Chapter 40: Only This Is Left

A tiger's roar had just echoed through the forest when an iron fist, wreathed in tendrils of Genesis Qi, brought forth fierce power, exploding through the air. With a mighty punch, it shattered the creature's head, leaving it a bloody mess.

Staring at the slowly stiffening beast corpse before him, Zhou Yuan exhaled a sigh of relief. He casually wiped the blood from his fist onto its fur.

This was a Wind Tiger, extremely fast and considered a formidable opponent among Grade 1 Genesis Beasts. Fortunately, Zhou Yuan possessed the Dragon Step, a nimble movement technique, which allowed him to narrowly defeat it.

"This is the thirty-sixth Grade 1 Genesis Beast..." Zhou Yuan chuckled, then bent down and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

Just then, a cold glint suddenly shot out from the darkness, cunningly and viciously aiming directly for Zhou Yuan's heart.

However, just as the cold glint was about to strike Zhou Yuan, he jerked his arm, causing the tiger corpse to tilt, perfectly blocking his heart. The cold glint pierced straight into the tiger corpse, the entire dagger embedding itself in the flesh, showing the immense force behind it.

"Huh?" With the attack missing, a surprised exclamation involuntarily came from the darkness.

"Who's there? Get out here!" The sudden, vicious attack caused Zhou Yuan's expression to change. He shook his arm and hurled the tiger corpse forcefully into the darkness.

From the darkness, a figure shot out, lightly tapping the tiger corpse with its toes, and floated gracefully to land in front of Zhou Yuan.

"Who are you?" Zhou Yuan frowned as he looked at the burly man with fierce eyes before him.

"The one who will take your life." The newcomer was naturally Luo Tong. He looked at Zhou Yuan, a sneer twisting his lips, and said coldly, "Boy, just die obediently. That little beauty over there is waiting for me to enjoy!"

Zhou Yuan's expression instantly changed upon hearing this, but he quickly calmed down. Although Yaoyao appeared to be helpless, Zhou Yuan knew it was merely a facade. Moreover, an unfathomable Tuntun was guarding her.

He figured even if she faced a Heavenly Gate stage expert, Yaoyao would be fine. Heavenly Gate stage experts were top-tier powerhouses in their Great Zhou, so they wouldn't just appear out of nowhere.

Though reassured, cold light flickered in Zhou Yuan's eyes. These scoundrels dared to lay hands on Yaoyao; they truly deserved to die.

"I guarantee, you won't leave the Black Forest Mountains alive today." Zhou Yuan slowly clenched his fingers into a fist as he spoke.

"An arrogant brat! Watch me punch you to death!" Luo Tong heard this and sneered. His body flashed, and he shot forward, his five fingers forming a fist, Genesis Qi swirling around it and creating sonic booms.

Luo Tong possessed the strength of six opened meridians. The power behind his punch was quite astonishing.

However, facing Luo Tong's fierce and unparalleled punch, Zhou Yuan's expression remained calm. His tightly clenched fist also shot out fiercely.

"You dare to exchange blows with me with only four opened meridians?" Luo Tong saw this and sneered even more intensely, assuming Zhou Yuan was just young and ignorant. He immediately intensified his power, intending to shatter Zhou Yuan's arm with a single punch.

However, when their fists collided heavily, the sneer on Luo Tong's face froze slightly. He felt that the power transmitted from Zhou Yuan's fist was no weaker than his own, despite having six opened meridians!

"How is that possible?"

Luo Tong's heart trembled slightly; he knew he had encountered a tough opponent. He immediately abandoned any further contempt. He abruptly changed his fist into a claw, his fingers ripping through the air, bringing cold light as they tore towards Zhou Yuan's throat.

Zhou Yuan stepped diagonally, performing the Dragon Step. His figure blurred slightly with a subtle shift.

The sharp claw wind grazed three inches in front of Zhou Yuan. Then, Zhou Yuan's fist, carrying formidable power, smashed directly towards Luo Tong's face, fiercely and without mercy.

