Bio-engineered Dinosaur in the immortal world-Chapter 22: Hunter or the Hunted

A low guttural rumble escape from Wei Long's prehistoric throat.

Not a warning.

Not a threat.

But a chuckle.

Low.

Raspy.

It sounded like he was brimming with amusement.

His scaled body stepped fully into the moonlight.

The cultivators lay sprawled across the ground, their limbs twitching, their bodies shivering under the invisible grip of his Bio-engineered Mortal Toxic Scales (Peak).

They could still move, but barely.

They could still think, but their minds were fogged by pain.

Their eyes met his.

And in them—

He saw horror.

Pure, undiluted horror.

They now knew.

This was no ordinary beast.

No mindless monster.

This was something far worse.

Wei Long's golden gaze flicked over them lazily, watching them struggle.

They weren't dead yet.

But they will soon.

He just needed to—

"SQUEEEEEEAL!"

A blur of black fur and rotting flesh suddenly shot toward him.

One of the demonic pigs, its body half-decayed from the combined effects of his poison and its own corrupt essence, had somehow managed to stand.

Its glowing red eyes were wild with madness.

Its body twisted unnaturally, its muscles snapping and shifting as it lunged.

A final, desperate attack.

Wei Long's lips curled.

His muscles coiled.

Then—

CHOMP!

His powerful jaws snapped down mid-air, sinking deep into the boar's skull. With its body breaking down due to the unique effect of his bio-engineered skill, the flesh of the boar became more tender.

Next thing happened—Bone shattered. Flesh ripped. Then—a sickening CRUNCH echoed through the night.

Warm, thick blood coated his tongue.

The boar's body gave a final, violent twitch—then it slumped.

Limp.

Lifeless.

Wei Long chewed lazily, his sharp teeth making quick work of the beast's skull and flesh.

Then, with one final gulp—

He swallowed.

And then—

DING!

A notification flashed.

You have absorbed the genes of a perfect target.

Creating a new Bio-engineered Ability...

Wei Long froze.

His golden eyes blinked.

He's been waiting for this since forever. Now it's happening? Unreal.

Then—

DING!

New Ability Created: Bio-engineered Mortal Thick Skin (Peak).

Wei Long stared.

His jaw hung slightly open.

Then—

He snapped his mouth shut.

"What? No, wait—what?!"

His tail flicked.

His head shook.

His thoughts spiraled.

He had expected poison resistance.

Or maybe something demonic.

But this?

Thick Skin?

Wei Long suddenly let out a sharp laugh.

His whole scaled body trembled slightly from the force of it.

"Ha! HA! My skin's already thick! Now it's even thicker?! What am I? A walking fortress?"

His tail slammed against the ground, sending a small cloud of dirt flying.

His excitement grew.

He had eaten plenty of beasts before.

Some gave him abilities.

Some didn't.

But to think—

To think that these Demonic Dao creatures had genes so strong that they immediately created a Peak-Level ability?!

His eyes gleamed.

A dangerous idea crept into his mind.

What if...

What if he ate another one?

His gaze snapped toward the other pigs.

Their bodies twitched, poisoned but still filled with corrupt power.

His claws flexed.

His hunger spiked.

"Heh."

Without hesitation, he lunged.

His teeth sank into another pig's rotting skull.

Another CRACK.

Another GULP.

Blood coated his throat, thick and heavy, but—

DING!

Wei Long paused mid-step.

Another notification?

You have devoured a Demonic Dao beast of the same level and ability.

New Ability Created: Bio-engineered Awakened Thick Skin (Peak).

Wei Long froze.

His brain stalled.

Then—

He blinked.

"...Wait."

His tail twitched.

His pupils shrunk slightly.

His thoughts raced.

"Awakened?"

He read the message again.

And again.

And again.

He had only reached Level 11 Mortal Beast.

He wasn't anywhere near the Awakened Realm.

But this ability—His claws dug into the dirt.

A slow, creeping realization spread through him.

"Does this mean... if I keep eating Demonic Dao creatures... can my abilities evolve past my current realm?"

His heart pounded.

