Chapter 52: Killing Intent

Following behind Yang Jinshui and the others, Chen Chuan maintained a composed pace while remaining vigilant in his heart.

Deep within the Demon Beast Mountain Range, the ancient trees grew increasingly gnarled, their branches and leaves blotting out the sun. The air was thick with a primal and dangerous Aura, mixed with the faint scent of decaying leaves and blood.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Jinshui raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

Lowering his voice, he pointed to a massive cave nestled beneath a mountain wall. Bleached white beast bones were scattered at the entrance, and a heart-palpitating, malevolent Aura emanated from within.

"This is the place." Yang Jinshui’s gaze was solemn. "That beast is inside, and the Blazing Sun Fruit tree is also deep within the cave."

Chen Chuan could sense the Aura coming from the depths of the cave; it was as heavy as a mountain, carrying a thick, earthy violence. It was undoubtedly the Fifth-Rank Late Stage Demonic Beast, the Earth Tyrant Bear.

The strength of this Aura even faintly brushed against the threshold of Rank Six. An ordinary Mountain Sea Realm Ninth Level Cultivator would indeed not dare to lightly provoke it without some special Opportunity or powerful means.

"Brother Yang, what’s the plan?"

The burly man in the group at the Mountain Sea Realm Third Level asked in a deep voice.

His name was Zhao Mang. Though he appeared rough and boorish, a glint of cunning would occasionally flash in his eyes.

Yang Jinshui clearly had a plan ready as he said in a low voice:

"The Earth Tyrant Bear is thick-skinned and possesses immense strength, but its intelligence is low, and its speed is relatively its weak point."

"My movement technique is decent, so I will go in and lure it out. Once it charges out of the cave, Brother Chen and Brother Zhou Yuan, you two will pin it down from the left."

"Zhao Mang, you three will attack from the right."

"We will move around and besiege it to exhaust its stamina. We must not face it head-on."

"When you find an opening, attack its vulnerable spots like its eyes and throat."

Everyone nodded one after another. Zhou Yuan gripped the saber in his hand even tighter, his face filled with a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement.

Yang Jinshui took a deep breath, and with a movement, he glided into the cave as silently as a wisp of blue smoke.

A moment later, an earth-shattering roar echoed from within the cave, followed by a thunderous sound that made the ground shake and the mountains tremble.

Roar!

A massive black shadow, accompanied by sky-piercing fury, charged out of the cave. It was the Earth Tyrant Bear.

It stood over thirty feet tall, its body covered in rock-like, earthy-yellow fur. Its tusks were exposed, and its crimson eyes burned with the rage of being disturbed.

Yang Jinshui retreated rapidly several dozen feet ahead of it, his posture appearing slightly disheveled.

"Strike!"

Yang Jinshui shouted loudly.

Instantly, the other five moved simultaneously.

Zhou Yuan was the first to act. His saber light was like a bolt of silk, carrying a sharp metallic Qi as it slashed directly at the Earth Tyrant Bear’s hind leg joints.

This was the Mysterious-Grade High-Rank Cultivation Technique he practiced, the Wind-Splitting Saber Technique.

Zhao Mang roared, his fists glowing with an earthy-yellow light as he condensed a massive fist seal and smashed it fiercely toward the bear’s waist and abdomen.

Li Wu and Wang Li also used their own methods, harassing from the sides with sword shadows and palm winds.

Chen Chuan approached from the left as instructed.

He circulated his spiritual energy, and a thick, earthy-yellow halo appeared on his fist. It looked simple and unadorned, yet it carried a steady Aura that could shake mountains.

What he was performing was the Mysterious-Grade Mid-Rank Cultivation Technique that all Primordial Holy Land Outer Sect Disciples could practice—the Mountain-Shaking Fist.

In his hands, this Mountain-Shaking Fist had already reached the Realm of Major Achievement.

As the fist technique unfolded, though there was no brilliant radiance,

every punch was heavy and powerful. The wind from his fists surged, even faintly bringing the sound of wind and thunder; its power was not at all inferior to an ordinary Earth-Grade Cultivation Technique.

He landed a punch on the side of the Earth Tyrant Bear’s thick forelimb, actually causing the massive creature’s body to stall slightly as it let out a muffled roar of pain.

The Earth Tyrant Bear was completely enraged. It swung its giant paws, bringing with them a howling gale as it swiped at everyone.

Its strength was terrifying. Every time a paw landed, a deep pit was formed in the ground, sending crushed stones flying.

