75: Chapter 75 Killing a Tenth-Tier Ferocious Beast

Standing at the edge of that forbidden zone, Ye Tian took a deep breath.

This was an area that generations of Ye Family ancestors had strictly forbidden anyone from entering; the only explanation given for this place was four words: Unknown, Dangerous.

"The Family's prohibition exists for a reason."

Ye Tian looked at the thick fog before him, his heart filled with solemnity.

He could feel that this area contained Spiritual Qi far exceeding that of the outside world.

Perhaps there were terrifying Vicious Beasts comparable to the Ningyuan Realm or even stronger lurking within; perhaps there were natural death zones, toxic miasmas, and other unknown perils.

But he had no choice.

The Black Cloud Stronghold Chief could come out of seclusion at any moment.

For every day he delayed, the Family faced an additional measure of danger of annihilation.

He had to seize any possible opportunity to Breakthrough to the Ningyuan Realm within the limited time!

"If one is timid and hesitant, one can never achieve great things! The path of the Martial Dao is a struggle against fate itself! If I don't even dare to take this small risk, how can I talk about protecting those important to me or climbing to the Peak?"

Ye Tian forcibly suppressed the concerns in his heart.

He no longer hesitated, completely withdrawing his Aura as the Nine Revolutions Purple Heart Art began to circulate slowly.

Taking light steps, he stepped into the thick fog.

As soon as he entered the forbidden zone, the environment immediately became completely different.

The light was extremely dim, and the thick fog not only obstructed vision but even suppressed one's senses to a great extent.

Ye Tian felt as if everything around him had become blurred.

The ground beneath his feet was wet and soft like a quagmire, and a nauseating hint of decay hung in the air.

He moved forward cautiously, every step like walking on thin ice.

Various strange sounds reached his ears; after traveling for about half an hour, he had yet to encounter any substantial danger.

But Ye Tian did not dare to relax in the slightest.

Suddenly, his footsteps paused, and his gaze turned toward a grove of twisted, withered trees to his front left.

There, he sensed an exceptionally powerful life force!

That Aura carried a surging power of blood and qi, far surpassing any Vicious Beast he had encountered before!

"A Rank Ten Vicious Beast? Or... something even more terrifying?"

Ye Tian's heart rate quickened, but he did not retreat; instead, he quietly crept closer.

Pushing aside the vines, the scene before him caused his pupils to shrink.

In an open clearing, there crouched a Vicious Beast that was not particularly massive in size but was extremely hideous in appearance!

It was covered in dark purple scales and shaped like a lizard, yet it possessed a venomous scorpion tail, the tip of which glinted with a ghostly blue cold light.

The strangest part was its head, which actually resembled a legendary Dragon's head, though its eyes were a dull, ashen white.

"Is this... a Poison Dragon Scorpion?!"

Records of a certain rare Vicious Beast from the Family's ancient texts flashed through Ye Tian's mind, leaving him shocked.

According to the records, an adult Poison Dragon Scorpion was at least a Rank Ten Vicious Beast; its venom was enough to threaten Ningyuan Realm experts, and its temperament was extremely brutal!

At the moment, this Poison Dragon Scorpion seemed to be dozing, but Ye Tian could sense that deep within those pale pupils, a sliver of consciousness was firmly locked onto the surroundings.

"This is the one!" Battle Intent surged in Ye Tian's eyes!

This Poison Dragon Scorpion was exactly the kind of opponent that could provide the pressure of life and death!

He did not rashly launch an attack but instead carefully observed the surrounding environment, looking for any potentially advantageous terrain.

At the same time, he slowly adjusted his breathing, raising his state to its Peak, as the force of the Overlapping Wave Fist quietly gathered within his body.

He knew that the upcoming battle would be his first since entering the forbidden zone, and also the most dangerous one!

Win, and he might find the opportunity for a Breakthrough.

Lose, and he would certainly be left without even a grave!

