Wang Hui watches as the Double-Headed Fire Dog leaps over his head with terrifying speed, its massive body cutting through the heated air before colliding directly with Talon, sending both of them crashing and tumbling violently across the ground.
The impact echoes through the cavern.
Wang Hui's instincts urge him to rush forward and assist, but before he can take even a single step, a group of fire spirits surges toward him, their forms flaring as they launch streams of fireballs in rapid succession.
He has no choice.
He must deal with them first.
His consciousness moves instantly, his spirit touching the Earth Control Spell model within his spirit space as he draws upon the surrounding earth elemental energy.
The ground responds.
Stone rises around him, forming layered shields that encircle his body in a protective barrier.
The fireballs strike.
Explosions erupt one after another.
Flames burst outward.
Yet the stone shields hold.
They tremble under the impact, vibrating for a brief moment, but remain intact, absorbing the force.
The fire spirits do not stop.
They launch another wave of attacks, their flames growing more intense as they attempt to overwhelm his defenses.
Wang Hui narrows his eyes.
He increases the flow of mana, pouring more energy into the Earth Control Spell, strengthening his control and refining the structure of the shields.
This time, he does not simply defend.
The moment the fireballs approach—
He acts.
Under his control, the stone shields detonate outward just as the fireballs make contact.
The collision creates a chaotic burst of force.
But the fragments do not scatter randomly.
They remain suspended in the air.
Vibrating.
Held in place by his control.
Wang Hui immediately follows up.
He activates the Wind Control Spell.
Air pressure gathers and compresses around the floating fragments, forming invisible channels of force that align their direction.
Then—
He releases it.
The stone fragments shoot forward like bolts from crossbows, tearing through the air with sharp, piercing momentum.
They strike the fire spirits directly.
One after another.
The impacts shatter their unstable forms, dispersing the flames and extinguishing their existence in bursts of fading light.
Within moments, the space around Wang Hui clears.
The fire spirits are gone.
Only heat and scattered embers remain.
He exhales once, then immediately turns his gaze toward Talon and the Double-Headed Fire Dog.
The real battle continues.
Wang Hui does not rush forward immediately, instead he steadies his breathing and begins absorbing the surrounding magic energy to recover, allowing the dense fire-based mana within the cavern to flow into his body.
The energy burns as it enters him.
It is not neutral.
He has to refine it repeatedly, cycling it through his Blood Nourishing Formation before it becomes usable, each refinement stripping away the violent fire attribute until only stable mana remains.
Even so, the process is slow.
His gaze remains fixed on the Double-Headed Fire Dog.
He has read about them before.
Demon Dogs.
Creatures that did not exist before the Magic Era.
They are products of change.
When the world shifted from spiritual energy to magic energy, new forms of life emerged, shaped directly by elemental forces.
According to recorded research, Demon Dogs are advanced fire spirits that have entered the body of a dog, merging into a single entity and gaining physical form.
They are unstable.
Violent.
And dangerous.
Most Demon Dogs exist alone.
But when they evolve into Double-Headed Fire Dogs, their instincts begin to change.
And when they reach the stage of a Triple-Headed Dog, they actively seek to form packs.
Wang Hui's expression tightens.
Then his eyes shift.
Another presence enters the cavern.
A second Demon Dog.
His heart sinks slightly as the realization forms instantly in his mind.
Two Demon Dogs.
That means more are likely nearby.
His thoughts sharpen.
'I have to run.'
The instinct is immediate.
Because if a Triple-Headed Dog exists within this region, then it is no longer just a battle—it becomes a hunt.
A First Stage Magic Beast.
With the potential to reach the Third Stage.
And they hunt in packs.
Before he can act further, the second Demon Dog opens both of its mouths.
Molten energy gathers rapidly.
Two blazing lava spheres form, radiating intense heat as they condense and then launch forward.
Wang Hui reacts instantly.
He raises his hand and casts both Wind Control and Earth Control together, forming layered wind and stone walls in front of him, with the stone barrier taking the front position.
The lava balls strike.
A violent explosion erupts.
The stone wall fractures, shards blasting outward in all directions.
But the wind layer behind it activates.
It captures the incoming fragments.
Holds them.
