My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 394 Little Nian Beast VS Lin Xingshi, Zhou Jiuya (Seeking monthly votes)

"The devil is coming."

Under the moonlit night, on the desolate wilderness, as the Little Nian Beast finished speaking, its eyes were covered with a deep crimson.

In an instant, its entire body burst into ferocious demonic flames, and its lion-like snout protruded slightly forward like a blade. The wild grass within a ten-meter radius was burned to ashes in an instant, leaving only embers dancing in the wind.

When Zhou Jiuya and Lin Xingshi saw this scene, their expressions changed slightly.

"What's going on?" Zhou Jiuya said coldly. "Has your pet dog gone mad?"

"Xiao Nian?"

Lin Xingshi looked at the little Nian beast with bloodshot eyes and softly called his name.

She paused, then frowned. "Something's not right. Be careful, Nine Crows."

The moment the "Demon's Descent" form was activated, the little Nian beast's figure shot out.

"what?"

Zhou Jiuya was startled, then felt a slight chill in his heart. A wave of intense heat blew towards him, pricking his fur and causing his pores to open.

In less than half a second, the little Nian beast traversed hundreds of meters, arriving in front of him with a burst of demonic flames!

Zhou Jiuya's pupils contracted sharply, reflecting the pillar of flames so close at hand. At that moment, the little Nian beast tore through the flames and shot straight out from within, then spun around and raised its claws, aiming for his head.

But at this moment, the bracelet on Zhou Jiuya's wrist suddenly emitted a warm light. It was his "Words Without Boat" bracelet. At the Tokyo auction, it was thanks to the defensive power of this bracelet that he was able to fall into a deep sleep in that chaotic environment without being touched by anything.

Lin Xingshi felt the wave of heat sweeping over him, his eyes widening slightly as he immediately realized what was happening.

In an instant, her figure was enveloped by a hazy lion shadow. She dodged and threw a punch. The lion shadow roared, and crimson flames splashed like a curtain. With a push of its paw, it rammed forward into the little Nian beast!

The little beast raised its paw to block. With its body no more than a meter long, it was trying to shake the lion-headed Lin Xing Lion, like an ant trying to shake a tree, but it did not retreat even a fraction of an inch.

"Step back!" Zhou Jiuya lowered his face and suddenly shouted at Lin Xingshi.

As soon as the words were spoken, a colossal cauldron descended from the sky! The dark Nine Dragons Cauldron tore through the atmosphere, carrying the force of a collapsing mountain, and slammed down on the head of the Little Year Beast.

Having received Zhou Jiuya's warning, Lin Xingshi had already spurred his crimson lion shadow to retreat dozens of meters, carving a scorched trench beneath his feet.

“Little New Year…” She suddenly looked up and stared ahead.

The next moment, the giant cauldron crashed down, and the little beast's eyes flashed with blood-red light. It raised its two forelimbs, growled, and used its claws to hold down the Nine Dragons Cauldron. A deep pit, hundreds of meters deep, was immediately created beneath its feet.

The earth suddenly cracked open, but it actually managed to lift the Nine Dragon Cauldron!

"Really? What the hell is this monster?" Zhou Jiuya stared at the scene, his hair standing on end, his pupils contracting, and he muttered in shock.

He immediately frowned deeply. In all these years, he had never seen anyone directly challenge the Nine Dragon Cauldron.

But the little Nian beast did it.

In an instant, under the protection of the demonic flames, the little beast's figure became hazy, like a bewitching blooming mandala. It bent its feet, which were deeply embedded in the ground, and lifted the Nine Dragon Cauldron slightly upwards, freeing its limbs.

Before the Nine Dragon Cauldron could fall again, he transformed into a pillar of flame and roared as he emerged from a shadow that blotted out the sky.

"Boom—!" The Nine Dragons Cauldron crashed into the earth, as if it had gone straight to the earth's core, crushing an entire wilderness.

Dust and mist swept outwards in a turbulent and surging manner, and the sky was filled with trembling sand and stones. In this hazy world, the little beast transformed into the most dazzling and brightest dark red flame.

In an instant, the ferocious figure cleaved through the dim light along the way and the moonlight shining from above, its claws pointing straight at Lin Xingshi!

Lin Xingshi took a deep breath, raised his right palm, and aimed it at the little Nian beast.

At this moment, the crimson lion shadow roared to the sky, opened its bloody mouth, and swung its body. Its right paw, carrying a patch of crimson flames, smashed forward, creating an invisible layer of energy!

