21: People are like ferocious beasts

The thick scent of blood hung heavy at the entrance of Decapitation Gorge, almost solidifying.

Behind the stockade wall, the brief silence was completely shattered, replaced by hysterical madness.

"Close the gate! Quickly, damn it, close the inner stockade gate!" A sharp, distorted voice pierced the air. It was the second-in-command, "Poison Fang" Chen San, who had stayed behind.

His face was ashen, and his beady eyes held nothing but boundless terror. The horrifying sight of Han Kui being blown apart, man and axe, by a single punch had completely shattered all his ferocity.

"Fire oil! Rolling logs and boulders! Throw them all down! Burn him to death! Crush this monster!" Chen San clung to the higher log wall of the inner stockade, screaming madly, spittle flying.

The remaining bandits, like cornered mad dogs, erupted with their last vestiges of savagery. Heavy rolling logs wrapped in spikes and burning fire oil jars were lit and desperately pushed and thrown down from the higher inner stockade wall!

"Boom! Rumble!"

"Kill! Avenge the Great Chieftain!"

"Burn this son of a bitch!"

Desperate roars exploded above the flames, filled with suicidal madness.

The flames illuminated Lin Jingyu's cold face, his eyes like a frigid pool, showing no fluctuation.

"Petty tricks."

His low voice, with a metallic grinding texture, cut through the roar of the flames.

Facing the spiked rolling logs and fiery wall crashing down, Lin Jingyu didn't even change the rhythm of his steps.

"Vajra Shield!"

With a slight thought, a layer of dark golden light, condensed like a tangible entity, instantly covered his entire body! The dark golden and cyan-golden glow beneath his skin suddenly brightened, his muscles bulging as if covered by a layer of flowing metal armor!

Boom!

The burning rolling log heavily struck his advancing body!

The anticipated scene of him being sent flying, bones broken and tendons snapped, did not occur!

"Crack! Bang!"

Amidst the dull thud, there was a jarring sound of wood exploding!

Occasionally, a few cunning poisoned arrows shot forth, striking the Vajra Shield with crisp "ding-ding" sounds. Their arrowheads instantly twisted and deformed, falling weakly into the fire.

[Ding! Vajra Shield experience +15! Defense slightly increased!] The System prompt flashed by.

Lin Jingyu's figure, thus bathed in fierce flames, stepping over the wreckage of rolling logs, like an Indestructible Vajra emerging from the Hell of molten lava, advanced step by step, unswervingly passing through that sea of deadly fire! The dark golden light, reflected by the flames, flowed with a chilling divinity!

"Mon... monster! Impervious to blades and spears! Immune to water and fire!" On the stockade wall, a young bandit witnessed this inhuman scene, his psychological defense completely collapsing. The cloth strip in his hand, soaked in fire oil, slipped, and he let out a piercing, inhuman shriek, collapsing to the ground, his pants instantly wet.

Chen San's beady eyes were wide open, almost splitting, and his teeth chattered. Fear, like a cold viper, tightened around his heart.

He abruptly turned his head and let out a beastly roar at a few trusted subordinates beside him: "Stop him! Stop him for me! I'm going to get 'that thing'!" He scrambled down the stockade wall and fled desperately towards the strongest stone house deep within the stockade, completely abandoning his last cannon fodder.

The even thicker, iron-clad gate of the inner stockade groaned heavily under the desperate push of the bandits, on the verge of closing!

Lin Jingyu's eyes burst with cold light!

"Want to close the gate?"

"Open——for me!"

A furious roar, like a sudden clap of thunder! The hard rock beneath his feet cracked with a "crunch," splitting into a spiderweb pattern! The power of his newly advanced Bone Forging Realm was unleashed without reservation, two hundred thousand catties of immense strength erupting like a dormant volcano! Dark golden and cyan-golden Qi and blood surged and roared within his body, all pouring into his arms!

He leaned slightly forward, like a fully drawn siege crossbow, and stomped his feet fiercely on the ground!

Boom!

Two shallow pits exploded in the ground!

His burly figure transformed into a dark golden afterimage that tore through the air, accompanied by an ear-splitting sonic boom, instantly covering the last dozen zhang and slamming into the heavy iron-clad gate that was about to close!

"Dragon Elephant Suppressing Prison! Break the Gate!"

Both fists shot out! Above the peaks of his fists, the air was extremely compressed, forming visible white air currents! Faint phantom images of dragons and elephants roaring flashed and vanished!

