Chapter 85: The Hunter Becomes The Hunted!

SWISH!

The terrifying crimson giant fireball finally crashed into Ryan.

BANG!

In an instant, a terrifying wave of thermal energy erupted against Ryan’s back.

It was like an Origin Stone mine had suddenly exploded.

Scarlet tongues of flame shot violently in every direction, while the overwhelming impact blasted Ryan off the ground and sent him flying like a kite with its string cut.

His face instantly turned as pale as paper.

Blood continuously spilled from his mouth as he flew through the air, while the scorching smell of burnt flesh rapidly filled the surroundings.

Where Ryan had been standing moments ago, a massive charred pit two to three meters wide had been left behind.

Flying sand, scorching heatwaves, ashes, and black smoke violently intertwined above the pit, creating a terrifying scene of destruction.

The small amount of Overlord Body power Ryan had managed to condense moments earlier was simply not enough.

The phantom of the Overlord Body Battle Armor flickered desperately, struggling to withstand the terrifying impact.

It managed to deflect only a small portion of the attack’s power before being torn apart in an instant.

The remaining force crashed directly into Ryan’s body.

Ryan was sent flying more than a dozen meters before finally crashing through several towering trees.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

One massive tree after another snapped beneath the impact.

Ryan finally slammed into the ground amid a large pile of broken branches and fallen leaves.

At this moment, he lay sprawled on his side in an extremely miserable state.

His Origin Energy was chaotic, and his entire back had been torn open, exposing bloody wounds.

Blackened, burnt flesh and yellowish, sticky tissue mixed with the fresh red flesh beneath, creating a horrifying sight of charred and festering wounds.

His body was covered in countless cuts and injuries.

It felt as though his entire Overlord Body had been shattered.

Ryan lay motionless on the ground, incredibly weak. His face was pale and tinged with purple, while streams of blood continuously trickled from the corners of his mouth.

"Damn it... it hurts so much..." Ryan let out a low curse.

He instinctively moved his back slightly.

The moment he did, a terrifying pain shot through his entire body.

His face instantly contorted, and he grimaced in agony.

Despite the pain, he didn’t stop absorbing the Origin Energy from the Origin Stone in his palm.

He knew very clearly that in his current weakened state, rapidly recovering enough Origin Energy was the key to surviving.

Even now, Ryan still felt lingering fear.

If he hadn’t desperately squeezed out that tiny amount of Origin Energy to protect his body at the last moment...

If his body hadn’t already been passively strengthened to an astonishing degree by the Overlord Body Bloodline...

And if the Overlord Body Battle Armor hadn’t appeared in time to deflect part of the attack...

He would have already been burned into a pile of charcoal.

Although the attack hadn’t caused irreversible damage to his bones or muscles, his internal injuries were still severe.

His Origin Energy and blood were in complete disarray, and several areas of his body had suffered severe burns.

After the Devouring World Art’s burst state ended, both his Origin Energy and physical strength had been reduced to dangerously low levels.

Without being able to maintain his full Overlord Body state, his defensive strength had plummeted.

That single attack had nearly taken his life.

"Kid, you’re still not dead?"

Gareth’s Mental Awareness swept across the area.

When he sensed that Ryan was still alive, his hair nearly stood on end from rage.

"Give me your life!"

After briefly calming the Origin Energy he had consumed while casting the Spirit Rank Battle Technique, Gareth once again circulated his Origin Energy Sea.

He stomped heavily on the ground.

BOOM!

His body shot forward like a cannonball.

He charged toward Ryan with terrifying speed.

WHOOSH!

Halfway there, Gareth tapped the ground with the tip of his foot and soared into the air.

His body reached its highest point before suddenly descending like a meteor.

His right palm was raised high.

He viciously slammed it toward Ryan’s head.

"Spirit Rank Low Grade Battle Technique. Fire Splitting Palm!"

BOOM!

Raging scarlet flames erupted between Gareth’s fingers and around his palm.

In an instant, countless flames surged and twisted violently around his right hand.

A massive flame vortex gradually condensed in the center of his palm.

The surrounding temperature rapidly soared.

Swirling currents of scorching heat formed around the vortex, blowing away branches, leaves, and dust before instantly incinerating them.

The power of the attack was terrifying.

If this palm struck its target directly, even a powerful cultivator would likely suffer severe injuries, if not die on the spot.

As for Ryan... His internal injuries were already severe.

His entire body was weak and powerless, his back covered in burns, and he could barely move.

He had only just managed to squeeze out enough strength to take a healing pill from his spatial ring and swallow it before taking out another Origin Stone to replenish his depleted Origin Energy.

"Damn it... another Spirit Rank Low Grade Battle Technique!"

Ryan’s expression changed drastically when he saw the terrifying flame palm descending toward him.

The healing pill hadn’t even had time to take effect.

He couldn’t dodge.

He could only grit his teeth and desperately urge his depleted Origin Energy Sea.

