Chapter 8: A Jedi Counterattack

## Chapter 8: Desperate Counterattack

**Roar!**

No sooner had Ye Chen stepped into the Monster Beast Forest than the roar of a monstrous creature assaulted his ears.

Focusing his mental force to its utmost, Ye Chen advanced cautiously and meticulously into the depths. This was no longer the past; in this perilous forest, where danger lurked at every turn, every moment held the risk of losing one's life. Even his former self dared not harbor the slightest carelessness.

Half an hour later, Ye Chen paused upon a rock.

Standing upon the elevated ground, Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed his surroundings. His gaze was drawn to a gleaming spiritual grass upon the rock face not far ahead.

The spiritual grass emitted a violet light, enveloped by swirling spiritual energy. It was named Purple Ginseng Grass. Ye Chen was intimately familiar with this medicinal herb; when consumed, it possessed remarkable efficacy in calming the mind and dispelling distractions, making it a rare spiritual medicine.

"My luck is truly not bad," Ye Chen murmured to himself, yet he did not immediately make his move. With his extensive experience, he knew instinctively that wherever spiritual grass grew, a monster beast was sure to be found.

Sure enough, as Ye Chen scanned the four directions, rustling sounds emerged from the dense mountain forest, followed by a wave of bloody and violent aura. Simultaneously, the ground beneath him trembled abruptly.

Instantly, Ye Chen's eyes narrowed to slits.

Soon, the dense forest parted on either side, and a colossal creature lunged forth. It stood a full ten feet high, its entire body ablaze with violet flames. Its pair of massive, blood-red pupils gleamed with pure violence and bloodthirst.

"Fire Wolf." Seeing the monstrous creature, a trace of a cold smile flickered across Ye Chen's lips. "I was looking for you, old friend."

**Roar!**

On its side, the Fire Wolf had already unleashed a roar, its cavernous maw opening to spew forth violet flames.

Witnessing this, Ye Chen's toes tapped the rock, and he instantly leaped forth. Then, utilizing a massive stone for a sudden rebound, he spun around, unleashing the golden sword energy he had already condensed. Its target was aimed directly at the Fire Wolf's pupils.

He had slain Fire Wolves more than once and knew that while their flesh was formidable and their flames potent, their weakness lay in their eyes. Against such a thick-skinned, flame-controlling monster beast, a single strike had to be decisive.

**Zheng!**

The golden sword energy emitted a sharp *zheng* sound as it pierced the air.

**Pu! Pu!**

Accompanied by the spraying of foul-smelling blood, followed by the Fire Wolf's pained screams, its massive pupils were already a bloody, indistinct mess.

**Buzz!**

A dull, jarring sound rang out. Ye Chen, holding Tian Que Ling Tian with both hands, smashed it towards the Fire Wolf's head. Another heavy blow. The Fire Wolf's skull was shattered, a gory mess of blood and flesh. Ye Chen, too, felt a stinging pain in both hands, and even the Tian Que sword was shaken from his grasp.

However, this heavy strike had stunned the Fire Wolf, leaving it unsteady on its feet.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Ye Chen understood this principle intimately. In a few quick steps, he was upon the beast once more, true qi gathered in his palm, lightning tearing between his fingers.

**Rushing Thunder!**

With a great shout from Ye Chen, his palm, suspended in mid-air, landed squarely on the Fire Wolf's head.

**Pu!**

The Fire Wolf's head exploded on the spot, its brain matter splattered wantonly, followed by the gushing of foul-smelling blood. Its colossal body crashed to the ground with a *boom*. Perhaps until its dying breath, it remained bewildered, that it had been felled by a mere cultivator of the first layer of Qi Condensation.

**Huff!**

Ye Chen exhaled a long breath, his tense body showing no sign of relaxation. This was indeed unlike before. At only the first layer of Qi Condensation, his strength was limited. Although the battle with the Fire Wolf had not been long, every step had been fraught with peril. The slightest misstep would have seen him become the Fire Wolf's meal.

Without pause, Ye Chen brutally tore open the Fire Wolf's head and dug out a small stone emitting a bloody light from within.

The stone was irregular and pitted, still dripping with foul-smelling blood.

This was the Fire Wolf's beast core.

The beast core was the essence of a monster beast's entire being, and also the most precious part of its body. Cultivators slew monster beasts primarily for their beast cores. Beast cores contained immense essence, and their consumption was highly beneficial for cultivation.

"Task completed." Ye Chen wiped the bloodstains from the beast core, stuffing it into his embrace. He hadn't anticipated the task being completed so swiftly.

**Um?**

His brows suddenly furrowed. He felt a sudden burst of icy, stinging pain in his back.