But she was wrong; the little beast's target wasn't her. In the half-second it charged towards Lin Xingshi, the little beast suddenly lowered its body, sank its four claws into the ground to stop its momentum, and then nimbly spun around, launching itself to the side.

"Whoosh!"

The fiery lion cub somersaulted in mid-air, twisting its body to gain momentum, and with one claw, it tore at Zhou Jiuya's body from a distance, unleashing a surging curtain of flames that swept across more than ten meters.

"Boom—" The raging flames swept in like a tidal wave, carrying a heat wave! Nothing grew in its path, and even the air evaporated.

However, at this moment, Zhou Jiuya had already summoned two treasured protective antiques from the Tonggu Compass—the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll and the "Eighteen Bronze Men Formation".

In an instant, eighteen bronze Shaolin statues took shape in the wilderness—they wore cassocks, some wielding long staffs, others empty-handed.

Six bronze figures stand at the bottom, six others stand on their shoulders in mid-air, and the last six stand on the middle six at the top, forming three rows, exuding a solemn and inviolable aura.

Suddenly, they all let out a low growl, the sound like thousands of bronze bells resounding in unison.

A golden light immediately surged forth like a tidal wave, but it only lasted for less than two seconds before being crushed by the oncoming pillar of demonic flames. The little Nian beast was unstoppable, sweeping through the middle of them.

"The Bronze Man Formation was broken so easily... Then come on, you beast!"

Zhou Jiuya frowned, lowered his face, and muttered to himself silently.

In an instant, he unfurled a five-meter-long scroll of the Qingming Scroll in front of him. The scene resembled a bullfight, with the bullfighter holding a red cloth, waving it in front of the enraged bull, waiting for it to charge.

The beautiful scroll curled up in mid-air, forming a ring around Zhou Jiuya, thus ensuring that the little Nian beast would not suddenly change the direction of its attack.

But when the little beast looked at the bustling street scene in the painting, it suddenly stopped its charge, put its claws on the ground, and once again stirred up a wave of mud. Then, its body suddenly bent in mid-air and shot to the side like a cannonball.

"run?"

Zhou Jiuya's expression was stern.

"Boom... Boom—!"

Thousands upon thousands of bronze pillars rained down from the sky, but they could not stop the little beast's charge. The dark purple pillar of fire seemed unstoppable, crashing through the pillars that came crashing down on it, and it charged straight toward the end of the world!
"Roar--!"

Suddenly, the crimson lion shadow that Lin Xingshi had transformed into roared and chased closely behind the little Nian beast.

On the wilderness, with each step the lion took, a curtain of flames swept out from its four paws, scorching the earth black. Even the dampness in the wind was evaporated, turning into wisps of white steam that swirled around its body.

Even at full speed, she was still no match for the Little Year Beast's speed.

“Wait a minute, Xiao Nian’s goal is…” At this moment, Lin Xing Shi’s expression changed slightly, and he suddenly realized something.

She suddenly looked up and gazed ahead, where she saw a jet-black crown standing tall in the wilderness, radiating a bewitching and eerie dark light in the night.

—That's right, the little Nian beast's goal is not to escape, but to obtain the "Demon Crown" that Lin Xingshi just threw on the ground!
The little beast had already lost its mind due to the "Demon's Arrival," but it could feel the demonic energy emanating from the "Demon Crown," which was an irresistible temptation for it.

At this moment, the "Demon's Descent" state only lasted two seconds. In the last two seconds, the Little Year Beast burned away the greenery in the mountains and fields, shot to the front of the crown, bent down and raised its claws to grab the Demon Crown in its palm.

Immediately, it was placed on top of the head.

"Oh no..." Lin Xingshi stared blankly at the scene, and spoke almost silently.

The moment the demonic crown was placed on the little beast's body, the demonic flames that had enveloped it vanished. The deep red in its eyes also receded instantly, replaced by emptiness, from which a sinister dark purple aura emerged.

Immediately afterwards, a white and purple exoskeleton emerged from its body with a "click-clack" sound, covering its entire body, including its cheeks.

At that moment, the "Demon's Descent" state had only one second left, and at the same time, the Little Year Beast put on the Demon Crown again, and the pressure it emitted increased once more.

It felt completely refreshed, as happy as a whale returning from the land to the sea.

In that second that felt like an eternity, the little beast slowly turned around and met the crimson lion shadow chasing after it. In an instant, it swung its simple claw forward.

At that moment, the demonic flames that had been completely concealed within the beast's body erupted like a flood above the little beast's claws and fangs. In an instant, Lin Xingshi's lion shadow was completely engulfed by the raging demonic flames, as if it had sunk into a sea.

