"Whoosh!"
Having made up his mind, Fang Han no longer hesitated.
A thought flickered in his mind, and a barely perceptible glint flashed in the dark ring on his left index finger.
The Cloudsplitter Sword disappeared from his hand, replaced by the pale blue scabbard of the Windshock Sword.
"Buzz--"
The < Return to Ruin Essence Concealment Art > was activated with unprecedented intensity, suppressing the body's aura to almost nothing.
My heartbeat slowed and became long, my skin temperature blended with the environment, and my breathing was almost inaudible.
Like a real piece of dead wood, he silently slid out from behind the bushes, step by step approaching the Giant Crocodile crawling on the edge of the Mud Isle.
The putrid stench of the swamp mingled with the exotic fragrance of the Secret Art Fruit, completely overwhelming his scent.
The crocodile monster's half-open, dark yellow vertical pupils remained motionless, its thick, long tail lazily draped over the muddy water, occasionally flicking out a few specks of mud.
It was clearly unaware that a human, no bigger than an ant in its eyes, was gradually approaching its territory.
Sixty zhang. Fifty zhang. Forty zhang.
Fang Han's steps became slower and more steady.
Each step landed precisely on the silent mud, his figure always hidden behind the withered reeds at the edge of the swamp.
Thirty zhang. Twenty zhang. Ten zhang.
We can't get any closer.
Even if one gets closer, and possesses Perfection Realm Breath Concealment Secret Technique, it's hard to guarantee that this First Grade demon won't detect them.
Fang Han stopped behind a clump of withered reeds and slowly gripped the hilt of the Windshock Sword with his right hand.
He took a deep breath.
Then, it moved.
"Clang--!"
The Windshock Sword was drawn; before its clear, melodious cry could even resonate, its azure-blue light had already Void Sundering.
He unleashed the Proficiency Realm power of the " Void-Sundering Sword Manual," his Wind Sword Intent as solid as a tangible object, pouring all his Third Grade Late Stage Internal Qi and 100,000 jin of physical strength into this single sword strike.
The sword light, like a streak of blue-green rainbow, slashed straight at the crocodile monster's waist and abdomen, which were covered with dark green scales.
The crocodile monster's half-open, half-closed, dark yellow vertical pupils suddenly widened.
It sensed danger, and its short, thick legs strained as it tried to twist and dodge.
But Fang Han's sword came too fast and too suddenly. It only had time to slightly turn its body before the Windshock Sword slashed hard into its waist and abdomen.
"Clang--!!!"
The clang of metal clashing echoed through the desolate swamp, startling birds that nested in the distant forest.
Sparks flew everywhere, and fragments of the Dark Green scales shattered as the Windshock Sword sliced through the gaps in the scales, breaking through the armor and cutting into the flesh.
Dark red blood gushed out, splattering large patches of blood on the muddy ground.
The crocodile monster's massive body, which was three zhang long, was slashed backward by this sword, and its four short, thick legs plowed four deep furrows in the muddy swamp.
The mud and sewage were churned and swirled endlessly.
He slid back more than ten feet before barely managing to regain his footing.
The crocodile monster let out a deafening roar, a roar filled with shock, rage, and excruciating pain.
Right now.
"Whoosh!"
Fang Han didn't even have time to retract the Windshock Sword before he was already fully activating the Wind God Step.
Like a pale blue lightning bolt, he swept past the crocodile monster before it could regain its footing, heading straight for the jet-black Secret Art Fruit in the center of the Mud Isle.
His figure suddenly stopped in front of the Secret Art Fruit, and he reached out with his left hand, his five fingers gripping the Secret Art Fruit.
With a gentle touch, the Secret Art Fruit was plucked.
With a slight thought, the Secret Art Fruit vanished into thin air and was stored in his Storage Ring.
"Whoosh!"
Without the slightest pause, Fang Han's figure shot out of the swamp like a pale blue streak of light.
From launching the attack to plucking the Secret Art Fruit, and then escaping, the entire process took only a breath or two.
Behind him, the crocodile monster finally recovered from the shock of that sword strike.
Its dark yellow vertical pupils suddenly turned to the center of the Mud Isle, to the plant that originally bore the Secret Art Fruit. The Secret Art Fruit was gone, leaving only the plant.
Its pupils suddenly contracted into two extremely thin vertical lines in that instant.
"Roar--!!!"
The crocodile monster let out a deafening roar.
The roar was no longer just shock and anger, but a violent madness born of utter rage.
Its four thick, short legs slammed into the ground, and its massive body, like a moving Dark Green hill, raced after Fang Han in the direction he had fled at a speed completely disproportionate to its size.
Its thick limbs churned and churned the swamp mud, breaking and trampling large swathes of reeds.
"Boom--!"
It struck an ancient tree as thick as a person's embrace, causing the trunk to crack open and the broken piece of wood to spin and hurtle into the distance amidst flying wood chips.
"Boom--!"
A rock about half a person's height was swept by its tail, shattering it into pieces, with fragments flying like rain.
"Boom--Boom--Boom--!"
Wherever it passed, trees fell in swathes, the soil was plowed into deep furrows, and the ground trembled violently.
It was as if a small earthquake was raging through this ancient forest.
A straight and jagged trail of destruction appeared in the forest, stretching from the edge of the swamp into the depths of the dense woods.
However, the crocodile monster was ultimately no Fang Han's speed.
As a First Grade demon known for its strength and defense, its straight-line charge was undeniably fast, but compared to Fang Han, who had mastered a grandmaster-level Body Movement, the difference was still clearly visible.
