Chapter 30: To Claim Strength, One Must Consume Chaos (Part 3)

As the clock edged closer to midnight, Zhang Yan reached a clearing bathed in moonlight. He could feel the presence before he saw it; the oppressive aura of a peak-tier 1 beast. From the shadows emerged a demon boar the size of a boulder, its blackened tusks gleaming with dark qi. Its hide was scarred from countless battles, and the ground trembled beneath its hooves.

Zhang Yan's heart raced, but he felt no fear; only determination.

The boar charged, its tusks aiming to impale him. Zhang Yan planted his feet and drew upon every ounce of power the Demonic Fist had given him.

His fist erupted with an onslaught of Raging Carnage. A relentless flurry of punches struck the boar's charging form, each blow driving deeper into its flesh until cracks began to form along its iron-like hide. The beast bellowed, blood spraying from its wounds, but Zhang Yan did not relent.

With a final, earth-shaking roar, Zhang Yan unleashed Abyssal Devastation. His fist and forearms, blazing with crimson fury, like two stars in the night, collided with the boar's skull. The impact shattering bone and qi alike as the beast collapsed, lifeless, at his feet.

Panting, Zhang Yan knelt beside the fallen beast and extracted its demon core. The orb pulsed with immense power; a fitting reward for such a fierce opponent. He consumed the core, feeling its energy surge through him like a raging river. His shadow writhed with newfound strength, and his blood burned hotter than ever.

The Ashura's Demonic Fist was no longer just a technique; it was a part of him now, as he inched ever so much closer to small achievement. Every battle, every wound, and every stolen essence had tempered it into a weapon of unparalleled destruction.

As Zhang Yan stood beneath the moonlight, his shadow stretching long and dark across the clearing, he knew he had taken the first true step toward mastering his new path. With each beast he felled, he would only grow stronger.

The hunt was far from over.

And neither was his ascent.