Apocalypse: Grinding EXP through Hunting

Tang Wen brought his charge to an abrupt halt.

He instantly completed the Visualization in his mind.

Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist.

Mountain-Shattering Cannon—Triple Shock!

He still wasn’t familiar enough with the Night Divine Fist.

What he subconsciously unleashed was the Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist he had tempered countless times.

Seeing that Tang Wen was going to meet this move head-on, the Black-clothed Martial Artist was overjoyed. "You’re dead! A mere Extraordinary like you is dead for sure!"

The giant phantom was a human figure, a figure holding a long sword.

Judging by its aura, it was at the Gangwu Realm.

This must be some kind of Killing Move, stored away as a life-saving measure.

An ordinary Martial Artist would never be able to obtain such a thing.

Then he saw the long sword in the phantom’s hand.

His heart stirred. ’It’s a Killing Move, but the sword is illusory. Its lethality must be greatly reduced.’

BOOM!

The sword’s shadow and the fist collided.

The instant they collided, Tang Wen’s fist, arm, and shoulder were completely covered in black.

VMMMM!

An invisible, concussive force washed over him.

His face turned pale.

The moment his fist hit the sword’s shadow, it felt no different from a real blade.

After a single strike, the phantom dissipated.

Tang Wen’s arms ached as if they were broken, and his entire body was numb.

He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

That Sword Skill also contained a concussive force.

An ordinary Extraordinary would likely have been severely injured by that one move.

Seeing that he had failed to kill Tang Wen, the Black-clothed Martial Artist had already turned to flee.

Instead of chasing immediately, Tang Wen took out a few Extraordinary Blood Marrow Pills, swallowed them whole, and spent half a minute regulating his breathing.

The pain racking his body subsided.

Then he gave chase once more.

At the same time, he formed a new assessment of his own strength.

’Now that I’ve mastered Multiple Shocking Fist, my combat strength is comparable to that of an average Veteran Extraordinary.’

’And my Constitution, strength, and recovery might even be superior to a Veteran Extraordinary’s.’

"This is impossible!"

A few minutes later, Tang Wen slammed the black-clothed man to the ground with a Shocking Fist.

"Who are you people?"

"Why are you spying on the Black Water Gang?"

The Black-clothed Martial Artist slumped to the ground and muttered, "You know nothing, yet you dare to get involved! I’ll tell you the truth: I’m from the Black Water Gang."

"You’re courting death."

Tang Wen landed another Shocking Fist, "restraining" himself as he smashed it into the man’s shoulder.

CLACK CLACK CLACK.

The Black-clothed Martial Artist’s teeth chattered violently.

The bones throughout his body rattled.

His internal organs felt like they were shifting out of place.

Tang Wen didn’t stop, casually landing another punch.

The Black-clothed Martial Artist’s organs were damaged by the shockwaves, and he began to vomit mouthfuls of blood.

His head was spinning, dizzier than if he’d drunk a gallon of strong liquor.

Seizing the opportunity, he tapped into the vision of his Brown-tailed Crow.

Through it, he saw the three others being monitored from afar as they fled toward the Cold Pool.

Tang Wen immediately withdrew from its sight and drew the dagger he carried.

"We’ve already found your other three Martial Artists. I’ll count to three. If you don’t talk, I’ll send you on your way."

The Black-clothed Martial Artist laughed bitterly. "And if I talk, you’ll let me go?"

"I can’t let you go, but with your special status, I should be able to extort a good amount of money. You’ll have a chance to survive."

As he spoke, Tang Wen shook a black velvet bag in his hand.

He had just taken it from the man’s body.

Inside, aside from golden leaves, silver notes, and Wound Medicine, there was a Token.

The character "Lin" was engraved on the metal Token.

’A member of the Lin Family?’

’One of Vice Gang Leader Lin’s clansmen?’

’In that case, killing him now would be letting him off too easy.’

He bound the Black-clothed Martial Artist’s limbs, tying him up like a trussed turtle, and casually hoisted him up.

Then he hurried toward the Cold Pool.

Along the way, he questioned him relentlessly.

"You claimed to be from the Black Water Gang just now. Your family must be in the upper echelon, right?"

The Black-clothed Martial Artist said nothing.

"Betraying your own kind!"

"Just kill me!"

Tang Wen was secretly delighted. ’This guy is so green.’

’He’s already admitted to it.’

He said coldly, "You’re more useful to me alive. As long as you don’t play any tricks, you’ll live. You can go home safe and sound. To put it plainly, I can live off your Lin Family’s secret for the rest of my life!"

"You!"

The Black-clothed Martial Artist’s anger turned to joy. ’He wants leverage on my Lin Family? Doesn’t that mean he’s willing to let me go?’

Tang Wen asked in a low voice,

"Why were you running in this direction?

