Chapter 35: Crave For Blood
Chapter THIRTY FIVE
The two-spiked gorilla was dead.
Its head had been cleanly severed from its body.
Blood erupted from the neck like a crimson fountain before the corpse crashed heavily to the ground.
Standing before them was the one responsible.
Blood stained her blue dress.
The once neat and elegant black hair she carefully maintained had become wild and disheveled from battle.
Yet despite her appearance, her cold blue eyes remained as calm and sharp as ever.
She stood there like an unmovable mountain.
Looking down at the two brothers. "An angel..." Li Jie muttered weakly in his head.
Then he shook it away.
No.
That wasn’t an angel. That was Li Yuexin. The strongest among them.
And this feat she had performed only cemented that fact even further.
Her gaze lowered toward the duo, calm yet somewhat somber. She felt a trace of guilt. After all, the two brothers had nearly lost their lives because of her. Still, she couldn’t afford to remain here for long. There were still several spiked gorillas left to deal with, and beyond them stood the true boss of this entire battle—the three-spiked gorilla whose eyes had yet to open even once.
"You two should recuperate and distance yourselves from the battlefield for the time being," she said calmly.
Giving them a small nod of silent gratitude, Li Yuexin rushed forward once more.
Li Feng was currently being bombarded by five two-spiked gorillas, three of them being ninth-stage Level Two beasts while the remaining two were peak-stage Level Two beasts.
He was barely holding on.
Anyone looking at him could see that he was struggling tremendously. More and more injuries were accumulating on his body with every passing second. Yet beneath all that pain, his fierce gaze remained unwavering.
Good thing I’m here to relieve him, Li Yuexin thought as she entered the battlefield.
Li Feng immediately felt the change.
The moment he saw Li Yuexin intercept the two peak-stage two-spiked gorillas and leave the three ninth-stage ones to him, a weight seemed to lift from his shoulders.
The battle was still difficult.
He continued to suffer injuries here and there while dealing damage of his own.
Yet he was more than certain that he would at least be able to kill the remaining three before collapsing.
The reason he had survived this long was largely due to the Li Clan’s movement technique.
The Flash Movement Technique.
It was his lifeline.
Time and time again he used it to evade attacks that would have certainly taken his life. Then he would counterattack from angles the beasts least expected.
As the battle dragged on, Li Feng managed to inflict more and more damage while the beasts gradually grew complacent.
The confidence they had displayed at the start of the battle had all but disappeared.
They had finally realized something terrifying.
The humans were actually winning.
Not only that, but most of their companions had already been killed.
When Li Feng finally managed to kill another ninth-stage gorilla, his body swayed dangerously.
He was running out of gathered qi.
And if he exhausted it completely, then he would truly be finished.
Still, he couldn’t afford to hold back.
Using Sky Flash once more, he narrowly evaded another devastating attack before staggering backward.
He breathed heavily.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
His heart pounded loudly against his chest.
His vision felt heavier by the second due to the injuries and exhaustion that had accumulated throughout the battle.
The two remaining ninth-stage gorillas no longer charged at him like mindless beasts.
Instead, they watched him with visible wariness.
And fear.
"So you guys can get scared as well."
Li Feng grinned.
A dangerous, predatory grin.
"Good. Very good."
He was putting on a brave front, but he knew the truth.
He was reaching his limit.
And he was reaching it fast.
Li Feng turned his gaze toward Li Yuexin to see how she was faring.
The sight that greeted him made his blood boil and run cold at the same time.
She was only fighting one peak-stage two-spiked gorilla now.
The other was already dead.
Its chest had been split completely in half.
The remaining beast wasn’t faring much better either.
Judging by its condition, it was only moments away from dying beneath her blade as well.
No matter how much Li Feng tried convincing himself that he was getting closer and closer to Li Yuexin’s level, this blatant display of power completely shattered those wishful thoughts.
If he had to put it simply...
He had never been in her league to begin with.
She was simply that monstrously talented.
A few more exchanges later, the final peak-stage two-spiked gorilla collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
Dead.
The two remaining ninth-stage gorillas witnessed the scene.
Their blood instantly turned cold.
They slowly turned their heads toward the graceful young woman who had killed two of their strongest fighters in less than ten minutes.
And the most frightening thing was that, aside from a few scratches here and there, she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries.
But that wasn’t even the worst part.
The worst part was that she was now turning her calm, icy gaze directly toward them.
The two beasts instinctively turned toward the three-spiked gorilla.
Its eyes remained closed.
It seemed completely disinterested in the battle, as though it could descend at any moment and end this entire charade with a single move.
The beasts looked back at the human woman.
Li Yuexin was calmly wiping the blood from her blade.
Her cold gaze casually rested on their necks.
Immediately, chills crawled down their spines.
Without needing to communicate, both beasts reached the exact same conclusion.
If they stayed here...
They would die.
There was no doubt about it.
If they wished to survive, then they needed to run.
As fast as possible.
Without wasting another moment questioning their instincts, both gorillas immediately turned tail and fled, sprinting toward the opposite direction from where the group had originally come from.
Li Feng watched as the two beasts fled and finally let out a long breath of relief. Sincerely, he didn’t know how much longer he could have held on if he had been forced to face those two head-on.
Seeing Li Yuexin still standing in one piece, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted. She didn’t even seem seriously injured. Apart from a few scratches here and there, she looked completely fine.
