"Damn it, don't flee!"
Jiang Chen's roar echoed as he hotly pursued his quarry.
Yet, midway into the chase, he feigned weakness, glancing back periodically at the giant egg. His eyes flickered with uncertainty.
In the mere blink of an eye.
Ye Fan had vanished into the farthest reaches of the tunnel.
'Damn it, I've been bested by Jiang Chen once more!'
'This man appears to outdo even me in concealing his abilities! His caution surpasses my own!'
'Fortuitously, I managed to slip away. By now, he must have employed his full might.'
'Otherwise, given that I'm the one responsible for his parents' demise, he wouldn't spare any effort to relentlessly pursue me.'
'...'
With a sense of relief coursing through him, Ye Fan, after a brief moment of contemplation, pressed on with his flight.
In the underground expanse.
[Ding! You have successfully assaulted protagonist Ye Fan, temporarily diminishing his Heavenly Fate Value by 200 points!]
[Ding! You have triumphed over protagonist Ye Fan, prompting his retreat and causing emotional turmoil, further depleting his Heavenly Fate Value by 200 points!]
[Ding! You've accumulated 600 points of Villain Value!]
Three system notifications chimed in.
Jiang Chen, his countenance now serene, couldn't suppress a triumphant smile.
Without delay.
He retrieved the spirit beast pouch and positioned himself beneath the giant egg.
"Let's commence!"
With a mere thought, the flow of Yuan Power began, generating a formidable force that deftly separated the giant egg from its surrounding membrane.
Immediately following.
Jiang Chen channeled a significant surge of Yuan Power into the spirit beast pouch.
The palm-sized spirit beast pouch instantaneously inflated, hovering mid-air.
Then, a potent force of suction materialized, drawing the giant egg within.
With a swift swish.
The spirit beast pouch abruptly contracted, and gently alighted in Jiang Chen's hand.
[Ding! You have successfully usurped part of protagonist Ye Fan's opportunities, reducing his Heavenly Fate Value by 1,000 points!]
[Ding! You've accumulated 1,900 points of Villain Value!]
Two additional system notifications chimed in.
'My word!'
'A direct reduction of 1000 points from his Heavenly Fate Value!'
'It appears that this giant egg indeed holds significant importance for Ye Fan!'
Jiang Chen's eyes shimmered with surprise and delight as he nonchalantly tossed the spirit beast pouch in his hand, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy.
Without delay.
His gaze shifted to the lifeless bodies huddled in the corner.
These corpses comprised both the blood-colored monsters and human cultivators.
This was initially an opportunity meant for Ye Fan.
But now.
It was Jiang Chen's turn to plunder!
"Can't hold back any longer!"
"Let's commence with the corpses of the human cultivators!"
Jiang Chen rubbed his hands together eagerly and initiated the collection of storage artifacts from each human cultivator's remains.
Swiftly.
He amassed more than thirty such storage artifacts!
Along with scores of weapons, over a dozen defensive items including armors and robes worn on the bodies.
Furthermore.
He even unearthed a flying artifact.
Naturally, their quality couldn't match Jiang Chen's own Shadowblade Sword and Carefree Heavenly Extreme Robe.
"Next up."
"Time to deal with the monsters' corpses!"
Having finished plundering the human cultivators' bodies, Jiang Chen, longsword in hand, commenced the task of scooping out brains.
One by one, the monsters' skulls were systematically split open by him.
Sequentially, golden-red inner cores were extracted by him.
Even though these inner cores were essentially only the size of rice grains, they still held value.
"Burning World Raging Flames!"
Ultimately, Jiang Chen set all the corpses ablaze, reducing them to ashes, not sparing even the human cultivator corpses.
This was to thwart any chance Ye Fan might have to utilize his trump card to absorb the residual qi and blood energy from the human cultivator corpses.
Upon accomplishing all of this.
Two additional system notifications rang out!
[Ding! You have successfully usurped a portion of protagonist Ye Fan's opportunities; Ye Fan's Heavenly Fate Value has been diminished by 300 points!]
