Wu Chen's gaze swept over the fallen creatures, their demonic cores still intact beneath ruptured flesh like blackened hearts and he knew what he had to do..
He had hesitated Before because he didn't want to expose his ability of absorbing the cores to the Villagers because its abnormal and he didn't know how they will react.
What would they see when he did this?
A savior?
Or something just as monstrous as the beasts he slew?
Maybe they will treat him with apprehension thinking of his possibility of been corrupt to demonic.
But now—
Now he doesnt care, survival outweighed superstition.
Let them call him a demon.
He'd wear the title if it kept them alive.
So Wu Chen willed and The first core shattered into dark mist, its essence snaking into his veins like liquid shadow.
One after another, the cores detonated silently, their power flooding into him in waves of corrosive strength.
But contrary to Wu Chen's thought.
The villagers stood frozen, their breaths caught between awe and terror as swirling tendrils of transparent black smoke rose and coiled upward from the corpses of the slain creatures.
The unnatural vapors snaked toward Wu Chen like living shadows, drawn to his outstretched palm with hungry purpose, before being absorbed into his body.
Their eyes widened in amazement, but none of them understood what was happening.
Li Wei's spear trembled in his grip, his whisper barely audible over the crackling energy that filled the air
"What... what is he—doing?"
Old Man Zhang's gnarled fingers tightened around his sickle, his milky eyes reflecting the pulsing dark energy. "Watch closely, boy," he murmured, his voice thick with something between wonder and dread. "This is no ordinary warrior."
But Within Wu Chen, it felt like transformation of agonizing ecstasy
His meridians burned as energy flooded through them
His bones groaned under sudden, unnatural density and his muscles writhed like living things beneath his skin
Wu Chen felt the surge of energy as the cores were absorbed, his body growing stronger with each one. The familiar voice echoed in his mind:
[ Demonic Core Absorbed. ]
[ Power Level Increased (Breakthrough achieved) : Mortal 2 Low Tier. ]
Wu Chen has achieved a breakthrough right when he needed it.
His muscles tightened, his senses sharpening to an even greater degree. He could feel the power coursing through him.
A raw untamed force that filled him with confidence.
The horde was almost upon them now, their claws slashing through the air as they prepared to strike.
But Wu Chen didn't wait for them. He charged forward, his movements faster and more precise than before.
The lead demon's claws whispered past his throat—missing by a hair's breadth. But then he pivoted on his heel. His spear flashed—
A silver arc.
A wet crunch.
Then a head tumbling.
Black smoke erupted from the severed neck as the body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
Wu Chen didn't pause to watch.
He was already onto the next one.
The battlefield transformed into a brutal ballet of death.
Wu Chen moved like a force of nature unleashed - his form blurring at the edges as he carved through the demonic horde with terrifying precision.
Each motion flowed seamlessly into the next.
A backhand slash severed a creature's spine mid-leap
A brutal kick caved in another's ribcage with bone-shattering force
His spear hummed through the air, leaving afterimages as it punched through demonic flesh
The villagers stood transfixed, their weapons hanging slack because of What they are witnessing.
They watched in awe as Wu Chen moved through the horde like a whirlwind, his every strike landing with deadly accuracy.
He was a blur of motion, his strength and speed far beyond anything they had ever seen.
Li Jian's hands trembled around his spear shaft. The veteran hunter had faced mountain tigers and rogue cultivators - but nothing like this.
"He's... unstoppable." He muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.
It's like they aren't watching a man fight creatures
But rather witnessing a greater predator establish its dominance.
The young man was a storm of destruction, his every movement rewriting the villagers' understanding of combat. The Level 3 creatures—monstrosities that had slaughtered their strongest hunters—now fell before him like wheat before a scythe.
The demons attacked in perfect, predatory synchronization, their claws cutting through the air with murderous intent. Yet he anticipated every strike, his body flowing between their assaults like smoke through grasping fingers.
And another surprising thing is that with each clash with the young man, the creatures grew slower, weaker—as if their very essence was being drained.
But still Li wei felt that the most shocking scene is how the black tendrils of smoke erupted from the corpses of each demon the stranger felled.
snaking through the air before violently been absorbed into his body.
It looks terrifying and amazing at the same time
Li Wei looked around curious how the other villagers would react then he found them watching in reverent awe similar to his.
Elders whispered prayers
Hunter's some dropped to one knee without realizing it
Children pointed with wide eyes.
****
As the battle raged on, Wu Chen continued to absorb the cores of the fallen creatures directly.
He had already exposed his ability to do so, therefore he didn't care.
Wu Chen continued Each core bringing him closer to his next breakthrough.
[ Demonic Core Absorbed. ]
[ Power Level Increased: Mortal 2 Mid Tier. ]
The surge of energy was intoxicating, but Wu Chen knew he couldn't stop. The horde was thinning, but there were still too many of them.
He needed to reach the next level if he was going to end this once and for all.
So with a final, desperate push, Wu Chen unleashed the full extent of his power. His spearhead became a blur, cutting through the remaining creatures with ease.
The villagers could only watch in stunned silence as the last of the Level 3 creatures fell, their bodies collapsing to the ground in lifeless heaps.
[ Demonic Core Absorbed. ]
[ Power Level Increased: Mortal 2 Top Tier. ]
The battlefield fell silent, save for the ragged breathing of survivors.
Wu Chen stood at the center of devastation, tendrils of black mist still curling from his fingertips as the last demonic core dissolved into his being.
The villagers formed a hesitant circle around him, their faces painted with expressions ranging from religious awe to primal fear.
Wu Chen stood amidst the carnage, his chest heaving as he absorbed the final core. The villagers stared at him, their expressions a mixture of awe, gratitude, and fear.
Li Mei was the first to break the silence, her voice barely above a whisper yet carrying across the stillness. "You... you saved us ." Her trembling fingers clutched at her torn sleeves, eyes glistening with unshed tears