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I Shall Steal the Heavens 22 Chapter 21: Abyss
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I Shall Steal the Heavens 22 Chapter 21: Abyss

Drip…drip…drip…

"Oh, shut up…"

Mumbling, I struggled to sit up. Holding my head, I winced as I listened to the annoying sound of dripping water. Not far off, it seems like there was a stream flowing. I blinked and shuddered as a cool breeze blew past me, noticing the drop in temperature.

Damn, but it was cold.

"Where the hell am I?"

Cocking my head from side to side to relieve the stiffness in my neck, I glanced around at my new surroundings. Climbing to my feet, I suddenly felt a sharp pain stabbing my body, and almost toppled over. Huffing, I steadied myself.

"Whoa…"

Shaking my head to clear the pain and grogginess, I took stock of my surroundings. As expected, the abyss was dark, slight illuminated by mysterious luminous qi stones that were embedded throughout the rocky walls surrounding me. Just ahead was a narrow river that was about ten meters wide, but otherwise snaked left and right for as far as I could see, disappearing into a distance. An underwater stream, perhaps? Had I fallen into an underground creek?

And then I realized how wet I was. No wonder I was feeling so cold. My drenched clothes clung to me, sapping away my body heat at a frightening rate and causing chills o run throughout me. Gritting my teeth, I wrapped my arms around me as my teeth chattered, shivering violently.

My vision was blurry, but after a while I realized that it was because the lenses of my glasses were dripping. Since my clothing was wet, I couldn't wipe them dry. In any case, I was surprised that I didn't lose my glasses during the fall…

Wait, fall? That's right! I was falling after the bridge collapsed, after that fucking Qi Fu Ren betrayed me and attacked me when I was distracting the Behemoth! How…?

Then everything came back to me. I survived the fall from the bridge above thanks to sheer luck. Normally, there was no way I could survive such a fall from a great height, but somewhere while falling, I had encountered a waterfall that was running off some cliff. I had almost blacked out when I slammed into the water, but thankfully the tension in the water had already been broken by the falling debris of the destroyed bridge, or the impact would have killed me.

Most people didn't know, but you could still die if you hit water after falling from such a great height. Contrary to what most movies would have you believe, striking water after plummeting from a great height would kill you instantly because the force would be equivalent to hitting solid ground or rock. What killed the faller would be the tension of the water. Fortunately, there was a way to circumvent it. If the tension had already been broken by something else prior – for example, the descending debris of a bridge or building, then falling into the water wouldn't kill you.

Or so the theory went.

"Ugh…"

I clutched my head. Somehow, after hitting the water, I was carried away by its flow and swept along by countless waterfalls. The journey wasn't a smooth, fluid one. There were obstacles in the way, like rocks in the middle of the underground river. Unable to control my movements, and overpowered by the vicious currents, I was carried along right into a rock. Upon colliding with it (and various other things), I had blacked out.


And now, it seemed that I had finally been washed ashore. Given how I was a meter or two away from the river, I judged that I must have unconsciously pulled myself out to save myself from a watery death the moment the currents relaxed. I wasn't good at swimming, so I might really have drowned if I continued to allow myself to be swept away.

"Br…"

I still couldn't control my violent shivering. It was cold. Too cold. It was as if I had been immediately plunged into the middle of a Minnesotan winter, without the right gear. All I had on was the Wu Ling Academy uniform.

Damn…at this rate, I might catch hypothermia…

I had to find a way to warm my body up. Staggering forward, I made a small base camp by the river and found a place to sit down. Meditating, I began to direct the flow of qi within my body, attempting to warm myself up with my vitality.

How did Teacher Jiao teach me to control and convert my qi again…?

That was when I realized that the surrounding atmosphere was saturated with dense, thick natural qi. This was a great place for cultivation. I guess this was what one could call fortune within misfortune.

But it would still be pretty terrible luck if I couldn't make use of the resources provided to me. Clamping down on my teeth to stop them from chattering, I tried to take my mind off the chills that ravaged my body and focused on directing my qi. Absorbing the rich natural essence from the air, I began to convert it into qi to nourish my vitality.

To warm myself up, I have to focus on producing yang qi…

The fiery element of yang qi, the other side of cold yin qi. If I could produce enough of it, I should be able to create a small spark of fire…

Whoosh…

I didn't know how long it took, or how much time I spent meditating, but before I knew it, the water drenching my clothes was turning into steam. Even the water running down the lenses of my wet glasses evaporated instantly, the black plastic frame growing warm as it absorbed the heat. My body warmed up as my ferocious yang qi surged throughout it, the amount gradually increasing when I converted and added more of the natural essence into yang qi.

"Whoa! That's hot! Ugh!"

Realizing that I got too carried away, I began going in the other direction and focused on converting a tiny amount of essence into yin qi. There had to be a balance. Too much yang qi and I would burn myself out. Moreover, I did not have much affinity with the fire element. Hell, I probably didn't have affinity with any element, which explained my One Star Constitution. Although I could produce basic flames or heat, I wasn't able to properly employ them in an authentic martial arts attack. I could probably throw Fire Punches, but the amount of heat I generated was negligible and probably wouldn't hurt an opponent who was a martial artist and had improved elemental resistance over normal people who had never learned martial arts.

But at least my clothes were now dry and I had warmed up quite a bit. After counteracting some of my excessive yang qi with a bit of yin qi to balance out the equilibrium of qi within my body, I rose to my feet again. There was no point spending too much time sitting around and meditating. I had to find a way out of this place.

