Chapter 144: Deep-Sea Giant Octopus, Bloodbath of the Injured Avatar (II)

The Fiery Beast tore through the ocean like a black and red blade, shockwaves lifting the seawater to either side dozens of meters high.

With its agility, the Fiery Beast dashed into the strong whirlpool surrounding the octopus. The muscles in its right claws swelled as it swung toward one of the robust tentacles.

Bam!

The sturdy tentacle exploded, turning the surrounding water even darker with the mixture of blood and flesh.

Yet, during the momentary pause after shattering one tentacle, the Fiery Beast's body was struck by two more.

The octopus’s strength was such that even the Fiery Beast was sent flying, crashing more than a hundred meters away with several dozen meter high waves.

Pure impact force like this, however, was what the Fiery Beast’s exoskeletal scales were best suited to withstand. Its powerful defense could easily withstand a hundred times its weight in pressure.

The moment it hit the ocean, the Fiery Beast immediately recovered and burst out, shooting hundreds of meters away to avoid the consecutive strikes of the four massive tentacles.

The surrounding sea became even more turbulent.

Over two hundred meters away, the Fiery Beast swam around the octopus, engulfed in flames as it prepared for its second attack.

As powerful as the Fiery Beast’s agility was, there was still a process of accumulating power, preventing it from being able to unleash consecutive bursts instantaneously. Otherwise, with the vastness of the ocean, the Fiery Beast would have been able to go anywhere.

The same applied to its strength ability. Even a hundredfold burst of strength required a process of accumulation first.

Under the blazing flames, the Fiery Beast's vitality boiled even more fiercely, its blood flow accelerated, and its muscles filled with explosive power.

Boom!

The seawater exploded.

Once again, the Fiery Beast erupted with terrifying speed, resembling a black and red beam of light tearing through the heavy water vortex surrounding the octopus.

Bam!

Under the Fiery Beast's hundredfold strength, another tentacle blocking its path was shattered, and it along with a large chunk of flesh and blood crashed into the sea, sending water splashing everywhere.

Screech!

The octopus let out an angry growl, its voice resembling a buzzing steam whistle. Its four robust machete-like tentacles shattered everything in their path, with one strike managing to land on the Fiery Beast's body.

Boom!

The beast instantly contorted into a V shape as overwhelming force slammed it hundreds of meters deep into the ocean, causing cracks to rupture across a meter-wide area of the black scales on its back.

The power behind this strike was truly fearsome; when concentrated on the octopus’s tentacle tips, not even the Fiery Beast could withstand the unmatched strength.

Crack! Crack!

The shattered layer of exoskeletal scales on its back began to heal at a visible rate, emitting cracking sounds in the process.

Meanwhile, the Fiery Beast shot out hundreds of meters, evading the onslaught of massive tentacles that followed.

This opponent is too strong,

The Fiery Beast thought, a rare hint of excitement flashing in its eyes.

After such a long time in the ocean, aside from the unbeatable terrifying colossal beast, this was the first opponent that had truly made it feel pressured.

Well then, let's fight.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the Fiery Beast disregarding its injuries and rupturing another of the octopus’ tentacles with each explosive burst, the sea erupted in chaos.

The frustrated octopus, unable to grasp its elusive opponent, emanated a black aura, resembling a black demon as its remaining tentacles shattered everything within a hundred meters.

Especially its four massive machete-like tentacles, which generated towering waves as they wildly swung about, all of which the Fiery Beast deftly dodged.

As each secondary tentacle was destroyed, and even one of the machete-like ones, the mutated creature's eyes grew even bloodier, filled with endless brutality... and a hint of fear.

Octopuses were already one of the most intelligent marine creatures, and while this one had become more brutal and ferocious after its mutation, its intelligence had also increased.

It had noticed that after just a short battle, it was now left with only five tentacles. Despite being hit several times, the Fiery Beast continued to charge forward as if unaffected by the octopus’s attacks, displaying ferocious and relentless aggression.

Mere strikes weren’t enough to inflict fatal wounds on the Fiery Beast, not unless it could grab and hold onto its opponent. If the battle continued in this fashion, it would become nothing more than useless prey for the Fiery Beast to devour once all of its tentacles were completely destroyed.

The once ferocious and brutal octopus began to consider retreat.

Before it could act on that thought, however, the flame-engulfed beast once again burst forth with terrifying speed, becoming a black and red beam of light piercing through the heavy water vortex.

This time, it was aiming straight for the octopus's head.

In an instant, the octopus's two pairs of eyes turned blood red. Its remaining tentacles, akin to sea dragons, madly surged towards the Fiery Beast.

Boom!

The water exploded as the beast shattered another secondary tentacle, and then fiercely pounced on the mutated octopus's spike-covered head.

