In the next moment, the Shadow Bears, finished with the first target, surrounded the second boy. He barely managed to scream before he, too, was shredded by claws and engulfed in darkness.
As the dust settled, Xiao Wei stood alone among the carnage, his breath steady, eyes cold.
Moments later, the Martial Master boy returned, panting and scuffed from leading the furious monster away. But what he saw made his blood run cold—Xiao Wei standing tall amidst the lifeless, broken bodies of his comrades.
"You... You worthless trash! How dare you kill Mo Clan members! I'll tear you apart!"the Martial Master growled, his face twisted in fury and disbelief.
"So what if I killed them? It was your people who tried to kill me first."Xiao Wei said coldly, his eyes locked on the boy before him.
"You bastard! You think you can get away with this? I'll kill you myself!"the Martial Master boy roared, fury blazing in his eyes.
Without waiting another second, he launched himself at Xiao Wei, Spiritual Energy surging around his body.
Xiao Wei didn't move. Instead, he raised his hand calmly and muttered.
"Arise."
From the ground beneath his feet, thick shadows spilled out like liquid ink, and in an instant, nine towering shadowy Fire Bears erupted from the darkness. Their pitch-black forms glistened ominously, as they stood protectively in front of Xiao Wei.
The Martial Master boy skidded to a stop, his eyes going wide with disbelief.
"W-What are these black Monsters? Fire Bears? How did they appeared here?! What the hell kind of technique is this?"he muttered to himself.
"Kill him"Xiao Wei commanded coldly.
The nine Shadow Bears roared in unison and charged forward with terrifying momentum, their claws and fangs gleaming with killing intent.
The boy's momentary shock vanished, replaced by anger.
"You think mere Monsters in the Martial Apprentice Realm can stop me? I don't know how you can order this monster but, I'll crush them all!"he growled.
He surged forward, punching through the first Shadow Bear head with a powerful Martial Technique. A dark mist burst from the wounded bear's form, and the Shadow Bear crumbled into shadows.
But before he could catch his breath, two more pounced on him from both sides.
Xiao Wei, knowing the Shadow Bears alone wouldn't be enough, joined the battle from behind. Every time the boy punched to attack the bears, Xiao Wei would dart in with his Tiger Claw technique, striking from blind spots and forcing him to split his focus.
Claws clashed with his fist. The air trembled with Spiritual Energy. The jungle around them echoed with roars, growls, and the sharp ring of clashing techniques.
"Dammit!"the Martial Master boy growled, now panting from exertion.
Though each Shadow Bear wasn't individually strong, their relentless coordination and Xiao Wei's precision strikes were beginning to wear him down.
One after another, the Shadow Bears fell under the Martial Master's furious attacks. Each one turned into dark mist, but they had served their purpose—each death buying Xiao Wei a precious second, each assault forcing the boy into defensive footing.
After ten grueling minutes, the battle had reached its breaking point.
Only one Shadow Bear remained by Xiao Wei's side. The once fearsome creature now stood on trembling legs, one of its arms torn off, dark mist leaking from its wounds. Its breathing was ragged, and its black eyes dimmed as it struggled to remain upright.
Xiao Wei wasn't in much better condition, his face pale from exhaustion. Sweat poured down his forehead, and his chest rose and fell heavily with every breath. His Spiritual Energy was almost depleted, and his legs barely supported him.
Across from him, the Martial Master boy stood panting, his body trembling. Deep claw marks ran across his whole body, and bruises covered half his face. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his chin.
"You're finished… You'll die here, in this mountain, and no one will ever know. And even if they do, who would care about the death of a trash like you?"the boy said through heavy breaths, his eyes filled with bloodlust.
Despite the overwhelming odds, Xiao Wei smiled.
His eyes, sharp and cunning, glanced past the Martial Master boy—behind him.
"Attack now"Xiao Wei said calmly.
The boy's eyes widened, and he instinctively spun around, his body tensing in fear. But… there was nothing there. Just empty forest and broken branches. Realizing he'd been tricked, he turned back quickly.
But in that instant—
The remaining Shadow Bear lunged forward with a final burst of strength, letting out a thunderous roar. Its massive claw swung through the air with deadly force, aiming straight for the boy's chest.