But his situation was already at its worst.

He was using what little Origin Energy remained to suppress the spread of his burning injuries.

His previous strength had already been exhausted, while his new strength had yet to recover.

He was caught between exhaustion and recovery.

There simply wasn’t enough Origin Energy for him to resist.

Ryan’s face instantly became deathly pale.

"This is bad..."

If he were still at his peak, he wouldn’t have feared Gareth.

At the very least, he would have had enough strength to fight back.

But after the Devouring World Art’s burst state ended, he was already severely weakened.

That previous long-range giant fireball had nearly taken his life.

And now Gareth was launching another attack, a close-range killing technique far more concentrated than the giant fireball.

The Fire Splitting Palm.

Both techniques were Spirit Rank Low Grade.

However, the giant fireball was a long-range technique with a much larger attack radius, which naturally meant its power was more dispersed.

The Fire Splitting Palm, on the other hand, concentrated its power into a single point.

If Ryan took this palm directly to the head, there was a real possibility that he would die.

The terrifying flame vortex rapidly descended.

Five meters.

Three meters.

Two meters.

One and a half meters!

The surrounding temperature continued to rise, making it feel as though Ryan were lying beneath a massive fire-breathing furnace.

Several strands of his black hair were caught by the scorching wind.

They withered and curled almost instantly.

The blazing red light from the descending palm illuminated Ryan’s pale and extremely ugly expression.

The Fire Splitting Palm was about to strike his head.

Suddenly...

WHOOSH!

A swift black streak shot from the side.

Its speed was astonishing.

Before Gareth could react, the black streak slammed violently into his waist.

BANG!

The impact was terrifying.

It was as though a force weighing more than a hundred tons had crashed into him.

Gareth’s descending Fire Splitting Palm was abruptly interrupted.

The enormous flame vortex instantly collapsed.

BOOM!

Gareth’s body was sent tumbling through the air before crashing heavily into the ground.

His expression was filled with astonishment.

The terrifying impact, combined with the fact that his killing technique had been forcibly interrupted midway, caused his Origin Energy and blood to surge violently through his body.

"Wah!"

Gareth suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood.

His face paled.

He was clearly already seriously injured.

"Damn it!"

Gareth wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, fury flashing in his eyes.

"Who dares to sneak attack me?!"

A burning pain spread from his waist.

It felt as though someone had smashed him there with an enormous sledgehammer.

Gareth gritted his teeth and quickly turned around.

But the moment he saw what had attacked him, the rage in his eyes instantly disappeared.

Greed flashed through his pupils.

Then...

His expression froze.

Fine beads of cold sweat slowly appeared across his back.

"What... is this?"

His voice trembled slightly.

"A Second-Order Double Bloodline Exotic Beast..."

Gareth’s pupils constricted.

"Black Flame Leopard?!"

Not far away stood a half-human-tall leopard.

Its entire body was pitch black, with strange black flames constantly burning around it.

Its aura was powerful.

Its muscular body was filled with explosive strength, while its two long upper fangs protruded from its mouth like sharp blades capable of tearing through flesh and shattering bones.

Its thick tail slowly swayed behind it.

The black flames surrounding its body flickered erratically, giving it an eerie and mysterious appearance.

Most frightening of all were its dark eyes.

They were filled with savage killing intent.

The Black Flame Leopard stared directly at Gareth.

A strange hint of greed and covetousness could be seen deep within its pupils.

Gareth’s heart sank. "It’s actually a Black Flame Leopard..."

His expression became extremely ugly.

"Has the Hundred Mile Fragrance finally taken effect?"

Not far away, Ryan, who had narrowly escaped death, was initially stunned.

Then a hint of fanaticism quickly flashed through his eyes.

The Black Flame Leopard had finally arrived.

The next moment, however, Ryan shook his head with a bitter smile.

He lowered his gaze and continued frantically absorbing the Origin Energy from the Origin Stone in his hand.

At the same time, the injuries covering his body slowly began to recover under the effects of the healing pill.

Because his injuries were so severe, the recovery speed was considerably slower than usual.

Ryan couldn’t help feeling surprised.

He had known that the Ashfall Forest was enormous, and it would take some time for the Hundred Mile Fragrance to spread far enough to attract powerful exotic beasts.

But he hadn’t expected the first creature to arrive to be a Black Flame Leopard.

Its movement speed was as fast as a meteor.

It was no wonder it had arrived first.

Moreover, the Black Flame Leopard was an exceptionally rare and valuable Exotic Beast.

Even with the Boundless Creation Furnace, Ryan couldn’t help feeling envious when he first saw it.

Unfortunately, he knew his current condition too well.

He was severely injured, his Origin Energy was nearly depleted, and his physical strength was at rock bottom.

He wasn’t remotely qualified to have any ideas about this Black Flame Leopard right now.

Ryan could only forcefully suppress the fanaticism in his heart and continue recovering his strength.

***

A/N:

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