Screech!

Its sharp claws tore through the black protective energy, the tough scales, and finally the flesh, while all of the remaining tentacles bombarded the Fiery Beast's back.

The three machete-like tentacles were especially brutal; even the Fiery Beast's incredibly tough exoskeleton couldn't fully defend against them, and they shattered its outer armor into pieces.

Yet, having already gauged the limits of the opponent's attacks, the Fiery Beast pressed on relentlessly.

As long as you can't kill me, it will be you who dies today.

Roar!

It roared ferociously, its sturdy hind legs digging into the octopus's body to stand firm as its claws erupted with power, plunging into the creature's primary brain.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Under the Fiery Beast's terrifying power, the octopus’s hardened keratinous armor and tough flesh continuously cracked and tore apart, bit by bit.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Faced with the threat of death, the mutated octopus became even more frenzied. Its remaining tentacles wildly wrapped around the Fiery Beast, attempting to pull it away. The sharp teeth of the suckers ruthlessly bit into the shattered armor, intent on tearing the creature apart.

Pffft!

At that pivotal moment, a flash of darkness streaked across the scene, followed by the sudden burst of a sharp spike that punctured one of the octopus’ eyes. Just as swiftly, another eye met the same fate...

Both the Fiery Beast and the octopus spiraled into madness, entwined in a frenzied battle.

The Fiery Beast unleashed its full fury, its claws tearing through the octopus's head and nearly splitting it in two. A torrent of deep blue blood erupted into the water, staining the surrounding sea in its vivid hue.

The grip of the tentacles coiled around the Fiery Beast weakened...

About ten minutes later, tranquility gradually descended upon the turbulent sea. The dense blue blood tinted the water within a radius of hundreds of meters, a testament to the violent struggle that had unfolded.

With nine brains and three hearts obliterated, the octopus’s mutilated body bobbed upon the waves, its form swaying with the rhythm of the ocean.

Beside it, the Fiery Beast’s once fierce aura had dimmed. Its back was adorned with broken bone spurs, its black exoskeleton was fractured in numerous places, and even its tail's bone spikes were severed.

This encounter marked perhaps the most savage battle the Sword Armored Fiery Beast had faced since its evolution. Yet, in this moment, its eyes burned with a ferocity and bloodthirsty exhilaration.

The sensation of engaging in close combat with deep-sea colossal beasts had been intoxicating. Especially given the formidable nature of the octopus, boasting not only a level 7 prowess but also possessing attributes akin to those of a king-level beast, far surpassing its own level in combat prowess.

After a brief respite and the partial recovery of its injuries, the Fiery Beast delved into the depths like a diligent bee to collect each severed tentacle, recognizing them as rich sources of energy. With each of them equaling the might of a level 5 mutated beast, they weren’t a resource to be squandered.

Devouring this high-level mutated beast promised significant growth in size, and would likely yield a bounty of more than a hundred evolution points.

Truly, it was a rich harvest, if not a somewhat exhausting one.

*

The following morning, as Luo Fei laid eyes upon Chen Chu, a momentary hesitation flickered across her expression.

"What's wrong?" Chen Chu queried, his hand grazing his cheek in puzzlement. He had already washed his face. Had he missed a spot?

The girl shook her head subtly. "Nothing, it's just... You seem a tad more ferocious today compared to yesterday."

“Ferocious?”

Chen Chu paused, then swiftly concocted an explanation. "Maybe it's due to all of the battles and killings we’ve been doing recently. My killing intent could be getting more pronounced."

"Maybe." The girl nodded, though her sixth sense hinted otherwise.

Chen Chu offered a smile. "I'm heading back to school."

"The Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body?" Luo Fei's gaze shimmered with anticipation.

Even with just the low-level Dragon Elephant Art, Chen Chu was already really strong. But once he cultivates the more powerful Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body, what heights will he reach?

Suddenly, Chen Chu interjected, "By the way, Luo Fei, don't you need to transition to higher level arts?"

The girl shook her head. "I don't need to."

"...You don't need to?" Chen Chu's brow furrowed slightly.

"Because my art doesn’t require True Martial Will or any alterations to my physique. On the contrary, my true power needs to remain pure and attributeless.

"Only then can I advance to the Fourth Heavenly Realm and assimilate various transcendent firearms without conflict, which will let me meld and upgrade them seamlessly. Of course, this reliance on weapon equipment also explains my weakness in close combat ability," Luo Fei remarked calmly.

"What an intriguing path of cultivation," Chen Chu mused softly.

With that, he bid farewell to Luo Fei in the dormitory and made his way out of the military base, heading toward the nearby express train station hundreds of meters away. Soon, he was on the train back to Wujiang.