"I fell from quite a huge height…is there any way for me to get back up there?"

I glanced around, but there was no sign of stairs or anything that would lead me back up to Sen Lin Forest or wherever I fell from. The walls in the distance was a sheer drop, too steep for me to scale. The cavern itself was too vast, almost like a forest in itself. I wouldn't be surprised if it was part of Sen Lin Forest, to be honest. I could walk around for days and still not find a damned stairs or clue that would lead me back to the surface.

Was there no way for me to return?

A sudden spike of despair stabbed me. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, trying not to give into the tears that threatened to well up in my eyes. This wasn't the time to cry. It wasn't…really, but I couldn't help myself.

I was all alone, in the middle of nowhere, cut off from my classmates. Betrayed by the fucker who bullied me, and left for dead. I couldn't help but despair when I thought about my miserable predicament. Did that fucker really want me dead? Was I doomed to suffer like this? Why was God so cruel to me? not only did I suffer the humiliation of being a One Star Constitution cultivator, I had to endure condescending looks and treatment from other students in Wu Ling Academy, I became unable to retaliate against bullying – and that same fucking bully was the one who almost killed me with his betrayal – and now I was thrown into an abyss despite doing my best to save everyone by distracting the Behemoth.

I helped everyone and this was the thanks I received? How was this fair? Why did I, despite working so hard, remain in such a miserable state, while everyone enjoyed the benefits of their talent? Why was I the one who suffered so much and got sacrificed, even when they were the ones with all the talent and by right should be stalling the Behemoth instead of me?

Why? Why? Why? Why?

"UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!"

I let out a roar of rage and despair. This wretched fate…the unfair Heavens or God, this horrible destiny…I will overturn it all. I will go against Fate and the Heavens if I had to. I will take my fortune back with my own two hands.

And I will get revenge on that bastard Qi Fu Ren and absolutely destroy him. He thought he was finally rid of me? I will show him. I will survive this no matter what and return to the surface. Then I will crush him.

Clenching my fists, I allowed my fury to motivate me, to push me out of despair. Now that I had a goal, I had to put that determination into action. Sucking in a deep breath to calm myself down, I opened my eyes, wiped the tears away and glared at the distant walls.

"I'll be fine. I'll find a way. I'll definitely find a way."

Now that I had calmed down and regained my composure, I began to explore the cavern and look for a way up. I wasn't sure far underground I was in, but I was certain that I was still somewhere within the geographical space of Sen Lin Forest. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be one of those ruins we were in search of. If that was the case, there had to be a way out.

However, as I progressed, I noticed that the cavern I was inside was less of a manmade structure and resembled more of an underground forest. For one thing, it was vast, with trees clustered before my path. If I wanted to find a way out of this godforsaken place, I had no choice but to traverse the strange forest.

How are the trees alive down here?

Some kind of magical ecosystem? There was no sun down here, so it was unlikely that the trees relied on photosynthesis. Then again, I had no idea how the biology of the world in this timeline worked. It was entirely possible that these trees were nourished by the dense, rich essence or qi that saturated the air in the cave. Already I felt stronger just from meditating for a bit by the shore. What more could be said for the trees, which had been here for years? Possibly centuries, or even millennia?

This world is really full of fascinating stuff…

I nodded as I glanced around, impressed.

While I was a little apprehensive about entering the forest, I found to my benefit that the trees provided a lot of cover. If anything dangerous popped out, I could immediately dive and hide behind a tree. Aware of how treacherous the forest was, and still unsure about how deep underground I was in and thus the strength of the monsters and magical beasts that dwelled within them, I maintained an uneasy caution and traveled stealthily from tree to tree.

I didn't know how long I walked for. After what felt like hours, I was beginning to feel slightly exhausted. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to rest. Taking a deep breath, I advanced another step, only to stop.

"Eh?"

There was a wide clearing in front of me. Surrounded by trees, it was a little bare other than the carpet of green grass that covered the soil. There wasn't anything of interest, but it did seem like a good spot to set up camp and rest…

At least that was what I thought, until I noticed the other presence in the clearing.

"!"

I quickly dove toward the nearest tree and sought cover under it. Closing my eyes, I breathed a few times to calm down, then carefully peeked out from behind a huge root. Straight ahead, right at the edge of a clearing, was single creature that hopped into view. At first I thought I had seen wrongly, that it wasn't a magical beast, for it resembled nothing more than a big ball of white fur. Then I caught sight of the long ears.

Is that…a Lunar Rabbit?

Relying on my knowledge of magical beasts, I identified the creature as a Lunar Rabbit. As I had read in the encyclopedia, the creature was the size of a medium-sized hound, with heavily muscled hind legs that it used for kicking. However, it differed greatly from the images in the encyclopedia. For one thing, I didn't remember seeing the dark red lines that ran along its body, like veins bulging and sticking out of its fur. The red lines also pulsated ominously in the darkness, almost glowing, and I could sense a thick demonic aura emanating from the creature.

The Lunar Rabbit…is it corrupted by demonic qi?

That was the only explanation…no wonder I instinctively felt fear. Its sheer presence was overpowering and suffocating, almost like a demon was closing its claw around my heart. There was also something unnerving about the Lunar Rabbit, from the predatory manner in which it sniffed the air and glanced around menacingly with glowing, crimson eyes.

Yeah, that was definitely a dangerous monster. I sure as hell didn't want to approach a demonic beast like that. Briefly considering my options, I decided to stay hidden and wait for the corrupted Lunar Rabbit to leave. Closing my eyes, I slid back against the tree and waited patiently. Since I was at it, I might as well make use of this time to rest.

