Chapter 235: Fading Breath, Unextinguished Will
The cold steel plate pressed against Lin Yan's cheek, the foul stench of beast blood mingled with human blood seeping into his nostrils. The wound on his waist, torn open by the bone spurs, continued to bleed. Warm liquid spread across his hips, soaking his combat pants. Every time he tried to exert force to prop himself up, tearing agony traveled through his nerves to engulf his entire body. The spore toxins still raged within his Sea of Consciousness, and countless illusions surged in waves. He saw the endless underground rift, the barrier walls collapsing piece by piece under the beast tide, and his master standing far away on the wasteland, waving at him and gently urging him to let go of his obsessions.
He bit down hard on his already ruined tongue. The sharp pain barely stabilized his swaying consciousness. Raising his gaze, he saw the two third-tier scaled beasts slowly closing in to surround him. The one wounded on its back continuously leaked dark green blood from the base of its spinal spurs. Its movements were slightly sluggish, but the murderous intent in its dark crimson vertical pupils hadn't diminished in the slightest. The other, uninjured scaled beast circled to the side, lowering its head and aiming its bone spurs at his neck, slowly compressing the little space he had left to move.
Behind them, the dense masses of ordinary scaled beasts ceased their restlessness. They quietly crowded into the shadows of the tunnel, countless pairs of crimson eyes watching this final cleanup in silence. The Beast Commander's psychic tendrils steadily guided them. It was in no hurry to let them swarm forward; it was waiting for these two third-tier scaled beasts to eliminate the final obstacle. Deep within the cavern, the five ancient consciousnesses floated silently. The supreme ruler looked down indifferently upon the entire tunnel, watching this human on the brink of his limit, waiting to see how much more strength he could still muster.
Leaning against the corner of the rock wall, Scholar Su's breath was faint, though his vision could still barely focus. Watching the two giant beasts approach Lin Yan, he let out a weak, raspy sound from his throat, wanting to stand up and help. But the severe injury to his chest caused a massive surge of blood foam to spill from his mouth with the slightest exertion. He could only futilely try to raise one hand, yet he couldn't even lift it half an inch. He knew clearly that he could no longer be of any help; all the heavy burdens now rested solely on Lin Yan's shoulders.
Lin Yan's right hand fumbled across the steel plate, his fingertips brushing against the thick steel shard he had dropped earlier. The edge of the shard was still stained with the dark green blood of the scaled beast, cold and rough. He curled his five fingers, gripping the hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He didn't stand up immediately. Instead, using the posture of bracing against the ground, he adjusted his breathing and activated the ancient martial arts technique of settling his qi and gathering his spirit. His Sea of Consciousness was in unbearable agony, his stamina nearly exhausted, and his body riddled with injuries. This technique could no longer unleash its usual power, but it helped him barely gather his scattered focus and shut out a portion of the illusion's interference.
The third-tier scaled beast wounded on its back struck first. Enduring the pain of the wound on its back, it dug its thick limbs into the ground and charged forward with its massive body, its bone spurs thrust straight for Lin Yan's chest.
The tunnel was narrow, leaving no room for large-scale evasion. Lin Yan no longer tried to take the charge head-on. The instant the giant beast rushed close, he violently rolled sideways. The bone spurs slammed heavily into the steel plate with a piercing clang, leaving a deep dent on the surface. Missing its strike, the scaled beast quickly whipped its head, its bone spurs sweeping horizontally. They grazed Lin Yan's shoulder, adding another shallow wound.
The moment he hit the ground from the roll, Lin Yan used the momentum to rise. Before the scaled beast could retract its attack, he quickly pressed against its side. Aiming his steel shard at the already torn wound on the beast's back, he stabbed downward viciously.
Squelch! The steel shard sank deep into the flesh.
The third-tier scaled beast let out a frenzied roar that made the rock walls tremble. Its massive body twisted violently, and it thrashed its back wildly, trying to shake off the steel shard lodged in its flesh. Lin Yan gripped the shard tightly, pressing his entire body against the giant beast's side. He bounced back and forth with its swaying movements, enduring the scale edges slicing new wounds into his arms, refusing to let go.
