Mysterious Strongman

"Dare to call me a beast? You overestimate yourself, you puny human ant. Today, I'll teach you a proper lesson," the Unicorn Demon Beast roared.

Yang Lingtian's sword began to dance, carrying a fierce sword wind as it instantly transformed into countless afterimages.

It looked as though countless icy blades were slicing through the air.

However, the Unicorn Demon Beast's reaction speed was unbelievably fast.

It blocked Yang Lingtian's sword with its horn. Accompanied by a deafening boom, the collision actually formed a powerful shockwave.

The shockwave instantly destroyed the surrounding trees.

Yang Lingtian was blasted back dozens of meters by the powerful recoil, while the beast stood firmly in its original position, steady as Mount Tai.

"Damn it, Second-Order Beasts really are too strong." Yang Lingtian's heart grew heavy.

However, a trace of surprise seemed to flash in the Second-Order Beast's eyes.

That was because Yang Lingtian's strike had come close to the power of an attack from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage expert.

"Human brat, I didn't expect a Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator like you to unleash such a powerful attack. I underestimated you before."

"But that was your strongest attack, wasn't it? The gap between us is still impossible for you to cross."

"Submit to me and become my slave!" the Unicorn Demon Beast roared.

Yang Lingtian's expression turned solemn. This Second-Order Mid-Stage Beast truly wasn't someone he could contend with.

But there was no fear in his heart. Even if he had to die, he could not submit.

He was someone destined to become the strongest. No matter how powerful his opponent was, he could not cower.

A powerful conviction surged within him, and Yang Lingtian's aura actually rose several more levels.

"You want me to submit to you? Impossible. Take this!"

Yang Lingtian once again unleashed Hundred Shadow Cold Sword and attacked the Unicorn Demon Beast. The power within his dantian continuously poured into the Spirit Sword, bursting forth with tremendous force.

His body suddenly leaped into the air, shooting toward the Unicorn Demon Beast like an arrow.

The Spirit Sword in his hand glinted with cold light, and even the air at its tip seemed to be sliced apart.

Under this fierce momentum, the air around them seemed to turn cold, as though even heaven and earth were about to freeze.

At this moment, Yang Lingtian had actually comprehended Hundred Shadow Cold Sword to the mastery stage, and its power had soared.

Even without using the final move, Hundred Swords Convergence, the power of every sword was already infinitely close to an attack from an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage expert.

The Unicorn Demon Beast also sensed Yang Lingtian's rising aura. From the Spirit Sword, it actually felt a faint trace of threat.

At this moment, Yang Lingtian seemed to have transformed into an emotionless swordsman—cold and razor-sharp.

Although this Second-Order Mid-Stage Beast was injured and not in peak condition,

it still handled Yang Lingtian's attacks with ease, completely suppressing him.

"Human ant, stop wasting your strength. Submit to me!" the Unicorn Demon Beast roared furiously.

At this moment, Yang Lingtian seemed to have become one with his sword, continuously executing the techniques of Hundred Shadow Cold Sword.

Yet he was unable to injure the Unicorn Demon Beast in the slightest, while one wound after another appeared on his own body.

"Hundred Swords Convergence!"

With a resolute roar of fury, Yang Lingtian unleashed his strongest sword.

Sword light flashed, illuminating his determined and decisive face.

At this moment, Yang Lingtian seemed to have surpassed his limits.

He perfectly fused his power with his sword technique, transforming them into a razor-sharp sword light that shot toward the Unicorn Demon Beast.

With a boom, the strike hit the Unicorn Demon Beast.

At last, it created a wound on the Unicorn Demon Beast's body—the mark left behind by Yang Lingtian's strongest sword.

However, such an injury was nowhere near fatal to the Unicorn Demon Beast. At most, it was merely a superficial wound.

At this moment, the Unicorn Demon Beast truly became enraged and began roaring madly.

"Damn human ant! You actually wounded me!"

"I've changed my mind. I'm going to kill you!"

A powerful aura then erupted from the Unicorn Demon Beast as it suddenly pounced toward Yang Lingtian.

After executing Hundred Swords Convergence, the Spiritual Power in Yang Lingtian's dantian had been almost completely depleted, leaving his entire body extremely weak.

Faced with such a swift attack, he couldn't dodge in time and was ultimately sent flying by the beast.

The Unicorn Demon Beast's attack was clearly much stronger than before. Under that single blow, Yang Lingtian's internal organs were directly shattered.

His entire body crashed to the ground, suffering severe injuries and clearly lacking the strength to fight again.

Sure enough, even after using every trick he had, he was ultimately still no match for an injured Second-Order Mid-Stage Beast.

"Could it be that I've only just arrived in this world and haven't even become the strongest yet, but I'm going to die here already?"

"But even if I die, I never submitted. At least I won't die a coward..."

As Yang Lingtian's consciousness gradually blurred, his heart still held no fear.

Suddenly, the Chaos Bead in his dantian trembled.

A powerful energy surged out and coursed through Yang Lingtian's body.

His consciousness also became clear again.

The aura around Yang Lingtian actually began rising step by step, climbing directly to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

He guessed that this might only be power temporarily granted to him by the Chaos Bead.

Therefore, he had to seize this opportunity.

