The bloodlust that had long been suppressed in his core finally erupted. Shi Yan gasped, dropping from the layers of leaves, his refined right arm churning with vital essence like a tidal wave, a savage, violent aura poised to burst forth.

"Not good!"

The watchful martial artist’s face shifted drastically. He looked up sharply, shouting a warning as Shi Yan shot down like an arrowhead. The vast, swirling mist around Shi Yan’s arm struck first, instantly enveloping his entire head.

Endless resentment, despair, and other negative emotions flooded his mouth and nose. In that moment, he felt submerged in a vast sea of blood, countless tormented spirits lunging at him, binding him tightly until his liver and gallbladder felt split apart, robbing him of even the impulse to fight.

"Crack!"

Shi Yan’s iron fist smashed brutally into the man’s skull. The crisp sound of bone shattering followed. The man managed only a single, piercing scream before his life force violently unspooled, pouring uncontrollably into Shi Yan’s acupuncture points.

The other martial artist, Zheng Tie, looked on in horror. He instinctively hurled the blue smoke pellet he held high into the air. As it soared, it detonated, blooming into a hazy blue light that shone like a small sun in the void.

"Over there!"

Mo Yanyu’s expression brightened. Without hesitation, she spun around and charged toward the source of the explosion. Kalu hesitated for only a moment before letting out a cold laugh and following suit.

"Kid, you can't escape now!" After releasing the smoke pellet, Zheng Tie felt a wave of certainty. He glared fixedly at Shi Yan, sneering, "I’ve waited long enough for you to finally lose control. Where do you think you’ll run this time?"

Shi Yan panted, his eyes sharpening with killing intent. The vital essence absorbed from the dead martial artist only intensified the ferocious aura clinging to him, as if an internal voice incessantly urged him toward wholesale slaughter.

Seeing that Shi Yan was merely breathing heavily and hadn't immediately attacked, Zheng Tie secretly congratulated himself. He proactively pulled back ten meters, sneering, "Kid, Miss Mo and Master Kalu will be here soon. You’re done for!"

"Roar!"

Shi Yan let out a low cry, like a beast released from its cage, and suddenly lunged at Zheng Tie. The hazy white mist from his right arm shot out like a long serpent, aiming directly for Zheng Tie’s neck.

Zheng Tie was prepared and avoided a direct clash, retreating another ten meters.

The serpent-like white mist pursued relentlessly, seemingly imbued with sentience. Even as Zheng Tie retreated, the mist tenaciously wrapped toward him, determined to engulf him.

Zheng Tie was startled. With a cold snort, he brandished his sharp dagger, hacking violently at the white mist.

The mist parted under the blade, splitting into two, but it did not dissipate. Instead, the two strands wrapped around Zheng Tie’s forearms. Two intensely malevolent thoughts suddenly surged into Zheng Tie’s mind. He shuddered, his eyes filling with gruesome visions of dripping blood and decaying bones. He felt utterly incapable of gathering any strength.

"Bang!"

Shi Yan surged forward, channeling the strength of his entire body through his right fist, driving it hard into Zheng Tie’s face. A torrent of bloodthirsty, manic vital essence exploded from the punch, flooding into Zheng Tie’s head.

Zheng Tie bled from all seven orifices, his eyes wide with terror and disbelief. His limbs grew cold, and he fell backward as his entire essence spilled out.

Both corpses gradually shriveled, their faces draining of color, their vital essences completely depleted.

The frenzied bloodlust inside Shi Yan surged ceaselessly, but he forcefully suppressed the urge for further rampage. Calmly, he collected the food and crystal coins from their bodies. Like a spirit monkey, he scrambled back up the ancient tree and concealed himself deep within the dense foliage, repeating his mantra to remain calm.

The bloodthirsty impulse still lingered. He circulated his vital essence, slowly drawing the surging essence from his right arm back into his lower abdomen. His arm gradually returned to normal.

Breathing evenly, Shi Yan channeled the tumultuous negative energies within his body back into his hidden points, allowing even the killing intent in his eyes to fade millimeter by millimeter as he observed the scene below through the gaps in the leaves.