The other third-tier scaled beast, waiting on the side, seized the opening. Letting out a low roar, it raised its heavy claw and brought it crashing down toward Lin Yan's back.
A gale of wind rushed toward him. Lin Yan had no time to look back. He could only use the twisting force of the beast in front of him to suddenly drop his body. The giant claw slammed heavily onto his companion's shoulder and back. The thick scales caved in, and dark green blood splattered everywhere. The blow was incredibly powerful, causing both scaled beasts to freeze simultaneously.
Friendly fire.
The psychic fluctuations of the Beast Commander abruptly stalled; it clearly hadn't anticipated such a turn of events. A brief chaos erupted between the two third-tier scaled beasts as they bumped into each other, their attack rhythm forcefully interrupted.
Lin Yan seized this fleeting window. He let go of the steel shard and rolled backward to retreat, creating a small amount of distance. He gasped for air, all the wounds on his body screaming in pain, his vision darkening in waves. The previous moment had been incredibly close; if he had been even half a second slower, his back would have been shattered by the giant claw.
Enraged, the scaled beast wounded on its back turned and snarled viciously at its companion. The tunnel was filled with frenzied beast roars. The intense pain from its wound, combined with the heavy blow from its ally, caused its fighting spirit to waver. Its attacks were no longer as decisive as before. The uninjured third-tier scaled beast on the other side also grew cautious. No longer daring to ambush rashly, it slowly shuffled its steps to reform the encirclement with its companion, though its movements now carried a hint of hesitation.
Bracing himself against the rock wall to stand, Lin Yan quickly scanned the two giant beasts. He knew this opportunity was short-lived; the Beast Commander would soon stabilize their consciousness again. He couldn't give them time to regroup their assault.
Instead of choosing to charge at the beast in front of him, he fixed his gaze on a protruding steel frame anchor bolt on the side wall of the tunnel. It was a massive bolt used to secure the load-bearing steel frames during the early construction of the shelter pod. It was exposed, with a sharp tip. An idea took shape in his mind.
Lin Yan slowly took two steps back, deliberately exposing a flaw. He let his body sway slightly, feigning complete physical exhaustion as if he were about to collapse. The illusions in his Sea of Consciousness seized this posture to exploit the weakness. He intentionally let a trace of daze appear on his face, luring the scaled beasts into judging that he was completely spent.
Sure enough, the third-tier scaled beast with the lighter injuries was deceived by the ruse. Letting out a low roar, it abandoned its cautious vigilance and accelerated into a fierce charge, intending to finish him off in one stroke.
The instant the scaled beast was about to reach him, Lin Yan suddenly sidestepped to dodge.
Unable to stop in time, the third-tier scaled beast was carried forward by its massive momentum. Its head slammed directly into the thick, protruding bolt on the rock wall.
Crack!
The hard bolt pierced the soft flesh beside the scaled beast's eye, driving deep into the side of its skull.
An agonizingly shrill wail exploded instantly. The force of this impact far exceeded any of Lin Yan's previous attacks. The giant beast's massive body convulsed violently, its limbs thrashing wildly as it rammed back and forth in the narrow tunnel, constantly crashing into the rock walls and steel plates. Rubble rained down like a shower.
Lin Yan dared not linger. Seizing the moment this scaled beast was out of control and in chaos, he spun around and pounced on the other scaled beast, which was still anxiously roaring with its back wounded. He yanked the steel shard still embedded in the wound on its back, reversed the blade's edge, and using both hands, thrust with all his might into the gap of soft armor connecting the beast's neck and torso.
The steel shard pierced completely through.
The scaled beast's movements suddenly froze. Its roar got stuck in its throat. Its massive body swayed twice before crashing heavily to its knees on the steel plate. Its limbs twitched a few times, and then it lay completely still.
In the blink of an eye, of the two third-tier scaled beasts, one was severely wounded and out of control, while the other lay dead on the ground.
The horde of ordinary scaled beasts in the rear of the tunnel instantly erupted into restlessness, their roars intertwining into a chaotic mess. The psychic tendrils of the Beast Commander fluctuated violently. It hadn't expected that a human on the verge of death could still consecutively inflict grievous wounds on two elites. It hurriedly mobilized its psychic signals to restrain the chaotic low-tier scaled beasts while simultaneously ordering the third-tier scaled beast wounded on the side of its head to retreat and regroup.