The Martial Master boy's eyes flared with panic. Gritting his teeth, he shouted.
"Mountain Fist!"
He drove his fist forward to attack the Shadow Bear's large body.
Boom!
The Shadow Bear's claw struck squarely against the boy's chest, tearing through flesh, sending him stumbling back with blood spraying from his mouth. But his Mountain Fist struck true as well, slamming into the bear's head with bone-crushing power.
The Shadow Bear let out a pained roar before its body broke apart into a cloud of black mist and dissolved into the air.
The forest fell into an eerie silence.
The Martial Master boy collapsed to one knee, clutching his bleeding chest, panting heavily. He glanced around but he didn't see Xiao Wei.
"That damn trash ran away…"the Martial Master boy muttered through clenched teeth, blood still trickling from the corner of his lips.
"I need to report this to Second Young Master… that he has some kind of technique which allow him to control those black Fire Bear…"he muttered to himself as he try to move.
But his legs trembled, and his head spun from exhaustion. He dropped to the ground and sat cross-legged, drawing in slow breaths to stabilize his fading Spiritual Energy. His body was covered in bruises and claw marks, and even standing was difficult now.
He shut his eyes and began circulating his spiritual power, trying to restore his strength.
Unbeknownst to him, two figures watched from high above in the canopy of the trees.
One was Xiao Wei—his eyes sharp and cold, lips curled into a calculating smirk.
The other was a humanoid figure, its body pitch-black like ink, and eyes void of emotion—one of Xiao Wei's Shadow Soldiers, created from the fallen Mo Clan Cultivator who tries to kill him.
Xiao Wei's voice was low and firm.
"Attack him with your strongest technique."
The Shadow Soldier gave a silent nod and leapt from the treetops, its body a blur of darkness.
As it descended, it activated the Mo Clan's Movement Technique, flickering across the ground like a phantom. The sound of rushing wind alerted the Martial Master boy.
His eyes snapped open—only to see a face that chilled his blood.
"W-What?! You… You're not dead!"he gasped in disbelief. The Shadow Soldier looked exactly like the Mo Clan member Xiao Wei had slain earlier.
But there was no time to think. The Shadow Soldier was going to attack him with explosive power.
The Martial Master boy instinctively crossed his arms and activated his own technique.
"Mountain Fist"he roared, channeling what little Spiritual Energy remained into his attack.
BOOM!
The two fists collided with a deafening explosion. A powerful shockwave rippled through the trees, blowing leaves and dust in every direction.
The result was immediate.
The Shadow Soldier's body shattered into black mist and scattered like ashes.
But the Martial Master boy wasn't left unscathed.
Crack!
A sickening sound came from his right arm—the bones in his forearm shattered from the force of the impact. Blood spurted from his mouth as the shockwave hurled him backward like a ragdoll. His body slammed into a thick tree trunk with a crunch, bark splintering and leaves falling all around him.
"Arghh!!"he screamed in agony, slumping to the ground. His right arm hung limply at his side, bent at an unnatural angle, blood gushing from his knuckles and shoulder.
He coughed violently, spitting up blood as his vision blurred.
Still hidden among the treetops, Xiao Wei watched in silence, his gaze calm and calculating.
With the shadow mist still lingering in the air, Xiao Wei landed silently on the forest floor like a phantom descending from the trees. His feet barely made a sound as he strode forward, his eyes locked coldly onto the broken figure slumped against the tree.
The Martial Master boy groaned, blood dribbling from his lips. His vision was blurred, and the pain in his shattered arm left him trembling uncontrollably. But when he saw Xiao Wei approaching, his body instinctively reacted—he tried to push himself up, to stand, to run.
But it was too late.
The moment he lifted his head, a blinding flash of golden light surged before his eyes.
ROAR!
A ghostly image of a tiger—fierce, majestic, and wild—materialized in front of him. The image shimmered with raw killing intent, and in the next instant—
Slash!
Agony exploded in his chest as Xiao Wei's hand, wreathed in glowing Spiritual Energy, pierced straight through his torso.