32: Chapter 32

32

Under the blood-stained jacket, the wound had already healed as if it were never there.

"Follow me; there's a room inside for storage."

Confirming he was indeed unharmed, Shen Mengli led him inside.

After properly settling the remains of those Snow Foxes one by one, Jiang Haojie turned to leave but was softly called back by her.

"At least have a cup of water before you go."

Unable to refuse, he tilted his head back and finished the clear water in the cup before taking his leave.

It was late at night when he returned to the inn.

Jiang Haojie didn't disturb his parents and quietly returned to his room.

After bathing, he sat alone on the edge of the bed, the day's events vivid in his mind.

He had ultimately underestimated the Bai family's methods—they could actually hire a Fourth-Order Awakened.

If not for his quick thinking and adaptation at the time, it would have been difficult to escape.

Next time, he might not have such luck.

This battle felt like an alarm bell ringing in his heart.

Before a true expert, his meager strength was truly not worth mentioning.

The arrogance that had been growing day by day since his awakening was now doused by cold water.

It was time to settle down and see his position clearly.

For the next two days, Jiang Haojie did not step out of the inn once.

Not until dawn on the fourth day did he quietly leave, but he didn't head straight for the Fallen Zone; instead, he turned toward the black market in the west of the city.

Huang Xingshan had already been waiting here for a long time.

Seeing Jiang Haojie appear without any disguise, Huang Xingshan hurriedly pulled him into the shadows and lowered his voice:

"Sir, why did you come just like this? The Bai family has already issued a kill order for you, and the bounty... is a full five million."

Jiang Haojie's brow suddenly furrowed.

A fight to the death—the Bai family had completely torn off their mask.

"You should leave quickly, lest you be spotted by their people."

Huang Xingshan's tone was anxious.

Jiang Haojie nodded in silence.

Now was indeed not the time for a head-on confrontation.

Seeing him take the advice, Huang Xingshan breathed a small sigh of relief and then led him to slip into the depths of the black market's winding narrow alleys.

With Huang Xingshan leading the way, Jiang Haojie disposed of all the weapons he didn't need, even selling the pair of Mantis Blade, keeping only the crimson flame sword and a few emergency blades.

This trip was very fruitful, yielding a total of 1.74 million crystal coinss.

After a brief farewell to Huang Xingshan, Jiang Haojie turned and left, heading straight toward the Fallen Zone.

He thought to himself that once he stepped into that territory, it would be difficult for the Bai family to find his tracks.

Before entering the Fallen Zone, he dialed Xiao Yufen's communication device.

A soft voice came from the other end; he briefly explained that he would be busy lately and wouldn't return to the residence for now.

Although Xiao Yufen's words revealed worry, she didn't ask much and only softly agreed.

In fact, based on the amount Jiang Haojie had accumulated, it was already enough to buy an ordinary courtyard in the city.

But he didn't want to settle—if he was going to make a home, he had to choose a decent one; he didn't demand a magnificent villa like Shen Mengli's, but it had to be at least like the courtyard Yin Decai prepared for his mistress.

Stepping into the Fallen Zone, Jiang Haojie began to search for signs of a swamp.

Along the way, he encountered some tactless monsters and cut them down in passing.

To others, this place might be just a site to hone skills or complete missions; but to Jiang Haojie, the ground was full of walking money bags.

Besides zero-rank monsters which were no longer useful, every first-rank one killed was equivalent to ten thousand crystal coinss; if it was second-rank, it was worth fifty thousand.

As for higher ranks, they were wealth beyond measure.

Three hours later, a swamp finally came into view.

This swamp covered a large area, about the size of two football fields, with a pungent smell of rot permeating the surroundings and dark bubbles constantly gurgling on the surface of the mud.

A thin layer of gray mist floated above, making the sky look even gloomier.

Jiang Haojie stood at the edge, observing carefully; though he hadn't stepped in, he could already sense the presence of many monsters lurking deep in the mire.

While concentrating, he suddenly felt a slight dizziness in his temples and couldn't help but frown.

It seemed the mist of this swamp was toxic.

Jiang Haojie didn't panic; he flipped his hand and took out a deep blue potion—it was an antidote, and he still had over thirty bottles in his system space.

He tilted his head and drank it all; in just an instant, the stifling feeling in his chest vanished without a trace.

Looking at the vast mud before him, Jiang Haojie already had a plan.

Naturally, he wouldn't rashly step into the mud to find those crocodiles; he had to find a way to lure them out.

As for the method, he had to thank the Bai family—if it weren't for those three carts of supplies, he might not have thought of this trick.

