One Blade

021

At that moment.

Barely a few minutes had passed since Jiang Fu encountered Shi Jiu, then was chased by the Silver Moon Wolf, up until now.

"Hope I didn't lure too many mutated beasts."

Jiang Fu crouched low.

He hurried toward where the black Giant Python had been.

The girl in his arms was light and soft, boneless, like a warm wad of cotton.

Aside from making Jiang Fu's heart race.

She caused him no other trouble.

Jiang Fu moved fast.

In an instant, he was back where the Giant Python had been.

Not much time had passed.

The scent of blood hadn't fully spread yet.

And this little Valley was on the edge of the Wilderness Area.

There weren't many high-tier mutated beasts here.

For now, only a few scattered Tier 1 Mutated Beasts had gathered.

As for Tier 2 Mutated Beasts...

At the edge of Jiang Fu's Spirit Power perception.

A cat-type mutated beast was slowly ambling away.

A hint of disdain in its eyes.

Clearly, it had sensed the Giant Python was poisonous.

Eating it would mean death.

Jiang Fu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"But I can't let my guard down... if those Tier 1 Mutated Beasts swarm me, I won't be able to handle them either."

Jiang Fu crept closer cautiously.

Finally.

He stopped about thirty meters from the Giant Python.

Only then.

Did he get a clear look at the snake's full form.

Its entire body was pitch-black like ink, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

And on its head...

Grew something dark, like a crown.

Small, perched atop its head.

Close in color to the head itself.

If you didn't look carefully, it was easy to miss.

A crown?

Jiang Fu was stunned.

A python with a crown?

Was this thing really a python?

Or had it mutated into some other species?

Jiang Fu had heard of snakes with cockscombs or horns.

But a crown...

Jiang Fu's Spirit Power carefully examined the top of the Giant Python's head.

It was indeed a crown.

Only three inches in size.

Sharp-edged and distinct, adorned with something like black gemstones.

Like a finely crafted piece of art.

"Definitely not an ordinary python!"

Jiang Fu hesitated no longer.

"Storage Badge range Multiply by Ten, duration one second."

"Withdraw!"

Whoosh.

The next instant.

The Giant Python's dozen-meter-long body was instantly pulled into the Space Badge.

Piled together with the Silver Moon Wolf's corpse.

In a flash.

Inside the Storage Badge, the originally empty space.

Suddenly felt a bit cramped.

Jiang Fu looked at those two massive corpses.

Couldn't help but grin.

With these two bodies, his Vitality Pills were as good as secured!

Jiang Fu's heart raced with excitement.

Yet he still kept his cool.

After stowing the Giant Python's corpse, he swiftly retreated from the area.

At the same time.

The dozen or so Tier 1 Mutated Beasts that had been surrounding the Giant Python.

Suddenly saw it vanish.

Immediately grew frenzied.

Letting out furious roars from their maws.

Just as Jiang Fu planned to slip away silently.

His expression shifted.

His speed in an instant shot to its peak.

He had no idea where he was heading.

But anyway, running was the right call!

A terrifying, savage aura suddenly spread out from beneath the earth.

Accompanied by a chilling presence, it rapidly seeped into the range of Jiang Fu's Spirit Power perception.

Then.

The ground began to tremble, and jagged cracks surfaced on the earth.

As if something was burrowing up from below!

Jiang Fu didn't know what it was.

But he understood clearly—it was not something he could mess with!

"Didn't they say the outer Wilderness Area had no powerful mutated beasts... No!"

"It's not that the beast is strong—it's that I'm too weak!"

Jiang Fu's emotions stayed steady, his mind clear.

Analyzing every possibility in his head.

In the end, he pinned the blame on himself.

It's not that the mutated beast is too strong—it's that I'm too weak!

Shi Jiu, a girl around his age.

Could hunt a Giant Python all on her own.

And here he was, killing a mere Silver Moon Wolf.

Using tactics, using multipliers.

Jiang Fu gritted his teeth.

"What else can be multiplied by ten... Right, explosive power!"

"Explosive power multiplied by ten, lasting an hour and a half!"

Whoosh!

The next instant.

