The old jackal pressed his advantage without mercy, closing in step by step, his claws swinging like windmills with a shriek that tore through the air. He had years of fighting experience, his attacks coming in wave after wave and forcing Wang Quan to dodge left and right. Wang Quan could barely hold on with the help of his Spiritual Perception's foresight into the flow of Monster Qi, the steady lower stance granted by Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength, and his agile footwork. In the blink of an eye, several more bloody gashes had opened across his body. They were not fatal, but they burned fiercely, and the blood dyed his clothes an even deeper red.
In the cramped clearing before the cave entrance, one chased while the other fled, danger lurking at every turn. Wang Quan had been completely forced onto the back foot. He could only rely on sheer ferocity and his saber technique to launch an occasional counterattack, leaving pale marks on the old jackal's iron-hard hide and bones, but causing no real damage. His breathing grew rougher and rougher. Blood seeped from both the old wound in his chest and the fresh cuts, while his strength drained away at terrifying speed.
"Hahahaha! Lowly Blood Food! Is that all you've got? Where's that viciousness you showed when you ambushed me just now?"
The old jackal laughed maniacally, its attacks growing ever more savage. It had already figured out Wang Quan's methods: merely Blood Food at the early Spirit Awakening Realm, with somewhat nimble footwork and passable saber skills. He had wounded it through trickery and a sneak attack, but that was hardly worth mentioning. It had even begun to toy with him, deliberately leaving shallow wounds across Wang Quan's body and savoring the pleasure of watching its prey struggle on the verge of death.
"Once I'm done playing, I'll tear off your hands and feet one by one and chew them up right in front of you!"
Wang Quan remained silent, gritting his teeth and holding on. His eyes stayed cold. He was waiting—waiting for the poison to take effect, waiting for an opening.
Sure enough, several breaths later, when the old jackal lashed out with a vicious claw, its strength and speed suddenly faltered for the briefest, almost imperceptible instant! The old jackal immediately sensed that something was wrong. The wound in its belly was especially troubling: the numb itch was rapidly intensifying and spreading outward, bringing waves of faint but increasingly obvious weakness and dizziness. Even the circulation of its qi and blood seemed to have been disrupted.
"Something's wrong!"
The old jackal abruptly leaped two steps back. Its eerie green, ghost-fire eyes stared in shock and fury at the wound on its belly before snapping up to glare at Wang Quan. For the first time, disbelief and rage colored its voice.
"You... you filthy bastard! You actually poisoned me?!"
The blood flowing from the wound seemed darker than the usual deep red, while its edges had begun turning purple and black.
Wang Quan took the chance to gulp down several ragged breaths, propping himself up with the tip of his saber to steady his swaying body. His face was smeared with his own blood and his enemy's, yet his eyes shone with frightening brightness. The corner of his mouth even pulled into a cold smile filled with cruel delight.
"Poison?"
He panted, his voice hoarse but clear.
"Old beast, don't go throwing mud at me. Where would a lowly Blood Food like me get poison capable of bringing down a 'great personage' like you?"
He paused, watching the old jackal's expression grow uglier, then continued leisurely, every word like a venom-tempered needle.
"That poison... was left for you by the Giant Spider in the cave. The fine stuff that seeped from its wounds tastes pretty good, doesn't it? Before it died, it was thinking of you. It said traveling the road to the Yellow Springs alone would be too lonely, so it wanted to find a familiar monster to keep it company."
"I was only being kind enough to bring you here for one last meeting."
Wang Quan's smile widened, revealing teeth stained red with blood.
"Look how much it missed you. It even prepared your 'farewell wine' in advance."
"You... what did you say?!"
The old jackal was struck by lightning. An immense sense of absurdity and icy fear instantly clenched its heart. The Giant Spider was dead? Killed by this Blood Food? The poison in the wound... was it from the Bone-Corroding Human-Faced Spider?! It whipped its gaze toward the pitch-black cave entrance, then to the dull saber in Wang Quan's hand, stained with its own blood and the dark green blood of something else. A thought that sent a chill through its entire body rose uncontrollably in its mind.
"Impossible! You?!"
It roared, trying to drive away the chill in its heart. But the numb itch and weakness in its belly were rapidly becoming more pronounced, making it realize that the other party was probably telling the truth! That filthy wound really did contain the Bone-Corroding Human-Faced Spider's poison. It would not kill the old jackal immediately, but it was more than enough to cut its strength down.
"I'll tear you apart!"
Shocked and enraged—though more terrified and furious at having capsized in a gutter—the old jackal ignored the spreading poison and pounced again like a mad beast. This time, however, its movements were clearly half a beat slower than before, and the wind from its claws had weakened as well!
"Come on!"
A flash of Fierce Light crossed Wang Quan's eyes. He knew the time to stake everything had arrived! No longer content to dodge, he let out a low growl and charged forward instead of retreating, meeting the old jackal head-on! The qi and blood of Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength churned madly through his body. The wound in his chest, repeatedly wrenched open, sent pain ripping through him, yet it seemed to ignite the ferocity buried in his bones.
