174: Chapter 174 The Rampaging Bear

Under the backlash of the force, Xiong Da went with the momentum, dropping to one knee as his figure swayed.

Before he could rise, Yang Yan's long blade had already struck his shoulder.

"Squelch!"

Fresh blood instantly stained Xiong Da's shoulder red, dripping slowly along the blade.

Overcome by intense pain,

a flash of ferocity crossed Xiong Da's eyes. Ignoring the injury on his shoulder, he abruptly reached out and grabbed the scorching hot blade with a death grip.

His palm was sliced open by the edge, but he didn't even notice the blood flowing freely.

"Xiong Da, do you have any last words?" Yang Yan looked down at him from above.

"I... cannot lose..." Xiong Da spoke with difficulty, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"My brother's great revenge has yet to be avenged; I... absolutely cannot die!"

No sooner had he finished speaking,

than wisps of pitch-black Qi, dark as ink, floated in from nowhere and surged into Xiong Da's body.

Instantly,

black Qi churned all over Xiong Da's body, and his previously clear eyes turned blood-red in an instant.

The aura around him also surged violently, and a berserk, bloodthirsty pressure swept across the entire scene.

Even the surrounding air seemed to stagnate.

"Bang!"

Xiong Da exerted sudden force, smashing a fist into the long blade embedded in his shoulder.

The immense power sent the long blade flying.

Caught off guard, Yang Yan was shaken by this force and stumbled.

He retreated several steps before barely managing to steady himself.

"You... something is wrong!" Yang Yan's brows furrowed tightly.

Staring at the black-Qi-shrouded Xiong Da, a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

The Xiong Da before him had become strange and terrifying.

"Kill!"

A hoarse and ear-piercing roar erupted from Xiong Da's throat.

In the end, he only spat out one word.

He picked up the broken sword from the ground and flashed forward.

"Clang!"

Yang Yan reacted extremely quickly, hastily picking up the long blade that had been knocked away to block in front of him.

But Xiong Da's power had already surged several times over, and the moment the blade and sword collided,

Yang Yan was overwhelmed by a massive backlash of force.

"Pfft!"

His throat turned sweet, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body flying backward.

"Senior Brother Xiong, well done!"

The Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples currently in battle saw this, and their morale instantly soared as they shouted in unison.

"Who dares to say our Heavenly Sword Sect are weaklings now?"

"That's right! Your Senior Brother was sent flying by our Senior Brother; that is the fact!"

The Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples were high in morale, and their offensive became increasingly fierce.

"Hmph, don't get cocky!" The Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples snorted coldly, feeling unwilling to accept this.

But looking at the fallen Yang Yan, they had no way to refute it.

After all, they could not escape the facts.

"Senior Brother Yang, fight back!"

"Senior Brother Yang, show your true skills; don't lose to him!"

The Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples roared and shouted, trying to cheer Yang Yan on.

"Your Senior Brother is just like that, vulnerable to a single blow!" The Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples seized the opportunity to mock them, their attacks becoming even more relentless.

The Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples gradually fell into a disadvantage, each of them looking gloomy and filled with frustration.

Just as both sides were fighting intensely and locked in a stalemate,

Xiong Da suddenly tilted his head back and let out a deafening roar: "ROAR!"

The berserk roar spread out like a thunderclap, shaking the minds of all the Disciples present.

"Not good, Xiong Da has lost his sanity!" Yang Yan, who had just barely managed to stand up, turned pale, his brows furrowed tightly.

The sense of unease in his heart grew even stronger.

He could feel that the black Qi within Xiong Da was becoming increasingly violent.

It had completely devoured his consciousness.

"Kill!" There was no trace of reason in Xiong Da's eyes, only bloodthirsty madness.

He raised the broken sword again and charged fiercely toward Yang Yan, his every move aimed to kill.

"Damn it! Fuck!" Yang Yan couldn't help but curse out loud, hastily focusing his mind.

