Lin Shu watched as Tan Bo charged toward him, lightning crackling around his body. The injured wolf, blinded by rage, was right behind him, its fangs bared and eyes locked onto its foe. Lin Shu smirked. "Trying to drag me into your fight? Pathetic."
Tan Bo wasn't stupid—he knew his limits. Fighting the wolf alone would be suicide, and facing Lin Shu afterward with no Qi left would be even worse. But if he could force Lin Shu into the battle, the odds would shift. Lin Shu would have to split his attention, giving Tan Bo an opening to turn the tables.
But Lin Shu wasn't going to play along so easily. Instead of retreating, he braced himself, his bone gauntlets tightening around his fists. "Fine," he muttered. "Let's see who dies first."
Lin Shu activated Ivory Monolith, the transformation quicker and smoother than before. His body hardened, bones reinforcing his frame like an unbreakable shell. He glanced at his Qi reserves—just enough for one more normal armor before he was completely drained.
"I can handle this," he thought. The wolf, though still dangerous, was weakened. Its injuries had stripped it of the power of a peak-tier rank 1 beast. As for Tan Bo, his Qi was running low—he was desperate.
Lin Shu's gaze darkened. "Let's end this."
Chaos erupted as Lin Shu and Tan Bo clashed—thunder and bone colliding with force, eyes locked in unwavering hatred. Behind them, the injured wolf snarled and lunged. Both men instinctively backed away, but even with his wounds, Tan Bo was still faster than Lin Shu, whose Ivory Monolith weighed him down.
The wolf's eyes gleamed with rage as it targeted the nearest enemy—Lin Shu. It struck with its claws, but Lin Shu met it head-on, his gauntleted hand tearing into the beast's flesh. Blood sprayed, but the wolf roared and sent him flying with a powerful sweep of its remaining strength.
Tan Bo stood motionless, watching. "Good. Kill each other."
Lin Shu pushed himself up, his armor bearing only minor scratches. His body felt heavy, but his mind remained sharp. He dashed forward—not toward the wolf, but straight at Tan Bo.
"No rest for you."
Tan Bo cursed. "Damn pest!" Lightning crackled as he shot forward, his body flickering like a phantom. "My Qi is running out—I need to finish this now!"
A fist and a blade collided. The ground trembled. Dust surged into the air.
Lin Shu was relentless. His blows came like a raging storm. Bone met lightning, steel met flesh. Then, an opening—Lin Shu's fist slammed into Tan Bo's stomach. The air in his lungs vanished. He staggered back, eyes widening in shock. Before he could recover, Lin Shu's claws raked across his chest.
Tan Bo stumbled further, his mind racing. "The wolf... where is it?" His gaze darted around. Then he saw it, limping, its body trembling, its remaining strength slipping away.
"No. His attacks weren't strong enough to cripple it."
Then, his eyes flicked back to Lin Shu's gauntlets—coated in a faint, clear substance.
His breath hitched. "No… don't tell me… this bastard used—"
His gaze snapped down. Fresh scratches lined his chest.
"Poison."
A wave of dread washed over him. "Shit—I need to end this now!"
Tan Bo roared, pushing his Qi to its limits. Lightning crackled violently across his body, flames surged along his blade. He would burn everything to survive.
The moment Lin Shu charged forward, Tan Bo did the same. Time seemed to freeze—then a deafening explosion erupted as bone and lightning clashed in a furious storm of power. The ground cracked beneath them, dust and embers filling the air as they struck at each other with everything they had. Tan Bo, despite his injuries, was still faster, weaving between Lin Shu's attacks and delivering precise, brutal blows. Lin Shu, clad in his bone armor, fought with unrelenting aggression, his clawed gauntlets tearing through the air, aiming to rip flesh from bone.
Tan Bo gritted his teeth. His Qi was nearly gone. He had no time to waste. The poison had already started seeping into his veins, making every movement sluggish. If he didn't end this now, he would be the one lying dead in the dirt. The only technique he could still muster with his dwindling Qi was his mid-tier rank 1 battle skill: Blazing Fang Slash. Lightning crackled around him before vanishing, replaced by roaring flames that engulfed his blade as he swung with all the power he could muster.