Suspends them in place before they can reach Wang Hui.
He does not hesitate.
With a sharp motion, he gathers the captured fragments together, compressing them under his control until they form a single, dense stone spear.
Wind gathers around it.
Pressure builds.
Then—
He releases it.
The stone spear shoots forward like a launched bolt, tearing through the air with lethal force.
The Demon Dog roars in response.
It unleashes another volley of lava spheres.
They collide mid-air.
The spear and lava balls crash into each other, erupting into a violent explosion of dust and fire that obscures the space between them.
Wang Hui does not stop.
He sends a spirit transmission to Talon immediately.
"We have to escape, a Demon Dog pack must be nearby."
At the same time, he gathers wind around his body, forming multiple rotating blades that circle him at high speed, ready to defend or attack at a moment's notice.
The fire element in the cavern begins to fluctuate more violently.
Something is building.
The dust parts.
From within it, roaring flames surge forward like a living wave.
Wang Hui focuses.
He increases the rotation speed of the wind blades, pulling the incoming flames into their orbit.
The fire twists.
Spirals.
A fire tornado forms before him, contained yet violent, its heat distorting the space around it.
At that moment, Talon's voice reaches him through spirit transmission.
"Wound the female dog, and both of them will escape."
Wang Hui's eyes sharpen instantly as he locks onto his next move, his focus narrowing despite the chaos of fire, dust, and crashing force that fills the cavern.
He continues exchanging blows with the second Demon Dog, their movements colliding again and again as wind and flame tear through the space between them.
At the same time, his thoughts race.
Two Demon Dogs acting together is not common.
There are only a few reasons for it.
First, they must be male and female, and not related by blood.
Second, it must be the mating season.
As the battle continues, Wang Hui's gaze shifts briefly, cutting through the dust and flame as he observes the female dog more carefully.
His eyes settle on her belly.
A slight bulge.
Subtle, but unmistakable.
Pregnant.
Understanding flashes through his mind.
Now everything aligns.
The reason the second Demon Dog is targeting him with spells instead of physical assault.
It is protecting.
Defending.
Demon Dogs are known for their terrifying physical strength, their claws capable of wounding even First Stage creatures, and they rely on direct combat more than spellcasting.
Yet this one chose to attack from range.
Because it must.
Because it cannot risk close combat.
Wang Hui's strategy shifts immediately.
He continues casting Wind and Earth spells, not aiming for direct damage, but shaping the battlefield itself.
Dust rises.
Stone fragments scatter.
Wind circulates.
The entire area gradually fills with a dense, shifting cloud that obscures vision and disrupts movement.
He controls it carefully.
Patiently.
Waiting.
When enough dust gathers, he acts.
The particles under his control compress and extend, forming chains that shoot forward and wrap tightly around the female dog's legs.
The sudden restraint causes it to stumble.
Its balance breaks for a critical moment.
At the same time, Wang Hui's Blood Nourishing Formation surges within him, his blood accelerating as power floods through his body.
The bloodthirsty gloves react.
On his right hand, they extend and reshape, forming a sharp, claw-like structure.
He moves instantly.
Closing the distance in a single step.
He slashes across the female dog's upper body, near the neck, just as it begins to break free from the restraints.
The strike lands.
Deep.
The chain shatters.
But the damage is done.
Wang Hui does not retreat.
He presses forward, continuing his physical assault, his movements relentless despite the deep claw wounds forming across his own body from the creature's desperate counterattacks.
Blood spills.
Pain spreads.
But he endures.
The female dog falters.
Its movements grow erratic.
Its composure breaks.
With a pained howl, it turns and retreats, fleeing through the passage it came from without hesitation.
At the same moment, the male Demon Dog disengages from Talon, abandoning the fight instantly as it rushes after the female, disappearing into the darkness beyond.
The cavern falls silent.
The fire dims slightly.
Wang Hui and Talon both collapse onto the ground almost at the same time, their bodies exhausted and battered from the prolonged battle.
Around them, pools of lava bubble and glow, radiating intense heat that presses against their skin like a constant assault.
Neither of them speaks.
They simply lie there, breathing heavily, recovering what little strength they can as the oppressive heat continues to bear down on them.