace of phoenix bloodline. On the verge of death, it can undergo [Nirvana Fission]. If it were a pure-blooded phoenix, after the [Nirvana Fission], it would transform into a Divinity Transformation Egg and lie dormant, awaiting rebirth ten thousand years later.’
’But this mongrel’s bloodline was impure. For it, [Nirvana Fission] is just a self-destruct, and its power is a pale imitation of the real thing.’