The fist rapidly enlarging in his pupils startled Luo Tong. His body shook violently: "Six opened meridians!"

Genesis Qi from heaven and earth surged forth, pouring into Luo Tong's body. Instantly, his robes vibrated, and streams of Genesis Qi light erupted from his pores, forming faint halos that enveloped him.

Zhou Yuan's fist struck the Genesis Qi light streams coiled around Luo Tong's face, but it could not advance. Instead, he was sent flying backward by the vibrating tendrils of Genesis Qi.

"To force me to use my six opened meridians against you, you can die without regrets!" Luo Tong gnashed his teeth. Almost capsizing in a ditch while fighting a kid with only four opened meridians, this made him extremely furious.

Luo Tong shot out again, this time with even greater speed. His fingertips began to glow with a dark, eerie hue, and faintly, a faint, metallic stench emanated from them.

"Mid-grade Genesis Art, Black Ghost Palm."

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed as he watched Luo Tong charge again. He extended his palm, slow and heavy, as if carrying a giant mountain. Yet, when his palm moved slightly, even the air produced a grating sound.

"Four opened meridians!"

Zhou Yuan's meridians vibrated within him, emitting a suction force, continuously drawing Genesis Qi from heaven and earth into his body, transforming it into surging power that flowed into his palm.

A faint aura of might emanated from Zhou Yuan's body.

"Dragon Tablet Hand, Earth Split," a faint voice softly escaped his lips.

After this period of continuous day and night combat with Genesis Beasts, Zhou Yuan was finally able to successfully execute the second stage of the Dragon Tablet Hand.

As Zhou Yuan unleashed a punch, the ground beneath him seemed to violently tremor at that instant. The air in front of him was directly torn apart, and a sharp punch force actually spurted forth.

"Genesis Qi breaking through the body?!" Luo Tong's face was filled with horror. To project Genesis Qi externally like that required the strength of the Qi Nourishing stage, or cultivating a Profound Genesis Art far superior to ordinary Genesis Arts.

But how could a mere boy with only four opened meridians have cultivated a Profound Genesis Art?

Regardless of his horror, the sharp punch wind, now glowing faintly, surged towards him. Before he could dodge, it slammed into his chest.

Luo Tong's body was sent flying backward like a cannonball, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Disregarding his heavily injured body, he scrambled to his feet and ran. Through their repeated exchanges, he had come to realize that the combat power of this youth, who had only opened four meridians, was simply terrifying.

Seeing Luo Tong attempt to flee, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. A Genesis Rune appeared at his throat, and he suddenly opened his mouth and roared: "Roar!"

Grade 1 Genesis Rune: Tiger Roar Rune!

The tiger's roar resonated, and sound waves spread out. Luo Tong's body instantly stiffened, his head spun with dizziness, and the blood and Qi within him churned.

And by the time he recovered, before he could even utter a cry of alarm, Zhou Yuan slapped him on the head, knocking him unconscious.

Zhou Yuan glanced at the unconscious Luo Tong, grabbed him, and immediately ran towards the direction of the stream valley. Although he knew Yaoyao had considerable abilities, he was still worried something might have happened.

He rushed back to the stream valley in a flurry, panting heavily and looking utterly disheveled.

But when he reached the stream valley, he froze. The valley was still quiet. Yaoyao sat on the green rock, delicately sipping from a jade bottle in her hand. Beside her, Tuntun was lying down, yawning.

"This..."

Zhou Yuan was a little dumbfounded, as there was no trace of battle here.

"Yaoyao, are you alright?" Zhou Yuan stepped forward, panting heavily.

Yaoyao looked at the anxious and disheveled Zhou Yuan, and couldn't help but smile faintly, a hint of warmth in her expression. She shook her head and said, "I'm fine."

She paused, then added, "Though a rather unlucky fellow did run into some trouble."

Zhou Yuan quickly asked, "Where is he?"

Yaoyao extended a slender finger and pointed to Tuntun nearby. Tuntun wagged its tail, then opened its mouth and spat out a jade slip. Yaoyao then pointed at the jade slip and chuckled, "Only this is left."