67: Chapter 67 Devouring, Evolution!

On the mountain peak, the crimson glow grew more vibrant.

The chixia spirit fruit hung at the top of the short tree, its surface luster having changed from crimson to a nearly translucent brilliant color. Beneath the skin, a warm cluster of spiritual essence seemed to flow slowly. With every gentle vibration, the surrounding mist would be dyed with a deeper circle of rosy light.

It had truly ripened.

The three evolved creatures that had been fighting all stopped at this moment.

The Thunder Centipede's battered body arched slightly. The electric light between its carapaces had dimmed considerably, yet it still stared fixedly at the fruit.

The Black Bear's shoulders and neck were dripping with blood. Its thick, iron-like flesh had been torn open by Su Ye's golden light. Blood flowed down its fur, and its massive eyes were filled with greed.

The Large Bird was in even worse shape.

One of its wings had collapsed, and black feathers were scattered all over the ground. Its blood-red eyes were full of pain and ferocity, yet it still struggled to lift its head and look at the crimson glow by the cliff's edge.

They all wanted it.

That instinct even outweighed their fear.

But in the next moment, Su Ye took a step forward.

Just one step.

Invisible Mental Energy spread out from him.

The Water-element Golden Core rotated slowly, and a steady stream of mental perception surged out like a tide, covering the mountain rocks, the mist, and the three evolved creatures with heavy pressure.

It wasn't just pressure!

It was a type of extremely calm and clear lock-on.

Like a pair of invisible eyes, it looked directly through their flesh, bones, internal organs, and the newly formed spiritual changes within their bodies.

The three evolved creatures froze almost simultaneously, feeling a boundless fear. The Thunder Centipede's legs began to rub against the rocks uneasily, yet it didn't dare move forward another inch.

The Large Bird let out a low wail from its throat, its feathers clinging tightly to its body, its blood-red eyes filled with more fear.

The Black Bear was the first to lower its head.

Its massive body crouched slightly, and a suppressed whimper came from its throat.

Standing in the distance, Li Tong watched, his heart shaking.

He could see that the three evolved creatures, which had been so menacing just a moment ago, were now truly afraid.

They were afraid of Su Ye!

This young doctor from the hospital was truly terrifying!

Su Ye's gaze was calm, yet it possessed a natural air of looking down upon them.

These evolved creatures were indeed fearsome.

If any one of them were thrown into Jiang City, where ordinary people were everywhere, it would be enough to cause a horrific disaster.

But in the end, they had only completed one Marrow Cleansing, relying on the most primitive Spiritual Qi flushing after the Great Mist. Their bodies had become stronger, their ferocity had skyrocketed, and their instincts had become sharper.

But that was all.

In front of someone like Su Ye, who already possessed a Water-element Golden Core and had fused with the power of Lung Metal, they still weren't enough.

He ignored the three evolved creatures and walked directly to the edge of the cliff.

The chixia spirit fruit was right before his eyes.

Looking at it up close, it was even more stunning than in the photo. The skin was crystalline, and crimson light flowed inside as if a miniature sunset were sealed within. The surrounding leaves were reflected bright red, and even the air carried a warm, sweet fragrance.

Su Ye reached out and plucked it.

*Snap.*

The moment the stem broke, the crimson glow filling the sky suddenly shuddered.

The red light that had been entwined between the short trees, rocks, and mist seemed to have finally found its destination, instantly surging toward Su Ye.

Li Tong's eyes widened.

He only saw Su Ye standing at the edge of the cliff, his entire person enveloped in the crimson glow, the corners of his clothes lifting slightly, and the surrounding mist swirling, as if all the spiritual essence on the mountain peak was converging toward him at this moment.

Su Ye himself felt the change.

The crimson glow entering his body wasn't burning; instead, it carried a sense of warmth, spreading from his palm to his entire body. It felt like drinking a bowl of hot soup in winter; the warmth slowly dispersed, and even the slight chest tightness left over from the earlier Lung Metal Fusion was smoothed out a bit.