In the clearing, Ye Tian held his breath, staring fixedly at the Poison Dragon Scorpion.

He could clearly sense the terrifying power within its body.

"A Rank Ten Vicious Beast truly lives up to its reputation!"

This Aura is even a notch stronger than the pressure Yan She gave me!"

Ye Tian's heart was solemn; he didn't dare to be the least bit careless.

He knew this would be one of the most severe tests of life and death he had faced since stepping onto the path of the Martial Dao!

He slowly adjusted his breathing, circulating the Nine Revolutions Purple Heart Art to its limit, as the half-step Ningyuan True Qi in his Dantian stood ready.

The blood and qi power of the fourth level of the Dragon Elephant Art churned within him, and his muscles tensed slightly.

Simultaneously, he strove to capture that profound state of Martial Dao Will, trying to align his mind and body to their optimal condition.

"An opening!"

The moment the Poison Dragon Scorpion slightly adjusted its posture after being still for so long, Ye Tian moved!

He burst out from behind the withered tree!

There was not a single redundant movement, only speed pushed to the extreme!

The triple hidden force of the Overlapping Wave Fist instantly gathered in his right punch, carrying an indomitable Aura as it struck directly toward the Poison Dragon Scorpion's side neck!

However, the alertness of a Rank Ten Vicious Beast was far beyond imagination!

The instant Ye Tian's fist wind reached its body, the Poison Dragon Scorpion's pupils snapped open, its cold gaze instantly locking onto Ye Tian!

It let out a piercing hiss, its massive body twisting with agility!

Bang!

Ye Tian's fist did not hit a vital spot but instead smashed against the thick scales covering the Poison Dragon Scorpion's back!

"What hard scales!"

Ye Tian only felt his fist go numb; the hidden force of the Overlapping Wave Fist had actually been mostly neutralized by those scales!

The Poison Dragon Scorpion merely swayed its body, completely unscathed!

Realizing his strike had failed, Ye Tian knew things were bad and immediately pulled back to retreat!

But the Poison Dragon Scorpion's reaction was even faster!

Its scorpion tail suddenly whipped up, drawing an afterimage in the air as it lunged straight for Ye Tian's face!

The speed was breathtakingly fast!

"Not good!" Ye Tian's pupils constricted as the intense threat of death made the hair on his body stand on end!

He desperately urged his True Qi, his body drifting to the side!

The ghostly blue tail needle swept past half an inch from his cheek; the tip of the needle actually kicked up a gust of wind that carved a bloody gash on his face!

A burning pain flared up, and a surge of frigid toxic Qi invaded at the same time, though fortunately, it was instantly repelled by Ye Tian's powerful blood and qi!

"That was close!"

Ye Tian broke into a cold sweat; had he been a fraction slower just now, he would likely be dead from the poison by now!

Having missed its strike, the Poison Dragon Scorpion's ferocity exploded. It pushed off with its four limbs, its massive body charging at Ye Tian as it bared its fangs and spat out a cloud of foul-smelling green toxic mist!

Ye Tian didn't dare to take it head-on, his figure flashing repeatedly to dodge the toxic mist and the following tear of its sharp claws.

Wherever the toxic mist passed, the weeds on the ground instantly withered and rotted, showing how potent its toxicity was!

For a time, Ye Tian fell completely into a disadvantage, only able to struggle to hold on under the Poison Dragon Scorpion's attacks, with danger lurking at every turn!

"This can't go on! Its defense is too strong, its power too great, and it has deadly poison! If I just keep defending, I will eventually fail!"

Ye Tian was anxious, his mind racing, "I must find its weakness!"

He observed carefully while dodging.

The Poison Dragon Scorpion was covered in scales, but its abdomen was relatively soft—and then there were its eyes!

"The eyes! And the moment it opens its mouth to spit poison!"

