135: The first battle of Luchen!

Lu Chen indeed did not want to take risks!

It is said that in Mang Mountain near Lu Family Village, there are Baleful Beasts, which are wild beasts possessed by Evil Qi.

No one knows where this Evil Qi comes from, but any wild beast that gets tainted by it will become exceptionally ferocious.

Even more terrifying, some Baleful Beasts can even Cultivate Evil Qi, eventually transforming into true Yao Beasts.

For Lu Family Village, Baleful Beasts are both a danger and an opportunity.

Over hundreds of years, the ancestors of Lu Family Village have developed a special method to deal with Baleful Beasts, knowing their weaknesses.

Hunting just one would be enough to feed the entire village for a whole year.

The flesh and blood of Baleful Beasts can be used as medicine, their fur can be made into armor, and their bones are top-grade Materials for forging weapons, selling for sky-high prices in the city.

Unfortunately, Baleful Beasts are too rare; since the beginning of spring this year, there hasn't been a single one.

The village chief did not force Lu Chen; instead, he explained, "Alright, everyone, disperse. Lu Chen needs to prepare for next month's selection competition and doesn't have time to go up the mountain."

Another week passed, and Lu Chen Cultivated diligently every day in the training grounds.

His Iron Shirt Technique had already reached the Perfection of the third level; when his muscles tensed, his skin would glow with a faint metallic luster.

Although this ancestral Cultivation Technique of the Lu family was simple, its strength lay in its solidity; each Breakthrough allowed his Physical Body strength to increase by one level.

"It's a pity it's only a basic Cultivation Technique..." Lu Chen vaguely felt that the Iron Shirt Technique should have subsequent advanced Cultivation Techniques, but even the village chief didn't know their whereabouts.

This Cultivation Technique was passed down through generations by the Lu family's Old Ancestor; it is said that practicing it to the extreme could make one invulnerable, but now only the Cultivation methods for the first three levels remain.

Only ten days remained until the selection competition.

Early this morning, as Lu Chen was adjusting his breathing under the old locust tree tree at the village entrance, he suddenly heard his neighbor, Aunt Wang Chunlan, cry out in panic, "It's bad! The hunting team encountered an Baleful Beast in Mang Mountain, and many people were injured or killed! I don't know if my Tieshan is alright! Oh no, oh no!"

The entire village became tense.

The women huddled together, sobbing softly, while the men quickly grabbed their weapons, preparing to go up the mountain for rescue.

Lu Chen stood at the edge of the crowd, his fists unconsciously clenching and unclenching.

Reason told him that facing a ferocious Baleful Beast, going up the mountain rashly was too dangerous.

Just as he hesitated, a harsh voice came from the crowd, "Lu Chen, your aunt Liu Xiaohua is also on the mountain! She wanted to pick yams to sell and buy you tonics!"

Hearing this!

Lu Chen could no longer hold back; besides his parents on Earth, Lu Chen had already come to regard Liu Xiaohua as his most important relative!

Lu Chen said nothing, picked up his long spear, and headed straight up the mountain.

Many children in their teens, undaunted, also picked up weapons and followed him up the mountain.

The adults held back the children: "Nonsense, you kids shouldn't go up. Do you know how terrifying Baleful Beasts are?"

Lu Xiaohu, his eyes red, said, "I'm not being silly! Get out of the way! I'm not afraid!"

...Deep within Mang Mountain, mist permeated the air, and a massive, jet-black creature slowly ambled out.

Its body was larger than that of an adult wild ox, covered in scales like iron armor, each one shimmering with an eerie dark red luster.

This Baleful Beast, named "Zhen," revealed two rows of serrated fangs. Its most peculiar feature was its tail, which was ten feet long, forked into three strands at the end, each covered in barbs, making a "whooshing" sound as it whipped through the air.

As it moved, visible black Evil Qi swirled around its body; where it passed, plants quickly withered.

Village Chief Village Chief held a nine-ring broadsword, fine beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

Hunting Captain Iron Mountain Lu stood beside him, dark red blood still clinging to the sharp tip of his trident.

Behind them, a dozen hunting team members protected their injured comrades and the sprained-ankled Liu Xiaohua in the center, their faces filled with both fear and determination.

On the ground lay a bloody, mangled corpse—that was their first fallen comrade.

Three other team members clutched their bleeding wounds, their faces as pale as paper.

Liu Xiaohua bit her lip, enduring the sharp pain from her ankle, still tightly clutching the medicinal herbs she had picked for Lu Chen.

"Steady!" Iron Mountain Lu whispered, sweat dripping down his temples. "Ten steps behind us is a deep pit trap, covered with dry branches as camouflage. We'll lure it over there!"