Saber light rose again! It was no longer the trickery of a fleeting shadow, nor the weight of breaking wind. It carried an all-or-nothing, life-for-life savagery that refused to retreat. Wind Slaying Saber Technique had no move like this. It was purely a slash forced out by all his strength, every thought in his mind, and his desperate yearning to live.
The old jackal's claw slammed down. Wang Quan neither dodged nor retreated, merely turning his body slightly and taking the blow head-on with his left shoulder!
Crack! The clear sound of breaking bone rang out. Wang Quan's left shoulder instantly caved in, and the agony made his vision go black. But he clenched his teeth until they nearly shattered. Borrowing the force of that claw, he spun violently like a top. The Blood Drinking Saber in his right hand carried all his strength, body weight, and the centrifugal force of his rotation, transforming into a dim yet decisive arc of light that swept viciously upward toward the vital throat exposed by the old jackal's lunge!
Trading injury for life!
The old jackal had not expected this Blood Food to be so ruthless as to take its claw with his body just to create an opening! Its previous force had already been spent, and its new strength had yet to gather. With the poison slowing its movements, it could only tilt its head aside while raising its other foreleg to block.
Pfft! The muffled sound of a blade chopping into flesh rang out. The Blood Drinking Saber failed to strike the throat, but it hacked brutally into the joint of the foreleg the old jackal had raised to block. The momentum did not let up. It continued onward, slicing through the fur on the side of its neck and opening a wound deep enough to expose bone! Dark-red beast blood sprayed out like a fountain!
"Aw—!"
A shriek of unbearable agony burst from the old jackal's throat. Its remaining foreleg was nearly crippled, and the wound at the side of its neck had almost taken its life. Its sturdy body staggered backward from the pain and loss of balance, its eyes filled with terror, agony, and disbelief.
Wang Quan was hardly in better shape. The bones in his left shoulder were shattered, the pain drilling into his heart, half his body numb. The residual force of the old jackal's claw sent him tumbling backward, and he crashed heavily onto the ground, coughing up a large mouthful of blood. Yet his right hand still gripped the Blood Drinking Saber tightly. The dark-red halo around the blade seemed slightly more vivid now as it greedily absorbed the Monster Blood coating its edge.
He struggled up, using the saber as a crutch, and rose to one knee. Looking up at the old jackal staggering backward with blood spraying from its neck, he squeezed out a smile mingling pain, delight, and viciousness. His teeth were scarlet with blood.
"Old beast... how was that 'farewell wine'? Strong enough for you?"
"The Giant Spider is waiting for you down below."
He panted, his voice hoarse yet each word distinct.
"Don't rush... in a moment, I'll send your two little whelps down to keep you company. The whole family, neat and tidy... at least you'll have company on the road."
"You... you..."
The old jackal pointed at Wang Quan, wanting to curse him, but the wound in its neck and the poison rampaging through its body left it frozen in place. Blood poured constantly from between its claws and from its mouth, while the light in its eerie green eyes rapidly dimmed. Its sturdy body swayed, then crashed to the ground with a boom. All four legs twitched as it made a wheezing, leaking sound, its dead stare fixed on Wang Quan. Its eyes held a hatred that surged to the heavens, but even more than that, they held the absurd bewilderment of something about to die.
It could never have imagined that after dominating these mountains and forests for so many years, it would ultimately die at the hands of a lowly Blood Tax person it had regarded as nothing more than an ant and a ration. To die in such a stifled, humiliating way, so... laughably.
Only after Wang Quan saw the light in its eyes go out completely and its sturdy body stop moving did he suddenly relax. Another mouthful of blood sprayed out, and darkness pulsed across his vision. He forced himself not to pass out, and a cold notification rang in his mind.
Slain mid-stage Spirit Awakening Realm monster, Candlejackal Monster. Obtained 4 Skill Points. Total: 8.
Wang Quan dragged his body, which felt ready to fall apart, toward the riverbank. Every step tugged at his wounds with piercing pain. While staying alert to the sounds around him, he spared a portion of his attention to glance at the interface in his mind.
There were still 8 Skill Points left, and the plus sign beside Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength was glowing.
"Add!" With a thought from Wang Quan, he directly poured in 5 points.
Nothing earth-shaking happened. A warm current suddenly exploded from his abdomen and shot through his entire body. Strangely enough, wherever the current passed, the fiery pain of his wounds felt as though it had been soaked in cool water, easing considerably. The collapsed shoulder blade on his left side reacted most strongly; it gave several crisp clicks inside. Though he still could not exert much force, he could at least move it now. It no longer dangled helplessly like a kite with its string cut. Strength surged from every gap between his bones, and even his breathing became much steadier.
Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength had reached minor mastery.
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