God Slayer Vol.1
Page 21
Ryan’s performance had been keenly watched by the Ancestor Level Martial Artists. Many were still unable to regain their composures, as it was not every day you saw a Late Mortal Elite Realm Martial Artist cracking open the skull of a Late Mortal Lord Realm Golden Rat.
“He possesses the Physique of Asura Dragon! No wonder he picked a fight with a Late Mortal Lord Realm Golden Rat with his Cultivation Level. Asura Dragons are known for their bodily strength and toughness.”
“How can there be a Stable Taboo Martial Artist with an Asura Dragon Martial Spirit. This is the most remarkable thing I’ve ever come across!”
“Are Asura Dragons this powerful?”
A discussion raged on amongst the Ancestor Level Martial Artists as they discussed Ryan and Yama.
Raymond didn’t get into a discussion with them – he just had a big smile on his face. Arlo and Emerson also found the situation utterly amazing, but overall they were happy, as Ryan was Raymond’s disciple.
Ch.16
“What a terrifying sense of smell. They came to know of a dead Elemental Beast within a few seconds of its death,” Ryan said as he continued to run at high speed in the direction of the Divine Martial Sect.
“It is best for you to avoid such a big horde of Elemental Beasts. Currently you can’t fight against so many Elemental Beasts,” Earl said.
“He should have at least tried to fight them. It would have been a good experience. If something were to go wrong, then Thorn could have dealt with them,” Yama argued.
“Thorn is only a day old. How can I throw him in between those savage beasts?” Ryan countered Yama. Earl and Yama were stunned for a second on hearing Ryan’s argument.
“Ryan, Thorn is not a domestic cat. Elemental Beasts grow up in very brutal environments. Excessive pampering is harmful for Thorn’s growth,” Earl tried to reason with Ryan. Ryan understood the meaning behind Earl’s words, but he still had no intention of agreeing with him.
“I intended to let him fight other Elemental Beasts, but after he grows up a little,” Ryan said firmly.
A smile soon appeared on Ryan’s face at this moment on seeing Thorn poke his head out of his sleeve to get a view of their surroundings. He couldn’t help but gently rub his little head. Thorn was extremely elated and issued a few low roars to express his happiness which made the smile on Ryan’s face more pronounced. Earl and Yama both sighed on seeing this. It was clear that Ryan had the full intention of thoroughly pampering Thorn.
“Aooooooo!” The smile on Ryan’s face vanished as he turned his head to see the owner of this howl. It was a Wind wolf and it was chasing after him. It was about two meters in length and had a Cultivation Level of Mid Mortal Lord Realm, a Wind Attribute Elemental Beast. Wind wolves are Normal Elemental Beasts but have the bloodline of the Ancient Elemental Beast Tempest Wolf in small concentrations.
The Elemental Beasts that had come looking for him previously after he’d killed the Golden rat had also been Wind wolves. This time it was only a single Wind wolf, so Ryan would not have a lot of problems in killing it. Wind wolves are known for their speed like all Wind Attribute beings, so Ryan knew it wouldn’t take long for the Wind wolf catch up to him, so he stopped in his tracks and took a defensive posture with a smile on his face. His smile was quite provocative and the Wind wolf was angered upon seeing it, as it didn’t expect an Early Mortal Elite Realm Martial Artist to be fearless in its presence. A hideous expression appeared on the wolf’s face as it disappeared into thin air. It had used the trademark Innate Ability of its species, which allows it to meld with the air, but Ryan was least bothered about that. It might have been a reason for fear by others but not for Ryan, as he could clearly see the Wind wolf with his Asura eyes. Ryan decided to play along with the Wind wolf, so he showed a horrified expression and pretended to look for it in all directions in a frenzy. The Wind wolf felt a little satisfied after seeing this and decided to finish off Ryan as its ego was already satisfied.
It launched a deadly Bite attack at Ryan’s neck at an unbelievably fast speed. Clearly it wanted to kill with a single move, but it found that something was not right. When it saw a big grin appear on Ryan’s face, it was already too late for the Wind wolf, as it was already within Ryan’s striking range.
