Apocalyptic Martial Arts: Starting with Devouring Filthy Beasts

Chapter 5 Black Street Hunting Group

Deep in the jungle, inside a relatively secluded abandoned building.

Li Ai lay panting heavily on the cold ground, sweat mixed with dirt sticking to her face and body, her whole body covered in mud, her hair matted together and stained with dark red blood.

"Are you more awake now?" Li Hui floated beside her, his golden eyes filled with his usual playful mockery.

"Why don't you try?" Li Ai said weakly, her eyes still somewhat vacant.

The pain she had just experienced was so intense that she almost fainted, yet her consciousness remained extremely clear, allowing her to distinctly perceive the reorganization and condensation of every inch of her flesh and blood.

A cool, refreshing sensation swept over her entire body, and Li Ai couldn't help but look at Li Hui.

"See? All that suffering wasn't for nothing."

[Observation Target]: Li Ai

[Cultivation Level]: Body Tempering Realm, Level 5 | [Qi and Blood]: 2000/2000

[Attributes] Strength: 2137kg | Defense: 1389kg | Spiritual Awareness: 123

"This feeling..." Li Ai looked surprised.

I thought that enduring such terrible pain would weaken my body.

As a result, he not only broke through to the fifth level of Body Tempering, but also completely replenished the qi and blood he had consumed.

The blocked meridians and pathways were also slightly cleared.

"The corrupting energy within the Filthy Beast, though born from pollution, can be completely transformed into something usable by the power of plunder."

Li Hui's tone was less playful and more meaningful: "Only by facing death can one find life amidst death. Living is never an easy thing."

"I don't want to see you suffer, but it's the fastest way to improve your strength."

clang!

The spear plunged into the ground, sending up pebbles. Li Ai, using the spear shaft for support, gritted her teeth and stood up, pretending to glare at him angrily: "Instead of lecturing me, why don't you help me find out where there are any filthy beasts, or usable herbs and ores?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hui's lips curled slightly, a sly glint in his eyes: "Ah ha, so you're treating me like a guardian angel who's always at your beck and call?"

"Get lost, you parasite!"

Amidst their usual bickering and playful banter, Li Ai had already composed herself and continued her journey deeper into the Blackthorn Forest.

"Something's not right here. In Hanchuan, snow falls all year round and the world is frozen, but here, black thorns cover the ground and the temperature is abnormal."

"oh."

Aren't you curious?

"Not curious." Li Hui shrunk to the size of a palm, landing on Li Ai's shoulder and swinging his legs leisurely. "Curiosity killed the cat. In the apocalypse, less curiosity means you can survive longer."

He had barely finished speaking when his eyes suddenly narrowed, and his tone became urgent: "Stop talking nonsense! Turn left up ahead, that half-collapsed low building, hurry up and go inside, there's something good waiting for you!"

Li Ai's curiosity was instantly piqued. Without asking any further questions, she quickly sprinted forward and squeezed into the crack in the low building's wall.

As soon as I stepped into the darkness, I was greeted by a dense cacophony of eerie squeaking sounds, both piercing and chilling.

Holy crap!

In the darkness, countless tiny, scarlet eyes suddenly lit up, densely distributed on the walls and ceiling, gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.

The next second, countless filthy beasts surged towards Li Ai like a tidal wave—each one was only the size of an adult wildcat, but their sheer number was outrageous, a dark mass that almost filled the small space.

"Damn it! You tricked me?!" Li Ai was shocked and quickly gripped the iron spear in her hand.

"Hehe~ I told you, curiosity killed the cat." Li Hui gloated, watching the show with amusement.

Li Aiqiang suppressed his panic and used the battlefield marksmanship he had honed in the simulation field. His spear swept out a cold glint, instantly stirring up a storm of blood and gore.

Black blood dripped down, and wherever the spearhead passed, swarms of "poison claw rats" were torn apart and sent flying backward.

These filthy beasts had ulcerated, purplish-black skin and flesh, oozing dark red, viscous bodily fluids. Their forepaws were deformed and swollen, each claw resembling a poisoned black iron scimitar, nearly ten centimeters long, with a twisted and sharp arc, and the tips of the claws were coated with blackish-red poison.

