Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Tattered and worn.

The inside of the hollow tree was filled with fallen leaves that resembled needles, so Liang Chen guessed that someone else might have used this place as a hideout before. But looking at the undisturbed state of the leaves, and how they had all turned almost completely brown, it seemed that it hadn't been used in quite a while.

Liang Chen let go of the beast, his wounded arm trembling from a mixture of pain and over-exertion. But for the moment, there was little he could do about it, all his medicinal herbs had already been stolen when he entered the hidden realm. He tore off a piece of his robe, tying it tightly around his hand to stop the bleeding from the wound in his palm. Once he bandaged up his hand, he tore off the left sleeve of his robe and used it to bandage the wound on his shoulder, bandaging the last of his wounds.

Liang Chen did not immediately start taking the Demonic beast apart after he bandaged his wounds, he took several deep breaths and closed his eyes, resting to restore to peak condition. Not only had he lost quite a bit of energy during the short fight, but he had also lost a bit of blood as he dragged the beast here. To make sure that he was able to properly handle anything that might happen, he could not afford to stay beneath peak condition for too long.

His recuperation lasted for half a day, only stopping when he heard the sound of howling wind outside the hideout. Over the last seven days, he had already gotten used to the rather frequent storms that this hidden realm had. Liang Chen simply ignored the wind and turned towards the corpse of the beast in front of him.

Despite half a day passing, he was not worried about the blood inside the beast coagulating, as it was so filled with Qi that it would stay liquid for at least another week, or until all the Qi within it was drained. Liang Chen grabbed his sword and stabbed it into the beast, running it along beneath the hide.

He first removed the hide and spines, laying the skin on the ground so that he could place the rest of the Demonic beast parts on top of it. He then removed the beast's four limbs and head, then he split open its chest. All the blood that ran out from the wounds gathered on the ground, forming a small pool next to Liang Chen, rippling slightly as it released a foul scent.

Liang Chen made sure he never came into contact with the blood, as it filled him with the same dangerous feeling that the wolf blood had when he was about to touch it. Once he split open the chest, his eyes landed on a dull brown crystal that was growing next to the beast's heart. This was its Demon Crystal, the crystallization of almost all the Qi that was within the Demonic beast's body. Compared to this crystal, the Qi within the blood and flesh was nothing.

Of course, since it contained more Qi, it was also far more dangerous to try and absorb it. Liang Chen carefully removed the crystal, placing it amongst the severed limbs of the beast, leaving only the bloody torso. Without Liang Chen noticing it, another half a day had passed as he carefully took apart the Demonic beast, the removal of the limbs taking the longest time.

The storm outside had gotten fiercer, the sound of rain hammering against the outside of the tree. After he had completely taken apart the best, he turned towards the pool of blood, taking a deep breath. It gave him a dangerous sensation, but he had to check it out for himself and see if it was the same as the wolf blood.

He clenched his fist and plunged it into the blood, gritting his teeth as he prepared for the pain. The moment his hand plunged into the blood, it felt like fire spread up from his hand, his entire being screaming at him to pull his hand back. But he persisted, he ignored his own instincts and left his hand in the blood. But there was no reaction from the Qi around him, it, in fact, seemed like his own hand was starting to reject the Qi within the blood and air around him.

He pulled his hand out from the blood, his expression distorting as he looked at it. Not only the wolf blood but now even the blood of this Demonic beast proved to be ineffective, unable to help him increase his strength. He cleaned away the blood from his hand, and could not help but hit the inside of the tree a little, venting his frustration through his punches.

Only once his knuckles started to ache did he stop punching, his mind calming down as he heaved for breath. Had it only happened once, he could chalk it up to coincidence. But now it had happened twice, so he had to admit that there was a problem that prevented him from properly absorbing the Qi within the Demonic beast blood. But what sort of problem could it possibly be? Liang Chen did not get the time to think too much about it, as a faint voice reached his ears through the sound of rain and thunder.

"The trail of blood continues over here, it seems to be leading towards the old hideout of that Shentu boy we once met."