Lunar Rabbit, huh?

I remembered that there was a Lunar Rabbit Sect. Tu Zi Yi had joined that sect, and I remembered how it was a poor, pitiful sect that was barely able to survive with the few resources it had. Initially I wondered why the hell would a sect name themselves after such a nonthreatening beast, but now that I had actually seen the Lunar Rabbit in the flesh, I knew that it was far from harmless.

That thing was dangerous! I didn't know how much of it was due to the demonic qi corrupting it, but I sure as hell wasn't going near it to find out.

Wait…! What if the demonic qi that corrupted it…is from this very atmosphere!?

I had been nourishing myself with the natural essence from the cavern's air. If it turned out to be demonic essence – that explained why it was so dense and rich – wouldn't I end up corrupting myself like the Lunar Rabbit and turning into a demonic monster?

My heart began to pound. I didn't want to turn into a monster…

"!!"

I was suddenly aware that the Lunar Rabbit's movements had somewhat changed a little. It was sniffing the air, its heavy breathing thunderous against the silence that permeated the strange forest. Its ears stiffened as it stood up straight and rigidly, as if listening for something.

Crap! Can it hear me? Am I breathing too loudly?!

A stupid thought occurred to me. Perhaps the Lunar Rabbit could hear the ferocious pounding of my panicking heart…or it could somehow sense the disturbance in my emotions when I dreaded turning into a monster like it.

Yeah, I mean…any normal human would panic, so stop blaming me for having such idiotic thoughts. Put yourself in a similar dangerous situation like mine, and see if you can stop your fear and panic and think rationally, you damned edgelords!

I pressed myself against the tree, praying fervently. I forced myself to calm down, in the unlikely scenario that the Lunar Rabbit could hear my pounding heart (nah, it was more likely that it would hear my heavy breathing before it would ever hear my heartbeat) or sense the emotions, so that I could minimize my presence.

Fortunately, the Lunar Rabbit's attention was focused not on me but something else.

"Gr…!"

At the sound, I couldn't help but curiously peeked out again. This time, I caught sight of a Silverback Wolf slinking out of the forest, growling fiercely. It was almost identical to the Silverback Wolves that I had seen and fought against in the outer regions of Sen Lin Forest. Except for one difference. Like the Lunar Rabbit, this particular Silverback Wolf had been corrupted by demonic qi. It possessed the same pulsating dark red lines all over its body, standing out visibly against its armored, silver fur. I was pretty sure the Silverback Wolves that my class and I encountered in the outer regions of Sen Lin Forest did not have those vein-like lines.

I moved my hand to draw my short sword on reflex, only to find that it was missing.

Ah…that's right. My sword broke.

Now I remembered. When attacking the Behemoth and stabbing its eye, the blade of my short sword had shattered. I was completely unarmed.

Well, it's not as if the magical beasts are attacking me…for now, I'll just stay hidden.

Just when I thought that, I heard a few more growls. To my surprise, four more Silverback Wolves – each sporting the same demonic red lines that pulsed all over their bristling muscles – loped out of the bushes and trees to join their comrade.

Pushing my glasses up, I watched the situation while being safely hidden. No matter how I looked at it, it was clear that the Silverback Wolves had an advantage over the Lunar Rabbit. They would absolutely rip the poor thing apart with their claws, teeth and numbers. Not only that, having fought the Silverback Wolves, I was highly aware of their silverback fur armor, which was impervious to blade. The Lunar Rabbit possessed neither fang nor claw, and didn't seem to possess any way of fighting those Silverback Wolves.

It was going to be one-sided.

Not that I sympathized with the "poor" Lunar Rabbit, of course…I couldn't afford to feel pity for a demonic creature that might very well kill me.

"Ku!"

The Lunar Rabbit was not intimidated at all. With a cute cry, it leaped into the air and spun about. In a single, fluid motion, it delivered a roundhouse kick to the first Silverback Wolf before it could even react, smacking the lupine creature's head with its massive legs.

Crack…

My jaw dropped as the thunderous sound echoed throughout the forest. The Lunar Rabbit's kick had struck true. And the next moment, the Silverback Wolf collapsed, its neck bent at an unnatural angle. The Lunar Rabbit's kick had snapped the wolf's spine.

Holy…!

I blinked a few times, unable to believe my eyes.

The Lunar Rabbit was far from done, however.

It was still spinning in the air. Making use of its momentum from the roundhouse kick, the rabbit slowly whirled around in midair, and then as if kicking off something invisible, launched itself at its next foe. The second Silverback Wolf never saw the attack coming. Before it could even turn around, the Lunar Rabbit's leg slammed into the side of its face.

SNAP!

Again, the Silverback Wolf's neck was snapped cleanly by that vicious kick, and it fell onto the ground, twitching in its death throes.

Amazing…

Despite myself, I couldn't help but admire the Lunar Rabbit. Despite its numerically superior foes, it was killing them with superior martial arts. I realized that this was actually a terrible matchup for the Silverback Wolves, which relied on their fur armor to protect themselves. That armor meant nothing when their opponent did not use sharp weapons, fangs or claws to fight. The Lunar Rabbit was pulverizing them with sheer strength, using raw muscle to break their necks. It didn't need to penetrate their armor – and the Silverback Wolves' fur offered no protection against overwhelming blunt force.