[Ding! You've accumulated an additional 500 points of Villain Value!]
'Hehe!'
'Ye Fan's Heavenly Fate Value has been slashed by another 300 points!'
'In this round, he's forfeited a total of 1,500 points of Heavenly Fate Value, not including the temporary decrease in his Heavenly Fate Value!'
Jiang Chen wore a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over the now desolate underground space.
Upon verifying that no further opportunities remained here.
He procured the Aura Finder Smoke, ignited it, and pursued in the direction of Ye Fan's escape.
Simultaneously.
Ye Fan had already bolted from the cave mansion entrance, plunging into a neighboring forest.
Along the way.
'I've essentially gauged Jiang Chen's prowess.'
'Below the Heavenly Origin realm, he remains an indomitable force.'
'Unless I ascend to the Early-stage Heavenly Origin realm in combat power, there's no chance I can conquer him!'
'Now, I must expedite the enhancement of my abilities to entirely eliminate him!'
'...'
Thoughts raced through Ye Fan's mind, a spark of determination glinting in his eyes.
In that moment.
Roar!!
A monstrous bellow resonated from ahead.
Intermingled within the roar were the pleas and shouts of several human cultivators, their voices laden with trepidation and dread.
'It's the blood-colored monster that merged earlier!'
'If I can wholly absorb its qi and blood energy, I will undoubtedly be able to master another Heavenly Origin realm cultivation method!'
'In that case! Let's make a move!'
A thrill surged within Ye Fan's heart, and he promptly dashed towards the monster's location.
Now, he no longer intended to conceal his true power.
After all, Jiang Chen was already privy to his genuine combat potential and could expose it at any moment.
Furthermore.
The animosity between Jiang Chen and him was as deep as the ocean, and their next encounter would undoubtedly result in another vehement battle!
Ye Fan had no desire to suffer a third defeat at Jiang Chen's hands.
He was not the type of arrogant genius incapable of tolerating failure.
However, enduring a failure once or twice was tolerable.
But being bested thrice consecutively by a peer, how could he accept that?
Therefore.
Ye Fan was determined to seize every chance to elevate his capabilities!
His footsteps were as swift as the wind, propelling him forward with rapidity.
In no time at all.
He found himself at the heart of the battlefield.
Boom! Boom!
Crack! Crack!
The muted rumbling of thunderous sounds reverberated incessantly.
In addition, the cacophony of countless trees snapping and tumbling resounded.
"Hurry!"
"Give it everything you've got!"
"It's nearing its end; if we can persist just a bit longer, victory will be ours!"
"..."
The urgency and intensity in the voice of the Heavenly Blade School's chief disciple, Xie Lianchu, was palpable, as the disciples around him scattered and launched their attacks.
Numerous individuals, noticing a reduction in the fused monster's power, promptly slackened their pace and began orchestrating an encirclement of the fused monster!
Just as expected.
Before long.
"Roar...!"
The fused monster whimpered, quickly disintegrating back into the original eight monsters.
At this moment.
All eight monsters had suffered a substantial depletion of their combat prowess.
Perhaps it was due to their contribution of qi and blood energy to the giant egg.
They appeared even more diminished than when the fused monster had previously separated, and had even fallen by two minor realms.
"Hahaha!"
"The monster has finally disintegrated!"
"Quick, everyone unite and vanquish them all!"
"Whoever slays a monster, their spoils are their own!"
"..."
Xie Lianchu erupted with an exhilarated laugh, immediately rallying the surrounding cultivators to attack and slay the monsters!
He himself, brandishing a long saber, charged forward.
Swish, swish, swish.
In the span of a single breath, he struck thirteen times, effortlessly bisecting the monster that had plummeted to the Early-stage Mysterious Platform realm into three sections!
But he didn't stop.
He continued his high-speed movements, converging on the partially collapsed mountain from before!
Yes.
What Xie Lianchu prioritized above all was that giant egg!
Compared to the giant egg, the value of these weakened humanoid monsters was simply inconsequential.
