Chapter 75

In the autumn forest, the leaves were a fiery red, swaying in the wind. Tired birds returned to their nests, flapping their weary wings, and one by one they settled back into the warm branches, not knowing when they would have to spread their wings and fly away for the seasonal migration.

In the silent forest, a figure stumbled into view. The person's leather armor was tattered and worn, as if it had been through a washing machine countless times, hanging in tatters. The armor, both inside and out, was stained with fresh and dried blood, some still vivid, as if just pulled from a pool of blood, emitting a strong, gruesome smell that attracted a swarm of flies from afar.

This person was Xu Dong.

Xu Dong was panting heavily, his breath hoarse and labored, leaning weakly against a tree. He did not tend to his wounds immediately but instead pulled out a small, listless insect and placed it on the tree behind him.

Awakened Prop, the Siphon Worm!

The little insect wriggled, clearly also very weak, and slowly began to gnaw at the bark. Soon it burrowed into the trunk, starting to draw out life energy.

Only then did he pull off the leather armor, which was almost useless. Some parts were stuck to his wounds, and when he pulled, pieces of flesh and skin came off with it. His already pale face turned even whiter. Even someone as tough as Xu Dong could not help but let out a muffled groan.

Xu Dong looked at the leather armor in his hands and sighed, "Dozens of gold coins, just gone like that."

In fact, it was thanks to this outer armor that Xu Dong had managed to survive this long. Otherwise, he might have died from his injuries before reaching this point!

Bare-chested, in the gentle afterglow, it was not hard to see the numerous, shocking wounds. Some wounds had torn the skin, revealing large patches of fresh red muscle; others had cut through skin and flesh, showing a hint of white bone. Some were small, looking like a baby's mouth, but when you looked around to the back, you would see that they had been pierced through by a sharp blade.

At this moment, Xu Dong was suffering from injuries he had never experienced before, with not a single inch of unharmed skin on his body. If anyone saw this, they would be shocked that he was still alive!

"Should have temporarily shaken him off, right?" Xu Dong took out a water pouch and sipped lightly. Even though his throat was dry as if on fire, he did not dare to drink freely, as this would cause the blood to flow faster, and he would likely bleed to death before the Siphon Worm could fully restore his life energy.

Originally, Xu Dong thought he was faster in the forest than Yang Buji and had the advantage of using the Small Steps skill to escape. He even slowed down at first, hoping that Yang Buji would not catch up and instead chase after Yang Guang and the others, so he stayed within the other's line of sight.

But then... tragedy struck.

The Small Steps skill ended, and the key to the race came down to physical strength and the power of the flesh armor. In fact, Xu Dong's biggest mistake was underestimating the physical strength and the consumption of the flesh armor power of a two-star Awakened.

It was only now that he realized that after the flesh armor was activated for a while, it began to consume the flesh armor power. This consumption was more intense than Xu Dong had imagined.

When the flesh armor power was depleted, without the boost, Xu Dong was finally caught up by Yang Buji, who had activated the leg armor on both legs.

Yang Buji's attacks were ruthless and bizarre.

Within a meter, the Shadow Step was unpredictable, and once activated, it would follow like a shadow, instantly bursting with incredible speed to the back.

With the Shadow Step as the first move, any simple stab, slash, cut, or thrust could unleash terrifying power.

The moment Xu Dong was caught, he was covered in wounds, completely overpowered, with no chance of winning!

Relying on his instincts honed from the brink of death, Xu Dong fought and retreated, using the complex forest terrain to barely escape and take the opportunity to heal his wounds. But Yang Buji, like a leech, clung to his heels, never letting go, and caught up again, sending chills down Xu Dong's spine.

From around 3 or 4 in the afternoon until 6, Xu Dong was like a mouse being toyed with by an old cat, constantly caught, chased, and then let go.

Recalling the past four hours, Xu Dong felt as if he had been through a thousand cuts, both physically and mentally. His breathing was erratic, his spirit low, and he seemed ready to collapse at any moment. If he stopped moving... the consequences were unimaginable!

However, when you looked into Xu Dong's eyes, you would see that even in such a dire situation, they still burned with fierce determination.

Persist! Never give up!

After half an hour, Xu Dong dug the Siphon Worm out of the tree and placed it on his neck. The worm, having consumed life energy for a short time, was no longer as plump as before, and the energy it provided to heal his wounds was at least 30% less.

When his body was fully healed again, Xu Dong was surprised to find that the worm had fallen into a coma, lying limp in his hand. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, "It seems my chances are few. I can't afford to waste any more time; I need to find a way."