Even though I was supposedly an intellectually superior human, there was still a lot of things I could learn from the magical creature. The Lunar Rabbit was actually using martial arts…did the Lunar Rabbit Sect specialize in kicks, then?

But it wasn't over yet. As the Lunar Rabbit landed, two of the remaining Silverback Wolves pounced on it, thinking it was most vulnerable. As before, they still maintained their cunning and weren't about to miss such a golden opportunity.

However, the Lunar Rabbit wasn't the least fazed. Having landed on its hands rather than its legs, it did a handstand and whirled about like a tornado. Its two heavily muscled hind legs lashed out and caught the two Silverback Wolves in their jaws. Before I realized what happened, the two Silverback Wolves were flung back and struck a couple of trees with such colossal impact that they actually broke the trunks in half, and were buried under the collapsed wood. Blood leaked out from their corpses, spreading out into a pool underneath the fallen trees.

The last Silverback Wolf growled and raised its tail, accumulating a frightening amount of qi into it. I realized that it was about to use a long-range elemental qi technique. Immediately, the temperature plummeted as icicles materialized above it.

The Silverback Wolf can actually use long-range elemental qi techniques?! But the ones in the outer region of Sen Lin Forest couldn't…ah, that's right…

I suddenly recalled a passage from the encyclopedia. High-level magical beasts could use qi techniques, which were basically akin to magical spells in a more fantasy-like setting. Even within the same species, certain members had survived and fought long enough to…"level up", if you will, and obtained the ability to use qi techniques.

This particular Silverback Wolf was an example of that. It was obviously of a much higher level or cultivation stage than its brethren.

"Gr…!"

The barrage of icicles rained down on the Lunar Rabbit. Even as they sought to pierce the demonic beast, the Lunar Rabbit fearlessly darted forward with incredible agility. Evading the deadly hail of icicles by zigzagging across the clearing, the rabbit launched itself at the wolf and launched a somersault kick into its chin. The Silverback Wolf's head snapped upward with a sickening crunch and its whole body was lifted off the ground and sent hurtling across the clearing. Like its deceased brethren, its neck had been broken from that single blow.

"Ku!"

The Lunar Rabbit cried triumphantly and stomped on the ground, its long ears twitching excitedly.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

I mean, the encyclopedia did praise the Lunar Rabbits as strong, precocious creatures, and there was even a human martial arts sect that took its name, but this was way beyond my expectations. A single rabbit defeating five wolves on its own? Who would believe me if I survived my journey out of Sen Lin Forest and told everyone about it?

Furthermore, just from those movements, that incredible speed and agility, and the raw power behind its kicks, I was pretty sure that this Lunar Rabbit was superior to the terracotta soldiers that my class had trouble with earlier. If my classmates were to run into a pack of these Lunar Rabbits, wouldn't we be annihilated?

Best to stay low and hide until the Lunar Rabbit left. Thinking that, I was about to dig in deeper when the Lunar Rabbit mercilessly kicked the corpse of one of the Silverback Wolves. The carcass was flung right into my direction, and I instinctively dodged it even as it slapped wetly against the tree I was hiding behind. The wolf's carcass then slid down to my position.

"…oh."

Whether the Lunar Rabbit had done it on purpose because it had already sensed my presence, or if it was a terrible coincidence and bad fucking luck on my part, it didn't matter. As I froze, my eyes half-riveted on the Silverback Wolf's corpse, I could see the Lunar Rabbit staring at me with those demonic, crimson eyes.

Yup, it had definitely seen me.

I was rooted to the ground, my instincts screaming at me to run but my body reusing to obey my mind. It was almost as if I was hypnotized by the Lunar Rabbit's predatory gaze.

Then the Lunar Rabbit infused strength into its hind legs and sprang forward.

"Whoa!"

I barely reacted in time as the Lunar Rabbit dashed toward me at a ridiculous speed that actually left afterimages behind it.

Fortunately, the Lunar Rabbit wasn't the only one with deft footwork.

Perhaps my survival instinct had kicked in at the last moment, but I managed to use Duo to evade the Lunar Rabbit. The ground where I was standing on a millisecond ago exploded as if an artillery shell had just hit it, gouging out a deep crater in the soil. I rolled on the ground after reappearing, and then jumped back to my feet.

Before I could regain my balance and infuse qi into my legs, the Lunar Rabbit had already launched itself at me.

"…tch!"

Clicking my tongue, I tried to use Tui to retreat, but the Lunar Rabbit was too fast. Before I could fully materialized the footwork technique, the Lunar Rabbit had already caught up with me. Even though I was flying backward at an incredible speed using my footwork and qi, the Lunar Rabbit was even faster!

What the hell!?

The Lunar Rabbit kicked me. I brought my arms up to block on reflex, and thus protected my face from being obliterated, but the tremendous force threw me across the forest and slammed me into the ground with bone-crunching impact.

"ARGH!"

I writhed helplessly on the ground, screaming in pain. Struggling to get up, I collapsed to the ground. Looking down, I realized that my left am – which had taken the full brunt of the kick – was lying uselessly by my side. That single kick had broken the bones in my left arm, causing it to hang at a weird angle. I could actually see white bone sticking out of my elbow. The bone had fractured completely, to the point that it was piercing my skin.

And it hurt. A lot.

"Ugh! OOOOOOOW!"

Worse, my right arm was also slightly twisted at an awkward angle, with a giant, ugly bruise spreading over it. Having crossed both my arms to absorb the impact, my right arm – which was behind my left arm – had suffered less, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was broken. There was a dull pain thudding toward it, and the deep, purplish color was getting me worried.

