landbeastnovel Chapter 20: The Venomous Fang Revealed
Chapter 20: The Venomous Fang Revealed
The dark blue blade, carrying a chilling cold and a bloody stench, had already touched Xuan Tianyi's back.
The facade of honesty and simplicity on Zhao Tiezhu's face had long since crumbled, leaving only a twisted grin and a cruel, cat-and-mouse-like pleasure.
The powerful blood and qi of the peak of the ninth level of body tempering no longer concealed itself and suddenly erupted, forming a heavy aura that caused the poisonous rats that were pouncing around to instinctively shrink back for a moment.
He had been preparing for this strike for a long time, and the timing and angle were perfect. He poured in all his strength, enough to split rocks and shatter monuments.
Let alone a mere youth who has just broken through to the third level of Body Tempering, even a martial artist of the same level would have no chance of survival if stabbed in the back without warning.
"Die, you little bastard!"
Zhao Tiezhu roared inwardly, as if he could already see the blade piercing flesh and blood, and the look of shock and despair in that wretched boy's eyes.
However, just as the knife tip was about to pierce the flesh—
Xuan Tianyi's forward thrusting spear movement seemed to be forcibly twisted by an invisible force. His body twisted and tilted to the side and forward at an angle that completely defied the normal logic of power generation, like a reed being broken by a gale!
It wasn't a retreat, nor a block, but rather, taking advantage of the momentum from the forward thrust, combined with a perilous force-dissipating technique recorded in the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique," he made an extreme dodge within a small space!
"Sizzle—!"
The dark blue, poisoned blade grazed his left rib, tearing a long gash in his tough leather armor with a piercing tearing sound.
The chilling poison attached to the blade penetrated his body, causing a slight numbness on half of his body.
But that's about it.
The anticipated scene of blades piercing flesh and blood splattering did not occur.
Xuan Tianyi staggered forward a few steps, then pulled back the black iron spear that had pierced the Rat King's head, the tip of the spear spraying a spray of dirty blood.
He turned around, steadied himself, and calmly looked at the attacker. His face showed no surprise, only a cold understanding.
"Finally decided to show your tail, Zhao... or perhaps I should call you a rat from the Seven Saints Sect?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the hissing of the rats and the shouts of battle around him, reaching Zhao Tiezhu's ears like a thunderclap.
Zhao Tiezhu's sinister smile froze abruptly, and a look of disbelief and astonishment flashed in his eyes.
His attack was sure to succeed; the timing, angle, and speed were all impeccable. How could this kid possibly dodge it?
And judging from what he said... he already knew?
"you……"
Zhao Tiezhu stared into Xuan Tianyi's terrifyingly calm eyes, a chill creeping into his heart for no reason, which was then replaced by an even more raging rage.
Being seen through by a kid he considered an ant, someone he could crush at will, and almost being tricked by him, was more humiliating to him than the failed sneak attack.
"interesting……"
Zhao Tiezhu flicked the dark blue waist knife in his hand, the blade emitting a slight hum. The cruel and playful smile reappeared on his face, but the killing intent in his eyes had solidified into a tangible form.
"It seems I underestimated you. Not only do you possess some brute strength, but your dodging skills are also quite impressive. Did that charlatanry divination tell you that? Or... did you already discover something?"
As he spoke, he leisurely approached.
The aura of the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering was released without reservation, forming a heavy air pressure that enveloped Xuan Tianyi and the pale-faced guards and refugees behind him.
"Tiezhu! What...what are you doing?!"
Uncle Lin clutched his chest, both shocked and furious. He had just tried to rescue Zhao Tiezhu after being injured by a casual burst of energy. He pointed at Zhao Tiezhu, his fingers trembling.
He never imagined that this honest, hardworking young man from his hometown was actually a hidden mole, and even more so...
The evil followers of the Seven Saints Cult!
Ali and the other guards were stunned. Their hands, gripping their weapons, trembled slightly, and their eyes were filled with fear and anger at betrayal as they looked at Zhao Tiezhu.
"What are you doing?"
Zhao Tiezhu chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Uncle Lin and the others as if they were a pile of lifeless objects.
"Of course, we're sending you, these offerings of blood, to where you belong. The Holy Church needs your flesh and soul; it's your honor."
His aura continued to rise as he spoke, and his dark blue blood exuded a cold and sinister aura, completely different from the masculine and fiery aura of ordinary martial artists.
The oppressive aura of the peak ninth level of Body Tempering made it difficult for Uncle Lin and the others, who were only at the second or third level of Body Tempering, to breathe, their faces turned pale, and they could barely hold their weapons.
"As for you,"
Zhao Tiezhu refocused his gaze on Xuan Tianyi, like a venomous snake eyeing a frog.
