136: Man and gun as one

The bone spurs were incredibly fast, far exceeding Lu Chen’s speed.

Lu Chen’s mind flashed with many thoughts in an instant.

Could a majestic Heavenly Dao die here?

“Calm down—” Lu Chen bit his tongue, the metallic taste of blood forcing him to regain his composure.

Buzz!

Lu Chen felt time slow down; he could clearly see all the bone spurs, count exactly how many there were, and from what angle they were coming.

Lu Chen had entered a state of flow.

The so-called flow state is a psychological state of self-forgetfulness, pleasure, and high efficiency that an individual experiences when highly focused and completely immersed in an activity.

Lu Chen instantly identified the only path to survival.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, his long spear parried six bone spurs.

One of the bone spurs grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody mark on his cheekbone, but Lu Chen didn’t even flinch.

His entire focus was locked onto that single path to survival—following the trajectory, the long spear in his hand transformed into a silver lightning bolt, its tip imbued with his martial Dao killing intent.

Under the Baleful Beast’s terrified gaze, this spear precisely pierced its heart.

The Baleful Beast let out a mournful howl, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

The villagers erupted in cheers!

“Oh my god! That kid Lu Chen actually killed the Baleful Beast all by himself! That was an Baleful Beast with twenty years of Dao cultivation!”

Liu Xiaohua’s clear tears rolled down her wheat-colored cheeks; she was proud of Lu Chen.

More than a dozen strong men had already surrounded it with thick hemp ropes and hard wooden sticks.

They cautiously approached the now stiff Baleful Beast, first tying its four limbs with hemp ropes soaked in black dog blood, and then fitting special iron hoops over its fangs.

“Careful! This hide is worth at least three hundred taels of silver!” The Village Chief’s mustache trembled with excitement, “And these fangs, these claws, they are all excellent Artifact Refining Materials!”

Butcher Lu Sandao squatted at the Baleful Beast’s abdomen, gently cutting an opening with his pig-slaying knife, and suddenly exclaimed, “Look! An inner core! It’s a fully formed inner core!”

A pigeon-egg-sized, reddish pearl was emitting a faint glow.

The crowd burst into another gasp of surprise; even the most composed Family elders couldn't sit still now—a fully formed inner core was a legendary treasure for a Qi Refining Immortal to Breakthrough a Bottleneck, priceless, a supreme treasure that could change a Family’s destiny!

Village Chief Village Chief calmly said, “Quick! Quickly put away the inner core, and carry the Baleful Beast back to the village! Hurry!”

Everyone scrambled down the mountain, but they hadn't even taken two steps.

Woof woof woof!

Dozens of wild dogs barked.

Dozens of dark figures suddenly appeared on the hillside—hunters from Lin Family Village!

Each person held a large Wind-Chasing Hound on a leash.

These fierce hounds were entirely gray-black, standing four feet tall at the shoulder, with exposed fangs, emitting low growls from their throats, and their scarlet tongues constantly dripped saliva.

Village Chief Village Chief’s face changed drastically, and his right hand unconsciously tightened on his nine-ring broadsword: “Lin Changyuan! What is the meaning of this? This is our Lu Family Village’s ancestral hunting ground!”

Lin Changyuan, the Village Chief of Lin Family Village, was about fifty years old, with a ferocious knife scar on his face that made him look particularly sinister when he smiled: “Old Brother Lu, that’s not right. The City Lord only said you have priority hunting rights, but he didn’t say the entire mountain belongs to you. I heard you encountered an Baleful Beast, so I specially brought all the elites from my village to help, but I didn’t expect my good intentions to be taken for granted!”

“Bullshit!” Village Chief’s beard trembled with anger, “You are clearly wolves drawn by the smell of blood! Trying to reap benefits without effort? No way!”

Lin Changyuan remained unhurried: “Old Brother Lu, that’s hurting feelings. How about this, let’s both take a step back. To the victors go the spoils. You give us half of this Baleful Beast, and we all go back peacefully, how about that?”

