Borrowing Strength

With a dull thud, his fist sank solidly into soft flesh, followed by the muffled crack of shattering bones.

The Ironclad Turtle's body suddenly stiffened. Its claws opened one last time before slowly drooping, striking the ground with a soft sound. Its antennae went completely still.

Lin Yun withdrew his fist and panted lightly. The entire fight had taken less than half a minute, clean and decisive.

He crouched and pulled out his folding knife, about to dismantle the shell and extract the crystal core, when the faint chill along his spine suddenly intensified.

At the same time, a faint tremor ran through the ground. Behind a pile of rubble nearby came the heavy sound of digging and rough breathing.

The scent of blood had drawn something more troublesome.

He immediately straightened and looked over warily. In the open space ahead, a massive grayish-brown beast had its head lowered, rooting through rotten flesh amid broken bricks.

It was nearly two meters long, with a row of bony ridges protruding from its back like embedded rocks. Its skin was as rough as old bark and gave off a dull sheen.

Its tusks jutted outward, and every breath it exhaled came out as white vapor.

A Rockback Beast, late first tier.

Lin Yun's heart tightened.

These mutant beasts lived alone. Their hides were tough, their flesh thick, and their charging force was immense. A direct hit could smash through a half-meter-thick steel plate. They were several times more troublesome than Ironclad Turtles.

But their spinal bones and tusks were top-grade materials for forging combat weapons. A complete set could sell for nearly a hundred thousand Dragon Nation credits.

He drew a deep breath, tapped lightly off the ground, and darted out from behind the broken wall.

The Rockback Beast instantly became alert. It snapped its head around, its eyes as large as brass bells fixed tightly on Lin Yun. A low growl like distant thunder rolled from its throat.

Before Lin Yun could steady himself, it drove all four limbs into the ground. Its massive body charged straight at him with a howling wind, making the ground tremble faintly.

Lin Yun slid sideways to evade it, then smashed his right fist into its flank.

With a dull boom, the Rockback Beast merely shook its head. Its thick hide forcibly dispersed most of the force.

It spun around and swung its head, its bony ridges sweeping across. They grazed Lin Yun's shoulder, tearing open his jacket with a rip and leaving a white mark even on the Spirit Rhino Inner Armor.

What hard bones.

Using the agility of the Wind-Treading Step, Lin Yun circled the Rockback Beast, aiming his fists at softer spots like its belly and around its eyes.

But the Rockback Beast's defense was truly astonishing. More than a dozen punches left only several shallow blood marks, and instead thoroughly enraged it.

The beast's attacks grew fiercer and fiercer. As it rampaged about, it smashed broken walls apart and sent rubble flying, forcing Lin Yun back again and again.

After fighting for more than ten minutes, Lin Yun's breathing gradually became heavy.

If this continued, he would be the one to collapse first.

Lin Yun gritted his teeth, preparing to risk getting close and unleash the Vajra Fist at full power against the Rockback Beast's vulnerable eyes.

Just as his old strength faded and new strength had yet to rise, a bone-chilling cold came from behind him.

Every hair on Lin Yun's body stood on end. He instinctively twisted at the waist and turned aside.

Screech!

A black crossbow bolt tore through the air, grazing his ribs before burying itself in his abdomen. The tremendous impact staggered him two steps forward. Blood instantly poured out, soaking through the Spirit Rhino Inner Armor and flowing warmly down his waist and belly.

A sharp agony struck, and cold sweat immediately beaded on Lin Yun's forehead.

Someone wanted to kill him!

Lin Yun had no time to think. The Rockback Beast ahead was further provoked by the smell of blood and lunged at him again with a low roar.

An enemy firing hidden arrows lurked behind him, while the beast attacked from the front. Staying meant certain death.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Yun did not dare pull out the bolt. He only pressed his hand tightly over the wound, turned, and ran deeper into the ruins.

He pushed the Wind-Treading Step to its limit, his figure weaving swiftly through the shattered walls and rubble.

The wound in his abdomen throbbed with every step. Each stride tugged at his flesh, and cold sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground.

Behind a broken wall two hundred meters away, Ghost slowly rose to his feet, his brow tightly furrowed.

He had actually avoided the vital spot.

Ghost had intended to pierce his heart with one arrow. He had not expected such a quick reaction, and had only hit his abdomen.

His whereabouts had already been exposed, so he could not wait any longer.

Ghost said nothing. He put away his folding crossbow, gripped his short blade, and gave chase.

He was a ninth-stage Martial Apprentice. In his eyes, a heavily wounded seventh-stage Martial Apprentice was no different from a corpse.

Still, this brat was far more alert than he had expected.

