346: Fierce Battle (III)

Su Han's back slammed heavily against the broken tree trunk, a metallic sweetness rising in his throat.

He forced down the bloody froth, his fingers digging deep into the mud, blood seeping from his nail beds.

The Monster's roar vibrated painfully in his eardrums, and as the Fishy Wind (foul wind) swept across his cheek, he clearly saw the chilling barbs on the Monster's forelimbs, each one as long as his forearm, gleaming with a faint blue light.

"Can't die."

Su Han silently repeated to himself, forcing his numb fingers to grip the sword hilt.

The golden light on the sword's body had dimmed, but it reignited under the Motivation (activation) of the Spirit Energy in his palm.

The Monster's six legs crashed down like iron picks; Su Han rolled away at the last moment, dodging the attack. Six deep pits were smashed into the ground, and amidst the flying debris, he swung his sword towards the Monster's joints.

Sparks flew off the scales, but the long sword failed to pierce the hard shell.

The Monster, in pain, whipped its tail. Su Han quickly leaned back, the tip of the tail grazing his nose and taking a strand of black hair with it.

He used the opportunity to roll under the Monster's belly, the sword tip aimed directly at its soft abdomen—only to see it covered in dense black down, each hair wriggling and standing erect as if alive.

Su Han's pupils constricted, and he quickly pulled back.

The Monster's abdomen suddenly split open, revealing a large, round mouth filled with sharp teeth. Foul-smelling viscous fluid dripped onto the ground, corroding small, sizzling holes.

Su Han narrowly avoided it, but his back was scratched by the Monster's foreclaws, leaving three bloody marks.

The intense pain made him stagger back half a step. He looked down and saw his fresh blood seeping into the mud, which strangely absorbed it, leaving dark red stains.

"Is this Monster connected to this land?"

This thought flashed through Su Han's mind, only to be interrupted by the Monster's next attack.

The Monster's six legs exerted force simultaneously, its entire body lifting into the air before crashing down towards him like a black meteor.

Su Han rolled on the spot but was struck on the shoulder by the sweeping tail tip, sending him flying backward to collide with a protruding rock.

The rock surface was covered in moss; Su Han's blood stained the moss, winding into a strange pattern on the stone.

He struggled to stand up, only to find that his right leg was broken, his knee twisted at an unnatural angle.

The Monster slowly approached, its single eye reflecting Su Han's bloodied figure. A low gurgling sound came from its throat, as if it were enjoying the prey's death throes.

Su Han's consciousness began to blur. In a trance, he heard Bi Yao's cries coming from behind the large rock.

He used his last ounce of strength to bite the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain cleared his mind, and he gathered his Spirit Energy into the broken sword.

The sword body let out a mournful cry, golden light seeping from the cracks and condensing into a sword shadow in mid-air.

"Even if I die, I'll drag you to Hell with me!"

Su Han roared and hurled the broken sword. The sword shadow shot towards the Monster's single eye like a meteor.

The Monster hastily turned its head, but the sword shadow changed trajectory mid-flight, accurately piercing its remaining right eye.

Black blood gushed out, and the Monster let out a heart-wrenching shriek. Its six legs twitched wildly, uprooting surrounding trees in swathes.

Su Han collapsed to the ground, watching the Monster struggle in agony.

Black mist surged from its wound, condensing into countless tiny tentacles that attempted to repair its damaged body.

Su Han's heart sank, realizing that the Monster's regenerative ability far exceeded imagination.

He struggled to crawl towards the dropped broken sword, every inch of movement accompanied by bone-piercing pain.

Just then, the ground suddenly shook violently.

Su Han turned his head to look, only to see a stone platform covered in runes slowly rising from beneath the ground corroded by the Monster's blood.

Ancient totems appeared on the surface of the stone platform, and a faint green light flickered in the central depression.(End of Chapter)