Curse of the Supreme Blood

 The roar felt like it was coming from all sides of the forest as the forest grew darker still with every passing moment. Shadows thickened into impenetrable blackness, like several beasts were lurking nearby. Every rustling leaf and snapping twig sounded like an approaching threat. Li's grip on his sword tightened as he, Zhang Wei, Yu Ling, and the Lei brothers hurried toward the marked cave.

"We're close," Yu Ling whispered, her sharp eyes scanning the terrain. "But something is lurking nearby."

A sudden chill swept through the forest, carrying the faint stench of decay. Li felt his senses sharpen, that strange primal awareness stirring within him again.

"Quiet!" Zhang Wei hissed, signaling them to stop.

The group crouched low, blending into the underbrush. In the distance, faint red glows pierced the darkness—two burning eyes. A hulking figure emerged, its massive form illuminated by the dim moonlight breaking through the trees. The beast was unlike anything they'd seen: a monstrous panther-like creature with dark, chitinous scales that shimmered with oily malevolence.

The Shadowfang Reaper emerged from the inky shadows of the forest like a nightmare given form. Its massive, feline frame moved with predatory grace, muscles rippling beneath obsidian-black scales that shimmered like oiled steel under the faint moonlight. At nearly eight feet tall at the shoulder and stretching twenty feet from snout to tail, it radiated lethal power.

Its head was a terrifying blend of predatory elegance and monstrous mutation. Elongated and panther-like, its features were marred by two jagged, backward-curving horns crackling faintly with dark energy. Twin molten ember eyes burned with primal hunger, capable of piercing even the deepest darkness. Its mouth parted in a feral snarl, revealing rows of serrated fangs, each tooth dripping with a venom potent enough to kill in seconds.

The beast's sinewy frame was built for both speed and destruction. Its thick, segmented scales formed a natural armour, impervious to steel and resistant to magic. Its muscular limbs ended in clawed paws armed with retractable talons that gleamed like forged daggers. With one pounce, it could cover vast distances in the blink of an eye, its movement as fluid as dark silk in the wind.

From its back writhed six barbed tentacles, each tipped with jagged bone-like spikes glistening with venom. These living whips coiled and twisted with menacing purpose, ready to lash out at a moment's notice. Along its spine ran a ridge of venom-tipped spines, sharp enough to pierce even enchanted armour. When enraged, it could launch these spines in a deadly barrage, impaling anything caught in its path.

Its tail, long and sinuous, ended in a serrated, bladed protrusion that flicked back and forth like a serpent tasting the air. In combat, it moved with terrifying precision, capable of shattering bones or severing limbs with a single swing.

The forest itself seemed to hold its breath as the Shadowfang Reaper advanced, each silent step measured and deliberate. It did not merely hunt—it calculated, studied, and waited for the perfect moment to strike. It was a predator driven not by hunger alone but by an insatiable bloodlust, its mind sharp and cunning. The air around it shimmered with a dark, almost tangible aura of fear, sending weaker creatures fleeing in primal terror. Even the most hardened warriors would feel the icy grip of dread clawing at their hearts if they stood in its presence too long.

In the darkness, it was a living shadow, its scales absorbing the dim light and rendering it nearly invisible. Its hunting style was brutally efficient—ambush, disorient, destroy. Its preferred tactic was to strike from the shadows, dragging its victims into the darkness before their companions could even scream.

When cornered, the Shadowfang Reaper became a whirlwind of destruction. Tentacles lashed out, claws raked through flesh and stone alike, and its venomous spines rained down in deadly arcs. Its powerful limbs propelled it forward with terrifying speed, making retreat nearly impossible for its prey. Few had ever faced the Shadowfang Reaper and lived to tell the tale. Those who survived whispered of glowing red eyes burning through the dark and a beast that fought with unholy fury, as if the forest itself had given birth to a living nightmare.

In the Qinghe Forest, it was said that when the wind carried a low, echoing roar through the trees, it was already too late—the Shadowfang Reaper had found its prey..

Its jaws dripped with a viscous, greenish fluid, and barbed tentacles writhed from its spine like living whips. Each step it took was silent, predatory.

"It's hunting," Li whispered.

"We need to move. Slowly," Zhang Wei ordered.

The group shifted carefully, keeping low and quiet. Suddenly, Yu Ling stepped on a brittle twig—snap!

The beast's head whipped toward the sound, its glowing eyes locking onto them.

"Run!" Zhang Wei roared, pushing Li forward.

The group bolted, weaving through trees and leaping over roots as the ground shook beneath them. The Shadowfang Reaper let out a bone-chilling screech, bounding after them with terrifying speed.

