Chapter Fifty-Three: Decisive and Efficient

His sword strike failed to land, and the wind howled above his head as the saber-toothed tiger's sharp claws slashed toward him. Yun Yufeng dragged his sword and darted away, circling to the back of the mighty demon bear. His left palm, poised and brimming with power, struck fiercely against the bear’s back. The Wave Stacking Palm was unleashed to its utmost, a torrent of battle energy crashing into the demon bear. The massive beast let out a mournful howl, whirled around, and swung a giant paw at him.

Yun Yufeng was startled, realizing he had underestimated the bear’s resilience. Its thick skin and flesh blunted the point of impact; the battle energy had not reached its heart.

Facing simultaneous attacks from three magical beasts, it would be utter folly to fight them head-on. At present, the black bear seemed the easiest to bring down. Though the smallest, the Armored Tunnel Beast would surely be the first to fall should he use Autumn Water, but that would defeat Yun Yufeng’s purpose of honing his combat skill.

He maneuvered around the giant demon bear, using it as a pivot, engaging in a tangled fight. The slow-witted bear became a natural shield. As the saber-toothed tiger charged with a roar, Yun Yufeng dashed about, his heavy black sword raining blows upon the Armored Tunnel Beast. At last, its black scales were breached, the sound of bone breaking rang clear.

The Armored Tunnel Beast shrieked in pain, its four claws frantically digging. In the blink of an eye, a hole the size of a millstone appeared. Its two-meter-long body swiftly burrowed inside, and the earth it tossed out blocked the entrance.

Yun Yufeng’s expression darkened. With the Tunnel Beast hiding underground, the danger increased—no one knew where or when it would reappear.

There was no helping it; he could only respond as the situation demanded and speed up the fight.

Wave Stacking Palms exploded repeatedly upon the demon bear, blood gushing like a spring from its mouth and nostrils. After enduring five such strikes, the bear finally took a critical hit—its heart shattered, and its massive body collapsed limply to the forest floor.

The ground was marked with huge, chaotic footprints.

As he watched two magical beasts fall in succession, the saber-toothed tiger, aroused by the scent of blood, grew fiercer still. Its roar shook the forest, trembling the leaves; its long tail whipped like an iron rod, scattering branches and dirt in all directions.

Yun Yufeng remained calm and unhurried, his breath steady. After all, magical beasts lacked the cunning of humans, making the fight somewhat easier. Gripping his heavy sword, he exchanged blows with the tiger’s long claws, the clangor of metal ringing out. Now that the demon bear was gone, the saber-toothed tiger could finally unleash its true power.

Kicking off the trunk of a tree, Yun Yufeng launched himself from above, both hands gripping his sword. He chopped down at lightning speed, the blade crashing onto the tiger’s forehead. The tiger’s long claws shot out from its paws, raking across Yun Yufeng’s abdomen. With a ripping sound, his armor was torn, leaving a long gash that bled profusely.

The wound was not deep. The tiger’s attack was far stronger than a human warrior of the same rank; a fourth-rank peak saber-toothed tiger could easily rival a fifth-rank late-stage warrior.

At the moment its claws touched him, the pale skin of Yun Yufeng’s abdomen turned to the hue of amethyst, crystallizing completely. Still, the sharp beast claws managed to slice through a layer of muscle.

Battle energy coursed through the wound, staunching the blood and forming a scab in short order. The tiger also sensed something amiss, growling in fury and attacking Yun Yufeng with renewed madness.

As Yun Yufeng was about to land, the earth below suddenly burst open, spraying dirt in all directions. A foul stench hit him as the enormous jaws of the Armored Tunnel Beast, hidden beneath the soil, silently lunged for his legs.

Startled, Yun Yufeng split his legs, stomping directly onto the Tunnel Beast’s gaping maw and driving it deeper into the earth.

With a swift reverse stroke, he summoned Fire Essence, flames enveloping the blade, the tip spewing fire. He thrust it straight into the Tunnel Beast’s mouth, letting loose a torrent of wild battle energy that roasted the vital organs from its throat to its heart.

As he sprang to face the saber-toothed tiger, the Tunnel Beast gave a feeble twitch and fell silent.

With no worries at his back, Yun Yufeng could now fight with abandon. His heavy sword battered the saber-toothed tiger like a raging storm, giving it no chance to strike back.