"Kid, you managed to see through my disguise and dodge my fatal blow. You're quite skilled. I've changed my mind; I won't let you die too easily."
I will crush your bones one by one, extract your soul, and offer it to the Holy Envoy. I'm sure your pets will enjoy such a fresh and interesting sacrifice.
Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath his feet cracked with a "crack," and his figure vanished from the spot like a cannonball!
The speed was more than twice as fast as when they launched the sneak attack before!
His figure left a trail of blurry afterimages, his trajectory unpredictable. The dark blue blade light drew several tricky arcs in the air, blocking all possible directions for Xuan Tianyi to dodge. Finally, it converged into a chilling point, piercing straight for Xuan Tianyi's throat!
At the same time, his empty left hand formed a claw with its five fingers, gleaming with a dark metallic luster, and with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, it silently stabbed towards Xuan Tianyi's heart!
One hand wields a knife, the other a claw; both are deadly moves!
The full power of the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, combined with the strange and ruthless martial arts, far surpasses that of before!
"Young Master Xuan, watch out!"
Uncle Lin and the others gasped in shock, but they couldn't even see Zhao Tiezhu's movements clearly, let alone intervene.
Faced with this unavoidable and deadly attack, a fierce glint flashed in Xuan Tianyi's eyes.
He knew that with such an absolute difference in their levels of understanding, any attempt to take shortcuts would be futile.
Only by using force to overcome force, and exchanging injury for injury, can one seize a sliver of hope!
"Ha!"
With a low shout, Xuan Tianyi no longer held back, pushing the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique" to its limit.
The Zhen trigram jade token in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and a wisp of pure lightning power was forcibly extracted and frantically injected into the meridians of his arms!
The muscles in his right arm bulged, and pale golden lightning patterns flashed under his skin. Five thousand pounds of force, along with the violent power of lightning, were poured into the black iron armor-piercing spear.
"Buzz..."
The gun emitted a groan of strain, and a blinding spark exploded from its tip. Without flinching or dodging,
A simple, direct thrust, yet imbued with all his energy and spirit, fiercely met that dark blue blade light!
His left palm was also crackling with lightning, his five fingers pressed together like a knife, and with an indomitable momentum, he slammed down on the opponent's claws that were plucking out his heart!
Attack against attack, life against life!
"madness!"
A hint of disdain flashed in Zhao Tiezhu's eyes.
"A mere second-level Body Tempering cultivator dares to take my full-force attack head-on?"
That's practically suicide!
"boom!"
Fist, gun, knife, and claw—four attacks imbued with immense power collided together without any fancy moves!
A dull, thunderous roar, like the crack of leather being struck, suddenly erupted, and a violent shockwave rippled outwards in a ring around the two men, sending dust billowing high into the air.
Several venomous ground squirrels that couldn't dodge in time were sent flying, their tendons and bones broken.
Xuan Tianyi was struck as if by lightning. His arms were torn apart by excruciating pain, and his tiger's mouth split open instantly, with blood staining the gun barrel red in an instant.
The black iron spear groaned in pain and almost flew out of his hand!
A chilling, vicious force, far exceeding his limits, surged into his body through the gun and his arm, frantically damaging his meridians and internal organs!
"puff--!"
He was struck head-on by a charging beast, spitting blood as he flew backward and crashed heavily into a protruding rock behind him.
With a "crack," spiderweb-like cracks spread across the surface of the rock.
Xuan Tianyi slid to the ground, spitting out another mouthful of blood, which even contained some fragments of internal organs. His face instantly turned ashen.
The difference is too big!
There is a gap of seven minor realms between the peak of the second level of Body Tempering and the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering!
This is not just a difference in strength, but a complete crushing defeat in all aspects, including the richness of one's blood and qi, physical strength, speed and reaction, and the exquisite control over power!
If he hadn't cultivated the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique," his physical foundation would have far surpassed that of others at the same level, his strength would have reached five thousand jin at the second level of Body Tempering, and his skin and membranes would have been exceptionally tough.
If it weren't for that trace of lightning power naturally restraining Zhao Tiezhu's evil blood and qi, slightly weakening its power;
That one clash was enough to shatter both his arms, turn his internal organs into mush, and kill him on the spot!
Even so, he was already severely injured, his internal organs were displaced, his meridians were damaged, and his fighting strength was reduced to less than one-tenth.
"Xuan boy!"
Uncle Lin and the others were furious and wanted to rush forward, but Zhao Tiezhu swept them aside with a cold look.
The chilling killing intent belonging to the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering was like a slab of ice water, almost freezing their blood and leaving them frozen in place.
"Cough cough..."
