A Sudden Appearance... Person?

Chapter 3: A Sudden... Person?

The wild, untamed jungle was lush with greenery, its canopy of vines blotting out the sky.

From within the thicket came the intermittent roars of savage beasts and the shrill cries of fierce birds, punctuated by the harrowing, mournful wails of creatures in their death throes.

The stench of blood permeated the entire jungle, where a ceaseless cycle of slaughter played out in every corner.

Chen Lin had gradually grown accustomed to this life of brutal carnage. It felt as though he had returned to his childhood, to the days spent on the "Hidden Thorn" training island—equally cruel, cold-blooded, and fraught with peril.

The difference was that Chen Lin actually enjoyed it.

Perhaps it was because he had long since looked past life and death, or perhaps the thrill of constant combat allowed him to briefly forget certain things—like the figure etched into the depths of his heart for nine years...

Thus, while Chen Lin remained cautious, he felt no fear. After all, logically speaking, he was already a man who had died once.

And the dead have nothing to fear.

"Pfft!"

At the cost of a twenty-centimeter gash torn across his abdomen, Chen Lin successfully decapitated the giant, multicolored grasshopper before him. Even in death, the severed, hideous mouthparts of the insect continued to twitch. A wisp of black radiance condensed from the corpse and submerged into Chen Lin's body.

Dragging his heavily wounded frame, Chen Lin hooked the grasshopper's carcass and retreated rapidly toward the lair he had constructed.

Pushing aside the dry grass and withered branches concealing his hideout, Chen Lin scanned his surroundings vigilantly. Only after confirming there was no danger did he slip inside.

This was a towering ancient tree that would require several men to encircle. Hidden within its trunk was a sizable hollow, as if someone had carved it out from the center. This was the greatest surprise Chen Lin had stumbled upon in the past few days. The constant, cautious struggle for survival had left him exhausted, and this place was so secluded that no beast would detect him if he were careful, granting him a rare moment to catch his breath.

The wound was deep, and blood continued to seep out. The multicolored grasshopper had been incredibly cunning, refusing to engage in close-quarters combat. Chen Lin could not match its speed, and the creature's leaping strikes had consistently inflicted damage. Had Chen Lin not possessed martial arts skills and employed a tactic of feinting nine times to land one true strike, the injury would not have been a mere gash, but a life-threatening disembowelment.

Fortunately, Chen Lin practiced the Dao Heaven technique. With night approaching, he only needed sufficient Profound Yin Essence to heal his wounds; it was nothing serious.

***

Boom!

A dull rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

Two months had passed since Chen Lin's rebirth. In this vast jungle, the weather changed in an instant, and Chen Lin had long since grown used to it. He curled up inside the tree hollow, staring blankly through a gap in the foliage at the sky.

Perhaps it was the rolling thunder or the oppressive, heavy atmosphere in the air that caused Chen Lin's mood to suddenly plummet.

He gazed at the fine, sorrowful drizzle in the sky, his thoughts drifting. He recalled his past life, the "Hidden Thorn," the brothers and sisters he had lived with there, and the instructor who had taught him his martial arts.

"Heart Piercer..."

Chen Lin murmured to himself.

That proud, lonely figure from his dreams, that unspeakable love from those nine years, was like this drizzle, like threads of sorrow—impossible to sever.

"BOOM!"

In a daze, a massive clap of thunder pulled his wandering thoughts back to reality. Chen Lin suddenly felt an inexplicable palpitation.

Something is wrong! This thunder...

Chen Lin sensed that something was amiss. He looked up at the sky and realized that the entire firmament had turned eerily black, dark enough that he could not see his own hand.

The dull thunder sounded like an oppressive war chariot, ready to strike at any moment.

What exactly was wrong?

Chen Lin's sense of dread grew increasingly intense. He stared at the pitch-black world, feeling an inexplicable agitation. Deep within his bloodline, he felt a faint, primal fear.

Crack!

