The Solitary Path to Divinity

The Bloodshadow Lizard's body was tough enough to shrug off a blow from a magic artifact. Vera wasn't. If that whip hit her, even if she survived, she'd be crippled. The three of them were already struggling against two lizards. Lose one, and it was over. Quincy flinched and yanked her crimson whip back.

Vera's face was pale. She pressed her hands together, and her small red ring split into seven. They hammered down on the two lizards attacking her. Her Mystic Fire Spirit Rings were powerful artifacts, but splitting them between two targets halved their impact. The lizards screeched in pain, but their situation didn't improve. One of them opened its mouth, four small fangs gleaming, and lunged for Vera's throat.

Troublesome. Leo pointed. The Black Flood Dragon Shears shot between the lizard's upper and lower jaws. The creature bit down—right onto the razor-sharp shears. Two of its fangs snapped off. Not too absurd. The lizards were strong, but at least they couldn't bite through an artifact unscathed. Otherwise, Leo would have turned and run without a second thought.

The lizard's body was monstrously tough. Even the shears only managed to cut a shallow gash, not a killing blow. When the creature opened its mouth to strike at Vera, Leo saw his chance—attack from the inside. He drove the shears toward its open jaws.

But the lizard was too fast. It twisted its head, avoiding the fatal strike. The shears caught its neck instead—and lodged there. Two inches deep, then bone. Like cutting into refined steel. The blade wouldn't go further.

The lizard shrieked, thrashing wildly, rolling on the ground, trying to shake the shears loose. The struggle drained Leo's spiritual power like a flood. Man and beast locked in stalemate. Leo tossed out Iron Thorn Vine seeds. The vines grew wild, wrapping around the lizard—only to snap under its violent struggles. The barbs couldn't even pierce its dark blue scales. Leo's breath caught. Insane defense. Even a top-grade spirit artifact took several strikes to cut through these vines. And this thing was tearing them apart with raw strength.

No matter. It had to die. Leo's eyes went cold. He pulled out a mid-grade spirit stone to replenish his power.

On the other side, Vera had been sure the lizard's fangs were about to sink into her neck. Two beasts at once—she couldn't handle that. Then Leo stepped in. He blocked the killing bite. She barely made it out alive—a narrow escape.

Once Vera caught her breath, she finally calmed down. She had never known the loose cultivators' struggle—scratching and clawing their way up from nothing. Growing up in the Palace, watching her father, learning from him—she knew more than most loose cultivators. She knew what to do in a crisis. Knowing and doing, however, were two different things. When the moment came, the panic still hit her like a wave.

Once she calmed down, Vera began to fight like the core disciple she was. Her small red rings blurred through the air, trailing searing heat, hammering the other lizard. Blue scales flew. The beast fought back ferociously, nearly ramming her several times.

The creator had been fair. The lizards had no spells—just raw, brute strength. That alone was enough to overwhelm anyone. Even a core disciple, burning through their spiritual power with sustained artifact use, would soon run dry without spirit stones. Then they'd end up like the others—drained dry, nothing but a husk.

Even so, Vera nearly got crushed more than once. A full-force charge from one of these lizards hit like a top-grade spirit artifact. Ordinary protective shields? Useless. Even Leo's damaged Ice Silk Armor—which could stop blades and shrug off spells—wouldn't survive a hit like that.

The lizard was faster than any of them—Leo, Quincy, Vera. Quincy's horned rhinoceros seemed afraid of the beasts. She urged it forward, but it wouldn't close the distance. Every time the lizards moved, it flinched back, hobbling her effectiveness. She had wanted to relieve Vera's pressure—Leo had his lizard handled, barely, but Vera was in real danger. Three people, two lizards, and they were barely holding even. She couldn't break the deadlock.

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Vera launched her rings again, dodged a charge, and let out a shaky breath. Then her heart stopped. The lizard she had been fighting—its charge had been a feint. Its real target was Leo, who was already gaining the upper hand against the larger lizard.

"No!" Vera's voice cracked. Smart. Too smart. The lizard had realized it couldn't take both Vera and Quincy together. With its companion losing to Leo, it shifted tactics. Kill Leo first. Then the women would have no escape. They couldn't outrun it.

Quincy snapped her golden whip and summoned a three-foot golden sword, stabbing toward the lizard charging at Leo. Vera, furious, pushed her spiritual power to its limit. Her rings swelled and slammed toward the beast. But their faces showed no relief. Even if their attacks landed, the lizard's speed meant it would still reach Leo. And Leo, for all his strength, had never shown speed like this creature's.

