Chapter 626: Chapter 408: Ambush

Xu Yang concealed his aura and walked forward for a while. Soon, he spotted a devastated area within a mountain col.

A fierce battle had taken place here. Several wolf-like Exotic Beasts lay dead, their blood painting the ground. A creature resembling a wild boar had its head lowered, tearing into the carcasses.

The boar-like Exotic Beast was massive, standing nearly as tall as a man. With broad shoulders and a wide back, it looked like a horse-drawn carriage. Its entire body was pitch-black, with bristles like steel needles and skin that gleamed with a metallic sheen. The most eye-catching feature was the pair of tusks protruding from the corners of its mouth. Radiating a faint glow, they jutted out like two sharp, deadly daggers.

The dead Exotic Beasts scattered around almost all bore puncture wounds from these dagger-like tusks, their innards spilled across the ground.

"Stone-Splitting Boar!" Xu Yang instantly recognized the creature.

Jin Yu had introduced it during class. The Stone-Splitting Boar possessed thick, rough skin and infinite strength. Its hide was harder than metal, and it was said that an ordinary Spiritual Soldier could not pierce it. Its most terrifying aspect was its sheer physical power. When enraged, the Stone-Splitting Boar could shatter a house-sized boulder with a single headbutt. Its strength was incredibly daunting. At the same Realm, an ordinary Martial Artist simply could not kill it. Xu Yang could plainly see this for himself—the boar had slaughtered five or six Exotic Beasts here without suffering a single scratch.

He thought, "Its aura is even stronger than the Twin-Horned Tiger’s. Its Essence Blood should be of even higher quality."

One of his main purposes for venturing into the mountains was to gather Cultivation Resources. Now that he had finally stumbled upon a Celestial Essence Third Layer Exotic Beast, he naturally wouldn’t let it go. Aside from its Exotic Beast Essence Blood, the creature’s invulnerable hide was highly valuable, serving as premium material for crafting leather armor. Furthermore, those two long, dagger-like tusks were comparable to a Spiritual Soldier in their own right and would fetch a hefty price.

With this in mind, Xu Yang stepped out from behind a large tree. Gang Yuan erupted from the soles of his feet, propelling his body forward like a soaring dragon as he dashed toward the Stone-Splitting Boar.

He had been worried about scaring the beast away, hence his full-speed charge. However, upon noticing him, the Stone-Splitting Boar didn’t flee at all. It abandoned the carcass it was feeding on, let out a low, guttural roar, and stomped its four hooves before charging madly in his direction.

RUMBLE...

The Stone-Splitting Boar’s massive frame and appalling strength made its charge feel like a landslide or an earthquake. The ground trembled endlessly, and every footfall left a deep, heavily cracked crater. A terrifying aura erupted from its body, carrying a tidal wave of pressure that churned the earth and sent dust billowing into the air. A wardrobe-sized boulder sat in its path, but before the boar even reached it, the sheer pressure blasted the rock to pieces. The beast was like an unstoppable torrent; wherever it passed, massive stones and ancient trees shattered, leaving a deep trench in its wake.

He marveled, "It truly possesses infinite strength!"

A sharp glint gradually lit up Xu Yang’s eyes, and he activated the Azure Dragon Dominating Body without hesitation. He wanted to see if his Azure Dragon Dominating Body, which had reached the Second Layer Realm, could firmly clash head-on with this Stone-Splitting Boar—an Exotic Beast renowned for its raw power. The Dragon Qi lying dormant within his flesh and blood surged, instantly spreading throughout his entire body.

BOOM!

Qi-Blood roared out of him like a column of signal fire, shooting into the sky like an erupting volcano. With a sound like a thunderclap, violently turbulent air currents exploded outward from his feet. Within a radius of five or six zhang, all vegetation and rocks were instantly pulverized into fine dust, sweeping outward as a circular wave of debris.

He realized, "This isn’t enough!"

Even though they hadn’t clashed yet, Xu Yang already understood that relying solely on his Second Layer Azure Dragon Dominating Body wouldn’t be enough to suppress the Stone-Splitting Boar, which was currently hurtling toward him like a speeding carriage.

BOOM!

Another blast of air erupted as the power of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture roared out from his Dantian like an awakened, enraged dragon.

ROAR...

