16 Dragon and Phoenix 5 (1/2)

”There's no need to run! A little guy like that, I can kill in no time!” Hu Rong shouted stubbornly over the sound of loud rumbling and roars.

”Then why are you running with us?” Mao Mao replied in a snarky manner.

”That's... that's merely because you guys are running, so I naturally started running with you!” Hu Rong answered.

The two continued bickering, even as the large tiger-like beast gained on them. Yin Mei felt that fighting this beast and killing it would make her feel bad, since Hu Rong and Hu Xi were both six-winged tiger beasts. In other words, this demon beast could very well have been a member of the tiger beast clan before it had been corrupted by demonic energy.

But looking at the eager to fight Hu Rong, and the ever silent and stoic Hu Xi, Yin Mei felt that her worries weren't at all necessary.

Anyways, she also wanted to ask the question of why they were running. This beast was at least one large realm higher than the person with the highest cultivation in their group, Hu Xi. But, all of them here were elites who possessed numerous treasures on their bodies. If they teamed up and fought the demon beast, they would probably be able to defeat it. Though Yin Mei couldn't say if they would come out unscathed, they certainly wouldn't die.

That being said, it certainly wouldn't be optimal for their group to get injured at this moment in time. She couldn't decide whether escaping or fighting would be the better choice.

In the end, Hu Rong couldn't restrain her desire to fight, and under Mao Mao's goading, turning around to start battling the large demon beast. Of course, the others couldn't leave her behind fighting alone, so they also stopped and helped her.

Yin Mei waved her slender sword, a golden fire appearing on the blade. With a single slash, the fire shot out at the demon beast, causing it to scream in pain. Even though they were in a forest, Yin Mei didn't worry much about things catching flame. Because she was inhabiting the body of a phoenix, she had absolute control over all fire (except that of other phoenixes), and could easily keep the fire from going out of control.

On the other hand, Gui Neng and Gui Heng had cursed the beast so that it would suffer from hallucinations and illusory pain, while Hu Rong and Hu Xi were battling the demon beast up front. Their dazzling saber work was quite impressive to look out. Mao Mao, who was slacking off and standing next to Yao Lan and Yao Yan, who both had nothing to do, whistled and said, ”The Hu siblings really have the best saber techniques.”

Yin Mei along with the Gui siblings no longer had anything to do and had already played their part, so also stood around with the other three. They soon ended up chatting, commenting on the battle.

”Oh! So close. They just missed the demon beast's weak point.” Mao Mao said, shaking her head regretfully.

”Even if they missed it, the demon beast has already been weakened considerably. It won't take them long to defeat it.” Yao Lan mused. ”With Feng Hua's flames constantly eating at its vitality, no matter what, it'll lose in a match of stamina.”

”Why are you just mention Big Sister Hua's flames? What about the curse? Our curse is the reason why those Hu siblings are having such an easy time!” Gui Heng said angrily, his pride slightly hurt. Gui Heng was at a delicate adolescent age of 107 years old, and was prone to the thing known as hormones.

”Hey! What the hell are you guys all doing, chatting away in the middle of battle!?” Hu Rong angrily said, as she was blown back by a blow from the demon beast and landed near them. She was completely outraged. They were having fun like they were on an academy outing, while she and her brother were fighting!

”Well, we wouldn't want to interrupt your fight.” Yin Mei said, as if it was for Hu Rong and Hu Xi's sake that she wasn't interfering.

”That's right. A battle between warriors shouldn't need our help.” Mao Mao chimed in.

”You- you- you actually call yourselves my friends?” Hu Rong was practically shaking, speechless from anger.

”Rong Rong! What are you doing!?” Hu Xi shouted at his sister, angered that she had joined up with the others in chatting and had left him to defend against the demon beast alone.

”Wow, big brother Xi must be pretty angry. That's the first I've heard him speak this entire trip.” Mao Mao said, hand over her mouth as she widened her eyes.

Hu Rong was very angry, but she charged back into the battle, using her anger as fuel as she slashed maniacally at the demon beast.

”You shouldn't tease Hu Rong too much. She takes it all very seriously.” Yao Lan said. The sounds of fighting and roars continued on in the background.

”Don't worry, hehehe, with the fatal combo of our curses and Feng Hua's phoenix fire, that big oaf won't be able to stand against a berserk Hu Rong, hehehe.” Gui Neng said, laughing creepily.

”What about an equally berserk demon beast?” Yin Mei said, having been watching the fight between the Hu siblings and the demon beast this entire time while the others talked, her face now an expression of ”Oh shit”. She pointed at the demon beast, whose size had seemed to have doubled, an intense aura leaking from it as its red eyes shed tears of blood.

”Ah...” They all said, just now noticing that the situation they were in may be a little bit dangerous...

”You guys, stop standing around and help us already!” Hu Rong said, as she leapt up and slashed at the demon beast, but was knocked away by his claws, the sheer force of her body flying off destroying several trees and only stopping when she had travelled a mile or so.

”Oh... it looks like a hallucination curse might have been a bad idea...” Gui Neng said as she looked up at the monster.

”This was the fault of your curse!?” Yao Lan shouted, her carefully constructed expression falling apart. Well, since all of the ones here already knew about her two-faced personality, she was always less careful around them.

”Mm, probably...” Gui Neng replied sheepishly.