One in front, one behind, with a crazed Rockback Beast in between, pursuing relentlessly.

Lin Yun ran at top speed, his mind calculating furiously.

Who wanted to kill him?

Was it someone from the Zhao Family, or the Wang Family?

Lin Yun had no time to consider the reason. As he ran, he pulled a healing potion from his backpack and swallowed it all in one gulp.

Though an arrow was still lodged in his abdomen, the healing potion could at least reduce the amount of blood he lost.

Then came the question of what to do.

There was a late first-tier Rockback Beast and a martial artist whose cultivation had reached at least the late Martial Apprentice stage. He had to find somewhere he could use to his advantage.

Lin Yun's mind raced as his gaze fell on a half-collapsed office building.

The exterior walls were badly cracked, and the floors within had collapsed layer upon layer. Its passages were narrow and twisting, with suspended concrete slabs and exposed steel bars everywhere. The terrain was exceedingly complex.

Lin Yun's gaze sharpened. He abruptly turned and rushed toward the building.

The Rockback Beast's sense of smell was keen. It followed the scent of blood closely, smashing through the glass doors and darting into the dim lobby.

Its massive size was an advantage in open terrain, but inside the cramped building, it was restricted at every turn. It could only charge down the corridors with low roars, knocking dust from the walls.

More than ten seconds later, Ghost also arrived beneath the building.

He looked up at the ruined structure, and his steps paused.

In terrain like this, vision was obstructed and there were too many blind spots. It was the easiest place to be ambushed in return.

But then he sneered.

A high school student with an arrow in his abdomen and more than half his blood lost—what threat could he pose, even if he set an ambush?

Ghost gripped his short blade and lightened his steps, following the bloodstains upstairs one step at a time.

At every corner, he pressed himself to the wall to listen first. Only after confirming there was nothing unusual did he continue, as cautious as a lone wolf on the hunt.

The blood trail extended all the way to the seventh floor.

Half the seventh floor had already collapsed. Only several rusted load-bearing pillars remained, supporting the precarious concrete slabs above. The ground was piled with rubble and broken steel bars, while dust filled the air.

Ghost stopped at the stairwell entrance, his gaze sweeping across the floor.

He saw Lin Yun with his back to him, leaning against a pillar. His shoulders rose and fell violently, as though he could no longer hold on.

There was no other ambush around them. Only the muffled sound of the Rockback Beast crashing into walls came from the other side.

It was going too smoothly.

Ghost narrowed his eyes slightly and did not approach at once.

He picked up a chunk of rubble and threw it at the pillar beside Lin Yun.

With a clatter.

Lin Yun's body swayed, but he maintained the same position, as though he no longer even had the strength to lift his head.

Only then did Ghost slowly walk over, short blade in hand, its tip angled toward the ground.

Five meters. Three meters. One meter.

Just as he raised his short blade, ready to end Lin Yun with a single strike, the half-kneeling Lin Yun suddenly moved.

Lin Yun did not attack Ghost. Instead, he rolled fiercely to the side while kicking the load-bearing pillar in front of him—the one whose steel reinforcement he had already loosened—with both feet.

Rumble!

The already unstable pillar snapped at once. The enormous suspended concrete slab above crashed down with shattered stones and steel bars, and dust instantly filled the entire floor.

Ghost's expression changed drastically.

He reacted quickly, retreating sharply in an instant. But the area covered by the falling slab was larger than he had expected, and rubble and steel bars rained down on him.

He could only raise his blade to block, the impact forcing him back again and again—straight toward the corridor entrance on the other side.

And there, the Rockback Beast, drawn by the thunderous collapse, charged out with bloodshot eyes.

"Roar!"

The moment it saw a living creature, the Rockback Beast lowered its head and charged without hesitation.

Ghost was shocked and furious. As he dodged aside, he slashed his short blade viciously across the Rockback Beast's back.

His blood qi was immensely powerful. With one slash, he broke through the defense Lin Yun's strikes could not penetrate, causing the Rockback Beast to howl in pain and struggle in the corridor.

Within the narrow corridor, the Rockback Beast's huge body nearly blocked every bit of space. Though Ghost could break its defense, he could not kill it with a single blow. He could only become entangled in battle with it.

The dust gradually dispersed.

Lin Yun leaned behind a broken wall on the other side, clutching his abdomen as he gasped for breath.

The wound had torn open further from his earlier movement, and his vision kept going dark.

He knew he might have only one chance.

The moment Ghost was tightly entangled with the Rockback Beast and unable to spare attention elsewhere, Lin Yun suddenly charged out.

All the blood qi in his body surged into his right fist. He drove the Vajra Fist to its utmost limit, and with the sound of tearing wind, smashed it viciously toward Ghost's back.