Relying on agile footwork to dodge constantly, he dared not face the mindless Xiong Da head-on.

At this moment, Xiong Da's combat power had far exceeded his expectations.

"ROAR!"

After missing several times in a row, Xiong Da became even more berserk and let out a roar.

He actually turned his target and charged fiercely toward the crowd that was currently in a chaotic melee.

There was no discernment in his eyes, only the desire for slaughter.

"Squelch!"

The broken sword was incredibly sharp, and Xiong Da's movements were fast and ruthless.

A Tyrant Blade Sect Disciple who couldn't dodge in time was instantly slashed across the throat by the sword.

His head rolled off, and fresh blood spurted out.

"Haha! Senior Brother Xiong, well done! Beautifully done!" A Heavenly Sword Sect Disciple saw this.

He immediately laughed out loud, his face full of pride.

However,

the smile still frozen on his face came to an abrupt end.

In the blink of an eye, Xiong Da had already appeared before him.

The broken sword in his hand had already been thrust into his abdomen, and fresh blood instantly soaked his clothes.

"Senior... Brother... I am... your Junior Brother..." The Heavenly Sword Sect Disciple's eyes were filled with disbelief, his words intermittent.

Before he could finish his sentence,

his head tilted to the side, and he completely lost his breath, collapsing.

"Hiss! Holy crap, he actually killed his own Junior Brother? This is simply worse than a beast!" The Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples all gasped in horror.

Their faces were filled with terror, and the arrogant aura from before was gone.

"Something is wrong, he is really wrong!"

"Look at his eyes, and the black Qi around his body; he is no longer Xiong Da at all. He has been controlled by something!"

Only at this moment,

did the Disciples present finally react and stop fighting.

They carefully observed Xiong Da, who was covered in black Qi and had blood-red eyes.

Yang Yan, having recovered his senses, turned pale.

He immediately shouted loudly: "Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples, run for your lives! Don't fight him head-on; we are simply no match for him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took to his heels and ran, not daring to stay for even a second.

At this moment, Xiong Da was already a killing machine; staying behind would only mean dying in vain.

"Run! Quick!" The Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples woke up as if from a dream and scattered in all directions.

"Kill!"

A bloodthirsty roar came from Xiong Da's throat.

The faster the Disciples ran, the tighter he pursued.

Everywhere he passed, there was only blood and screams.

"Help... ah!" A Tyrant Blade Sect Disciple ran a bit slower, and before he could finish his cry,

he was pierced through the back of his heart by Xiong Da's sword and died on the spot.

Xiong Da's speed was astonishingly fast; the Tyrant Blade Sect Disciples couldn't react in time at all.

One after another, they fell beneath his broken sword.

Of course, the fleeing Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples did not escape unscathed either, and many were killed.

"He is attacking indiscriminately! Whether it's us or the people from the Tyrant Blade Sect, he kills them all!"

"Run away quickly, don't hold any illusions of survival, he has gone completely mad!"

The Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples were completely panicked, no longer having their previous morale, and fled in all directions.

Some even tried to flee in groups, but even so, it was very difficult to escape Xiong Da's pursuit.

"Senior Brother Xiong... I am your Junior Sister... please don't kill me..." A beautiful Heavenly Sword Sect female Disciple was caught up to by Xiong Da, trembling all over and pleading bitterly.

"Die!" There was no pity in Xiong Da's eyes as he uttered the single word.

The broken sword pierced the female Disciple's heart, and blood splattered across his cheeks.

He, however, did not notice, continuing to charge toward the next target.

Watching the female Disciple fall into a pool of blood,

the last bit of hope in the hearts of the other fleeing Disciples completely vanished, leaving only endless terror.

"Run away! Don't look back! Run!"

Screams, shouts, and the sound of weapons hitting the ground echoed continuously in the valley.

Xiong Da's speed was extremely fast; wherever he passed, nothing remained. This was simply not a fight.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

Whether it was the Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect or the Disciples of the Tyrant Blade Sect, none could escape his broken sword.