In the distance, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended, striking a towering ancient tree and igniting a burst of flames.

Chen Lin stared at the intensifying sparks, and a thought flashed through his mind. He finally realized what was wrong!

Even in such weather, no matter how loud the thunder, there would usually be the cries and roars of beasts and birds. But now... the entire jungle seemed to have fallen silent in an instant. No beastly roars, no shrieks of slaughter—it was terrifyingly, eerily quiet.

Crack!

From the ink-black clouds, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended, blindingly bright, illuminating the hundred-mile radius as if it were day before plunging it back into darkness.

Chen Lin's body jolted, his triangular pupils slightly constricting as he stared fixedly at the sky.

Because in that split second of light, he had seen a massive figure suspended in mid-air. The figure was as large as a small hill, its entire body a blinding, silvery white.

The clouds above churned and twisted again, surging violently like a tidal wave.

Crack-crack!

The lightning grew frantic. Dozens of bolts flashed wildly in succession, twisting into electric pythons that crisscrossed, instantly turning the world into a vast, white expanse.

This time, Chen Lin saw it clearly: the massive figure was indeed a giant silver marten!

The marten's eyes were as cold and deep as pools. Unlike other martens, it bore a single silver curved horn on its head, faintly wreathed in purple patterns. It stood motionless in mid-air, steady as a mountain, but the aura radiating from its body was growing stronger by the second!

Boom, boom, boom!

Suddenly, the clouds across the sky rolled frantically before dispersing, forming a vortex-like black hole in the heavens. It twisted wantonly, as if brewing something.

In that instant, the drizzle abruptly ceased, vanishing into the air.

In that instant, the world and all things fell into absolute stillness.

For some reason, as Chen Lin gazed at the vortex that had formed in that moment, a feeling of intense unease and terror welled up in his heart. Even his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

What on earth was this? Why had even these cold-blooded animals, which should have been devoid of any emotion, become so restless?

Chen Lin felt a surge of doubt and alarm in his heart.

Awoo!!!

The Silver Giant Sable's violent roar suddenly rang out, echoing endlessly, its battle intent sharp as a spear!

Chen Lin was left buzzing from the shock of this sudden roar.

This roar seemed to unfurl a great banner and beat the drums of war; the vortex began to rotate slowly, radiating an aura of violent destruction. Every fierce beast in the jungle trembled, some even kneeling on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

In an instant, a bolt of golden lightning suddenly struck down from the vortex toward the Silver Giant Sable!

The golden lightning was like a war spear, blindingly brilliant.

Crackle!!

The Silver Giant Sable could not dodge it at all. Its body shuddered violently as it took the strike head-on. Its silver-white fur was instantly scorched and curled, revealing raw flesh, but instead of retreating, it surged forward, letting out a heaven-shaking roar as it flew into the sky.

"Boom!!"

Following that, the vortex struck down five more golden bolts of lightning in succession, totaling six, each one immensely thick. Chen Lin watched, his mind trembling; he asked himself if even the mere shockwave of that golden lightning would be enough to reduce him to ashes, yet the Silver Giant Sable had actually endured six strikes. Just how formidable was it?

"What a fine Silver Sable, to actually draw down six bolts of tribulation lightning. Although its cultivation is a bit weak, its flesh and blood will still be a potent medicinal ingredient for alchemy after this advancement. Not bad."

Just then, a hunched figure suddenly appeared in mid-air—it was an old woman.

The old woman's eyes were slightly clouded, and she wore a simple hemp robe. As she gazed down at the Silver Giant Sable below, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

Although the Silver Giant Sable was formidable, it had become utterly withered after enduring the six bolts of golden lightning. Looking at the old woman who had suddenly appeared in the sky, its silver-white pupils revealed intense vigilance and unease as it let out a low, threatening growl.

Watching the human figure suddenly appear in the sky, Chen Lin's body could not help but tremble, a faint sense of excitement stirring within him.

This was the first time he had seen a human since his rebirth two months ago!