Their hind claws are slightly smaller, but they have barbed bone spurs that can embed themselves firmly into walls and the ground, supporting them to leap and climb at an astonishing speed.

A single venomous claw rat is far less threatening than a worm-toothed dog, but their numbers of hundreds are the most deadly.

The overwhelming offensive left Li Ai with no way to dodge.

Li Hui was not simply watching the show; she began to use "visual aids."

Red light flashed in Li Ai's eyes, and countless icons appeared—attack, defense, dodge, hit warning, dodge route, all of which were easy to understand.

Li Ai gritted her teeth and fought hard, maneuvering and fighting the rats in the cramped low building.

Despite her 1389kg defense making her muscles as hard as a rock, making it difficult for poison claw rats to inflict fatal wounds, the corrosive venom on their claw tips is exceptionally troublesome.

Once the toxin seeps into the wound, it will rapidly corrode the skin and flesh, causing excruciating pain.

The body's Qi and blood circulate spontaneously, engaging in a fierce battle with invading toxins, attempting to expel them from the body.

In an instant, Li Ai was covered in black blood, emitting a pungent stench. His wounds sizzled as the dark venom spread beneath his skin.

.......

"Report, Captain Qiu! We've spotted a marker!" the underling shouted excitedly, pointing to an inconspicuous red mark on the ground.

"Very good!" The round-faced, chubby Qiu Ba grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and patted the shoulder of the green-haired youth beside him. "The Lin family's order, our 'Fierce Tiger Hall' can't afford to mess it up, or we'll be in big trouble!"

The green-haired youth curled his lip and sneered disdainfully, "Captain Qiu, is it really necessary to make such a fuss? She's just a student at the fourth level of Body Tempering. I think sending five people and five guns would be enough to wipe her out."

Qiu Ba kicked him in the butt and cursed, "Enough with the nonsense! Just do what the Lin family tells you to do, who cares who they are, just kill them and that's it!"

"Tch, with thirty brothers, ten martial artists, and you, a ninth-level Body Tempering cultivator, how could we possibly mess this up?" Green Hair muttered, rubbing his butt.

"Captain Qiu! Look over here!" came another henchman's voice.

Qiu Ba quickly led a group of armed men over and stopped in front of the already cold corpse of the worm-toothed dog.

Beside the corpse, there was still some undried black blood and a fresh red mark.

"The canine with worm-toothed teeth died within an hour of its death. It was a penetrating wound, and the force was considerable. However, the cause of death was internal injury."

Qiu Ba crouched down, touched the wounds on the corpse, and felt a chilling aura. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Cold blood and qi..."

Qiu Ba stood up and waved his hand: "The target isn't too far away, go after them!"

The armed team of thirty men advanced rapidly in the marked direction like hungry wolves, their footsteps and the sound of guns being cocked jarringly in the silent jungle.

.........

Crackling sound—

The scarlet electric current surged and writhed wildly like a living snake, crackling and piercing through the corpses of poisonous rats scattered on the ground, pulverizing and melting their purplish-black flesh.

The bubbling sound echoed in the enclosed low building, and the thick, foul-smelling blackish-red blood plasma surged and churned, tightly enveloping Li Ai's body, creating a scene so bizarre it was chilling.

This time, Li Ai didn't let out a single scream.

She knelt on one knee, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, her teeth clenched so tightly they almost broke, forcibly enduring excruciating pain far exceeding her body's tolerance threshold.

The meridians felt like they were being pierced repeatedly by countless steel needles. The flesh and blood were repeatedly torn and healed under the impact of the corrosive energy and blood and qi. Every inch of skin felt like it was being roasted on a fire and then frozen by ice.

It was the fire of hatred in her heart that burned ever brighter, burning away her weakness and revealing a ruthless determination to go all in.

Even if she suffers countless pains, even if she becomes neither human nor ghost, she will make her pay back for this pain.

Li Hui silently hovered to the side, watching the girl struggling in the blood plasma. His gaze fell on her hands, which were already torn and were now being repeatedly tempered. A trace of heartache flashed in his eyes, but he ultimately did not utter a sound.

She grew up so fast, so fast it was alarming, and it made people feel sorry for her.

But there are no shortcuts in this apocalypse, and there is no warmth to speak of.