Hunting Biao

Chapter 34: Hunting the Ferocious Beast

After leaving Ghost Street, Li Yi wasted no time, retracing the route Brother Tao had taken him on the first trip.

Even though he had activated his Spirit Medium abilities, he still didn't dare to change direction, fearing another dangerous encounter.

The road was silent, with only the sound of Li Yi's hurried footsteps.

His movements were more agile than before, his speed increased as he traversed the abandoned urban area.

In the darkness, Li Yi's eyes glowed, allowing him to clearly see any anomalies around him. His night vision had become even more extraordinary, revealing things that weren't there before.

For instance, dark green smoke billowed from a distant building, as if it were on fire. However, without activating his Spirit Medium, the building appeared completely normal, with no sign of any smoke.

He also saw strange, floating creatures drifting in the air.

Li Yi could even perceive structures that only existed within the Spirit Medium's vision. These buildings were dilapidated and oddly shaped, unlike anything from Earth, yet they exuded a dangerous aura that deterred approach.

"Is everything I'm seeing now the real world? But I can feel that as my body continues to evolve, my Spirit Medium vision will grow stronger, and I'll see more. I've only just entered this realm," Li Yi mused, his expression shifting slightly.

He felt like a newborn, opening its eyes for the first time to perceive the world around it.

"Good, I'm almost out of the danger zone. Once I pass through this area, I'll see the blocked-off road. Yang Yilong should be waiting there," Li Yi thought to himself, picking up his pace.

Just then, a fleeting black shadow caught his eye.

Though subtle, Li Yi noticed something amiss.

"What was that? Come out?"

Li Yi stopped abruptly, letting out a low shout as his body tensed.

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the cold night wind whistling past. There was no one else here; other cultivators had long since evacuated the danger zone. It was as if the fleeting glimpse had been Li Yi's imagination.

But Li Yi didn't believe that. He trusted his instincts.

Furthermore, cultivators were most vulnerable when on the verge of leaving a dangerous area. If a malevolent entity chose this moment to strike, it would be most effective.

"Still not coming out? How long do you plan to hide?"

Li Yi shouted again, his eyes scanning rapidly.

Although his eyes were enhanced by his Spirit Medium abilities and he could see in the dark, he lacked X-ray vision. The area was filled with scattered concrete debris and ruined buildings, making it easy for something to hide.

Li Yi didn't rush to act. Instead, he calmed himself, standing still and beginning to emulate Brother Tao, trying to analyze the situation.

"The creature followed me stealthily, without attacking directly. This suggests it's not very strong. If it saw me as prey it could easily capture, it would have attacked already, without all this trouble."

"Therefore, I have no need to fear."

With that thought, he took a deep breath, lowered his stance slightly, and slowly raised his fists.

Unconsciously, Li Yi adopted a punch stance his master had taught him.

Li Yi held his stance, his posture steady, his gaze vigilant.

Time ticked by.

Everything remained calm.

After an unknown duration.

Suddenly.

A muffled growl erupted from behind a protruding concrete block.

The lurking figure had lost its patience and slowly emerged.

"It's that ferocious beast." Li Yi immediately recognized the figure, his eyes narrowing. He remembered the tiger that had chased him into Ghost Street earlier.

However, unlike before, this ferocious beast's mouth was stained with blood, and tattered pieces of clothing clung to its bared fangs. It seemed that in the hour Li Yi had disappeared, it had successfully hunted several cultivators. Its gaunt stomach was now distended, and its gaze was even more ferocious.

A fed beast seemed even stronger and more savage.

"I didn't expect this thing to still be after me after all this time. It looks like I'll have to fight it if I want to leave the danger zone."

Li Yi understood his situation.

The beast had set its sights on him. He now had only two choices: drive it away or kill it.

Otherwise, he would be hunted down by this ferocious beast and wouldn't be able to leave safely.

Moreover, he had already missed the best time to evacuate the danger zone. He couldn't count on any other cultivators for help; everything depended on him now.

Understanding his predicament, Li Yi's previously tense gaze turned cold.

A desperate ferocity and a will to survive gradually surged within him.

The ferocious beast growled, its eyes locked on Li Yi, its body low as it crept closer.

It had already hunted three cultivators.

One of them had even activated their Spirit Medium.

With its successful hunts, the ferocious beast had established its position in the local food chain. It now saw Li Yi as its prey and had no intention of letting him go.

Li Yi held his stance, steady and balanced, his spine rigid, power originating from the ground, fully on guard.

He lacked combat experience and this was his first time facing such a ferocious beast. It was impossible not to be nervous, so he didn't attack first, lest he reveal an opening. He would wait for the beast to make the first move.

"Calm down, be patient, don't rush. I'm not the same as before. I can definitely handle it," Li Yi kept telling himself, boosting his confidence.

The vicious biao was still closing the distance between itself and Li Yi, searching for an opportune angle to attack.

With just one strike, its sharp fangs could crush the neck of its prey.

