The light rain on the cemetery mountain stopped.
"Crack!"
It wasn't thunder, but the sound of Feng Tianzhu's heart being pierced by a shot.
Bang!
The elemental energy he released exploded, pushing Xu Mu to the side of the altar.
Xu Mu’s lips bled. He forcibly suppressed the sweetness in his throat and immediately raised his sniper rifle again, aiming at the man's chest.
Through the scope, he could see the black mist of the altar gathering on his chest, attempting to mend flesh and blood.
But the wound on the heart and the wound on the chest were different. The altar could only heal, not resurrect the dead.
Feng Tianzhu was, in a sense, already a dead man.
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"
Several more shots in rapid succession. In a few seconds, Xu Mu calmly emptied the magazine and then pulled a spare from his waist to reload.
The heavy, powerful recoil even shattered the night vision goggles on his right eye.
Snap!
After an unknown amount of time, it seemed the gun barrel was glowing red. Xu Mu casually threw the AWM to the ground, picked up his hunting knife, and strode down the altar.
Feng Tianzhu was still not dead from the previous barrage of shots; the altar had just kept him barely alive.
So Xu Mu prepared to go and chop off his head.
But at this moment, an accident occurred.
...
The dark elemental energy couldn't bring Feng Tianzhu back to life, but it could slow his death.
Feng Tianzhu could feel the pain in his chest. The subsequent barrage of bullets had torn through various parts of his body, but he still wasn't completely dead.
So, as he fell to the ground, he unhesitatingly picked up the alchemy potion at his feet.
This was taught to him by Vilitan before he left, claiming that drinking it could enhance his abilities several times over, or even more.
This thing had fallen on the ground the first time Xu Mu shot him.
Now, on the verge of death, those abilities were useless, but he had to try.
...
"Gulp."
Feng Tianzhu drank the potion, and the dark green liquid poured into his stomach.
Then, the wolf's head totem on his neck began to emit an eerie glow. He then felt time slow down.
His stomach split open, and a third hand grew out from it.
In a daze, Feng Tianzhu perceived this change and was inexplicably terrified, then he laughed self-mockingly.
He now realized this was not a potion to enhance abilities.
It was a poison that activated the energy within the totem, turning him into a ghoul.
Under the moonlight, behind the flashing cold blade were Xu Mu's ordinary yet resolute eyes.
Feng Tianzhu's body continued to mutate. His eyeballs "popped" out of their sockets, his body rapidly swelled, and brown fur grew on his body... In just a few seconds, he had completely transformed into a ghoul!
But Feng Tianzhu did not resist this process. He kept staring at Xu Mu, filled with malice.
If it weren't for Xu Mu, he would have completed his mission tonight and returned for revenge!
"Just a little more, just a little more..." Feng Tianzhu's face was contorted in pain, then he suddenly erupted with a powerful aura.
"Roar!"
With a furious roar, the man completely transformed into a ghoul. He had a terrifying appearance, disheveled hair, and his limbs had evolved into claws as sharp as steel.
At this moment, Xu Mu arrived and swung his knife. Feng Tianzhu roared and charged forward.
"Clang!" With a loud noise, the claws left deep dents on the hunting knife.
Xu Mu retreated several steps, his eyes narrowing. Feeling the tearing sensation in his tiger's mouth, he felt a surge of annoyance.
A variable had appeared again.
"This is unscientific."
Xu Mu frowned. He had shot Feng Tianzhu through the heart, yet the opponent still had a chance to turn the tables and even become such a powerful ghoul?
"Talking about science in this world is inherently unscientific,"
Charles said leisurely.
"If you're not going to help, don't hinder," Xu Mu took a deep breath. From the previous blow, he had already estimated the opponent's current strength. Direct assault might be difficult.
And Feng Tianzhu was charging forward again!
Roar!
Feng Tianzhu roared and pressed towards Xu Mu again.
He had no consciousness now. He only wanted to kill Xu Mu, the hunter who stood in the way of his revenge plan.
"Clang clang clang!" With several loud noises, the hunting knife and the sharp claws collided repeatedly. Xu Mu swung his knife, then retreated, his face turning red with exertion.
He had exerted all his strength, but he had no room to retaliate. Feng Tianzhu's strength had reached a level he couldn't comprehend!
Thump!
Once again repelled, Xu Mu gritted his teeth and retreated several steps. He then drew his pistol and fired wildly at Feng Tianzhu, who was charging again.
"Bang bang bang bang!"
After several gunshots, Feng Tianzhu's head, heart, and abdomen all bore significant bloody wounds. In a life-or-death situation, his marksmanship had improved again, hitting all vital spots.
Feng Tianzhu cried out in pain. He clutched his eyes with both hands, temporarily halting his assault. Then, he clenched his fists again and charged forward.
This time, his speed was faster, and his attack was more ferocious!
"Charles, someone is cheating, help me quickly!"