Liang Chen's entire body immediately tensed up, all other thoughts vanishing from his mind. He recognized the voice he just heard, it belonged to the female hunter who was part of the couple he had seen several times lately. At the same time, he also felt like smashing his own head against the tree. He thought they had left the hidden realm to go sell their spoils, so he had not bothered erasing the faint marks of blood that dripped out of the Demonic beast he had dragged after him.

His mind raced as he worked on figuring out what he should do now, how he should act. Hiding was already too late, as they had clearly seen the hideout he was using. His eyes started to slowly narrow, a dangerous light flashing in them as he decided on his next course of action.

He grabbed his sword and stood out, removing the branches he had placed in front of the opening. He could not face the two people inside the hollowed out tree, as there was not enough space to freely move. Once he left the hideout, the falling rain hammered against his body, each drop feeling like a blow from a mace. The pressure within the hidden realm had compressed the rain and increased its speed, allowing it to reach dangerous levels of speed and strength.

Just like he had expected, the couple of hunters were standing a short distance away from the hideout, examining the faint tracks of blood. Despite the downpour of rain, the blood from the Demonic beast was still completely visible in the snow, even releasing a faint scent. The couple, a short woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a tall man with needle-like black hair, turned towards him, their eyes narrowing in vigilance. Upon seeing Liang Chen's cultivation level, as well as the corpse of the beast behind him, the man spoke out.

"So it wasn't a wounded Demonic beast, but a fellow hunter that was taking apart his prey. Kid, in the future, you must make sure to remove all traces of blood behind you. This time it was just us that found you, but in the future, it might a Demonic beast that follows the trail and eats you up. Take this lesson to heart, it will allow you to live longer. But for now, hand over those parts behind you. I can let you keep two limbs, but you must hand over the rest."

The man lost most of his tension after he saw Liang Chen, his shoulders lowering somewhat. Despite his demands, the man considered himself rather benevolent. After all, most people would just kill Liang Chen and take the entire corpse, but the man not only allowed him to keep a little of the beast, he even gave him advice. But despite that, Liang Chen only spat out a short reply, raising his weapon.

"I refuse."

Liang Chen did not mind giving up certain things if the enemy was too strong, like the medicinal herbs and Demonic beast blood right after he entered the hidden realm. But there were also things he would not give up, and there were times where he would not allow people to simply walk over him. This was one of those times, he was confident that he could hold off these two, so he was not willing to simply give up his spoils of battle, even if they were currently useless to him. The expression of the couple sank, the man grabbing onto two daggers fastened to his waist as he spoke out in a low voice.

"Kid, please don't act strong here. If it was a one on one, we might be a bit wary to fight you, but right now it is two on one, giving us the clear advantage. It is not worth losing your life over something as small as that beast behind you. It is better to live to fight another day."

From the man's perspective, Liang Chen's refusal was merely a child wanting to act strong and defiant, it was the same as asking for death. Killing a child was not his favorite thing to do, but he would not shy away from doing it if it let him net a good profit. The woman also grabbed onto her weapon, a thin and flexible sword, but Liang Chen did not relent.

"I said I refuse, so I will not let you have a single piece."

As long as he was strong enough, he would not give up a single thing that was his, no matter who it was that was demanding it. The expression of the couple sank further, but they did not waste any more time on words. They both pulled out their weapons and dashed forward, water surrounding the man and snow surrounding the woman, forming sharp spikes that shot toward Liang Chen.

Liang Chen also dashed forward, raising his sword to block the spikes of snow and twisting his body to dodge the spikes of water. He had already seen this couple fight against Demonic beasts a few times, so he was somewhat familiar with how they fought.

He dodged the spikes of water, but as they flew past him, they absorbed the droplets of rain, twisting into new shapes that slashed at Liang Chen's neck. Liang Chen quickly removed all the strength in his legs, collapsing to the ground to dodge the water. Once his entire body approached the ground, the snow beneath him spiraled upwards to pierce through him.

