Bloody Battle
Luo Feng walked slowly through the depths of the lush forest. His morning training had ended in no time, and the rapid growth of his strength filled him with hope for this world. He had eaten only a little rice porridge early that morning, but the vast energy contained within his body kept him from feeling hungry.
In another three months, he would go to Basil, the provincial capital, to take part in the warrior academy's admissions. With three months left, Luo Feng wanted to visit the outskirts of the Magical Beast Deep Forest and hunt some second- and third-level magical beasts, trading their magic cores for money. Although he had enough to cover the brothers' expenses at the academy, money would still be tight. So he would use this time to grow accustomed to cultivating Battle-qi while earning some gold coins for their living expenses.
Just then, Luo Feng's light, nimble steps suddenly halted. His deep gaze sharpened, a trace of unease and uncertainty flashing through his eyes.
The forest was thick with trees, and their luxuriant branches and leaves blocked most of the heat, yet a few mischievous rays of sunlight still playfully found their way inside.
Peering through the dense tangle of branches, Luo Feng frowned. Several brownish-yellow wild dogs were crouched over the corpse of a massive python, tearing at it with all their might.
The python was enormous indeed, with a body as thick as a barrel and a length of several dozen meters. Luo Feng recognized it as a Crimson Water Python, a third-level magical beast. Yet now it was being torn apart by wild dogs it had once regarded as mere ants. It was hard not to see the irony.
As he thought about it, Luo Feng prepared to take the third-level Crimson Water Python's magic core. There was no telling how it had died here, and its magic core had been left behind. Luo Feng naturally had no intention of playing the good Samaritan; he might as well take it.
Suddenly, Luo Feng frowned and jerked to the side. Amid a shrill rush of air, he struck out fiercely with his right hand.
"Whimper...!" A miserable cry rang out.
Bang! Luo Feng's punch sent a massive figure flying more than ten meters with terrifying force. It slammed into a thick tree stump directly ahead and died on the spot, blood streaming from all seven orifices.
Come to think of it, the creature had been truly unlucky. With Luo Feng's former strength, even a full-force blow could at most have made it cough up blood, not killed it. Unfortunately, it had run into Luo Feng after he had begun cultivating Battle-qi. A mere first-level Rock Turtle was no match for Battle-qi cultivation at the peak of the third level.
Luo Feng focused his gaze and discovered that, at some point, he had been surrounded by countless Rock Turtles. His nerves went taut, and he hurriedly watched every direction with extreme vigilance.
On the Yulan Continent, everyone knew that Rock Turtles were earth-element magical beasts. They were mild-tempered herbivores and did not attack unprovoked. Now, the third-level Crimson Water Python had presumably invaded their territory and sent them into a rage. Even a cornered rabbit would bite, let alone first-level magical beasts like the Rock Turtles. Naturally, they had attacked together, and the third-level Crimson Water Python had died among the herd.
Rock Turtles were first-level magical beasts commonly found in the lush mountain forests. One alone was nothing to fear, and they were often a fine meal for human hunters and other predators. But if a whole herd appeared at once, the situation changed fundamentally. Predator and prey would completely reverse roles.
What made them especially troublesome was that once Rock Turtles encountered blood, they knew no fear and became bloodthirsty by nature. Led by their leader, the Rock Turtle King, they would not retreat even from a more powerful enemy unless faced with a force they simply could not resist. Even if every last one of them died, they would not stop attacking!
As low-level magical beasts that lived in groups, Rock Turtles fiercely resisted intruders. They could be said to never turn back until they hit a wall. A lone Rock Turtle could still feel fear, but when a herd appeared, especially if they encountered blood, they became exceptionally fierce and combative, slaughtering in bloodthirsty frenzy.
The greater the number of maddened Rock Turtles, the more terrifying the herd became. They did not fear death, knew no fear, and never showed cowardice. The only thing they knew was to fight until their prey was dead. Unless their leader gave the order or died, the herd would not flee, even if they fought down to the last turtle.
Luo Feng felt a headache coming on. If he had known this would happen, he would have forgone the third-level magic core and simply left. There would have been no need for all this trouble. Still, Luo Feng was not one to run from a problem. If he could not leave, fine-he would carve a bloody path out. He refused to believe that a warrior at the peak of the third level could not beat a herd of first-level magical beasts. He had just started cultivating Battle-qi, so he could use the fight to gradually get accustomed to it.
These thoughts had taken only a few seconds. Suddenly, he heard-
"Whimper..." Several Rock Turtles charged at Luo Feng. Turtle shapes appeared three feet in front of him in an instant, and a gaping, bloody maw snapped at him. At the same time, attacks from both sides lunged at his face with a piercing rush of air.
A powerful gust struck Luo Feng's face, and he could even faintly smell the heavy reek of blood on his opponent. The extreme danger set his blood boiling. Using all his strength, he channeled Battle-qi into his right fist and smashed it hard against the turtle's head.
With a dull, thunderous bang, the Rock Turtle's body sagged, its feet scraping across the sand as it flew backward. It stopped only after crashing into a hard rock hill, then could not help spraying out a mouthful of blood.
What incredible defense! That's not the strength a frenzied Rock Turtle should have. Could it be the Rock Turtle King? Luo Feng's pupils contracted as he stared in shock at the Rock Turtle King, which was brimming with killing intent toward him. The Rock Turtle King was no pushover, but a genuine third-level magical beast. Judging by its speed and defense, it had very likely broken through the limits of the third level and reached the fourth, making it the strongest in the entire herd.
Watching the surrounding Rock Turtles slowly charge toward him, Luo Feng's expression changed. It seemed he could not drag this out; finishing the fight quickly was the only sensible course. To hell with the herd and the Rock Turtle King alike-he swung both iron fists and smashed away.
Bang! A shallow fist print appeared in the Rock Turtle's shell. Paying no attention to the blood streaming down his knuckles, Luo Feng looked at the five or six Rock Turtles lying on the ground, and his expression changed drastically.
A spray of golden sand struck the face of the Rock Turtle leader charging straight at him. Luo Feng dipped slightly and drove a palm into its belly, releasing a faint surge of Battle-qi energy without holding anything back.
Crackle! Luo Feng took only three steps back. He glanced at the faintly scorched belly of the Rock Turtle leader and shouted angrily, "Bastard, you're still coming? You're asking for death."
The ground was stamped into a deep furrow as the Rock Turtle leader, like a frenzied rat magnified several times over, appeared in front of Luo Feng with a whoosh. Its right claw struck again with a powerful surge of force, faster and fiercer than before.
Luo Feng stepped sideways, taking the blow on his shoulder instead of his chest. Before he was sent flying, he bent his right wrist and smashed a fist into the Rock Turtle leader's shell. His hard, protruding knuckles delivered the full force of his Battle-qi squarely onto it. Bang! The leader's body spun as it was knocked away, but its shell had only caved in a tiny bit.
Luo Feng was horrified. Then he staggered to his feet.
This won't do. If this goes on, more and more Rock Turtles will come, and it'll be even harder to get out. I can't kill their leader at all. It's probably already broken through to the fourth level. Even though I'm a warrior at the peak of the third level and have cultivated Battle-qi, there's still a gap. I'll kill the others first and see if I can open a gap, then find a way to escape.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...
"All of you, die!"