Hunting the Biao

Chapter 34: Hunting the Biao

Li Yi did not linger after leaving Ghost Street. He retraced the route Brother Tao had taken him along the first time.

Although he had activated the Spirit Medium, he still did not dare change direction, afraid he might encounter another deadly danger.

The road was utterly silent. The only sound was Li Yi's hurried footsteps.

His body was even more agile than before, and he moved faster, weaving straight through this abandoned urban district.

In the darkness, Li Yi's eyes glimmered with light. He could see every anomaly around him clearly. His vision, which had already allowed him to see in the dark, had become even more extraordinary. Things that had not existed before kept appearing in his eyes.

For example, blue-black smoke drifted above a distant building, as if a fire were raging inside. Yet without activating the Spirit Medium, the building showed no change at all. There was not even a trace of blue-black smoke.

He could also see strange floating creatures drifting through the air.

Li Yi could even see buildings that existed only within the Spirit Medium's vision. Those buildings were broken and incomplete, their designs bizarre and unlike anything produced on Earth. Yet they exuded an aura of danger that made people afraid to 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. I'll see more and more things. Right now, I've only just stepped into this realm." Li Yi's expression shifted slightly.

At that moment, he was like a newborn opening its eyes for the first time and seeing everything around it clearly.

"Good. I'm about to leave the Danger Zone. Once I cross this urban district, I'll be able to see that sealed-off road. Yang Yilong's car should be waiting there to receive me." Li Yi thought this to himself as he sped up.

However, just then, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a black figure flashing silently past.

Though it was extremely well concealed, Li Yi still noticed something amiss.

"What is it? Come out!"

Li Yi abruptly halted and shouted in a low voice, his entire body tensing at once.

The surroundings were dead silent. Not a sound could be heard, save for the cold night wind whistling past. There was no one here besides him. The other practitioners had already withdrawn from the Danger Zone. It was almost as though that fleeting glimpse had merely been an illusion born of Li Yi's mind.

But Li Yi did not think so. He trusted his instincts.

Moreover, practitioners were most likely to let their guard down at the moment they were about to withdraw from the Danger Zone. If that dangerous creature chose to attack now, it would certainly have the easiest time succeeding.

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

Li Yi shouted again, his eyes sweeping rapidly across the area.

Although his eyes had activated the Spirit Medium and could see in the dark, they could not see through objects. The area was littered with chunks of concrete and shattered buildings. If something wanted to hide, it would be extremely easy.

Li Yi did not rush into action. Instead, he calmed his mind and stood motionless, while beginning to imitate Brother Tao and analyze the situation.

"That creature has followed me the whole way in silence without attacking directly. That means it isn't very strong. If it truly saw me as prey it could toy with at will, it would have come out long ago. There would be no need for all this trouble."

"So I don't need to fear it."

With that thought, he drew a slow, deep breath. Then his body sank slightly, and he clenched both fists and raised them gradually.

Before he knew it, Li Yi had adopted the Punch Stance his Master had taught him earlier.

Li Yi held the Punch Stance, his body steady as a rock while he watched his surroundings warily.

Time trickled by, one second after another.

Everything remained calm.

No one knew how long had passed.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled growl sounded from behind a raised chunk of concrete.

The lurking figure had finally lost patience. Only then did it slowly stride out.

"So it was that vicious tiger." Li Yi immediately saw the figure, his pupils tightening as he recalled the tiger that had pursued him all the way into Ghost Street.

But unlike before, the vicious tiger's mouth was now covered in blood. Several scraps of torn clothing hung from its protruding fangs. It seemed that during the hour Li Yi had vanished, it had successfully hunted several practitioners. Its famished belly had been stuffed round, and its gaze had grown even more savage.

A well-fed Biao seemed to have become even stronger and fiercer in battle.

"I didn't expect this thing to keep watching me even after all this time. Judging by the situation, if I want to leave the Danger Zone, I'll have to fight it."

Li Yi understood the situation now.

This thing had already set its sights on him. He had only two choices: drive it away or kill it.

Otherwise, this vicious tiger would keep him pinned here until he died. He could forget about leaving safely.

Besides, he had already missed the best time to withdraw from the Danger Zone. He could not count on other practitioners to help him. From here on, he had to rely on himself.

Once he understood his predicament, the tension in Li Yi's gaze immediately turned cold and sharp.

A desperate madness and a ruthless will to survive gradually surged forth.

The vicious Biao growled, staring fixedly at Li Yi as its body crouched slightly and it crept closer bit by bit.

It had already hunted three practitioners.

One of them had even activated the Spirit Medium.

Having tasted success, the vicious Biao had established its place in the food chain of this region. It now regarded Li Yi as its food and naturally had no intention of letting him go.

Li Yi held the Punch Stance, his posture steady and balanced. His spine was taut like a drawn bow, power rooted in the earth, every inch of him on guard.

He had no experience fighting and was facing a beast like this for the first time. It was impossible not to feel nervous. So he did not attack first, lest he expose an opening. He waited only for his opponent to make the first move.

"Stay calm. Be patient. Don't rush. I'm no longer in the same state as before. I can definitely deal with it." Li Yi kept repeating these thoughts to himself, bolstering his confidence.

The vicious Biao continued narrowing the distance between them while searching for the right angle of attack.

