Chapter Ninteen

[Host, I believe you are forgetting what is actually important right now.] The system sounded deeply concerned. [Those beasts should not be your focus. One stray attack from either of them could kill you instantly.]

Liyu shrugged casually. "Yeah, yeah. I heard you." His gaze lingered on the battlefield one last time before he sighed softly. "Those two look like they’ll be busy for a while."

That was good, because he had preparations to make. Without wasting any more time, Liyu finally turned away from the battlefield. His body ached with every step. Running was impossible right now; that damned serpent had nearly broken him apart entirely.

Still, thanks to the monstrous vitality of the Primal Tyrant Physique, he remained standing. In fact, his injuries were already slowly healing.

Too slowly. He needed more energy, which meant more beast cores.

Liyu eventually came to a stop. Ahead of him stood a dark pigeon like beast perched on a branch. Unlike the harmless pigeons from Earth, this creature possessed razor sharp talons and predatory crimson eyes clearly built for hunting. Normally, a beast like this would not even be worth Liyu’s attention. But right now? It would do.

His current condition made fighting stronger beasts difficult. Still, killing a mere Fourth Stage Level One beast was manageable. Liyu glanced around before spotting a rugged stone nearby.

Without hesitation, he picked it up using his still functional left arm. Ignoring the throbbing pain shooting through his body, he channeled as much strength as possible into the throw.

Then, the stone exploded through the air faster than sound itself.

BOOOOM!

The pigeon beast did not even understand what happened. Its head burst apart into bloody fragments instantly and the corpse dropped lifelessly from the branch. Liyu immediately walked over, his fingers extending into sharp claw like nails. He tore the beast core out and swallowed it without hesitation.

Moments later, energy surged throughout his battered body. The effect was small, far too small, but it was enough to slow the bleeding and slightly accelerate his healing. Liyu directed the energy toward his legs first.

He needed mobility more than anything else right now because surviving this insane gamble was still far from guaranteed. And if he wanted to live, then he needed more strength before those two monsters finished killing each other.

Liyu ran straight toward his cave. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far from the battlefield of the two titans. Even while injured, his speed remained terrifying compared to ordinary cultivators. The forest blurred around him as he pushed his battered body forward, blood trailing behind him with every step.

Scattered around the cave entrance were corpses of different beasts. These were the beasts he had casually hunted earlier that morning before provoking the King Cobra. At the time, he hadn’t bothered extracting their cores. But now, those forgotten corpses had become the key to his survival.

Without wasting a second, Liyu crouched beside the nearest carcass.

Rip.

His clawed fingers tore into the beast’s chest and pulled out the core. He tossed it into his mouth and swallowed immediately. Then another, and another.

Carve. Swallow. Carve again. Swallow again.

Soon, over three dozen beast cores had disappeared into his stomach. Only then did Liyu finally sit down cross-legged inside the cave, his breathing rough and uneven as he focused inward.

The moment he activated the Primal Tyrant Physique, the energy inside the beast cores erupted violently through his body. A deep crimson aura flickered faintly around him.

The healing began instantly. His shattered bones started reconnecting at a visible speed. Cracks sealed themselves one after another.

Torn muscles regenerated rapidly while damaged flesh squirmed and stitched itself back together. Even his numb arm slowly regained feeling. This was another terrifying ability of the Primal Tyrant Physique: as long as he had enough energy, even life-threatening injuries could be healed.

Liyu focused intensely, directing the energy throughout his body with precision. Minutes passed in silence. Then suddenly, his eyes snapped open and a dangerous light flashed within them.

He was fully healed. Not only healed, but stronger, far stronger than before. Liyu slowly clenched his fist, feeling explosive power surge through his body once more.

His muscles felt denser, his bones felt sturdier, and even the flow of blood through his veins carried terrifying vitality. The closer he came to death, the stronger the Primal Tyrant Physique became after surviving. And today, today he had truly danced at death’s doorstep.

The system’s voice echoed inside his mind. [Host... you aren’t planning on returning there, are you?]

Liyu stood up slowly before grinning. "I told you already," he replied casually. "I’m going to win."

To him, the two titanic beasts were merely pieces on the board. They would weaken each other to the brink of death, and once the battle ended, he would step in and finish the survivor. Simple, at least in theory.

Liyu entered deeper into the cave and grabbed the rusty sword lying against the wall. He rarely used it anymore. After obtaining the Primal Tyrant Physique, his claws had become deadlier than most ordinary weapons.