Soon after, several figures appeared beneath the canopy. The first to arrive were two Mo family martial artists. Like Zheng Tie, they were both at the Second Layer of the Houtian realm, their vital essence not yet capable of external manifestation. They arrived cautiously, constantly scanning their surroundings, wary of another attack.

A while later, Mo Yanyu and Kalu arrived one after the other. Upon seeing the bodies of Zheng Tie and the other martial artist, Mo Yanyu confirmed, "It was him!" Cold glints sparked in her phoenix eyes. She scanned the area, searching for any sign of his escape—examining the surrounding branches closely.

If he had fled in blind panic, he would surely have snapped branches or left heavy footprints. With time pressing, he would have had no chance to erase such traces.

Mo Yanyu’s logic was sound.

Unfortunately, he was right above her, having never left. Mo Yanyu quickly searched the area and found nothing. Her beautiful face darkened. "Damn it, this is witchcraft! He didn't leave a single trace!"

Kalu stroked his chin, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the area. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky and scoffed, "Kid, aren't you coming out? Do you really think you can hide forever?"

Shi Yan was startled. A cold light flickered in his dark eyes, and the suppressed aura of slaughter within him suddenly erupted!

"He really is above!" Kalu sneered. A ball of dark, strange light coalesced in his hands. Flecks of chilling light flickered within the mass, which he suddenly hurled toward Shi Yan's hiding spot.

"You little bastard! Let’s see where you run now!" Mo Yanyu gritted her silver teeth. Her attack, the "Green Arc Half-Moon Slash," laced with faint currents of electricity, also shot skyward into the leaves where Shi Yan was concealed.

"Whoosh!"

Shi Yan burst free from the foliage. Ignoring Kalu and Mo Yanyu entirely, he bolted toward the densest part of the woods the moment his feet hit the ground.

Both Mo Yanyu and Kalu were cultivators of the Xiantian realm—a full stage above him. Without the element of surprise, he stood no chance against either one, let alone both attacking together.

"Chase!" Mo Yanyu shouted coldly, taking the lead. The two Mo family martial artists immediately followed.

Kalu did not move instantly. He gestured, and the dark, strange light that had pulverized the tree where Shi Yan hid flew back, vanishing into his palm. Kalu smirked, then quickly followed.

The two Mo family martial artists quickly fell behind. Mo Yanyu and Kalu maintained their positions, flanking Shi Yan, and the distance between them continued to narrow.

"Boom!"

A hazy blue light suddenly erupted directly in front of Mo Yanyu and Kalu. The glare was blinding. Both combatants, focused entirely on Shi Yan, were caught off guard and temporarily blinded, crashing into two separate ancient trees. By the time their vision cleared, Shi Yan had already sprinted a hundred meters ahead.

"Blue Smoke Pellet! Dammit!" Mo Yanyu cursed, furiously resuming the chase.

Kalu’s temper was also stoked. After muttering an indecent curse, his form shot out like lightning, instantly overtaking Mo Yanyu as he unleashed his true power. "Kid, I’ll make your life a living hell!"

"Boom!"

Another blue smoke pellet exploded. This time, Kalu was prepared; he immediately shut his eyes. Only after the blue light faded did he resume the pursuit.

As a Xiantian realm master, Kalu’s cultivation was far deeper than Shi Yan’s. His movements were graceful as a willow branch, light as nothing. After the flash of the blue smoke, he quickly closed the gap with Shi Yan again.

The dark, strange light began to coalesce in Kalu's hand once more. With a grim face, Kalu waited until he was only twenty meters from Shi Yan before launching it. The projectile shot out like a cannonball, whistling viciously toward Shi Yan’s back.

"Boom!"

Shi Yan unleashed yet another blue smoke pellet. The pellet collided with the dark, strange light, instantly scattering sparks that erupted into a sky full of green light. The green flames washed over the forest, setting it ablaze.

Using the blue smoke pellets as cover, Shi Yan ran wildly. Every time Kalu closed the distance too much, he would deploy a stolen pellet, using the opportunity to widen the gap and buy himself precious time.

Finally, the supply of stolen blue smoke pellets ran out. At that moment, a strange warm current began to surge from his acupuncture points. The vital essence absorbed from the two martial artists had been purified, injected into the essence stored in his lower abdomen, refining and strengthening it further.