They retreated slowly, their weapons constantly aimed forward.

The Baleful Beast Zhen approached unhurriedly, its blood-red eyes like two ghostly flames in the twilight.

Just as it was about to step into the trap's range, the Vicious Beast suddenly stopped, a strange arc forming on its lips. Its hind legs pushed off with a fierce force, and its massive body launched into the air, easily clearing the ten-foot-wide deep pit.

"Damn it!" Village Chief Village Chief's face instantly turned ashen. "This beast can understand human speech!"

Iron Mountain Lu's gaze was fixed on the crescent-shaped scar on the Baleful Beast Zhen's forehead: "Village Chief... could this be... the one that killed Brother Dashan back then? But it's even stronger now..."

Village Chief raised his nine-ring broadsword high: "It's getting dark; no one will be able to leave then! Dashan sacrificed himself twelve years ago; no one else can die today! I'll cover the rear; you all take the injured and leave quickly!"

"No!" Iron Mountain Lu grabbed the old village chief's arm, tears in his eyes. "If something happens to you, Lu Family Village is finished! Let me do it!"

He stepped forward, his trident pointing directly at the Baleful Beast Zhen.

"Roar—!" The Baleful Beast Zhen let out an earth-shshattering roar, as if declaring, "You all will die tonight."

It pounced fiercely, its sharp claws bringing a whistling gust of wind.

"Clang!" The village chief's broadsword and Iron Mountain Lu's trident met simultaneously, sparks of metal collision glaring brightly in the twilight.

However, the Baleful Beast Zhen's strength was far beyond imagination; with two crisp snaps, both weapons were actually broken!

The broken blade tip spun and plunged into the mud, and everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

At this critical moment, a silver light shot through the air!

An iron spear, wrapped in a fierce current of Qi, precisely pierced towards the Baleful Beast Zhen's eye.

The beast had to retreat and avoid it. Only then did everyone see clearly that the one standing with the spear was none other than the arriving Lu Chen!

The young man exuded a sharp Aura, his Iron Shirt Technique operating at its peak, his skin glowing with a metallic luster.

Liu Xiaohua was both happy and scared: "Lu Chen, why are you here? It's dangerous!"

Lu Xiaohu held up a cloth bag full of red beans: "We're all here!"

Before his words finished, a dozen villagers swarmed out from the mountain path's corner, quickly scattering red beans towards the Baleful Beast from their bags.

The Baleful Beast's crimson pupils suddenly contracted—those seemingly ordinary red beans were old varieties that had absorbed the Yang Qi of noon for years, sacred pure Yang objects consecrated before the ancestral shrine's incense for forty-nine days.

The plump red beans poured down like a torrential rain.

The moment the bean grains collided with the thick Evil Qi, they erupted in crackling sounds like frying beans. Each red bean sizzled, producing a special green smoke that suppressed the Baleful Beast, causing it fear and burning its skin.

"Now!"

Lu Chen's spear tip, wreathed in green smoke, aimed directly for the Baleful Beast's throat, but both his speed and power were less than a tenth of what they were in training.

The Baleful Beast easily dodged.

Lu Chen had never been this nervous in his life; his movements were distorted.

After all, this was a matter of life and death.

Before, as the Heavenly Dao, knowing he wouldn't die, his mindset in battle was completely different.

Lu Chen and the Baleful Beast exchanged ten rounds of blows, Lu Chen nearly being killed several times.

Damn it! What the hell, Lu Chen! Lu Chen, you trash! What are you afraid of! Tell me what you're afraid of!

You destroyed six civilizations, killed countless lives, weren't they afraid?!

You are the Heavenly Dao; even if you truly die, you must die with dignity!

Lu Chen's eyes sharpened!

Zhen was actually intimidated by Lu Chen.

After all, he was once the Heavenly Dao.

Lu Chen finally found his rhythm, the spear shaft spinning in his palm with a shrill whistling sound.

A lunge and thrust! The spear tip actually split into two illusory and real afterimages simultaneously, the sound of breaking air like a Dragon's roar.

The Baleful Beast narrowly dodged.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chen had already predicted the Baleful Beast's escape route; with a back-hand spear thrust, the tempered steel spearhead pierced Zhen's throat.

Pfft!

Dark red blood spurted out.

The dying Zhen let out a hoarse roar, and dense bone spikes erupted from its spine.

Those sharp spikes, coated with eerie blue venom, rained down like pear blossoms, sealing all gaps around Lu Chen.

"Lu Chen!" Liu Xiaohua's face lost all color, unable to watch.