Chapter 41: Blood Fury

“Heh!”

A wild roar erupted.

In the rainy night, the rampaging Forest Chief resembled a fierce demon.

His four hooves struck the ground, splashing countless raindrops, leaving half-meter wide mud pits, his towering figure charging down the slope like a train.

A giant warblade shaped like a massive cleaver ignited with blood flames, slicing through the rain curtain aiming at Ren Mian.

Coolness still dwelled in Ren Mian’s eyes.

Seemingly unaware of the formidable foe before her, she manipulated Qing Lock Dragon to envelop Jiangnan Caiyi layer by layer, while flicking out a pink petal from her fingertips. The petal, not aimed at the Forest Chief, circled around him and embedded itself in Jiangnan Caiyi’s waist wound, halting the bleeding and healing the injury instantly.

A figure dashed from the side, positioning himself in front of Ren Mian.

It was Chi Zhonglin.

He had entered a complete frenzy, his body expanded to two and a half meters, almost level with the Forest Chief, his muscles bulging, and his magma spear glowing red as fire.

The long spear aimed straight at the enemy’s throat.

The Forest Chief’s warblade flicked upward, clanging loudly with sparks flying. Chi Zhonglin, moving back faster, still couldn’t maintain his balance and tumbled down the slope.

Nonetheless, the charge of the Forest Chief was also stalled.

Ren Mian’s gaze sharpened.

Suddenly, dozens of Qing Lock Dragons rushed from the camp, enveloping the enemy like a mass of venomous snakes, wildly growing and binding, their spikes trying to penetrate the flesh.

The Forest Chief scoffed, his blood flames surged, directly burning through the Qing Lock Dragons and breaking free.

“Blood Fury!”

Ren Mian frowned, finally recognizing what the flames on the enemy were – normal flames couldn’t possibly burn through her Qing Lock Dragons.

Only the “Blood Fury,” bestowed by the Red Emperor, could wield such power.

“Retreat.”

In her mind, she instructed, “He is a Blood Warrior blessed by the Red Emperor, possessing Blood Fury. You’re no match for him.”

Ji Xinghuo, hearing this, was greatly shaken.

Most followers of the Star Gods lacked extra abilities, only a rare few received blessings that immensely boosted their strength.

Followers of the four major gods were among the elite.

When a follower of the Red Emperor causes enough slaughter and sacrifices a large amount of blood, the Red Emperor bestows his blessing—Blood Fury!

Nurtured by endless blood, this seed integrates into the heart, activated by blood, increasing strength, enhancing defense, an angry flame burning from the chest, covering the whole body and clinging to the weapon, scorching the enemy’s flesh and spirit.

Those possessing Blood Fury are called Blood Warriors.

Yet, even the lowest level Blood Warriors are exceedingly rare.

Because it requires killing too many—family, friends, clan members, and far more enemies, sacrificing all their blood and lives to the Red Emperor to possibly gain his favor.

Blood Fury is immensely powerful!

After each battle, its power in enhancing strength and resistance grows, directly imparting advanced combat skills into the brain, rapidly improving prowess.

Blood Fury requires frequent blood nourishment.

Blood Warriors also possess an endless craving for blood; if unsatisfied, it backfires, gradually driving them mad, turning them into emotionless killing machines.

Hence, every Blood Warrior is truly a madman.

They would pay any price for strength, fighting ceaselessly until their last breath.

In the 1980s, a significant incident occurred on Earth.

An ordinary man from Africa covertly joined the Red Emperor’s sect, and in one night, killed over 40 of his family members, including neighbors and half the villagers, finally gaining the Red Emperor’s favor and the gift of Blood Fury, becoming a Blood Warrior.

Thereafter, he embarked on a journey of slaughter.

From a normal human to a transcendent, his power skyrocketed, wreaking havoc and annihilating villages and cities, reaching superhuman status in just months.

Initially, on the chaotic African continent, few paid attention.