"Bang——!!!"

Her figure was sent flying backward for a full thousand meters, the earth along the way shattered inch by inch and devoured by dark purple flames. Finally, the fiery red lion shadow crashed into the city wall, smashing through the entire wall!
The ruins crashed down, quickly covering the dim lion's shadow.

"Old Lion!" Zhou Jiuya was startled, then rushed over.

Lin Xingshi's long braid came undone, turning into a fiery red cascade down her back. She collapsed amidst the ruins, her face pale.

"Can you still stand up?" Zhou Jiuya asked, bending down.

"Yeah, I'm alright..."

Lin Xingshi spoke hoarsely, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He raised the back of his hand to wipe his lips, and the broken lion shadow tore open the ruins of the city wall, burning them into scattered embers.

It took her a great deal of effort to slowly get up and look at the imposing figure in the distance.

In that instant, the little Nian beast's eyes suddenly regained their original color.

As the dark purple hue under its eyes faded, a notification popped up in front of it.

[Note: The "Demon's Descent" form has reached its maximum time limit.]

It immediately recovered from the "demonic descent" state, its mind became much clearer, and it returned to Ji Minghuan's control.

But the Demon Crown was still on his head, so that "exoskeleton" was still there, only slightly contracted inward, thinned a few layers, and seemed no longer so indestructible.

"That was close... Luckily, even if it entered the demonic state, I could still hint at it to take action, otherwise I would have really been trapped inside the Qingming Scroll."

The little Nian beast murmured silently, raised its eyebrows, and looked around with its clear eyes.

“My dad and brother are still nearby. The White Raven Brigade doesn’t know if the Gu family will make a move, the Demons have already suffered a crushing defeat, and they saw that White Wolf has been rescued, so they are unlikely to bring their members here. Qi Yuanli will most likely just wait for another opportunity.” Little Year Beast thought, “I have to retreat immediately. If I stay any longer, I’m afraid there’s no chance of winning.”

Thinking this through, the little beast knew it was impossible to wait for the troupe to arrive, so it didn't linger in the fight.

It used all four limbs, transforming into a beam of fire as it charged forward, rushing towards the battlefield on the side of Totoro and Mad Bull like a whirlwind.

At this moment, the little beast only had one person in its eyes: Zhong Wujiu of the Lake Hunt!
[Fierce Assault of Demonic Flames: The little Nian beast mustered all its strength, transforming into a pillar of fire and charging forward.]

A notification popped up in front of my eyes, and a clear notification sound came to my ears.

In an instant, crimson demonic flames surged violently and powerfully from the exoskeleton, instantly enveloping the entire body of the little beast and its jet-black crown.

"Roar--!"

It roared forward, burning away the air and the emerald green of the wilderness, and crashed into Zhong Wujiu's side.

At that moment, Zhong Wujiu suddenly felt a surge of killing intent sweeping in from his side, and he was slightly startled, abruptly turning his head. A monster.

A word instinctively popped into his mind.

Over the years, Zhong Wujiu has been accompanied by the divine beast spirits in Nuo masks and has slaughtered countless demons, but he has never experienced such a sense of oppression.

In an instant, a meteor-like flash of light appeared in his pupils. Knowing that it was too late to dodge, he raised his hand to cover his face and switched the Nuo mask to "Qiongqi" mode.

In an instant, the invisible ink spikes transformed into armor, enveloping his entire body.

Zhong Wujiu's face darkened, and he raised his arms to brace himself. But he was still thrown dozens of meters away, his body crashing onto the city wall and sinking deeply into a crater.

Both the blue dragon and the dark, raging bull were taken aback.

They raised their blood-soaked heads, staring in disbelief at the small Nian beast hurtling towards them.

The little beast braced itself on the ground with its front paws, stopping abruptly and creating a small furrow. It then raised its head to look at them and spoke rapidly:

"Come with me! The Great Khan has been rescued. Retreat immediately, understand?"

Without pausing for even half a second, it strode straight toward the monkey demon.

Blue Dragon and Mad Bull were stunned for a moment, but then followed quickly without much hesitation.

During this time, the Totoro demon suddenly reverted to its original form.

The little blue cat collapsed onto the mad bull demon's body, exhausted, its paws clinging tightly to the bull's back, its tail drooping limply.

In just two seconds, the little Nian beast wearing the demon crown had already crossed the vast wilderness and rushed to the mountainside in the distance.

At this moment, the Monkey Demon held a pile of lava-red explosive fruits in his hand, his face was ferocious and gloomy, and his pupils only saw Zhuge Hui.

