Thrilling Life-and-Death Struggle

Qin Meng gripped his blade tightly as a terrifying killing intent suddenly locked onto him.

"Roar—"

A roar like muffled thunder exploded from the depths of the pool, causing the water surface to ripple violently.

Water surged into the sky as a massive black shadow burst from the depths. Bringing with it a spray of water and a nauseating, fishy stench, it lunged straight at Qin Meng on the bank.

It was an iron-armored salamander demon nearly twenty feet long, several times larger than the previous one. Its entire body was covered in black scales, its mouth filled with protruding, interlocking fangs, and its crimson eyes were bloodthirsty and brutal, radiating a monstrous aura.

Seeing the corpse of its kin on the bank, the salamander demon's eyes erupted with monstrous rage. Its thick hind legs kicked hard against the rocks, and its massive body charged at Qin Meng with incredible speed. Its gaping maw snapped directly at his head, intent on devouring him in one bite.

Qin Meng had been on guard; the moment the roar sounded, his entire body had tensed. Facing this crushing pounce, he dared not meet it head-on. He immediately utilized the footwork of the black dragon eighteen hands and darted sharply to the rear.

"Boom!"

The monster's giant jaws snapped at empty air, its sharp teeth colliding with the ground with a dull thud. Its front claws swept horizontally, cutting through the air as they aimed straight for Qin Meng's waist and abdomen.

Qin Meng reacted with lightning speed, immediately holding his zhanma dao vertically at his side to block.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing exploded. An irresistible, immense force surged from the blade.

Qin Meng's tiger's mouth felt numb with intense pain, and his left shoulder was grazed by the shockwave of the claws, a piercing agony instantly spreading throughout his body.

He felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, flying backward uncontrollably. He crashed through three small trees as thick as a bowl before stumbling to one knee.

Such immense strength! Qin Meng felt a chill in his heart. This monster was a Tier 2 beast; its strength and speed far exceeded the previous one.

The monster, having missed its strike, roared again. It kicked off the ground and lunged once more, its foul-smelling maw closing in on Qin Meng's head, showing no intention of stopping until one of them was dead.

Qin Meng's eyes were cold. Enduring the sharp pain in his left shoulder, he circulated the blood energy within his body frantically. Seeing his retreat blocked, he did not retreat but advanced instead, a look of grim determination flashing in his eyes.

He gripped the hilt of the zhanma dao with both hands, bent his legs, and twisted his waist and abdomen to generate power. He poured all his strength and blood energy into the blade, pointing the edge diagonally toward the monster's mouth. He moved with the blade, launching a fierce attack.

"Evil-Slaying Blade Break: Piercing Sun!"

"Puchi!" A dull sound of a blade entering flesh rang out. The zhanma dao, imbued with the sharpness effect, pierced precisely into the iron-armored salamander demon's mouth, penetrating the soft tissue of its upper palate, the tip driving deep into its brain.

"Awoo—"

The excruciating pain forced a shrill, miserable howl from the monster. It thrashed its head wildly, its massive body twisting violently, and its right front claw swiped toward Qin Meng's chest.

With the blade embedded deep in its skull, Qin Meng had no time to retreat. The shadow of death instantly enveloped him.

At the critical moment, relying on his combat instincts, he decisively let go of the blade. He forcibly twisted his body to the side, using his back—strengthened by the dual talents of "iron back" and "thick skin and fleshy"—to take the lethal blow head-on.

"Bang!"

A dull, thunderous boom echoed through the forest. The clothes on Qin Meng's back tore instantly, and with a harsh, grating sound, blood sprayed from three deep gashes.

Had his two talents not made his back as sturdy as cast iron, offsetting the damage and protecting his internal organs and spine, that single claw strike would have killed him on the spot.

Even so, Qin Meng was sent flying, crashing heavily into a pile of fallen leaves. He spat out a mouthful of clotted blood, his vision blurring.

The iron-armored salamander demon was also severely wounded. With the zhanma dao embedded in its skull, the excruciating pain drove it into a frenzy.

It thrashed its head and clawed wildly, finally dislodging the zhanma dao and sending it flying. Though black blood and murky fluids poured from its wound, causing its movements to become sluggish, the killing intent and madness in its eyes only intensified.

Qin Meng lay on the ground, gasping for air. The agony in his back and internal organs made it nearly impossible to move.

He bit the tip of his tongue, relying on his innate talent divine valor to force himself to stay conscious. He could clearly feel his self-healing talent working at maximum capacity; the bleeding on his back slowed, and a warm current flowed through his body, repairing his damaged organs.

He struggled to push himself up onto one knee with his right arm, only to see the monster lock onto him once more. Dragging its wounded body, it lunged at him, intent on mutual destruction.

Qin Meng spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his fighting spirit undiminished. The zhanma dao lay too far away to retrieve.

He immediately channeled the energy-flow technique of the black dragon eighteen hands, injecting his blood energy into his legs, waiting for the right moment.

The instant the monster lunged before him, Qin Meng rolled aside, narrowly dodging its massive jaws. He then exerted force through his legs, springing up like a coiled spring, leaping onto the side of the monster's neck and back.

