A Life-or-Death Battle

Battle Qi flowed beneath Jiang Donghua's feet as he darted out like a phantom. He pushed Cloud-Chasing Steps to its limit and closed in behind the Ironclad Boar in the blink of an eye.

"Blazing Palm!"

His right palm glowed red like heated iron, carrying a scorching gust as it slammed viciously into the boar's back!

"Bang—!"

A dull boom erupted. The Ironclad Boar's thick hide was actually scorched black and split apart by the blow, and the acrid stench of burned flesh instantly filled the air.

"Roar—!"

The Ironclad Boar howled in pain and spun around sharply, its bloodshot eyes fixed firmly on Jiang Donghua as its heavy snorts rumbled like thunder.

A human of the same rank as a Five-star Dou Master dared to ambush it?!

"Snort!"

The Ironclad Boar violently pawed at the ground with its forehooves, sending dirt and rocks flying. Every muscle in its body tensed as it burst forward in a savage charge!

"Boom—!"

The ground trembled. Like a moving hill, the boar charged straight at Jiang Donghua, wrapped in a violent gale!

"Good!"

Jiang Donghua neither dodged nor retreated. A cold smile curved his lips as Battle Qi surged wildly through his body. Just as the boar was about to strike him, he abruptly lowered himself and unleashed Cloud-Chasing Steps again, slipping beneath the boar's belly like a loach!

"Slice!"

The short blade in his hand swept out, precisely cutting open the boar's soft underbelly!

"Awoo—!"

Blood sprayed everywhere. The Ironclad Boar staggered several steps with a miserable howl, but it did not fall. Instead, it became even more frenzied!

"Such thick hide."

Jiang Donghua flicked the blood from his short blade, his expression grave.

If that slash had landed on another demonic beast, it would have already been disemboweled!

Yet this boar had suffered only a light wound!

The Ironclad Boar panted heavily, its eyes red with rage as it stared Jiang Donghua down.

It knew that it had to kill this human today!

Otherwise, it would never leave Blackwater Pool alive!

Jiang Donghua had long been prepared. He unleashed Cloud-Chasing Steps once more, his body lightly evading like drifting willow fluff.

At the same time, he struck back with another Blazing Palm, this time landing it precisely on the boar's relatively soft flank.

"Roar!"

The boar roared furiously in pain, but the attack was clearly not enough to seriously injure it.

Jiang Donghua was in no hurry. He simply maintained a safe distance, occasionally using Cloud-Chasing Steps to rush in and supplementing his attacks with a Blazing Palm.

This chase continued for several minutes.

The Ironclad Boar gradually changed from furious to restless.

It realized that no matter how it charged, it could not touch this slippery human, while the wounds on its body kept increasing.

Most fatally, Jiang Donghua deliberately avoided its vital points with every attack, targeting places that would not kill it but would keep it bleeding.

Blood constantly seeped from the Ironclad Boar's wounds, leaving a long trail of blood across the ground.

"Huff... huff..."

The Ironclad Boar's breathing grew heavier, and its movements began to slow. At last, it realized that something was wrong—this human was deliberately bleeding it dry!

Fear surged into its heart for the first time.

The Ironclad Boar suddenly turned and fled toward the depths of the forest. But having lost too much blood, it could no longer run quickly. Its four legs felt as heavy as lead.

Jiang Donghua followed unhurriedly behind it, a cold smile on his lips. Like an experienced hunter, he patiently waited for his prey to exhaust its last shred of strength.

Finally, before it had escaped even three li, the Ironclad Boar's forelegs gave way, and it crashed heavily to the ground.

It struggled to stand, only to discover that it no longer had the strength even to lift its head.

A cold glint flashed through Jiang Donghua's eyes. The longsword in his hand flashed with icy light as it precisely pierced the Ironclad Boar's skull.

With a flick of the blade, a demonic core glowing with an earthy yellow light rolled out, and he caught it in his palm.

"An earth-elemental demonic core? That's rather rare."

He weighed the heavy crystal core in his hand, a satisfied curve rising at the corner of his mouth.

"Four to five hundred gold coins in the bag. This trip wasn't a loss."

Casually putting the demonic core into his Storage Bag, Jiang Donghua shook the blood from his sword and swept his gaze around.

Mist shrouded the area around Blackwater Pool, and the low roars of distant demonic beasts could faintly be heard. Yet he felt no fear at all. Instead, his fighting spirit burned even brighter.

"Excellent!"

He muttered softly, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

In this perilous Demonic Beast Mountain Range, the strong devoured the weak—that was the ironclad rule.

As long as he encountered a lone demonic beast weaker than himself, it would only become a whetstone for his blade!