Li's breath came in ragged gasps as he pushed himself harder than ever before. His legs burned, but he couldn't afford to stop. The cave entrance loomed ahead, half-hidden behind dense foliage.

"We're almost there!" Yu Ling shouted.

Suddenly, one of the beast's barbed tentacles lashed out, smashing a tree just inches from Li. Splinters rained down as he dove forward, narrowly avoiding the deadly appendage.

"Inside, now!" Zhang Wei ordered.

One by one, they hurtled into the cave, skidding to a stop in the dark, breathless and terrified. Zhang Wei yanked Yu Ling aside just as another tentacle speared into the entrance, missing her by a hair.

"Block the entrance!" Zhang Wei barked.

Li and the Lei brothers shoved large rocks into the opening. The Shadowfang Reaper clawed at the barrier, its rage-filled screeches echoing through the forest. After several agonizing minutes, the beast finally abandoned the pursuit, melting back into the shadows.

The group collapsed against the cave walls, gasping for breath.

"That... was too close," Yu Ling panted.

Zhang Wei nodded grimly, still watching the entrance. "We'll set up a watch rotation. Rest while you can."

The forest was deathly silent except for the faint rustling of leaves and the distant howls of night predators. Lu Heng and his two lackeys, Xiao Chang and Wei Ping, moved cautiously through the dense foliage, their eyes darting toward every shifting shadow. The twisted branches above seemed to claw at the sky, blotting out the weak moonlight, leaving only dark, shifting silhouettes.

"Senior Brother Lu... shouldn't we find a safe place to rest?" Bei Fu suggested nervously, glancing around the shadowed woods. His eyes darted around as though expecting death to lunge from the darkness at any moment.

"You'll go where I tell you," Lu Heng snapped coldly, his dark eyes flashing with irritation. His patience with his subordinates was wearing thin. Their cowardice disgusted him.

Suddenly, an unnatural stillness settled over the forest. The distant howls ceased, and even the ever-present chirping of nocturnal insects fell silent. A deep, menacing growl echoed from the shadows, vibrating through the ground like a distant drum of doom.

Xiao Chang froze. "D-Did you hear that?" he stammered, sweat dripping down his face.

Before anyone could respond, the darkness itself seemed to shift. From the shadows emerged the Shadowfang Reaper, its molten red eyes glowing with murderous intent, enraged for losing its previous preys. The beast prowled forward silently, its claws making no sound on the forest floor. Its barbed tentacles writhed menacingly, each tipped with jagged spikes glistening with venom.

Bei Fu stumbled back, eyes wide with terror. "Shadowfang Reaper..." he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hold your ground!" Lu Heng barked, though his face twisted with concealed panic. His mind raced for a plan—escape was impossible unless...

The Reaper struck like lightning. One of its barbed tentacles lashed out, aiming for Lu Heng's chest. With reflexes sharpened by years of training, he narrowly dodged, the tentacle slamming into a nearby tree, reducing it to splinters.

"Scatter!" Lu Heng ordered, leaping to the side. Xiao Chang and Bei Fu hesitated for a heartbeat too long. "Run!" Lu Heng barked angrily, darting into the thicket. Bei Su followed instinctively, his breath ragged with terror. Xiao Chang hesitated for a fraction of a second—long enough for the beast to fix its baleful gaze on him.

It moved with horrifying speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat. Xiao Chang barely managed to raise his trembling sword before the Reaper's claws slashed downward, sending his weapon spinning into the underbrush.

"Help me!" he screamed, stumbling backward. His eyes locked on Lu Heng, who had paused just ahead.

For a moment, hope surged in Xiao Chang's chest—until he saw the cold calculation in Lu Heng's expression. There was no trace of humanity, only cruel indifference.

Lu Heng raised one hand, dark energy crackling faintly around his fingertips. "You're too slow," he hissed.

With a flick of his wrist, a burst of malevolent energy surged outward, striking Xiao Chang in the chest and sending him sprawling toward the oncoming beast.

"No—!" Xiao Chang's scream was cut short as the Shadowfang Reaper descended, claws ripping through flesh with merciless precision. Blood sprayed across the forest floor, mingling with the beast's shadowy aura.

Bei Su, frozen in horror, could only watch as his companion was torn apart. His breath hitched as he realized what had happened—that Xiao Chang's death had been orchestrated, not by the beast, but by the very person they had trusted.

Lu Heng turned toward Bei Su, his face a mask of icy detachment. "Move," he commanded, voice void of emotion.

Bei Su staggered back, terror and rage battling within him. But survival instinct won out. He clenched his fists and followed, silently vowing that he would never trust Lu Heng again.

Behind them, the Shadowfang Reaper let out a blood-curdling roar before vanishing back into the darkness, leaving only carnage and shattered trust in its wake.