The scaled beast whose eye had been severely wounded by the bolt slowly backed away. One of its eyes was completely ruined, and endless streams of dark green blood flowed down its cheek. With its vision impaired, its attack rhythm was entirely shattered. It stared fixedly at Lin Yan, emitting a suppressed whine from its throat. Fearing this battered human before it, it no longer dared to charge forward rashly.
Lin Yan stood in place, gripping the steel shard, his chest heaving violently. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his jaw. There wasn't a single part of his body that didn't hurt. He was losing more and more blood, and a gray mist continuously veiled the edges of his vision. The stabbing pain in his Sea of Consciousness threatened to tear his consciousness apart. He had won this round of combat, but he knew clearly that the crisis was far from over. Behind him were still dozens of ordinary scaled beasts, and that wounded third-tier scaled beast still possessed lethal power. The Beast Commander was still coordinating from the shadows, and the ancient beings deep in the cavern were still watching quietly.
Leaning in the corner, Scholar Su stared blankly at this scene. A faint glimmer of light arose in his previously unfocused gaze. His cracked lips trembled slightly as he silently mouthed two words: Well done.
Lin Yan turned his head to glance at Scholar Su, then looked back toward the closed iron door of the storage compartment at the end of the tunnel. It was terrifyingly quiet behind the door; only the faint, suppressed sound of sobbing could be heard leaking out. Those civilians were still alive, safe for the moment.
He raised the steel shard once more, blocking the center of the tunnel, facing the chaotic but unretreating tide of beasts alone.
He couldn't hold out much longer; everyone knew this. But as long as he still stood here, the path leading to the civilians' compartment would not be opened.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the supreme ruler rippled with a strange fluctuation. It had witnessed countless hunts, seen fear, flight, and madness, but it rarely saw a human who, in a desperate situation where their body was collapsing and their spirit was being continuously gnawed by toxins, could still calmly set a trap and use the enemy's force to kill them. It did not order the Beast Commander to launch a general assault. Remaining silent, it continued to watch this struggle.
In the tunnel, the foul wind did not dissipate, and bloodstains covered the ground.
Leaning on the steel shard, Lin Yan panted slightly, waiting for the scaled beasts' next round of attacks.
End of Chapter.
He bit down hard on his already ruined tongue. The sharp pain barely stabilized his swaying consciousness. Raising his gaze, he saw the two third-tier scaled beasts slowly closing in to surround him. The one wounded on its back continuously leaked dark green blood from the base of its spinal spurs. Its movements were slightly sluggish, but the murderous intent in its dark crimson vertical pupils hadn't diminished in the slightest. The other, uninjured scaled beast circled to the side, lowering its head and aiming its bone spurs at his neck, slowly compressing the little space he had left to move.
Behind them, the dense masses of ordinary scaled beasts ceased their restlessness. They quietly crowded into the shadows of the tunnel, countless pairs of crimson eyes watching this final cleanup in silence. The Beast Commander's psychic tendrils steadily guided them. It was in no hurry to let them swarm forward; it was waiting for these two third-tier scaled beasts to eliminate the final obstacle. Deep within the cavern, the five ancient consciousnesses floated silently. The supreme ruler looked down indifferently upon the entire tunnel, watching this human on the brink of his limit, waiting to see how much more strength he could still muster.
Leaning against the corner of the rock wall, Scholar Su's breath was faint, though his vision could still barely focus. Watching the two giant beasts approach Lin Yan, he let out a weak, raspy sound from his throat, wanting to stand up and help. But the severe injury to his chest caused a massive surge of blood foam to spill from his mouth with the slightest exertion. He could only futilely try to raise one hand, yet he couldn't even lift it half an inch. He knew clearly that he could no longer be of any help; all the heavy burdens now rested solely on Lin Yan's shoulders.