Liang Chen stabbed his sword into the ground and pushed himself aside, dodging the majority of the snow spirals, but some still grazed his chest and left bloody marks that dripped blood onto the snow beneath him. Liang Chen pushed himself forward, slashing upwards at the man, poison coiling around his blade and dyeing it a wonderful violet.

As the man moved to dodge, Liang Chen channeled a bit of lightning into his arm, drastically increasing its speed, allowing his blade to slash a small wound into the arm of the man. The skin and flesh on his arm started to melt, blood pouring onto the snow and dyeing it red. The man jumped backward and grit his teeth, shouting to the woman.

"He has the poison element! let's fight him from a distance."

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The woman quickly nodded her head and followed the man, moving away from Liang Chen. Since both of them had the elemental advantage, they could just keep their distance and slowly whittle down Liang Chen with ranged attacks, not letting him get close to them.

While they continued to rain attacks upon Liang Chen, dodging backward whenever he got closer to them, the man swiped a red ring on his finger, a bottle filled with green liquid appearing in his hand. The man poured some of the liquid on the wound that Liang Chen had cut on his arm, slowing down the bleeding and the spread of the poison. The bottle then turned into light that vanished back into his ring, so it was clear that the ring was an interspatial ring.

As the battle dragged on, the couple fully using their environment and elements to their advantage, more and more wounds started to appear on Liang Chen's body, his blood dyeing the snow in a large area red. His blood was filled with Qi, so even the rain was unable to wash it away immediately.

Energy started to quickly leave his body, until he was finally unable to keep standing, his knees and hands hitting the ground. Only when they saw Liang Chen heave and bleed did the couple feel that it was safe to move a little closer. But just as the man opened his mouth to say something, he noticed the slight curl on Liang Chen's lips.

He wanted to warn his wife, but at that time it was already too late. Golden lightning flooded out of Liang Chen's body and into the snow beneath him. Since the snow was tainted by his blood, which was filled with lightning Qi, his lightning managed to easily move through the snow, instantly reaching the couple and flooding into their body.

Their defenses were lowered, so there was nothing to stop the lightning as it charged into their organs and evaporated their blood. The heart of the woman stopped almost immediately, her body falling over, lifeless. The man was able to resist longer, but he lost control over his body, falling to the ground. When he saw Liang Chen stand up and slowly make his way towards him, he spoke out in an unsteady voice.

"Kid...you are fucking...insane."

The man had realized that they had been duped. The moment Liang Chen saw that they were going to use range to their advantage, he had decided on a strategy, allowing them to freely wound him so that his blood could taint a large area of snow. All for this chance, the moment the couple would lower their guard. Liang Chen's lips curved into a bloody smile as he placed his sword against the man's throat, a somewhat chilly voice sounding out.

"I have to be, that is the only way I can achieve anything."

With his normal talent, Liang Chen had to do insane things to increase his strength fast enough to accomplish his goals. Liang Chen did not give the man a chance to say anything else, driving his sword through the man's throat and ending his life. Once he saw life leave the man's eyes, he bent over and removed the ring from the man's hand, looking at it with glimmering eyes.

Now he had his own interspatial ring so carrying things would be far easier in the future. He sat down on the ground and put on the ring, testing it by inserting a bit of his mind to check the contents. It was mostly filled with food, water, and medicine, but it also contained a bit of money and Spirit Stones.

After checking the contents of the ring, Liang Chen simply sat on the ground and heaved heavily, slowly applying some of the medicine he found within the interspatial ring onto his wounds. He had killed the two people, but the price was that his entire body was riddled with wounds, blood covering most of his body. Most of the wounds were surprisingly superficial, but the loss of blood would get serious if he did not do anything about it.

He continued to spread a light green paste over the wounds, his bleeding quickly stopping as the wounds got covered. While Liang Chen was working on covering up his wounds, he heard a sound from behind him that caused all the hairs on his body to stand on end.

He didn't even turn around to look, he simply dove forward and rolled away, the sound of something hitting the ground behind him quickly reaching his ears. Once he stopped rolling, he kneeled on the ground and raised his head to look at what had attacked him.