Two years later, by the time the international community noticed this Blood Warrior, he had risen to be a mighty warlord controlling an army of tens of thousands, sparking numerous wars.

Eventually, the Blood Warrior was slain by legendary warriors sent by various countries.

Yet, he had already caused millions of deaths!

Now, this Forest Clan warrior, originally a tier-four powerhouse, akin to Earth’s superhumans, had his strength surge to legendary levels upon activating Blood Fury!

Ji Xinghuo took a deep breath.

He immediately switched his regular arrows for several capacitor arrows, grabbed them, drew the bow, aiming at the Forest Chief, looking for an opportune moment to shoot.

The Forest Chief bellowed.

Though his words were incomprehensible, the sonic boom carried a mental attack, clearing the rain in its path.

Bang!

Ren Mian’s fingertips conjured a crystal, shooting it at his face, where it exploded.

The Forest Chief merely shook his head and continued his charge, his hooves flipping once before reaching Ren Mian, raising his warblade to strike down.

A bolt of lightning suddenly flew, striking his chest, embedding at the heart.

The capacitor arrow didn’t penetrate but released a high-voltage current, making the Forest Chief tremble, his downward strike losing much of its force.

Ren Mian had already surrounded herself with Qing Lock Dragons, forming a thick thorny wall.

Boom!

The warblade cut through the thorn wall, like a hot knife through butter.

“Sister Ren!”

Chi Zhonglin, having just climbed up the slope, witnessed the scene and cried out in shock and anger.

Ji Xinghuo’s heart also skipped a beat.

The Qing Lock Dragons turned into countless burning fragments, revealing Ren Mian’s figure, astonishing Ji Xinghuo with her appearance.

Ren Mian’s conical hat and scarf were destroyed, exposing her true face.

Her body transformed into a diamond-like statue, skin crystal clear, radiating dazzling, colorful light from face to legs, splendid and dreamy.

She raised her right hand, bare, blocking the foe’s warblade.

The high-temperature Blood Fury, which could sever Qing Lock Dragons, couldn’t harm her crystal-like palm. However, the immense force from the warblade drove her into the ground, her feet burying up to her calves.

Surprise flickered in the mad eyes of the Forest Chief.

As he was about to strike again, suddenly, a bright light burst forth.

Boom!

Intense white light burst from Ren Mian’s body, forming a terrifying shockwave that blew the Forest Chief away. The shockwave swept the surroundings, the light wave spreading like lightning, pushing the rain within a hundred meters away, creating a spherical force field.

Ji Xinghuo, hidden in the trees, was also affected, nearly falling off.

He stabilized himself and saw Ren Mian engaging the enemy.

Ren Mian wasn’t fast nor strong, but her defense was incredibly high. The Forest Chief swung his gigantic warblade, each strike containing terrifying force with high-temperature Blood Fury, yet she countered with her hands alone, the warblade leaving only a shallow white mark on contact.

Ji Xinghuo had already recognized it.

“Crystal Light Servant!”

Ren Mian had always claimed she was a plant witch, and it was true, but she had not disclosed that she was also a Crystal Light Servant.

This is one of the most powerful career templates on Earth.

In the ADC’s rating system, the Crystal Light Servant’s template scores 73 points, ranking third.

The core ability of a Crystal Light Servant is “Light-Residing Crystal Formation,” which can transform the body into a substance harder than diamond, reaching theoretical limits in resistance to physical strikes, capable of storing light and manipulating it to some extent in combat.

Crystal Light Servant boasts the best physical defense among all careers.

But it’s not without weaknesses.

The extremely hard body significantly reduces the Crystal Light Servant’s speed and agility, unless merged with the “Warp” variant for instantaneous movement.

Moreover, Crystal Light Servants lack explosive power in their early stage, and their attack methods are somewhat limited.

Ji Xinghuo observed for a few seconds.

Ren Mian clearly lacked both “Warp” ability and “Refraction Force Field” and “Shape Solidification,” relying solely on her extremely hard body to withstand enemy attacks, occasionally countering with “Light Burst.”

