Chapter 49

"First time receiving so many injuries."

After taking the last energy pill to restore his strength and checking himself, Chen Zong couldn't help but show a bitter smile. There were wounds on his back, chest, arms, and thighs, either claw marks or bite marks, some light and some heavy, but they had all stopped bleeding and formed a layer of scab.

"However, to survive in such a situation last night was a stroke of luck."

"I wonder how Chen Chong and the others are doing?"

The appearance of the Level 3 beast, the Heavy-Armored Barbarian Bull, directly shattered everyone's resistance, destroying the camp and leaving them defenseless. With more beasts arriving, everyone was forced to fight individually and eventually scatter.

As the sun rose, the golden light dispelled the lingering cold of the night, bringing a sense of warmth to Chen Zong.

It was strangely quiet now, as if the beast attack last night had calmed things down, and the scenery had a unique beauty.

Chen Zong, however, did not dare to let his guard down. If his guess was correct, he was now deeper into the Fulong Mountain than the mining area, and the deeper he went, the more dangerous it became.

"Restore my strength, then leave this place," Chen Zong thought to himself.

Unlike Tang Jun, Luo Lizhen, Zhao Wangcheng, and others, who would always have experts above the Blood Qi realm accompanying them on their training trips, if he were unlucky enough to encounter a Level 2 beast, it would be enough to put him in a life-or-death situation, let alone a Level 3 beast.

He paid attention to his surroundings, activating the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique, and his depleted Blood Qi strength quickly recovered at a noticeable speed.

After half an hour, his Blood Qi strength was fully restored, and his physical strength was also back to normal, but the wounds on his body still caused discomfort and pain with every movement.

With a light leap, he jumped onto a large rock and looked around. All he could see were mountains, forests, and trees. For someone entering the Fulong Mountain for the first time, it was difficult to determine the direction and easy to get lost.

"Which direction is Fengwu City?" Chen Zong looked at the rising sun, which always rises in the same place, and used it as a reference to find his way back to Fengwu City.

However, the more he looked, the more confused he became, lacking experience in surviving in the wild.

"It should be this direction, right?" He said uncertainly, but without a better choice, he jumped off the rock and took large steps in the chosen direction.

The vegetation was lush, and he had to use his sword to clear the way while remaining vigilant.

When he was tired, he would find a relatively open area to rest for a moment, and when he was rested, he would continue moving forward.

"This is... Pro Grass..." His eyes swept over the area, and he found a small red-brown grass plant under a large tree, which looked quite tough: "It should be about thirty to forty years old."

It was a pleasant surprise, so Chen Zong dug up the Pro Grass and carried it with him.

As the sun rose and became a blazing sun, Chen Zong had several herbs hanging from his shoulder, all over ten years old.

When he was hungry, he picked some wild fruits, identified them as non-toxic, and ate them to maintain his strength, though they were sour and astringent and not easy to eat.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered from all directions, blocking the sunlight and making the world dim.

As he walked, Chen Zong noticed a cave entrance hidden by vines, barely visible.

"Is this a beast's den?"

He carefully examined the surroundings but found no traces of beasts.

Shaking his head, Chen Zong ultimately did not enter the cave. The mountains were full of dangers, and who knew what he might encounter inside that he couldn't handle.

He bypassed the cave and continued on his way.

Rumble!

A deep sound echoed in his ears, as if a giant beast was hiding in the clouds, roaring.

The mountain wind suddenly became fierce, blowing from all directions, whistling.

Crack!

A blinding light appeared before his eyes, and a deafening sound came from his ears. In the dark clouds, white lightning flickered like dancing snakes.

The dark clouds, fierce mountain winds, and dense lightning made the world seem oppressive.

This was clearly the prelude to a storm.

Crack!

A white lightning bolt struck a tree a few hundred meters away, instantly shattering the hundred-year-old tree, leaving only a charred stump.

A piece of charred wood fell heavily at Chen Zong's feet, emitting a scorching smell.

"Truly... terrifying power..." Chen Zong drew a sharp breath, shocked.

The power of nature was incomparably greater than human strength. The force of that lightning bolt was something even a powerful martial artist beyond the Blood Qi realm could not match.

"If my sword could be as swift and powerful as that lightning... who in the world could stand against me?" Chen Zong had a sudden thought, then shook his head and laughed, realizing he was thinking too much. Human strength was limited, and no matter how fast or strong a sword was, it could never match the power of nature.

A raindrop the size of a peanut landed on his face, and in the next moment, a drizzle began to fall from the sky. In just a few seconds, the world turned gray, and countless raindrops fell in a continuous line, making a sound like a surging tide.

"I need to find a place to shelter from the rain." His eyes quickly scanned the area, but it was difficult to find a place to take shelter.