Man and彪 faced each other.

However, as the distance slowly shrank, the dangerous aura intensified.

Until, at a certain moment, when the distance between the vicious beast and Li Yi reached its limit.

A sense emerged.

The vicious beast sensed the moment to strike, let out a low growl, and charged forward. In the blink of an eye, it was upon Li Yi. Its mouth, full of sharp teeth, opened wide. A single tear would be enough to kill its prey instantly.

"Now's the time."

Li Yi also growled at the same moment. His eyes shone, and a muffled sound came from the ground beneath his feet. The solid concrete road cracked inch by inch.

The force rose from the ground, traveled through his legs, knees, waist, and the mighty column of his spine, finally transferring to his fist. All his strength was twisted into one, concentrated and unyielding.

This was the perfect punch he threw.

It was also his most powerful and fierce punch.

"Bang!"

Undoubtedly, the punch force was formed. The air exploded with a deafening roar.

This punch landed like a thunderclap on the vicious thug's jaw.

The terrifying punch force unleashed, instantly piercing through the vicious fierce beast's tough hide and hard bones.

A beast's mournful cry echoed.

This fierce beast, larger than Li Yi, swayed like a tattered cloth bag in a strong wind. It was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground, rolling several times before finally stopping.

"It was sent flying?"

Li Yi was stunned. "How? My punch force was concentrated and didn't dissipate. By rights, this punch should have pierced its head."

But then, seeing his outstretched fist, he immediately realized: "It was my reach that wasn't enough. The moment I threw the punch, my body should have moved forward again after releasing the force, creating a second surge of power and closing the distance. That way, I could have pierced its head, and even after the second step, I could have unleashed a second punch by exerting force again."

Then, a realization dawned in Li Yi's mind. He also understood the difference between practicing punches and actually fighting.

Practicing punches was dead; fighting with punches was alive.

Master Zhao Ge had only taught Li Yi how to practice punches, not how to fight. If Li Yi had learned the fighting techniques, the vicious tiger's head would have exploded with that one punch.

But now.

The vicious beast's mouth was full of blood, its jaw shattered, and its fangs broken. Yet, it was still alive. Because its vital points weren't hit, it hadn't died. It staggered to its feet again. Looking at Li Yi now, it no longer had the fierce look from before.

Its eyes seemed much clearer.

After suffering such a heavy blow, the vicious beast also realized it was no match for Li Yi. It turned and attempted to flee.

"Trying to run now?"

Li Yi reacted instantly. He exerted force with his feet.

"Bang!"

Another loud noise, the ground cracked. He shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, flying almost at ground level.

Understanding one thing leads to understanding many.

If Li Yi could unleash punch force, that force could also propel his body to move rapidly.

At this moment, the roles of attacker and defender between man and the leopard were reversed.

Li Yi attacked like a top predator.

The vicious beast, which had just turned, had not run a few steps before it was struck again by Li Yi's charging fist. The punch force was unleashed.

This punch landed on its back.

The punch force seeped through its fur.

A clear fist-shaped indentation was branded onto the vicious biao's body.

Its spine shattered, and the fierce beast wailed.

The vicious beast instantly collapsed to the ground, half of its body paralyzed and powerless.

"Again," Li Yi growled, his eyes glowing. He flipped over and sat on the vicious beast, exerting force with his feet. His body sank, pinning the creature down, and he raised his fist again.

"Bang!"

The punch force reappeared, the air exploding.

This punch landed on the vicious彪's head. Although it didn't shatter the hard skull, it severely damaged the beast's brain. Blood immediately spurted from its nose. Its previously clear eyes were instantly consumed by fear, and they turned bloodshot red.

"So that's how it is. The stance is dead, but the punch is alive. As long as I master the technique of exerting force, I can unleash punch force without holding a stance."

As Li Yi punched the vicious fierce tiger, many realizations came to him.

You don't need to hold a stance to unleash punch force. Otherwise, in a life-or-death battle, where would you find the time to strike a pose?

"Whether it's punches, kicks, or elbows, every part of the body can generate force. As long as you can mobilize your entire body's force and condense it into one stream, that's what Master meant by 'understand one thing and understand everything.' I get it now." At this moment, Li Yi's body felt like it was erupting with endless power.

He brought his palm down.

A palm print appeared on the ferocious Biao, embedded several inches deep into its body, enough to shatter internal organs.

His knee pressed down like a rolling boulder. The ferocious Biao's massive body contorted, and the sound of cracking bones echoed incessantly.

Li Yi unleashed a barrage of punches, palms, kicks, knees, and elbows. He was like a berserk beast, relentlessly attacking the man-eating Biao.

This ferocious beast, fiercer than a tiger, now wailed continuously, blood gushing out, and its struggles gradually ceased.

In less than a minute.

This ferocious Biao was single-handedly killed by Li Yi with his bare hands.

They say a Biao is fierce and tough, but Li Yi now was even more ferocious and tough than this Biao.