The fucking Lunar Rabbit had gotten in a lucky shot, otherwise it wouldn't have successfully landed a kick on me. Then again, the Lunar Rabbit possessed not one but two Rabbit's Foot. Of course it would have great luck.

"Huff…"

Sucking in a deep breath, I tried to stem the pain and desperately looked for the Lunar Rabbit. The bloody fucker turned out to be about ten meters away, but it was strolling to me in a relaxed manner, as if it believed that it had already won. Funnily enough, its arrogant attitude struck me as very human, much like the haughty young masters that dominated wuxia novels, only to be beaten up by the protagonist and taught their place.

Unfortunately, I possessed no such power. I could only curse in frustration as the Lunar Rabbit looked down on me condescendingly, as if I was nothing more than a mere bug squirming in the soil. In fact, it looked like it was enjoying itself.

What a sadistic rabbit. The Lunar Rabbit was getting a kick out of kicking me.

You've got to be kidding me…!

I tried to stand, but my legs were still shaky from the impact. Additionally, excruciating agony was spreading from my broken left arm, and my qi circulation had been clogged by the unbelievable pain. It would be difficult for me to use my Shadow Steps and footwork techniques, even if I succeeded in standing up. As if it was fully aware of the fact, the Lunar Rabbit raised its foot playfully, as if taunting me.

And the most frustrating fact was that I couldn't even do a single thing.

"I don't suppose you're all ears, despite having long ears?" I grumbled, and then sighed resignedly.

Am I really going to die here? A pathetic death at the hands of a fucking rabbit?! Before I get my revenge?! Bloody hell, I never thought a bloody Lunar Rabbit would be so deadly! Aren't they supposed to be cute, harmless creatures with an incredible sex drive?!

Of all the ways to die…this had to rank among the most pathetic of deaths.

I closed my eyes as my heart was enveloped in despair and frustration. I really wasn't satisfied with this outcome. I really didn't want to die like this. I…

"…?"

The kick never came.

"Eh?"

I opened my eyes, not daring to believe that I was saved. However, the first thing I spotted was the Lunar Rabbit's foot.

"Whoa!"

However, I suddenly realize that the foot had stopped. For a second, I wondered if the Lunar Rabbit was toying with me, tormenting me one last time before it finished me off. Then I realized that the foot was trembling.

No, the Lunar Rabbit was trembling.

What's going on?

I wondered if the Lunar Rabbit was shivering in fear. That seemed like the most plausible explanation. But what was it afraid of? Me?

Maybe I had some inner demon or demon lord sealed inside my soul, and at this life-threatening moment, that demon had emerged to save me? Was that why I only had a One Star Constitution? Because my "talent" had been sealed along with the demon?

That would be absolutely amazing, but also idiotically cliché. Still, I wouldn't mind taking the cliché route if it meant I survived.

Unfortunately, I was horribly mistaken.

There was a new demonic beast present. It had just lumbered out of the trees and into the clearing, filling the space with its immense bulk.

Yeah…I was stupid for flattering myself. Of course there's no way the Lunar Rabbit would be afraid of me. And obviously there's no clichéd fictional plot device where I have a demon lord or legendary creature sealed inside my body.

If I wasn't in such a dangerous predicament, I would have rolled my eyes at my chuunibyou delusions, but for now my eyes were riveted to the new demonic beast.

As I said before, the new beast was immense. It towered over three meters, and its heavily muscled body was covered in ghostly gray fur. Just like the Lunar Rabbit and the Silverback Wolves, the newcomer seemed visibly contaminated by the demonic qi saturating the cavern, with demonic red lines pulsating all over its body. Both arms were grotesque, extended limbs that stretched all the way to the ground, each of them sporting three massive claws that were about a foot long in length, resembling a butcher's cleaver.

That's…a Ghost Bear!

No, I wasn't talking about that particular Ghost Bear from some planet that spawned a Mechwarrior clan in the far future. But I read about the Ghost Bear. It was a Rank 7 magical beast that possessed incredible power. What the hell was it doing in an underground cavern? No…that same question could be asked of the Lunar Rabbit and Silverback Wolves' presence. It was here because it was here.

Furthermore, it also meant that I was most likely in a very deep part of Sen Lin Forest, one where Rank 7 magical beasts inhabited.

Oh boy…I seriously was fucked.

The Ghost Bear swept its demonic gaze across the clearing, keeping its ghostly eyes on us. For a moment, nothing spoke or made a sound. Both the Lunar Rabbit and I were frozen, overwhelmed by the Ghost Bear's sheer presence. It was an insurmountable fear, like one suffered by a mortal standing before a god, struck with the realization that he could absolutely nothing against such a far more advanced and powerful being.

"Gr…"

The Ghost Bear let out a growl, and then stepped forward.

"Ku!"

The Lunar Rabbit snapped out of its stupor. In a single fluid movement, it spun around and bounded away on those heavily muscled hind legs of its. All the speed it used to annihilate its enemies earlier was now being used to escape.

Unfortunately, it still wasn't fast enough.

Moving with a swiftness that belied its immense size, the Ghost Bear lashed out with a single paw. The Lunar Rabbit twisted its body with its incredible agility, dodging the blow. At least I believed it had dodged the blow, until I saw the Lunar Rabbit land a few meters away.

Drip…drip…drip.

The same sound I woke up to. Only, instead of water, it was blood.

Blood was gushing out of wounds on the Lunar Rabbit's body. Red stained white fur and the Lunar Rabbit began falling apart. Literally. Large chunks of its body began slipping off, blood bursting like a geyser as it turned into a pile of chopped meat.