"Stop him!" The eyes of several fierce bandits pushing the gate from behind were bloodshot. They desperately held the bolt with their shoulders, attempting a final struggle.

Thud——!!!

Rumble!!!

Centered on the point of the double-fist impact, the hard iron plating instantly caved in and twisted like crumpled paper! Countless terrifying cracks spread like lightning!

The internal hardwood structure groaned under the unbearable pressure, shattering inch by inch! The bowl-thick iron gate bolt, under the irresistible force of the impact, bent and deformed like noodles, then snapped in half with a "bang"!

"Waaah!"

Several bandits pushing the gate from behind were struck as if by an invisible battering ram, spitting blood wildly, their bodies flying backward like broken sacks, slamming heavily into the stone wall inside the stockade, bones broken and tendons snapped, clearly not going to survive!

The entire incredibly heavy inner stockade gate collapsed inward with a scalp-numbing screech of twisting metal and splintering wood! Dust mixed with wood chips and iron rust soared into the sky!

Amidst the swirling dust, Lin Jingyu's figure, like an ancient god or demon, stepped over the collapsed massive gate and strode into the core heartland of the Blood Wolf Stockade!

The view suddenly cleared, but what greeted him was deeper despair and a final madness.

Among the crude mud huts, dozens of remaining bandits held knives and spears, their eyes blood-red, like cornered jackals.

"Brothers! We're dead either way! Fight him to the death!" A one-eyed fierce bandit with a scar on his face raised his ghost-head saber, letting out a desperate roar, and was the first to charge forward!

Behind him, dozens of bandits were ignited by this desperate fervor, letting out bestial howls, surging like a tide towards the sole invader!

Saber gleams flashed, spear shadows were like a forest, carrying a tragic resolve to perish together!

Lin Jingyu's gaze swept over these charging ants, cold without a trace of warmth.

"Line up and die."

Slaughter was the only language at this moment.

He moved!

No longer the earth-shattering blow that broke the gate, but transforming into the purest storm of slaughter, he charged into the crowd!

Bang!

He threw a punch! Three bandits charging head-on, man and knife, were struck as if by a primal giant elephant! Their chests instantly caved in, the sound of exploding bones clearly audible, their bodies flying backward in grotesque poses, knocking down a swath of others behind them!

Crack!

A backhand elbow strike! The head of a bandit attempting a sneak attack from the side exploded like a ripe watermelon! Red and white matter splattered!

Hiss!

Sky-Piercing Finger pointed out from the air!

A condensed silver light tore through the air!

A bandit hiding behind a mud hut, drawing a hard bear-hunting crossbow, had his glabella instantly pierced, leaving a finger-sized blood hole, and his body softly toppled.

Lin Jingyu was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep—no, a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus Rex charging into an ant nest! Fists, palms, elbows, knees, shoulder charges... every part of his body transformed into the most primitive, most violent killing weapon!

Every attack was inevitably accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering bones, the dull thud of tearing flesh, and abruptly cut-off screams!

Swords and blades striking him only sparked, making a "clanging" sound, leaving shallow white marks that were instantly smoothed over by the circulating dark golden glow.

He walked through the flashing blades and sword shadows, strolling leisurely as if in an uninhabited land!

[Ding! Killed a Body Refining Realm Fourth Rank bandit! evolution points +40!]

[Ding! Killed a Meridian Opening Realm Sixth Rank chieftain (Scarface Liu)! evolution points +60!]

[Ding! Vajra Shield experience +20!]

[Ding! Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Art experience +25!]

Cold System prompts furiously spammed his mind, the number of evolution points skyrocketing like an uncontrolled wild horse!

In just a short moment, all the fierce bandits who dared to charge forward were dead.

The remaining bandits completely collapsed, crying and scattering like headless flies, only wanting to flee from this god of slaughter who had crawled out of Hell.

Lin Jingyu did not pursue the terrified small fry... His cold gaze swept like a searchlight over the silent, blood-soaked bandit stockade.

The faint cries of women and children could be heard from behind some tightly closed doors and windows.

"The resource points... haven't been cleared yet," he murmured, his voice sounding particularly grim in the bloody air.

His gaze finally locked onto a stone house deep within the bandit stockade, noticeably sturdier than the other wooden and stone huts, with fresh footprints still visible at its entrance—the direction where Second Master Chen San had last fled.

