Chapter 64 - 63: Mysterious Fog in the Deep Mountains! The Red-Haired Monster!

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: Mysterious Fog in the Deep Mountains! The Red-Haired Monster!Above Perfection is Break Limit! Jiang Shu’s pupils quivered slightly. In just a few short days, he had counter-killed a masked martial artist and learned Snake Step. He had prepared for the mountain, mastering the entry-level Famished Tiger Destroying Household Claw. His punches and kicks were fierce, his strength improving at an incredible pace. But when he saw the words "Break Limit" on the panel, his entire body couldn’t help but tremble with excitement. Break Limit. It meant that any martial art, in his hands, could surpass Perfection! The current improvement in strength was merely the sudden fruition of steady accumulation within this minor realm. But the benefits brought by the panel promised a resplendent Great Dao of limitless martial arts! Take, for example, Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength, which could only be cultivated to the Bone Forging Realm. But if he perfected it and then took a step further, with this cultivation technique, he could directly enter the Refining Internal Realm! They sustained themselves on leopard meat, supplemented by wild fruits. Before they knew it, Jiang Shu and Qi Yuan had been in the mountain range for three days. They slowed their pace, becoming increasingly cautious. From time to time, they could hear strange roars echoing from deep within the mountains. 「Night fell.」 The moon hung high. Leaves rustled as Jiang Shu stamped out the campfire. They were now close to the deep mountains, a place where even wolves and leopards were mere prey. Therefore, despite both possessing the combat strength of the Stone Skin Realm, they didn’t dare to be conspicuous by lighting a bright fire in the darkness. The mountain wind howled. "Senior Brother Qi, you rest first. I’ll keep watch tonight," Jiang Shu said softly. For the past few days, he had battled Fierce Beasts during the day, while Qi Yuan had always taken the night watch. "Alright." Qi Yuan naturally wouldn’t make a fuss. He had brought Jiang Shu into the mountains precisely for support. Venturing into the mountains alone meant fending off attacking beasts while simultaneously tracking Mutant Beasts. Over an extended period, even a Martial Artist would become exhausted, their vital energy and blood depleted. He leaned against the cave wall, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest. Soon, his breathing steadied, and he drifted into a light slumber. Jiang Shu, however, stood at the cave entrance, resembling a famished tiger guarding its den. Since the Tiger Form Three Styles could Break Limit, he naturally wanted to test what kind of improvements Famished Tiger Watching Cave and Famished Tiger’s Breathing would bring after they achieved Break Limit. On the semi-transparent panel, his proficiency steadily increased. A fog began to creep through the deep mountains, gradually enveloping the entire range. In just a short hour, visibility in front of Jiang Shu was reduced to merely two steps. Various strange noises from the undergrowth became distinctly audible. Snakes slithering by. Wild rabbits grazing. Jiang Shu quietly took a couple of steps forward, holding his breath. On the outskirts of the mountain range, this scene was all too common; he had witnessed it countless times. But where were they now? Near the deep mountains! Here, even wolves and leopards were increasingly rare, let alone rabbits with little means of self-defense. Snake Step. While maneuvering, it also offered a degree of stealth. Jiang Shu approached cautiously. In the dense fog, he couldn’t see clearly ahead; his only guide was his hearing, sharpened since entering the mountains. "HISS..." That was the sound of a snake. "WHOOSH!" That was the sound of rushing wind. A soft THUD... That sound was difficult to identify. Jiang Shu’s breathing remained steady. His left hand had already quietly gripped the iron staff on his back, ready to be drawn at any moment. Suddenly, a gust of wind surged towards him. A creature resembling a rabbit abruptly appeared in Jiang Shu’s vision. It was covered in red fur, and the visible part of its body was nearly a meter long, with the remainder obscured by the thick fog. Its two incisors were shaped like ferocious fangs. A mist of blood sprayed from between its teeth, directly at Jiang Shu. BANG! Swinging his staff, Jiang Shu dodged the attack with extreme speed. Beneath him, a rock shattered into several pieces from a kick by the strange rabbit creature! A Mutant Beast? Confirming his suspicion, Jiang Shu instantly unleashed his Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength. He spun around to counterattack, his iron staff a blur. BANG! BANG! BANG! Despite repeated heavy blows and Jiang Shu’s strength—enough to tear apart tigers and leopards, further augmented by the iron staff—he was forced back step by step under the strange creature’s relentless assault. The iron sheeting wrapped around the staff shattered from the repeated impacts, revealing its true form. "Get down!" Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him. Jiang Shu quickly ducked. An arrow whizzed through the air, flying right over his head! One shot missed! Another arrow immediately followed! Qi Yuan had drawn his bow and nocked an arrow. The moment Jiang Shu clashed with the enemy, Qi Yuan had instantly awakened and rushed over, bow in hand. "Are you okay?" "I’m fine. Rabbit, red fur, fangs, sprays blood mist," Jiang Shu described concisely. His body rolled continuously, dodging several more attacks from the red-furred Fierce Beast. If it were daytime, he wouldn’t have been in such a sorry state. But in the heavy fog, his visibility was limited to two steps. And this strange rabbit-like creature could clearly see everything! The enemy was in the light, while I was in the dark! It seems I’ll definitely need to practice martial arts that enhance eyesight in the future. The thought flashed through his mind, but Jiang Shu remained fully concentrated, not daring to relax even for an instant. At this moment, he couldn’t trust his eyes. The only things he could rely on were the changes in the sounds around him, the shifts in the air! "Alright!" Seeing his arrows had no effect, Qi Yuan drew his saber. The Famished Tiger Martial Hall did not teach saber techniques, and he had nowhere else to learn them. But in the mountains and forests, a long saber was far more useful than fists! He slashed fiercely forward, as if trying to cleave through the dense fog. "Senior Brother Qi, do you know what kind of Mutant Beast this is?" Jiang Shu quickly moved closer, positioning himself back-to-back with Qi Yuan. "I don’t know... It’s on your side!" "Right!" Jiang Shu responded, swinging his staff. He was now using the iron staff like the Snip technique from the Tiger Form Three Styles. Like a tiger’s tail, the blow was powerful and heavy, sweeping with immense force. BANG. ... After that strike, silence fell. Only the faint sound of the wind seemed to whisper in their ears. Finally, looking at the increasingly thick fog, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but ask, "Is it gone?" "It must be gone," Jiang Shu replied uncertainly, visibility now down to a single step. Back-to-back, they gathered their strength and slowly retreated towards the cave. After all, neither knew how much denser the fog might become. If the fog thickened any further, what awaited them could very well be death. 「The cave.」 It was pitch black. Under the thick fog, even the moonlight and starlight had vanished. They sat opposite each other, both silent for a time. Pingling County was still too small. They, as common Martial Artists, knew too little. The strange fogs deep in the mountains. The bizarre red-furred creature. This wasn’t even a large-scale Mutant Beast, yet it had pushed them to their limits. "Actually, we could have fought it if it were daytime." After a while, Jiang Shu spoke. "The fog is too thick; we can’t go any further into this mountain." "Yeah." Qi Yuan fell silent. Indeed, no matter how thorough their preparations, it was only after entering the mountains that they truly understood how difficult hunting Mutant Beasts was. No wonder the price of Mutant Beast meat on the black market was so high and varied each time. After all, apart from the Martial Artists themselves, who else could know the immense dangers they had faced, the desperate battles fought, just for these few pounds of beast meat!