Lin Shu didn't have time to dodge. He raised his arms in defense, his bone armor cracking under the sheer force of the attack. Flames consumed him. His flesh blistered, the searing heat eating into his body. His bone armor fractured, chunks of it breaking apart and falling away like dried husks. His vision blurred, pain threatening to drag him into unconsciousness.
Just a little longer.
Just a little more, and Tan Bo's Qi would run out. Or the poison would paralyze him completely.
Lin Shu was breaking apart. He couldn't dodge anymore. Could barely fight back. Hits from Tan Bo's Blazing Fang Slash battered him, searing his body, each strike sending him stumbling.
Then, with a final burning slash, his armor shattered completely.
Lin Shu was sent flying. His back slammed into a tree, the impact cracking the bark. His body slumped forward. His vision swam, dizziness threatening to pull him into darkness.
Tan Bo staggered. His breaths were ragged, his limbs heavy. His Qi flickered weakly—then vanished.
His body locked up.
His Qi was gone.
"Shit…!" He lurched toward his spatial ring, fingers trembling as he fumbled for the pills inside. He shoved them into his mouth—healing pills, Qi-restoring pills, anything. But even as he swallowed them, he felt the poison spread.
His fingers twitched. His grip on his sword weakened. He could resist it a little longer, but his body was growing numb. He had minutes at best.
He let out a shaky breath, praying Lin Shu was knocked out.
But then, his stomach sank.
Lin Shu was standing.
His skin was charred, his bone armor shattered. His body was **littered with wounds—**some fresh, others barely closed by his unnatural regeneration. His breaths were slow, heavy, exhausted…
But his eyes were still cold.
Without a word, bones erupted from his flesh once more. Gauntlets reformed, claws sharper than ever. Twin blades of bone extended from his arms like the fangs of a predator.
And then, he moved.
Tan Bo couldn't dodge. Couldn't run. Couldn't even lift his sword in time.
Lin Shu's clawed gauntlet punched through his gut. Blood splattered onto the ground as Tan Bo choked, his body jerking from the sheer force of the blow. Then, Lin Shu slammed him to the ground.
Tan Bo gasped, writhing, hands grasping at the arm impaling him, but Lin Shu was merciless. His bone blade stabbed down.
Again.
Again.
Over and over, carving into Tan Bo's flesh with ruthless efficiency.
Even as the light in Tan Bo's eyes began to fade, Lin Shu didn't stop. He kept stabbing, kept tearing him apart. This man wasn't worth a clean death.
Finally, when all that remained was a bloodied corpse, Lin Shu gripped Tan Bo's **hair, lifted his head—**then severed it with a final slash.
His hands were soaked in blood. The scent of burning flesh and iron filled the air.
But he wasn't done yet.
The paralyzed wolf still lay on the ground, its body twitching weakly. Lin Shu turned toward it, his steps slow, deliberate. The beast weakly bared its fangs, growling, but it couldn't even move.
Lin Shu raised his bone blade—then brought it down, slicing through its throat in one clean motion. The wolf let out a final gurgling snarl before its body fell limp, blood pooling beneath it.
And then, he turned to the final survivors.
The women and children huddled together, their faces pale with terror. Some clung to each other, trembling, their eyes filled with desperate, pleading fear.
They had nowhere to run.
They had watched as Lin Shu slaughtered the strongest among them. They knew they had no chance.
Some dropped to their knees, begging for their lives. Others simply sobbed, unable to form words.
Lin Shu didn't care.
He stepped forward.
And then, the slaughter began.
Some managed to break away, sprinting into the forest in a blind panic. Lin Shu let them go.
They were already dead.
A forest filled with bloodthirsty beasts. A pitch-black night, where sight was useless and predators lurked in every shadow.
Even he had to cover himself in mud to mask his scent. They?
They were nothing but prey.
As he stood amidst the corpses, surrounded by the stench of blood and death, a cold smirk curled on Lin Shu's lips.
"Hahaha… let's see how far you'll get."