Chapter 47: A Desperate Battle

"Thank you for your kindness, Sir Sable, but I have no intention of parting with it."

Ryan’s expression turned cold as he immediately rejected the old man’s offer.

From Mortimer Sable’s words and demeanor, Ryan was now certain.

This old man had definitely noticed something about the black beast hide.

His claim that he was "also interested in the discarded treasures" was nothing more than a complete lie.

The problem was that Ryan couldn’t see through Mortimer Sable’s cultivation realm at all.

He couldn’t even begin to gauge the old man’s true depth.

That was troublesome.

"Hehehe..." Mortimer Sable chuckled sinisterly. "Kid, don’t play hard to get. While I still have the patience to speak politely with you, you’d best hand over that bundle of beast hide and discarded treasures."

His smile gradually faded. "Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite."

Mortimer Sable had only just passed by this stall and happened to be standing at the edge of the crowd when he saw Ryan wrapping the broken discarded treasures in the black beast hide.

At first, he had merely swept over the bundle with his Mental Awareness out of curiosity.

He hadn’t discovered anything unusual.

But shortly afterward, he suddenly noticed something strange.

A tiny strand of the Mental Awareness he had released was being devoured by the black beast hide.

The speed was extremely slow, and the amount being consumed was almost negligible.

If not for Mortimer Sable’s Bloodline, which possessed a passive ability that greatly enhanced the strength of his Mental Awareness, an ordinary Bloodline Fighter would never have noticed anything unusual.

Yet that tiny amount of Mental Awareness being devoured had still given him an inexplicable chill.

It was as though some terrifying monster had suddenly opened its mouth and begun consuming him.

Mortimer Sable’s cultivation had already reached the peak of the Origin Transcendent Realm.

Yet he had felt such intense instinctive fear toward this seemingly ordinary, tattered black beast hide that the hairs throughout his body had trembled uncontrollably.

That terrifying sensation had lasted for quite some time before finally fading.

In all his years of life, Mortimer Sable had never encountered anything so strange.

His heart had immediately been thrown into turmoil.

He understood at once.

This black beast hide was definitely an extraordinary treasure!

At first, Mortimer Sable had been somewhat wary of Ryan.

He had secretly used his strongest Mental Awareness to probe Ryan, yet he had been unable to see through the young man’s cultivation.

The faint gray light surrounding Ryan was incredibly strange.

It was like a copper wall and iron fortress, capable of blocking even extremely powerful Mental Awareness.

With Mortimer Sable’s Mental Awareness far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators in the same realm, he could only vaguely determine that the person before him was a young man dressed in black.

He couldn’t even clearly see Ryan’s face.

This had surprised him greatly.

However, Mortimer Sable ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation of such an exotic treasure.

Unable to hold himself back, he had spoken up to stop Ryan, intending to test him.

After hearing Ryan’s voice, he finally confirmed that the other party was indeed just a young man.

Mortimer Sable’s courage immediately increased.

After all, young people were generally easier to manipulate.

No matter how strong a young man was, his cultivation couldn’t be too profound.

At least, that was what Mortimer Sable believed.

He should have merely asked his clansmen to help him cast some kind of concealment secret art.

That must be why I can’t see through him. But in front of a mysterious treasure, even a powerful background is useless.

As long as I can obtain this treasure, offending the forces behind him is worth it.

Initially, Mortimer Sable had assumed that Ryan had simply stumbled upon the black beast hide by chance and didn’t know its true value.

After all, what unique insight could a mere young man possess?

But then he had offered ten times the acquisition price.

Ryan hadn’t even hesitated. He had simply refused.

At that moment, Mortimer Sable understood everything.

This black-clothed young man had also noticed something unusual.

He was here for the black beast hide as well.

As for purchasing the pile of broken discarded treasures, that was merely a cover.

Mortimer Sable’s eyes narrowed. It seemed he couldn’t outsmart the young man.

Since subtle methods were useless, he was prepared to tear away the pretense completely.

"What if I say no?" Ryan had no idea what Mortimer Sable was thinking.

But facing the old man’s threat, his expression instantly turned cold.

Five streams of Origin Energy rapidly circulated through his body.

At the same time, the Overlord Body Bloodline Essence within him began radiating a faint yellow glow.

His aura steadily climbed.

Ryan was already prepared for Mortimer Sable to attempt to snatch the black beast hide.

If that happened, he had no choice but to unleash the full power of his Overlord Body Bloodline and fight with everything he had.

Then—

He would have to flee for his life.

"Hmph!"

Sable let out a cold snort. "You don’t know your place."

BOOM!

A terrifying surge of yellow Origin Energy suddenly erupted from his body.

The Origin Energy churned violently, flowing endlessly around him.

The next instant—

A ferocious Earth Yellow Python, nearly 6 meters long, suddenly emerged from his Origin Energy Sea.

WHOOSH!

The enormous python immediately coiled around Mortimer Sable’s shoulders.

Billowing yellow mist continuously poured from its body, filling the surrounding air with a thick, pungent, fishy odor.

