Hu Yanxin was struck squarely by the incomparably domineering fist. With a sickening CRUNCH of cracking bone, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with chunks of his internal organs.

The thick "great dragon" of his spine was brutally snapped. His massive, over-two-meter-tall body crashed to the ground, shaking the treasure ship once more.

Su Yu deactivated his White Ape Transformation and swallowed a Golden Marrow Flesh-Casting Pill. He slowly walked over to Hu Yanxin and saw that the man wasn’t dead yet. ’The life force of a Muscle Forging Realm Martial Artist is truly tenacious,’ he thought with a silent sigh.

"Don’t... don’t kill me. My dad will give you a lot of money..."

Hu Yanxin was already scared out of his wits. He scrabbled futilely with his hands, trying to get up, but his lower body was completely numb. He could only writhe forward helplessly.

He struggled to lift his head and reached a rough, blood-and-grime-caked hand toward Su Yu.

"What’s your name? And who’s your father?" Su Yu’s expression was impassive.

"My name is Hu Yanxin, and my dad is Huyan Muyuan! As long as you don’t kill me, my dad will give you however much money you want!"

The Huyan Family!

Hearing that name, a bone-chilling killing intent erupted in Su Yu’s eyes.

The viper lurking in the shadows had finally bared its fangs!

And when it struck, it had aimed for a kill from the very start.

Before he’d set off for the Ten Islands, he had, on the surface, only shown the strength of a mid-stage Flesh Refining Realm cultivator. Yet the Huyan Family had sent Hu Yanxin, a Muscle Forging Realm expert, to assassinate him!

If not for his recent surge in strength and the powerful trump cards he held, this ambush would have already left him decapitated.

At this thought, a sense of crisis grew wildly within Su Yu like weeds.

’This won’t do! I have to accumulate more trump cards, and my breakthroughs need to be even faster!’

In Black Stone City, he was a Vice Commander of the Public Security Bureau, so no one dared to move against him yet. But once he left the city, he was surrounded by wolves!

The Huyan Family, the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall, the Water Snake Gang...

The Muscle Forging Realm!

Only by truly stepping into the Muscle Forging Realm would he have the capital to protect himself in these chaotic times. Even if he ran into an expert at the Perfection level of the Muscle Forging Realm like Hong Lei again, he could definitely escape even if he couldn’t win!

"Ugh... Give me a pill... I have Divine Blood, I can live..."

Hu Yanxin was still clinging to life at his feet. In fact, flesh was faintly squirming in his wounds, showing signs of stemming the bleeding. He once again reached a bloody hand toward Su Yu, begging for help.

’Divine Blood?’

’Why didn’t I see him use a Scion Transformation?’

Hearing this, Su Yu’s heart tightened, fearing another surprise.

Without hesitation, he threw a punch straight at Hu Yanxin’s throat!

The throat is a fatal point on the human body, filled with fragile nerves and blood vessels. No matter how tough a Muscle Forging Realm expert’s skin became, it couldn’t protect such a vital spot.

CRACK! SQUELCH!

Fortunately, there were no surprises. Hu Yanxin’s larynx was instantly crushed. A muffled gurgling sound escaped his throat as if air were leaking out. Blood poured from his neck like a stream. His massive body twitched twice, then fell completely still.

At the same time, familiar ink-wash characters appeared in Su Yu’s vision.

[Divine Blood detected. Absorb?]

’Divine Blood? He really had it!’

Su Yu’s heart leaped with joy.

The last time he’d obtained Divine Blood was when he killed that high-ranking deacon from the Black Lotus Sect. Not only had he gained a Breakthrough Point from it, but he had also successfully unlocked a Divine Art.

Right now, he didn’t hesitate for a moment.

’Absorb!’

The moment the command was given, a strange change occurred in Hu Yanxin’s corpse.

The remaining life force and Qi and Blood within the body seemed to be forcibly extracted by an invisible power.

Hu Yanxin’s originally massive, full-fleshed body shriveled and withered at a visible rate, resembling a piece of dried-out, rotten wood.

The extracted essence of life rapidly gathered and condensed above his chest, finally forming a single drop of Divine Blood that radiated an eerie red glow.

The drop of Divine Blood floated silently in mid-air, trembling slightly. Then, as if drawn by some force, it slowly drifted to Su Yu’s hand.

With a thought, Su Yu gently touched the drop of eerie blood with his fingertip.

The instant he made contact, the drop of Divine Blood spread out from his fingertip with a WHOOSH. Before Su Yu could react further, it transformed into a crimson thread and seeped directly into his body through his pores.

[Absorbing Divine Blood. Deconstructing... Erasing...]

[Divine Blood absorption complete. The following options are available.]

[1. Merge the Divine Blood into your current Divine Art, Annihilation, to continue unlocking its progress.]

[2. Re-analyze the Divine Blood to unlock a new Divine Art.]

[Please choose.]

’Two options appeared?’ Su Yu curiously examined the text floating before his eyes. After a moment of thought, he faintly guessed the reason.

’The nature of this Divine Blood is most likely different. The Divine Blood in Hu Yanxin’s body is definitely not from the same source as the one from that high-ranking Black Lotus Sect deacon!’

’Yes, it has to be the blood. This Divine Blood from Hu Yanxin is different from the Black Lotus Sect deacon’s! They might be two completely different types!’

’Hu Yanxin’s terrifying, two-and-a-half-meter-tall physique must also be the result of this strange Divine Blood’s modifications. Otherwise, even a Martial Artist couldn’t possibly develop to such a degree. Perhaps his physical state is, in itself, equivalent to the transformed state of a Black Lotus Sect emissary!’

