Chapter 32: The Wildman Appears

  "Activate the formation! The wildman is nearby! Activate the formation and force him out!" Sanbao shouted.

  Qi Zhitong suddenly came to his senses, quickly turning and rushing toward the nearby tree. He pressed his hand onto the runes already carved into the tree trunk, and the runes instantly lit up with a ghostly blue glow.

  "Junior brother, you go to that side!" Qi Zhitong shouted.

  Zhang Zhixin immediately acted, sprinting toward another tree with runes carved into it, preparing to activate the formation. Just as he was about to touch the runes, a thick arm suddenly pierced through his chest.

  Blood sprayed from Zhang Zhixin's mouth. He struggled to turn his head to see the attacker behind him. However, it felt as though all his strength had been drained in an instant, and his neck no longer obeyed his commands. His body suddenly colpsed, his lifeless eyes staring bnkly at the sky, as if silently accusing fate of its injustice and his own helplessness.

  "Junior brother Zhang!" Qi Zhitong cried in disbelief, his face full of shock.

  Sanbao was also stunned, her gaze moving toward where Zhang Zhixin had fallen, and she was horrified to see that the arm piercing through his chest belonged to none other than Wu Cheng!

  "Wu Cheng? You—!" Qi Zhitong seemed unable to believe what was happening.

  Wu Cheng's face no longer held the terrified expression from earlier. Instead, it twisted into a sinister smile, and his eyes became cold and cruel.

  "Jie jie jie…" An eerie, sharp ugh echoed from Wu Cheng’s throat. In the next moment, Wu Cheng’s body began to swell. His muscles rapidly expanded, tearing apart his skin and clothes. After the flesh split open, a massive, fur-covered humanoid creature appeared in front of Sanbao and Qi Zhitong.

  "It's the wildman!" Sanbao couldn’t help but scream.

  The wildman grinned maliciously and lunged at Sanbao. Quickly, Sanbao poured the water from her water pouch into the air, chanting an incantation.

  The water instantly shot into the air, coalescing into a massive water dragon that roared in mid-air. At the same time, Sanbao quickly formed a seal with her right hand, and a fire dragon flew out from her arm. The water and fire dragons intertwined in mid-air, charging toward the wildman.

  The wildman merely raised an arm in defense, seemingly unconcerned by the impact of the water and fire dragons.

  The water and fire dragons smmed into the wildman's shoulder, releasing a powerful burst of steam, as if the forest had just been hit by a sudden rainstorm.

  The wildman grunted, shrugged his shoulder, but remained standing like an immovable mountain, showing no sign of retreat.

  No wonder he didn’t dodge! His skin is tough as leather! Sanbao cursed inwardly.

  "Benefactor, be careful!" Qi Zhitong suddenly shouted.

  Sanbao realized that the wildman was shifting his stance, lowering his body and gathering strength in his legs. Clearly, he was preparing to pounce on her.

  In a panic, Sanbao spped her left wrist, activating the Seven Treasures Bracelet. Twelve peachwood throwing knives appeared and hovered above her head.

  The throwing knives shot out like arrows, speeding toward the wildman. But to her surprise, the wildman swiped his arms in a series of powerful strikes, knocking down eleven of the flying knives. The final knife only grazed the wildman’s left cheek, barely scratching his fur.

  "Jie jie jie… Little girl, you’ve got some skills, much better than these useless men," the wildman licked the blood trickling from his cheek, his eyes gleaming with greed and malice. "I haven’t tasted a woman in a long time. Especially female ability users, the best of women!"

  Sanbao cursed inwardly, *This is bad!* But there was no time to think as the wildman lunged at her with the speed of a tiger descending from the mountain, not giving her any time to breathe.

  Seeing that Sanbao was in danger, Qi Zhitong hurriedly swung his peachwood sword, thrusting it straight toward the wildman’s back, hoping to block his attack. However, the wildman suddenly spun around, delivering a series of flying kicks. One kick sent Qi Zhitong’s peachwood sword flying out of his hand, and the next kick struck his chest. Qi Zhitong was hit by several flying kicks and sent flying backward, crashing into a patch of bushes.

  The Invisible Leg! Sanbao remembered watching Captain Luo of the guards at her family’s martial arts field practice this technique when she was young. It was a secret technique of the Danjing martial artists.

  This wildman is a Danjing martial artist! Sanbao instantly understood why the previous ability users, cultivators, and martial artists hunting wildmen had all failed.

  The wildman let out another chilling ugh, "Jie jie jie…" It was as if he were mocking Sanbao for her helplessness.

  Sanbao looked at Qi Zhitong, only to see him lying like a pile of soft mud in the bushes. His breathing was shallow, and it seemed he wouldn’t survive much longer.

  Sanbao sighed, suppressing the fear in her chest. She reached for the second water pouch on her waist and poured it out in front of her.

  The water flowed back toward her, forming a water shield that blocked the wildman from reaching her.

  "Jie jie jie... A second-rank water ability user can even activate low-level fire spells? You little girl are interesting, very interesting! I wonder if your flesh is as interesting as you are! Jie jie jie..." The wildman’s eerie ughter echoed through the forest.