The Gamble of Survival

The battle had reached its peak.

The Black Horned Wolf and the Sky Realm cultivator circled each other, both injured but unwilling to back down. Their killing intent filled the air, heavy and suffocating.

Luo Zheng stood at the edge of the battlefield, eyes sharply analyzing every movement. This was his moment.

If he acted too soon, he would be caught in their fight. If he waited too long, the winner might still be too strong.

His fingers tightened around his sword hilt. His breathing was steady. His heartbeat was calm.

Everything depended on timing.

A Clash of Beasts and Blades

The Sky Realm cultivator suddenly lunged forward, his black energy blade humming with deadly force. His movements were sharp, precise—but slower than before. His left shoulder still bled from the wolf's attack, weakening his strikes.

The Black Horned Wolf snarled, sensing his fatigue.

With a powerful push, the wolf darted forward like a black shadow, dodging the blade's strike by inches.

Then—

It twisted its body mid-air, its massive claw slashing toward tTch—!" The cultivator barely managed to block with his forearm, but—

CRACK!

The sheer force fractured his bone, sending a sharp pain through his body.

The wolf landed gracefully, its crimson eyes locked onto its prey.

For the first time in the fight—the cultivator took a step back.he man's chest!

Luo Zheng's Eyes Gleamed

This was it.

They were both slowing down. The injuries, the exhaustion—neither could last much longer.

Luo Zheng's instincts screamed at him. Move now.

But he still held back. One final attack. One final clash.

That would decide the true survivor.

He gripped his sword tightly, his muscles coiled like a drawn bow.

His opportunity was coming.

The Last Strike

"You damn beast—!" The cultivator gritted his teeth, forcing his spiritual energy to surge once more. His body glowed with dark energy, his power rising for one last desperate attack.

The wolf sensed it too.

It lowered itself, its horn crackling with strange black lightning.

For a brief moment—everything was silent.

And then—

BOOM!

Both forces exploded forward, colliding in the center of the chamber with an earth-shaking impact!

A shockwave blasted outward, sending debris flying in all directions!

Luo Zheng Moves!

Luo Zheng's feet slid back as the shockwave rushed past him. But he was already in motion.

He had seen it—a single moment.

As the dust cleared—a body fell to the ground.

The Black Horned Wolf.

Blood poured from a deep slash across its chest, its breath growing shallow.

But—

The cultivator wasn't standing either.

His body swayed, his hand clutching at a massive wound across his side. His face was pale.

He was at his limit.

And in that very second—

Luo Zheng struck.

The Finishing Blow

Like a phantom in the wind, Luo Zheng rushed forward. His sword glinted under the flickering torchlight.

The cultivator's eyes widened in shock.

"You—!"

But he was too slow.

Luo Zheng's sword pierced straight through his chest.

A clean kill.

The man's body twitched, his mouth opening—but no words came out.

Then, he collapsed.

Luo Zheng stood over him, his breathing even. His gamble had paid off.

The chamber fell into silence.

The Black Horned Wolf let out one last low growl before its breath faded completely.

Both enemies were dead.

Luo Zheng exhaled, shaking off the blood from his sword. That was too close.

He turned toward the bodies, his mind already moving to the next step—

Loot.

Luo Zheng searched the cultivator's robes first.

A moment later, his eyes gleamed. A storage ring.

He quickly slipped it onto his finger, using his spiritual sense to check inside—

And what he found made his heart skip a beat.

Inside were several jade bottles of pills, a small pouch filled with spirit stones, and—a mysterious black scroll.

Interesting.

Next, he moved to the Black Horned Wolf.

This beast was no ordinary wolf.

He noticed the small black horn on its head, still crackling faintly with energy. It was valuable.

Without hesitation, he took out a dagger and cut off the horn, carefully storing it away.

A rare beast material like this would fetch a high price.

Just as he was about to leave—

Luo Zheng noticed something strange.

At the back of the chamber, where the wolf had emerged, the stone wall had another crack—

And behind it…

A faint golden light flickered.

Luo Zheng narrowed his eyes. A hidden passage?

His heartbeat quickened.

This battle might have revealed something far more valuable than he expected.

Luo Zheng stood motionless, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. The atmosphere around him had shifted, growing heavier with an invisible force. He frowned, glancing at the walls of the cavern. Nothing seemed unusual, but the unease in his heart only grew stronger.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, a sudden tremor ran through the ground beneath his feet. His eyes widened in alarm. The entrance he had come through—the only known exit—was sealing shut. Large stone slabs rumbled as they descended from above, locking into place with a thunderous crash. Dust filled the air, momentarily blinding him as he leaped back.

Damn it!" Luo Zheng cursed under his breath, sprinting toward the closing gap. He pushed his speed to the limit, but it was too late. The last slab fell, cutting him off from the outside world. A suffocating silence followed.

For a moment, he stood there, staring at the sealed entrance. He reached out and placed his palm against the cold stone, pushing against it, but it didn't budge. His expression darkened. I walked right into a trap.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. There was no use panicking. He had ventured into Black Sand Mountain to seek treasures and power. Now, he had another goal—finding a way out.