Indeed, without the Siphon Worm as a strong support, Xu Dong would die in just two more encounters, and under the wrath of Yang Buji, death seemed almost a blessing. Every time he thought of this, he shuddered.

"From here to the Sibingli Great Forest, the distance is close. Perhaps only there can I find a glimmer of hope!"

Sibingli, in the common language of the mainland, means spirits, ghosts, or souls, and some call it the Ghost Forest. The Ghost Forest is the largest primeval forest near Blood Helmet City, home to various powerful and rare beasts from one-star to full-rank Awakened. It is said that the most powerful beast in the Ghost Forest, the Ghost Cat, is a formidable creature equivalent to a Forger rank.

Countless adventurers who had designs on it ended up as its prey.

In his current situation, Xu Dong knew that if he did not escape into the Ghost Forest, he would die for sure, but if he did, he would have a one in ten chance of survival. So he concluded that the Ghost Forest offered a glimmer of hope.

Just as Xu Dong was about to leave, the spring in his backpack let out a low bark, a warning! The previous two times, thanks to the spring's alert, Xu Dong had avoided being cut off.

"How did he find me!" Anyone who had been relentlessly pursued multiple times would have the same question.

Xu Dong did not dwell on it. He bit his lip and charged toward the Ghost Forest, determined to do everything possible as long as there was a glimmer of hope!

A long-limbed shadow darted out from the forest, its feet covered in elastic muscle fibers. With each step, the joints extended, as if growing longer, far surpassing the speed and stride of a normal person.

Due to the excessive consumption of the flesh armor power, Xu Dong could not activate it, and in no time, the shadow had caught up.

In the next second, a twisted, jointed hand came from behind, fingers like hooks, nails sharp, and five bloody marks were gouged into Xu Dong's bare skin, the flesh torn and discarded. The pain slowed Xu Dong down.

At that moment, leaves and mud splashed as a shadow burst with incredible speed, appearing on Xu Dong's right side. The sleeve sword hummed and shot out from the arm armor, passing through the gap between the index and middle fingers, and stabbed toward Xu Dong's waist. If it hit, Xu Dong's liver and kidneys would be shattered!

However, Xu Dong seemed to have anticipated this. At the critical moment, he struck downward with his elbow. The flesh and the sharp blade collided, and a large piece of flesh splattered, but the sleeve sword was deflected, grazing his back. He narrowly avoided the attack.

In that instant, Xu Dong's figure shot forward a great distance.

A hint of shock flashed in Yang Buji's eyes, and he couldn't help but think, "This kid has figured out my Shadow Step in such a short time, impressive!"

On the surface, he extended his blood-red tongue to lick the sweat from the corner of his mouth and sneered, "I underestimated you. You must have a lot of Blood Restoring Pills on you."

Blood Restoring Pills? Xu Dong vaguely remembered that Yang Buji had mentioned this type of healing medicine before. Later, he learned that Blood Restoring Pills were extracted from divine fruit and were a common healing drug for Awakened, but they were expensive, and even adventurers carried only one or two. No wonder Yang Buji asked.

Of course, only a restorative like Blood Restoring Pills could explain why Xu Dong had healed his wounds so quickly and multiple times.

Xu Dong did not respond, biting his lip and charging forward.

Yang Buji ran close to him, marveling, "Without the flesh armor activated, your speed, though not as fast as a one-star Agile Awakened, is almost on par with other one-star Awakened. In just a few hours, you've figured out my Shadow Step... How about this?"

As he spoke, Yang Buji activated the Shadow Step again, his leg armor twisting and extending, taking a large step that far exceeded a normal person's. In one step, he was right next to Xu Dong, almost touching his nose.

Shadow Step!

Xu Dong's pupils contracted sharply, feeling an indescribable chill, as if a sharp knife was pressed to his throat, and he was constantly on the brink of death.

He instinctively struck out with his palm, a tactic his opponent often used, using the Shadow Step to get close and then the sleeve sword to create terrifying damage. His palm struck the opponent's arm, aiming to preempt the attack and eliminate the threat before it could materialize!

Bang!

The palm and arm collided, and Yang Buji's wrist twisted. However, a strange smile spread across his face.

The man suddenly exhaled, his voice like a lotus blooming, making Xu Dong's eardrums hurt. At the same time, the elastic arm armor deformed and extended, growing longer, almost reaching Xu Dong's body.

The next second, a hum sounded in his ear.

The sleeve sword shot out of the sheath!