He suddenly stood up and shouted, "Hundred Swords Convergence, condense!"

The power within his body then surged entirely into the Spirit Sword, radiating waves of pressure.

The Unicorn Demon Beast's eyes widened. From this might, it actually sensed the aura of death.

"This... how is this possible..."

The Spirit Sword in Yang Lingtian's hand was now filled with power. That pressure grew stronger and stronger, while the sword's body flashed with chilling light.

He swung the Spirit Sword and charged toward the Unicorn Demon Beast, his momentum soaring like a rainbow.

The Unicorn Demon Beast's eyes widened as it hurriedly mobilized its own power.

It threw its head back and roared, its voice shaking the four directions. Yet under the suppression of this powerful aura, its roar seemed so feeble.

Yang Lingtian's figure was like the wind as he rapidly closed in on the Unicorn Demon Beast.

That powerful force surged madly through the sword, as though it intended to tear everything apart.

Sword light flashed, instantly piercing through the Unicorn Demon Beast's body.

However, instead of the imagined spray of blood, dazzling beams of light shot out from its body.

That powerful energy completely erupted at this moment, swallowing the Unicorn Demon Beast whole within the radiance.

After a long while, the light faded, and the Unicorn Demon Beast's figure had vanished without a trace.

The entire beast had been torn into pieces, its fate even more tragic than being torn apart by five horses.

Yang Lingtian let out a long breath, feeling relieved inwardly. "Damn it, I almost capsized in the gutter and got finished off by a beast."

"Luckily, the Chaos Bead supplied me with power at the critical moment. But why does my whole body hurt so much? My head feels so dizzy..."

Yang Lingtian stood where he was when his vision suddenly went black, and he collapsed unconscious.

No one knew how much time had passed before his deeply sleeping consciousness finally awakened.

Yang Lingtian slowly opened his eyes. At once, a violent headache stabbed at his nerves.

He looked blankly around and discovered that he was lying inside a small wooden house built from logs.

"Where is this?"

Yang Lingtian's face was filled with confusion. Just as he tried to sit up, a piercing pain shot through his body.

The intense pain made him involuntarily let out a muffled groan. Cold sweat covered his forehead, and his face turned pale.

"Creak!"

At that moment, the door opened, and a plainly dressed middle-aged man walked in from outside.

The man appeared to be in his forties, with a face full of resolute strength.

His simple clothes still could not conceal his extraordinary bearing, yet his exact cultivation level was impossible to discern.

He was presumably an expert whose cultivation was unfathomably deep.

"You're awake." The middle-aged man looked at Yang Lingtian calmly as he spoke.

Yang Lingtian came back to himself and said softly, "You saved me, didn't you? Thank you."

The middle-aged man walked up to Yang Lingtian and examined his injuries before smiling faintly. "You really do have a great life force!"

"When I found you, your internal organs had already been shattered, yet you actually hadn't died."

"If it had been anyone else, even a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator would have found it difficult to survive."

The middle-aged man paused before continuing, "Your injuries are very serious. Since we were able to meet, it means we have fate between us. Here, swallow this pill."

The middle-aged man then took out a pill that radiated a rich medicinal fragrance.

Yang Lingtian looked at the pill. As a Tier 3 Alchemist, he actually couldn't determine what grade of Spirit Pill it was.

However, he could be certain that it was a pill surpassing the level of a Third-Order Spirit Pill.

Such a precious pill had actually been taken out by the middle-aged man without the slightest hesitation.

After thanking him, Yang Lingtian swallowed it without standing on ceremony.

At that moment, a layer of milky-white light suddenly appeared around his body, enveloping him.

That tiny pill contained an incredibly dense vitality.

The internal organs within his body then began healing at an astonishing speed.

At the same time, the hideous and terrifying wounds covering his body also began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The dried, clotted blood peeled away like old skin.

His tender, jade-like skin was revealed, without even leaving behind a single scar.

In the short time it took to drink a cup of tea, Yang Lingtian had already been completely renewed, and all the injuries on his body had recovered.

This shocked him. Without the pill, injuries like these would probably have taken a year or two to heal.

"Thank you for bestowing this pill upon me. I will certainly repay you in the future. May I ask your honored name?" Yang Lingtian inquired.

"We only met by chance. If fate brings us together again, I'll tell you then." The middle-aged man smiled.

"So be it. Thank you again!"

Yang Lingtian bowed deeply to the mysterious middle-aged man.

"Then I won't disturb you any longer. I'll be leaving first."

After Yang Lingtian departed, a woman suddenly appeared beside the middle-aged man.

The woman asked in confusion, "Your Excellency, with your status, why would you save a mere Qi Refining Stage cultivator?"

The middle-aged man looked in the direction Yang Lingtian had left and said indifferently, "This child is rather strange."

"I can sense an unusual energy within his dantian, but no matter how I investigate, I can't determine what it is."

"That proves this child is no ordinary person. It's not bad to form a good karmic connection with him."

"What?" The woman was horrified.

"With your cultivation, you actually can't see through a mere Qi Refining Stage cultivator? How is that possible?"

The middle-aged man smiled. "The world is vast, and nothing under heaven is truly strange. There's nothing that's impossible."

"Let's go. We should get down to proper business."