Chapter 56

Wang Yu quickly turned his head, using his super vision to make out the bone serpent in the distant black mist, and instantly made a decision.

His body suddenly sank, and he fell from the tree like a stone.

Thud.

Wang Yu landed steadily on the ground, scanned the area with a swift glance, then darted forward to a tree as thick as a man could embrace, and kicked it with his leg.

Crack.

The tree split cleanly in half, its upper portion toppling down—but he twisted his body, caught it with one hand, and held it aloft.

“This kid’s got incredible strength—what’s he doing?”

The two on the bone serpent had caught up; seeing Wang Yu’s actions, the bald giant was first startled, then utterly confused.

“Who cares what he’s doing? Go down, eat him.” The skinny man sneered, flicking his white bone token, and the bone giant serpent beneath them shot straight downward.

The bald giant frowned but didn’t stop his companion; instead, he raised his bone fork and muttered incantations under his breath.

Seeing this, Wang Yu let out a low roar, plunged his five fingers deep into the tree trunk, then swung his arm hard and hurled the half-tree straight into the air.

“Watch out!”

The bald giant startled, and his bone fork shot out as a streak of white light, striking the incoming tree first.

Thump.

The bone fork, whatever its power, shattered the half-tree in one blow—leaves and splinters flew everywhere.

But amid the swirling debris, a flash of cold light vanished—slipping past to smash into the skull of the charging bone serpent: it was a small iron shield.

Clang.

The shield flew back; the bone serpent writhed in pain, rolled over, and flung both riders off its back, its massive body plummeting straight down.

Whoosh.

A two-meter-tall giant figure shot skyward like a cannonball, then, at low altitude, kicked out with a piercing whistle, striking the still-falling bone serpent.

Boom.

The ten-zhang-long bone serpent was flung sideways, smashing through more than ten trees before finally grinding to a halt.

Now its black mist had faded to near invisibility; a large section of its body was shattered. Despite thrashing wildly and hissing in agony, it could not rise.

At the same moment, the giant figure crashed heavily onto the ground.

It was Wang Yu—his body enlarged, the tiger-head pattern on his back glowing, having activated the Black Tiger Breathing Method.

“Sound Burst Fist.”

“Guardian Force Warrior.”

The bald giant and the skinny man shouted in unison, then slowly drifted down onto the ground not far opposite, amid swirling black mist.

They recognized what Wang Yu’s form meant—their earlier casual expressions vanished.

The skinny man’s face darkened; he gripped his black banner tightly in one hand, while in the other, his token bore a visible crack.

The bald giant pressed both hands against the blood-red leather pouches at his waist, glaring at Wang Yu like a man facing a deadly foe.

Seeing their reaction, Wang Yu paused, but after a swift mental analysis, he suddenly twisted his body, snatched up the iron shield from the ground, spun around, leapt onto a tree, and vanished into the forest with a few bounds.

This left the bald giant and the skinny man stunned again.

But this time, they exchanged glances—and made no move to chase.

“Damn bad luck. Just picking a spot to lie in wait, and we run into a Guardian Force Warrior—such a hard nut to crack.” The bald giant sighed, rubbing his bald head, looking thoroughly disgruntled.

“Tell me about it. These guys have monstrous bodies and always fight to the death. Once they close in, everyone’s in trouble—and they’re all broke. Even if you kill them, you get nothing.” The skinny man glanced at the crack on his token and grimaced.

“But this kid’s so young—he’s already a Guardian Force Warrior. He must be a secret agent planted by the Four Symbols Sect in Guangyuan Market. Shouldn’t we stop him?” The bald giant hesitated.

“If you want to go after him, count me out. Better to hunt easier targets. Once the Four Symbols Sect and other Great Ming sects react, this kind of chance won’t come again.” The skinny man shook his head vigorously.

“You’re right, brother. Let’s go—I’ve still got a Spirit-Seeking Talisman. Let’s find some other stragglers.” The bald giant thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.

…

Plop.

As soon as Wang Yu stepped out of the forest and saw a river ahead, he estimated the current’s flow, tossed a thick dead log into the water, then leapt in after it.

He hid beneath the log, clasping it with both hands, slipping silently downstream.

He’d seen this trick on a famous survival tracking show from his old world. He didn’t know if it would work—but he had no better idea, so he’d try it anyway.

Night had fallen; the dark sky made concealment easier.

Thus, under cover of darkness, he clung to the log and drifted for a full night—though the current was slow, he only traveled thirty miles.

When dawn broke, Wang Yu calculated the distance—he judged he was now over a hundred miles from Guangyuan Market—and carefully released the log, climbing back onto shore.

He followed a narrow path and broke into a full sprint again.

Wherever he went, the farther from the market, the better.

But barely a stick of incense had burned when a piercing shriek split the sky—a vast swarm of emerald-green flying vessels surged from the distant horizon, dense as a storm.

Wang Yu froze, rolled sideways, and dove into the bushes beside the road, waiting to observe.

Then, from one of the emerald vessels, a streak of golden light shot out, spiraled high above, and formed a golden toad spirit the size of an acre—it let out a deafening “Gaaah!” downward.

Wang Yu’s head rang—he felt his soul freeze, unable to think, unable to move.

The next instant, a golden thread of light appeared on his skin, tugged sharply through the air—and he was lifted off the ground, hurtling toward the toad’s gaping maw.

Not just him—over a dozen other figures were similarly pulled by golden threads, rising from forests, rocks, even soil, all vanishing into the toad’s mouth.

The golden toad spirit let out one final cry, then silently dissolved, returning to a golden glow that flew back to the emerald vessel and settled into the hands of a pale, striking elder in golden robes—now reduced to a miniature golden toad, no more than five inches long.