Shi Yan suddenly spun around and charged directly toward Kalu!

Kalu wore a cold smile, unhurriedly condensing his vital essence. In an instant, his body was encased in a layer of dark light, nearly half a meter thick, thoroughly shielding him.

Vital Essence Guard!

Shi Yan was startled, but he did not stop. He condensed his essence in his left hand, but did not activate "Rampage." He clenched his right fist into a cone shape and drove it toward Kalu's waist and abdomen.

Kalu’s eyes held disdain. He remained stationary, seemingly inviting Shi Yan to strike up close.

"Bang!"

Shi Yan’s punch slammed into the dark light radiating from Kalu. It felt like hitting a ball of cotton. The spot of dark light on Kalu merely contracted slightly; the punch failed to break through the shield and reach Kalu’s body.

"Heh heh, a mere Houtian realm martial artist trying to break my Dark Light Shield?" Kalu sneered. A mass of dark, strange light surged from his palm, striking Shi Yan squarely in the chest.

Shi Yan felt as if he had been hit by a landslide. A powerful surge of energy flooded his chest, making him cough up a mouthful of blood. His body flew backward, and he could even hear the sickening sound of his own ribs cracking.

Upon landing, Shi Yan was covered in blood, feeling as if his body had disintegrated, the pain excruciating.

"Overestimating yourself." Kalu shook his head, his face grim as he walked step by step toward Shi Yan. "Kid, you should just become my medicine slave obediently. I held back that strike; otherwise, you’d already be dead."

"Again!"

Shi Yan struggled to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were firm, and he suddenly charged toward Kalu once more.

"Hmph! You’re courting death!" Kalu laughed coldly, still neither evading nor yielding. He conjured the Dark Light Shield again, his entire body shimmering with dark energy, covering him completely.

Shi Yan clenched his right fist, as if unwilling to concede defeat, and struck him again in the same manner. Kalu chuckled, "Since you insist on dying, don’t blame me."

Mid-movement, Shi Yan’s right arm suddenly withered and shrank slightly. Before the fist could impact the dark light on Kalu’s surface, a faint white mist enveloped Shi Yan’s fist, and the negative powers of despair, fear, and bloodlust suddenly erupted!

Kalu’s expression changed violently; it was too late to react.

In the next instant, a terrifying force of madness and despair slammed into the Dark Light Shield. The shield, capable of withstanding the full force of a Houtian expert’s strike, shattered instantly. The evil energy coating Shi Yan’s right fist penetrated through, surging into Kalu’s body like a breaking river dam.

Under the influence of that maniacal, bloodthirsty power, Kalu’s thoughts seemed to freeze; he could not mount any defense.

The dagger hidden in Shi Yan’s left sleeve swept across Kalu’s neck in the same fluid motion. A torrent of hot blood sprayed out, drenching Shi Yan.

Kalu’s head flew high into the air, landing with a wet thud three meters away.

Kalu’s vital essence suddenly dispersed, mingling with his final, unwilling, terrified thoughts, and poured wildly into Shi Yan’s acupuncture points!

Feeling the unusual power of this essence, Shi Yan trembled slightly with excitement.

Unlike Zheng Tie and the others, Kalu was a Xiantian realm martial artist whose vital essence was extremely condensed and robust. The essence that poured into Shi Yan upon Kalu's death was immensely more potent than what he had taken from the others. Shi Yan stood motionless, absorbing Kalu’s essence completely for a full minute.

After detaching the only backpack Kalu carried, Shi Yan felt his entire body numb, his limbs weak. His right arm, especially after using "Rampage," felt completely devoid of strength—a clear aftereffect of using the technique, leaving his body struggling to adapt.

"Chase!"

Mo Yanyu’s shrill cries echoed from a distance. Repeatedly disrupted by the blue smoke pellets, she had finally tracked him down after more than a minute.

It seemed a few other Mo family martial artists accompanied her.

At this moment, some of the power within Shi Yan felt temporarily locked down. Unwilling to confront Mo Yanyu and her group directly, he clutched Kalu’s backpack and fled frantically into the dense jungle, running blindly once more.

...E