Escape from the Jaws of Death

It was well known that Earth Demons were powerful creatures from the outer world, neither human nor beast, but possessing language and intelligence. Their physical bodies were incredibly tough, with terrifying destructive power and resilience. They could adapt to any environment and, from birth, their strength was already at the first stage of the Silver Rank. They also had a protective barrier of energy around their bodies. For someone like Ye Qiang, at the second stage of the Bronze Rank, to even think of killing such a creature was nothing short of a fantasy.

Even after swallowing the purple pill from his spatial ring, which boosted his strength to the fifth stage of the Bronze Rank in an instant, he still couldn't withstand the Earth Demon's crushing force, which exceeded one hundred tons of weight.

Under such a collision, Ye Qiang should have been torn to pieces. However, thanks to the Fire Martial Sword inherited from the Fire Martial predecessor, which blocked some of the impact and protected him, he had managed to escape death—just barely.

But the reprieve was short-lived. In the next moment, death was once again imminent.

The Earth Demon roared in anger, raising its sharp, clawed fingers to strike down on Ye Qiang.

At that moment, Meng'er, the young girl, arrived with her sword in hand, rushing toward the Earth Demon. In the blink of an eye, she plunged her sword into the demon's massive back.

However, the Earth Demon's iron-scaled armor was indestructible, and Meng'er's sword didn't leave a scratch on it.

The demon, turning around, locked its blood-red eyes onto Meng'er's alluring form. With a swift motion, it swiped its claws across its own armor and growled, "You damned human, I'll tear you apart!"

Meng'er, looking at the cold, unfeeling face of the demon, felt a moment of helplessness.

"You were my senior brother, but how could you end up like this?" she asked softly, her voice tinged with sorrow for the creature before her—now devoid of any humanity.

But the Earth Demon, no longer concerned with her words, continued its approach. Each of its steps caused the ground to tremble beneath it, and it moved closer to Meng'er with relentless force.

Ye Qiang, watching the Earth Demon draw nearer to the girl, couldn't help but feel a surge of worry for her.

Although Meng'er had just nearly killed him with her sword, if he thought back carefully, it was only because of his ruthless act of killing her senior brother that the Earth Demon now stood before him, threatening his life. It was also the cause of the girl's current state.

With gritted teeth, Ye Qiang struggled to open his spatial ring, using his now useless right hand, which sent excruciating waves of pain through his nerves. He could barely hold his hand up, and the pain almost caused him to lose consciousness.

The many healing herbs before him seemed so close, yet his crippled right hand, injured by the demon's brutal strike, was too weak to pick them up.

Frustrated, he kicked the ground in anger, but the moment his foot moved, a new idea suddenly struck him.

Why am I so foolish? If my hands are useless, I still have my feet!

Why was I so worried about that girl, Meng'er? In my haste, I lost my cool.

A strong gust of wind suddenly swept through the forest, stirring up dust and debris in the clearing where Ye Qiang lay. The Earth Demon, towering and formidable, raised its sharp claw, gathering a deadly force capable of killing ten men with one strike.

Without hesitation, Ye Qiang, enduring the pain from his paralyzed body, reached into the spatial ring with his foot and retrieved a green pill. Slowly and painstakingly, he placed it in his mouth.

The spatial ring had detailed records of all the items stored within it. The purple pill Ye Qiang had previously taken was recorded as: Purple Emperor Pill: Increases strength by three stages within five blinks, no side effects.

The green pill was labeled: Green Emperor Pill: Heals all injuries inside and outside the body and restores the user to their optimal condition.

After swallowing the Green Emperor Pill, a strange green light radiated from Ye Qiang's body. Countless gusts of eerie wind surged out from the pill, swirling through every corner of his body, between every nerve, every muscle, and every cell, before eventually blasting outwards.

In an instant, Ye Qiang felt all the pain in his body vanish. It was as if he had been reborn, like a living corpse given a second chance at life.

Once his paralyzed body had fully recovered to its optimal state, Ye Qiang instinctively grabbed the red longsword lying nearby. With a swift, graceful turn, he stood up, then leapt into the air, swallowing another Purple Emperor Pill.

A burst of purple light enveloped him, and his strength surged to the fifth stage of the Bronze Rank. Though the effect would only last for five blinks of the eye, it was enough to save the girl, Meng'er, this one time.

At the critical moment, as the Earth Demon's massive claw was about to strike Meng'er's frail body with unstoppable force, Ye Qiang appeared behind the demon. In a flash, he slashed with his sword, carrying over a hundred tons of force, aiming directly for the demon's neck, which was covered in tough scales.

But to Ye Qiang's surprise, the Earth Demon, sensing a threat from behind, reacted with astonishing agility. It quickly retracted its claw, its massive body spinning around swiftly, its glowing red eyes filled with murderous intent.

When Ye Qiang's sword, imbued with great power, pierced the demon's neck, which was its most vulnerable spot despite being covered in thick scales, the attack was blocked by the demon's poisonous barrier, preventing any damage to its flesh.

Meng'er, sensing Ye Qiang's newfound strength, muttered to herself, "This despicable person from the Blood Sword Sect was on the brink of death just moments ago. How could he suddenly get back on his feet and appear completely unscathed? And his aura… it's like… the fifth stage of the Bronze Rank…"

Seeing that her strike hadn't wounded the massive Earth Demon in the slightest, Ye Qiang was surprised. This Earth Demon looks slow, but when danger comes, it can react with incredible speed. It seems I won't be able to kill it after all!

Just as the furious Earth Demon swung its powerful hand toward him, Ye Qiang quickly retreated, putting a full ten steps between him and the demon, finding shelter behind a large, dark tree. Gasping for air, he realized the effects of the Purple Emperor Pill had now worn off.

The Earth Demon, seeing its powerful attack miss the insignificant human before it, was filled with fury.