Accompanied by a deafening, beastly roar, two dagger-like tusks tore through the air, aimed directly at him. Behind them was a pitch-black, wardrobe-sized snout. The creature’s scarlet eyes were tinged with bloodlust and sheer madness. With such a ferocious aura, even if a towering mountain stood in its way—let alone a mere human—it would headbutt it without a second thought.

Xu Yang abruptly brought his sprinting body to a halt, thrusting his fist out fiercely like a massive spear straight at the colossal boar head.

BOOM!

His domineering Fist Strength exploded with a resounding crack, dispersing the airborne dust. Rings of white shockwaves rippled outward endlessly as his glowing fist smashed heavily against the incoming head. The tusks, which had been tearing forward with enough momentum to pierce through anything, were instantly stopped in their tracks, unable to advance even an inch further.

BANG!

A terrifying sound, much like a meteor crashing into the earth, detonated across the area. Every object within a radius of dozens of zhang was completely pulverized. The ground was torn asunder, trees exploded into splinters, and billowing waves of dust surged like a roaring tide, rushing far into the distance. As the dragon-like plume of smoke shot into the sky, disbelief flickered in the Stone-Splitting Boar’s dim-witted eyes. It seemed utterly shocked by the horrifying strength possessed by this ant-like creature before it.

Even against Exotic Beasts much larger than itself, it had never lost a contest of raw strength. Yet now, a fist no bigger than a toothpick had completely halted its charge. A wave of intense pain radiated from the point of impact. Not only was its forward momentum forcibly stopped, but its head was also being forced down into the ground, completely unable to lift itself back up.

"My strength isn’t bad!" Xu Yang thought.

His entire body shone brilliantly as Gang Yuan surged. With his current strength—even without using a Martial Technique, a Combat Power-boosting Secret Technique, or his Spirit Bone— Martial Artists at the Celestial Essence Third Layer who could withstand a single punch from him were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns. This Stone-Splitting Boar indeed possessed immense strength, with bones and sinews akin to Spirit Iron. Though his punch had suppressed it with overwhelming force, it had done just that—suppressed it. He hadn’t dealt a lethal blow.

ROAR...

The Stone-Splitting Boar let out a violent roar, forcefully pushing its head forward as its four hooves dug deep into the earth. However, the pressure pressing down on its head felt less like a human hand and more like a crushing mountain weighing millions of pounds. Within three breaths of their standoff, the boar’s head was smashed into the ground, leaving its hindquarters jutting into the air. Rather than feeling fear in this situation, the beast’s squeals only grew shriller and higher-pitched as it thrashed wildly to free itself from the dirt.

Xu Yang’s muscles bulged. Shifting his stance, he pressed his other hand against the Stone-Splitting Boar’s head, raised his fist, and hammered it down once more.

BANG!

A visible shockwave pushed back ripples of dirt, burying the Stone-Splitting Boar’s head even deeper.

CRACK!

This time, the supposedly impenetrable hide that not even a Spiritual Soldier could breach was smashed into a web of cracks, with a deep Fist Seal sinking straight into the bone. An ear-piercing wail echoed across the wilderness. The Stone-Splitting Boar finally felt fear, struggling desperately to retreat, but Xu Yang’s hand clamped down like a vise, and a third punch swiftly followed.

CRACK!

The spear-like fist blasted directly into the Stone-Splitting Boar’s skull. White brain matter oozed from the fissures, and its roars came to an abrupt halt. Its thrashing body stilled, its strength receding like a retreating tide. The massive creature stiffened before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a final cloud of dust.

Xu Yang pulled his fist out and rolled the colossal body over. Without delay, he quickly drew his Burning Separation Saber and sliced open its chest, revealing a bright red heart.

He mused, "Dinner is sorted, too."

He had never tasted Exotic Beast Meat equivalent to the Celestial Essence Third Layer before. The dining halls at the Celestial Strategy Academy only served Exotic Beast Meat on par with the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Upon slicing open the heart, several drops of sweet-smelling Essence Blood were revealed. Xu Yang hurriedly took out the Spirit Bottle he had specially prepared for this mountain expedition and swiftly collected the blood.

The Spirit Bottle served the same function as a Jade Bottle—preventing the Spiritual Qi of items possessing Spirituality from dissipating. Forged from Spirit Iron, it was also highly durable. Of course, it had an obvious drawback: the exorbitant manufacturing cost. While items like Jade Boxes were cheap to produce, carrying them into fierce battles left them vulnerable to shattering from the residual shockwaves of power. Therefore, he had specifically spent academy credits to exchange for a Spirit Bottle and a Spirit Box crafted from Spirit Iron.