His eyes flickered slightly.

This chixia spirit fruit was indeed not just a simple fire-element spiritual item.

What was more important within it was that bit of "spiritual essence."

Su Ye wasn't in a hurry to consume it. Instead, he wrapped the chixia spirit fruit in water-element aura and carefully put it away.

The eyes of the three evolved creatures turned red.

Especially the Thunder Centipede and the Black Bear; the instinctive longing almost outweighed their fear, and their bodies were trembling slightly.

But Su Ye was still standing there.

They didn't dare move.

Just then, Su Ye suddenly noticed an extremely subtle light flash in the Black Bear's lowered eyes.

In the next moment.

It moved.

It didn't pounce on Su Ye, nor did it pounce on the chixia spirit fruit.

Instead, it pounced directly on the heavily injured Large Bird.

*Boom!*

Its massive body smashed through the rocks. In an instant, the Black Bear rushed in front of the Large Bird, its thick front paw slamming down on the bird's collapsed wing, and it opened its bloody maw to take a bite.

"Gah—!"

The Large Bird let out a shrill scream.

Blood spurted out instantly.

Li Tong's expression changed drastically, and his stomach churned.

Although Su Ye appeared calm on the surface, he was also somewhat surprised.

This Black Bear had actually chosen to devour its own kind at this time.

No.

More accurately, it was devouring other evolved beings!

The Thunder Centipede also reacted.

It had also been staring at the chixia spirit fruit, but after seeing the Black Bear suddenly feeding on the Large Bird, the ferocity in its compound eyes surged. Its massive body suddenly sprang up, pouncing straight for the Black Bear.

The electric light flickered back to life.

But just as it leaped, the Black Bear suddenly turned around.

Its front paw, carrying a terrifyingly heavy force, slammed down hard.

*Bang!*

The Thunder Centipede was pinned to the ground by a single paw.

The mountain rocks cracked.

Electric arcs exploded.

But it was already too heavily injured, and its spirituality had become sluggish under Su Ye's Mental Energy, so it couldn't exert its original speed and thunderous power at all.

Instead, the Black Bear took advantage of the situation.

Under Su Ye's suppression, the entire scene had actually turned into its most favorable situation.

The other two evolved creatures, one with a broken wing and the other suppressed to its limit by Flower Picking and Mental Energy pressure, had now both become prey in its eyes.

The Black Bear's neck was still bleeding, but it didn't affect its combat strength much. Blood flowed down its black fur, making it look extremely hideous, yet it seemed completely unable to feel the pain. First, it viciously tore off a piece of the Large Bird's flesh and swallowed it, then it lowered its head to bite the Thunder Centipede's body segments.

*Crack.*

The carapace shattered.

The Thunder Centipede struggled frantically, with electric sparks flying everywhere, but it was held down firmly by the Black Bear.

Li Tong's face turned pale as he watched.

And Su Ye's expression finally became solemn.

He saw it.

As the Black Bear continued to devour the flesh of the other two evolved creatures, the wound on its shoulder and neck, which had been torn open by the golden light, actually began to close slowly.

The charred flesh began to throb again.

The blood flow slowed down.

Even the scars burned by the lightning were fading bit by bit.

It wasn't an illusion.

It was truly recovering.

Recovering by devouring other evolved beings.

Su Ye stood where he was, a visible tremor appearing in his eyes for the first time.

Was this the natural world under the Great Mist?

The weak are prey to the strong.

Devouring and evolving.

No logic, no rules, and no so-called good or evil.

Whoever is strong survives.

Whoever wins can continue to climb higher.

"Truly interesting. This giant bear is also about to complete its second Marrow Cleansing. In that case, with so many remote mountain forests in this world covered by the dense Great Mist, there's no telling what kind of terrifying beings might be hidden within them." Su Ye's gaze was solemn, and an inexplicable sense of crisis lingered in his heart.