Thoughts raced through Su Yu’s mind as he continued to weigh the pros and cons.

’If I choose to re-analyze this drop of Divine Blood, the new Divine Art I get will definitely be focused on the physical body, completely different from Annihilation.’

’Still, as the old saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A Divine Art of Annihilation’s caliber is only one-third unlocked. Reaching Perfection with it will be no easy task. The opportunity to find Divine Blood is incredibly rare. Instead of biting off more than I can chew, I should focus my resources and master one Divine Art first!’

Having thought it through, Su Yu no longer hesitated. He recited inwardly, ’Option 1.’

The next moment, the ink-wash text before his eyes rippled like water and changed:

[Merging Divine Blood into current Divine Art...]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +100%]

[Divine Art: Annihilation - Unlock Progress +50%]

[Divine Art]: Annihilation (Incomplete) (Unlock Progress: 83%)

[Breakthrough Point]: 1 (Progress: 65%)

’I really did get another Breakthrough Point, and the Divine Art’s progress shot up by 50%! This Divine Blood is truly a rare treasure!’

An ecstatic look he couldn’t suppress appeared in Su Yu’s eyes.

He had worked so hard to accumulate his Breakthrough progress, and had only just managed to reach 65%.

Now, by absorbing a single drop of Divine Blood, not only did he get half a Divine Art for free, but he also gained a whole Breakthrough Point. How could he not be overjoyed?

Forcibly suppressing the urge to use the Breakthrough Point for a Breaking Limit immediately, Su Yu looked around.

Falling Eagle Gorge was not far ahead. He still didn’t know where Junior Sister Qin Yu was. The safest plan for now was to turn back first.

He turned and searched Hu Yanxin’s body, only finding some loose valuables, which he pocketed—better than nothing. Then, he took a special red signal flare from his sleeve, aimed it at the sky, and pulled the fuse.

SWOOSH—

BANG!

A dazzling red firework exploded in mid-air.

According to the unwritten rules of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall, a red signal meant the area was safe. If Junior Sister Qin Yu was hiding somewhere and saw the signal, she should find her way over soon.

...

「Time rewound to the early morning a few hours prior, just as the sky was beginning to pale.」

The day before, the Black Lotus Sect had launched dozens of brutal raids in the Outer City of Black Stone City, sparking a massive, chaotic battle with the Public Security Bureau and other factions.

Even now, the smell of blood and gunpowder still lingered in the Outer City’s streets and alleys, and the situation remained volatile.

At this moment, at the majestic gates of Black Stone City’s Inner City, a large and heavily-laden merchant caravan was making its way toward the checkpoint.

The caravan’s flags, embroidered with a coiled, jet-black water snake, snapped in the morning breeze.

The wheels rumbled to a stop before the towering Inner City gate.

The armored soldiers guarding the Inner City immediately stepped forward with their spears, warily ordering the caravan to halt as they began inspecting their passage documents and cargo.

More than ten horse-drawn carts were opened one by one. The garrison commander used a long saber to carefully poke and prod through the sacks and wooden crates, his questioning extremely thorough. After a full hour of inspection, and upon confirming there was no contraband or stowaways, the commander gave a cold wave of his hand.

With a grating screech of machinery, the heavy, reinforced iron gate rumbled open, allowing the caravan to file into the Inner City.

On a distant street, Song Mirror was leading a team of Public Security Bureau Security Guards on patrol. He took in the scene of the caravan entering the city, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

’The Water Snake Gang’s power is really expanding. To think they could still secure business transporting goods into the Inner City during a lockdown like this.’

’The Commander ordered me to secretly gather evidence of the Water Snake Gang’s crimes, with the intent of uprooting them completely. But looking at their intricate network and immense power, ordinary evidence won’t be enough to touch them at all...’

Song Mirror was deeply worried. He could only sigh inwardly and continue patrolling along the Outer City wall with his men.

However, just as Song Mirror’s group had patrolled a short distance further—

BOOM—!!! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

A heaven-shaking explosion, like a clap of thunder, suddenly erupted from deep within the Inner City!

A terrifying, visible shockwave tore through a large section of the Inner City’s exquisite buildings like a battering ram. Billowing flames surged into the sky like furious dragons, instantly dyeing the brightly lit sky blood-red.

Immediately after, the very heavens and earth changed color!

The sky, clear just a moment ago, was now consumed by a sudden, violent storm.

Black clouds pressed down on the city, and the wind howled like wailing ghosts as a torrential downpour began.

Such an abrupt change in the weather was obviously not natural. The people of Black Stone City, having witnessed such a scene twice before, immediately understood.

A great practitioner of Divine Arts from the Black Lotus Sect must be forcibly reversing the weather!

"This... How is this possible?!"

In the streets of the Outer City, Song Mirror and the other Security Guards stared in horror at the blazing Inner City, their scalps tingling. "The Black Lotus Sect’s fiends are attacking the Inner City? How on earth did they get past all the checkpoints and sneak in?"

"Was the attack on the Outer City just a diversion?"

Before they could think any further, the battle deep within the Inner City had already exploded into full-blown chaos.

Above the rows of ornately carved mansions, one terrifying figure after another leaped into the air, clashing with the Black Lotus Sect fiends and tearing the curtain of rain to shreds.

ROAR—

A ferocious tiger’s roar, so powerful it shook the entire Inner City and could even be heard in the Outer City, ripped through the wind and rain.

A fierce, white-browed tiger with upturned eyes, as large as a small hill and bearing strange golden markings on its forehead, roared as it smashed through a three-story pagoda and swatted a Black Lotus Sect fiend away with a single swipe of its paw!

The entire Inner City of Black Stone City had become a battlefield!