One after another, they fell into pools of blood, and the valley was soon dyed red with blood.

...

In a dense forest far from the valley, Yang Yan sat on the ground, panting heavily.

He was covered in injuries, his clothes were tattered, and his face was full of wretchedness and lingering fear.

He continued to curse: "Damn it! What the hell is going on with this Xiong Da? How did he suddenly become so terrifying?"

After calming down for a while, he barely managed to steady his panicked mind.

He thought to himself: No, this matter is too serious; I must report it to the Sect immediately and have the Sect send someone to handle it!

Thinking of this, he hastily took out a communication jade talisman from his storage ring.

He injected spiritual power with his fingertips, attempting to contact the Sect.

But no matter how he fiddled with it, the communication jade talisman had no reaction at all.

"What's going on? Why can't I contact the Sect?" Yang Yan's brows furrowed tightly, a sense of unease welling up in his heart.

He hastily took out another communication jade talisman and dialed the Junior Brother who had come here with him.

The jade talisman flickered a few times and, surprisingly, connected.

But on the other end, there was no response, only dead silence.

"It connected? Why is no one speaking?" Yang Yan's heart sank.

Immediately, a look of despair appeared on his face, and he sighed helplessly.

"Sigh... it seems that the Junior Brothers must have all been killed; no one can respond to me anymore."

Only then did he realize that this place, which resembled a Secret Realm, seemed to have been sealed off by some kind of power.

It was impossible to transmit information to the outside, and one could only contact each other within the Secret Realm.

But now, the Junior Brothers who had come with him had all died tragically, and no one could contact him anymore.

Just as Yang Yan was filled with despair and at a loss,

an old voice suddenly came from the side: "Little friend, you are from the outside, aren't you?"

Yang Yan was startled and stood up from the ground abruptly.

He looked vigilantly in the direction the voice came from.

An old man dressed in simple cloth clothes was walking slowly toward him.

The old man had an aged face and gray hair, but his eyes were very clear.

The aura around his body was plain; one could not see the depth of his cultivation.

"Oh? Who are you?" Yang Yan looked vigilant.

"Listening to what you mean, you are a native of this Secret Realm?"

The old man walked slowly to his front.

He smiled and nodded: "That's right, my ancestors have lived in this world for generations; I suppose I am what you call a native!"

Hearing this, a flash of light instantly crossed Yang Yan's eyes.

He hurriedly stepped forward, his brows raised.

He asked: "Senior, since you have always lived here, do you know how to get out of here?"

The old man heard this,

and smiled faintly: "Hehe, wanting to leave is naturally possible. However, this Secret Realm only opens an exit once every thousand years."

The old man's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Yang Yan's head.

The smile on his face froze instantly.

He said in disbelief: "One thousand years? Senior, did you make a mistake? It's impossible for me to stay here for a thousand years!"

The old man slowly shook his head, "I have no need to lie to you. If this Secret Realm were free to enter and exit, our clan would have left here long ago to roam the outside world and would not have been trapped in this place for generations."

Yang Yan's brows furrowed even tighter, and he carefully observed the old man's expression.

Seeing that his expression was sincere and he didn't seem to be lying, the despair in his heart grew even stronger.

One thousand years, let alone whether he could live that long.

Even if he could live that long, it was impossible for him to be trapped here for a thousand years.

"Then... then why was I able to come in?" Yang Yan was unwilling to give up and asked again.

"If the exit only opens once every thousand years, then didn't I just happen to arrive on the day it opened?"

The old man shook his head again: "I am not too clear about that. The Secret Realm occasionally has some anomalies; perhaps you just happened to break in by accident during an anomaly."

"Oh? Anomaly?" A flash of light instantly crossed Yang Yan's eyes, and his brain began to spin rapidly.

"In that case, now is not the thousand-year milestone. I was able to come in because the Secret Realm had an anomaly, so there must be a special method to get out of here. Perhaps even you, Senior, do not know this method!"