The group didn’t dare to take the hits head-on, relying instead on their movement techniques to circle around and look for openings to attack.

The battle was exceptionally fierce, and the scene was quite frantic for a time.

Zhou Yuan was focused on ending the battle as quickly as possible, putting in the most effort in his attacks and nearly being hit by the bear’s paws several times.

Chen Chuan, however, handled it with ease. His footwork was exquisite, always allowing him to evade fatal attacks at the critical moment.

Each time, he could accurately strike the bear, causing effective interference and minor damage.

However, Chen Chuan’s Eye of Wisdom clearly captured that Yang Jinshui and the other three, while appearing to have fierce offensives, were actually holding back significantly.

Their movement techniques were far from full power, and their attacks were mostly feints. What was even more sinister was that

they frequently used subtle positioning and feigned attacks to intentionally or unintentionally draw the Earth Tyrant Bear’s rage toward Chen Chuan and Zhou Yuan.

Roar!

During one encirclement, Zhao Mang feigned a mistake, stumbling and leaving an opening on the right side. The Earth Tyrant Bear’s attention was immediately drawn to Zhou Yuan, who was attacking strongly from the front.

The massive bear paw, carrying a sharp whistle that tore through the air, lunged fiercely at Zhou Yuan.

Caught off guard, although Zhou Yuan tried his best to dodge, his left arm was still slashed by the sharp claws.

Rip!

His sleeve was torn, and blood instantly gushed out. The wound, deep enough to see the bone, made him groan in pain, his face turning pale.

"Brother Zhou, be careful!"

Yang Jinshui cried out in feigned alarm, but a cold light of a successful scheme flashed in his eyes.

Chen Chuan’s internal sneer deepened. His figure flickered, appearing to coincidentally block the path between Zhou Yuan and the bear’s follow-up attack. He punched the bear’s wrist, knocking its attack off course.

"Brother Zhou Yuan, steady yourself. Do not be impatient," he reminded calmly.

Zhou Yuan was both shocked and angry, but he only thought he had been careless. He shot a grateful glance at Chen Chuan and continued the fight through gritted teeth, though his movements were now significantly more cautious.

After nearly an hour of tangled fighting, the Earth Tyrant Bear was covered in wounds.

Although most were superficial, the exhaustion was immense. Its movements had slowed down significantly, and its Aura had withered quite a bit.

In particular, a bloody gash had been opened near its eye by Yang Jinshui’s sword light. Blood flowed like a stream, adding to its frenzy.

The time had come!

A sharp light flashed in Yang Jinshui’s eyes as he shouted, "Everyone, put in more effort! This beast is almost finished!"

Before his voice had even faded, his figure suddenly accelerated. The longsword in his hand erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant green light, the blade vibrating and letting out a clear sword chime.

He performed his trump card technique, the Green Essence Sword Manual.

Green Essence Break!

A highly condensed green Sword Qi, like a venomous dragon emerging from its hole, pierced with extreme precision toward the Earth Tyrant Bear’s throat, where its defense had slightly weakened due to injury.

Puchi!

The Sword Qi pierced through the throat!

The Earth Tyrant Bear’s massive body suddenly stiffened. It let out one final, unwilling wail before collapsing like a falling mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The battle was over, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Yuan slumped directly onto the ground, panting heavily while tending to the wound on his arm.

Yang Jinshui pulled out his longsword and wiped the blood off the blade, a sincere smile appearing on his face:

"Hard work, brothers!"

"The Materials on this Earth Tyrant Bear are all of great value. I, Yang Jinshui, am a man of my word. These will be split equally between Brother Chen and Brother Zhou Yuan. How about it?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan’s face immediately showed surprise and gratitude. He seemed to have completely forgotten about being led into danger just now, saying repeatedly:

"Big Brother Yang is too kind. Thank you, Big Brother Yang."

In his eyes, Yang Jinshui’s gesture was extremely generous.

Chen Chuan stood to the side, expressionless, but his heart saw everything clearly.

How could the subtle coldness and greed in the eyes of Yang Jinshui and his companions escape his perception?

This was nothing more than a trick to keep them steady, especially to keep Zhou Yuan, who still had temporary utility, under control.

"Brother Zhou Yuan, no need to be polite. This is what you deserve." Yang Jinshui smiled and waved his hand, then looked toward the cave with a fervent gaze. "Let’s go. The real treasure is inside."

The six of them set off again, stepping into the Earth Tyrant Bear’s lair.

