Chapter 75: Accident
Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Accident
"Run!" Fang Chen roared one last time. He moved, but instead of retreating, he shot forward like an arrow swimming upstream, charging straight toward the pool where the Demon Beasts were the most densely packed and their attacks were the fiercest!
"Listen to Boss Fang! We’re pulling out first!" Wang Pan shouted hoarsely, his eyes red as he led the crowd in a desperate breakout back the way they came.
Fang Chen’s sword light spun like a wheel, slashing down two more Demon Beasts pouncing from the flank. Catching a glimpse of the main group retreating from the corner of his eye, his heart settled. He thought, "Perfect, I’ve put on a good enough show. Next, I’ll be forced into a fighting retreat and get chased right over to the Mind-Bending Demon Wood!"
Biding his time, he waited until he was just about to be completely surrounded by over a dozen Demon Beasts. Then, he fully unleashed his Gale Step Technique, pushing it to Extreme Speed!
Coupled with the True Qi eruption of the Peak of True Martial Realm, his speed spiked abruptly, even surpassing the Jade Shadow Leopard, which was renowned for its speed! By a hair’s breadth, he forcefully broke out through a weak flank in the Demon Beasts’ encirclement!
However, just as he broke out of the encirclement—thinking his plan had succeeded and preparing to flee miserably in his intended direction—he jerked his head up. Less than fifty meters ahead, standing quietly beneath a crooked ancient tree, was a figure.
It was also a Cyan-faced Fox. However, its frame was significantly larger than that of a regular Cyan-faced Fox. Its cyan-black fur was sleek and glossy, faintly shimmering with a dark luster. The fox’s eyes were no longer purely savage; instead, they carried a cold, cunning majesty. The Aura it exuded was heavy and viscous, bearing a terrifying, oppressive weight that far exceeded the realm of all the surrounding tier-one Demon Beasts!
Fang Chen’s pupils contracted sharply as his sprinting steps ground to a harsh halt. He thought in shock, "Is this... a Cyan-faced Fox? No! This Aura... this size and appearance... this..." An unbelievable thought flashed through his mind. "Could this... be tier-two?!"
His heart trembled violently as he thought, "There’s actually a tier-two Demon Beast in this forest? I clearly sought out every single Demon Beast during the Time Stop. Did I miss one?"
In a flash, he recalled that he had indeed noticed a Cyan-faced Fox with an exceptionally robust build earlier. "Did it break through? Damn it, this is going to be trouble!"
A tier-one Demon Beast was equivalent to the True Martial Realm, but a tier-two possessed the bona fide combat power of the High Martial Realm! He had absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on clash.
His mind raced, and without hesitation, Fang Chen pushed his Gale Step Technique to the limit, causing his speed to skyrocket. Immediately after, he fully erupted with his True Martial Realm Transcendence cultivation base, elevating his speed to yet another level and instantly leaving the large horde of pursuing tier-one Demon Beasts in the dust.
Yet, a trace of mockery flashed through the eyes of the tier-two Cyan-faced Fox. Pushing off with all four paws, its body turned into an almost invisible cyan blur. Its speed was actually on par with Fang Chen’s, keeping right on his tail!
"You little bastard! You really think I’m a pushover!" Infuriated by the chase, Fang Chen abruptly spun around and ruthlessly unleashed the Profound Tiger Wind-Breaking Sword!
He held nothing back with this strike. His Perfection-level Swordsmanship, paired with condensed Sword Qi, carried the roar of a tiger as it tore through the air, cleaving straight toward the Cyan-faced Fox’s face!
WHOOSH!
The Sword Qi was fierce, its might astonishing!
However, even in the midst of its high-speed charge, the Cyan-faced Fox eerily shifted its rhythm. Twisting its body as if it had no bones, it narrowly evaded the sharpest point of the blade! The solid Sword Qi brushed past its fur and neatly sheared through several bowl-thick trees behind it, sending them crashing to the ground.
His sword strike had missed!
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, the Cyan-faced Fox’s eyes surged with a vicious light as it transformed into a bolt of cyan lightning, lunging straight at the opening Fang Chen had exposed after swinging his sword!
Fang Chen seemed to have anticipated this. It was too late to draw his sword back, so he let out a low shout and channeled his Perfection-level Iron Wall Strike into his legs. At the same time, the Spiritual Crystal Stone on the chest of his Combat Suit flared brilliantly, fully activating its Energy Shield!
