Just as the net was nearly completed, the beast ripped open a new hole. Although the beast had been injured and was weaker now, this was still a big loss to the Gu tribe.
There wasn’t much time left.
The net could slow down the beast but the beast was still moving forward.
The shaman didn’t show any signs of panic in a glance but if one looked closely, they could notice the fear in his eyes. As the leader of the Gu tribe, he cannot panic, he had to ground himself.
Come on! Come on! Come on!
The shaman chanted in his heart.
Boom!
The beast took another step forward. The act of ripping off the net on its neck brought more damage to the beast than Shao Xuan did with a sword. Ripping off the net twice took quite a toll on the beast.
In a battle of endurance, the Gu tribe would lose against the beast. Its biggest weapon was its incredible defence. In addition to that, the beast was already winning this fight.
If they couldn’t repair the web before the beast reached the fire pond, the Gu tribe would be doomed. Even if it didn’t extinguish their fire seed, if it just injured or killed the shaman, the Gu tribe would be done for.
The claws dug deep into the ground. Every attack it got, it would take a step forward.
Its only goal was to charge forward!
Maybe it knew that it couldn’t take a third round of the nets so it really just had to focus on moving forward! That was its goal for a thousand years. Head straight to the fire seed and kill all that surrounded the fire seed!
The shaman’s calm facade came crumbling down.
“It isn’t enough! There isn’t enough time!” thought the shaman.
He used his deduction skills to predict what would happen if this continued.
Big drops of sweat fell from the shaman’s face, his eyes bloodshot now. His facial muscles cramping up from biting his teeth too hard.
What now?
What now?!
As the shaman was deep in thought, he heard a voice.
“Do you just need to repair that hole?” Shao Xuan didn’t have powers like the shaman so he could only shout.
Between the loud stomping from the beast, the shaman could clearly hear Shao Xuan. He wasn’t sure what Shao Xuan was asking exactly but he just answered anyway.
“...Yes!”
“It doesn’t matter what way I use it?”
“Yes!”
The shaman wanted to roar out. If they could fully repair the net, they would succeed! If they failed, well it wouldn’t be pretty.
The shaman’s mind was only filled with thoughts of repairing the net, that was why he replied Shao Xuan that quickly.
Shao Xuan whistled and shouted to Tuo, “Throw my bag here!”
The Flaming Horn people were all feeling the burning sensation from both the beast’s aura and the Gu tribe’s fire seed.
They didn’t think much and just complied with what Shao Xuan told them to do.
The beast and the Gu people didn’t notice what Shao Xuan was doing.
He quickly opened it and took something out.
“Ah Xuan, what are you doing?”
Wei and Tuo looked over at him. They were shocked to see his injured arm.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry. I’m not reckless.” Shao Xuan quickened his movements.
Wei knew exactly what those kinds of sentences usually meant.
“Grand Elder!” roared Wei. This was just the Gu tribe, they really didn’t need to risk their lives!
“I calculated it, I’m not diving in blind. I want to prove something also... Don’t come close!”
As soon as he was done speaking, he rushed towards the beast.
Repair the net, but where?
The biggest hole was right at the beast’s neck.
Looking at the beast get closer and closer, Shao Xuan let out a strong exhale, energy exploding out of his fingertips. Each move was carefully calculated.
Two boomerangs with a thin string tied to it were shot out, making a perfect arching flight path that circled around the beast’s neck. It was lucky that the beast didn’t pay much attention to the string like that.
Shao Xuan jumped up to catch the boomerangs. He changed the angle and directions and threw it out once again.
He was repairing the net!
The Gu people who were able to tell what Shao Xuan was doing were grateful but...
Was this even useful?!
A wire that broke in the middle can conduct electricity if it was repaired but not if it was repaired with an insulator.
Right now, the Gu tribe was seriously doubting that the strings Shao Xuan was using could be used to make a net.
To do what they did, they must use rope that had undergone the ritual they conducted. Only those kinds of nets were able to catch fire.
“Why didn’t someone give some of our rope to that Flaming Horn man?!” some complained in their hearts.
The shaman suddenly got what Shao Xuan was doing but it was too late.
‘Unless he can ignite it too?’ The shaman held out hope for Shao Xuan.
No, no way! The shaman dismissed the idea, Shao Xuan couldn’t channel the power of the Gu fire seed, how would he light it on fire?
After some quick thinking, the shaman made a decision.
“Retreat!”
It was too late, he had to use all his powers and borrow the energy from the fire seed to wound the beast. He had to try to at least injure it if he couldn’t kill it. If it was injured, the Gu people would at least have some time to run away. Since the beast wouldn’t be able to extinguish their fire seed, as long as it’s there, they still had a chance to be reborn. They could always train another shaman, as long as there’s a chance to survive, the shaman would take it.
Hearing the shaman’s words, the Gu people knew what he was going to do. They stopped fighting the beast, they knew it wasn’t necessary to make another sacrifice that didn’t change anything.
The shaman twisted the disk’s handle so the disk would face downwards. The disk was still pointed in the beast’s direction. He muttered something under his breath, preparing for this one last attack.
A sharp noise like metal being cut through rang throughout the forest. It was so piercing that people felt their eardrums about to puncture. It stopped the shaman’s chanting.
The Gu people covered their eyes while twisting their bodies to see what was happening.
The strings around the beast’s neck were rapidly tying knots around it to form a net.
The string let out a blood-red glow under the sunlight. Shao Xuan held one end in his hand while the other was already in a knot. He pulled it forcefully. With every tug, the knot on the other end got closer to the beast, tightening around its neck. The sharp sound came from the friction between the tightening string and the beast’s neck.
Everyone’s heart was beating out of their hearts.
What was this Flaming Horn man trying to do?!
Trying to repair the net was hopeless, the shaman gave up on that too. Why was he so stubborn?
Although they thought that Shao Xuan was just wasting his energy, the Gu tribespeople still felt moved from his actions.
The beast shifted its gaze to the person standing in front of a flame not too far away.
Kill! Kill!
The beast didn’t stop heading towards the fire pond but it swayed its neck to throw off the person holding the string.
Although the large force did jerk Shao Xuan up, he was still holding onto his end of the string. He flew up like a kite in the sky.
The onlookers watched nervously, not knowing what to do.
Shao Xuan who was up in the sky was much calmer than those below. A voice in his mind told him that he could do it.
The totemic flame in his mind roared up emitting a brilliant light. It mixed into the energy from the fire seed in his blood, lighting up the blood.
Whoosh—
Shau Xuan was now engulfed in flames.
The brilliant flame followed the path of the string down. Just like a lightning strike, it headed straight towards the beast’s neck.