Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wind-Hearing Panther

In the second tier of the Terraced Fields of the Divine Demon Abyss, the gales suddenly surged, each gust shimmering as it swept through. The winds here were far more violent than in the first tier. Even Chu Jie found them almost overwhelming. The thirty or so ruffians accompanying him were instantly spattered with blood.

"Release your spiritual energy!" Over the past days, Chu Jie had already established his authority among these men. At his command, they activated their spiritual shields.

"Brothers! Gradually weaken your shields, bit by bit. Adapt to the wind here!" Chu Jie instructed.

With a roar that shook the clouds, a beast appeared amidst the raging wind—a snow-white leopard. It was five meters long, two meters tall, with eyes burning crimson.

"Shit, how did we run into a Wind-listening Leopard so soon?" cursed one of the men, Chen Long.

"Is the Wind-listening Leopard that formidable?" Chu Jie asked, his gaze steady.

Chen Long licked his lips nervously. "It's a first-tier Spirit Convergence beast, but here in the Divine Demon Abyss, its speed is boosted even more!"

"Stay where you are and don't move!" Chu Jie snatched a long blade from the side, his eyes narrowing to slits. In a flash, he sprang forward. The blade drew a jet-black arc in the air, crashing down on the Wind-listening Leopard.

Clang! The blade failed to pierce the beast's body. Chu Jie's eyes narrowed as he realized its pelt was not fur, but layered, snow-white scales.

Sparks flew. Chu Jie shifted aside, his arm swinging the blade in a furious arc. Radiant light burst from the blade, spreading outward in waves. As the blade descended with thunderous force, the very heavens seemed to tremble.

With a deafening crash, the blade's glow struck the leopard like a waterfall, brilliant as dragons of light. The Wind-listening Leopard staggered back a step.

"Boss is incredible! He actually managed to pin down the Wind-listening Leopard!" Chen Long exclaimed, his eyes shining with envy.

Within this abyss, the Wind-listening Leopard moved with lightning speed, its snowy form streaking through the air like a phantom.

Suddenly, with a roar, the leopard unleashed a bolt of lightning from its jaws, hurling it at Chu Jie. The energy arced through the sky, weaving a web of brilliance that converged upon him.

Chu Jie's aura exploded, transforming into an overwhelming, domineering force. He punched forward like a shooting star.

The surrounding space trembled as his fist collided with the lightning. The explosion sent currents of energy flashing wildly in all directions, engulfing Chu Jie in a sea of thunder. Yet he stood unmoved.

Enraged, the Wind-listening Leopard's scales bristled, its eyes flashing twin beams of light at Chu Jie. He sidestepped deftly, letting the beams smash a massive boulder to dust.

Rather than retreat, Chu Jie surged forward like a streak of light, swinging his black blade upward in a fierce slash. The leopard was swift, dodging so quickly that the blade caught only a fading afterimage.

"So fast!" Chu Jie marveled inwardly.

"Boss, behind you!" someone shouted.

Chu Jie spun, slashing his blade behind him. The arc of light split the air, ripples radiating outward, but still failed to strike the elusive beast.

A massive paw crashed down on Chu Jie's shoulder. He felt a jolt of pain as the blade slipped from his grip. The white leopard roared, jaws wide, lunging for his head.

"Did you think I was out of tricks?" Chu Jie bellowed. His fist blazed with light as he struck at the beast. The leopard tried to evade, but Chu Jie kept a firm grip on its paw—wherever the leopard darted, Chu Jie followed.

With a thunderous punch to its neck, several scales shattered, blood seeping out.

Wounded, the Wind-listening Leopard grew even more frenzied. Lightning gathered in its jaws again, but Chu Jie gripped its paw with one hand, pummeling its body with the other.

Fists crashed down relentlessly. Chu Jie leapt onto the leopard’s back, transforming his hand into a blade to strike at its neck.

Blood spattered as the leopard roared in pain, rearing back with its massive paws flailing.

With a mighty bellow, the beast thrashed, but Chu Jie hammered another fist into its body, then smashed its head. "Let’s see you act fierce now!" he shouted, raining blows down.

The more the leopard roared, the fiercer Chu Jie’s punches became, beating out a rhythm like drums of war.

At last, the Wind-listening Leopard pressed its head to the ground, covering it with its paws, not daring to look up.

"Raise your head!" Chu Jie commanded, landing another blow.

Obediently, the beast lifted its head. Its once-dominant, sinister eyes now brimmed with a hint of supplication.

"He’s tamed the Wind-listening Leopard…" one of the men muttered, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

Chu Jie nodded with satisfaction and sat atop the subdued beast. Subtly, he released a trace of aura from the "Cycle Scroll." The Wind-listening Leopard immediately became as docile as a kitten.

Its earlier ferocity gone, it wagged its tail gently, gazing at Chu Jie with a pleading look, as if fearing another beating. Yet, the thought of running away never crossed its mind; it stuck close behind Chu Jie, never leaving his side.

"Who dares steal this old man’s Wind-listening Leopard?!"

From the distant sky, a streak of light shot forth—a sword-riding elder approached, his face frosted with rage as his gaze fixed on the beast behind Chu Jie.