Devouring

To the die-hard fans of Linfeng Shengze, the latest chapter of <High Martial Arts: Starting from Deducting Martial Arts> has been released!

"Hiss—"

The heavily wounded Earth Dragon sensed Lin Ye approaching and let out a threatening hiss.

Lin Ye ignored its threat as if he hadn't heard it, continuing to walk forward slowly.

The Earth Dragon could no longer hold back; its body suddenly coiled, and its massive mouthparts opened wide to bite down fiercely on Lin Ye.

"Watch out!" Su Muxue couldn't help but cry out.

Lin Ye stomped hard on the ground, his figure surging forward instead of retreating, throwing himself straight into the depths of the Earth Dragon's maw!

"He's insane!"

He actually delivered himself into the beast's mouth?

Chen Feng's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

The next moment, everyone was completely stunned.

The instant Lin Ye's figure disappeared into the Earth Dragon's mouthparts, its massive body suddenly stiffened.

"Wooo..."

The Earth Dragon let out a low whimper, its enormous body beginning to tremble violently.

The gelatinous skin covering its body began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was as if an invisible force was frantically draining the life essence from within it.

In just a dozen breaths, its massive frame had shrunk by nearly a third. Its giant mouthparts hung open powerlessly, unable to make a sound.

"What is happening?" Su Muxue's beautiful eyes widened, the hand gripping her sword trembling slightly.

"Thud."

The shriveled corpse collapsed to the ground with a boom, kicking up a cloud of dust. Lin Ye's figure slowly walked out from its mouthparts.

He was covered in viscous liquid, looking utterly disheveled.

At this moment, everyone's gaze was locked onto him, unable to look away.

His aura had changed, now carrying a chilling and eerie pressure.

He stood in place, seemingly adapting to something. A low rumble echoed within his body, his frame trembled slightly, and veins bulged on his forehead, yet a strange curve slowly crept onto the corner of his mouth.

"Did he suck the Earth Dragon dry?"

"Be careful." Su Muxue subconsciously took half a step back, gripping her long sword even tighter. At this moment, Lin Ye gave her an extremely dangerous feeling, as if a savage beast wearing human skin stood before her.

Chen Feng's expression was grave as he stared fixedly at Lin Ye, calling out in a deep voice, "Brother Lin?"

Lin Ye looked up at Chen Feng, the dark red in his eyes gradually fading, returning to calm.

"I'm fine." Lin Ye's voice was somewhat hoarse, "I just need some time to digest this."

He looked down at his own hands. His palms were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The intense pain in his body was subsiding, and his meridians and Dantian were being filled by a massive surge of energy.

He could feel his severely depleted life essence being replenished by a sliver of the blood essence he had forcibly plundered.

The sensation of forcibly devouring life felt as if it had triggered some forbidden switch, leaving an indelible mark deep within his soul.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and turned his gaze toward the remaining three Earth Dragons.

They had stopped their advance, clearly completely intimidated by the bizarre and terrifying death of their companion.

"They're afraid." A glimmer of joy flashed in Su Muxue's eyes.

Lin Ye had no time to concern himself with the others' reactions.

He needed to fight, he needed to vent, and he needed to gain complete control over this power that did not belong to him.

He stomped hard, the rock beneath his feet shattering, and his figure shot forward like a cannonball, actively charging toward the Earth Dragon at the fifth level of True Qi!

"Roar!"

The Earth Dragon was thoroughly enraged by Lin Ye's provocation, its bestial ferocity overriding its sliver of caution.

It opened its massive mouthparts to bite down fiercely, while the walking legs on both sides of its body lashed out like long blades, closing in on Lin Ye to shred him!

"Well come!"

A cold light flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. He didn't dodge or evade, instead throwing a punch with his right hand, smashing straight into the center of the Earth Dragon's mouthparts!

"Boom—"

The fist collided violently with the mouthparts, producing a harsh, metallic clashing sound as several sharp teeth snapped upon impact.

Lin Ye's knuckles were instantly covered in fine lacerations, which then healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The terrifying force contained in that punch actually sent the Earth Dragon's massive head reeling backward.