Leo wasn't faster than the lizard. He didn't need to be. He tossed out a Smoke Mist Fruit. Thick black smoke billowed.

The lizard paused, startled. The human could do that too? Then it mimicked him. It couldn't cast spells, but its massive lungs were more than enough. It took a deep breath and blew—the black smoke vanished in an instant. Where could he run? The lizard was faster. It would catch him.

Then it froze. The smoke cleared, but now there were two Leos—identical. Same build, same cold expression.

The lizard wasn't the only one caught off guard. Vera and Quincy froze too. Neither could tell which Leo was real. Same build. Same cold expression. No difference.

The lizard hesitated. Quincy and Vera's artifacts were already closing in. No time to think. The smaller lizard, already wounded, couldn't take hits from three artifacts at once. It veered toward one of the Leos.

Good. Leo let out a breath. The lizard had chosen his shadow clone. A fifty-fifty gamble. If it had chosen his real body, he would have had to use his Star Lamp—his defensive artifact. The fourth-grade Five Elements Spirit Armor Talisman? *[A quick reminder: The fourth-grade Five Elements Spirit Armor Talisman first appeared in Chapter 98, when Leo bought it at the auction for 3,500 spirit stones. It's a defensive talisman capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a magic artifact.]*That was for true emergencies. He wasn't about to use it here.

Crack. The lizard plowed through the clone, which shattered on impact. It hissed in fury. Tricked again.

"Vera, hold the small one. Quincy, wrap the big one with your whip. We kill this one first!"

Leo's voice cut through the chaos. Even in the most dangerous moment, he had never stopped feeding spiritual power into the Black Flood Dragon Shears. They were still locked on the larger lizard, blood dripping from the wound, the beast thrashing against the vines.

"I can hold it—half an incense stick. No more." Vera's voice was steady now.

"Enough." The larger lizard tore through the last vines. Leo reached for more seeds—but Quincy's golden whip was already there, coiling around the beast. The lizard struggled, but the whip held. A few more seconds, at least. It roared in fury. Quincy, finally steady, was fighting at full strength—holding the big lizard with her whip while harassing the other with her flying sword.

Leo exhaled. Vera and Quincy had found their rhythm. He didn't need to reveal his remaining tricks. He poured more power into the shears. They bit deeper. The larger lizard shrieked. Leo struck. His golden flying sword shot into its open mouth.

Outside, the lizard was tough as any spirit artifact. Inside? That was different.

The sword thrashed. The lizard screamed—a horrible, wet sound. It convulsed, breaking free of Quincy's whip. The backlash hit her hard, her face going pale.

The lizard vomited blood—and chunks of its own organs. And a demon core, slick with blood.

A Bloodshadow Lizard demon core. Leo's eyes narrowed. The creature couldn't cast spells, but its body was a living weapon. The core couldn't be used for forging artifacts or helping spellcasters. But it could refine pills for body cultivators—rare pills that strengthened the flesh.

Among cultivators, Dharma cultivators had long since vanished. Martial cultivators—those who focused on combat techniques—were the most common. Then came the fringe paths: insect cultivators, beast tamers, even ghost cultivators. Body cultivators were another rare branch. They couldn't cast spells, but their physiques were monstrous. At their peak, they were terrifying. However, in this era of dwindling spiritual resources, few body cultivators ever amounted to much.

Leo snatched the core from the air and recalled the shears. He turned on the remaining lizard.

The smaller one saw its companion fall. It knew it couldn't win. With a mournful hiss, it tried to flee—taking hits from Vera's rings and Quincy's sword, scales and flesh tearing. But Leo's shears caught its thick hind leg. It stumbled, crashed to the ground. It tried to rise—but Quincy's whip caught its other leg. Vera's ring dropped over its neck and tightened.

Their swords struck again and again. Leo's golden sword was just a top-grade spirit artifact—the outer shell of his real magic artifact – the black sword. It barely scratched the scales. But Quincy's flying sword was a magic artifact. It found the wounds already opened, struck the same spot again and again—until it punched through.

The lizard collapsed. Dead.

Quincy watched the lizard crumple to the ground and let herself feel a flicker of pride. She hadn't done much before—just hung back, played it safe. That wasn't her. She was better than that. Now, at least, she had proven herself.