Thinking of this, the despair in Yang Yan's heart gradually dissipated, and his mood improved a lot.

As long as there is hope, he cannot give up.

No matter what, he must get out of here.

The old man watched the changes in his expression and spoke slowly.

His expression became solemn: "Little friend, I advise you to find a safe place to settle down first. In this Secret Realm, every night, those ferocious beasts will swarm out to forage for food. If you don't have a place to hide, you will only die miserably then."

Yang Yan's heart trembled, and he hurriedly cupped his hands in a salute to the old man.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior; I cannot thank you enough!"

"No need to be polite." The old man waved his hand, a smile appearing on his face.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I won't accompany you for small talk; I shall take my leave."

After speaking, the old man's brows raised slightly, and he was about to turn and leave.

"Senior, wait a moment!" Yang Yan hurriedly called out to stop him.

"Senior, I am new here and know nothing about this Secret Realm, nor do I know where is safe. Could you take me in? I would like to go to your Family to settle down, just seeking a place to stay!"

When Yang Yan said this, he was very nervous.

He was an outsider, and the other party might not take him in.

But he had no other choice; if he remained alone in this Secret Realm,

let alone finding a way out, he probably wouldn't even survive the night.

The old man heard this, paused his steps, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

A strange light flashed in his eyes, but he quickly restrained his expression.

He slowly shook his head and politely refused: "This... I'm afraid that's not appropriate. Although I would very much like to befriend you, you are, after all, an outsider with an unknown background. If you harbor evil intentions, our Family will be placed in a passive position. I cannot take that risk."

After speaking, the old man waved his hands repeatedly, and his expression became cautious.

Yang Yan frowned tightly.

He hurriedly said: "Senior, please rest assured, I absolutely have no malicious intent. I just want to find a place to stay, safely get through tonight, and incidentally ask you about the situation in the Secret Realm. I am Yang Yan, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Tyrant Blade Sect. This is my identity token; you can verify it!"

After speaking, Yang Yan hurriedly took out his identity token from his storage ring and handed it to the old man.

The Tyrant Blade Sect is a large Sect, and the identity token cannot be faked.

He believed that as long as the old man saw the token, he would definitely believe him.

The old man took the identity token and looked at it carefully.

On the token were engraved the words "Inner Sect Disciple of the Tyrant Blade Sect, Yang Yan", as well as the Sect mark of the Tyrant Blade Sect.

He then nodded.

He smiled and said: "So it is a Disciple from a large Sect; excuse my disrespect! Since that is the case, I will trust you this once and take you in for the night."

"Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!" Yang Yan was overjoyed.

He hurriedly cupped his hands in a salute to the old man again.

"No need for courtesy, follow me!" The old man waved his hand.

He put away the identity token, handed it back to Yang Yan, then turned and walked toward the depths of the dense forest.

"Alright!" Yang Yan hurriedly took the identity token.

He followed behind the old man eagerly, not daring to be slow in the slightest.

Along the way,

the old man stopped from time to time to ask about Yang Yan's life in the Tyrant Blade Sect.

And some daily trivial matters of the outside world.

Yang Yan was filled with gratitude at this moment and had no defenses at all.

Whatever the old man asked, he answered.

He spilled everything about his daily life in the Sect and the customs of the outside world, without hiding anything.

The two walked all the way, winding and turning, passing through the dense forest.

About an hour later,

a small village suddenly came into Yang Yan's view.

The village was not large, and the houses were all built of wood and thatch.

It looked very simple, surrounded by dense woods.

But just at the moment he saw the village,

Yang Yan inexplicably frowned, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

For some reason, he could vaguely feel

that from the village, a faint, disgusting aura was coming, one that made him feel very repulsed.

That aura was very subtle; if one didn't perceive it carefully, it would be impossible to detect.

"Young man, we have arrived; this is where my Family is located." The old man stopped his steps.

He pointed to the village in front and said to Yang Yan with a smile.