Its enormous triangular head slowly lifted. A pair of eerie crimson eyes stared coldly at Ryan.

Its black forked tongue flickered repeatedly between its fangs.

It looked as though the slightest movement would cause it to open its enormous jaws and lunge forward.

The moment this scene appeared, the surrounding Bloodline Fighters were horrified.

They immediately realized the danger. Fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire, they scattered in all directions like ants on a hot pan.

"A spirit beast hidden within the Origin Energy Sea! He’s actually an Origin Ascendant Realm expert! That kid is doomed!"

"Oh no! They’re going to fight here!"

"Anyone who doesn’t want to die, get away! Hurry!"

"Go! Go! Go! Those of you in the back, stop watching the show and leave!"

"He actually dared to provoke an Origin Ascendant Realm expert. That kid is definitely dead!"

The crowd rapidly retreated.

Ryan’s expression changed drastically.

Not only had Mortimer Sable revealed the existence of his Natal Beast, but an enormous and terrifying pressure simultaneously descended upon the surroundings.

A powerful fishy odor accompanied the pressure, making the atmosphere feel suffocating.

Ryan’s pupils contracted. "Origin Ascendant Realm... Second-tier Earth Yellow Python?"

He was horrified to discover that merely being exposed to Mortimer Sable’s Origin Energy pressure caused the vital energy throughout his body to churn uncontrollably.

The feeling was terrifying.

Furthermore, based on his understanding of cultivation, once a Bloodline Fighter reached the Origin Ascendant Realm, the Origin Energy Sea would undergo a fundamental transformation.

The Origin Spirit formed during the Origin Spirit Realm would gradually condense and transform the Origin Energy Sea, eventually giving birth to a Natal Origin Mansion.

The Natal Origin Mansion was equivalent to opening up a unique spatial anomaly within the Origin Energy Sea.

It possessed countless mysterious functions, and as the cultivator’s strength increased, the spatial anomaly would continue expanding.

The most suitable battle weapons and secret treasures could be stored inside the Natal Origin Mansion and continuously tempered over time, becoming increasingly powerful.

A spirit-blood-contracted Natal Beast could also be stored inside the Origin Mansion and slowly nurtured.

Whenever necessary, the cultivator could summon the Natal Beast directly into battle.

There were countless benefits to doing so.

Not only could the Natal Origin Mansion help the Natal Beast rapidly improve its cultivation, but it could also accelerate its recovery from injuries.

Compared with cultivating independently in the outside world, nurturing a Natal Beast within the Origin Mansion could achieve twice the results with half the effort.

And Mortimer Sable was clearly an Origin Ascendant Realm expert.

At the peak of the Origin Transcendent Realm, a Bloodline Fighter was already considered a top-tier combatant in a medium-sized city like Ashfall City.

Ryan, however, was only at the Origin Sea Convergence Realm, Stage Five.

There were two entire major realms between them.

Furthermore, Mortimer Sable possessed a powerful second-tier Earth Yellow Python.

A second-tier exotic beast was equivalent to an Origin Spirit Realm human cultivator.

Facing such an opponent—

Ryan had absolutely no chance of winning.

"Run!"

Ryan understood the situation immediately.

His expression darkened..There was no point fighting.

Yellow Origin Energy surged throughout his body as he instantly unleashed his full strength.

WHOOSH!

His right foot slammed against the ground.

His body shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, racing toward the market’s teleportation exit.

The gap between them was simply too great. He had no choice but to flee with everything he had.

"Hehehe..." Mortimer Sable laughed sinisterly. "Trying to escape?"

He casually raised his right hand and waved.

The second-tier Earth Yellow Python coiled around his shoulders instantly shot into the air.

WHOOSH!

Its enormous body tore through the air at astonishing speed.

It moved like an earthen-yellow dragon streaking through the sky.

In the blink of an eye, it caught up with Ryan.

The distance between them rapidly shrank.

Three meters.

Two meters.

One meter—

The Earth Yellow Python suddenly opened its enormous maw.

Its mouth was large enough to swallow an ox whole.

"Hiss—!"

Its black forked tongue flickered violently.

Rows of long, sharp fangs glistened with terrifying cold light.

A foul, fishy breath erupted from its mouth as it swooped down toward Ryan with overwhelming momentum.

The Earth Yellow Python was simply too fast.

Even before its attack arrived, the terrifying aura coming from behind made Ryan’s spine ache.

Ryan gritted his teeth and glanced backward while running.

His heart sank. At such close range, there was no longer any possibility of dodging.

He could only stop. Then turn around.

His expression became incomparably grim.

"Come!" Ryan roared inwardly. He immediately circulated the Overlord Body Bloodline Essence with all his strength.

BOOM!

Dense yellow Origin Energy erupted from his body, rapidly enveloping him until he appeared to be wearing a brilliant yellow cloak of energy.

He crossed both arms tightly in front of his chest.

His muscles tensed. His eyes hardened. He was prepared to forcibly withstand the incoming blow.