Luo Zheng turned, activating a faint glow around his body to illuminate his surroundings. The tunnel stretched into the unknown, lined with ancient carvings etched into the walls. He studied them carefully. The images depicted fierce battles—warriors clashing against monstrous beasts, a lone figure standing atop a mountain, holding a blade that seemed to split the heavens.

"What is this place...?" he muttered, tracing his fingers over the carvings. The craftsmanship was ancient, yet the energy within them still pulsed faintly.

Realizing he wouldn't find answers by standing still, he pressed forward. The deeper he went, the more treacherous the path became.

His sharp ears caught the faintest sound—something shifting. Without hesitation, he dodged to the side. A barrage of arrows shot out from the walls, narrowly missing him. The deadly projectiles struck the ground where he had just stood, embedding deep into the stone.

"Traps... This place is designed to kill intruders." Luo Zheng exhaled sharply, his gaze hardening. He had to be careful.

The further he walked, the more dangers he encountered. Hidden spike pits, walls that suddenly shifted to crush him, and strange creatures lurking in the shadows. Each time, he relied on his instincts and quick reflexes to evade or fight through. Though he sustained minor injuries, he remained unshaken. He had faced worse before.

But the dangers weren't the only things waiting for him. As he navigated through the underground chambers, he began to uncover treasures.

In a small hidden room, he found a jade box resting on an old altar. The moment he opened it, a wave of pure medicinal fragrance filled the air. Inside lay a high-grade spirit pill, its energy swirling gently.

"This… this is a rare pill. It could help me strengthen my body even further," Luo Zheng muttered, carefully placing it into his storage pouch.

Elsewhere, he discovered an ancient weapon—a long spear covered in strange engravings. Though he preferred swords, he could tell this weapon carried a special power. He took it as well.

And then there was the strangest find of all.

In a vast chamber, he stumbled upon a pedestal. Upon it rested a mysterious piece of black metal, covered in inscriptions he didn't recognize. As he reached out to touch it, a sudden pulse of energy ran through his body.

His heart pounded. What is this material? Why does it feel… alive?

Just as he was about to examine it further, the ground beneath him trembled. The walls of the chamber glowed, ancient runes lighting up one by one. A deep, rumbling sound filled the air. Luo Zheng took a step back, his body tensing.

And then, without warning, the floor beneath him cracked open. His eyes widened in shock as the ground collapsed beneath him, plunging him into darkness.

The mountain had yet to reveal all its secrets.

Luo Zheng's body plummeted through the collapsing chamber, the air rushing past him in a deafening roar. His senses sharpened as he prepared for impact, but instead of hitting solid ground, he plunged into a pool of water. The moment his body submerged, a strange sensation spread through him—the water wasn't ordinary. It was cool yet brimming with an unfamiliar energy that sent a tingling sensation through his entire being.

He surfaced, taking a deep breath, and looked around. The chamber was enormous, its high ceiling barely visible in the dim light. The only notable feature in the vast emptiness was the small pond in the middle. The water was a deep, glowing blue, radiating an ethereal energy that seemed to pulse as if alive.

Luo Zheng waded to the edge and pulled himself out, his clothes dripping with the shimmering water. His gaze remained fixed on the pond, his mind racing. What is this place? He could sense the energy within the water—it was incredibly pure, far beyond anything he had encountered before. Just standing near it made his body feel lighter, his breath steadier, and his mind sharper.

A thought crossed his mind. This… this might be the perfect place for me to break through to the Sky Realm.

Breaking through from the Marrow Stage to the Sky Realm was not an easy feat. It required immense energy, stability of mind, and time. But here, the energy in the water alone was purer than any cultivation resource he had ever seen. If he cultivated here, he would be able to absorb this energy without the interference of any external forces.

He looked around, searching for any possible threats. The chamber was eerily silent, the walls smooth and devoid of any inscriptions or markings. It looks like no one has been here for a long time. He walked toward the walls, pressing his hand against the cold stone, but nothing happened. It seemed like the only thing of value here was the pond.

His decision was clear. If he wanted to grow stronger, this was the best opportunity. He would cultivate here, no matter how long it took.

Meanwhile, in a completely different palace, atop a towering mountain, a young boy stood, his long purple hair flowing in the wind. His sharp eyes gazed down at the abyss below—a vast, bottomless valley shrouded in thick, swirling black fog.

This boy was different from the Luo Zheng in the underground chamber, but his identity remained a mystery. 

He exhaled lightly, his expression calm yet filled with focus. This is it. The Black Fog Valley. He had traveled a great distance to reach this place, and for good reason. Hidden deep within the valley was a beast—the Black Poison Scorpion. A creature of terrifying strength, its level was at the middle of the Void Tribulation stage.

The purple-haired boy wasn't here for a fight. He was here for something far more valuable—the beast's core.

His fingers lightly traced a small pouch at his waist, filled with several tools he had brought for this endeavor. A direct battle isn't an option. I need to take its core without engaging it head-on.

The black fog in the valley churned, moving as if it were alive, and from within the depths, a faint, eerie clicking sound echoed. The boy narrowed his eyes. He knew what that sound meant—the Black Poison Scorpion was near

He leaped off the mountain edge without hesitation, his body cutting through the air as he descended into the darkness below. The hunt had begun.