"This is the first time I've been injured so severely."
Chen Zong swallowed his last Vitality Pill to replenish his strength and examined his wounds. A wry smile crept onto his face. His back, chest, arms, and thighs were crisscrossed with claw marks and bite marks from demon beasts, some superficial, others deep, but all had stopped bleeding and were covered with scabs.
"Considering the chaos last night, surviving at all is incredibly fortunate."
"I wonder how Brother Chen Zhong and the others are faring?"
The appearance of the Level Three Demon Beast, the Armored Barbarian Bull, had shattered their defenses. It rampaged through the camp, an unstoppable force. With the arrival of more demon beasts, the group scattered, forced to fight individually before finally being driven apart.
As the sun rose, its golden light dispelled the night's lingering chill, bringing a faint warmth to Chen Zong's skin.
Whether it was the aftermath of the demon beast horde's assault or not, the forest was now eerily quiet, its beauty surreal and haunting.
Chen Zong dared not lower his guard. If his instincts were correct, he had ventured deeper into Subduing Dragon Mountain than the ore vein. The deeper one went, the greater the danger.
"I need to recover my strength before moving on," Chen Zong muttered to himself.
Unlike Tang Junluo, Li Zhenshi, Zhao King City, and others who always had Qi Blood Realm experts or higher accompanying them on their training expeditions, Chen Zong knew he was vulnerable. A single encounter with a Level Two Demon Beast could mean the difference between life and death, let alone a Level Three Demon Beast.
He scanned his surroundings, activating the True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique. His depleted Qi Blood Power rapidly replenished at a clearly perceptible rate.
Half an hour later, his Qi Blood Power and physical stamina were fully restored. Only the lingering wounds caused discomfort and sharp pain with every movement.
With a light leap, he climbed onto a large boulder and surveyed the landscape. As far as the eye could see, mountains, forests, and grasslands stretched into the distance—a disorienting sight for someone new to Subduing Dragon Mountain.
"Which way is Wind Martial City?" Chen Zong turned toward the rising sun. Since the sunrise point remained constant, he hoped to use it as a reference to find his way back.
But as he stared, confusion clouded his mind. His lack of wilderness survival experience was becoming painfully obvious.
"It should be this way, I think," he muttered uncertainly, though he had no better option. Leaping down from the boulder, he strode purposefully in the chosen direction.
The dense vegetation forced him to slash a path with his sword while remaining constantly vigilant.
When fatigue set in, he would find a relatively open area to rest briefly. Once refreshed, he resumed his journey.
"This is... Pu Luo herb..." Chen Zong's gaze swept across the area and settled on a small, reddish-brown plant growing beneath a large tree. Its sturdy appearance suggested it was at least thirty or forty years old.
Pleasantly surprised, Chen Zong carefully dug up the Pu Luo herb and took it with him.
The morning sun climbed higher, transforming into a blazing midday heat. Several medicinal herbs, all over a decade old, now hung from Chen Zong's shoulders.
Hungry, he plucked some wild berries, ate them after confirming they weren't poisonous. Their sour, astringent taste made them difficult to swallow, but he had to maintain his strength.
Without warning, dark clouds surged from all directions, converging overhead and blotting out the sun, plunging the world into gloom.
As he walked, Chen Zong noticed a cave entrance obscured by tangled vines ahead, its entrance barely visible.
"Could this be a demon beast's lair?"
He carefully examined the surroundings but found no traces of demon beast tracks.
Shaking his head, Chen Zong ultimately decided against entering the cave. Danger could lurk anywhere in the mountains, and who knew what hidden perils might await inside that he couldn't handle?
He skirted the cave entrance and continued onward.
Boom!
A deep, ominous roar reverberated in the air, as if a colossal beast hidden within the storm clouds was unleashing an earth-shattering bellow.
The mountain wind suddenly intensified, howling fiercely from all directions.
Crack!
A blinding flash of light erupted before Chen Zong's eyes, accompanied by an earth-shattering roar. Within the dark clouds, searing white lightning bolts danced like electric serpents.
Low-hanging clouds, roaring winds, and a sky crisscrossed with lightning created an oppressive atmosphere. This was clearly the prelude to a mountain storm.
Crack!
A bolt of white-hot lightning struck a century-old tree several hundred meters away. The ancient giant shattered instantly, leaving only a charred stump smoldering in its place.
A charred chunk of wood crashed heavily at Chen Zong's feet, wisps of heat rising from it with a pungent, acrid smell.
"Such... terrifying power..." Chen Zong gasped, utterly shaken by the display of nature's fury.
The power of heaven and earth far surpassed human capabilities. The force of that single lightning strike dwarfed even the full might of a martial artist beyond the Qi Blood Realm.
"If my sword could strike with such speed and ferocity... who in the world could withstand it?" Chen Zong mused before shaking his head and chuckling. He was getting carried away. Human strength had its limits. No matter how swift or potent his blade, it could never rival the raw power of nature's lightning.
A raindrop the size of a peanut landed on Chen Zong's face. In the next instant, a steady drizzle turned into a torrential downpour, shrouding the world in a hazy gray within seconds. Countless raindrops cascaded in unbroken streaks, their thunderous roar swelling like a surging tide.
"I need to find shelter," Chen Zong muttered, his eyes darting around in search of refuge.
As a fifth-level cultivator of the Qi Blood Realm, Chen Zong possessed a body far stronger than ordinary humans, brimming with Qi Blood. He could easily withstand normal cold and heavy rain, but the mountains presented different challenges, especially with his lingering injuries. A single misstep could lead to illness.