Lin Ye did not let up; having landed the hit, his figure followed like a shadow, instantly closing in on the Earth Dragon as his left hand transformed from a palm into a claw, slashing fiercely at its leg joints!

"Screech!"

Lin Ye's claw tore straight through the Earth Dragon's tough, gelatinous hide, his five fingers embedding deep into its flesh.

"Open up for me!"

The muscles in Lin Ye's arm bulged as he unleashed a burst of violent power, ripping several of the creature's walking legs clean off!

"Hiss—"

The Earth Dragon let out a shriek of extreme agony. The intense pain drove it into a frenzy, and it began to thrash its massive body recklessly, desperate to crush Lin Ye into a pulp.

Lin Ye wove through the gaps in its thrashing, every strike he landed carrying a surge of wild, chaotic True Qi, slamming into the creature's relatively vulnerable spots.

The battle had already devolved into a one-sided pummeling.

"Bang!"

With Lin Ye's final heavy punch slamming into the Earth Dragon's head, its gelatinous hide finally shattered completely, and dark golden True Qi poured into its brain, utterly destroying its life force.

He did not stop, instead turning his gaze toward the two Fourth-Realm Earth Dragons being held off by Su Muxue and the others.

"The rest is for you to use as practice."

He said this in a hoarse voice, then ignored the battlefield entirely, sitting cross-legged beside the Earth Dragon's corpse and pressing both hands onto it.

The remaining life essence within the Earth Dragon's body transformed into wisps of energy, flowing through his palms and into his body.

Half an hour later.

The final Earth Dragon crashed to the ground under the combined efforts of the group.

The cave was filled with a thick, suffocating stench of blood.

The group was exhausted to the point of collapse, their bodies covered in a fresh array of wounds.

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes, the dark red hue within them fading away completely as he returned to a state of calm.

His cultivation had stabilized at the mid-stage of the Third-Realm of the True Qi Realm, though the energy within his body had become increasingly impure.

It was like a mass of turbulence, coexisting in his dantian in a strange, dynamic equilibrium.

This caused his control over his True Qi to decline, leaving his future path of cultivation fraught with unknown dangers.

At the very least, he had survived, and he now possessed even greater power.

He stood up slowly and looked at the group.

"Clean up the battlefield, collect anything of value, and leave here as soon as possible."

"The scent of blood is too strong; it might attract other things."

The group nodded in unison, offering no objections. After witnessing what had just transpired, no one dared to question his decisions.

They immediately set to work dismantling the Earth Dragon corpses and collecting usable materials.

Lin Ye walked over to the Earth Dragon he had "devoured" into a husk. He reached out to press his hand against its skull, and when he pulled back, a crystal core was already in his palm.

"That's about it," he whispered, turning to walk toward the teleportation array platform to carefully scout the surroundings for an exit.

"Brother Lin, the crystal cores have all been retrieved." Chen Feng walked over to Lin Ye's side, holding four yellow crystal cores of varying sizes in his hands.

"According to our previous agreement, the spoils are to be distributed based on contribution." Su Muxue looked at Lin Ye, her eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.

"Let's get out of here first." Lin Ye withdrew his gaze and looked toward the depths of the cave. "There are faint energy fluctuations deep within this cave; it is by no means an ordinary place."

"Leave the Earth Dragon carcasses here; the scent of blood will attract other things soon enough. We must move as quickly as possible."

The others also realized that this place was not meant for lingering.

"Take what you can, and destroy what you can't," Lin Ye said indifferently. "The three of you can split those two Fourth-Realm crystal cores; they will be beneficial for healing and recovery. Take the most essential parts of the gelatinous hide and bones, and everyone take a bottle of blood for backup."

"As for the two Fifth-Realm crystal cores, I will keep them for now and distribute them once we are safe. If anyone has any objections, speak up now."

Su Muxue nodded. "Agreed."

Chen Feng had no objections either. The two disciples felt somewhat unwilling, but they could only express their consent.

Under Lin Ye's lead, the six of them formed a simple formation and headed toward the dark, gloomy passage in the depths of the cave.

"This passage seems to be naturally formed, but there are traces of artificial excavation," Su Muxue whispered.

"Be careful. There is a high probability of arrays and restrictions ahead; do not act rashly," Lin Ye warned in a deep voice.