He took a deep breath, drew the hunting knife from his back, and held it in a reverse grip, the blade glinting coldly in the dim light.
Then, using both hands and feet, like a gecko, he began to climb the moss-covered rock wall.
His fingers dug into crevices, his feet pushed off protruding rocks, his movements cautious, trying not to make any sound.
The height of ten zhang seemed to stretch in the tension and focus.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, dripping onto the rock.
Finally, his fingers reached the edge of the cave entrance platform.
He steadied himself, held his breath, and listened intently.
Inside the cave, there was dead silence.
Only… a very regular, low and long "hoo…ruh…hoo…ruh…" sound, like muffled thunder, faintly drifted out.
The sound was deep, carrying a heavy sense of oppression.
It was asleep!
Chen Lin's heart filled with joy, and his movements became even lighter.
He exerted force with his arms and silently flipped onto the platform.
The platform ground was rough rock, but relatively flat.
He crouched low, pressing against the cold rock wall, inching slowly, step by step, into the cave.
The cave entrance was narrow, and the light was dim.
The further he went in, the darker it became, almost pitch black.
Only a faint glimmer of light from the entrance barely outlined the rugged contours of the cave wall.
The space inside the cave seemed quite large, and the strong stench of blood and the faint smell of decay became clearer and more pungent.
Chen Lin pushed his Divine Sense to its limit, like invisible tentacles, extending and perceiving into the depths of the darkness.
He could vaguely "feel" a huge life form sleeping deep inside the cave, emanating a terrifyingly ferocious aura.
He tried to lighten his steps, his toes testing the ground, avoiding the scattered broken bones.
One step… two steps… getting closer and closer to that sleeping presence…
Suddenly!
A very slight, but in the dead silence of the cave, thunderous crisp sound came from under his foot!
"Crack!"
It was a tiny, dried and brittle animal bone, gnawed countless times!
The low, long snoring stopped abruptly!
Dead silence!
Absolute dead silence instantly enveloped the entire cave!
Chen Lin's heart suddenly stopped beating!
His blood seemed to have congealed!
All the hairs on his body instantly stood on end!
In the darkness, less than two zhang in front of him, two points of eerie green light, like Hellfire, lit up without warning!
Cold! Ferocious! Violent! With the furious rage of being awakened!
A suffocatingly terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the darkness, slamming hard into Chen Lin!
His weak Divine Sense, which he was so proud of and had just been born, instantly disintegrated under the impact of this violent and ferocious aura, like a candle in the wind!
All that remained in his vision were those two eerie green, ferocious eyes, constantly enlarging in the darkness!
Roar—!!!
A deafening roar, full of fury, like Jinglei exploding on flat ground, erupted from the deepest part of the cave!
The entire cave wall vibrated with a hum! Loose rocks rattled down!
Using the last bit of faint light filtering in from the entrance, he finally made out the outline of the Vicious Beast!
A leopard!
But definitely not an ordinary leopard!
This beast was as strong as a small calf!
Its shoulder height was almost waist-high, and its streamlined muscles bulged and rippled in the dim light, full of explosive power.
Its oily, shiny fur was an eerie iron-gray, dotted with deep, inky black spots.
Its head was massive, fangs exposed, gleaming coldly, nearly half a chi longer than an ordinary leopard's!
Especially those eerie green vertical pupils, in which burned a pure, undisguised desire for slaughter!
This was a Vicious Beast on the verge of becoming a Yao Beast!
The leopard's awakened rage transformed into tangible killing intent!
It was hungry!
This "little thing" that disturbed its sleep and smelled unfamiliar was a delivered dinner!
Foul-smelling, sticky drool dripped from its parted lips, hitting the rocky ground with a soft "plop."
Chen Lin's mind went blank!
Fear coiled around his entire body like a cold viper!
He wanted to run, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead!
He wanted to shout, but his throat felt blocked!
Immortal arts? Introducing Qi into the body?
In the face of this overwhelming, primal ferocity, they were fragile and vulnerable!
He was just a mountain village youth who had just touched the threshold of the immortal Dao!
Move! Move!
The instinct for survival finally overcame fear at the critical moment!
Just as the iron-gray giant shadow, bringing a fishy wind, lunged, Chen Lin, almost by muscle memory, rolled sharply to the side!
Whoosh!
A sharp whooshing sound grazed his scalp!
The leopard's thick, steel-whip-like tail lashed fiercely at the spot where he had just stood, sending gravel flying!
Chen Lin could even feel the strong wind from the tail stinging his face!
