Devouring

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

Hiss—"

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

Lin Ye acted as though he hadn't heard its threat and continued walking forward at an unhurried pace.

The Earth Dragon finally couldn't hold back. Its body suddenly coiled inward, and its enormous mouthparts opened wide, lunging viciously at Lin Ye.

"Watch out!" Su Muxue couldn't help crying out.

Lin Ye stamped hard against the ground. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, throwing himself straight into the depths of the Earth Dragon's mouth!

"Has he lost his mind?"

He'd actually thrown himself into the mouth of a demon beast?

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

The next moment, everyone was completely stunned.

The instant Lin Ye vanished into the Earth Dragon's mouth, its massive body suddenly stiffened.

"Uuu..."

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

The gelatinous hide covering its body began rapidly shriveling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was as though some invisible force was frantically drawing the life essence out of its body.

In just a dozen or so breaths, its massive body shrank by nearly a third. Its enormous mouthparts hung open, powerless, but it could make no sound.

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

"Thud."

The shriveled corpse crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Lin Ye slowly walked out of its mouth.

He was covered in sticky fluid, looking utterly bedraggled.

At that moment, no one could take their eyes off him.

His aura had changed, now cloaked in a strange, unsettling pressure that made their hearts quake.

He stood still, seemingly adjusting to something. Rumbles sounded within him; his body trembled, the veins on his forehead bulged, yet the corners of his mouth slowly curled into a strange smile.

"Did he drain the Earth Dragon dry?"

"Careful." Su Muxue instinctively took half a step back, gripping her sword more tightly. Lin Ye felt extremely dangerous now, like a ferocious beast wearing human skin.

Chen Feng's expression was grave. Keeping his eyes fixed on Lin Ye, he called out in a low voice, "Brother Lin?"

Lin Ye looked up at Chen Feng. The dark red in his eyes gradually faded, and his gaze returned to normal.

"I'm fine," Lin Ye rasped. "I just need some time to digest it."

He lowered his gaze to his hands. His palms were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The pain within him was easing, and a vast surge of energy had filled his meridians and dantian.

He could feel that the life force he'd severely depleted had been replenished—if only a little—by the blood-and-qi essence he'd forcibly seized.

That sensation of forcibly devouring life was like opening some forbidden switch, leaving an indelible mark deep in his soul.

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

They had stopped advancing. Clearly, the bizarre and terrifying death of their companion had thoroughly cowed them.

"They're afraid," Su Muxue said, a glimmer of delight in her eyes.

Lin Ye had no time to care about how the others reacted.

He needed to fight, to vent, to fully control this power that wasn't his.

He stamped hard against the ground. The rocks shattered, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight at the Earth Dragon at the fifth level of the True Qi Realm!

"Roar!"

Lin Ye's direct provocation enraged the Earth Dragon, and the demon beast's ferocity overwhelmed its caution.

Its enormous mouthparts opened wide and snapped at him, while the legs on either side of its body swept toward him like long blades, aiming to shred him!

"Just what I wanted!"

A cold gleam flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead driving his right fist straight into the center of the Earth Dragon's mouth!

"Boom—"

His fist collided violently with its mouthparts, ringing out with a harsh metallic clang. Several fangs snapped off on the spot.

Fine cuts instantly covered Lin Ye's knuckles, only to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The terrifying force packed into his punch knocked the Earth Dragon's enormous head backward.

Lin Ye pressed his advantage. The moment his punch landed, he darted after it, closing in on the Earth Dragon as if he were its shadow. His left hand curled into a claw and viciously raked at the joints of its legs!

"Riiip!"

His claw tore through the Earth Dragon's tough, gelatinous hide, his five fingers sinking deep into its flesh.

"Come apart!"

The muscles in Lin Ye's arm bulged. His explosive strength tore several of its legs clean off!

"Hiss—"

The Earth Dragon let out an agonized shriek. The unbearable pain drove it completely mad, and its massive body charged recklessly, trying to crush Lin Ye into a pulp.

Lin Ye darted through the gaps as it thrashed. Every blow carried a violent mix of True Qi, striking its comparatively vulnerable spots.

The battle had become a one-sided beating.

"Thud!"

With Lin Ye's final heavy punch, which slammed into the Earth Dragon's head, its gelatinous hide finally shattered completely. Dark golden True Qi poured into its brain, extinguishing its life.

He didn't stop. His gaze turned to the two Earth Dragons at the fourth level, which Su Muxue and the others were keeping occupied.

"Leave the rest to you. Use them for practice."

He spoke in a hoarse voice, then paid the fight no further attention. Sitting cross-legged beside the Earth Dragon's corpse, he pressed both hands against it.

The life essence remaining in the Earth Dragon's body turned into wisps of energy that poured through his palms and into him.

Half an hour later.

With everyone working together, the last Earth Dragon crashed to the ground.

The cavern was filled with a heavy stench of blood.

The others were so exhausted they could barely stand, and they had all sustained several more injuries.

Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes. The dark red had completely vanished from them, leaving his gaze calm once more.

His cultivation had stabilized at the mid-stage of the third level of the True Qi Realm, but the energy inside him had grown increasingly muddled.

It was like a chaotic current, coexisting within his dantian in a strange, unstable balance.

This had weakened his control over his True Qi, and the road ahead for his cultivation was fraught with unknown dangers.

At least he was still alive, and he had gained even greater strength.

He slowly rose to his feet and looked at the others.

"Scavenge the battlefield, gather anything valuable, and leave as soon as possible."

"The stench of blood is too strong. It could attract something else."

Everyone nodded. No one objected. After what they'd just witnessed, no one dared question his decision.

They immediately set to work, cutting apart the Earth Dragon corpses and gathering anything useful.

Lin Ye walked over to the Earth Dragon he'd "devoured," now reduced to a dried husk. He pressed a hand against its head, and when he pulled back, a crystal core lay in his palm.

"That should do it," he murmured, then turned and headed toward the stone platform with the teleportation array. He carefully examined the area, searching for an exit.

"Brother Lin, we've taken out all the crystal cores." Chen Feng walked over to Lin Ye, holding four yellow crystal cores of different sizes.

"As we agreed, we'll distribute the spoils according to everyone's contribution." Su Muxue looked at Lin Ye, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

"Let's get out of here first." Lin Ye drew back his gaze and looked toward the depths of the cavern. "There's a faint energy fluctuation deeper inside. This place is no ordinary cavern."

"The Earth Dragon corpses will soon attract something else with their blood scent. We need to move quickly."

The others also realized they couldn't stay there for long.

"Take whatever you can carry. Destroy anything you can't." Lin Ye said coolly, "The two crystal cores from the fourth-level ones are for the three of you. They'll help with healing and recovery. Take only the best parts of their gelatinous hide and bones, and have everyone bring along a bottle of blood as a backup."

"As for the two crystal cores from the fifth-level ones, I'll hold on to them for now. We'll divide them once we're safe. If anyone objects, speak up now."

Su Muxue nodded. "That works."

Chen Feng had no objections either. The two disciples were reluctant, but they could only agree.

Led by Lin Ye, the six of them formed a simple formation and headed down the dim passage into the depths of the cavern.

"This passage seems to have formed naturally, but there are traces of it having been carved by hand," Su Muxue said quietly.

"Be careful. There's probably a formation or restriction ahead. Don't act rashly," Lin Ye warned in a grave voice.