The blood mist slowly gathered beside a stream deep within the valley, reforming into a human figure.
Tang San staggered as he landed, his legs giving out beneath him as he nearly dropped to his knees.
He braced himself against the ground with one hand, gasping violently.
Although Void Ruin Blood Escape had allowed him to escape alive from the encirclement of Titled Douluo, its price was just as severe.
He had forcibly burned away his flesh, blood, and origin as fuel for that desperate burst of speed. Now, his blood and qi churned within his chest, his meridians ached faintly, and it felt as if every bone in his body were about to shatter.
Yet Tang San merely gritted his teeth, forcibly swallowing the metallic sweetness rising in his throat before slowly pushing himself to his feet.
He could not fall. If he collapsed in this wilderness and the pursuers caught up, it would mean certain death. Nor did he have the right to fall. He still had far too much to do.
Moonlight spilled through gaps in the clouds, reflecting off the rippling stream.
The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of flowing water remained, along with the rustling of wind through the treetops.
Tang San took a deep breath and circulated Void Ruin Power to mend the injuries within him. Gray-black veins silently spread beneath his skin, greedily drawing in the remnants of life force lingering in the air.
He intended to rest here briefly before setting off for his next hunting ground.
But at the instant he closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, a low, rough voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Xiao San."
The voice was like the toll of a muffled bell, exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Tang San's body stiffened