“Dream on!” Village Chief suddenly drew his nine-ring blade, “We lost a brother and seven or eight good men were injured. Why should we share it with you bandits who take advantage of others’ misfortune!”

Lin Changyuan’s face instantly darkened, and the knife scar on his face turned purplish-red: “Village Chief, you’re being ungrateful, aren’t you?”

He suddenly waved his hand, and the hunters behind him all drew their weapons.

Village Chief showed no fear, instead stepping forward: “If you have the guts, kill us all! I want to see if the City Lord will condone your banditry! Then we’ll see if other villages still respect the City Lord’s jurisdiction!”

“Good, good, good!” Lin Changyuan suddenly laughed up to the sky, then his face darkened, “Let’s go!”

He turned around, seemingly intending to lead his men away.

But at the moment he turned, he gave a look to the hunters behind him.

Woof woof woof!

Four of the fiercest Wind-Chasing Hounds suddenly broke free, pouncing like arrows from a bowstring towards the villagers carrying the Baleful Beast.

These fierce hounds were well-trained; two went straight for the throats of the strong men carrying the pole, while the other two pounced on the Baleful Beast’s corpse.

Their fangs gleamed with a cold light, about to draw blood... Lu Chen’s spear shaft was like a whip, sweeping across the battlefield, directly slicing across the throats of the four Wind-Chasing Hounds.

Pfft!

Four lines of blood spurted out simultaneously.

“Black Wind! My Black Wind!” Lin Xiao, the top hunter of Lin Family Village, wailed heartbrokenly, trembling all over as he looked at the Wind-Chasing Hound killed by Lu Chen’s spear.

This Wind-Chasing Hound, named “Black Wind,” had followed him for seven years and was his most capable companion.

Lin Xiao suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Lu Chen: “Little beast! I’ll have your life!”

The hunting knife at his waist brought a cold gleam, aiming straight for Lu Chen’s head.

Lu Chen shifted his body slightly, and his long spear arced upwards, drawing a beautiful curve.

With a crisp “clang,” the hunting knife flew out, embedding itself in a tree trunk three zhang away.

The next second.

The spear tip was already pressed against Lin Xiao’s Adam’s apple, the cold metallic touch instantly freezing the burly man in place.

“Anyone who takes another step forward, I will pierce his throat.” Lu Chen held his spear as steady as a rock, his gaze as stern as no twelve-year-old should have.

Lin Changyuan’s smile froze.

He incredulously sized up the unfamiliar youth—when did Lu Family Village produce such a person?

Cold sweat soaked Lin Changyuan’s back, and he forced out a smile: “Old Brother Lu, a misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding! Our Lin Family Village has always been upright and honorable; how could we snatch prey from a brother village?” He chuckled, waving his hands repeatedly, “What are you still standing around for? Get back to the village!”

The hunters of Lin Family Village looked at each other, but no one dared to disobey the order, so they could only dejectedly put away their weapons.

Lu Chen retracted his long spear, and Lin Xiao, still shaken, glared at Lu Chen, then said, “You little brat, you just wait for me!!” Then he stumbled away… On the way, Lin Changyuan said darkly, “Who is that child? He’s very unfamiliar. The power and Aura of that spear strike just now were even stronger than mine, a Meridian Opening Realm second layer. Go investigate quickly.”

He paused.

“Also, quickly notify the Horse-Slaying Gang people and tell them that Lu Family Village caught a twenty-year Baleful Beast, and even extracted an inner core, which is priceless. Tell them to come over quickly!”

Although Lin Xiao was angry, he still had his reason: “Village Chief, if the City Lord finds out about this, we will be punished!”

Lin Changyuan chuckled sinisterly: “Don’t worry, the City Lord doesn’t have time for these trifles. In three months, it will be the five-hundredth birthday of Martial Emperor Zhao Zheng, and he is extremely busy.”

(Everyone guess, who is Zhao Zheng? The answer will be revealed tomorrow.)