Lin Jingyu stepped forward, walking towards the stone house. His footsteps squelched in the blood, making a sticky sound.

The wooden door of the stone house was tightly shut, but to him, it was as good as nonexistent. He didn't even bother to push it open.

Bang!

He casually kicked it!

The wooden door, along with the thick bolt behind it, exploded inwards and shattered as if made of paper! Wood chips flew everywhere... The stone house was simply furnished: a hard plank bed, a table, and a few boxes piled in the corner.

A figure was curled up in the innermost corner, back to the door, shoulders trembling violently. It was indeed “Poison Fang” Chen San.

He clutched a palm-sized, ancient-looking bronze box tightly in his hand, as if it were his last straw of hope.

“Don’t... don’t come any closer!” Chen San heard the sound of the door breaking and spun around abruptly, his face streaked with tears and snot, mixed with extreme fear. He raised the bronze box, his fingers trembling as he pressed them against a protruding mechanism on the edge of the box. “Come any closer... and I... I’ll activate this ‘Bone-Corroding Yin Thunder’! We’ll all die together!”

His voice was hoarse, his bravado masking inner weakness: “I spent a fortune to get this from the black market! Even Marrow Cleansing Realm masters can’t withstand it! You... you let me go! Otherwise...”

Lin Jingyu’s steps didn’t falter in the slightest. As if he hadn’t heard the threat, he walked straight towards Chen San. His cold gaze swept over the bronze box, and the System instantly provided feedback.

“Item: Inferior Imitation Bone-Corroding Yin Thunder (Disposable)”

“Threat Level: Low (Can penetrate an unactivated Vajra Shield but cannot cause fatal injury)”

“Contained Energy: Weak (Can be converted into evolution points ≈ 100)”

“Trash.” Lin Jingyu uttered two words, and his figure suddenly accelerated!

“You’re courting death!” A flash of madness crossed Chen San’s eyes, and he fiercely pressed the mechanism!

Chhh—!

The bronze box instantly opened, revealing dozens of poison needles, as fine as ox hair and glinting with a faint green chill, shooting out like a torrential rain towards Lin Jingyu, who was almost within reach! Their speed was like lightning!

At such close range, and with the wide coverage of the poison needles, it was practically a sure-kill situation!

However, Lin Jingyu had already anticipated it!

“Vajra Shield!”

A dark-gold stream of light instantly condensed in front of him, even more solid and heavy than before!

Puff puff puff puff!

A dense volley of impacts rang out!

Most of the poison needles struck the Vajra Shield, like hitting a copper wall and iron barrier. The faint green needle tips instantly bent and shattered! The potent bone-corroding poison Qi struck the golden light, emitting a “sizzling” corrosive sound and puffs of green smoke, yet it could not penetrate!

Only two or three poison needles narrowly penetrated the weakest part of the Vajra Shield’s flow, striking Lin Jingyu’s chest and arms, which were covered in dark-gold luster!

Clink! Clink!

It was like fine needles piercing extremely tough rhinoceros hide!

The tips of the poison needles merely pricked the skin. The potent poison attached to the needles, as soon as it invaded, was instantly flushed away and incinerated by the surging, mercury-like, lava-hot Qi and blood within Lin Jingyu’s body!

“Ding! Vajra Shield experience +50! Defense power increased! Toxin resistance slightly enhanced!”

“Ding! Absorbed weak Yin evil energy, evolution points +100!”

The madness on Chen San’s face froze, replaced by boundless terror and disbelief. His last trump card, and it barely scratched the opponent’s skin?

Lin Jingyu’s hand, like an iron vice, had already clamped around his throat!

“Uh... spare...” Chen San’s eyeballs bulged, and gurgling sounds came from his throat as his limbs struggled futilely.

“Resource recycling.” Lin Jingyu’s eyes were indifferent, and his five fingers suddenly tightened!

Crack!

A bone-chilling sound of a neck bone shattering rang out.

Chen San’s struggles ceased abruptly, his head slumped weakly to one side, his eyes retaining endless horror and regret.

The bronze box in his hand fell to the ground with a “clatter.”

Lin Jingyu casually tossed the corpse aside, his gaze falling on the interior of the stone house.

Several boxes were piled in the corner, one of which had its lid hastily thrown open, revealing gleaming gold ingots and scattered jewels and silver notes.

