Chapter 449 - 280: Consummation (Part 2)
’As long as I keep dodging and running, it’ll be hard for the giant tiger to kill me.’
At this thought, Yu Fei decided to hunt ordinary Rank-7 desolate beasts.
He planned to use his [Invincible Will] talent to bolster his combat abilities. With it, he could face Mr. Hu head-on and perhaps even defeat and kill him.
He had a feeling that if he could defeat Mr. Hu, his Returning Ruins Realm Sword would reach true completion, clearing the path for his advancement to the Gang Qi level.
[Invincible Will] was a snowballing talent; the longer he fought, the stronger it grew. Its amplification of a Martial Artist’s will indirectly enhanced the killing power of his Sword Intent and also came with the ability to weaken and suppress his enemies.
Yu Fei wandered the outer edges of the Eternal Night Forest for several months, slaying over twenty Rank-7 desolate beasts. As a result, his aura had strengthened immeasurably.
By the end, he could directly interfere with and suppress the fighting will of Rank-7 desolate beasts. Some of the weaker ones would turn and flee the moment they saw him, though there were also ferocious ones that would fight to the death.
Now, Yu Fei’s divine intent was almost completely purified. Only a few specks of conceptual essence remained to be devoured—less than ten percent.
In the midst of such brutal slaughter, Zhanming seemed to have undergone a change. It was no longer sharp; its edge was riddled with nicks, and the blade was no longer perfectly straight.
During a battle with a bear-like desolate beast, Zhanming had been struck with such immense force that it had bent slightly and had never returned to its original shape since.
The great bear’s strength surpassed even Mr. Hu’s, but it was too slow. Yu Fei had kited it, slowly whittling it down until it died.
Through the intense, daily slaughter, Zhanming had become stained with a profound Evil Qi.
The sword had drunk the blood of his enemies and merged with Yu Fei’s own aura. He often imbued it with his fused Returning Ruins Realm Sword’s divine intent, causing it to undergo some ineffable change.
For instance, just now, with Zhanming resting to the side, Yu Fei had stood and stretched out his hand. Without any conscious effort, just a single thought, the greatsword let out a clear hum and flew directly into his grasp as if it were sentient.
The sword’s base material was excellent, which was the only reason it had remained effective in Yu Fei’s battles against high-rank desolate beasts.
"It’s time!"
After a brief rest, Yu Fei, bare-chested and sword in hand, strode into the Eternal Night Forest.
The time had come to settle the score between him and the giant tiger.
The movements of desolate beasts were erratic. A predator like the giant tiger was a lethal threat to all other high-rank desolate beasts in the area. Fortunately, Yu Fei had memorized its aura signature and could use his sense of smell to track its past movements.
Yu Fei moved through the forest, following the giant tiger’s tracks for about fifteen days before he finally picked up its trail.
Along the way, Yu Fei had killed three other desolate beasts, but his injuries were so severe that he had to rest for two days to recover.
At his current level, it was nearly impossible for him to kill a Rank-7 desolate beast without getting injured, as long as its speed was decent. This was due to the fundamental difference in their life essences.
The attack power of his boundless Sword Qi was stuck at the level of strong Gang Qi. Although it was constantly growing stronger, it still struggled to break through the bodies of these desolate beasts. For any life form, reaching the Grandmaster or Rank-7 level was a massive chasm—a leap in the very tier of one’s existence.
Finally, he spotted a flash of silver brilliance. Mr. Hu hadn’t bothered with stealth, and Yu Fei didn’t activate his Silent Shadow Body either.
Both possessed powerful senses. Stealth was useless.
The great tiger stared intently at Yu Fei for a long moment, then took a few steps back—a clear sign it wanted to avoid a fight.
The last time, the giant tiger had given its all and still failed to kill Yu Fei. Now, it sensed danger from him.
The boost to his aura from slaying dozens of Rank-7 desolate beasts was terrifying, and the suppressive power of his [Invincible Will] could weaken opponents. The great tiger sensed this danger.
According to the law of the Dark Forest—the survival of the fittest—opponents of similar strength rarely initiated combat. A hunt only occurred when there was a vast difference in power.
The great tiger’s retreat followed this principle. At the same time, it let out a low, threatening growl, warning Yu Fei.
’I’m letting you walk away. Don’t push your luck.’
Through his Five Senses Secret Skill, Yu Fei perceived this sentiment from the great tiger.
"Heh heh!"
Yu Fei grinned, baring his teeth. He had always been on the receiving end of a beating before. Now, this great tiger was crucial to his path of cultivation. How could he possibly let it go?
After spending nearly half a year like a wildman in the Eternal Night Forest, locked in constant battle, he was no longer obese but sturdy and fierce, with disheveled hair and a naked body, carrying a battered greatsword.