Lin Yan's right hand fumbled across the steel plate, his fingertips brushing against the thick steel shard he had dropped earlier. The edge of the shard was still stained with the dark green blood of the scaled beast, cold and rough. He curled his five fingers, gripping the hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He didn't stand up immediately. Instead, using the posture of bracing against the ground, he adjusted his breathing and activated the ancient martial arts technique of settling his qi and gathering his spirit. His Sea of Consciousness was in unbearable agony, his stamina nearly exhausted, and his body riddled with injuries. This technique could no longer unleash its usual power, but it helped him barely gather his scattered focus and shut out a portion of the illusion's interference.
The third-tier scaled beast wounded on its back struck first. Enduring the pain of the wound on its back, it dug its thick limbs into the ground and charged forward with its massive body, its bone spurs thrust straight for Lin Yan's chest.
The tunnel was narrow, leaving no room for large-scale evasion. Lin Yan no longer tried to take the charge head-on. The instant the giant beast rushed close, he violently rolled sideways. The bone spurs slammed heavily into the steel plate with a piercing clang, leaving a deep dent on the surface. Missing its strike, the scaled beast quickly whipped its head, its bone spurs sweeping horizontally. They grazed Lin Yan's shoulder, adding another shallow wound.
The moment he hit the ground from the roll, Lin Yan used the momentum to rise. Before the scaled beast could retract its attack, he quickly pressed against its side. Aiming his steel shard at the already torn wound on the beast's back, he stabbed downward viciously.
Squelch! The steel shard sank deep into the flesh.
The third-tier scaled beast let out a frenzied roar that made the rock walls tremble. Its massive body twisted violently, and it thrashed its back wildly, trying to shake off the steel shard lodged in its flesh. Lin Yan gripped the shard tightly, pressing his entire body against the giant beast's side. He bounced back and forth with its swaying movements, enduring the scale edges slicing new wounds into his arms, refusing to let go.
The other third-tier scaled beast, waiting on the side, seized the opening. Letting out a low roar, it raised its heavy claw and brought it crashing down toward Lin Yan's back.
A gale of wind rushed toward him. Lin Yan had no time to look back. He could only use the twisting force of the beast in front of him to suddenly drop his body. The giant claw slammed heavily onto his companion's shoulder and back. The thick scales caved in, and dark green blood splattered everywhere. The blow was incredibly powerful, causing both scaled beasts to freeze simultaneously.
Friendly fire.
The psychic fluctuations of the Beast Commander abruptly stalled; it clearly hadn't anticipated such a turn of events. A brief chaos erupted between the two third-tier scaled beasts as they bumped into each other, their attack rhythm forcefully interrupted.
Lin Yan seized this fleeting window. He let go of the steel shard and rolled backward to retreat, creating a small amount of distance. He gasped for air, all the wounds on his body screaming in pain, his vision darkening in waves. The previous moment had been incredibly close; if he had been even half a second slower, his back would have been shattered by the giant claw.
Enraged, the scaled beast wounded on its back turned and snarled viciously at its companion. The tunnel was filled with frenzied beast roars. The intense pain from its wound, combined with the heavy blow from its ally, caused its fighting spirit to waver. Its attacks were no longer as decisive as before. The uninjured third-tier scaled beast on the other side also grew cautious. No longer daring to ambush rashly, it slowly shuffled its steps to reform the encirclement with its companion, though its movements now carried a hint of hesitation.
Bracing himself against the rock wall to stand, Lin Yan quickly scanned the two giant beasts. He knew this opportunity was short-lived; the Beast Commander would soon stabilize their consciousness again. He couldn't give them time to regroup their assault.
Instead of choosing to charge at the beast in front of him, he fixed his gaze on a protruding steel frame anchor bolt on the side wall of the tunnel. It was a massive bolt used to secure the load-bearing steel frames during the early construction of the shelter pod. It was exposed, with a sharp tip. An idea took shape in his mind.
Lin Yan slowly took two steps back, deliberately exposing a flaw. He let his body sway slightly, feigning complete physical exhaustion as if he were about to collapse. The illusions in his Sea of Consciousness seized this posture to exploit the weakness. He intentionally let a trace of daze appear on his face, luring the scaled beasts into judging that he was completely spent.