"The cave is my only option."
Reluctant but with no other choice, Chen Zong hurried back to the cave. After a quick scan revealed no signs of demon beast activity, he slipped inside.
Wiping the rain from his face, Chen Zong peered into the cave's dim interior. The silence within was absolute, a stark contrast to the torrential downpour raging outside. It was as if the two worlds existed in separate realms.
He waited, but the storm showed no signs of abating. Instead, it intensified, thunder roaring across the sky as lightning split the heavens, momentarily illuminating the landscape before plunging it back into darkness.
It seemed he was stuck here for the foreseeable future.
"Should I venture deeper?" Chen Zong mused. Without hesitation, he focused his mind and slowly stepped into the cave. The True Sword Heavenly Extinction Technique activated, circulating his Qi Blood Power, silently gathering strength, ready to strike.
The cave wasn't particularly deep. After about twenty meters, it opened into a spacious cavern, roughly circular with an irregular shape. Chen Zong estimated its height at five or six meters and its floor area at fifty to sixty square meters.
"What's that?" Chen Zong vaguely spotted a stone slab in a corner of the cavern. A dark figure stood atop it. "A person? Or a demon beast?"
"Someone actually came here? Tsk, a martial artist at the fifth level of the Qi Blood Realm. Perfect. Their Qi Blood will help me heal some of my injuries," a chilling, rasping voice echoed through the cavern, instantly sending shivers down Chen Zong's spine. Without hesitation, he retreated.
"You've come this far. You won't be leaving now," the black figure twisted suddenly, rising from the stone slab. Like a python, it slithered forward with startling speed, carrying a foul gust of wind that slammed into Chen Zong's face.
In that instant, Chen Zong felt as if he were facing a serpentine demon beast.
Why did Chen Zong feel as if he were facing a serpentine demon beast?
It was utterly bizarre.
Chen Zong had no time to dwell on it. The Black Shadow had already closed in, its hands darting out from its sleeves like venomous snakes striking from their lairs. With a chilling hiss that sent shivers down Chen Zong's spine, the strikes lunged for his throat and chest.
There was no surge of Qi Blood Power, clearly indicating a Foundation Establishment Martial Arts technique. Yet the Black Shadow had refined it to perfection, imbuing it with the essence of the Subtlety Realm, creating overwhelming pressure for Chen Zong.
He found it hard to breathe.
Holding his breath, he maintained his composure in the face of imminent danger.
His right hand swiftly gripped the sword hilt, and he drew his blade.
The blinding sword light instantly illuminated the dim cavern, radiating overwhelming momentum and razor-sharp precision. Like a crescent moon cleaving through the night sky, the blade slashed toward the Black Shadow.
The strike was fast, precise, and steady, infused with a decisive ruthlessness born of countless life-or-death battles with demon beasts.
Unknowingly, Chen Zong had begun to cultivate the "ruthless" aspect of the fourfold principles of sword technique, achieving preliminary results.
The sword strike caught the Black Shadow completely off guard. It never imagined that a mere fifth-level Qi Blood Realm martial artist could wield such exquisite sword skills.
But the Black Shadow, a seasoned warrior with lightning-fast reflexes honed through countless battles, twisted his body like a serpent, narrowly evading Chen Zong's slashing sword. Skimming past the blade's edge, he gained an extra burst of speed. His hands shifted, unleashing a barrage of snake-like strikes aimed at every vital point on Chen Zong's body.
Chaotic Sword Stance!
The Precious Iron Sword danced like a butterfly flitting through flowers, its peerless sharpness sealing off all avenues of attack. Forced to retract his hands, the severely wounded Black Shadow dared not clash directly with the blade's deadly edge.
In a flash, he vanished from Chen Zong's sight, reappearing to the side. One hand flickered upward, feinting a strike at Chen Zong's head, then downward as if aiming for his ribs, the true target masked by deception. Meanwhile, his other hand silently gathered power, tracing a bizarre arc as it lunged for Chen Zong's back.
Surrounded on three sides!
Wind-Treading Steps!
Chen Zong's body dissolved into the wind, vanishing beneath the Black Shadow's dual attacks in an instant.
Second Step!
Closing the distance, he struck with his sword.
The sword's light coalesced into a single, blindingly fast line.
Swift Sword Stance!
The blade pierced through the air, shattering the darkness of the cavern with terrifying force and lethal precision, hurtling toward the Black Shadow.
This sword... too fast!
The Black Shadow couldn't evade in time. His black robe tore instantly, buying him a fraction of a second. His palm struck the sword's blade with the gentleness of a snake's bite, yet with immense force that shattered the steel. Seizing the opportunity, he retreated.
"Boy, I didn't expect your sword technique to be so decent. You must be a prodigy from some prestigious family," the Black Shadow's voice rasped again, now laced with a sinister edge that dripped with murderous intent. "I enjoy nothing more than tormenting brats like you, draining every drop of your Qi Blood to fuel my cultivation."
"Who are you?" Chen Zong frowned. The man's voice and demeanor left him deeply unsettled, blurring the line between human and demon beast. After all, he had never heard of a martial artist enhancing their cultivation by drinking human blood—such a method was far too vile.
"Heh heh heh heh..." The Black Shadow cackled hideously. "Who I am is irrelevant. Take your questions and your bitterness to the grave!"