Yet Yun Yufeng refrained from using the Wave Stacking Palm, wielding his sword as if driving stakes, relentlessly pounding the tiger.

The dull thuds echoed, interrupted by the occasional crack of breaking bone. The little Greedy Wolf watching from the trees covered its eyes with its paws, silently mourning for the poor tiger.

Purple energy surged from Yun Yufeng’s body as battle energy flowed, his faintly violet meridians glimmering—evidence that his battle energy was nourishing his veins. At last, with a powerful slash, the saber-toothed tiger surrendered its precious crystal core.

He stored the three crystal cores, cut away some valuable materials, and climbed a tree to silently practice his heart technique, absorbing energy to restore his battle energy.

Beneath the tree, the heavy scent of blood spread, drawing other magical beasts. The first arrivals were naturally the low-tier beasts living nearby. The flesh and blood of dead high-tier magical beasts was an irresistible lure—one by one, they scrambled to devour the remains.

A high-pitched wolf howl rang out. Yun Yufeng shuddered, cocked his ear to listen, and his face grew grim.

The rustling from afar drew closer. Yun Yufeng scooped up the little Greedy Wolf and slipped away to the side, climbing another tree with a lingering sense of dread. Hundreds of late-stage third-rank wolves surged toward the recent battleground; he knew that had he lingered, he would have been engulfed by the tidal wave of wolves.

The sounds of fighting over food echoed intermittently in the night sky. Yun Yufeng sat quietly on a branch, deliberately slowing his Emperor’s Heart technique, continuing to absorb energy, striving resolutely toward the fifth rank.

Sunlight was always scarce in the jungle; the morning chorus echoed among the trees as the rising sun cast beams through the leaves, shining upon Yun Yufeng.

He stretched languidly, arms extended, and jumped down from the tree. He had not cultivated all night; after finishing his practice, he had slept comfortably for two hours, finding true pleasure in sleep.

“Let’s go, time to hit the road!”

Yun Yufeng grabbed the little Greedy Wolf, set it on his shoulder, and tossed a magic crystal precisely into its mouth while he himself munched on a wild fruit.

The little Greedy Wolf crouched on his shoulder, nuzzling Yun Yufeng's ear, humming softly.

Yun Yufeng patted the wolf’s head and plunged into the heart of the mountains.

There was no path here, only the crisscrossed marks of past battles, connecting intermittently and saving Yun Yufeng the trouble of clearing a way.

Mercenaries had always followed the roads unintentionally opened by magical beasts; no one dared claim that frequent passage would form a path. The vitality of plants in the jungle defied imagination.

A faint mist rose, and in the distance, everything was shrouded in white haze. Within, there was beauty—and danger and strife.

Yun Yufeng proceeded without haste, stepping on dry branches with crackling sounds, seemingly indifferent. He was not worried that his reckless approach would attract magical beasts; rather, he sought to draw his foes out in just this straightforward manner.

Not far away, soft footsteps sounded—more than one person. Only footsteps, no voices. In the silent forest, Yun Yufeng’s keen hearing made the quiet steps stand out.

The footsteps paused briefly, then drew closer to Yun Yufeng. Naturally, anyone could sense his bold movements.

The footsteps neared, and finally before Yun Yufeng appeared two men and a woman. The men were about twenty, the third a youth. The men wore cloaks over tight clothing. The woman wore a water-green dress, her shapely legs exposed, her beauty fresh as a lotus emerging from water.

Yun Yufeng stopped. He had met many people these past days; these three were not the first he’d encountered since entering the mountains.

The trio regarded the young man before them with surprise. They had expected to find a teammate, only to meet a lone youth—an absurd turn of events.

They exchanged glances. The woman smiled sweetly and said, “Little brother, may I ask your name?”

Upon hearing this address, Yun Yufeng felt a sudden awkwardness—‘little brother’—the term itself... He shivered, a bit uneasy, frowned, and replied, “I’m Ma You, may I ask what guidance you three might offer?”

The woman nodded, “I’m a bit curious. Did your family never teach you that in the jungle, such reckless behavior exposes your position, attracts magical beasts, and brings danger?”

Yun Yufeng smiled. The woman seemed genuinely curious, with no ulterior motive. “Of course I understand. That’s exactly why I do it. I need to kill; the simplest method is also the most direct.”

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