Jiang Fu's body suddenly accelerated.

The scenery around him blurred into streaks.

Explosive power multiplied by ten!

It multiplies the force of an explosive burst by ten.

Rather than making his body unleash ten times the force.

So it had no effect on Jiang Fu's body.

This was the same as the earlier Speed Multiplied by Ten.

It multiplied the speed produced by ten.

Rather than forcing the body beyond its limits to achieve ten times the speed.

Still.

At this moment, Jiang Fu wasn't letting his guard down.

He kept running at full sprint.

That thing underground hadn't appeared within Jiang Fu's Spirit Power range.

But Jiang Fu could clearly feel that terrifying pressure.

He must have been locked onto by it.

Boom—

Just then.

With a thunderous crash.

The earth split open.

The entire small Valley shuddered violently.

A savage, monstrous aura, wild and oppressive, nearly turned into a gale.

Sweeping in all directions.

Countless Mutated Beasts scattered and fled.

Rumble—

The ground behind him roared.

It sounded like some enormous crawling creature racing across the earth.

Closing in fast on Jiang Fu's position.

But!

Within Jiang Fu's Spirit Power range, a hundred meters in diameter, there was still no sign of that colossal beast.

Which also meant the second system panel had yet to appear.

Yet in his instinctive perception.

That massive creature was practically right on his heels!

Jiang Fu gritted his teeth.

His legs blurred into afterimages as he sprinted wildly through the small Valley.

Suddenly.

Shi Jiu's slightly drowsy voice reached Jiang Fu's ears.

"Lend me the knife."

"Huh?"

"Pull back the Spirit Power on the blade. If I take it by force, it'll hurt you."

"Alright!"

That Battle Knife, multiplied by ten.

Under Jiang Fu's Spirit Power control, had been skimming the ground.

Staying close to Jiang Fu's side.

Hearing Shi Jiu's words.

He didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately withdrew the Spirit Power attached to the blade.

The very next instant.

Hum—

A sharp blade cry rang through heaven and earth.

The black Battle Knife, originally only three feet long.

Suddenly erupted with a black blade aura over ten meters in length.

In what was almost a flash.

It instantly left Jiang Fu's Spirit Power range.

Then.

Boom!!!

A dull thud.

Accompanied by a piercing, miserable scream.

The terrifying pressure from behind rapidly dissipated.

That massive creature—Jiang Fu hadn't even gotten a clear look at what it was.

It practically fled back underground.

Then.

That battle knife drifted back slowly.

Falling weakly onto the backpack behind Jiang Fu.

Shi Jiu's face pressed against Jiang Fu's chest.

She yawned, then muttered dully, "That was my last bit of psychic power."

"Now, you can do whatever you want to me, and I won't be able to fight back..."

Jiang Fu: "..."

He looked down.

The girl in his arms was pale-faced.

Her black-and-white eyes were full of exhaustion, staring weakly up at him.

Jiang Fu said nothing.

Nor did he stop.

He just kept sprinting.

Soon, he left the valley.

...That thing had only been wounded, not killed.

Jiang Fu didn't dare stay in the valley any longer.

This wasn't just an ordinary valley!

This was a king... no, a valley that could produce Abyss Fruits!

Meanwhile.

Somewhere outside the valley.

Brother Hu and the other Western Martial Artists felt the massive upheaval in the valley.

They too were shaken with fear.

"This valley is definitely not right!"

"There must be a powerful Mutated Beast hiding inside... maybe even a Realm Beast!"

"Hey?! Jiang Fu! That's Jiang Fu! He's out!"

"...No way! How is he so fast, and getting faster!"

"Spiritual Fruit, it must be Spiritual Fruit... Chase him!"

Immediately.

The Western Martial Artists threw caution to the wind.

And gave chase toward where Jiang Fu had vanished.

After another ten minutes of frantic running.

Jiang Fu finally slowed to a stop.

By now.

Even with his Quasi-Martial Artist physique, he felt exhausted.

He found a large tree and set Shi Jiu down beneath it.

Then he plopped down beside her.

And reached out.

Under Shi Jiu's dazed gaze.

He unzipped her school uniform.