The small tree twisted like a coiling dragon, scarlet as blood from trunk to crown. It stood roughly five feet tall, and at its top grew a fist-sized fruit, likewise scarlet as jade. Yet about one-tenth of it remained green; it had clearly not fully ripened.
"Looks like these beasts are after this fruit."
Lin Baichuan murmured, "But what kind of fruit is this? It has actually drawn so many Demonic Beasts to covet it. Could it be some Natural Treasure?"
As he spoke, a sharp gleam flashed in Lin Baichuan's eyes, blazing with heat.
Any Natural Treasure was beyond measure. Take his Earth Spirit Milk, for example—it was one such Natural Treasure, and its value was terrifying beyond compare.
For a moment, countless thoughts rose in Lin Baichuan's heart. He stared fixedly at the fruit on that blood-red tree coiled like a dragon, unconsciously swallowed, then narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze to the eleven Demonic Beasts.
The fruit was not going anywhere, and it had yet to ripen. This was the perfect time to kill those eleven Demonic Beasts and reap a harvest first.
Having made up his mind, Lin Baichuan wasted no words. With Wind Shadow Steps beneath his feet, he charged straight toward the mountain hollow.
He had no intention of calling for reinforcements. After all, no one knew when that fruit would ripen.
More importantly, he did not want to call for help because he was confident he could handle it alone. Of the eleven Demonic Beasts, the strongest was only Soldier Rank 4, equivalent to the Sixth Rank Blood Refining Realm among human martial artists.
And judging by its aura, it was merely at the early stage of Soldier Rank 4. Lin Baichuan was confident his own strength was enough to deal with it.
Roar! Roar!
The moment he charged toward the mountain hollow, he immediately caught the attention of the eleven Demonic Beasts within. The Black Tiger suddenly threw back its head and roared, startling every beast in the hollow as they all turned to look at Lin Baichuan.
Bloodthirsty killing intent radiated from those pairs of scarlet eyes.
The next moment, more than a hundred beasts moved at once. They actually formed a battle formation and charged straight at Lin Baichuan.
"Damn, these fellows really have become monsters. They even know battle formation methods."
Lin Baichuan could not help muttering under his breath. The saber in his hand had already left its sheath. With Wind Shadow Steps beneath his feet, he crossed several hundred yards like a breeze and rushed before the herd, his saber slashing out like a streak of cold light.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
With a flash of saber light, more than a dozen sprays of blood shot into the sky. Under Lin Baichuan's strike, over a dozen beasts tainted by Demonic Aura were carved apart as easily as tofu. Blood flowed freely, while Killing Intent spread through the sky.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1 point of merit. Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1 point of merit. Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1 point of merit. ...
At that moment, a string of system notifications rang out in his sea of consciousness, and a broad smile immediately appeared on Lin Baichuan's face.
Sure enough, his guess had been right. As long as something had been tainted by demonic Killing Intent, regardless of whether it was truly a demon, it would yield at least one point of merit. There were over a thousand beasts here tainted by Demonic Aura; in his eyes, they were over a thousand points of merit.
That was an enormous fortune.
Roar! Roar!
Lin Baichuan's fierce opening strike, which killed more than a dozen beasts, immediately ignited the fury of the others. Amid low growls, the remaining nearly hundred beasts gleamed with bloodlust and charged headlong toward Lin Baichuan.
At the same time, two Demonic Beasts rushed out from the mountain hollow, leading several hundred beasts and dividing into two camps, intent on swallowing Lin Baichuan whole and tearing him limb from limb.
It seemed those two Demonic Beasts also knew that the hundred-odd beasts alone could not stop Lin Baichuan.
"Hmph. A pack of beasts. No matter how many come, they will die..."
Lin Baichuan snorted coldly. Facing the charging Demonic Beasts and wild beasts, he showed no fear whatsoever. With Wind Shadow Steps beneath his feet and his saber cutting through them like melons and vegetables, he slaughtered his way through the first wave of over a hundred beasts in an instant.
Then, without pausing in the slightest, he charged toward one of the Demonic Beasts.
Clang!
The long saber flashed, and killing intent burst forth at once, with Killing Intent flooding the sky. This was the Seven Kill Saber Art at the level of mastery. Empowered by Lin Baichuan's formidable physical strength, a single strike erupted with more than a hundred thousand catties of force—enough that even a Sixth Rank Blood Refining Realm martial artist would struggle to withstand it.
The Demonic Beast before him was merely at the peak of Soldier Rank 1, equivalent only to the peak of the Ninth Rank Skin Refinement Realm among human martial artists. How could it possibly withstand Lin Baichuan's furious strike?
Pfft!
With a crisp sound, the saber in Lin Baichuan's hand split that Demonic Beast in two as easily as slicing tofu.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 30 points of merit.
As the system notification sounded, Lin Baichuan's feet slid, and he swept forward like a breeze. He was already before the other Demonic Beast, repeating the same move as his long saber slashed out once more.
Seven Kill Saber Art: Furious Wrath of the Army Breaker!
A flash of cold light streaked out, the saber edge whistling as it forcibly split the Black Tiger Demonic Beast before him in two, blood splashing everywhere.
"Kill!"
Lin Baichuan let out an enraged growl, his killing intent surging like a tide. As his saber danced, he immediately charged into the beast horde before him. At that moment, he was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain; wherever he passed, severed limbs flew and blood sprayed.
In less than a hundred breaths, he had slaughtered his way through over a thousand beasts. Not a single one survived.
Boom... Crack...
Just as Lin Baichuan was brimming with excitement over harvesting a wave of merit, his heart suddenly tightened and his expression changed drastically. A blurred shadow whipped toward him, carrying an astonishing storm in its wake.
The Giant Python's tail had struck. After seeing Lin Baichuan massacre more than a thousand beasts, it had finally been unable to hold back and attacked in fury.
Its tail swept over with a fierce storm, its edge whistling like a blade and carrying a startling shriek through the air. It held at least a hundred thousand catties of force, enough to split gold and sever iron. As the air exploded, that tail as thick as a water barrel lashed toward him, reaching Lin Baichuan in an instant.
Clang!
Lin Baichuan swept his saber out and slashed hard against the python's tail. Sparks flew everywhere as though metal had struck metal. A tremendous force erupted, violently sending Lin Baichuan staggering backward.
Roar! Roar!
At that moment, a tiger's roar rang out. After Lin Baichuan had retreated more than a dozen steps, the Soldier Rank 4 Black Tiger pounced fiercely, hurtling toward him like a small mountain. Its black claws swept down, Demonic Aura faintly rolling around them. Like blades of metal, they clawed straight for Lin Baichuan's head.
Rip! Boom!
As the claw fell, even the air exploded. Had that strike landed solidly, even gold and iron would have been torn to pieces. In a single exchange, it had reached within three feet above Lin Baichuan's head, fierce winds howling as its sharpness was laid bare.
Lin Baichuan wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. Gritting his teeth, he could only immediately circulate the Golden Bell Shield technique. Force roiled within his body and surged straight toward the crown of his head.
Dong!
Golden light flashed across his body. His skin gave off a faint golden sheen, as though he had transformed into a bronze man, forcibly taking the Black Tiger's claw head-on.
"Beast, die!"
Lin Baichuan immediately flew into a rage. Raising his hand, he thrust his saber upward, stabbing fiercely toward the Black Tiger's belly above him. His minor Saber Intent erupted in full force at that instant.
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