Martial Saint with Passives

’It seems strength is the only thing that matters.’

Jiang Che thought to himself, then turned and continued deeper into the woods.

This time, the three people behind him didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately following closely.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fork in the road.

Xiong Hui led the other six disciples, striding along a wide beast trail.

This path was clearly much easier to walk, requiring almost no trail-blazing.

Fresh hoof prints and animal droppings littered the ground. A thick, rank odor hung in the air, all signs that this was an area frequented by Black Beasts.

"ROAR—"

They hadn’t gone far before five or six Black-toothed Pigs charged out of the woods ahead.

"Perfect timing!"

A flash of excitement crossed Xiong Hui’s eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, the first to meet the charge.

His Cultivation Technique, the Thunder Shock Palm, was the epitome of hardness and ferocity. As he circulated his Qi Blood, faint blue arcs of electricity flickered over his palms. Every strike he made was accompanied by the sound of muffled thunder!

"BOOM!"

He slapped a Late-stage Bull Skin Realm Black-toothed Pig on the top of its skull. It didn’t even have time to let out a cry before its entire head burst like a watermelon, splattering red and white matter everywhere!

The two Late-stage Stone Skin Realm disciples behind him also showed off their Divine Abilities. One used a saber, the other his fists. Their movements were clean and efficient, and in the blink of an eye, they had taken care of two more.

Although the rest were slightly weaker, they were more than a match for these Bull Skin Realm Black Beasts and quickly killed the remaining few.

For a moment, the smell of blood filled the forest.

"Haha! How satisfying!" Xiong Hui kicked the headless corpse at his feet aside, pulled out a small knife, and skillfully sliced off the beast’s ears, his face triumphant.

"Senior Brother Xiong is amazing! You took one down with a single palm strike!" the tall, thin man said fawningly as he dealt with a corpse.

"Yeah! We were right to follow Senior Brother Xiong!" another person quickly chimed in.

Xiong Hui was in high spirits listening to their flattery. He wiped the blood from his hands, looked around, and announced loudly, "This is just the beginning! Everyone, stay sharp. Today, we’re going to show that kid named Jiang what true strength looks like!"

"That coward Jiang Che is probably still wandering around on that miserable path! When he sees our massive haul, he’ll be kicking himself!" the tall, thin man sneered.

"Hahahaha!"

The group broke into raucous laughter, and any lingering nervousness they felt vanished completely.

They counted their spoils, took a short rest, and then continued deeper into the forest, brimming with confidence.

The journey ahead was just as they expected. Black-toothed Pigs appeared more and more frequently, and they encountered groups of three to five Black Beasts almost every few steps.

As the strongest in the group, Xiong Hui always led the charge. His domineering Thunder Shock Palm was nearly unstoppable; the Bull Skin Realm Black Beasts could barely withstand a single blow from him.

Of course, he also had first dibs on collecting the beast ears.

However, since there were plenty of Black Beasts, the others following him also got into the killing frenzy, and the number of beast ears in their Antiseptic Bags increased rapidly.

’At this rate, first place is mine for the taking! That Qi Blood Realm Technique will be mine!’

Xiong Hui looked at the bulging bag of beast ears, his heart burning with excitement.

He continued to lead the team deeper, the smile on his face growing more and more brazen.

But as he walked, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

The chirping of insects and birds, which they had heard constantly in the forest before, had vanished at some point.

The rank odor in the air had also grown stronger, becoming almost pungent and oppressively heavy in their chests.

"Everyone, stop!"

Xiong Hui abruptly raised his hand, signaling for the group to halt.

The others had also noticed the strange atmosphere. They all stopped and warily scanned their surroundings.

"RUSTLE... RUSTLE..."

A dense rustling of trampled dry leaves came from all directions, drawing closer, like an invisible net slowly tightening around them.

Everyone’s hearts tightened. They quickly gathered back-to-back, gripping their weapons. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Soon, from the shadows of the woods ahead, a dozen or so Black-toothed Pigs slowly emerged. They were a full size larger than the ones before!

They were no longer wreathed in faint black smoke, but in a dense, burning black aura.

Their skin had a green sheen and looked as hard as rock. Pairs of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at the group, filled with savagery and hunger!

"Stone... Stone Skin Realm! They’re all Stone Skin Realm Black Beasts!"

Someone in the crowd let out a trembling cry, shattering the dead silence.

Xiong Hui’s face instantly turned deathly pale, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Although he was at the Peak of the Stone Skin Realm and confident he could handle one or two in a one-on-one fight, this was different.

But before him were a dozen Stone Skin Realm Black Beasts! A few of them even had incredibly powerful auras, faintly reaching the Mid-stage of the Stone Skin Realm!

’How could this be... Why are there so many High Level Black Beasts here?!’

He was horrified. A chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the top of his skull.

"Quick... retreat!"

No longer caring about his pride, Xiong Hui roared and turned to run.

The others were already scared out of their wits. Hearing the command, they felt as if they’d received a pardon, and they all turned and ran for their lives back the way they came.

However, when they looked back, they all stopped in despair.

On the path they had come from, seven or eight equally massive Stone Skin Realm Black-toothed Pigs had appeared at some point, completely blocking their escape route!

Wolves ahead, tigers behind!

They were surrounded!

The few disciples in the group with weaker Realms immediately began to tremble like leaves in the wind.

The others were ashen-faced, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

"It’s... it’s all over..." the tall, thin man muttered, his eyes losing focus.

"What do we do... Senior Brother Xiong, what do we do now?" someone asked in a tearful voice, pinning their last hopes on Xiong Hui.

At this moment, Xiong Hui’s mind was in turmoil, and his hands and feet had gone cold.

He had never imagined he would end up in such a desperate situation.

’Am I going to die here today?’

’No! I can’t die! I haven’t broken through to the Iron Skin Realm yet! I haven’t become a cut above the rest!’

His intense will to survive allowed him to forcibly suppress his fear. His mind began to race, searching for a glimmer of hope.

His gaze swept quickly over the surrounding pack of beasts.

"Don’t panic!"

Xiong Hui roared. His voice was distorted by fear, but it managed to calm the panicked group down a little.

"Listen to me! We charge backward! There are fewer of them behind us, that’s our only way out! Everyone, with me! We’ll fight our way out!"

He pointed toward the seven or eight Black Beasts behind them. It was indeed the weakest link in the encirclement.

Hearing his words, a glimmer of hope rekindled in their eyes.

"Right! Let’s fight them to the death!"

"Fight our way out!"

The instinct to survive overwhelmed their fear. Roaring, they pushed their Qi Blood to its limits and followed Xiong Hui, charging toward the pack of beasts behind them like an arrow shot from a bow!

"KILL!!!"

Xiong Hui’s eyes were bloodshot. Looking like a madman, he unleashed the full power of his Thunder Shock Palm and, leading the charge, slammed violently into the pack of beasts!

Instantly, screams, roars, and the sickening thuds of flesh on flesh erupted in the deathly quiet forest!

...