43: Chapter 43

43

Jiang Haojie seemed to have anticipated this. With a subtle, mysterious shift of his feet, his body drifted sideways like a phantom. Not only did he evade the lethal bite, but in the instant they crossed paths, his palm pressed onto the Saber-toothed Tiger's solid shoulder blade with lightning speed. Using the momentum for a nimble flip, he landed steadily onto the broad back of this ferocious beast!

The people behind were dumbfounded, hardly able to believe their eyes.

He actually dared to... ride it?

The humiliation of being ridden by a human instantly ignited the Saber-toothed Tiger's violent rage.

It let out a furious roar as its body began to buck, twist, and leap violently like the wildest stallion, attempting to throw the audacious human off its back and crush him into the dust.

The crimson flame sword's edge sliced through the air, drawing a scorching arc of light that embedded itself precisely into the Saber-toothed Tiger's thick neck bone.

Jiang Haojie lowered his wrist, and with a dull crack, the massive head was completely severed from the body, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Without stopping for a moment, Jiang Haojie sheathed his sword, turned around, and barked a low command: "Go!"

The group quickly disappeared into the depths of the dense ancient forest.

Almost the moment their figures vanished, heart-palpitating roars and growls erupted from all directions around the former battlefield, sounds filled with brutality and greed.

The remaining eight people in the team looked at each other, seeing the lingering fear in one another's eyes.

If they hadn't retreated decisively, they would likely be caught in a frantic siege by a beast tide right now.

...

A dull thud accompanied by flying dust sounded particularly abrupt in the silent forest.

As the dust settled, an ancient beast covered in thick long fur and shaped like a giant elephant lay collapsed on the ground, its life force completely gone.

Jiang Haojie slowly withdrew his palm, his gaze sweeping over his slightly exhausted companions.

They had been in this secret realm for over an hour and had encountered no less than a dozen ancient beasts. Although they had resolved each encounter, a price had been paid—just moments ago, two companions had lost their lives to the violent charge of this ancient mammoth due to a momentary lapse in concentration.

The team continued forward through the treacherous secret realm.

Jiang Haojie diverted a portion of his focus, sinking into his own system space.

What he obtained after killing the ancient beasts wasn't the expected weapons or talent crystals, but a hazy, greyish glowing mass of air.

[beast source: System-rated D-grade energy, contains a high concentration of life energy, cannot be directly absorbed or refined by the host.

Note: This item is a nutrient for cultivating Divine Beast-type creatures.

]

Looking at this brief description, Jiang Haojie frowned slightly.

Divine beasts? To him, that was a concept far too distant.

These greyish light orbs seemed to be nothing more than useless objects occupying space for now.

"Buzz—!"

A low, dense sound of vibrating wings approached from afar without warning, interrupting Jiang Haojie's thoughts.

Everyone looked up alertly to see a massive "black cloud" on the horizon.

It was spreading toward their position at an alarming speed.

"What is that thing?!"

"Not good! It's a swarm of mosquitoes... an incredibly massive swarm!"

"Avoid them, quick! If we get entangled by them, it's over!"

That was no ordinary dark cloud, but a terrifying insect tide formed by countless thumb-sized, dark-red flying mosquitoes.

A single mosquito might be insignificant, but when their numbers reached a level that blotted out the sun, the pressure they brought was enough to make anyone's heart turn cold with fear.

The moment the eight surviving Awakened saw them clearly, they instinctively turned to flee; even Jiang Haojie's shout to stop couldn't make them pause for half a step.

A nearly imperceptible light flashed in Jiang Haojie's eyes as the Eye of Discernment fed back information about the incoming threat to his mind.

[Species: Bloodthirsty Flying Mosquito (Gregarious Tier 1 Ancient Insect)]

[Threat Assessment: Individuals are weak, but when moving in a swarm, the comprehensive threat level can reach Tier 4.]

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Haojie took a deep breath, his chest swelling slightly as an invisible force surged from his dantian to his throat.

He opened his mouth, and a roar that seemed to come from an ancient wild beast exploded! The sound waves condensed into a translucent phantom of a male lion, rising from above his head and sweeping forward.

"Roar—!"

