Chapter 79

"Roar..."

The monster let out a few more cries, its voice extremely agitated, as if it would pounce on and destroy any living thing it saw.

Xu Mo, hearing this, couldn't help but feel puzzled: Why has this monster suddenly gone mad?

As the monster's footsteps grew closer, heading in his direction, he could smell the scent of aphrodisiac powder.

His heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood: "That's right. That day, to ensure the monster was sufficiently agitated and wouldn't let Chu and Wei off alive, I scattered the entire canister of agitation powder in the stone chamber where the monster was. With so much agitation powder, it was impossible for it to inhale it all at once. At the time, only a small portion dispersed into the air, while most of it remained in the stone chamber. After the monster killed those two, it returned to that stone chamber."

"Its breathing is so heavy; it must have been inhaling the agitation powder in the stone chamber every day. After inhaling the powder, it couldn't vent its frustration, and over time, the residual effects of the agitation powder accumulated in its body."

"The entrance to the cave has the aphrodisiac powder I scattered. After Chu and Wei died, I forgot to clean it up. The monster must have gone to the cave entrance under these circumstances. It inhaled too much agitation powder and smelled the aphrodisiac powder, causing it to go mad."

"Perhaps it even rolled around at the cave entrance a few times, covering its entire body with aphrodisiac powder. With the aphrodisiac powder on its body, it could smell the scent wherever it went, and the more it smelled, the more agitated it became."

His deductions based on imagination were not far off.

However, he couldn't help but wonder: "It's been more than half a year since that day. But from the looks of it, this monster seems to have only come out of the cave for the first time in these past six months. I remember there was nothing to eat in the cave. If so, how has this monster survived for the past six months? Could it be that, like some cold-blooded animals, it can reduce its energy consumption by hibernating?"

This matter was trivial, and he only thought about it briefly before dismissing it.

Listening to the monster's movements, he wanted to escape from the pit but knew it was too late. He held his breath and didn't dare to move.

At this moment, the rain finally began to fall from the sky, pouring down heavily from the start.

The raindrops, as big as beans, hit Xu Mo's face. He thought to himself, "Not good! With this rain, the lake water will soon rise, and the pit where I'm hiding will be flooded."

A thought crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but think, "But such heavy rain will surely wash away the aphrodisiac powder on the monster's body."

A moment later, the monster was nearby. Xu Mo closed his eyes, not daring to look, but he could hear the monster's movements clearly, knowing it was right above him, seemingly looking down at him.

Xu Mo was extremely tense, knowing that any sound would immediately alert the mad monster, causing it to pounce and tear him to pieces.

He completely held his breath, even stopping his heartbeat, his body cold as ice, looking no different from a dead person.

This method could deceive any other wild animal, but he had no confidence it would work on this mad monster.

The monster's breathing was very heavy, and its breath hit Xu Mo's face. Without breathing, he could almost feel the stench from its mouth through touch.

"Roar..."

The monster let out another roar, its voice fierce, as if it had suddenly become enraged.

Xu Mo was secretly alarmed. At the same time, he noticed the monster had taken a few steps back, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief: Could it be... it's leaving? It has no interest in dead bodies, so it's letting me go?

But this thought was quickly dispelled. With his breathing and heartbeat stopped, his hearing became extremely sensitive. He then heard the faint sound of bones rubbing together, indicating the monster was crouching slightly, preparing to pounce into the pit where he was lying.

This shock was immense, and his heart sank to the bottom of the abyss: "It's over! It... it won't even spare a corpse."

But just then, he heard a loud splash. The lake water rose rapidly, breaking through the embankment he had built around the pit, and the cold water rushed in, quickly submerging his body.

"Roar..."

The monster let out a loud roar, its voice filled with frustration, but it stopped and retreated.

This unexpected turn of events brought a glimmer of hope to Xu Mo: "The monster is afraid of water. The lake water flooding the pit has stopped it from jumping in. It seems the sudden rush of lake water has saved me."

Despite this, he didn't dare to move, lying in the pit and pretending to be dead.

He heard the monster become even more agitated, roaring a few more times. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached, and the monster charged forward. He then heard the loud sounds of 'crack' and 'splash' as the monster collided with the mango trees by the lake, breaking them.