BANG!
The Cyan-faced Fox’s sharp claws viciously struck the outer side of Fang Chen’s crossed, blocking calves! An overwhelming, irresistible force crashed into him. The Combat Suit’s shield flickered wildly, instantly dimming by more than seventy percent! Fang Chen felt as if his legs had been slammed by a battering ram. A wave of agonizing pain washed over him, and his entire body was uncontrollably blasted backward by the tremendous force!
Yet, he remained calm. He even used the momentum to forcefully twist his waist, adjusting his posture in mid-air, and heavily kicked off the trunk of a large tree with his toes!
THUD!
Borrowing the force, instead of falling, he shot upward like a nimble ape. Pushing the climbing techniques of the Twelve-Step Leg Springing Technique to the absolute limit, his feet repeatedly tapped against the trunk, producing a rapid staccato of TAP TAP TAP as he vaulted onto the tree canopy in the blink of an eye!
The Cyan-faced Fox clearly hadn’t expected its prey to have such a trick up its sleeve. It quickly dashed to the base of the tree, swiping its claws as it prepared to climb. However, occupying the high ground, Fang Chen deployed his Leg Technique once more, bounding between the adjacent tree canopies like a flying bird. With every forceful kick-off, he snapped branches and sent them hurling downward, slightly delaying the Cyan-faced Fox’s pursuit and successfully putting some distance between them.
...
"Beautiful!" On the observation deck, Huai Yongge couldn’t help but praise as he watched the live feed transmitted back by the scouting Crystal Stone.
"When his strike misses, he immediately shifts to maximum defense. When he can’t fully defend, he borrows the force to retreat far away. Even at a disadvantage, he can hastily choose the optimal escape route and method, utilizing the high ground of the trees to shake off a ground pursuit. He’s quite a talent!
"Many Martial Artists who have just entered the High Martial Realm at the Martial Arts Academy might not even react this well. Often, when their strike misses, they zone out wondering why it missed, giving the enemy a chance to strike."
At this moment, Xiao Fang’s voice crackled over the communicator: "Inspector Huai, it seems Student Fang Chen has reached his limit. It is a tier-two Demon Beast, after all. Since we’ve already forced out his trump cards and tested his adaptability, and successfully separated him from the other students, should we drive the Cyan-faced Fox away now?"
Huai Yongge nodded and was about to agree, but his gaze suddenly locked onto the direction Fang Chen was fleeing. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Wait? The direction this kid is being chased... seems to be toward the Mind-Bending Demon Wood?"
Xiao Fang immediately confirmed, "Yes! It’s exactly that direction!"
A sharp glint flashed in Huai Yongge’s eyes. "Then there’s no rush! Give him some time. This kid might just blunder his way into doing something massive for us!"
...
Taking advantage of the sliver of space he had opened up, Fang Chen’s brain worked rapidly. He thought, "A single strike drained seventy percent of the Spiritual Crystal Stone’s energy! This tier-two Demon Beast’s attack power is absolutely terrifying. If it lands another hit, or if some other Demon Beast has advanced and manages to sneak attack me, I might end up severely injured, or even..."
He vetoed the idea of fighting head-on. He had to replenish his energy immediately and take the opportunity to scout out whether any other Demon Beasts had advanced.
"Then I’ll just use Time Stop again!" Fang Chen gritted his teeth, inevitably feeling a pang of reluctance.
To use Time Stop twice in a row within a single day was something he had never done before. Although he had accumulated eighteen uses over time, every single one was incredibly precious.
"There’s no other way, my life is more important!" he resolved.
Time Stop!
The moment the thought crossed his mind, the world solidified once more, freezing all things in place.
Instead of immediately sitting cross-legged and channeling his True Qi to recharge the Spiritual Crystal Stone on his chest, Fang Chen turned around. His gaze locked onto the tier-two Cyan-faced Fox, which was frozen in a pouncing posture.
A surge of viciousness welled up in his heart.
"You animal! You’ve chased me half to death just because of your higher tier!" he cursed in a low voice. The Longsword in his hand hummed as he poured his True Qi into it without reservation. "Let’s see if your flesh and blood can withstand my full-powered strike!"