His heart startled, Ye Chen retreated abruptly.

But his speed was still too slow. Three silver needles had already pierced the air, shooting towards him. Although he had exerted his utmost strength to dodge, he was still struck. Three silver needles embedded themselves in his arm, each containing potent poison that spread rapidly. Within three breaths, his entire arm had turned black.

"A cultivator of the Human Origin Realm, and still resorts to sneak attacks!" Spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, Ye Chen retreated, covering his arm, and coldly glared at the dense jungle.

"Boy, your perception is not bad, eh!" A sinister laughter echoed from the jungle.

The next moment, a gray-clothed, hunchbacked old man emerged, leaning on a crutch. His face was a mass of pockmarks, his wrinkled skin almost piled upon itself. His eye sockets were deep, and his blood-red eyes were terrifying, like those of a snake or scorpion. This individual exuded a heavy aura of malevolence; at a glance, he was clearly a wicked person who specialized in killing and robbing.

"Hand over everything that should be handed over, and I will leave you a complete corpse. Otherwise, I will make you wish for death," the old man said with a faint smile, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.

"I am only at the first layer of Qi Condensation. What treasures could I possibly have?" Ye Chen said coldly, his eyes beginning to grow somewhat dizzy.

The poison contained within the three needles in his arm was specially refined, and its spread was incredibly swift. In this short time, most of his meridians and bones had been corroded, and his true qi was utterly incapable of dealing with it.

"It seems you are very disobedient, eh!" The old man smiled ferociously and slowly walked closer, a black mist still lingering in his palm.

He had been caught off guard.

Ye Chen ground his teeth in frustration. The hunchbacked old man before him was clearly a poison expert, and cultivated at the first layer of the Human Origin Realm, a realm entirely superior to his own. Ye Chen admitted to himself that even without being poisoned, he would not have been able to defeat this individual.

However, just at this moment, the golden fire within his dantian sea trembled once. It divided into dozens of streams that entered Ye Chen's meridians and bones. The poisons, astonishingly, were forcefully refined by it.

"It can refine even this?" Ye Chen was somewhat surprised as he hastily examined his internal body.

However, although the poisons had been refined, he remained outwardly motionless.

He lingered in his original spot, preparing to deliver a thunderous strike when the old man's guard was lowered. Facing an absolute suppression in cultivation, if he were to engage in a head-on battle, he admitted he had no chance of victory.

But, if he could strike suddenly and inflict a heavy blow, then things might be different.

"Little child, don't blame grandpa." The old man had already arrived, his eyes full of malicious light. He was clearly a great villain, yet he perversely insisted on putting on a compassionate facade.

"I won't blame you." A cold light suddenly flashed, and a trace of a cold smile floated across Ye Chen's lips.

Seeing this, the hunchbacked old man's brows suddenly furrowed.

**Rushing Thunder!**

With a sudden shout, it was still Ye Chen who made his move.

"You actually..." The old man was suddenly shocked. He wanted to dodge, but at such a short distance, Ye Chen's movement was so swift that he had no time to react. Ye Chen's Rushing Thunder palm struck him squarely in the chest.

Staggering back, the hunchbacked old man's eyes still held a look of shock.

How could he have imagined that Ye Chen could dissolve the potent poison in such a short time, and moreover, execute such a desperate counterattack?

**Rushing Thunder!**

Having succeeded with one strike, Ye Chen shouted again.

The hunchbacked old man, still unsteady, was too late to defend but was still struck, spitting blood as he retreated.

Ye Chen's true qi surged. He gave the old man no time to breathe, pouncing upon him like a fierce beast, launching several Rushing Thunder palms head-on.

The hunchbacked old man attempted to retaliate several times, but Ye Chen gave him no time to react whatsoever.

**Pu!**

Accompanied by an icy short knife embedding itself in the hunchbacked old man's chest, he fell backward, raising his head. He wanted to speak, but as he opened his mouth, fresh blood gushed out. His eyes still held a look of horror. Until his death, he had not expected to be slain by a junior of the first layer of Qi Condensation.

On the other side, Ye Chen also half-knelt on the ground, swaying unsteadily.

The consecutive use of Rushing Thunder palms had utterly exhausted his true qi. However, to have slain this old man of the Human Origin Realm, everything was worth it. Perhaps even his former self had not achieved such a glorious feat.

Although, he had relied on the momentum of a sneak attack, it was still enough to be proud of.

Without delay, Ye Chen staggered to his feet, not daring to linger for a moment. He took the old man's storage bag, hefted Tian Que, and hurriedly darted into the jungle. Before leaving, he did not forget to pluck the Purple Ginseng Grass.

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