A sharp thrill rushed through his blood.

His scales tingled.

His claws curled.

This... this—

This changed everything.

"I—ha! I'm a damn genius!"

His tail slapped the ground with excitement.

His mind spun with possibilities.

If his Thick Skin evolved, what about his Healing?

What about his Speed?

What about every other ability he had?!

His jaw clenched.

His eyes burned with new hunger.

Wei Long needed more.

More Demonic Dao beasts.

More power.

More evolution.

He nodded firmly.

His decision was made.

From now on—

His hunt would change.

He would no longer just hunt to survive.

He would hunt to evolve.

But then—

A sudden force slammed into his side.

BANG!

Pain exploded through his ribs.

His vision blurred.

His ears rang.

His body was sent flying, crashing through the underbrush.

Darkness swallowed his sight.

His mind spun.

His body ached.

Then—

Everything went black.

The darkness lasted only a second.

Wei Long's vision snapped back into focus.

The forest was still there.

The bodies of the demonic cultivators were still there.

But—

Something was wrong.

One of them stood.

His flesh writhed, dark energy oozing from his body.

His robes were torn, his skin warping, merging into something—

Something bestial.

Wei Long's golden eyes widened.

This wasn't normal.

The cultivator's arms thickened.

His skin twisted, turning into coarse, black fur.

His fingernails sharpened, stretching into clawed hooves.

His once-human face distorted, his mouth stretching into a boar-like snout, his tusks lengthening, his eyes glowing red with madness.

"A fusion?" Wei Long muttered.

A Temporal Cultivation Form.

A technique where a cultivator fuses with a beast to gain its strengths—

At the cost of their own humanity.

Wei Long gritted his teeth.

They weren't dead.

They had been playing possum.

Suddenly, the remaining four rose to their feet.

Dark energy crackled around them.

Their bodies pulsed with twisted power.

The poison he had inflicted on them was gone.

"Tch."

Wei Long's tail flicked.

He had underestimated them.

The cultivators turned to each other, speaking in voices laced with mockery.

"Even with intelligence, a beast is still a beast." One sneered.

"It thought it was clever, hiding in the shadows, poisoning us, attacking from the dark. But in the end—"

"It used nothing but its instincts. How pathetic." Another chuckled.

"A mere animal trying to challenge cultivators? Ridiculous."

Wei Long's claws dug into the dirt.

His jaw clenched.

These weaklings were laughing at him?

But then—

"Enough."

A deeper voice cut through the conversation.

The leader.

His crimson eyes flickered toward Wei Long, studying him carefully.

Then, his gaze shifted toward the mangled corpses of the demonic boars.

"Hmph. If not for the sacrifice of the Blood Boar Sect's sacred beast..."

His voice held a strange reverence.

"We wouldn't have been able to neutralize the poison in time."

Another cultivator nodded.

"Indeed. We must offer our thanks. Without the boar's essence, we would have died."

"The Blood Boar Sect is truly profound, even a single beast they provide us is enough to turn the tides."

Wei Long's eyes narrowed.

They had used the boar's sacrifice to buy time and cure themselves?

And now, they were—

"Enough chatter."

The leader took a step forward.

His aura flared.

Dark tendrils of Demonic Qi coiled around him like living shadows.

One by one, the other four assumed their stances.

Their hands moved into intricate seals, their bodies exuding violent energy.

The air trembled.

A sickly, oppressive pressure filled the forest.

Wei Long felt it instantly.

They were preparing to fight.

No—

They were preparing to kill him.

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.

His muscles tensed.

His instincts screamed.

He was fast.

He was strong.

But five against one?

This wasn't going to be easy.

The leader smirked.

Then, he lifted a hand.

"Do not kill it."

The cultivators froze.

Wei Long's eyes narrowed.

What?

The leader's smirk widened.

His red eyes gleamed with something sinister.

"This beast... is no ordinary creature."

His voice was slow.

Cold.

Calculated.

"I want it."

His lips curled into a cruel smile.

"I will tame it."

Wei Long stilled.

His pupils shrank.

His claws flexed.

His fangs paused.

Tame?

Him?