A large, a little over three meters long, serpent had snuck up on him, its body covered in white scales that were covered in yellow dots. It had a triangular head and looked at Liang Chen with its amber eyes, studying the prey in front of him. The serpent was even stronger than the couple, having reached the middle stage of the Mortal Tower realm. Even if he was in perfect condition, he was uncertain if he would be able to beat it, but now he didn't even have the energy to flee. Looking at the snake that had snuck up on him while he was battling the couple, he could not help but let out a slightly maniacal laughter.

"Hahaha, are you fucking kidding me, just how bad can my luck be? Come then, I won't go down that easily."

He stood up, his legs somewhat unsteady, glancing at the sky as his thoughts moved. When he looked at the snake in front of him, his instincts howled, screaming at him. But they didn't scream for him to escape, but for him to slay the snake and devour it, every fiber of his being wanted to eat the snake and bathe in its blood.

The snake looked at him for a bit, but eventually decided that the child in front of it was no threat, so it coiled up its body and shot itself forward, charging at Liang Chen with its maw wide open. Liang Chen did not even have his sword in hand, having dropped it while he applied the medicines to his wounds, so he could only welcome the serpent's maw with his arms wide open.

The two quickly clashed, the serpent trying to bite down on Liang Chen. Liang Chen grabbed onto the two fangs of the snake, grasping them tightly and exerting all his strength to hold open the mouth of the serpent for even a second longer. While holding onto the serpent's fangs, he raised his head to the sky, grasping at his one hope.

His mind and Qi stretched out, reaching towards the sky, towards the lightning that rumbled high above him. His own lightning was not strong enough to kill this snake, which had its guard up, so he could only do his best to call down the lightning that lit up the sky in this hidden realm.

After a short moment, it seemed like his silent prayer was heard. An ear-deafening boom sounded out, the trees and ground around Liang Chen trembling from the sound alone. A bright red ray of light shot down from the sky, all the rain around it evaporating as it headed straight for Liang Chen.

The serpent blocked the path of the lightning, so before it could reach Liang Chen, it had to pierce through the head of the snake. The lightning hit the head of the snake, a crunching sound ringing out as its skull shattered under the might of the lightning. The snake was slammed into the ground, Liang Chen following it as he was currently holding onto its fangs.

A small amount of the red lightning entered Liang Chen, his entire body feeling like it was being torn apart. But as Liang Chen had already tempered his body with lightning before, the small amount that entered him was unable to cause any true damage, instead only nourishing his body and cultivation.

Liang Chen laid on the ground, the now roasted head of the snake lying on top of him. The smell was pungent, but when Liang Chen smelled it, his entire body seemed to greedily absorb it, a weak laughter escaping from Liang Chen.

"Ha...ha...ha...I win, now give me...my prize..."

He crawled out from under the snake, moving towards his sword, picking it up and slowly making his way back to the snake. He stabbed the blade into the neck of the beast and cut open its entire stomach. He seemed to have pierced the poison sac of the beast, as a viscous yellow liquid was mixed with the crimson red blood. But he did not care, his instincts screaming at him to submerge himself in the blood and poison, to grow stronger. As he looked at the blood, even the screams of his instincts grew faint and distant, his mind slowly turning black as he collapsed, falling face first into the blood and poison, his consciousness fading.

First, he had endured the pain of dipping his hand in Demonic beast blood that seemed to be at odds with him, then he had used a suicidal way of fighting the couple, then he had to hold open the maw of the serpent while he called for the lightning rumbling in the sky. And finally, he had to endure the small amount of red lightning that had entered his body. He was tattered and worn, his entire body on the verge of breaking apart, so it was not strange that he collapsed once everything was over.

His unconscious body was quickly covered in the blood, poison, organs, and even the Demon Crystal of the snake, the energy from all of them seeping into his body. Since he was unconscious, his instincts acted on their own, guiding the energy into his body and using it to strengthen him, waiting for the moment he awoke.

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