Morning arrived swiftly, bringing with it a strange revelation for Chen Mo. The stitched wound in his stomach felt significantly better, no longer a searing pain but a faint, pulling sensation. It was proof that his new body, somehow, possessed an unnatural regenerative ability.
Inside the cave formed behind the Ancient Shadow Forest hill, Chen Mo gazed at the sky. So this isn't a dream. A new reality, crueler, but also full of opportunities. I have this artifact, even if I haven't fully mastered it yet.
He squeezed the hilt of the black sword in his hand. I remember sword techniques from Earth. They must be useful here. But I cannot show them. They will grow suspicious.
The previous night, he had been forced to sleep outside the cave. The cold air pierced his skin, but it had no effect on him. The chill was merely a sensation, nothing more.
Chen Mo walked out of the cave, carrying his sword. He sat under a large tree, the shadows of giant leaves dancing on his skin. His gaze was fixed on the cave mouth, where the morning light pierced through the gaps in the massive tree canopy.
I cannot show murderous intent. Instead of approaching her, I must maintain my weak facade. Mei, she is a wild beast and cunning. Her instincts must be sharper than any assassin's on Earth.
Two days without food, his body felt light, his energy drained, yet Chen Mo's mind remained sharp, almost cruel.
Mei emerged from the cave mouth, her silhouette lengthening under the hot morning sun. "Xiao Bai, you seem to have eaten nothing. This will hinder your training. Can you find food yourself?" Her voice was flat, full of authority.
"I don't need to eat, for I can cultivate. As a human without a Dantian, you likely require food. Find it yourself."
Mei pointed to the west. "A suggestion. To the west, there is a fruit that can allow you to fully recover. Its location is near a river. Find it and return. Bring that sword for protection."
"Yes, I'll go there," Chen Mo said, putting on a tone of voice that was too naive, as if a little slow in thinking. "Is it far away?"
"Perhaps. Find it yourself. QUICKLY, do not ask too many questions," Mei retorted, her dominant tone growing stronger. Haha, you probably don't know who guards that place. That fruit is guarded by a three-headed serpent, highly venomous. It resides at the bottom of the river, ready to strike anyone, Even they are at my level. It's because of its venom that I'm reluctant to face it. Die there, you foolish human.
Without further words, Chen Mo immediately set off to the west, with no information on how far he had to walk. His steps were calm, but in his mind, the wheels of a cruel plan had already begun to turn.
Chen Mo had walked quite a distance, traversing several kilometers of dense forest without finding any trace of a river.
His scarred face now bore a terrifying sneer, and a sharp, murderous aura emanated from him. It was so potent that even small birds on the branches gasped, then scattered in panic.
Hahaha, wait for me, Mei, he murmured, his jaw widened into a savage expression. "I know you're setting a trap for me. And I'm going to enjoy it."
With the sword skills he had honed on Earth, Chen Mo easily killed several large forest rabbits. Without hesitation, he tore off their hides and ate the meat raw. There was no fire, and this was an emergency for him. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, a primitive energy source that began to fill his empty stomach.
Chen Mo felt slightly satiated. He wiped the remaining blood from his cheek, a dark red smear that further enhanced his terrifying appearance. Then he continued his journey.
As afternoon approached, Chen Mo finally arrived near a lake. He suppressed his aura, moving silently behind a row of trees, observing. In the middle of the lake, on a tree growing from the water, was the fruit Mei had mentioned. A cold smile etched itself onto his lips.
"Hmm, where there's honey, there must be bees," he thought. And the bees in this world, I'm sure, are more than just buzzing.
Chen Mo sat under a tree, choosing a strategic spot. He pulled out a few rabbit hearts he had killed earlier.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! The sound of raw flesh being torn and chewed broke the afternoon silence, brutal and merciless.
Chen Mo stood, his feet moving calmly towards the riverbank. He pulled out a few rabbit hearts he had partially eaten and, with a nonchalant flick of his wrist, threw them into the river.
Splash! Splash!
Air bubbled violently in the middle of the lake. The water, which had been calm and blue, was now stained red with blood. A low, menacing rumble, not a voice but a sound of territorial fury, reverberated from the depths.
From the depths, a single massive snake head emerged. Its large yellow eyes fixed on Chen Mo, radiating a clear threat. Yet, the snake did not speak. It merely stared, its heavy breath stirring the water around it.
Chen Mo's scarred face split into a cold smile. "It's alright," he murmured, his voice calm yet dangerous. "Perhaps you're hungry."
He pulled out another raw rabbit heart and threw it right near the snake's head.
Splash!
The snake trembled. The provocation was too much. In its territory, where even the sound of birdsong was a trespass, a human dared to throw half-eaten food at it. This was not an insult; it was a declaration of war.
Two other snake heads immediately surfaced, hissing, each glaring at Chen Mo with eyes filled with pure rage. The snake moved. Swiftly, it lunged out of the water, its massive body breaking the surface with a resounding roar.
Sizzling!
The snake lunged. Chen Mo moved calmly. The Qi-Slaying Blade was hidden behind his back. As the snake's head drew near, Chen Mo plunged the sword directly into its eye.
However, the other two snake heads attacking with a spray of Corrosive Venom.
Chen Mo dodged with techniques he had mastered on Earth, but still, a few drops of venom struck his right hand.
