A Perilous Battle to the Death

Qin Meng gripped his saber, and a terrifying killing intent abruptly locked onto him.

"Roar—"

A thunderous growl exploded from the depths of the pool, sending violent ripples shivering across the water.

A wall of water shot skyward as a massive black shadow burst from the pool, trailing a spray of water and a nauseating, fishy stench. It lunged straight for Qin Meng on the bank.

It was an Iron-Armored Salamander Demon nearly two zhang long, several times larger than the one before. Black scales covered its body, its mouth bristled with interlocking fangs, and its blood-red eyes glinted with bloodlust and savagery. Killing intent surged around it.

Seeing the corpse of its kin on the bank, the salamander demon's eyes blazed with fury. Its powerful hind legs slammed against the rocks, propelling its enormous body toward Qin Meng at incredible speed. Its gaping maw snapped for his head, intent on swallowing him whole.

Qin Meng had already been on guard. The instant the roar rang out, every muscle in his body had tensed. Faced with a pounce that bore down on him like Mount Tai, he didn't dare meet it head-on. He immediately used the footwork from Black Dragon Eighteen Hands to dart diagonally backward.

Boom!

The demon's jaws snapped shut on empty air, its fangs slamming into the ground with a dull thud. Its foreclaws swept across in a follow-up strike, cutting through the air toward Qin Meng's waist and abdomen.

Qin Meng reacted with lightning speed, raising the Zhanma Dao beside him to block.

Clang!

The crash of metal on metal rang out like an explosion. An overwhelming force surged through the blade,

leaving Qin Meng's thumb and forefinger numb with pain. The backlash from the claw's passing wind also struck his left shoulder, and a piercing pain spread through his body.

He was sent flying backward as if struck by a sledgehammer. He crashed through three small trees as thick as a bowl before staggering down to one knee.

What incredible strength! Qin Meng's heart clenched. This was a second-rank Demonic Beast, far stronger and faster than the previous one.

Its first strike had missed, and the demon roared again. Its hind legs pushed off the ground as it lunged once more, its stinking maw bearing down on Qin Meng's head with a relentless, all-or-nothing fury.

Qin Meng's gaze turned cold. He endured the agony in his left shoulder as the qi and blood within him surged wildly. With his retreat cut off, he advanced instead, a fierce, resolute glint flashing in his eyes.

He gripped the Zhanma Dao's hilt with both hands, bent his legs, and twisted his waist to drive his strength into the strike. He poured every ounce of his strength and qi and blood into the blade, angling its edge toward the demon's mouth. Moving with the blade, he launched himself forward without hesitation.

"Exorcise Evil, Pierce the Edge · Pierce the Sun!"

Pfft! The dull sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out. The Zhanma Dao, enhanced with a sharpness effect, plunged precisely into the Iron-Armored Salamander Demon's mouth, pierced the weak soft tissue of its upper palate, and sank deep into its skull.

"Aaargh—"

The agonizing pain tore a shrill howl from the demon. It whipped its head around wildly, its enormous body thrashing violently as its right foreclaw slammed toward Qin Meng's chest.

The blade was buried deep in its skull. Qin Meng had no time to retreat, and the shadow of death fell over him in an instant.

At the critical moment, his battle instincts took over. He released the saber and forcibly twisted sideways, taking the fatal blow on his back, reinforced by the Iron Back and Thick Skin and Fleshy talents.

Thud!

A muffled crash echoed through the forest. Qin Meng's clothes tore apart across his back, and three gashes ripped open with a grating scrape, spraying blood.

If his two talents hadn't made his back as hard as iron, absorbing the impact and shielding his organs and spine, that single blow would have killed him on the spot.

Even so, Qin Meng was sent flying and slammed into a pile of fallen leaves. He spat out a large mouthful of clotted blood, and his vision darkened.

The Iron-Armored Salamander Demon was also gravely wounded. With the saber still embedded in its head, it had gone completely berserk from the pain.

It thrashed its head and clawed wildly, finally knocking the Zhanma Dao loose and sending it flying. Black blood and murky fluid continued to seep from the wound. Its movements grew sluggish, but the killing intent and madness in its eyes only intensified.

Qin Meng lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. The pain in his back and internal organs left him almost unable to move.

He bit the tip of his tongue and forced himself to stay conscious with his innate Divine Valor talent. He could clearly feel his Self-Healing talent working beyond its limits: the bleeding from his back had stopped, and a warm current was repairing his damaged organs.

Struggling, he pushed himself halfway upright with his right arm. The demon had locked onto him again and was charging through its injuries, intent on taking him down with it.

Qin Meng spat bloodied saliva. His fighting spirit hadn't dimmed. The Zhanma Dao lay far away, and there was no time to retrieve it.

He immediately circulated the energy-driving method of Black Dragon Eighteen Hands, sending qi and blood into his legs as he waited for his opening.

The instant the demon lunged within reach, Qin Meng rolled across the ground, narrowly evading its jaws. Then he drove his legs into the earth, springing up like a coiled spring and leaping onto the side and back of the demon's neck.