Zhuge Hui was very patient and had been standing on the city wall playing with it for a long time.

Upon seeing the little Nian beast, Zhuge Hui was slightly taken aback: "This is... the legendary son of the Nian beast?"

"Spirit Monkey, don't be impulsive. The Great Lord wants you to go back," Little Nian Beast shouted. "Enemies have invaded the mountain, and Rainbow Horse is already dead. Do you want to watch the Great Lord die too?"

Without a doubt, Ji Minghuan was lying. But he knew that only by lying could he get this dim-witted and furious monkey to accompany him, instead of continuing to stubbornly argue with Zhuge Hui—which would only lead to his death.

"Is the Great King in trouble?" The monkey turned its head, its pupils shifting from rage to shock and doubt.

"Right, there's no time to waste with the Lake Hunters right now. I've already brought Mad Bull and Totoro. Let's go!" Little Nian Beast wagged its tail and said in a serious tone.

The monkey hesitated for a moment, then gritted its teeth and said, "Let's go!" With that, it threw the exploding fruits in its hand toward the city wall, and left a few to throw in the opposite direction.

The fruit split open, and the flames of the explosion rose into the night sky, blocking the path of the other three hunters from pursuing them. This also forced Zhuge Hui to summon the Heavenly Meteor to protect the city walls.

Once the rumbling sounds subsided, the little Nian beast had already led several demons into the deep mountains, their figures gradually swallowed up by the foliage.

"Did you run away?"

A moment later, Zhuge Hui covered his face with a folding fan. He looked in the direction the little beast had left, then turned to look at Lin Xingshi.

Before the situation became clear, he did not pursue them further, but instead turned back and headed towards the other three from the lake hunt.

As the demons of the Zodiac Team withdrew from the border of Sea Sail City, the whole world suddenly fell silent.

The serene moonlight spilled across the empty wilderness, leaving only a gentle breeze blowing from the distant horizon, caressing the scarred earth.

The world was silent.

Late at night on August 23, in the forest behind Lingxin Lake on Haifan Mountain.

The little beast was the last to return to the forest, because he had just been lying on the cliff outside the tunnel, observing the situation in the city for a while.

Only after making sure that both the White Raven Brigade and the Lake Hunters had returned home did it climb up from the cliff with peace of mind and plunge into the tunnel made of flowers and thorns.

Riding the Lotus Leaf Demon, it crossed the vast Spirit Heart Lake, and after a short walk, it saw the brightly lit forest again. Thousands of lanterns swayed, scattering starlight, but the forest was different from before, presenting a dull and deathly silence.

The demons lurked in the shadows, their eyes gleaming in the darkness.

They looked at the little Nian beast with fear and trepidation, interspersed with faint, low whimpers. They noticed that fewer members of the zodiac team had returned, and they knew that some had perished in the battle, but they didn't know exactly who.

The little beast, its head bowed, paced silently through the woods. A gentle sea breeze rustled its soft fur, and the maple trees whispered in the breeze.

Before long, it passed through the waterfall and arrived inside the huge cave.

At this moment, the little Nian beast looked up and saw that a large group of Aries demons were gathered in the cave used for meetings. These little lambs were clustered together, releasing a pure white halo from the tips of their horns.

The halo spread out like fireflies, enveloping the wounded, including White Greed Wolf, Nian Beast Lord, and Mad Bull Demon.

The little Nian beast remained silent, lying at the entrance of the waterfall cave, enjoying the damp, cool breeze, and quietly watching this scene.

Time passed slowly, and the wounds of the Nian Beast King were visibly healing, but he still showed no signs of waking up.

Although, as the most ordinary member of their race, the combined power of the Aries demons is not as extraordinary as that of the lucky one chosen to be a member of the Zodiac Team. However, if they were to gather together, they could still manage to heal the High Overlord and the injured Zodiac Team members, albeit with some difficulty.

Meanwhile, Totoro had already settled down on the cushion and fallen into a deep sleep.

The demon monkey sat gloomily at the cave entrance, munching on peaches. It didn't seem to care that the little beast had tricked it; it just stared blankly at the waterfall hanging down from the cave entrance.

Among the survivors, the Nian Beast King, the Mad Bull Demon, and the White Greedy Wolf were the most seriously injured, and they remained unconscious after returning.

Before long, the Aries demons left the cave in unison after completing the treatment.

Instead, the Rat Demon returned. It had been hiding at the foot of the mountain, using its far-seeing ears to inquire about the situation in Sea Sail City for a while. Only after confirming that Lake Hunting had no intention of attacking the mountain did it leisurely stroll back.