He raised his hand and sent several blasts of Sword Qi as his reply. This provocative act instantly enraged the great tiger.
Just because the beast was willing to take a step back didn’t mean it was truly afraid of Yu Fei.
"ROAR!"
The fierce tiger’s roar shook the entire area.
But Yu Fei fortified his mind, completely unaffected.
The aura bonus from [Invincible Will] drastically reduced this type of spiritual damage. As a gold-tier talent, it had its own unique advantages.
According to Yu Fei’s theory, the color-coded tiers for talents in the Fate-Defying Pearl represented their growth potential.
Gold was the highest possible tier at his current level of existence.
"BANG!"
Boundless blood-red flames erupted from the great tiger’s body. Wreathed in a monstrous Evil Qi, it lunged at Yu Fei. He held Zhanming, the heavy sword humming as he met the charge without a hint of weakness.
Within his Spiritual Source, the sword’s phantom flickered. Empowered by the Returning Ruins Realm Sword, the Intent of Primordial Chaos suppressed everything.
Coupled with the suppressive influence of [Invincible Will]’s second effect, the great tiger’s blood flames were weakened layer by layer.
Yu Fei paid it no mind, bringing his blade crashing down on the tiger’s back. Possessing the ability to pierce through space, his attack landed before the tiger’s, despite being launched later. The beast’s movement faltered for an instant, and its jaws snapped on empty air.
Frustrated, it swiped a claw viciously across Yu Fei’s chest.
Both were badly injured. Zhanming had sliced two inches deep into the tiger’s flesh, while Yu Fei’s chest was torn open.
But neither paid their wounds any mind, continuing their deadly clash.
The great tiger had its pride. When its offer of a truce was rejected, it meant this would be a battle to the death.
Yu Fei needed to slay this tiger to sublimate his divine intent in the heat of battle and break through the barrier to the Gang Qi level.
"Kill!"
The moment he was injured, Yu Fei activated his Blood-Soaked Hegemon Body, enhancing all of his physical attributes.
He subconsciously unleashed countless streams of Sword Qi, constantly striking at the great tiger’s vital points and existing wounds.
Hidden within these streams of Sword Qi were his markers.
This Sword Qi wasn’t particularly lethal, but the great tiger still had to expend effort to deal with it. After all, areas like its eyes and wounds were still poorly defended.
Yu Fei’s figure flickered continuously, leaving afterimages in his wake as he hammered away at the great tiger from all sides like a blacksmith at his forge.
He could command Zhanming to pierce through space, greatly extending his melee range. This allowed him to avoid the danger of facing the desolate beast directly, which was how he had managed to land so many hits.
However, the great tiger’s senses were exceptionally sharp. It repeatedly caught Yu Fei in the brief moments of pause after he teleported, leaving a variety of wounds on him with its claws and teeth.
The brutal, primitive slaughter continued without end, destined to last until one of them fell for good.
In that moment, Yu Fei forgot everything else, his entire being focused on the fight with the great tiger. His eyes held only one purpose: to slay this beast.
The great tiger’s attacks were originally ferocious, but under the suppressive effect of [Invincible Will], its judgment was constantly being subconsciously impaired.
Though Yu Fei’s attacks were only causing superficial wounds, not yet serious, the tiger’s spirit was being invisibly suppressed, causing it to hesitate and falter in its attacks.
This was the only reason Yu Fei could continue this fight to the death.
The great tiger roared again and again, but its soul-shaking cries were useless. Meanwhile, Yu Fei only grew more valiant the longer he fought.
Within his Returning Ruins Spiritual Source, the phantom of the sword grew grand and magnificent, all-encompassing yet purified into a single essence.
As the last few wisps of conceptual essence were devoured by the sword’s phantom, Yu Fei’s cultivation in the Divine Realm reached its culmination.
This meant Yu Fei had finally completed the purification of his divine intent. His killing power nearly doubled in an instant.
"BANG!"
The two combatants broke apart. Yu Fei stood there, a bloody mess, his leg fractured and blood pouring from his wounds like a fountain.
The great tiger was also covered in wounds, some so deep that bone was visible—the result of Yu Fei hacking at it repeatedly with his dull sword as if chopping wood.
More importantly, one of the great tiger’s eyes was ruined. He had achieved this by pouring an endless stream of Sword Qi into its eyes.
"ROAR!"
The overlord-class desolate beast sensed danger—true, mortal danger.
The great tiger’s intuition was sharp. It detected a change in Yu Fei’s aura; in an instant, the threat from the two-legged beast had multiplied.
"ROAR!"
The great tiger let out a low growl, its one good eye filled with wariness!