Jiang Haojie immediately took out a storage bag and poured out some pungent organ fragments, then slipped into a hidden thicket nearby to wait for movement in the swamp.

---

The intense smell of blood soon caused a stir.

Various monsters emerged from the mud—frogs, lizards, a messy variety—rustling and moving around the remains.

But Jiang Haojie waited and waited, yet still saw no sign of the crocodiles.

He began to wonder: could it be that there was nothing he was looking for in this swamp?

Just as Jiang Haojie felt confused, those monsters began to devour the scattered organs.

He silently emerged from the shadows—though he hadn't lured out the crocodiles, he couldn't let these monsters in front of him go.

Upon seeing a human figure, the monsters paused, then lunged forward in a frenzy, excited roars rolling in their throats.

Jiang Haojie didn't hesitate and let out a long whistle that pierced the air.

The sound waves surged like a raging tide, and monsters below the second rank were killed instantly.

Several third-rank monsters still broke through the sound waves and rushed forward.

With a flip of his palm, the crimson flame sword was in his hand.

The sword light flickered several times, and those third-rank monsters fell to the ground, covered in blood.

Just then, a strange sound came from the swamp.

The mud churned, and over ten giant crocodiles the size of carriages slowly crawled out.

Their scales were dark and dull, looking like they were cast in iron—they were second-rank Iron-clad Crocodiles.

Finally, they had come.

The corners of Jiang Haojie's mouth curled up slightly.

Iron-clad Crocodiles were known for their tough skin and hard armor, but he didn't know if Shen Mengli needed this kind.

He scanned them; there were thirteen in total.

Regardless of whether she wanted them, he would kill them first.

The Lions Roar rose again.

The second-rank Iron-clad Crocodiles could not withstand its power and were soon all slain.

Jiang Haojie took out the storage bag and was about to collect them when the swamp boiled again.

Three even larger figures burst out of the mud and charged toward him.

They were third-rank Iron-clad Crocodiles.

Jiang Haojie's eyebrows twitched slightly.

It seemed he had been targeted—first second-rank, now third-rank, could there be a fourth-rank later? His expression grew a bit more solemn.

He could still handle third-rank, but if a fourth-rank really came, his chances of winning would be slim.

He quickly finished collecting the second-rank crocodile corpses and decided to fight quickly and leave.

The power of a fourth-rank monster was far beyond what an Awakened of the same level could compare to.

"Dragons Repentance!"

A dragon's roar vibrated out from within his body, and the palm wind was like waves, pushing out layer by layer.

Having performed it repeatedly these days, this palm technique had gradually become mature.

All eighteen palms were struck out, but they failed to kill the three crocodiles instantly, only wounding them and drawing blood.

The pain instead incited their ferocity.

The three giant crocodiles opened their bloody maws and closed in; although they were third-rank, their movements still carried the typical slowness of crocodilians.

"Roar—!"

The Lions Roar Technique erupted again, the sound waves exploding.

The movements of the three iron-clad giant crocodiles suddenly stiffened; under the impact of the terrifying sound waves, their sturdy internal structures were suffering violent vibrations.

That layer of scales, like refined steel, certainly gave them amazing strike resistance, which was exactly why Jiang Haojie's previous series of fierce palm strikes had failed to completely crush them or cause heavy damage.

However, beneath the hard skin, their internal organs had no barrier.

Although the palm technique Jiang Haojie was currently performing was sharp, it was ultimately limited by his current cultivation level and could not fully display its power.

But the sound wave attack he launched now was completely different; this penetrating sound wave ignored all external protection and went straight inside.

Before long, foul blood overflowed from the mouths of the three giant crocodiles, and their auras quickly withered.

Jiang Haojie seized the opportunity and activated his sound technique again.

Two successive waves of sound swept through, finally ending the lives of these three fierce creatures.

A furious roar suddenly exploded from the depths of the swamp.

Amidst the churning mud, a crocodile with hideous bone spikes growing along its back and a body size comparable to a giant vehicle slowly appeared.

A fourth-rank monster, the Iron-clad Crocodile King.

Looking at this giant beast radiating a terrifying pressure, a chill ran down Jiang Haojie's spine.

He quickly gathered his spoils and retreated without hesitation.

Seeing this, the Iron-clad Crocodile King's massive body roared into motion, pursuing him relentlessly.

The trees along the way snapped and collapsed under its brutal impact; Jiang Haojie had no time for anything else and pushed his speed to the limit, flying toward the distance.

