Chapter 289 - Escaping from an Ambush

Han Wu soon gathered all body part left behind by the demons he had slain. His haul included eight Tough Teeth, one Stone Heart, and one Stone Marrow. The Tough Teeth were of poor quality and very weak, yet he kept them, intending to test whether merging a larger number of them could yield something stronger.

The Stone Marrow had come from the Stone Demon and could enhance the durability of stones. Unfortunately, its compatibility with Han Wu registered at a meager 3%, so he would use it to nurture his units instead.

He carefully stored the body parts and checked his latest harvest of Demonic Origin. The total exceeded 100,000, with the Wind Demon alone contributing a full 100,000.

“I have to kill more Superior demons if I want to increase my rewards,” he muttered.

This windfall was more than enough to push his Cockroach Cells to Stage 3. He directed the Demonic Origin into his body, and the cells evolved without issue. The moment the upgrade completed, three new enhancement options appeared before him:

[Option 1: Rapid Regeneration – Doubles recovery rate. Active only with sufficient energy. Recovery rate continues to rise with each stage.]

[Option 2: Ailment Resistance – Boosts resistance to all ailments. Resistance grows stronger with each stage.]

[Option 3: Vigorous Cells – Increases vigor, recovery, mobility, and other physical attributes by 50%. Active only with sufficient energy. Enhancement improves with each stage.]

Han Wu had to pick one of three upgrades for his Cockroach Cells. He weighed the options and settled on the third. It not only boosted his recovery rate but also enhanced his vigor and other physical attributes. With it, he could defend, attack, and survive all at once. He loved the new upgrade.

Enhancing his cells to Stage 3 left him with 40,000 Demonic Origin, far short of what he needed for Stage 4. Determined to get the best return from every enhancement, he poured the remainder into his Epistian Brain and enhanced it to Stage 2.

The upgrade sharpened his thinking and heightened his senses. He was now capable of sensing more minute changes in his surroundings. That was when he caught a sudden disturbance behind him, moving at incredible speed. He jerked aside in panic, but the strike still grazed his arm. At first it felt like a light scrape, yet the cut ran deep enough to expose bone.

Han Wu endured the pain and spun around to face his attacker. A monster with scarlet skin and a green tail stood before him. Its eyes, sharp with intelligence and wide with shock, told him all he needed to know—this was one of the Demon Lords competing in the Demon King Festival.

Xun exhaled in mild frustration. “You actually dodged my attack? What misfortune.”

Han Wu understood the Demon Lord’s words but kept silent. His command of their language was poor, and now was not the time for talk. Instead, he summoned his weapons and readied himself for the fight.

Xun’s gaze lingered on Han Wu’s powerful weapons with open greed. If he could defeat this opponent, every one of those weapons would be his. The thought sent a thrill through him, and he lunged forward.

Han Wu swung his weapons and met the attack head-on. He refused to believe anyone could best him in melee combat at this moment.

The two were about to clash when Xun suddenly vanished. Han Wu’s eyes widened at the sudden disappearance. He hesitated for barely half a second before his Epistian Brain warned him of danger approaching from behind. He tried to defend himself with his Dragon Claws but felt a sharp pain pierce his abdomen.

Xun had used his newly grafted Arrow Tail to stab Han Wu. Although Han Wu’s body was shielded by Dragon Scales, they were only at Stage 1, while the Arrow Tail had reached Stage 6. The scales failed to deflect the attack.

Xun pressed the Arrow Tail deeper, aiming to inflict more damage, but Han Wu seized the tail and yanked it out despite the pain. He attempted to crush it but was shocked to find the tail incredibly malleable, resisting all his strength. In that brief moment of surprise, Xun retracted the tail with blinding speed.

Han Wu clenched his wounds and spoke in his rudimentary Demonese. “You... Can... Blnk...”

Xun ignored his awkward pronunciation and gloated, “Correct, but there’s no prize. Now I will slowly torture you to death.”

Xun vanished again, and Han Wu immediately raised his guard. His Epistian Brain scanned the surroundings while his Cockroach Cells regenerated at an alarming pace. The brain finally detected Xun’s location, but Han Wu could not react in time before the tail pierced his shoulder once more.

Xun eyed the scabbing wound on Han Wu’s shoulder with pride. “Hmm... Your regeneration is fast, but my attack is stronger.”

Han Wu realized he was outmatched after suffering two consecutive injuries. He couldn’t react quickly enough to defend himself. Fortunately, his powerful body and fifteen enhanceable parts made it difficult for Xun to finish him off.

There was only one option: escape. Han Wu resolved to flee and enhance all his body parts before seeking revenge. Continuing the fight now meant certain death against this Demon Lord.

With that decision, he spread his wings the moment Xun vanished and shot upward like an arrow.

Xun somehow anticipated the move and appeared just above him. He lashed out with his powerful legs and landed a mighty kick aimed at crushing Han Wu’s head.

Instead of crushing it, Xun’s legs recoiled in pain upon striking Han Wu’s skull. He could never have guessed that Han Wu had chosen the Crystal Lich’s skull to protect his head. Its hardness surpassed anything Xun had ever faced.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Han Wu seized the moment and soared higher to escape Xun.

Xun landed hard and glared up at Han Wu’s shrinking figure against the sky. “Such misfortune! I have never faced such misfortune before!”

With no ability to fly, he could not pursue Han Wu. All he could do was stomp the ground angrily, powerless as his prey vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, Han Wu flew far away to recover from his injuries. The effort drained much of his energy, and hunger soon gnawed at him. He had to land in search of food. There were no plants in this forsaken training ground—only demons tearing each other apart.

If Han Wu still carried his original Demigod stomach, eating demons here would have been difficult. Fortunately, he had grafted the Dark Locust Stomach, capable of digesting nearly anything that resembled food. It could likely even handle inorganic matter, though only Han Wu could decide if he dared put such things in his mouth.

He scanned the area and finally spotted a pack of Hellhounds. He killed them all and stacked their corpses into a small mound. Eating them raw would quickly restore his energy, but he preferred to cook them first.

Han Wu found a small cave and skinned the Hellhounds before roasting the meat over a fire. He waited patiently until the flesh was cooked, then devoured it hungrily. The meat was old and tough, with a sharp, acidic aftertaste. Still, it was the best fare available in this harsh environment. Complaints were not an option.

As he munched the roasted Hellhounds, Han Wu realized something remarkable. He had assumed enhancing his body parts required spending Demonic Origin. Yet his Dark Locust Stomach improved simply by eating.

After consuming ten Hellhounds, his stomach’s enhancement rose by 0.01%. Unsure how much Demonic Origin this equaled, he spent some to boost the stomach by another 0.01% and confirmed it cost 10 Demonic Origin.

A quick calculation revealed that each Hellhound he ate granted one additional unit of Demonic Origin. This made sense, since Hellhounds were Inferior demons.

What if he feasted on Superior demons or even Demon Lords? A brazen idea flashed in his mind.