"Whoosh—"

His figure flashed as he unleashed Cloud-Chasing Steps again and sped toward Blackwater Pool.

At first, the bloody scent of the Ironclad Boar around Blackwater Pool made many low-tier demonic beasts uneasy.

They trembled as they hid in the shadows, their scarlet beast eyes warily sweeping their surroundings, afraid that the overlord lurking here, the Blackwater Mysterious Snake, had returned.

But they soon sensed that something was wrong.

If the Blackwater Mysterious Snake had acted, its prey would not bleed at all. It would simply be swallowed in one bite, leaving not even bones behind!

Then they saw that human.

A youth wielding a longsword and moving like a phantom actually dared to hunt freely through their territory!

At first, many demonic beasts sneered at him. Several fierce Ironback Grey Wolves even took the initiative to attack, intending to tear this reckless human into pieces.

"Slice!"

Sword light flashed, and blood splattered.

In just a few minutes, all three Ironback Grey Wolves with the strength of Two-star Dou Masters were dead!

Jiang Donghua flicked the beads of blood from his sword, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Is that all you've got?"

Over the next month or so, the demonic beasts around Blackwater Pool finally learned what a nightmare was.

That youth seemed tireless, hunting every single day.

He specifically targeted lone demonic beasts slightly weaker than himself. He never fought head-on, instead using Cloud-Chasing Steps to maneuver, Blazing Palm to wear them down, and finally his longsword to harvest them with precision.

"Awoo—!"

"Hiss—!"

"Roar—!"

Miserable beastly cries rose and fell around Blackwater Pool.

At first, the demonic beasts were enraged and savage. Several demonic beasts at the peak Fighter level even joined forces to hunt him down.

But Jiang Donghua never lingered in battle. The moment he landed a blow, he swiftly retreated. Once they let down their guard, he would appear like a ghost and hunt again!

Gradually, fear began to spread.

"Is this human insane?!"

"How many does he have to kill before he stops?!"

The demonic beasts began avoiding him. Some low-tier demonic beasts even fled Blackwater Pool outright, preferring to venture into more dangerous regions rather than face this god of slaughter again!

Meanwhile, Jiang Donghua's strength soared during that month of relentless slaughter!

"Huff—"

Standing beside the corpse of a demonic beast that had just died and possessed the strength of a Seven-Star Battle Master, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. A sharp light gleamed in his eyes.

"I've finally reached the threshold of an Eight-Star Battle Master!"

He clenched his fists, sensing the surging Battle Qi within him. The smile on his lips grew increasingly cold.

"Not enough. Keep killing!"

Jiang Donghua stood amid a battlefield strewn with wreckage. Several demonic beast corpses lay scattered around him, and blood soaked the ground beneath his feet. He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the surging Battle Qi flow through his body, and an involuntary satisfied smile rose on his lips.

"Cloud-Chasing Steps and Blazing Palm have finally reached Great Accomplishment!"

Over these months of frenzied slaughter, his two Yellow-tier Advanced Dou Techniques had long since advanced from the beginner stage to Great Accomplishment. He could wield them as easily as his own limbs, and their power had multiplied!

With Cloud-Chasing Steps, his body moved like a phantom, elusive and unpredictable. Even the full-force pounce of a Tier 2 Demonic Beast could barely touch the corner of his clothes!

With Blazing Palm, his palm wind blazed like molten lava. A single strike could scorch even the Ironclad Boar's thick hide black and split it apart!

"As expected, real combat is far faster than simply cultivating through AFK gains!"

Jiang Donghua silently sighed to himself.

With a thought, a translucent panel visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Seven-Star Battle Master (6666/7000)]

[Main Cultivation Method: Sky-Burning Incantation (Mysterious-grade Mid-tier)]

[Idle Gain]

Clone 1: 5 points/hour

Clone 2: 5 points/hour

[Current Total Gain: 10 points/hour]

A sharp light flashed in Jiang Donghua's eyes.

In just over a month, he had soared from a Five-star Dou Master to a Seven-Star Battle Master. If news of such cultivation speed spread, even those so-called geniuses would likely be ashamed of themselves!

"Although the AFK System can help me improve steadily, true breakthroughs still depend on life-or-death battles!"

He clenched his fist, sensing the Battle Qi within him, more powerful than ever before. His fighting spirit surged even higher.

"Still, there seem to be fewer and fewer demonic beasts around Blackwater Pool."

Jiang Donghua looked around, his brows knitting slightly.

Over the past few months, he had nearly slaughtered every low-tier demonic beast around the outskirts of Blackwater Pool.

The rest had either fled or grown smarter, beginning to travel in groups. Several peak Tier 1 demonic beasts even showed signs of joining forces.

"Looks like it's time to find another place."