With his cultivation at the fifth layer of the Blood Qi realm, his body was far stronger than an ordinary person's, and he had a full Blood Qi, which could easily withstand ordinary cold and rain. However, the situation in the mountains was different, and with his injuries not yet healed, he could easily fall ill if he was not careful.

"Only that cave is left."

Now, he had no choice but to enter, hoping there was no danger inside.

He quickly returned to the cave entrance, scanned the area, and confirmed there were no signs of beast activity before darting inside.

Wiping the rain from his face, Chen Zong looked into the cave. The light was dim, and he couldn't see far, but it was quiet, a stark contrast to the noisy rain outside.

After a moment, the rain showed no signs of stopping and became even more intense, with rolling thunder and lightning. The world suddenly brightened and then darkened again.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to leave for a while.

"Should I explore deeper?" He thought for a moment, then without much hesitation, he focused and slowly walked deeper into the cave, the True Sword Heaven's Absolute Technique running through his body, his Blood Qi strength gathering, ready to strike.

The cave was not very deep, and after walking about twenty meters, he reached a relatively spacious cave chamber, about five to six meters high, irregularly round, and about fifty to sixty square meters in size.

"What is that?" Chen Zong vaguely saw a stone slab in the corner of the cave, with a black shadow on it: "A person? Or a beast?"

"Someone actually came here. Tsk, a fifth-layer Blood Qi realm martial artist, perfect, the Blood Qi in your body can help me heal some of my injuries." A cold and eerie voice sounded, slightly hoarse, making Chen Zong's scalp tingle. Without hesitation, he took a step back.

"Once you're here, you won't leave." The black shadow suddenly twisted, rising from the stone slab, moving like a python, bringing a gust of foul wind.

In an instant, Chen Zong felt as if he was facing a snake-like beast.

Why would a person make him feel like he was facing a snake-like beast?

It was very strange.

Without time to think, the black shadow was already close. As its hands moved, they shot out from the sleeves like venomous snakes, aiming for Chen Zong's throat and chest, making a hissing sound that made his scalp tingle and his neck cold.

There was no surge of Blood Qi, indicating that this was a foundational martial technique, but it was practiced to perfection, giving Chen Zong a strong sense of danger and pressure.

He found it hard to breathe.

He held his breath and remained calm.

His right hand quickly gripped the sword hilt and drew the sword.

The sword light was blinding, instantly illuminating the dim cave, with a powerful and sharp momentum, like a crescent moon tearing through the night sky, slashing towards the black shadow.

This sword was fast, accurate, and steady, with a ruthless and decisive edge.

After many life-and-death battles with beasts, Chen Zong had unconsciously begun to practice the ruthless aspect of the four sword principles, achieving some initial success.

This sword was unexpected by the black shadow, who never thought that a mere fifth-layer Blood Qi realm martial artist could have such exquisite sword skills.

But the black shadow was battle-hardened and quick to react. It twisted its body like a snake, avoiding the sword, and its speed increased. Its hands changed, shooting out like countless snake shadows, striking at various parts of Chen Zong's body.

Chaotic Sword Style!

The precious iron sword danced like a butterfly, its sharpness unmatched, completely blocking the front. The black shadow had to retract its hands, as it was heavily injured and could not afford to clash with the sharp precious iron sword.

In a flash, it disappeared from in front of Chen Zong and reappeared to the side, one hand moving up and down, seemingly aiming at Chen Zong's head or ribs, making it hard to tell which was real. The other hand quietly prepared, drawing a strange arc, striking at Chen Zong's back.

If attacked from three sides.

Wind Step!

His body moved like the wind, disappearing from under the black shadow's hands.

Second step!

Approach, strike!

The sword light condensed into a single thread, moving at an extreme speed.

Swift Sword Style!

Piercing the air and the darkness of the cave, it struck the black shadow with a powerful and sharp momentum.

This sword was too fast!

The black shadow couldn't avoid it in time, and its black robe was immediately torn, giving it a moment to react. Its hand, like a snake's mouth, lightly struck the sword, the force pushing the sword away, and it took the opportunity to retreat.

"Boy, I didn't expect your sword skills to be so good. You must be a genius from some family, right?" The black shadow's voice sounded again, with a sinister tone, revealing a strong killing intent: "What I enjoy most is tormenting family geniuses, drinking all your Blood Qi, and making my cultivation stronger."

"Who are you?" Chen Zong frowned, as the voice and tone of the person made him very uncomfortable, and he couldn't tell if the black shadow was a person or a beast.

After all, he had never heard of any martial artist who would drink blood to enhance their cultivation, which was an extremely evil method.

"Hehehehe..." The black shadow laughed strangely: "Who I am, you don't need to know. Die with your questions, unwillingly."

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