After chopping off the Stone-Splitting Boar’s pair of tusks, Xu Yang carved out a large chunk of meat from its hind leg and quickly left the area. He did not harvest the Spiritual Soldier-resistant hide. Although it was valuable, it required immediate treatment with specialized medicinal liquids, which he did not possess. Besides, the entire hide was simply too large and cumbersome to carry around.

He soon found a nearby cave. After roasting and eating a portion of the meat, Xu Yang took out the Stone-Splitting Boar’s Essence Blood. Compared to the Twin-Horned Tiger’s Essence Blood, this was clearly of a superior quality. The fragrance was much richer, and both its Spiritual Qi and Essence Qi were far more abundant.

Upon swallowing it, Xu Yang felt a massive surge of Essence Qi coursing through his entire body. He hurriedly engaged in Holding the Essence and Guarding the One, activating his Azure Dragon Dominating Body.

[Azure Dragon Dominating Body·Second Layer (4642/10000)]

Two hours later, Xu Yang opened his eyes from his meditation. The Refinement of the Stone-Splitting Boar’s Essence Blood was nearly complete, but he noticed that the progression of his Azure Dragon Dominating Body was noticeably inferior to when he consumed the Twin-Horned Tiger’s Essence Blood. It had only increased his Azure Dragon Dominating Body’s progress by less than three hundred points. He wasn’t surprised by this. As his Cultivation grew stronger, not only did Spirit Medicine become less effective, but the efficacy of Pills and Elixirs also steadily decreased. Back then, his Azure Dragon Dominating Body had merely been at the First Layer; now that it was at the Mid-Two Realms, the effects naturally wouldn’t be the same. After cultivating the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture for a little while longer, Xu Yang leaned against a rock and fell asleep.

The following day, he ventured deeper into Jade Dragon Mountain. In the ensuing days, he alternated between traveling and scavenging for resources. Sometimes, he couldn’t find a single stalk of Spirit Medicine for days; other times, he might stumble upon one or two in a single day. He directly consumed those with high maturity years and carefully stored the younger ones, intending to plant them upon his return. Exotic Beasts at the Third Layer were equally difficult to track down. Over the course of more than ten days, he only encountered two. Even so, his Cultivation progress was barely any slower than when he was fully stocked with resources.

He thought, "No wonder Senior Brother Sun enjoys venturing into the mountains. As long as you’re willing to risk your life, this place is virtually bursting with resources..." He finally understood why Sun Tao was never deterred despite surviving several near-death experiences. The sense of accomplishment from these bountiful harvests was incredibly satisfying.

"I should head to Moon Peak first," he decided. "If I delay too long, those people might lose their patience and leave, which would ruin the plan." Getting his bearings, Xu Yang hurried toward Moon Peak, the habitat of Starlight Grass.

Meanwhile, on the only path leading to Moon Peak, three figures concealed their auras as they laid in ambush within the shadows. They were Huang Yi, Han Yingjie, and Peng Lianyun. After some discussion, Huang Yi had decided to let Han Yingjie join their group. Although he and Peng Lianyun were confident in killing Xu Yang together, having an extra helper provided an added layer of security in the perilous Jade Dragon Mountain, further guaranteeing Xu Yang’s demise.

"It’s been over twenty days, and Xu Yang still hasn’t shown up. Is he not coming to Moon Peak at all?" Peng Lianyun was finally losing his patience. Originally, he thought that after entering the mountains, he could enjoy a wild, open-air tryst with Huang Yi, but Han Yingjie’s inclusion immediately shattered that fantasy.

"Don’t worry, Brother Peng. This is his first time entering Jade Dragon Mountain, so he might have gotten lost. Since he accepted the task to collect Starlight Grass, it’s impossible for him not to come here," Han Yingjie said calmly, unbothered by the wait. This was his only chance to eliminate Xu Yang. Given Xu Yang’s talent, once he broke through to the Celestial Essence Third Layer, Han Yingjie would never stand a chance against him again. Therefore, he was willing to wait no matter how long it took.

"Keep quiet—I think he’s here!" Huang Yi hissed, her voice trembling with a mix of bloodlust and excitement.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.