I see…

Even in the face of absolute despair, I calmly analyzed the situation. I had spotted and sensed the qi flowing around the Ghost Bear's claws. That was a qi technique that allowed it to extend the sharpness of its claws into triple qi blades, further elongating its range to a meter. Even though the Lunar Rabbit had dodged the claws, it had not successfully evaded the qi technique. It reminded me of the level 5 technique Sharpened Sword Force.

If I got out of here alive, I would certainly have my eyes open to the infinite possibilities of qi usage and martial arts…

I might consider learning Feline Claws, and then advancing it to Sharpened Sword Force…

The Ghost Bear lumbered forward and began feeding on the Lunar Rabbit's carcass. While it was distracted, I quietly stood up and tried to back away.

The Ghost Bear turned to look at me.

Damn!

Just when I thought I had a chance to escape…

With a bellow, the Ghost Bear charged at me, its sheer bulk causing tremors to quake the ground below. I took a deep breath and used Tui to retreat, widening the distance between us. Still, the Ghost Bear was incredibly fast. Before I could use my footwork technique, it was already in front of me and swiping its claws.

"!"

Thankfully, I was aware of its strange qi technique and had taken countermeasures against it. Despite evading the extended range of the triple qi blades, I was unable to prevent three fresh wounds from appearing on my stomach.

"Ugh!"

Blood gushed out of my mouth and wounds, staining my white uniform red. Fortunately, they seemed relatively shallow. A centimeter more and I would have been gutted – literally, eviscerated with my guts pouring out of my wound. For now, I ignored the burning pain in my abdomen and whirled around to run.

Jin!

I advanced further, kicking off the ground. Despite my swift footwork, the Ghost Bear was gaining on me. The bloody bastard sure could run despite its immense size!

I can't let it catch up to me!

Sprinting across the forest and alternating between my footwork, I plunged deeper into the forest. I had no idea where I was running in, just that I was escaping from the ferocious beast. It was too bad I didn't have transmutation magic, or I could dig a hole in the wall and escape…but whatever cavern walls were there were too far away for me to reach.

Or were they?

That's…!

While running, I saw a hollow within the roots of an enormous tree. Even though I could run for a lot longer – thanks to running thirty kilometers every day, I had built up solid stamina and could outpace the Ghost Bear eventually – I decided to make a break for it. The Ghost Bear was closing in despite my best attempts to use Shadow Steps and footwork techniques to shake it off, and it wouldn't be long before it eventually caught up.

I needed a new strategy.

Taking a deep breath, I used Jin and dove into the hollow amongst the roots. The Ghost Bear swiped at me, but its claws slashed a huge chunk of wood out of the massive tree, which shuddered but held. Fortunately, the gigantic tree was sturdier than it looked.

Seeking shelter within its roots, I scrambled deeper into the hollow while trying to stay out of reach of the Ghost Bear's Ghost Blades. The wood qi that saturated the air within the hollow gave off a nostalgic feeling, and I was somehow reminded of Teacher Yi Liao's healing techniques. Yeah, her healing techniques were wood element type, and she mentioned that she was a master of the Green Dragon Sect

Even at a time like this, I'm still thinking about school. How ironic.

Come to think of it, if I hadn't run twenty or thirty kilometers everyday for my martial arts training, I would have run out of stamina and get caught by the Ghost Bear…and mercilessly slaughtered by it. In a way, my training and decision to learn Shadow Steps had saved my life. I doubted any of my classmates would have been able to outrun the Ghost Bear. If I had chosen a technique other than Shadow Steps, I would never have been able to escape the Ghost Bear. If I had joined a martial arts sect and focused on techniques rather than building a solid foundation of stamina, speed and strength, I would have died back there, caught by the pursuing Ghost Bear and ripped apart.

Again, fortune within misfortune. A silver lining in a cloud. The "advantage" of being revealed in the test with only a One Star Constitution…

"GUOOO!!!!"

The Ghost Bear swung its paws again as it tried to cleave the tree apart. Knowing that there was no way I could go back out that way, I began squirming deeper into the hollow.

"!!!"

Before I knew it, I came aground an underground passage hidden underneath the tangle of roots. Much like a rabbit's burrow…no, it might even be a Lunar Rabbit's burrow!

My broken left arm throbbed, reminding me how dangerous those Lunar Rabbits were. But given how that single Lunar Rabbit was so easily defeated by that Ghost Bear…

I've no choice but to proceed, huh?

I pushed through, disappearing through the passageway and leaving the furious bellows of the Ghost Bear behind. I ran and ran, not knowing where I was heading, as long as I was putting as much distance as I could between me and my pursuer. At some point of time, I finally collapsed from exhaustion.

"Ugh!"

Tripping over something, I stumbled and fell. Rolling on the ground, the burning flare of agony stabbing me from my broken arm, I slammed into something. Water splashed into my face, causing me to cough.

And then…darkness claimed me.