"Hoo… hoo…"
Chen Lin rolled to the side of the cave wall, leaning against the cold rock, gasping violently, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest.
Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
In that instant, he was only a hair's breadth from death!
The leopard's attack missed, and its massive body landed lightly, almost soundlessly.
It turned its massive head, its eerie green vertical pupils fixed on Chen Lin, who was leaning against the rock wall, emitting a threatening low growl, like muffled thunder rolling.
It seemed somewhat surprised that this "little thing" could dodge.
Chen Lin leaned against the rock wall, the cold touch slightly calming his chaotic mind.
No!
He couldn't fight head-on!
This beast's speed and strength were far beyond imagination!
His palm, holding the hunting knife, was covered in sweat, making the handle slippery.
Run?
The cave entrance was behind the leopard, and the narrow passage offered no room to maneuver; turning his back on it was suicide!
Fight?
With his meager strength and this broken hunting knife, he probably couldn't even pierce its fur!
What to do?!
The leopard lost its patience, its hind leg muscles tensed suddenly, and it lunged again!
This time, it was faster!
More ferocious! Like a gray lightning bolt streaking across the ground!
Its gaping maw aimed directly at Chen Lin's throat!
There was no avoiding it!
Chen Lin's pupils contracted sharply! At this critical moment of life and death, a fierce ruthlessness suddenly exploded from the bottom of his heart!
He couldn't die! The hopes of his entire family rested on him!
Not only did he not retreat, but he also met the incoming fishy wind, suddenly ducking low!
At the same time, he used all his strength to thrust the hunting knife, held in a reverse grip, fiercely towards the relatively soft side of the leopard's abdomen, which would inevitably be exposed during its lunge!
The angle was tricky, not aiming for a kill, but only to injure the enemy!
Pfft!
The dull sound of the blade entering flesh rang out!
"Awoo—!!!"
The leopard let out a mournful, pained howl!
Its massive body twisted violently in mid-air from the intense pain!
Chen Lin only felt a huge force slam into his arm, and the hunting knife instantly flew out of his hand!
He himself was sent flying backward by this immense force, crashing heavily against the rock wall, his internal organs feeling as if they had shifted, a sweetness in his throat, almost spitting out blood!
The leopard stumbled to the ground, a foot-long wound on its left flank clearly visible!
Deep enough to see bone!
Blood gushed out!
The excruciating pain completely ignited its ferocity!
Its eerie green vertical pupils instantly became bloodshot, turning crimson!
It stared fixedly at Chen Lin, who was slumped against the rock wall, temporarily unable to resist, emitting a low roar from its throat, advancing step by step!
It's over!
Chen Lin's heart turned to ice.
His full-strength attack had only severely wounded it, but it had completely enraged this Vicious Beast!
He struggled to get up, but his chest was in excruciating pain, and he couldn't lift his arm.
"Idiot! Waiting to die?!"
Just as despair filled his heart, the voice of the Refining Demon Furnace boomed in his mind like thunder!
"Beginner's Beast Taming! Spirit Contract Seal! While it's severely injured and mentally unstable, use your essence blood as a guide, your Divine Sense as a brush, and visualize the 'Spirit Binding' rune from the scroll! Quick!!!"
Beginner's Beast Taming! Spirit Contract Seal!
Chen Lin clutched at it like a drowning man grasping a straw!
The will to survive erupted with unprecedented power!
He endured the intense pain and bit his tongue sharply!
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of hot essence blood, containing his newly born faint Spiritual Qi, sprayed out!
At the same time, he concentrated all his thoughts, frantically urging the faint warm current in his Dantian, transforming it into an invisible "brush,"
Within the spraying blood mist, he rapidly outlined the complex and profound 'Spirit Binding' rune from the beast hide scroll!
Buzz!
The blood mist seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, instantly condensing and twisting!
A profound rune seal, composed of essence blood and faint Divine Sense, suddenly formed in front of Chen Lin!
The rune seal was not large, but it emitted a strange fluctuation that bound the Soul!
The ferocious leopard, about to pounce, its crimson beast eyes suddenly constricted the moment it saw this blood-colored rune seal!
A strong fear of an unknown power, originating from the depths of its Bloodline, instantly overwhelmed its rage!
Its massive body involuntarily stiffened!
"Go!"
Chen Lin used his last ounce of strength, his Divine Sense guiding the newly formed blood-colored rune seal, like an arrow leaving the bowstring, shooting fiercely towards the ferocious leopard's forehead!
The blood rune seal flashed and disappeared!