Chapter 38

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Never had Chen Liu been so close to death. Pinned by the eight-star wild dog’s corpse, his hands trapped in the jaws of two others, he watched helplessly as fangs closed in on his face. I won’t go down , he thought, desperation igniting a spark of defiance. Ha! With a surge of strength, he slammed his head forward, skull crashing into the beast’s snout. BZZZ The impact reverberated like striking iron, leaving Chen Liu dizzy. The wild dog yelped in pain, forcing tears from its eyes. Seizing the fleeting chance, Chen Liu wrenched his hands free at a brutal cost—his arms tore open leaving his flesh mangled. His left shoulder blade, nearly shattered, screamed in agony. I’m not done yet, he thought defiantly, rage consuming him.

His humanity faded as a primal battlelust surged. Without hesitation, he summoned every ounce of strength. “Mountain-Split!” he roared, the axe descending with the weight of a mountain, locking onto the eight-star dog’s skull. CRACK! The blow cleaved the beast’s head in two, blood splattering Chen Liu’s face. In that moment, he grasped the true essence of the Axe Technique’s first form—Mountain-Split—the embodiment of unrelenting ferocity. The battlefield seemed to pause, stunned by the strike’s savagery. But the cost was steep: his left shoulder blade shattered completely, leaving his arm limp and useless. To his shock, the remaining two dogs lunged again, undeterred, their jaws clamping onto his ravaged arms. They’re relentless, he thought, grimacing as fangs tore into his crippled left arm, nearly severing it. Pain became a distant echo as he swung his axe, hacking into one dog’s neck, blood gushing like a fountain. Kill them all, his mind chanted drowning his fear and pain. But two fists couldn’t fend off four jaws. As he killed one dog, the other bit into his neck’s veins, inches from his throat.

Not yet, he thought, rolling desperately, dragging the eight-star corpse to dodge the fatal bite. Blood streamed from the teeth marks on his neck, soaking him until he resembled a demon. Dizziness threatened to overtake him. Don’t pass out, he thought, biting his tongue to stay conscious. The last dog pounced, drawn by the crystal in his brain, a lure it wouldn’t abandon. Too weak to stand, Chen Liu drew a dagger and, as the beast lunged, plunged it into its throat, twisting with his final strength. The dog collapsed, dead. Exhausted, Chen Liu blacked out, alone in the desolate night, surrounded by four dead wild dogs.

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At the other end, Zhang Chong’s battle raged fiercely. In his berserk state, he fought like a war god, seizing an opening to cleave a six-star wild dog with a single blow to turn the tide. I can’t let them down, he kept repeating to himself. But Yu Na and Yu Dachao had taken hits—Yu Na especially, who was pinned and clawed by a six-star dog across her face gashed. She’d be dead if I hadn’t reached her, Zhang Chong thought, impressed by her silence through the pain. She hadn’t cried out, gritting her teeth until he intervened. She’ll come out stronger, he hoped, respecting her resilience. With the three dogs dead, his berserk state faded, leaving him drained but triumphant. “The captain’s still not back,” he said, frowning. A seven-star dog shouldn’t hold him this long, he thought, unease creeping in. Yu Dachao, limping, volunteered, “You all rest. I’ll find him.” Zhang Chong hesitated; the pitch-black night a death trap. “You?” he asked, sceptical. Yu Dachao’s bitter smile held resolve. “Who else can go?” He’s right, Zhang Chong thought, nodding as Yu Dachao hobbled into the darkness.

Following the trail of battle, Yu Dachao found Chen Liu, unconscious amid four wild dog corpses—one eight-star, three seven-stars. He took them all? Yu Dachao thought, awestruck. He’s a monster. Had Chen Liu not held off the pack, their group would have perished. Extracting the crystals, he hoisted Chen Liu onto his back, retreating swiftly. The blood’s drawing more beasts, he thought, cold sweat dripping as howls echoed behind, followed by tearing flesh sounds. “What a shame about the dog meat,” he muttered, recalling how mutated beast meat could gradually strengthen even ordinary humans. The night’s battle had shaken him. Chen Liu’s godlike power and Zhang Chong’s dominance over three six-star dogs highlighted his inadequacy. I’m dragging them down, he thought, a new determination forming. “I can’t keep being a burden,” he vowed, carrying Chen Liu back to the convoy, the weight of survival heavy on his shoulders.

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