Pshht!
Lin Baichuan infused even his initial mastery Saber Intent into his battle saber, effortlessly piercing Black Tiger's defenses and driving the entire blade into the fierce tiger's belly.
For a moment, blood surged out like a spring.
"Roar, roar..."
The Demonic Beast Black Tiger howled miserably in pain. Its massive body twisted as one claw swatted straight at Lin Baichuan, intending to crush him to death in a single blow. Lin Baichuan merely gave a cold laugh, utterly fearless, and met it with a punch from his left hand.
Moo!
As his fist shot out, it was as though a wild bull roared. A fierce gale swept forth, carrying a dull tearing sound as it slammed violently into Black Tiger's claw.
With a thunderous bang, the force behind Lin Baichuan's punch exceeded one hundred thousand jin. Even gold and iron would have been blasted into powder. Though Black Tiger was a Soldier Rank 4 Demonic Beast, with strength comparable to a martial artist in the Sixth Rank Blood Refining Realm, it still could not withstand Lin Baichuan's heaven-shaking punch.
A sharp crack rang out. That tiger claw, seemingly forged from steel bones, was blasted apart by Lin Baichuan's punch, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere. The powerful impact even hurled Black Tiger's enormous body through the air.
At that very moment, Lin Baichuan twisted the battle saber embedded in Black Tiger's belly, instantly carving a gash as wide as a washbasin into its abdomen. Blood erupted like a fountain.
Lin Baichuan moved with Wind Shadow Steps beneath his feet, his body ghostlike. With a single step, he had retreated several zhang away.
Clang! Clang!
The next moment, Lin Baichuan shifted his feet and swung his battle saber. Saber light flashed brilliantly as he charged toward the other Demonic Beasts with surging killing intent. The Seven Kill Saber Art, at the level of transcendent mastery, erupted to its utmost limit.
His entire body seemed to have transformed into a bulldozer. Wherever he went, not a single Demonic Beast could withstand even one stroke of his blade.
Within ten breaths, only Giant Python and Black Tiger remained. All the other Demonic Beasts had died beneath Lin Baichuan's saber.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 80 merit points.
The system notifications continued to ring in his mind.
However, Lin Baichuan had no time to pay attention to them. He swept his battle saber, stepped forward, and immediately charged at Black Tiger again. Black Tiger had already been severely wounded. Seeing Lin Baichuan rushing toward him, it actually revealed fear and instinctively backed away.
Boom!
At that moment, Giant Python moved as well. Its tail, like a steel whip, swept straight at Lin Baichuan. Amid a violent tearing shriek, it reached behind him in an instant, reducing rocks, grass, and trees to dust wherever it passed.
Lin Baichuan snorted coldly and paid no heed to Giant Python's attack. He immediately activated the seventh layer of Golden Bell Shield. Golden light flashed around his body, turning him into a bronze man once more as he forcibly endured Giant Python's strike.
His battle saber trembled, then slashed at Black Tiger like a phantom.
Black Tiger's strength had already fallen drastically due to its severe injuries. How could it possibly withstand Lin Baichuan's strike? The saber carried a force of three hundred thousand jin, bolstered by Saber Intent. Its might was like a mountain, and with lightning speed too swift to cover one's ears, it cleaved viciously into Black Tiger's body.
Boom... Pshht...
In the next second, saber light flashed. Black Tiger's massive body was instantly split in two, blood spraying everywhere.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 210 merit points.
The system notification sounded at once. Lin Baichuan raised his brows but did not pause in the slightest, turning to charge at Giant Python.
Giant Python was not much stronger than Black Tiger. Since Lin Baichuan could kill Black Tiger, slaying Giant Python was no difficult task. Saber light flickered, and his body moved like a phantom. In only an instant, Lin Baichuan left no fewer than ten wounds across Giant Python's body.
Giant Python was covered in scales, and even ordinary spirit artifacts could not break through them. But having suffered a loss before, Lin Baichuan had naturally come prepared. Every slash of his saber carried Saber Intent. Under Lin Baichuan's initial mastery Saber Intent, no matter how steel-like Giant Python's scales were, they still had to be split apart.
After more than a dozen slashes, its enormous body was riddled with wounds, blood gushing wildly from them.
Giant Python finally grew afraid. It let out a strange roar and actually turned to flee deep into the mountain forest.
This human was too terrifying. It was no match for him at all. If this continued any longer, it would surely die horribly. If it did not flee now, then when would it?
"Trying to run? Do you think you can escape?"
Lin Baichuan snorted coldly and immediately pushed Wind Shadow Steps to the limit. He darted through the forest like the wind, crossing several hundred zhang in but an instant before leaping onto Giant Python's back as it fled at full speed.
Gripping the long saber with both hands, he viciously thrust it into Giant Python's body, then wrenched it hard.
Riiip!
The long saber swept through, forcibly cutting Giant Python's enormous body in two. Blood sprayed everywhere. The foul, bloody stench soared into the sky. When its blood dripped onto the ground, it was like sulfuric acid, corroding deep pits into the earth as sinister black vapor rose from them.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 180 merit points.
The next moment, the system notification rang out. Lin Baichuan could not help exhaling a long breath of stale air. With a leap, he jumped more than ten zhang away, dropped onto the ground, and panted heavily, feeling deeply moved inside.
This beast had been the hardest to kill. Though it looked as if he had won easily, the expenditure had actually been far from small.
Had the battle dragged on any longer, he definitely would not have been able to hold out.
Fortunately, he had still won. By killing this beast, he had not only gained 180 merit points. Every part of its body was treasure. Leaving aside the Demon Core, its hide alone could be made into many sets of soft armor, and the many materials on its body were each worth a great deal.
Its gallbladder in particular was second only to the Demon Core.
"I've struck it rich. This trip was well worth it."
Lin Baichuan's face was wreathed in smiles, but he did not hurry to deal with the Demonic Beast corpses. Instead, he walked toward that blood-red sapling. For it to draw the attention of so many Demonic Beasts, it was surely no ordinary thing.
Its value might even far surpass the corpses and Demon Cores of these Demonic Beasts. Lin Baichuan naturally would not pick up sesame seeds only to lose a watermelon.
"Huh..."
Just as Lin Baichuan reached the side of the small tree, he froze. He let out a startled sound and looked beneath it. The sapling's roots were not embedded in the soil at all, but rooted in a piece of wood that appeared to be rotting.
The wood looked incredibly ancient, less than half a meter long and as thick as an arm.
Yet it was this very piece of Withered Wood that provided all the sapling's nutrients, nurturing a Natural Treasure.
"This wood is definitely not simple."
Lin Baichuan murmured to himself, a sharp light gleaming in his eyes.
He did not recognize the wood, but almost instinctively, he believed it to be anything but ordinary.
However, Lin Baichuan did not touch the wood. The sapling was connected to it, its roots wrapping around the wood and burrowing into the soil. The slightest movement would affect the sapling as well. Lin Baichuan was not sure whether moving the sapling would affect the fruit growing upon it, so it was better to be cautious.
"Forget it. I'll deal with these Demonic Beast corpses first!"
Lin Baichuan muttered, "This thing is here anyway; it can't run away. Besides, that fruit still needs a little more time to ripen."
As he spoke, Lin Baichuan carried his battle saber toward the nearest Demonic Beast corpse.
Before you continue