Don’t give me any nonsense about escaping. Remember, whether you live or die depends entirely on your answer."

The black-clothed man’s mask had already been removed.

His expression shifted constantly.

He looked at Tang Wen, hesitating.

THWACK!

With a flick of his arm, Tang Wen threw him to the ground.

He tossed him aside like a dead dog.

He sneered, "Young Master Lin, you’d better think this through.

Dying here just to keep a secret...

What will happen to your wives, your concubines, your children?

Your family is quite large, isn’t it?

If you die, someone will probably usurp your position in the family immediately.

It would be better to tell me the secret. It’ll just be between you and me.

You might even get to go home with your life intact.

Cooperate with us, and the Lin Family will be yours sooner or later."

The Black-clothed Martial Artist closed his eyes.

Seeing him play dead, Tang Wen wasted no more words. He took out his dagger and plunged it into the man’s left chest.

"You!"

The Black-clothed Martial Artist screamed and shivered in agony. ’Madman!’

’He talks about cooperation, but then he just tries to kill me?’

"Oh, you’re not dead. Looks like my aim was off."

Tang Wen had deliberately controlled the angle, letting the blade graze the heart as it pierced the flesh.

The Black-clothed Martial Artist’s lips trembled, but no words came out.

"Don’t worry, I’ll try again."

SHINK.

He pulled the dagger out.

Blood gushed from the wound.

Tang Wen’s smile grew even friendlier. "Come now, press down on the wound. Oh, right, I forgot your hands are tied. Well, don’t bother then. You’ll be dead soon anyway."

The Black-clothed Martial Artist broke. "Stop! Sto—! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!"

Tang Wen didn’t stop, lightly pricking him with the dagger again.

The Black-clothed Martial Artist shouted, "I have one of the Curiosities!"

The blade bit into flesh and stopped against bone.

Tang Wen withdrew his hand and watched him without a word.

"My bracelet... the red one... it’s a Beast Taming Ring."

Like a criminal confessing his crimes, once he started talking, it was hard for him to stop.

"It can enhance an Exotic Beast’s abilities and control it remotely."

Without wasting words, Tang Wen reached out and slid it off the man’s wrist. "How much of an enhancement, and what’s the range?"

The red bracelet felt cool and smooth in his hand, like jade. Its material was neither metal nor stone.

"It can double a beast’s power for a short time. As for the range..." The Black-clothed Martial Artist glanced at the bloody wound gushing on his chest and coughed a few times.

"Finish talking and I’ll bandage you up."

The Black-clothed Martial Artist stopped coughing, his words suddenly quickening. "Within a range of one hundred and twenty li, this Beast Taming Ring can make an Exotic Beast do anything."

"Anything?"

Tang Wen’s expression remained calm as he continued, "How do you use it? What are the limitations, and what is the cost?"

The Black-clothed Martial Artist was surprised by his composure. ’How can this backwater nobody resist the temptation of a Beast Taming Ring?’

"On the inside of the bracelet, there’s a groove. There used to be a silver thread in it. To use it, you unfold the silver thread and pierce the top of an Exotic Beast’s head with it."

"That simple?"

"It must be inserted directly into the top of the head without drawing blood. Also... once used, the Exotic Beast is guaranteed to die."

Tang Wen saw the groove but no silver thread. He understood immediately.

"You used it to control an Exotic Beast and send it to the bottom of the Cold Pool? What exactly is down there?"

The Black-clothed Martial Artist’s face paled. He took a deep breath.

"I’m not finished explaining how to use the Beast Taming Ring. The first time it’s used, it needs to be nurtured with Spiritual Power. I’m a First-class Martial Artist, and it took me a full forty-nine days of nurturing before I could use it."

"Every time?" Tang Wen asked, taking out a Golden Wound Medicine Bottle.

"Only when it changes owners. Then it requires a long period of nurturing."

After Tang Wen had crudely bandaged his wound, the Black-clothed Martial Artist watched the dagger flipping up and down in his captor’s hand.

He gave a bitter smile.

As they continued on their way, he began to spill the truth.

"We did come for the thing at the bottom of the pool.

The Exotic Beast I controlled was a common Earth Beast.

Empowered by the Beast Taming Ring, its strength was close to the Extraordinary realm.

We were going to use it to drill a hole from above to retrieve what’s at the bottom of the Cold Pool—"

"What? Retrieve what?"

Resentment flashed in the Black-clothed Martial Artist’s eyes. "Another one of the Curiosities."

Tang Wen coaxed, "Be more specific. If what you say is true, I’ll knock you unconscious, stick the dagger back in your wound, and then kill everyone who saw any of this."

The Black-clothed Martial Artist gritted his teeth. "The Black Water Gang is trying to salvage an Azure Stone Slab, but they don’t know that there isn’t just one Stone Slab—there are two."