"No!" The Martial Artist did not even have time to fully shout the word "don't" before he felt a burst of violent pain from his back.
He looked down and saw that the Black Shadow's sharp claws had already pierced through him from the back to the front. Clutched in those claws was a still-beating heart. Blood ran steadily down the talons, dyeing his clothes red, and the ground as well.
There was no helping it. He truly could not outrun the Black Shadow. The instant he started to flee back, the Black Shadow had already caught up with him.
"Save... save me..." He used the last of his strength, wanting to call out a plea for help, but before he could finish speaking, his breath cut off completely. His body collapsed limply and never moved again.
It was also at that moment that, with a loud bang, a burning log streaked more than ten meters through the air at terrifying speed and smashed accurately into the Black Shadow. It struck the Black Shadow's arm in an instant, and as soon as the flames touched its skin, they clung to the arm and began to burn.
The Black Shadow let out a shrill roar. It instinctively shook its claws, flinging away the Martial Artist's corpse hanging from them, then quickly retreated while whipping its arm, trying to shake off the burning flames.
The Black Shadow had also been a little careless. After all, though its sneak attack from behind the Martial Artist had succeeded, that Martial Artist from the Ouyang Family had also blocked its line of sight. It had not seen the burning log coming, so it had not dodged in time.
If the Black Shadow had seen it at the first moment, it naturally could have used its