A cold light flashed in Ye Tian's eyes. He no longer purely dodged; instead, he timed the moment the Poison Dragon Scorpion opened its mouth to spit toxic mist again and charged straight in!

This step was extremely dangerous; if the timing was off, his end would be the same as those rotting weeds.

"Overlapping Wave Fist! Break!"

He gave a great shout, pouring all his strength into his left fist to strike the sprayed toxic mist, the fist wind slightly scattering the poison!

Simultaneously, his right fist, like a spring coiled for a long time, struck at an even more cunning angle, aiming directly for the Poison Dragon Scorpion's right eye!

This move was risky to the extreme!

It was a completely mutually destructive fighting style!

The Poison Dragon Scorpion clearly hadn't expected Ye Tian to dare to be so desperate; it was too late to close its eye!

Puchi!

Ye Tian's fist smashed solidly into the Poison Dragon Scorpion's eyeball!

The hidden force exploded!

"Hiss!!!"

The Poison Dragon Scorpion let out a shrill, pained howl as its right eye instantly burst, dark green fluid splashing everywhere!

The intense pain drove it completely mad; its massive body twisted frantically, and its scorpion tail lashed out wildly!

Although Ye Tian had succeeded, his left arm was grazed by the edge of the toxic mist, sending a wave of numbness through it. At the same time, his chest was struck by the Poison Dragon Scorpion's frantically flailing front claw; his blood and qi churned, and a sweetness rose in his throat as he nearly spat blood!

But he endured the intense pain and numbness, taking advantage of its weakness to finish it off!

"Now is the time!"

He stayed close to the Poison Dragon Scorpion, which was exposing openings due to the pain, and hammered the Overlapping Wave Fist into its relatively soft abdomen!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every punch hit home, the hidden force penetrating the body!

The Poison Dragon Scorpion's pained howls grew weaker and weaker, its frantic movements gradually slowing down. Its abdominal scales shattered, and its internal organs were pounded into mush!

Finally, this powerful Rank Ten Vicious Beast let out an unwilling mournful cry and crashed to the ground, completely devoid of life.

In the clearing, only the sound of Ye Tian's heavy breathing remained.

His face was pale, his left arm numb, and his chest throbbed with pain. His clothes were soaked through with a mixture of blood, sweat, and venom, leaving him in a wretched state.

But his eyes were filled with excitement!

"I won...!"

Looking at the corpse of the Poison Dragon Scorpion, a great sense of accomplishment welled up in Ye Tian's heart.

This battle had been even more difficult and dangerous than he had anticipated!

He had exhausted almost all his strength and suffered significant injuries before narrowly killing it!

"A Rank Ten Vicious Beast is truly terrifying! If not for my powerful Physical Body, I'm afraid it would be me who died today!"

He felt a lingering fear, but at the same time, he recognized his own strength limits more clearly.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged, using his technique to force out the remaining poison in his left arm while adjusting his breathing to recover.

This battle, though dangerous, had also made him more proficient in the use of his own power, especially that combat instinct that erupted at the moment of life and death, which seemed to have improved again.

"But what a pity... I still haven't been able to touch the Ningyuan Realm."

It seemed that merely defeating a Rank Ten Vicious Beast was not enough to break through that Bottleneck.

He stood up and walked to the side of the Poison Dragon Scorpion's corpse.

A Rank Ten Vicious Beast was full of treasures; its venomous tail and gallbladder, in particular, were worth a fortune.

He skillfully began to collect his spoils of war.

However, just as he cut open the Poison Dragon Scorpion's abdomen and took out that Monster Core radiating intense energy fluctuations!

The chaos bead in his bosom suddenly gave a strong vibration!

The source of the vibration didn't seem to come from the Monster Core, but from a certain direction deep within the Poison Dragon Scorpion's lair!

Ye Tian's heart stirred, and his gaze turned toward the depths of the lair shrouded in even thicker fog.

"Could there be something there attracting the chaos bead?"