Her significantly smaller size and strength compared to the Forest Chief meant she couldn’t utilize her master-level martial arts, only managing to defend passively.

Temporarily, neither side could determine the victor, but the prolonged battle gradually excited the Forest Chief, his strength still growing, putting Ren Mian at a disadvantage.

A purely defensive stance was bound to fail eventually.

“I’ll help you!”

Chi Zhonglin also saw this and without hesitation, charged up the slope to join the fray, attacking the Forest Chief from behind.

The three clashed, but it only lasted a few seconds.

The Forest Chief’s combat skills were extremely high, at least at a master level, and with his plentiful experience, he fully utilized his overwhelming power advantage and the properties of Blood Fury, knocking Chi Zhonglin’s spear away with two or three strikes, the warblade slashing his chest.

Sparks flew as the tough tungsten dragon scales were cut through.

Chi Zhonglin was grievously wounded, his guts spilled.

If not for Ren Mian rushing to block the next strike with her body, Chi Zhonglin would have unavoidably been beheaded.

“Back off.”

Ren Mian shouted, not forgetting to throw a peach petal onto Chi Zhonglin’s wound to prevent him from dying from severe injuries.

Nearby, Jiangnan Caiyi, lying on the ground clutching her waist, gritted her teeth, her eyes rolling back in pain, and an invisible phantom burst from her head attacking the Forest Chief.

Possession by Evil Spirit!

An evil spirit split from her psyche instantly entered the Forest Chief’s body.

But it was forced out in an instant.

Jiangnan Caiyi screamed, her head splitting with pain, nearly losing consciousness.

The desperate efforts of the two were unsuccessful.

Ren Mian’s voice resounded in their minds, “Retreat immediately! Xinghuo, cover their escape, don’t look back.”

“What about you, Sister Ren?” Ji Xinghuo asked.

“I’ll hold him off,” Ren Mian’s voice was resolute, “don’t worry, he can’t kill me, I can escape. Wait for me in Olympia.”

Ji Xinghuo didn’t respond immediately; he detected the finality in Ren Mian’s tone.

Although unsure if she truly had a means to escape, even if she did, it likely came at a steep price.

Yet he still had an ace up his sleeve.

“What are you hesitating for?” Ren Mian grew anxious.

After a few seconds of silence, Ji Xinghuo finally replied, “It’s not time to retreat yet, let me try. If it still doesn’t work, we’ll leave immediately.”

“You?”

Ren Mian was skeptical but didn’t stop him.

From a tree a hundred meters away, Ji Xinghuo placed a capacitor arrow on his compound bow, aimed at the Forest Chief entangled with Ren Mian, and activated Wànxiàng Senluo.

However, it only lasted an instant before he promptly withdrew.

The disparity in strength was too great, and the distance too far. Even with the capacitor arrow’s superior lethality, he couldn’t find a way to kill the enemy in Wànxiàng Senluo state.

“The power gap is still too large.”

Ji Xinghuo didn’t give up, opening the interface of Wanxiang Star Pupils, seeing the newly acquired 144 points of spiritual source energy, and immediately investing all into the Rotating Magnetic Field.

【Rotating Magnetic Field (Level 1: 284/359)】

Instantly, Ji Xinghuo felt his body rapidly strengthen, his physical and star power surging like a swiftly spinning magnetic field.

In less than ten seconds, his strength nearly doubled!

Ji Xinghuo suddenly grabbed a nanofiber rope beside him and swung from the tree toward the camp above.

Mid-air, he activated the Gale War Boots, generating a thread of levitational force under his feet, leveraging the momentum of the rope swing to cast himself above the slope, the Rotating Magnetic Field in full operation, his right hand drawing the Leichí Warblade, his entire being like a bolt of lightning descending from the sky.

Under Ren Mian’s puzzled and astonished gaze, Ji Xinghuo plummeted from mid-air.

The battle intensified.