His left hand's fingers locked precisely into the gaps between the scales, digging into the flesh. With a surge of power from his waist, he vaulted onto the monster's slick back.

The iron-armored salamander demon flew into a rage, twisting, leaping, and slamming into tree trunks in a desperate attempt to shake Qin Meng off.

Qin Meng clamped his legs onto the demon's body like iron pincers. Relying on the berserker stomp effect and his immense physical control, he held his position firmly amidst the violent jolts, clinging like a maggot to a bone.

"Now!"

Cold light erupted in Qin Meng's eyes. He poured all his remaining blood energy into his right arm. His muscles swelled, veins bulged, and he infused the sharpness effect of his blade technique into his fist. Putting his entire body's strength behind it, he unleashed a killing blow.

"Black dragon eighteen hands: Killing move—mad dragon collapsing mountain!"

Boom! His fist smashed into the vital spot on the back of the monster's neck. The deafening sound shook the forest. The hard scales shattered instantly, and the muscle and bone beneath cracked in response. His fist sank deep into the flesh, sending gore spraying outward.

The iron-armored salamander demon let out a short, sharp wail. Its head slammed into the ground, its eyes glazed over, and it fell into a brief stupor.

Qin Meng refused to miss the opportunity. Using his left hand to anchor his body, he rained continuous, relentless blows onto the same wound with his right fist.

Bang, bang, bang...

The dull thudding of impacts rang out incessantly. Shattered flesh splattered all over him. He remained oblivious to the fact that his own right fist was torn and bloody; his mind was filled only with the obsession to kill his enemy.

The monster jolted awake from its stupor, erupting in a death throe. It rolled and thrashed wildly, leaving the surrounding rocks and trees in ruins.

Qin Meng remained glued to the demon's back, nimbly dodging its bites while continuing his fierce assault on the wound.

What alarmed him even more was that this salamander-type demon possessed incredible vitality; its wound was actually beginning to heal slowly.

Qin Meng gritted his teeth, squeezing out the last of his strength to increase his attack frequency. He gathered his power and unleashed a second heavy punch, completely shattering the core inside the demon's skull.

"Roar... ugh..."

The struggles of the iron-armored salamander demon came to an abrupt halt. Its roar faded into a sound like a broken bellows, its crimson eyes dimmed completely, and its massive body crashed to the ground, devoid of all life.

Like a puppet that had exhausted its strings, Qin Meng slid off the demon's corpse and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. He was drenched in blood, pushed to the absolute limit of his exhaustion.

At this moment, his right fist began to glow faintly, starting to devour the essence blood and life source within the demon. The salamander demon struggled violently once more, but it was all in vain.

[Life source +35%]

[Deprived of iron-armored salamander demon bloodline talent: water control]

[Deprived of iron-armored salamander demon bloodline talent source]

[Self-healing talent devouring source power, upgrading...]

As the lines of text appeared before his eyes, the tightly wound strings of Qin Meng's heart finally slackened, and an overwhelming wave of weakness and intense pain swept through his entire body.

The flesh on his right fist was torn, revealing bone; the wound on his back throbbed with unbearable pain; his muscles and bones ached so severely that even lifting a hand felt like a monumental task.

However, a massive, life-filled current of warmth surged from the demon's corpse into his body, rapidly replenishing his depleted blood and energy. It nourished his bones, skin, and internal organs from deep within, while fine, black, turbid gas was expelled through his pores.

After the self-healing talent devoured the source, it successfully upgraded. A more surging, warm current of vitality permeated his body, and his injuries began to heal at a rapid pace. The flesh on his right fist squirmed, grew, and pulled together, while the wound on his back stopped bleeding and scabbed over...

In just half a cup of tea's time, his external injuries were mostly healed, and that feeling of falling apart quickly faded, leaving behind only fatigue and weakness.

At the same time, the high-intensity battle and the deep-tissue repair triggered an intense, overwhelming hunger, his stomach rumbling like thunder.

Qin Meng struggled to his feet and took out the flatbread and venison strips that Shen Qiuyue had prepared from his basket. Ignoring the bloodstains on his hands, he wolfed down the food, sweeping the rations clean before gulping down several mouthfuls of cold water. Only then did the hunger subside slightly.

Leaning against a tree trunk to rest for a moment, Qin Meng focused his mind to check his updated status.

[Talent: Self-healing - Intermediate (16%)]

Self-healing: The body is full of vitality, the speed of injury recovery is significantly increased, and one can actively consume blood and energy to rapidly repair non-fatal wounds.

[Talent: Water control - Low-tier (1%)]

Water control: Can breathe freely underwater, and can initially perceive, guide, and manipulate small-scale water currents.

Qin Meng felt a hint of disappointment; he hadn't gained an offensive talent. But since the system's talent deprivation was random, having gained this much was already a stroke of luck.

Besides, underwater breathing was an extremely practical survival ability. Even if it wasn't an offensive talent, it could produce miraculous effects at critical moments.

After eating his fill and resting for a while, Qin Meng had recovered much of his strength. The faint sound of wolf howls in the distance made him jump to his feet.