Sure enough, the third-tier scaled beast with the lighter injuries was deceived by the ruse. Letting out a low roar, it abandoned its cautious vigilance and accelerated into a fierce charge, intending to finish him off in one stroke.
The instant the scaled beast was about to reach him, Lin Yan suddenly sidestepped to dodge.
Unable to stop in time, the third-tier scaled beast was carried forward by its massive momentum. Its head slammed directly into the thick, protruding bolt on the rock wall.
Crack!
The hard bolt pierced the soft flesh beside the scaled beast's eye, driving deep into the side of its skull.
An agonizingly shrill wail exploded instantly. The force of this impact far exceeded any of Lin Yan's previous attacks. The giant beast's massive body convulsed violently, its limbs thrashing wildly as it rammed back and forth in the narrow tunnel, constantly crashing into the rock walls and steel plates. Rubble rained down like a shower.
Lin Yan dared not linger. Seizing the moment this scaled beast was out of control and in chaos, he spun around and pounced on the other scaled beast, which was still anxiously roaring with its back wounded. He yanked the steel shard still embedded in the wound on its back, reversed the blade's edge, and using both hands, thrust with all his might into the gap of soft armor connecting the beast's neck and torso.
The steel shard pierced completely through.
The scaled beast's movements suddenly froze. Its roar got stuck in its throat. Its massive body swayed twice before crashing heavily to its knees on the steel plate. Its limbs twitched a few times, and then it lay completely still.
In the blink of an eye, of the two third-tier scaled beasts, one was severely wounded and out of control, while the other lay dead on the ground.
The horde of ordinary scaled beasts in the rear of the tunnel instantly erupted into restlessness, their roars intertwining into a chaotic mess. The psychic tendrils of the Beast Commander fluctuated violently. It hadn't expected that a human on the verge of death could still consecutively inflict grievous wounds on two elites. It hurriedly mobilized its psychic signals to restrain the chaotic low-tier scaled beasts while simultaneously ordering the third-tier scaled beast wounded on the side of its head to retreat and regroup.
The scaled beast whose eye had been severely wounded by the bolt slowly backed away. One of its eyes was completely ruined, and endless streams of dark green blood flowed down its cheek. With its vision impaired, its attack rhythm was entirely shattered. It stared fixedly at Lin Yan, emitting a suppressed whine from its throat. Fearing this battered human before it, it no longer dared to charge forward rashly.
Lin Yan stood in place, gripping the steel shard, his chest heaving violently. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his jaw. There wasn't a single part of his body that didn't hurt. He was losing more and more blood, and a gray mist continuously veiled the edges of his vision. The stabbing pain in his Sea of Consciousness threatened to tear his consciousness apart. He had won this round of combat, but he knew clearly that the crisis was far from over. Behind him were still dozens of ordinary scaled beasts, and that wounded third-tier scaled beast still possessed lethal power. The Beast Commander was still coordinating from the shadows, and the ancient beings deep in the cavern were still watching quietly.
Leaning in the corner, Scholar Su stared blankly at this scene. A faint glimmer of light arose in his previously unfocused gaze. His cracked lips trembled slightly as he silently mouthed two words: Well done.
Lin Yan turned his head to glance at Scholar Su, then looked back toward the closed iron door of the storage compartment at the end of the tunnel. It was terrifyingly quiet behind the door; only the faint, suppressed sound of sobbing could be heard leaking out. Those civilians were still alive, safe for the moment.
He raised the steel shard once more, blocking the center of the tunnel, facing the chaotic but unretreating tide of beasts alone.
He couldn't hold out much longer; everyone knew this. But as long as he still stood here, the path leading to the civilians' compartment would not be opened.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the supreme ruler rippled with a strange fluctuation. It had witnessed countless hunts, seen fear, flight, and madness, but it rarely saw a human who, in a desperate situation where their body was collapsing and their spirit was being continuously gnawed by toxins, could still calmly set a trap and use the enemy's force to kill them. It did not order the Beast Commander to launch a general assault. Remaining silent, it continued to watch this struggle.
In the tunnel, the foul wind did not dissipate, and bloodstains covered the ground.
Leaning on the steel shard, Lin Yan panted slightly, waiting for the scaled beasts' next round of attacks.
End of Chapter.