"Child, you..."

The moment the Rat Demon saw the Little Year Beast, tears streamed down his face, even wetting his mustache.

It burst into tears and stumbled towards the little Nian beast, opening its claws and tearfully trying to hug it, only to be pushed away by the little Nian beast with its claws.

"You're finally back! I was so worried about you! You did a great job, a great job!" the Rat Demon shouted.

"Go away, I'm going to sleep, don't bother me." After saying that, the little Nian beast walked away without looking back.

It spewed out a burst of demonic flames from its feet, briefly evaporating the rushing waterfall, and then its small body tumbled and fell into the forest like a falling leaf.

After that, the little Nian beast, as always, found a branch of a giant tree and lay down.

For some reason, the little beast tossed and turned on the tree branch that night, unable to sleep. It felt uneasy and anxious, as if it had forgotten something, something very important, and something that was related to the "lake hunt".

However, after a series of events, he was so exhausted that he stopped pursuing the matter.

So it patted the lantern demon with its paws, lowered its head and pondered quietly for a while, before falling into a deep sleep amidst the roar of the waterfall.

The forest was completely silent; it was a quiet night.

Overnight, Little Nian Beast became famous on Haifan Mountain. He saved the Nian Beast Lord and single-handedly repelled three members of the Lake Hunters, thus rescuing the Zodiac Team. This series of feats quickly spread among the thousands of demons on the mountain, and Little Nian Beast became the focus of attention among the demons.

The "Reputation Value" in the character panel also increased significantly.

The next day, as the first rays of dawn pierced through the treetops and shone on the little beast's head, it slowly opened its eyes.

Just then, a purple-red notification box floated in front of it. It rubbed its eyes with its paws, yawned, and looked at the text on the panel in a daze.

[Congratulations! The fourth unit, "Little Nian Beast," has advanced from "Newcomer" to "Emerging Talent," and is still some time away from reaching the next prestige level, "Kingly Presence."]

[You have completed the "Ruler" training task in the character development system: For each prestige level gained, the Little Nian Beast will gain one attribute point.]

[You have acquired 1 attribute point. You currently have 1 idle attribute point. Do you want to allocate it immediately?]

The little Nian beast yawned and muttered, "Looks like I'll have to inherit the position from the Great Lord before I can max out both the quests and the training system."

It raised its paw and pressed the "Assign Now" option, and the attribute panel popped up immediately.

The basic attributes of "Unit No. 4" are as follows:
Strength: S++ (This attribute will directly affect the "Little Nian Beast's" physical attributes);

Speed: S++ (This attribute will directly affect the Little Nian Beast's "nerve reaction" and "instantaneous burst of power");

Spirit: S-rank (This attribute affects the Little Nian Beast's "Demonic Flame Strength" and "Demonic Flame Duration")

"It seems that there is still a lot of room for improvement in the spirit attribute. It will take three attribute points to reach the maximum attribute. Never mind, let's focus on speed first."

The little beast didn't think much of it, raised its paw and slapped the "Speed" attribute, holding it down.

A moment later, a purple-red notification popped up in its eyes.

The speed attribute of the fourth unit, "Little Nian Beast," has changed—from S++ to SS (reaching the maximum attribute for the unit).

It closed the panel, and at that moment, a man wearing a white cloak and with a white film under his eyes slowly walked over from a distance.

White Greed Wolf raised his head to face the sunlight, looking at the little Nian beast on the tree branch, "Is my Demon Crown with you?"

The little Nian beast raised an eyebrow, lowered its head slightly, and met his gaze.

“Yes, I think it would be more useful to have this thing with me, what do you think?” the little Nian beast asked.

When it returned last night, it had already used its human-shaped "spatial ability"—the Spatial Claw—to store the Demon Crown inside a separate space.

This is a great treasure for it, but like "Demon's Descent," it will erode the user's sanity, and wearing it for too long can easily lead to trouble.

Bai Tanlang remained silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice:

“If you inherit the throne from the Great Khan, then I will give you the Demon Crown. Now is not the time.”

It paused for a moment: "But until the next war, the Demon Crown will remain with you."

"Sigh, he calls himself the little prince, but he doesn't even get this much treatment." The little Nian beast sighed.

"Also... the Great Lord has something to discuss with you," Bai Tanlang continued.

"Oh, then I'll go see it now." After saying that, the little Nian beast stretched, tumbled down from the tree, and walked away in the sunlight, stepping on the maple leaves in the forest.

(End of this chapter)