Damn it. Chen Mo gritted his teeth. The pain I had long forgotten has returned. This is just like my failed experiments back then. He gripped his right hand, which began to corrode and peel away, flesh crumbling down to his elbow.
"Are you afraid?!" Chen Mo roared, his sneer widening, even as the burning pain consumed him. "Come out of the water, WEAK! Hiding like a rat behind a palace!"
The snake laughed loudly, its three heads gaping arrogantly. "Hahahah! Foolish human! Is this all your ability? I am not afraid of you at all! Let us fight fairly! I will obey you!"
The snake emerged completely from the water, revealing its massive body. Chen Mo smiled. You've fallen into my trap, fool.
He had spent the last hour meticulously preparing. While pretending to be a lost human, he had used the Qi-Slaying Blade to not only train his sword skills but also to carve a few sharp stones into crude but deadly arrows, infusing them with the same Qi.
He had braided his own long hair into a tight cord and tied it to a strong tree branch, creating a powerful, makeshift crossbow. A stone was now wedged into the trigger, its string ready to be pulled by his foot. Every second was an investment in this moment.
"DIE!" Chen Mo screamed, his sneer appearing insane.
The snake lunged, spewing its ferocious venom. Chen Mo dodged with agile techniques he had mastered from his previous life, then swiftly pulled his foot embedded in the ground.
Swoosh!
A large stone arrow, about 1.5 meters long, shot like lightning. The arrow pierced the third snake head, ending its life instantly. One of the other heads was now blind, and the last head appeared severely weakened, swaying.
Uaagghhhh! The snake's cry of agony thundered.
The remaining snake head, its blind eye fixed on Chen Mo, spoke. "Why are you doing this? Do we have a grudge?" Its voice was a trick, an attempt to make him lower his guard.
Chen Mo did not trust the snake's words. His instincts screamed, the venom still spreading rapidly. Without hesitation, he took the Qi-Slaying Blade, aiming its edge at his right arm, which was already corroding and peeling down to his elbow.
Swaaasshh!
A sharp hiss of metal cut through the air. Blood spurted. Chen Mo's right arm was severed, falling to the ground with a wet plap. There was no whimper, no expression of pain on his face. Only a cold sneer.
With his left hand gripping the sword, Chen Mo lunged at the seemingly weak snake head. The snake hissed, spewing its venom again. Chen Mo parried it with the Qi-Slaying Blade, the black blade cleaving through the green, poisonous mist.
Mercilessly, he plunged the sword directly into the snake's forehead. Coincidentally, the sword struck the exact spot where the three-headed snake's core resided, between the branches of its three heads.
Before the snake could truly die, Chen Mo savagely tore at the still-living snake head, slicing and dismembering it with brutal efficiency. The snake's massive body writhed wildly, thrashing against the ground and water, emitting horrifying sounds.
"Aaaahakakak... ughhh... stop... ughhh!" Black blood flowed profusely, drenching Chen Mo's face.
Splatter! Splatter! Splatter! The sickening sound of tearing flesh and spurting blood echoed eerily in the forest's silence.
Chen Mo laughed, his laughter hoarse and insane.
"Hahahaa... die... die... DIIIIE!" A cold satisfaction coursed through him. This is what I've missed. Power, blood, and victory taken with my own hands.
The snake's body convulsed violently, then fell still. The remaining snake head, which had been blind, now lay dead alongside the first.
Covered in blood from head to toe, with his severed arm still oozing crimson, Chen Mo gazed at the snake's carcass with cynical and malicious eyes. His target was now singular.
True cruelty, brutality, and madness aren't found in what one does, but in the soul and mind that desires to act.
He tore into the dead snake's body, prying apart its thick scales, slicing through its flesh. His left hand moved without hesitation, searching for the core of power.
Finally, at the junction where the three heads met, he found it. A small, faintly glowing orb, pulsating with a strange energy.
"Is this... what they call a beast core?" Chen Mo muttered, a snake-blood-stained sneer on his face. "It looks small and beautiful..."
He walked to the base of the tree where he had sat earlier. With his teeth and left hand, he pulled out several long strands of his hair, braiding them tightly into a makeshift cord.
He bound his severed wrist tightly to stem the excessive bleeding. Then, without hesitation, he ate the remaining snake heart.
Now, for the experiment. Chen Mo tore open his own stomach with the Qi-Slaying Blade. The cold blade sliced through his skin and muscle. A gaping hole formed.
He stared at the beast core in his left hand. If they can form this core, I will force this body to accept it. This is my only path to power.
With insane determination, he planted the beast core into his open abdomen. A sensation of cold yet potent energy spread, followed by a burning agony.
Then, with trembling but steady hands, he stitched his stomach back together using the remaining hair and a needle made from a small snake bone.
Splatter! Splatter! Splatter! The sickening sound of wet skin and muscle being sewn echoed in the forest's silence.
"Huh... it's done..." Chen Mo mumbled, his breath ragged. Extreme exhaustion and the suppressed pain finally overwhelmed him. His body went limp.
Unconsciously, Chen Mo collapsed, falling heavily onto the muddy ground.
When his consciousness returned, Chen Mo's eyes slowly opened. Darkness. Night had fallen.
A strange sensation spread throughout his entire body. A different aura, foreign, yet incredibly powerful, now resided within him.