43: Life and death battle

Dou Qi flowed beneath Jiang Donghua's feet, and his figure flashed out like a phantom. Pushing Roaming Cloud Steps to its limit, he closed in on the back of the Ironclad Mountain Boar in the blink of an eye.

"Blazing Flame Palm!"

His right palm was fiery red like a branding iron, carrying a scorching force as he fiercely slammed it onto the boar's back!

"Bang—!"

A muffled explosion erupted. The Ironclad Mountain Boar's thick hide was actually charred and cracked by this single palm strike, and the stench of burnt flesh instantly spread.

"Oow Roar—!"

The Ironclad Mountain Boar cried out in pain, abruptly turned around, and stared fiercely at Jiang Donghua with blood-red eyes, its heavy breathing sounding like thunder.

A Five-Star Dou Practitioner, a human at the same rank as it, dared to sneak attack it?!

"Hmph!"

The Ironclad Mountain Boar violently scraped the ground with its front hooves, sending dirt and stones flying. Its muscles tensed, and a savage charge erupted instantly!

"Boom—!"

The ground trembled. The boar was like a moving hill, rushing straight at Jiang Donghua, carrying a violent gale force.

"Good timing!"

Jiang Donghua did not dodge. A cold smile appeared on his lips as Dou Qi surged frantically within him. Just as the boar was about to hit him, his body suddenly dropped low, and he executed Roaming Cloud Steps again, slipping beneath the boar's belly like a loach!

"Pfft!"

He followed the momentum, drawing the short blade in his hand, precisely slicing open the boar's soft abdomen!

"Oww—!"

Blood gushed out. The Ironclad Mountain Boar howled miserably and staggered a few steps, but instead of falling, it became even more ferocious!

"Its hide is truly thick."

Jiang Donghua shook the blood off his short blade, his expression serious.

If this strike had landed on any other Magical Beast, it would have been disemboweled long ago!

Yet, this boar only suffered a minor injury!

The Ironclad Mountain Boar panted heavily, its blood-red eyes locked fiercely onto Jiang Donghua.

It knew that it had to kill this human today!

Otherwise, it definitely wouldn't be able to leave this Black Water Pool area alive!

Jiang Donghua was already prepared. He executed Roaming Cloud Steps again, his figure dodging lightly like willow catkins.

At the same time, he struck back with a Blazing Flame Palm, this time accurately hitting the boar's relatively softer flank.

"Oww!"

The boar roared in pain, but this strike was clearly not enough to severely wound it.

Jiang Donghua was not in a hurry. He maintained a safe distance, occasionally using Roaming Cloud Steps to dart in and deliver another Blazing Flame Palm.

This chase lasted for several minutes.

The Ironclad Mountain Boar gradually became restless and anxious, moving past its initial rage.

It found that no matter how hard it charged, it couldn't touch this slippery human, while the wounds on its own body continued to increase.

The most fatal thing was that Jiang Donghua deliberately avoided vital points with every attack, specifically targeting areas that wouldn't be lethal but would cause continuous bleeding.

The Ironclad Mountain Boar's blood continuously seeped from its wounds, dragging a long trail of blood on the ground.

"Hoo-shh... Hoo-shh..."

The Ironclad Mountain Boar's breathing grew heavier and its movements began to slow down. It finally realized the situation was bad—this human was deliberately draining its blood!

Fear surged into its heart for the first time.

The Ironclad Mountain Boar suddenly changed direction and fled toward the depths of the dense forest, but having lost too much blood, it couldn't run fast. Its four legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Jiang Donghua followed unhurriedly, a cold smile playing on his lips, just like an experienced hunter patiently waiting for his prey to exhaust its last bit of strength.

Finally, after fleeing for less than three *li*, the Ironclad Mountain Boar's front legs buckled, and it crashed heavily to the ground.

It struggled, trying to stand up, but found that it didn't even have the strength to lift its head.

A cold light flashed in Jiang Donghua's eyes. The long sword in his hand gleamed, accurately piercing the Ironclad Mountain Boar's skull.

With a flick of the sword tip, a core glowing with an earthy yellow luster rolled out and was immediately grabbed by him into his palm.

"An Earth-element Magical Core? That's quite rare."

He weighed the heavy crystal core in his hand, a satisfied curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Four or five hundred gold coins secured. This trip wasn't a loss."

Casually putting the Magical Core into his storage bag, Jiang Donghua shook the blood off his sword and scanned his surroundings.

Mist permeated the area near the Black Water Pool, and the low roars of Magical Beasts could faintly be heard in the distance. But at this moment, he felt no fear; instead, his battle intent grew stronger.

"Exhilarating!"

He muttered softly, his eyes flashing with excitement.

In this perilous Magical Beast Mountain Range, the law of the jungle was the only rule.

Any Magical Beast that was isolated and weaker than him would only serve as his whetstone!