"Damn it, don't flee!"
Jiang Chen's roar echoed as he hotly pursued his quarry.
Yet, midway into the chase, he feigned weakness, glancing back periodically at the giant egg. His eyes flickered with uncertainty.
In the mere blink of an eye.
Ye Fan had vanished into the farthest reaches of the tunnel.
'Damn it, I've been bested by Jiang Chen once more!'
'This man appears to outdo even me in concealing his abilities! His caution surpasses my own!'
'Fortuitously, I managed to slip away. By now, he must have employed his full might.'
'Otherwise, given that I'm the one responsible for his parents' demise, he wouldn't spare any effort to relentlessly pursue me.'
'...'
With a sense of relief coursing through him, Ye Fan, after a brief moment of contemplation, pressed on with his flight.
In the underground expanse.
[Ding! You have successfully assaulted protagonist Ye Fan, temporarily diminishing his Heavenly Fate Value by 200 points!]
[Ding! You have triumphed over protagonist Ye Fan, prompting his retreat and causing emotional turmoil, further depleting his Heavenly Fate Value by 200 points!]
[Ding! You've accumulated 600 points of Villain Value!]
Three system notifications chimed in.
Jiang Chen, his countenance now serene, couldn't suppress a triumphant smile.
Without delay.
He retrieved the spirit beast pouch and positioned himself beneath the giant egg.
"Let's commence!"
With a mere thought, the flow of Yuan Power began, generating a formidable force that deftly separated the giant egg from its surrounding membrane.
Immediately following.
Jiang Chen channeled a significant surge of Yuan Power into the spirit beast pouch.
The palm-sized spirit beast pouch instantaneously inflated, hovering mid-air.
Then, a potent force of suction materialized, drawing the giant egg within.
With a swift swish.
The spirit beast pouch abruptly contracted, and gently alighted in Jiang Chen's hand.
[Ding! You have successfully usurped part of protagonist Ye Fan's opportunities, reducing his Heavenly Fate Value by 1,000 points!]
[Ding! You've accumulated 1,900 points of Villain Value!]
Two additional system notifications chimed in.
'My word!'
'A direct reduction of 1000 points from his Heavenly Fate Value!'
'It appears that this giant egg indeed holds significant importance for Ye Fan!'
Jiang Chen's eyes shimmered with surprise and delight as he nonchalantly tossed the spirit beast pouch in his hand, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy.
Without delay.
His gaze shifted to the lifeless bodies huddled in the corner.
These corpses comprised both the blood-colored monsters and human cultivators.
This was initially an opportunity meant for Ye Fan.
But now.
It was Jiang Chen's turn to plunder!
"Can't hold back any longer!"
"Let's commence with the corpses of the human cultivators!"
Jiang Chen rubbed his hands together eagerly and initiated the collection of storage artifacts from each human cultivator's remains.
Swiftly.
He amassed more than thirty such storage artifacts!
Along with scores of weapons, over a dozen defensive items including armors and robes worn on the bodies.
Furthermore.
He even unearthed a flying artifact.
Naturally, their quality couldn't match Jiang Chen's own Shadowblade Sword and Carefree Heavenly Extreme Robe.
"Next up."
"Time to deal with the monsters' corpses!"
Having finished plundering the human cultivators' bodies, Jiang Chen, longsword in hand, commenced the task of scooping out brains.
One by one, the monsters' skulls were systematically split open by him.
Sequentially, golden-red inner cores were extracted by him.
Even though these inner cores were essentially only the size of rice grains, they still held value.
"Burning World Raging Flames!"
Ultimately, Jiang Chen set all the corpses ablaze, reducing them to ashes, not sparing even the human cultivator corpses.
This was to thwart any chance Ye Fan might have to utilize his trump card to absorb the residual qi and blood energy from the human cultivator corpses.
Upon accomplishing all of this.
Two additional system notifications rang out!
[Ding! You have successfully usurped a portion of protagonist Ye Fan's opportunities; Ye Fan's Heavenly Fate Value has been diminished by 300 points!]