He had originally thought this giant beast would give up after chasing for a distance, but he hadn't expected it to be so persistent.

Although Jiang Haojie was slightly superior in speed, he could never completely pull away, and that heavy sense of pressure followed him like a shadow.

Jiang Haojie felt secretly annoyed; he had only killed a few of its kin, so why go to such lengths for a fight to the death? Naturally, these thoughts could not be conveyed to the furious hunter behind him, and even if it knew, it would probably only become more enraged.

He fled for several miles and still hadn't shaken it off.

Seeing that he couldn't lose it in the outer areas, Jiang Haojie steeled his heart and instead rushed toward the more dangerous depths of the Fallen Zone.

Knowing full well the perils ahead, shaking off the imminent pursuit was the top priority.

Unknowingly, he stumbled into an area filled with ruined buildings.

Broken walls and debris stood everywhere, and one could vaguely tell that three hundred years ago, this place had been the bustling core of a town.

But at this moment, Jiang Haojie had no time to mourn history; the heavy crawling sound of the Iron-clad Crocodile King behind him was getting closer and closer.

He could only grit his teeth and continue deeper, with that massive shadow still biting hard behind him.

Just then, another completely different savage roar exploded from ahead! Jiang Haojie slammed to a halt.

A pitch-black figure was racing from the ruins in the distance, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Jiang Haojie's heart suddenly tightened.

A fourth-rank monster, the Berserk Black Bear.

Jiang Haojie watched the Berserk Black Bear, which stood like a small mountain, and cautiously moved two steps to the side.

Seeing that the giant beast's gaze didn't fall on him, his tense heartstrings relaxed slightly.

At this moment, the black bear's attention was entirely drawn to the Iron-clad Crocodile that had intruded here, and the latter also raised its head covered in hard armor, its cold vertical pupils full of wariness.

Monsters that reached the fourth rank all had a strong sense of territory; crossing the border without permission was equivalent to a declaration of war.

Just now, the Iron-clad Crocodile had only been focused on chasing Jiang Haojie and hadn't noticed it had entered the black bear's domain; now that the confrontation was set, there was no way back.

Watching the two giant beasts facing off in silence, Jiang Haojie was as anxious as if he were on fire.

Fight!—he shouted silently in his heart—only in chaos could a glimmer of hope for survival be found.

As if in response to his secret prayer, the Berserk Black Bear suddenly let out a roar that shook the woods and charged at the Iron-clad Crocodile like a black storm.

Seeing the two beasts locked in battle, Jiang Haojie quickly dodged to a distance.

The residual power of two fourth-rank monsters fighting was enough to easily crush someone like him; he didn't want to die here for no reason.

But he didn't flee far.

Hiding behind a half-collapsed stone wall, Jiang Haojie held his breath and watched that primitive and violent struggle.

Both giant beasts were the type that excelled in strength; their moves were without any trickery, every claw strike and tail sweep carrying a destructive brute force.

Surrounding trees snapped, and rock fragments flew; the dull impact sounds were like war drums, never-ending.

The Berserk Black Bear's paw strikes landed one after another on the Iron-clad Crocodile's scale-covered back, making a muffled sound like a heavy hammer hitting the earth.

In comparison, although the Iron-clad Crocodile was massive, it gradually fell into a disadvantage because of its short limbs.

Its main offensive relied entirely on that terrifying giant mouth, especially its innate killing move—the "death roll" that followed immediately after a bite.

.

The black bear clearly knew the danger and constantly moved around with an agility that didn't match its size, always avoiding the edge of the crocodile's snout.

Jiang Haojie carefully observed the progress of the battle from the shadows, unable to determine the winner for a time.

In his heart, he hoped for a situation where both sides were wounded.

After watching for a while and seeing the fight was still in a stalemate, he temporarily withdrew his gaze and quietly called up his system interface.

It was time to take stock of his previous gains.

Jiang Haojie counted his spoils.

Among the remains of those monsters were various weapons, but what surprised him most were the dozen or so black clothes stacked in the middle.

He reached out to touch them, and several lines of explanatory text appeared before his eyes.

[Crocodile Stomach Soft Armor: System-certified E-rank armor.

Constant temperature characteristic, increases the wearer's physical resistance by ten percent.]

It was actually a complete set of inner armor, including both top and pants, with a texture as light as nothing, and it would definitely not be noticed by outsiders when worn close to the skin.

The corners of Jiang Haojie's mouth curled up—this kind of defensive equipment was indeed rare.

He thought of the group of Iron-clad Crocodiles that had fallen by his hand; these soft armors should have come from them.