The trees fell, one landing directly on top of the pit where Xu Mo was, covering it. He felt a heavy weight on his chest, and a branch pressed against his upper arm. Another tree fell, landing on the first one, followed by two more.

The monster had knocked down four mango trees, almost completely covering the pit.

Xu Mo was shocked: This is trouble. The monster couldn't eat my body, so it knocked down four trees to bury me. Even if it leaves, how can I get out with these four trees on top of me?

After the monster knocked down the four trees, it roared a few more times in Xu Mo's direction and then left, unwillingly.

Xu Mo, submerged in the water, gradually felt suffocated. Hearing the monster move away, he tried to move, but his head immediately hit the pit wall, and his upper arm, pressed by a branch, couldn't be freed.

He struggled, but the four trees were too heavy to move.

The pit was gradually filling with lake water, and he couldn't breathe. Although his ability to hold his breath was ten times stronger than when he was fleeing in the Dong River, he couldn't survive without breathing for long.

His mindset was different now; he had long since become indifferent to life and death. But dying like this was unacceptable.

He tried to struggle a few more times but couldn't get out from under the trees, and his strength was almost depleted. He had to stop and rest, feeling somewhat discouraged.

Underwater, his mouth was sealed by the lake water, and he couldn't call for help. Even if he could, who would hear him in this desolate mountain? The monkeys wouldn't know he was trapped, and even if they did, they couldn't help him out from under the four trees.

At this point, he unexpectedly felt a strange calm, entering a peculiar and bizarre state. He thought: If I die, at least I can achieve something. I haven't yet mastered my tactile sense, so I might as well use this last bit of time to achieve it before I die.

He stopped thinking, calmed his mind, and used his ability to become one with heaven and earth, merging his body with the natural world. He shifted his perspective, standing as an observer, examining his own body.

A loud 'buzz' echoed in his mind, and his internal condition became crystal clear. Everything inside his body, every movement, every change, seemed magnified by dozens or even hundreds of times.

The sound of his heartbeat now sounded like thunder.

He felt a sense of control over everything, the slight pressure of blood on the walls of his blood vessels, the friction of air and the inner walls of his lungs, metabolism, and even the growth, division, and death of cells, all revealed to his senses.

He knew this was the mastery of his tactile sense, achieving ultimate control over his internal condition. In this strange state, at the brink of death, he had easily achieved this through his ability to become one with heaven and earth.

Feeling the resonance from every part of his body, it was like a complex and beautiful piece of music he had never heard before, harmonious and rhythmic.

All these parts working together supported a complete, living human body.

Suddenly, he felt a deep reverence for this rhythm. Although the rhythm was beautiful, every change and every movement ultimately led to the predetermined end of death. Each change brought him one step closer to death, and there was no way to stop it.

Everything seemed predetermined. By mastering this rhythm and understanding its changes, one could accurately determine the remaining lifespan of a person and know when they would die, as long as they didn't die by accident.

Xu Mo tried to change the rhythm within his body, controlling his blood circulation and trying to influence it, but found it impossible. The rhythm was like a chain reaction; a change in one part would cause changes in others, and these changes would cancel each other out, always maintaining the same rhythm.

Xu Mo sighed helplessly in his mind, understanding that the rhythm was just a manifestation, a precise reflection of the changes within his body. The changes within his body truly reflected his condition. All these changes combined to maintain a balance, supporting a living body.

Unless he could one day completely control his body, changing this rhythm would be impossible.

Now, the rhythm within his body was high and intense, symbolizing health and vitality, representing his prime. One day, as he aged, this rhythm would become weak and low, until it finally disappeared with death.

He thought about it and gave this rhythm a name: the Rhythm of Life.

He thought: One day, if I can completely control my body, I can change the rhythm within me. At that time, immortality might not be impossible.

Just as he thought this, he suddenly felt a shock and was pulled out of the state of oneness with heaven and earth. He then heard footsteps approaching.

His heart skipped a beat: Someone is coming!

——

PS: Thank you to Qian Shan Gong Yi Yue for the support.

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