The depths of the cave were quite spacious. Light filtered down from cracks in the ceiling, illuminating a small tree about the height of a person in the center.

The small tree was crimson all over, its leaves like burning flames, and six bright red fruits hung from its branches.

The surface of the fruits was vibrant with flowing light, emitting pure and scorching energy fluctuations. They were indeed Blazing Sun Fruits.

The rich fragrance of the fruit was refreshing. Just taking a single breath made one feel their spiritual energy become a bit more active.

The breathing of Yang Jinshui and the other three instantly became heavy, their eyes filled with undisguisable greed.

Zhou Yuan was even more excited, his face flushed red as he pointed at the Blazing Sun Fruits and said excitedly, "Exactly six fruits, one for each of us."

As he spoke, he was about to step forward to pick the one that belonged to him.

The smile on Yang Jinshui’s face remained unchanged, but his tone carried a hint of subtle strangeness: "Brother Zhou Yuan contributed the most just now and was even injured. It’s only right that you take yours first."

Zhou Yuan did not suspect anything and said gratefully, "Big Brother Yang is righteous."

He then impatiently walked toward the Blazing Sun Fruit tree.

At the very moment Zhou Yuan reached out to touch the nearest Blazing Sun Fruit,

the gentle smile on Yang Jinshui’s face suddenly turned hideous, and the killing intent in his eyes surged.

He gave a meaningful look to Zhao Mang, Li Wu, and Wang Li.

"Strike!"

With a sharp shout, Zhao Mang and the other two, who had long been prepared, were like hungry wolves pouncing on prey. Their internal spiritual energy erupted as they each performed their strongest killing moves.

From three different directions, they attacked the seemingly defenseless Chen Chuan with extreme ruthlessness.

The attacks of the three instantly enveloped Chen Chuan.

Meanwhile, Yang Jinshui himself flipped his wrist, and his longsword shot out like a venomous snake, carrying sharp Sword Qi as it pierced directly toward the back of Zhou Yuan’s heart, who had his back turned.

If this sword strike landed, Zhou Yuan would undoubtedly die.

The sudden change caused the excitement on Zhou Yuan’s face to instantly freeze, turning into endless horror and confusion. He had no time to make any reaction at all.

However, Chen Chuan, who had been observing everything with his Eye of Wisdom, had long anticipated all of this.

At the exact same moment Zhao Mang and the others acted, Chen Chuan’s figure flickered like a ghost. It looked incredibly dangerous, yet he avoided the core of all the attacks with exquisite precision.

The attacks of the three all missed, slamming into the ground and creating deep pits.

At the same time, Chen Chuan’s footwork shifted mysteriously, and he appeared beside Zhou Yuan as if teleporting. With a pull and a tug of his left hand, he moved the dazed Zhou Yuan away from his original spot.

Then, he threw a punch with his right hand. It arrived after the strike was launched but hit first, carrying a brilliant golden glow as it accurately smashed against the spine of the sword Yang Jinshui had thrust out.

Clang!

A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.

Yang Jinshui only felt an irresistible, massive force transmit from the sword blade. His entire arm instantly went numb, the longsword almost flew out of his hand, and his offensive came to a screeching halt.

His body involuntarily retreated several steps before he managed to steady himself, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

Zhou Yuan, having been pulled away by Chen Chuan, was still shaken. Looking at Yang Jinshui’s hideous face and the murderous gazes of the other three, even a fool would understand what had happened.

He pointed at Yang Jinshui, his whole body trembling with anger and the feeling of betrayal as he shouted:

"You actually wanted to kill us and take the treasure! To think I thought you were a righteous person!"

Yang Jinshui steadied his blood and Qi, his shock turning into cold mockery.

He shook his numbed arm and looked at Chen Chuan, his gaze like a venomous snake. "Good kid, you were indeed hiding something. It seems I misjudged you."

He no longer pretended, his gaze sweeping over Chen Chuan and Zhou Yuan with chilling killing intent. "But so what if you found out? Today, you won’t be taking a single one of these Blazing Sun Fruits, and your lives must also be left here."

The other three moved quickly, forming an encirclement with Yang Jinshui. They completely blocked the cave’s exit, trapping Chen Chuan and the injured Zhou Yuan in the middle.

Inside the small cave, the atmosphere instantly dropped to the freezing point. The companions who had just joined forces against an enemy had, in the blink of an eye, become mortal foes.

Yang Jinshui licked his lips and grinned hideously:

"Once we get rid of you, the Blazing Sun Fruits are ours. Do it!"