"Swish—"

His figure flashed. He executed Roaming Cloud Steps once more and swept toward the Black Water Pool.

Initially, the bloody smell of the Ironclad Mountain Boar permeating the vicinity of the Black Water Pool made many low-tier Magical Beasts hesitant and suspicious.

They trembled and shrank back into the shadows, their scarlet beast eyes scanning the surroundings warily, afraid that the overlord entrenched there, the Black Water Profound Serpent, had returned.

But soon, they sensed something was wrong.

If the Black Water Profound Serpent had attacked, the prey wouldn't bleed at all; it would simply be swallowed whole, leaving not even bones behind!

Until they saw that human.

A young man wielding a long sword and moving like a phantom dared to hunt wantonly in their territory!

At first, many Magical Beasts scoffed, and a few ferocious Iron-Backed Azure Wolves even took the initiative to attack, wanting to tear this reckless human to shreds.

"Pfft!"

Sword light flashed, and blood splattered.

In just a few minutes, three Iron-Backed Azure Wolves, all with the strength of Two-Star Dou Practitioners, were killed!

Jiang Donghua shook the blood droplets off his sword, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Is that all the ability you have?"

Over the next month, the Magical Beasts near the Black Water Pool finally understood what a nightmare was.

That young man seemed tireless, hunting every day.

He specifically targeted isolated Magical Beasts slightly weaker than himself, never engaging in a head-on fight. Instead, he used Roaming Cloud Steps to maneuver, Blazing Flame Palm to wear them down, and finally, his long sword for a precise finish.

"Oww—!"

"Hiss—!"

"Roar—!"

Piteous beast roars echoed one after another near the Black Water Pool.

Initially, the Magical Beasts were furious and violent, and several peak Dou Practitioner-level Magical Beasts even teamed up to try and surround him.

But Jiang Donghua never lingered in battle; he quickly fled after a successful strike. When they relaxed, he would reappear like a phantom and hunt again!

Gradually, fear began to spread.

"Is this human a lunatic?!"

"How many must he kill before he stops?!"

The Magical Beasts began to avoid him, and some low-tier Magical Beasts even fled the Black Water Pool entirely, preferring to go to more dangerous areas rather than face this killing god again!

As for Jiang Donghua, his strength rapidly increased during this month of fighting!

"Hoo—"

He stood beside the corpse of a newly killed Magical Beast, which possessed the strength of a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner, slowly exhaling a mouthful of stale air, his eyes flashing with vigor.

"I've finally touched the threshold of an Eight-Star Dou Practitioner!"

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging Dou Qi within him, which was far more vigorous than before, and the smile on his lips grew colder.

"It's not enough. Keep killing!"

Jiang Donghua stood in the center of the messy battlefield, surrounded by the scattered corpses of several Magical Beasts. Blood stained the ground beneath his feet. He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the surging flow of Dou Qi within him, and a satisfied curve involuntarily lifted the corner of his mouth.

"Roaming Cloud Steps and Blazing Flame Palm have finally reached the Great Accomplishment stage!"

During these months of frantic fighting, his two Yellow Rank High-Tier Dou Techniques had long since advanced from the beginner stage to the Great Accomplishment stage. When executed, they were as easy as moving his own limbs, and their power was doubled!

Roaming Cloud Steps: his figure was like a phantom, erratic and unpredictable. Even the full-force pounce of a Second-Tier Magical Beast would struggle to touch the hem of his clothes!

Blazing Flame Palm: the palm wind was scorching like lava. One strike could char and crack even the thick hide of the Ironclad Mountain Boar!

"As expected, real combat is much faster than simply training afk!"

Jiang Donghua sighed inwardly.

With a thought, a translucent screen visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Cultivation Level: Seven-Star Dou Practitioner (6666 / 7000)]

[Main Cultivation Art: Heaven Burning Art (profound rank mid-level)]

[afk Income]

Clone 1: 5 points/hour

Clone 2: 5 points/hour

[Current Total Income: 10 points/hour]

Jiang Donghua's eyes flashed brightly.

In just over a month, soaring from a Five-Star Dou Practitioner all the way to a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner—if this cultivation speed were to spread, it would likely make those so-called geniuses feel ashamed of themselves!

"Although the afk system allows me to improve steadily, true breakthroughs still rely on life-and-death combat!"

He clenched his fists, feeling the Dou Qi within him, which was far more vigorous than before, and his fighting spirit intensified.

"However, the Magical Beasts near the Black Water Pool seem to be getting fewer and fewer."

Jiang Donghua looked around, slightly frowning.

In the past few months, he had almost wiped out all the low-tier Magical Beasts on the outskirts of the Black Water Pool.

The remaining ones had either fled or gotten smart, starting to move around in groups. There were even a few peak First-Tier Magical Beasts showing signs of teaming up.

"It looks like I need to move to a different location."