Xu Mu, seeing a fist the size of a carriage about to smash down, quickly rolled to the side.
"Thump!"
The fist hit the ground, creating a huge pit around the altar. Xu Mu rolled several times before narrowly escaping. He stood by the altar, feeling as if he had narrowly escaped death.
He had almost been turned into meat paste!
Xu Mu gasped for air, his face flushed from the intense pressure.
Feng Tianzhu was now a complete pervert, and although he had reached the Awakening realm, he hadn't even awakened his abilities.
And with such a large physique, he was not in the same weight class. How could he possibly fight?
"Don't you have grenades? Bomb him," Charles was called out by Xu Mu. Then, with great interest, he flew to Feng Tianzhu's head, observing the giant monster without any apparent concern for Xu Mu.
For a ghoul of this level, if White-Eyed Xu Mu were here, he might not even need a second blow.
"Right!" Xu Mu's eyes lit up. He quickly took out the grenades from his pocket, pulled the pin, and threw them at the pursuing monster.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the grenade detonated fiercely. Feng Tianzhu's body met the grenade head-on. He roared and pressed the grenade beneath him, then half of his body was blown away by the gunpowder, spewing countless dark green blood, utterly disgusting.
"It worked!" Xu Mu looked at the large chunks of flesh falling to the ground, his expression filled with joy. He immediately took out a second grenade, intending to strike while the iron was hot and blow Feng Tianzhu to death!
"It didn't work. Look again," Charles said expressionlessly, stopping Xu Mu's action.
Xu Mu paused upon hearing this.
He saw Feng Tianzhu still howling in pain, severely wounded, but the dark energy on the altar swirled around him. The severed wolf's head engraved on his neck let out a piercing and distant wolf howl.
Instantly, Feng Tianzhu's body seemed to be injected with some energy, and his wounds healed at a visible speed. In a short while, he returned to his original state.
The recovery was even faster, and he couldn't be killed by grenades either!
"Damn it, I don't believe it."
Xu Mu felt frustrated, his heart burning with anger. For so many years, he had always been the one to overpower others. Even tigers were torn apart by his bare hands. How could Feng Tianzhu, a dead man, be like this!
"Come on!" Xu Mu gathered all his strength, leaped up, his right arm muscles bulging, and punched down, directly colliding with Feng Tianzhu's monstrous fist.
"Boom!"
A deafening collision echoed across the altar. The large and small fists met squarely, and the terrifying sonic waves spread out, vibrating Xu Mu's eardrums.
Time seemed to stand still. Under Xu Mu's full-force punch, a terrifying force slammed into Feng Tianzhu's fist. His shoulder instantly protruded a dozen centimeters of white bone from the immense force.
But it was ultimately useless. He was a ghoul and felt no pain. And while Feng Tianzhu lost an arm, Xu Mu wasn't faring any better.
He spat out blood and was directly repelled by the immense force to below the altar.
Xu Mu felt as if his entire arm could no longer be lifted. He couldn't even clench his fist. In that instant, it felt like he had punched a mountain.
Although it could be considered a draw, Feng Tianzhu recovered considerably in a blink of an eye and turned his head to stare at Xu Mu again.
Feng Tianzhu had completely lost his sanity and devolved into a monster. Therefore, he had no concept of pain.
His shoulder had bone protruding, but he didn't care!
The wolf's head and evil energy continuously healed his injuries. The alchemy potion's effects were fully unleashed. Feng Tianzhu, without any hesitation, charged at Xu Mu again!
Xu Mu's facial muscles twitched, and he swallowed the blood that was about to come up from his chest.
From the previous punch, he now knew how to proceed.
—In any case, direct confrontation was not the answer.
Xu Mu carefully observed the charging Feng Tianzhu, his eyes narrowing.
"Although this guy is huge and has strong regenerative abilities, that exposed bone proves that his physical body is still ordinary. He just doesn't feel pain."
"So, as long as I seize an opportunity to finish him off and prevent him from recovering, I can win."
Xu Mu took a deep breath. He had hunted so many times, killed so many ghouls. He refused to believe there was anything he couldn't defeat in close combat.
"Since he's so strong, I'll use Tai Chi."
Xu Mu took a deep breath. Just like the Taoist scriptures, Charles had taught him many martial arts, including Tai Chi.
It was just that because he himself possessed immense strength, and Tai Chi emphasized using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds and overcoming the rigid with the soft, he rarely used it. But that didn't mean he didn't know how.
On the contrary, he was very proficient.
After all, he practiced Tai Chi every morning.
Crack!
Xu Mu's five fingers tightened in succession, and his joints made loud cracking sounds. Then, he stomped his left leg forward fiercely, the immense force indenting the ground of the altar.
He raised his arms, his right palm facing downwards, his left hand mirroring it. His center of gravity shifted downwards, assuming a strange posture.
This was the Tai Chi stance.
Xu Mu closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling slightly.
Breathing in and out, he moved with natural grace.
...