Xuan Tianyi used his spear to support himself on the ground, struggling to stand up, but this aggravated his injuries, causing him to cough violently again, with blood continuously spilling from the corners of his mouth.
He raised his head; his blood-stained face, illuminated by the flickering firelight, looked disheveled and vulnerable.
But those eyes remained calm, even...with a hint of mockery?
"Is that all you've got?"
Zhao Tiezhu shook his slightly numb left hand.
During their palm strike, the lightning from Xuan Tianyi's palm actually penetrated his qi and blood defenses, causing a tingling and numb sensation in his palm.
This surprised him somewhat, but that was all.
With a disdainful sneer, he slowly approached Xuan Tianyi step by step, his sinister eyes filled with the pleasure of watching his prey struggle in its death throes.
"To survive one of my attacks and even leave my hand a little numb, kid, you have something to be proud of. However, the game ends here."
His sinister gaze swept over Xuan Tianyi's trembling arm, pale face, and the blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, before a morbidly excited flush appeared on his face:
"That was just an appetizer. Next, I will crush your bones inch by inch and sever your tendons."
You'll witness firsthand how you're slowly devoured by a swarm of rats...
Don't worry, I guarantee you won't die before the sacrifice is complete.
Feel this helpless despair, this painful resentment! Then, please me to your heart's content! Hahaha…”
He burst into wild laughter, which was particularly jarring in the noisy battlefield.
The surrounding venomous ground squirrels seemed to have received some kind of instruction. They simply formed a circle, their scarlet little eyes staring at the people inside, emitting squeaks, but did not pounce immediately, as if waiting for a good show.
Xuan Tianyi lowered his head, his disheveled black hair obscuring most of his face. Only his thin body could be seen trembling slightly in the night wind, and his knuckles turned white from the force of his grip on the gun barrel.
Fresh blood dripped down the torn clothes, spreading out in dark red patterns in the dust.
"To please...you?"
A hoarse sound, as if squeezed out from a broken bellows, rose low.
Xuan Tianyi slowly raised his head.
Beneath his disheveled black hair, on his blood-stained face, there was none of the fear, despair, or pleading that Zhao Tiezhu had anticipated.
The corners of his mouth even twitched slightly upwards, forming an extremely strange arc.
That wasn't laughter; it was more like a grotesque expression, a mixture of pain and excitement, that burst forth from the depths of the soul after extreme repression.
He stuck out his tongue and licked away the warm blood foam that kept overflowing from the corner of his mouth, his movements slow and careful, as if he were savoring some kind of exquisite delicacy.
The sweet, metallic-tasting liquid slid down my throat, but it didn't make me feel nauseous.
Instead, it was a strange, burning sensation that shot up the spine and into the brain.
The excruciating pain of displaced and ruptured internal organs, the agony of meridians being torn apart, and the mournful cry of bones unable to bear the weight...
All these physical warnings, pushing him to his limits, seemed to transform into fuel, fueling the two dark yet ever-burning flames in his eyes.
Fear? Perhaps.
But more than anything, it was a chilling, exhilarating feeling of breaking free from shackles…
Arriving in this strange and dangerous world, witnessing bloodshed and death, struggling to survive, every step is like walking on thin ice.
Rational, cautious, calculating...
He forced himself to adapt to the rules of this world, carefully hiding the parts of himself that made him incompatible with his surroundings.
But at this moment, in this life-or-death predicament,
In this quagmire of blood and excruciating pain
Something that had been suppressed for a long time, like a scarlet beast that had been sealed away, finally broke out of its shell.
That was his soul's deepest yearning for "truth" and his savage affirmation of "existence."
Only the threat of imminent death, only the excruciating pain, only the clash of the most primal forces could make him feel it with unparalleled clarity—
I'm alive!
"System! Enhance my comprehension! Open it!"
[Ding! Host's request detected. Access to the Enlightenment Space has been granted. The Enlightenment Space can temporarily and significantly boost the host's comprehension level. The time flow rate within the space is 1:1000 compared to the real world, consuming 100 Life Source Points per second to maintain.]
In an instant, Xuan Tianyi felt himself enter a strange state.
Consciousness seemed to be pulled into a strange space where time completely lost its meaning.
It felt like millions of years had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment.
He saw the combat technique "Thunderous Eight Trigrams Palm" that he practiced day and night with the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique";
Every movement, every flow of Qi and blood, and every guiding of thunderous power has undergone countless repetitions and optimizations!
Everything in the outside world—light, shadow, sound, the drifting of dust, the blowing wind, the movements of the crowd, Zhao Tiezhu's attacks, and so on;
All these sounds and movements seemed to be separated by a thick layer of glass, becoming blurry and distant.
Instead, he could hear the slow, heavy beating of his own heart in his chest.
And the gurgling sound of blood flowing through the veins, like surging magma.