[Ding! You've accumulated an additional 500 points of Villain Value!]
'Hehe!'
'Ye Fan's Heavenly Fate Value has been slashed by another 300 points!'
'In this round, he's forfeited a total of 1,500 points of Heavenly Fate Value, not including the temporary decrease in his Heavenly Fate Value!'
Jiang Chen wore a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over the now desolate underground space.
Upon verifying that no further opportunities remained here.
He procured the Aura Finder Smoke, ignited it, and pursued in the direction of Ye Fan's escape.
Simultaneously.
Ye Fan had already bolted from the cave mansion entrance, plunging into a neighboring forest.
Along the way.
'I've essentially gauged Jiang Chen's prowess.'
'Below the Heavenly Origin realm, he remains an indomitable force.'
'Unless I ascend to the Early-stage Heavenly Origin realm in combat power, there's no chance I can conquer him!'
'Now, I must expedite the enhancement of my abilities to entirely eliminate him!'
'...'
Thoughts raced through Ye Fan's mind, a spark of determination glinting in his eyes.
In that moment.
Roar!!
A monstrous bellow resonated from ahead.
Intermingled within the roar were the pleas and shouts of several human cultivators, their voices laden with trepidation and dread.
'It's the blood-colored monster that merged earlier!'
'If I can wholly absorb its qi and blood energy, I will undoubtedly be able to master another Heavenly Origin realm cultivation method!'
'In that case! Let's make a move!'
A thrill surged within Ye Fan's heart, and he promptly dashed towards the monster's location.
Now, he no longer intended to conceal his true power.
After all, Jiang Chen was already privy to his genuine combat potential and could expose it at any moment.
Furthermore.
The animosity between Jiang Chen and him was as deep as the ocean, and their next encounter would undoubtedly result in another vehement battle!
Ye Fan had no desire to suffer a third defeat at Jiang Chen's hands.
He was not the type of arrogant genius incapable of tolerating failure.
However, enduring a failure once or twice was tolerable.
But being bested thrice consecutively by a peer, how could he accept that?
Therefore.
Ye Fan was determined to seize every chance to elevate his capabilities!
His footsteps were as swift as the wind, propelling him forward with rapidity.
In no time at all.
He found himself at the heart of the battlefield.
Boom! Boom!
Crack! Crack!
The muted rumbling of thunderous sounds reverberated incessantly.
In addition, the cacophony of countless trees snapping and tumbling resounded.
"Hurry!"
"Give it everything you've got!"
"It's nearing its end; if we can persist just a bit longer, victory will be ours!"
"..."
The urgency and intensity in the voice of the Heavenly Blade School's chief disciple, Xie Lianchu, was palpable, as the disciples around him scattered and launched their attacks.
Numerous individuals, noticing a reduction in the fused monster's power, promptly slackened their pace and began orchestrating an encirclement of the fused monster!
Just as expected.
Before long.
"Roar...!"
The fused monster whimpered, quickly disintegrating back into the original eight monsters.
At this moment.
All eight monsters had suffered a substantial depletion of their combat prowess.
Perhaps it was due to their contribution of qi and blood energy to the giant egg.
They appeared even more diminished than when the fused monster had previously separated, and had even fallen by two minor realms.
"Hahaha!"
"The monster has finally disintegrated!"
"Quick, everyone unite and vanquish them all!"
"Whoever slays a monster, their spoils are their own!"
"..."
Xie Lianchu erupted with an exhilarated laugh, immediately rallying the surrounding cultivators to attack and slay the monsters!
He himself, brandishing a long saber, charged forward.
Swish, swish, swish.
In the span of a single breath, he struck thirteen times, effortlessly bisecting the monster that had plummeted to the Early-stage Mysterious Platform realm into three sections!
But he didn't stop.
He continued his high-speed movements, converging on the partially collapsed mountain from before!
Yes.
What Xie Lianchu prioritized above all was that giant egg!
Compared to the giant egg, the value of these weakened humanoid monsters was simply inconsequential.