Another box contained some medicinal herbs and a few pieces of dark, heavy Ore.

“Discovered: 300 taels of gold, various jewels (can be exchanged for worldly wealth)”

“Discovered: Inferior Blood Qi Grass (contains weak energy, can be converted into evolution points ≈ 15)”

“Discovered: Black Iron Ore (contains thin metal essence, can be converted into evolution points ≈ 50/piece)”

Even a mosquito’s leg is meat... Lin Jingyu didn’t hesitate. With a wave of his hand, he swept all the valuables and energy-containing items from the boxes into the System space.

“Ding! Absorbed Inferior Blood Qi Grass energy, evolution points +15!”

“Ding! Absorbed Black Iron Ore metal essence (3 pieces), evolution points +150!”

His gaze finally rested on the ground beside Chen San’s corpse.

A crumpled letter had fallen there, a corner of it exposed, having been instinctively clutched by Chen San before his death. A crimson mark on it was particularly striking—it was a grotesque, twisted “Zhao” family crest!

Lin Jingyu bent down, picking up the letter with two fingers.

The letter paper was of fine quality, carrying a faint, refined fragrance of a wealthy household, completely out of place with the crude bloodiness of the bandit stockade.

He unfolded the letter. The handwriting was messy but exuded a condescending chill:

“...My dear brother Han Kui: Lin Jingyu, the remnant of the Lin family in Black Stone City, is suspected to be alive and has appeared in the wilderness outside the city. This scoundrel is immensely strong and possesses strange abilities. We must see him alive, or his corpse! Ascertain his movements and report quickly! If you can bring his head, the three villages outside the city will all belong to the Blood Wolf Stockade! — Second Master Zhao’s Edict.”

“Second Master Zhao...?” Lin Jingyu’s eyes flared with cold light, like a blizzard sweeping across an icy plain! From the depths of his memory, the face of Second Master Zhao of the Zhao family in Black Stone City, always wearing a hypocritical smile yet colder than a viper, clearly emerged!

So that’s how it is!

The Blood Wolf Stockade was indeed the Zhao family’s rabid dog, unleashed to bite people! They had never given up on hunting him down!

A chilling killing intent, as if substantial, permeated from him, causing the temperature inside the stone house to plummet!

He exerted a slight force with his fingers, and the letter, worth a thousand gold, instantly turned to dust, fluttering down.

“Ding! Detected strong obsession (annihilate the Zhao family), triggered side quest: Blood for Blood!”

“Quest Objective: Eradicate the core forces of the Zhao family in Black Stone City.”

“Quest Reward: Based on completion, a large number of evolution points and one chance to draw a special item!”

The cold System notification sound was like a battle drum beating!

Lin Jingyu slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly penetrating the walls of the stone house, cast towards Black Stone City in the southeast direction.

A chilling, blood-soaked arc slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.

“Zhao family... very good.” He muttered to himself, his voice like two pieces of cold iron grinding together. “Saves me the trouble of looking for them.”

He strode out of the stone house. Outside, the surviving women and children huddled in corners, trembling, no one daring to look directly at this blood-soaked god of slaughter.

The entire Blood Wolf Stockade was silent, save for the crackling of flames burning corpses and low sobs.

Lin Jingyu stood in the center of the bandit stockade, bathed in the lingering smoke of gunpowder and the strong scent of blood.

The System panel clearly unfolded in his consciousness:

“host: Lin Jingyu”

“Realm: Bone Forging Realm Triple (Early Stage)” (Successive bloody battles, Realm stabilized and broke through!)

“Cultivation Technique: Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Art (Minor Achievement 235/1000) Indestructible Vajra Divine Art (Initiation 85/500)”

“Martial Skill: Sky-Piercing Finger (Proficient 150/500) Dragon-Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength (Fist Form Initiation 90/500)”

“Movement Technique: Phantom Step (Skilled 120/300)”

“evolution points: 3725” (Washing the bandit stockade in blood, immense harvest!)

Looking at the surging evolution points and his Breakthrough Realm, feeling the surging power within his body, Lin Jingyu’s eyes held no pity or satisfaction, only a cold, naked craving for more evolution points and greater power.

Without hesitation, he turned and strode towards the canyon exit, towards Black Stone City!

The wind of the canyon rustled his blood-stained clothes, bringing the scent of the distant wilderness.

“Black Stone City, it’s time for a purge.”