Moreover, there are trees and rocks in the way.
"Whoosh!"
Fang Han's azure figure moved silently through the dense forest, the distance between him and the massive Dark Green figure behind him growing ever larger.
Fifty zhang, eighty zhang, one hundred zhang, two hundred zhang, Fang Han disappeared from the crocodile demon's sight.
As for the scent, the Perfection Realm < Return to Ruin Essence Concealment Art > had already suppressed Fang Han's aura to almost nothing, and the crocodile demon couldn't even detect a trace of it.
"Roar--!!!"
Having completely lost track of Fang Han, the crocodile demon stopped in its tracks.
It raised its enormous head and let out a mad and violent roar.
Its thick, long tail swept out horizontally, snapping more than ten ancient trees, each as thick as a person's embrace, in half.
A Reeves's Muntjac sprang out of the bushes in a panic. With a swipe of its paw, the Reeves's Muntjac was reduced to a cloud of blood mist in mid-air before it could even let out a scream.
Several birds screeched and soared into the sky from the treetops. With a roar, the sound waves transformed into a tangible shockwave, and the birds exploded in mid-air, their feathers and blood raining down.
Several demon wolves, tails between their legs, ran wildly into the distance, while a demon bear stumbled and crashed through the bushes, fleeing in another direction.
The birds and beasts throughout the forest scattered in a frenzy.
After a long while, the crocodile monster's roar gradually subsided.
Far from the swamp, the roars of the crocodile monster had been completely swallowed by the deathly silence of the forest, Fang Han slowed his pace.
He landed on a sprawling branch of an ancient tree, slightly out of breath.
His escape from the treasure just now, though seemingly effortless, had actually pushed his vigilance and responsiveness to the limit.
Hesitating even slightly, he was dragged into the swampy mire by the crocodile monster. Even with the Windshock Sword in hand, the outcome was still uncertain.
Moved by this, he took out the Secret Art Fruit from his Storage Ring.
That rich, exotic fragrance filled the air once more, mingling with the damp scent of the forest vegetation, instantly invigorating the spirit.
He then took out a Cold Jade box from his Storage Ring and quickly put the Secret Art Fruit into the Cold Jade box to slow down the loss of the medicine's effects.
"Whoosh."
Fang Han didn't look at it for long and put the Cold Jade box containing the Secret Art Fruit back into his Storage Ring.
This place is still a secret realm, fraught with danger, and is by no means a suitable place to consume the Secret Art Fruit to refine its medicinal power.
We'll discuss everything once we return to the outside world.
He slid down from the branch, his boots disappearing silently into the thick layer of decaying leaves, and continued on his way.
The sun slowly moved westward from overhead, then gradually sank behind the distant mountains.
As dusk and dawn alternated, more than a day quietly slipped away in tireless searching and harvesting.
He found a piece of Star Iron the size of a human head, a precious ore that could be used to forge Superior Dharma Weapon, which brought him a wealth increase of 150,000 gold.
He unearthed a 500-year-old Red Essence Ganoderma, its cap as red as blood, while its stem was as white as jade. Although it was not as rare as a rare and precious treasure, it still brought him an increase of 30,000 gold coins in wealth.
They also found a fist-sized piece of Obsidian Mysterious Iron under the skeleton of a dead, unknown monster.
This is an extremely precious metal ore, even more precious than Star Iron. Just a small piece, about the size of a fist, brought him a wealth increase of 40,000 gold.
When the midday sun of the third day once again pierced through the layers of branches and leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground covered with decaying leaves, Fang Han stopped at the edge of a cliff and ceased his exploration.
The cliff face is as steep as if cut by a knife, below which is a surging sea of clouds, and in the distance, the peaks are dark green, stretching to the horizon.
Three days, or 72 hours, are almost up.
He was waiting, waiting for the three-day deadline to arrive, waiting for that irresistible force of repulsion to send him out of this secret realm, which was full of treasures but also full of dangers.
" System Panel."
Fang Han's mind stirred slightly, and he summoned the System Panel.
[Host: Fang Han ]
[ Root Bone Talent Amplification: 256x ( Level Nine Amplification requires 10 million gold)]
[ Sword Art Talent Amplification: 256x ( Level Nine Amplification requires 10 million gold)]
[ Footwork Talent Amplification: 128x ( Level Eight Amplification requires 1 million gold)]
[ Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 128x ( Level Eight Amplification requires 1 million gold)]
[ Body Tempering Talent Amplification: 128x ( Level Eight Amplification requires 1 million gold)]
[ Possessed Wealth: 2.72 million gold]
"2.72 million gold."
Fang Han's gaze fell on the Possessed Wealth" section, lingering on that number for a long time.
Two million seven hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold.
Before entering the secret realm, the number was 520,000 gold.
In other words, in just three days, he obtained a fortune worth 2.2 million gold coins from this ancient forest fraught with danger.
"That's not all."
Fang Han's mind sank into the dark Storage Ring on the index finger of his left hand.
Within the space, several Cold Jade boxes floated silently, each containing a rare and Recharge herb that he had never been willing to spend money on— Spirit-Nurturing Flower, Star Orchid, Secret Art Fruit... Any one of these, if taken out and placed in the outside world, would be enough to cause quite a stir.
This trip to the secret realm yielded far more fruitful results than he had expected.
Just then--
"Buzz."
A golden light suddenly appeared around him without warning.
The light was warm and gentle, not dazzling, yet it carried an irresistible and powerful force.
It was as if countless invisible threads were hanging down from the void, gently wrapping his entire body.