This contradictory feeling, where reality and illusion, power and weakness, a glance that lasts a thousand years and the slowest, most extreme moments intertwine, is enough to drive one mad.
It was as if two visions, like double pupils, intertwined and constantly stimulated his mind.
"This feeling..."
Xuan Tianyi's voice was still hoarse, but it was no longer as intermittent as before.
Instead, it carried a strange calm, and an irrepressible, chilling pleasure.
"...That really is true..."
He slowly straightened up, although the movement made the veins on his forehead bulge and cold sweat mixed with blood drip down his face.
But the black iron spear trembled in his hand, yet it was steadily pointed at Zhao Tiezhu.
"...Wonderful."
As he uttered the last three words, the strange expression on his face suddenly intensified.
It turned into a near-maniacal smile, a mixture of pain and extreme excitement.
Deep within her once clear eyes, a dark vortex seemed to be swirling.
A near-inhuman, utterly cold indifference crept onto the edge.
That look didn't seem like he was looking at a mortal enemy; it was more like he was scrutinizing a lifeless object about to be dismantled.
However, beneath this indifferent, frozen landscape, two extremely dangerous, almost morbidly pleasurable flames flicker.
"You know what?"
Xuan Tianyi's voice was soft, yet it reached Zhao Tiezhu's ears clearly.
"The roles of hunter and prey are not fixed."
He stomped his foot hard, and a small crater appeared in the ground, sending debris flying everywhere.
Despite his severe injuries, his body burst forth with speed far exceeding what he should have been in his current state, not retreating, but actively moving forward!
The spear in his hand abandoned all technique, transforming into a resolute black shadow.
With a desperate, suicidal intent, it pierced straight into Zhao Tiezhu's heart!
"At a specific time..."
"But they can... switch between each other!"
"You little bastard! You're asking for it!"
Zhao Tiezhu felt a chill run down his spine at Xuan Tianyi's strange gaze and smile, and then flew into a rage.
This ant, so badly injured, still dares to attack?
How dare you look at him like that?
"Let me teach you what awe is! What despair is!"
He roared, neither dodging nor evading, and his blood and qi, at the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, erupted forth.
A deep blue aura enveloped his right fist, which, carrying immense power, slammed fiercely towards the thrusting spear tip!
He wanted to crush the kid's weapon, his last hope, and that disgusting look in his eyes in the most brutal way possible!
"boom!!"
Fist and gun clashed once more!
This time, Xuan Tianyi was sent flying even further, crashing into half of a dilapidated stone wall and sending dust flying.
He struggled to his feet, coughing up more blood, his arm twisted irregularly, clearly broken.
But the smile on his face grew even brighter, and the dark flames in his eyes burned even more intensely.
"Not enough...not enough..."
He murmured to himself, as if trying to convince himself, or perhaps trying to convince some other being.
The next moment, he lunged forward again, using his still-functioning left hand to grip a broken piece of the gun barrel he had picked up from somewhere.
They attacked Zhao Tiezhu in a more frantic and reckless manner.
Zhao Tiezhu's face darkened; he realized he couldn't immediately subdue this seriously injured young man.
The opponent's attacks were completely haphazard, yet they carried a ruthless intent to exchange life for injury.
Moreover, that strange lightning-attribute power, though weak, could always penetrate his blood and qi defenses, causing slight numbness and interfering with his movements.
What annoyed him even more was the increasingly bright look in the other person's eyes, as if they were enjoying pain and death.
"madman!"
Zhao Tiezhu cursed under his breath and became even more ruthless.
He unleashed a barrage of insidious martial arts techniques—fists, palms, claws, knives—aiming to end this cat-and-mouse game as quickly as possible.
"Bang!"
"Snap!"
"puff!"
The dull thuds of impacts, the cracking of bones, and the slicing of blades into flesh rang out continuously.
Xuan Tianyi was like a broken sandbag, being knocked away time and time again, struggling to get back up each time.
His left arm was also twisted and deformed, several ribs were broken, and his body was covered with deep wounds that exposed the bone. Blood almost turned him into a blood-soaked figure.
But his attacks never stopped, and each one became more ferocious and more precise than the last.
The momentum has not weakened, but rather increased!
The indifference and fanaticism in those eyes sent a chill down his spine, even for this evil man who took pleasure in torture and killing.
Moreover, he had a vague feeling that the opponent's moves seemed to be changing in some way at all times.
It's not about making things more complicated, but about simplifying them, discarding all the superficial and impractical.
All that remains is the purest, most effective, and most direct killing instinct.
Every angle of attack, every way of exerting force, even the tension and release of force in the muscles when injured, seems to be rapidly optimized and adapted during the battle.
What kind of monster is this kid?!