But even so, Liyu still decided to bring the sword with him because he understood one thing clearly: no plan ever survived perfectly. Things could spiral out of control at any moment, and if he wanted to survive what came next, he needed every possible advantage.

After tying the rusty sword to his waist, Liyu grabbed several strips of roasted beast meat from earlier and began making his way back toward the battlefield. As he moved through the forest once more, the system suddenly spoke.

[Host, what exactly is the purpose of bringing that rusty sword?]

Liyu shrugged. "Who knows? It might come in handy."

The system remained silent briefly before asking another question.

[And are you truly certain you can kill whichever beast survives?]

This time, Liyu’s expression became serious. "Yeah," he answered calmly. "I can."

Whether it was the King Cobra or the Saber Panther, whichever survived would definitely be heavily injured and exhausted after battling an equal opponent. That would be his chance, his only chance.

Meanwhile, back at the battlefield of the two titans, the gigantic body of the King Cobra slammed violently into the side of the mountain once again.

BOOOOOOM!

Rocks exploded everywhere. The massive serpent struggled weakly before slowly rising once more, its remaining golden eye burning with fury and wounded pride. But it looked miserable. Its once majestic dark scales were torn apart in countless places.

Deep claw marks covered its body while black blood flowed endlessly from its wounds. One of its eyes had been ripped out completely by the Saber Panther earlier during the battle. Yet despite its pitiful condition, the serpent still raised its head proudly and hissed toward the sky.

At the opposite side stood the Saber Panther, and somehow, it looked even worse. Its dark fur was drenched in blood while venom spread visibly through its body from multiple snake bites.

One of its crimson eyes had turned pale and lifeless after being struck directly by the serpent. Still, the remaining eye burned with terrifying killing intent.

Step. Step. Step.

The panther slowly advanced forward like a true apex predator. The King Cobra hissed violently in response. Then both monsters charged again.

BOOOOM!

The earth exploded beneath them. The serpent lunged forward with terrifying speed while the Saber Panther met it head-on without fear. Claws and scales collided repeatedly, sending shockwaves throughout the forest. Nothing about the battle was graceful; it was pure savagery.

The serpent coiled around the panther’s body, trying to crush it apart with monstrous force. Bones creaked loudly beneath the pressure. But the panther retaliated instantly. Its saber like fangs pierced straight through the serpent’s scales.

Crunch!

The King Cobra released a deafening hiss of pain as flesh was ripped violently from its body. The panther didn’t stop there. Using sheer brute force, it grabbed the serpent by its tail and slammed the gigantic creature repeatedly into the ground.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The entire mountain trembled. Finally, the serpent’s body was hurled across the battlefield and crashed into the mountainside once more.

BANG!

This time, it didn’t rise. The King Cobra’s massive body twitched weakly. It tried to move, tried to stand, but it had already reached its limit.

The Saber Panther slowly approached its fallen opponent. The battle of the two kings had finally ended. And the victor was the Saber Panther. Without hesitation, the panther bit down on the serpent’s neck.

CRUNCH!

Then, with a violent jerk, the gigantic head of the King Cobra was torn clean off and thrown across the cliffside.

RIIIP!

The serpent’s body finally went limp. Dead.

The Saber Panther released a low roar of victory. Anyone who entered its territory would die, even another king. Yet despite its victory, the panther itself staggered weakly. The serpent’s venom was ravaging its body intensely. Its breathing had become unstable and its limbs trembled slightly.

And just then, a footstep echoed nearby.

Crunch.

The Saber Panther’s remaining eye instantly locked onto the source. Standing there calmly was a young man dressed in half-tattered dark robes. Long dark hair swayed behind him while his deep black eyes gleamed with chilling malice. Yet strangely enough, he was smiling, a calm, gentle smile.

Liyu looked at the heavily injured panther before speaking softly. "Ahem... long time no see, old enemy."

The panther growled deeply. Liyu glanced at the venom dripping from its wounds before shaking his head lightly. "You look terrible."

Then his smile widened slightly. "Allow me to help end your suffering." A dangerous gleam flashed through his eyes. "By killing you."

The Saber Panther’s growl became colder, and Liyu simply chuckled. Because unlike before, this time, he truly intended to kill the beast with his own hands.

After all, this was the same monster that had killed the original Liyu. Even if he wasn’t truly the original host, he still possessed all his memories. He remembered the feeling vividly: the claws tearing through flesh, the despair, the helplessness, the pain.

And now, it was finally time for revenge.

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