"AHH—!"

A bloodcurdling scream instantly shattered the dead silence of the riverbank.

The instant the water exploded, a gaping, fanged maw large enough to swallow a water buffalo sprang open. Moving with the speed of a thunderclap, it devoured the slowest Water Bandit in a single gulp, saber and all.

"CRUNCH!"

A sickening crunch of breaking bones echoed as blood spilled from the corners of its massive mouth, staining the dark river water red.

"What is that thing?!"

Han Qinhu, who had been in hot pursuit, stopped dead in his tracks, horrified. He stared in disbelief at the behemoth that had shot out of the water.

It was a gigantic crocodile, easily twenty to thirty feet long!

It hadn’t fully crawled onto the bank. Only half of its body was visible, yet it already looked like a small, black hill. Its back was covered in a thick, craggy layer of black, rock-like hide, and a row of dark red barbs, like red-hot saw teeth, grew along its spine.

Its murky, yellow-brown vertical pupils radiated the cold cruelty of an ancient predator.

A Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile!

The overlord of this body of water, a terrifying Exotic Beast comparable to the Flesh Refining Realm!

"ROAR—!"

The giant crocodile let out a low roar, its thick tail whipping sideways like a steel lash.

"BANG! BANG!"

The other two Water Bandits, already frozen in fear, had no time to dodge. Struck by the tail and its overwhelming force, their bodies were sent flying like sacks of mud. Their chests were crushed, and they were dead before they hit the ground.

Three men killed in an instant!

"Dammit! What is a monster like this doing here?!" Han Qinhu’s scalp tingled with fear. He completely forgot about chasing Su Yu, his hand trembling as he gripped his saber.

On the other side,

Su Yu, thanks to his Five Senses Divine, had detected the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile the moment it began to sneak closer. The escape route he chose had perfectly avoided the giant crocodile’s lunge.

’What terrifying killing intent! It really is a Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile. Its monstrous strength definitely meets the threshold of the Flesh Refining Realm, maybe even stronger!’

The moment Su Yu saw the giant crocodile, he recalled a passage from the *Nine Provinces Compendium of Marvels: Savage Exotic Beasts Volume*!

"...A scaled beast, born at the nodes of the earth’s ley lines, is named the Black Rock Iron-Back. It is a relic of ancient times, exceedingly ferocious, and can live up to five hundred years."

"Its back bears craggy black rock, and its spine grows barbs like saws. It often swallows metal ores from the riverbed to nourish its body. Thus, its hide has mutated to become as hard as Profound Iron, impervious to common weapons. Its tail is like a steel lash, possessing immense force, capable of shattering mountains and cracking stone."

Su Yu didn’t hesitate for a second. The moment the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile was busy tearing at its prey, he leaped.

"SPLASH!"

He entered the water like a fish, barely making a ripple.

The instant he was submerged, he channeled his Bibo Fish Dragon Skill at full power. A transparent film of Qi and Blood covered his entire body, perfectly sealing his aura.

After swallowing the Water Bandit’s corpse, the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile’s cruel vertical pupils swiveled and, as expected, locked onto Han Qinhu on the bank, whose Qi and Blood was the most vigorous.

In its eyes, this human at Third Acupoint Perfection was like a walking Great Nourishing Pill.

"BOOM!"

The giant crocodile’s four limbs suddenly pushed off the ground, its massive body displaying a terrifying explosive power that defied its size. Like a black, heavy war chariot, it shot forward over a hundred feet in an instant. Trailing a suffocating, foul wind, it opened its jaws—powerful enough to crush reefs—and lunged viciously at Han Qinhu!

"Beast! Get away from me!"

With no way to dodge, Han Qinhu could only roar in fury. Burning all the Qi and Blood in his body, he swung his Horse-cutting Saber in a flash of light, fiercely chopping down at the giant crocodile’s head.

"CLANG—"

Sparks flew!

The strike, powerful enough to cleave mountains and crack stone, only left a shallow white mark on the crocodile’s rock-like skull. The rebound, however, sent a violent tremor through Han Qinhu. As if hit by a heavy war chariot, he was thrown back dozens of feet with a loud BANG.

"Cough, cough... What in the world is this beast?!" Han Qinhu coughed up a mouthful of blood after he landed, his face pale with terror.

’My all-out attack couldn’t even break its defense. How am I supposed to fight this?!’

What chilled him to the bone was the giant crocodile’s terrifying strength. It was like a primeval monster—completely unbeatable by force!

Before he could react, the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile lashed out with its tail again. The ten-foot-long appendage, covered in jagged bone spurs, instantly became a black, city-breaching steel whip, sweeping out with a vicious, howling gale!