His left hand hooked precisely into a gap between its scales, fingertips piercing the flesh. He twisted his waist and hauled himself onto the demon's slick back.

The Iron-Armored Salamander Demon was enraged. It twisted, leaped, and slammed into tree trunks, trying to shake Qin Meng off.

Qin Meng clamped his legs around the demon like iron pincers. With the Berserker Stomp effect and his exceptional control over his body, he held fast through every jolt, clinging like a maggot to bone.

"Now!"

A cold light flashed in Qin Meng's eyes. He poured all his remaining qi and blood into his right arm. His muscles swelled and his veins bulged as he infused his fist with the saber art's sharpness effect. Then, with all his strength, he unleashed a deadly blow.

"Black Dragon Eighteen Hands · Killing Strike—Mad Dragon Collapsing Mountain!"

Boom! His fist smashed into the vital spot at the back of the demon's neck. The thunderous impact shook the mountain forest. Its hard scales shattered, the muscle and bone beneath them cracked, and his fist sank deep into its flesh, sending blood and tissue spraying everywhere.

The Iron-Armored Salamander Demon let out a short, agonized howl. Its head slammed into the ground, its eyes went unfocused, and it lapsed into a brief daze.

Qin Meng refused to let the opening slip away. Bracing himself with his left hand, he hammered his right fist into the same wound again and again without pause.

Thud, thud, thud...

The muffled blows continued without end. Shattered flesh splattered across his body. His right fist split open, but he barely noticed; all he could think of was killing his enemy.

The demon came to and erupted into a desperate struggle, rolling and crashing about wildly. Rocks and trees around them were left in ruins.

Qin Meng clung tightly to the demon's back, nimbly dodging its snapping jaws as he continued to batter the wound.

What alarmed him more was that this salamander-like demon had an astonishing vitality. The wound was actually healing, slowly but surely.

Qin Meng gritted his teeth and wrung the last of his strength from his body, increasing the speed of his attacks. He gathered his power and unleashed a second crushing punch, completely shattering the core inside the demon's skull.

"Roar... ngh..."

The Iron-Armored Salamander Demon's thrashing abruptly stopped. Its growl dwindled to a wheeze like air escaping a broken bellows. The red light in its eyes faded completely, and its massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Qin Meng slid off the demon's corpse and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. He was drenched in blood and utterly spent.

At that moment, a faint glow spread across his right fist as it began devouring the demon's essence blood and life force. The salamander demon thrashed violently again, but it was useless.

[Life Source +35%]

[Bloodline talent of the Iron-Armored Salamander Demon extracted: Water Control]

[Source of the Iron-Armored Salamander Demon's bloodline talent extracted]

[Self-Healing talent is devouring source power. Advancing...]

Several lines of text appeared before his eyes. At last, the taut string inside Qin Meng loosened, and overwhelming weakness and pain washed over him.

The flesh on his right fist hung in shreds, bone faintly visible. His back wound throbbed unbearably, and every muscle, bone, and sinew in his body ached. Even lifting his hand took effort.

But a mighty, life-filled warmth surged from the demon's corpse into his body, rapidly replenishing the qi and blood he had spent while nourishing his bones, skin, and internal organs from within. Fine, black impurities seeped out through his pores.

After devouring the source, his Self-Healing talent successfully advanced. An even stronger current of vitality flowed through him, and his injuries healed at astonishing speed. Flesh on his right fist wriggled, growing back and knitting together; the wound on his back stopped bleeding and scabbed over...

In less than half a tea's time, most of his external wounds had healed, and the feeling that his body had been smashed apart quickly faded, leaving only exhaustion and weakness.

At the same time, the high-intensity battle and deep healing left him ravenously hungry. His stomach rumbled like thunder.

Qin Meng struggled to his feet, pulled the flatbreads and venison strips Shen Qiuyue had prepared from his pack, and wolfed them down despite the blood on his hands. He polished off all his rations, then gulped down several mouthfuls of cold water. Only then did his hunger ease a little.

After leaning against a tree trunk and resting for a while, Qin Meng focused on checking his updated status.

[Talent: Self-Healing—Mid Tier (16%)]

Self-Healing: Your body is brimming with vitality, greatly increasing your rate of recovery from injuries. You can actively expend qi and blood to rapidly heal nonfatal wounds.

[Talent: Water Control—Low Tier (1%)]

Water Control: Breathe freely underwater and gain basic abilities to sense, guide, and manipulate small currents.

Qin Meng was a little disappointed that he hadn't gained an offensive talent. But the system extracted talents at random, and what he'd obtained was already a blessing.

Besides, breathing underwater was an exceptionally practical ability for saving his life. Even if it wasn't an offensive talent, it could still prove miraculous at a crucial moment.

After eating his fill and resting for a while, Qin Meng had recovered some of his strength. The faint howling of wolves in the distance made him spring to his feet.