Wherever the sound waves of the Lions Roar Technique passed, the Bloodthirsty Flying Mosquitoes leading the charge were hit as if by an invisible giant hammer, stiffening and falling in sheets, spreading a thick layer of insect corpses on the ground.

However, for that vast sea of mosquitoes, this cleared corner was but a drop in the bucket.

More mosquitoes fearlessly filled the gap, the buzzing of their wings becoming even more ear-piercing as the dark cloud of insects continued to press down.

Jiang Haojie's eyes narrowed, knowing that ordinary means would be difficult to handle this.

He spread his feet slightly, standing firmly on the earth, as the true qi within his body surged like a rushing river, circulating rapidly along a mysterious path.

A vast, majestic aura rose from around him, with the faint sound of a dragon's cry echoing within his bones.

He slowly raised his right palm, aiming it at the boundless tide of insects that was swallowing the light.

The power of the Subduing Dragon palm was ready to be unleashed.

Energy surged like a tide as palm after palm erupted from Jiang Haojie's hand, invisible astral winds sweeping toward the crimson swarm of mosquitoes.

By the time the final palm strike was exhausted, that insect cloud which had previously blotted out the sky had been reduced by ninety percent, leaving only a much thinner shadow still drifting in the air.

"Roar—!"

A roar like a dragon's cry suddenly exploded, and wherever the sound waves reached, the blood mosquitoes fell like raindrops.

The remaining swarm seemed to finally taste fear, letting out a chaotic buzz as they turned around and fled frantically into the depths of the secret realm.

Jiang Haojie did not pursue them; although he did not fear these insects, in this place, caution was never a mistake.

Besides, tens of thousands of F-grade beast sources had already piled up in his system space; this trip was already considered a success.

He took out several potions and drank them, his physical strength and minor losses quickly recovering to their original state.

The eight Awakened were long gone, and Jiang Haojie had no intention of looking for them.

He had originally thought his fellow travelers might be of some help, but now it seemed they were instead a burden.

He shook his head and set off on his journey alone.

For two consecutive days, he traveled through the ancient landscape, encountering many exotic beasts and even catching a glimpse from afar of two beings emitting Tier 4 pressure.

Jiang Haojie chose not to engage, quietly detouring the moment he sensed them.

If he were in the outside world, he might still be able to manage a confrontation, having a way to escape even if he were no match; but within this secret realm, he preferred to hide his sharpness.

Safety was sometimes the foundation of survival.

Finding an open space to rest, Jiang Haojie took a pre-roasted wild boar leg from his Storage Pouch.

This was the result of yesterday's hunt, the meat quality perfectly preserved—this was the beauty of storage artifacts: time seemed to freeze within them, and whatever was put in remained the same when taken out.

For someone who spent many years wandering outside, this was nothing short of a supreme treasure.

Unfortunately, such spatial items were truly rare; aside from the infinite space granted by the system, Jiang Haojie only had two in his hands.

Although he occasionally encountered ancient beasts possessing spatial fluctuations in the secret realm, killing them did not directly yield equipment, which left him with some regret.

He secretly planned that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely seek out some spatial-type monsters to hunt and accumulate more storage items.

Even if he didn't need them himself, they were extremely rare resources whether for trading or giving away.

As his thoughts drifted, he pulled a short blade from his system space.

He had forgotten which monster he got it from; although it was a common F-grade weapon, it was quite handy for cutting food and handling chores.

Jiang Haojie used the short blade to slice off pieces of the roasted meat, grease dripping down the edge of the blade.

He chewed his food, but his thoughts drifted to those eight pioneers—two days had passed since they parted, and there was still no sign of them.

A beast leg was soon finished off completely.

He took a short rest and set off again, not stopping to rest in an open area until dusk fell.

These days were all like this: trekking by day and finding a quiet spot to recover energy by night.

Just as he closed his eyes to focus his mind, a giant python with dark scales quietly slithered up the ancient tree he was leaning against.

The snake's body was as thick as an adult's waist, its tongue flickering in the air as its vertical pupils locked onto the human under the tree.

Jiang Haojie seemed completely unaware, remaining as still as a stone.

The python waited patiently for a moment, then suddenly opened its jaws, lunging at its prey like an arrow from a bow!

At that very instant, Jiang Haojie's eyes snapped open, and he drew a crimson longsword with a backhand, the blade pointing straight at the snake's mouth.