With a single strike, its razor-sharp fangs could bite through the prey's throat.

One man and one Biao faced each other in a standoff.

Yet as the distance slowly shrank, the aura of danger grew increasingly intense.

Until, at a certain moment, the distance between the vicious Biao and Li Yi had been reduced to its limit.

A sensation suddenly arose.

The vicious Biao sensed that the moment had come. With a low growl, it launched itself forward. In the blink of an eye, it had pounced before Li Yi, its mouth bristling with teeth thrown wide open. A single wrenching bite would be enough to kill him on the spot.

"Now!"

Li Yi growled at the same time. His eyes gleamed brilliantly. A deep, muffled boom suddenly came from beneath his feet as the solid concrete road cracked inch by inch.

Power rose from the ground, passed through his legs, knees, waist, and spine, then was transmitted into his fist. The strength of his entire body twisted into one force, gathering without dispersing.

This was the perfect punch he had thrown.

It was also his most powerful and forceful punch.

Bang!

There was no doubt about it—the Punch Force had formed. The air exploded, and a thunderous roar erupted.

The punch landed on the vicious Biao's lower jaw like a bolt of thunder.

Terrifying Punch Force erupted, instantly piercing through the vicious Biao's flexible hide and hard bones.

A beast's mournful cry echoed through the night.

The fierce beast, larger even than Li Yi, swayed like a torn sack in a gale before flying backward and crashing heavily onto the ground. It rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.

"I knocked it flying?"

Li Yi froze for a moment. "How could that be? My Punch Force gathered without dispersing. In theory, this punch should have pierced straight through its head."

But when he saw his fully extended fist, he immediately understood. "My fist didn't reach far enough. At the instant I threw the punch, after releasing my power, I should have taken another step forward, creating a second surge of force and closing the distance. Then I could have pierced its head. After that second step, I could even have exerted myself again and thrown a second punch."

An understanding emerged in Li Yi's mind, and he also realized the difference between practicing punches and fighting with punches.

Practicing punches was rigid. Fighting with punches was alive.

His Master, Zhao Ge, had only taught Li Yi how to practice punches. He had not had time to teach him a Fighting Style. If Li Yi had learned one, the vicious Biao's head would have exploded from that first punch.

And now—

The vicious Biao's mouth was covered in blood, its lower jaw shattered and its fangs broken. Yet it was still alive. Its vital organs had not been injured, so it had not died. Staggering, it rose once more. But when it looked at Li Yi now, the savage fury from before was gone.

Its eyes even seemed much clearer.

After suffering such a heavy loss, the vicious Biao also realized that it was no match for Li Yi. It suddenly turned and tried to flee.

"Trying to run now?"

Li Yi reacted instantly and pushed off with his foot.

Bang!

Another thunderous boom rang out. The ground cracked, and his entire body shot forward almost skimming the ground like an arrow released from its bowstring.

Once one thing was understood, everything followed.

Since Li Yi could release Punch Force, that force could also propel his body forward at tremendous speed.

At that moment, the advantage between man and Biao had reversed.

Like an apex predator, Li Yi launched his attack.

The vicious Biao had barely taken a few steps after turning when Li Yi rushed up and struck it with another punch. Punch Force erupted.

The punch slammed into its back.

The force seeped through its hide.

A clear Fist Print was branded into the vicious Biao's body, its flesh caving inward.

Its spine shattered, and the fierce beast let out a howl.

The vicious Biao collapsed to the ground at once. The lower half of its body lost all sensation, limp and paralyzed.

"Again." Li Yi growled, his eyes shining. He flipped onto the vicious Biao's back, drove down with his feet, and dropped his weight to pin the beast in place before raising his fist again.

Bang!

Punch Force erupted once more, and the air exploded.

The punch landed on the vicious Biao's head. It did not shatter the hard skull, but the impact severely damaged its brain. Blood immediately sprayed from its nose, and fear swallowed its formerly clear eyes. They instantly flooded red.

"So that's how it is. The Punch Stance is rigid, but the punch is alive. As long as I master the technique of exerting force, I can keep my Punch Force from dispersing even without holding the Punch Stance."

As Li Yi punched the vicious Biao, countless realizations surfaced in his heart.

It was not necessary to hold the Punch Stance to release Punch Force. Otherwise, in a life-or-death battle, who would have time to strike a pose?

"Whether it's a punch, a kick, or an elbow, any part of the body can release force. As long as you can mobilize the strength of your entire body and gather it into one surge, that's enough. This is what Master meant by 'once one thing is understood, everything follows.' I understand now." At that moment, Li Yi's body seemed to erupt with inexhaustible power.

He brought down his palm.

A palm print appeared on the vicious Biao's body, sinking several inches into its flesh—deep enough to shatter its internal organs.

His knee pressed down like a massive boulder rolling from a mountain. The vicious Biao's enormous body twisted as the sound of breaking bones rang out without end.

Li Yi unleashed his fists, palms, legs, knees, and elbows one after another. He was like a maddened beast, relentlessly attacking the man-eating vicious Biao.

The fierce beast, more ferocious than a tiger, howled incessantly as blood gushed from it. Gradually, its struggles weakened.

In less than a minute,

the vicious Biao was beaten to death by Li Yi alone, bare-handed.

People said that to be fierce was to be biao. But now, Li Yi was even fiercer than this Biao.