Chapter end

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<<Prev
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Catalogue
Chapter 270
Chapter 269
Chapter 268
Chapter 267
Chapter 266
265 Chapter 264: Heaven and Earth Reversal
264 Chapter 263: Reversal
263 Chapter 262: One-armed Demon
Chapter 262
261 Chapter 260: The Innocent and the Faithful
260 Chapter 259: Battle-automata Reinforcements
259 Chapter 258: Getting Whipped
Chapter 258
257 Chapter 256: The Dark Sage
256 Chapter 255: Wild Dogs
255 Chapter 254: Infilitration
254 Chapter 253: Heaven and Earth Strike
253 Chapter 252: Ambush
252 Chapter 251: Black Venom Toxin
251 Chapter 250: Poisonous Duel
250 Chapter 249: Rescue mission
249 Chapter 248: The enemy of my enemy
248 Chapter 247: Black Venom Cul
247 Chapter 246: March into Marsh
246 Chapter 245: Nine Heavens Annihilation Strike
245 Chapter 244: Hot Spring
244 Chapter 243: Energy Dark Dragons
243 Chapter 242: Bluffing
242 Chapter 241: Rules of Engagemen
241 Chapter 240: The CEO's Wife
240 Chapter 239: Terrifying Charm
239 Chapter 238: Song Ting Yu
238 Chapter 237: Shadow Fox
237 Chapter 236: Back to school
236 Chapter 235: New Prodigy
235 Chapter 234: Various Reactions
234 Chapter 233: Aftermath of the War
233 Chapter 232: Reinforcements
232 Chapter 231: Damage Control
231 Chapter 230: Divine Origin Spiri
230 Chapter 229: Darkest Despair
229 Chapter 228: Tragedy
228 Chapter 227: Nukes
227 Chapter 226: The Sharpest Spear against the Sturdiest Shield
226 Chapter 225: Deathmatch
225 Chapter 224: Re-encounter with Jiang Jun Hao
224 Chapter 223: Battle between the gods
223 Chapter 222: Maximum Carnage
222 Chapter 221: Cornered
221 Chapter 220: Rescue Mission
220 Chapter 219: The unknown
219 Chapter 218: Trump Card
218 Chapter 217: Hostage Situation
217 Chapter 216: Counterattack
216 Chapter 215: Defense of Tushan City
215 Chapter 214: Upheaval
214 Chapter 213: Cleaning out the City
213 Chapter 212: Revelation of Identity
212 Chapter 211: No Forgiveness, No Mercy
211 Chapter 210: Negotiations for Surrender
210 Chapter 209: Schemes and Leadership
209 Chapter 208: Heaven and Earth Ancestral Master
208 Chapter 207: Assassination Attemp
207 Chapter 206: Old Demon
206 Chapter 205: Tian Yu Di
205 Chapter 204: Skeleton in the Close
204 Chapter 203: The Sealed Old Man
203 Chapter 202: Under the Spirit Engraved Pillars
202 Chapter 201: Preparing for war
201 Chapter 200: Into the Darkness
200 Chapter 199: Fortress
199 Chapter 198: Loser Lu Li
198 Chapter 197: Crossroads
197 Chapter 196: Fight between Friends
196 Chapter 195: Shameless Hypocrites
195 Chapter 194: Love versus Loyalty
194 Chapter 193: Scorched Earth
193 Chapter 192: Against All Odds
192 Chapter 191: Old Grudge
191 Chapter 190: It's a Trap!
190 Chapter 189: I want them dead!
189 Chapter 188: Embers
188 Chapter 187: Pure Yang Flames
187 Chapter 186: Fight Fire with Fire
186 Chapter 185: Sinking Ship
185 Chapter 184: Danger
184 Chapter 183: Martial Arts Alliance
183 Chapter 182: Women
182 Chapter 181: Request for Spirit Armaments
181 Chapter 180: Scorned
180 Chapter 179: Experimen
179 Chapter 178: Entry into the sec
178 Chapter 177: Aurora
177 Chapter 176: Bloodbath
176 Chapter 175: Snow and Stars
175 Chapter 174: Emergence
174 Chapter 173: The Dragon King's Palace
173 Chapter 172: Drowning
172 Chapter 171: Research Group
171 Chapter 170: Redo
170 Chapter 169: Dark Shadow
169 Chapter 168: Blood Blade Lang Xie
168 Chapter 167: Rules are Rules
167 Chapter 166: Literature Studen
166 Chapter 165: Double Standards
165 Chapter 164: Absolute Zero
164 Chapter 163: Fighting against a Genius
163 Chapter 162: Raid on the Divine Shadow Sect base
162 Chapter 161: Sacrifice
161 Chapter 160: At the Range
160 Chapter 159: It's a Trap!
159 Chapter 158: The next move
158 Chapter 157: Intense Battle
157 Chapter 156: Fighting with Spirit Armaments
156 Chapter 155: Free Trade Stree
155 Chapter 154: The Shadows Stir
154 Chapter 153: Man and Machine
153 Chapter 152: Blood Blades shenanigans
152 Chapter 151: Discussion
151 Chapter 150: Recognition
150 Chapter 149: Battle-automata
149 Chapter 148: Heavenly Way Sect Elder
148 Chapter 147: Might of the Battle Puppe
147 Chapter 146: Stalker
146 Chapter 145: How troublesome
145 Chapter 144: Master of the Tomb
144 Chapter 143: Matters of Yin and Yang
143 Chapter 142: Nascent Soul Hear
142 Chapter 141: Sea of Fire
141 Chapter 140: Battle-automata
140 Chapter 139: The Wrong Guy
