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Pfft!
Cheng Mo once again stumbled and rolled, narrowly dodging a bone blade that cleaved down, splashing mud all over him.
Before he could fully get up, a fierce gust of wind rose from behind him!
Cheng Mo's pupils constricted. He lunged forward with all his might, twisting his body to block with his Tang blade behind him.
Rip—!
A teeth-grinding tearing sound!
Even though his reaction was extremely fast, the tip of the hideous bone blade still grazed his back!
His thick coarse cloth shirt was cut open like paper, and a burning pain instantly spread from beneath his shoulder blade. Warm liquid immediately soaked his clothes, mixing with the cold rain.
"Ugh!" he grunted, falling heavily into the mud. The intense pain made his vision go black.
The bone blade demon let out an excited howl; the strong smell of blood seemed to make it even crazier.
It didn't stop, pouncing again, its half-carbonized, hideous face smoking with white mist and its fangs aiming directly for Cheng Mo's neck.
The shadow of death had never been so clear!
Just at this critical moment, the intense pain and the threat of death, instead, acted like a basin of ice water, completely sobering his mind, which had been somewhat chaotic from his first real combat.
The Myriad Realms Physique brought not only strength but also an absolute control over his own muscles and nerves, forcibly stimulated under extreme pressure!
Don't panic! Calm down!
True Sight!
Cheng Mo's pupils suddenly widened!
From the perspective of True Sight, the world seemed to slow down. The demon's pouncing trajectory, speed, his own falling position, the angle of the Tang blade in his hand, the impact of the pain from his back wound on his movements... all were instantly integrated and analyzed in his enhanced brain!
He abandoned the impossible action of immediately getting up. Instead, using his falling posture, he exerted force with his waist, like a spring compressed to its limit, and kicked his legs upward with all his might!
He didn't kick towards the demon's body, but rather towards the ground in front of it as it pounced, just as he was getting up!
Bang!
Mud and water splattered!
This kick was extremely powerful. It not only made Cheng Mo's body slide backward a short distance due to the recoil but also splashed a large amount of murky mud and water, temporarily blurring the demon's vision!
The demon's pouncing motion paused for an extremely brief moment because of this!
Now!
Using the momentum of sliding backward, Cheng Mo, ignoring the tearing pain in his back, propped himself up with one arm, his body springing up in a half-spin as if equipped with a spring.
The Tang horizontal blade in his other hand, at this moment, concentrated all his strength, all his will, and the instantaneous explosive power granted by the Myriad Realms Physique!
A flash of a blade!
It was no longer a haphazard slash, but a precise horizontal cut, imbued with the full rotational force of his body!
The target was the demon's neck, which was slightly exposed due to its forward pounce and the interference of the mud and water!
Pfft—!
This time, the blade felt a completely different feedback!
It was no longer the dull thud of cutting rubber, but the sensation of cutting through something tough yet not indestructible!
Accompanied by an extremely startled and painful gasp, a hideous head, spraying black blood, flew into the air!
The demon's headless body remained in its pouncing posture, staggered a few steps, and then fell heavily to the ground.
The head landed in the mud, its eyes wide open, filled with disbelief, its mouth still opening and closing as if trying to say something.
Cheng Mo gasped heavily, rain washing away the mud and blood from his face. The burning pain in his back constantly reminded him of the recent danger.
He dared not pause for a moment, enduring the discomfort, and immediately raised the ultraviolet lamp again, aiming it at the still-moving head, and fiercely pressed the switch!
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—!"
Under the ultraviolet light, the demon's head let out an even more piercing shriek, accelerating its carbonization and disintegration at a visible speed, finally turning into a puddle of ash, which was quickly washed away by the rain.
Only then, after confirming the threat had completely vanished, did Cheng Mo suddenly relax.
He leaned on his Tang blade, kneeling on one knee in the mud, gasping for air, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode.
The rain was still falling, and only the sound of raindrops hitting leaves and the ground remained.
He survived... He slowly stood up, enduring the pain in his back, and walked to the demon's headless corpse.
That body was also rapidly turning into dust and disappearing.
He carefully examined the traces of battle, recalling every detail.
Cold sweat broke out again.
It was too close.
If not for that flash of insight from True Sight and the instantaneous burst of his physique at the last moment, he would have been the one to die.
"Experience and skill... I'm too lacking..."
He muttered in a low voice, his tone a bit hoarse with the relief of having survived a great danger.
Having power without corresponding killing techniques meant too great a gap when facing these demons born for slaughter.
He must find a way to learn a Breathing Technique as soon as possible!
And this Tang blade... although sharp, it couldn't deliver a fatal blow to demons like a nichirin blade, making it too inefficient and too risky.
He walked to the side, put away his Tang blade and ultraviolet lamp, and with a thought, took out clean water, gauze, and a bottle of sulfa powder from the compass space.
He tore open the broken clothes on his back, exposing the wound to the cold air. It was a scratch about ten centimeters long, not too deep, but the flesh was exposed, looking frightening.
He carefully rinsed off the mud and blood with clean water, then bit open the medicine bottle and carefully sprinkled the white sulfa powder on the wound.
A sharp sting came, but he didn't even frown.
However, he soon noticed something unusual.
After applying the powder, the wound no longer just stung, but also felt a distinct itching sensation, a sign of rapid tissue regeneration.
And this regeneration speed far exceeded the normal range of human understanding!
He paused, immediately realizing this was the restorative power of the [Myriad Realms Physique] at work.
"...It seems it's not all bad."
That instant brush with death and desperate counterattack made him truly feel the cruelty of battle and the limits of his own strength.
He calmly assessed, quickly bandaging the wound with gauze.
Powerful regenerative ability meant a higher margin for error, which was crucial in this dangerous world.
After treating his wound, he stood in place, letting the rain wash over him.
The initial excitement and lingering fear gradually subsided, replaced by a deeper, colder emotion.
He had underestimated the dangers of this world and overestimated his own adaptability in his first real combat.
With a formidable weapon and strong physical attributes, his mindset had still been a bit too complacent.
His victory this time had an element of luck.
"I can't take such risks again."
He told himself that the purpose of gathering intelligence and samples had been achieved.
Having personally experienced the demon's combat power and regenerative ability, next time, he must have a more complete plan.
Or, he must find a stronger power—a Breathing Technique, a nichirin blade.
His eyes became sharper and more cautious.
He put away all his items and cleaned up any obvious traces that might have been left behind.
He reoriented himself and, dragging his still somewhat painful but rapidly recovering body, quickly disappeared into the mountain forest of the rainy night.