It was both great news and depressing news for Li Feng.
Great because he was genuinely relieved that she was unharmed.
Depressing because it meant that she was leaving him further and further behind with every passing day, her monstrous growth speed widening the gap between them.
Li Feng walked closer to Li Yuexin, who was staring at her sword.
Not exactly at the sword itself, though.
She was looking at the blood coating every inch of its blade.
Li Yuexin swallowed slightly.
I’m Craving It Again?
Why am I craving blood?
The thought irritated her.
This wasn’t the first time she had felt like this.
Almost every time she killed large numbers of enemies, the bloodlust around her seemed to grow stronger. The scent of blood drew her in, and she found herself craving it more and more.
But it was wrong.
How could a human drink blood?
It was unnatural.
Inhumane.
Because of that, she always forced those urges down, suppressing them before they could take root.
"We did it, Sister Yue!" Li Feng suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts. A bright smile appeared on his face as though they had just won the greatest prize in the world.
Li Yuexin nodded calmly before speaking.
"You don’t look so good."
Li Feng waved dismissively.
"Don’t worry about that. I only pushed myself a little too hard. I’m fine. Nothing to worry about."
Li Yuexin studied him for a moment before nodding.
"Thanks."
Several seconds passed before she spoke again.
"Thank you. If you guys hadn’t stood by my side, I wouldn’t have defeated them. At least not this quickly and easily."
Her tone was genuinely grateful.
Li Feng blushed slightly before scratching the back of his head.
"No, it’s nothing. Absolutely nothing. We’re all members of the same clan, so of course we should help each other out."
Li Yuexin gave a small smile.
"You’re right about that."
Then her smile slowly faded.
"But you’re wrong about something else."
Her gaze shifted toward the distance.
The three-spiked gorilla, whose eyes had remained closed the entire time, had finally opened them. It was now staring directly at the two of them with keen interest.
"The battle isn’t over."
Her voice remained calm.
"Not yet."
"Not until we take down that three-spiked gorilla."
She spoke as if what she was saying wasn’t an enormous challenge.
After all, the difference between the Qi Gathering Realm and the Qi Refining Realm was by no means a small one.
It was a completely different level of existence.
The gap wasn’t something that could be bridged easily.
Yet Li Yuexin didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
She simply walked forward, her hand wrapping around the hilt of her blue sword while her blue eyes remained steady and unwavering.
Li Feng also gripped his black sword and attempted to walk beside her.
After only a few steps, however, his legs gave out beneath him.
He crashed to the ground, only managing to stop himself from falling face-first by stabbing his sword into the earth and using it as support.
His face instantly turned pale.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Sharp pain surged through his bones and muscles.
Looking up at Li Yuexin, his expression turned solemn.
He understood exactly what was happening.
He had completely exhausted his Qi reserves.
That was very bad.
Without Qi, he was practically useless in a battle of this level.
Until his body absorbed enough natural Qi from the surroundings to replenish itself, he wouldn’t be able to fight.
Li Yuexin looked at him and immediately understood.
She simply gave a small nod.
"Don’t worry, Brother Feng."
"I can handle this myself."
Li Feng grimaced as another wave of pain washed through him. It took considerable effort just to force the words out.
"Show them, Junior Sister Yuexin..."
He coughed before continuing.
"Show them why you’re called the Battle Princess of the Li Clan."
"Take that beast down."
Li Yuexin simply nodded.
Then she continued walking forward.
Li Feng watched her leave, and the worry in his heart gradually lessened.
After all, there was one thing that gave Li Yuexin a massive advantage.
Unlike him, who possessed only a Sky-Grade Spirit Root, she possessed the legendary Sacred Spirit Root.
The difference was like heaven and earth.
Her Qi reserves were so vast that they seemed almost limitless.
Combined with her terrifying combat talent, her mastery of nearly every Li Clan technique, and the battle instincts she had sharpened through countless fights, she was someone Li Feng respected deeply.
More than anyone else.
Right now, despite knowing that a three-spiked gorilla was vastly stronger than a two-spiked one, despite understanding that the beast was already in the Qi Refining Realm and possessed overwhelming power, he still found himself believing that Li Yuexin would win.
It sounded insane.
No matter how talented she was, the gap between Qi Gathering and Qi Refining was enormous.
Far greater than the gap between Body Refinement and Qi Gathering.
And yet...
Despite the beast being a terrifying Stage Two Level Three spirit beast, Li Feng still possessed unwavering confidence.
Li Yuexin would win.
She had to.
"Go, Sister Yuexin..."
"Kill that beast."
Meanwhile, the three-spiked gorilla observed the humans from atop its boulder.
Then it moved.
BOOM!
The beast dropped down from the massive boulder, landing heavily upon the earth.
Dust exploded outward in every direction.
Its towering figure slowly emerged from the cloud of dust, radiating overwhelming pressure.
Li Yuexin stared at the beast standing before her.
Her gaze became deathly still.
No matter what stood in her way of finding Liyu—
Human or beast.
Strong or weak.
Good or evil.
She would cut them all down.
Even if she had to become a killer.
Even if she had to stain her hands with endless blood.
She would find him.
She would find Liyu.
As that steely determination surged through her heart, her blue eyes suddenly flashed crimson for a brief second.
Then they returned to their normal blue once more.