139 Chapter 138: Dine and Dash
138 Chapter 137: The Millennial Milkstone Pool
137 Chapter 136: Icy Tomb
136 Chapter 135: Death Trap
135 Chapter 134: Separation
134 Chapter 133: Xianxia Villain Logic
133 Chapter 132: Snatching Treasures
132 Chapter 131: The Spirit Treasures
131 Chapter 130: Charging into the tomb
130 Chapter 129: Breaking the Seal
129 Chapter 128: The Four Top Young Practitioners
128 Chapter 127: The Elite Martial Artists
127 Chapter 126: Heavenly Fire Mountain Range
126 Chapter 125: Family
125 Chapter 124: A year later
124 Chapter 123: Back to the presen
123 Chapter 122: Prodigy
122 Chapter 121: White Tiger Sec
121 Chapter 120: Flashback
120 Chapter 119: Blood Blades
119 Chapter 118: Party
118 Chapter 117: After the tournamen
117 Chapter 116: Champion
116 Chapter 115: Breakthrough
115 Chapter 114: The Final
114 Chapter 113: Day before the Final
113 Chapter 112: Golden Kirin Sacred Beast Technique
112 Chapter 111: Semfinal
111 Chapter 110: The Green Dragon's True Nature
110 Chapter 109: Shadow Dragon
109 Chapter 108: Two Dragons
108 Chapter 107: Conspiracy Crushed
107 Chapter 106: Dark Figh
106 Chapter 105: Conspiracy
105 Chapter 104: Outcome of the match
104 Chapter 103: The Dragon and the Phoenix
103 Chapter 102: Descent of the Phoenix
102 Chapter 101: The Weight of Victory
101 Chapter 100: Three Thousand Lightning Movemen
100 Chapter 99: Mad Tiger
99 Chapter 98: Fox against Tiger
98 Chapter 97: The strongest girl
97 Chapter 96: The Round of Sixteen
96 Chapter 95: Blade against Armor
95 Chapter 94: Esoteric Five Elements
94 Chapter 93: The tournament heats up
93 Chapter 92: Unbreakable Shell
92 Chapter 91: Brute Rabbi
91 Chapter 90: The tournament begins
90 Chapter 89: Return to Wu Ling Academy
89 Chapter 88: Return journey
88 Chapter 87: The Void Whale
87 Chapter 86: On the hun
86 Chapter 85: The Void Ring
85 Chapter 84: Seeing the Sea
84 Chapter 83: The hunt for Void Whale
83 Chapter 82: Date
82 Chapter 81: Level 6 Tes
81 Chapter 80: Conspiracy
80 Chapter 79: A New Prodigy
79 Chapter 78: Blacksmith Assistan
78 Chapter 77: Trial
77 Chapter 76: Bugging
76 Chapter 75: Holidays
75 Chapter 74: Danger
74 Chapter 73: The Ice Soul Python's lair
73 Chapter 72: New assignmen
72 Chapter 71: Jealousy
71 Chapter 70: The sect leader's daughter
70 Chapter 69: Hard Work
69 Chapter 68: The Nine Spirit Engraved Pillars
68 Chapter 67: Examination results
67 Chapter 66: Cold Shoulder
66 Chapter 65: Frozen Solid
65 Chapter 64: Outer Sect Disciple Examination
64 Chapter 63: Tushan
63 Chapter 62: Crimson Lava Frui
62 Chapter 61: Aftermath
61 Chapter 60: Vengeance
60 Chapter 59: Interlude
59 Chapter 58: Rescue
58 Chapter 57: Monster
57 Chapter 56: Counterattack
56 Chapter 55: Descent into insanity
55 Chapter 54: Tragedy
54 Chapter 53: Inner dialogue
53 Chapter 52: Torture
52 Chapter 51: Abduction
51 Chapter 50: Confrontation
50 Chapter 49: Return to Chun Xiang Village
49 Chapter 48: Mission reques
48 Chapter 47: Academy Mission
47 Chapter 46: Darkness Falls
46 Chapter 45: Bullying and Revenge
45 Chapter 44: Heaven and Earth
44 Chapter 43: Overwhelming difference
43 Chapter 42: Artificial Qi
42 Chapter 41: Spring
41 Chapter 40: The Evil Within
40 Chapter 39: Principal of Wu Ling Academy, Xiao Zhang
39 Chapter 38: Qi Burst Pill
38 Chapter 37: Vicious duel
37 Chapter 36: Official Match 2
36 Chapter 35: Official Match
35 Chapter 34: Challenge
34 Chapter 33: Burden of Proof
33 Chapter 32: Turning Defeat into Victory
32 Chapter 31: Shadow Leopard
31 Chapter 30: Dangerous Creatures
30 Chapter 29: Return Journey
29 Chapter 28: Awakening
28 Chapter 27: Reunion
27 Chapter 26: Exi
26 Chapter 25: Hellfire Badger
25 Chapter 24: Nemesis
24 Chapter 23: Feas
23 Chapter 22: Survival
22 Chapter 21: Abyss
21 Chapter 20: Behemoth
20 Chapter 19: Sen Lin Fores
19 Chapter 18: Academy resources
18 Chapter 17: The next step
17 Chapter 16: The Announcemen
16 Chapter 15: Talent Restored
15 Chapter 14: Revelation
14 Chapter 13: Dark Shadows
13 Chapter 12: The Mysterious Elder
12 Chapter 11: Golden Amule
11 Chapter 10: Relentless Assaul
10 Chapter 9: A fight against 3 seniors
9 Chapter 8: Martial Arts Manual
8 Chapter 7: First day of class
7 Chapter 6: Fei Wu the trash
6 Chapter 5: Talen
5 Chapter 4: Martial Academy
4 Chapter 3: Recovery
3 Chapter 2: Reincarnation
2 Chapter 1: The acciden
1 Prologue: Cultivation is Boring
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