He had long since sensed the beast's aura; what he had been waiting for was this exact moment.

The python hissed in surprise, abruptly jerking its head back and narrowly avoiding the tip of the sword.

However, Jiang Haojie's movements were faster; the blade followed through with a horizontal slash, flames rising from the sword's body.

The scorching heat forced the giant python to twist its body, taking the blow with its scales.

A burnt smell filled the air, and a charred wound appeared on the snake's body.

Jiang Haojie raised an eyebrow, not expecting this beast to know how to deflect force.

The python took the opportunity to slide down the trunk and coil on the ground.

"Roar—!"

The sound waves of a Lions Roar suddenly exploded, the air vibrating like the surface of water.

The python rolled violently in the sound waves, its scales trembling.

Jiang Haojie's figure turned into a phantom and dashed close, the crimson flame sword accurately stabbing toward the seven-inch mark of the snake's body.

The dull sound of the blade piercing flesh came through.

The python was severed into two pieces, its remains still twitching under nervous reflexes.

The young man watched this scene indifferently.

If he didn't possess the strength himself, he would have been the one becoming a meal in its belly right now.

The heavy smell of blood spread through the night.

Jiang Haojie frowned and stood up—this place was not suitable for staying long; he had to leave immediately.

After only a few steps, he suddenly paused, a smile appearing in his eyes.

A bottleneck that had lasted for over a month finally loosened at this moment.

While moving quickly, he called up that translucent information interface in his mind.

Jiang Haojie felt the new power surging within his body; every inch of his bones and muscles seemed to have been tempered, filled with unprecedented strength.

He had crossed the invisible threshold of Tier 2 cultivation, and the flow of internal breath in his dantian became even more thick and continuous.

With a slight thought, he pulled up the information interface that others could not see, his gaze sweeping over the "Dragon God Art"

and "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms."

Behind them, the word "Intermediate" had quietly appeared,

and a trace of a smile crossed his lips.

The system's notification tone still held a faint resonance in his sea of consciousness.

However, alongside the joy, a trace of doubt also quietly surfaced.

Shifting Stars, Lingbo Microsteps, Lions Roar Technique... these techniques that were also branded with the "Divine"

grade remained as silent as before, not resonating or upgrading along with his breakthrough in realm.

Was his cultivation still too shallow to carry them to a higher level? Or was there another secret involved? The thought flashed like lightning, but Jiang Haojie did not dwell on it.

In any case, the tangible increase in power was beyond doubt.

At this moment, although he was nominally only Tier 2, with his surging internal power and exquisite martial arts, he was confident he could hold his own even against a so-called Tier 4 "Awakened."

However, the sense of rejection from this secret realm also became increasingly clear and heavy as his power rose, like invisible shackles slowly tightening.

For now, he suppressed his stray thoughts, as the eagerness to test his newly acquired power took the upper hand.

The secret realm under the night shed its hazy daytime veil, revealing a deeper and more treacherous character.

In the darkness lurked even more ancient creatures that were active at night and hid during the day.

Jiang Haojie no longer looked for a place to rest; with a movement of his body, he vanished like light smoke into the deeper shadows of the forest.

"Chirp—!"

A very faint but exceptionally clear sound of wings cutting through the air came from overhead without warning.

Jiang Haojie paused, his gaze suddenly sharp as he looked back toward the sound.

Not far away, on a horizontal branch of a giant tree, hung a large dark shadow.

It was a bat, its body size actually comparable to an adult human, its wings folded like a heavy black cloak.

Most striking was the ring of dark red fur around its neck and that long, narrow face which didn't look like an ordinary bat but instead showed a hint of fox-like cunning.

A pair of eyes glowed crimson in the dark night, cold and indifferent, dead-locked onto Jiang Haojie's figure. The surrounding air seemed to freeze due to this gaze, filled with an indescribable gloom.

With a flash of thought, a nearly imperceptible faint golden light flickered in Jiang Haojie's eyes as the "Eye of Discernment" was activated.

[Ancient Beast: Red-collared Fox Bat]

[Level: Tier 3]

[Talents: Mental Interference, Deadly Poison]

[Status: Perfect]

The moment the information surfaced, that flying fox also seemed to have completed its scrutiny.