"BOOM!"

The power of this tail sweep was so terrifying that it brutally tore through the thick white fog, creating a clearly visible, fan-shaped vacuum in its wake!

As the tip of the tail skimmed the ground, the heavy, wet sand on the riverbank exploded, sending a mixture of sand and gravel flying in all directions like buckshot, peppering the nearby tree trunks with a series of sharp cracks.

"BAM!"

A sickening, muffled thud.

Han Qinhu’s vision went black. It felt as if a collapsing mountain had slammed squarely into his chest. His protective Qi and Blood barrier instantly shattered, and his sternum cracked with a sharp snap. His entire body, like a broken sack, was sent flying through layers of fog, plowing a long, deep furrow in the sand. The dust kicked up by his landing was instantly dyed red with his blood!

"Cough, cough... PTAH!"

Han Qinhu struggled to get up, but the intense pain in his chest made him spit out another mouthful of blood, this time mixed with fragments of his internal organs.

Fear washed over him like an icy tide.

’Run! I have to run! This is a monster no human can fight!’

However, before he could even take a step, the frenzied Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile lunged again.

Its massive body moved so fast on land that it left afterimages. Its gaping maw, reeking of a nauseating stench, descended straight for Han Qinhu’s head without any finesse!

"NO—!"

Han Qinhu roared in despair, mustering all his strength to block with his Horse-cutting Saber.

"SNAP!"

The thousand-forged Horse-cutting Saber that had accompanied him through years of battle was as brittle as a dry twig under the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile’s bite force. It instantly snapped in two.

Immediately after, the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile’s jaws clamped down, sinking deep into Han Qinhu’s left shoulder and half his chest!

"AAAAAHHH!!!"

His agonizing screams echoed through the fog.

The sharp fangs pierced through his protective Qi and Blood and sank deep into flesh and bone. The Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile jerked its head, preparing to perform a death roll to tear its prey to shreds.

In that life-or-death moment, a savage, crazed light flashed in Han Qinhu’s eyes.

"Beast! Let go!"

He clenched his right hand into a fist, burned his Qi and Blood to their absolute limit, and ignored the excruciating pain of his shattering shoulder bones as he smashed his fist into the crocodile’s cruel right eye!

"SQUELCH!"

This punch, concentrating all his Qi and Blood and his will to survive, actually managed to rupture the giant crocodile’s eyeball, sending a spray of foul fluid everywhere.

"ROAR—"

The giant crocodile, struck by pain, let out an earth-shaking, agonized cry and instinctively opened its maw.

Han Qinhu seized the chance to break free. He was flung seventy to eighty feet away, drenched in blood. His left arm hung limply, completely useless.

But he had no time to worry about that. He swallowed a Blood Burst Pill and used the momentum from being thrown to forcibly twist his body in mid-air and charge madly toward the treasure ship moored at the bank.

The ship was right there! ’If I can just jump into the water, climb aboard, and use the ship’s speed, I have a chance to live!’

However, just as he was about to plunge into the water—

"SPLASH!"

The shallow water in front of him suddenly exploded. Amidst the curtain of spray, Su Yu emerged like a phantom, blocking his path.

"Su Yu?"

Han Qinhu froze for a moment, then a savage, ecstatic grin spread across his blood-soaked face.

"Hahahaha! You’re courting death!"

In his eyes, Su Yu’s appearance right now was a lifeline delivered right to his doorstep.

He was heavily injured, but he had just taken a Blood Burst Pill. In a desperate struggle, he could still unleash one hundred, or even one hundred and ten percent of his power. For Su Yu to think he could stop him was pure fantasy!

’Just one punch!’

’Just one punch to cripple this brat, and I can throw him to that frenzied Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile as food! Then I can take the chance to escape on the ship!’

"You little bastard! Perfect timing! I’ll be borrowing that pathetic life of yours!"

Han Qinhu’s face twisted as he clenched his only good hand into a fist, recklessly and madly drawing upon the Qi and Blood in his body!

"Tiger Roar Fist!"

The punch flew straight for Su Yu’s face, accompanied by a ferocious tiger’s roar.

At this moment, he was like a dying, rabid tiger, ready to devour anyone in its path!

Facing the vicious gale rushing toward him, Su Yu didn’t dodge at all.

His once-clear eyes were now replaced by a demonic, crimson glow.

"THUMP!"

A low, muffled heartbeat, like the beat of a war drum, suddenly echoed from within Su Yu’s body. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Violent Ape Blood Fury—activated!