Death aura erupted out of Ryan’s body and covered all his body. He sent a powerful punch at the incoming wolf’s wide-open mouth. It was like a powerful explosive going off when his fist connected with the jaws of the Wind wolf.
Boom!!!
The wolf’s mouth was ripped apart from the force behind Ryan’s punch, and the wolf died instantly. Wind wolves, unlike Golden rats, lack bodily toughness, and instead use their speed and Innate Ability to meld with air to trump their opponents. So, Ryan was able to finish it off without conjuring any of his Martial Spirits. Ryan quickly placed its body into his Spatial pouch and fled the area. Ryan knew that this easy win could only be attributed to Death Sword’s camouflage ability. If not for that, the Wind wolf would not have looked down on Ryan and gone easy on him, so the easy win was all due to Death Sword.
The Ancestor Level Martial Artists could not help but compliment Ryan’s acting skills, but these compliments made Raymond’s cheeks turn slightly red with embarrassment. He just gave a wry smile in return. He had already decided to lecture Ryan after the Marathon.
Ryan used his Shadow Steps Martial Skill to increase his speed as he intended to quickly leave the area where he had killed the Wind wolf. He could sense hundreds of Wind wolves charging in his direction, when they’d sensed that one of theirs had been killed. By the time they reached the fight spot they were unable to find either their companion or its killer, nor were they able to find the smell of any other being except for their companion. The Wind wolves howled in rage, as they realized that they had no means of finding their companion’s killer.
Ryan’s heart shook with fear when he heard the angry howls of the wolves. The real reason for his fear was not Wind wolves with a Cultivation Level of Mortal Lord Realm or Mortal King Realm, but those with a Cultivation Level of Mortal Emperor Realm, which belonged to the strongest wolves amongst the pack.
“There have to be at least a hundred Wind wolves with the Cultivation Level of Mid Mortal Emperor Realm and Late Mortal Emperor Realm,” Ryan said as a felt a tingling sensation down his spine.
“You were lucky to escape in time. You are not strong enough to contend with Mid Mortal Emperor Realm and Late Mortal Emperor Realm Elemental Beasts. That situation could have been a little bit too much for you to handle,” Earl said. Yama nodded his head in agreement. This time he didn’t dare to argue with Earl.
“I’ve had similar thoughts,” Ryan said as he calmed himself down. That situation was truly dangerous. He kept on running at top speed until he was about hundred kilometers away from the spot where he had killed the Wind wolf, before reducing his pace.
As it was getting dark, he decided to find some place to rest. Activity in Desolate Forest, as in all forests, increases substantially with the setting of the sun. He also had to replenish all the Death Attribute Spirit Power he had consumed till then.
Ryan decided to spend his night in a tree, so he climbed up one and sat on one its branches. He started cultivating Death Elemental Laws to replenish his Death Attribute Spirit Power soon afterwards. Since Ryan had finished off his opponents within a few moves, his consumption of Spirit Power had not been large, so he’d been able to last that long without already needing to replenish his Spirit Power.
As Ryan was cultivating peacefully an Elemental Beast noticed him and decided on Ryan as its dinner. Ryan had already sensed the arrival of the Elemental Beast, so he ended his cultivation, and started thinking of ways to escape the Elemental Beast, as it was something that he could not handle with his current Cultivation Level.
This Elemental Beast looked like an oversized bull. It was a Barbaric bull and as big as a small hill. This one was a Normal Elemental Beast, a Death and Earth Attribute Elemental Beast wi
th a bloodline of an Ancient Elemental Beast named Devil bull in small concentrations. Devil bulls are known for their brutality and strength. Barbaric bulls are one of the strongest and most terrifying Normal Elemental Beasts. Their strength and powers are so high that Normal Martial Artists with the same Cultivation Level as them can’t defeat them, but the one that had its eyes on Ryan had a Cultivation Level of Late Mortal Emperor Realm.
It appeared under the tree on which Ryan was sitting and Ryan patiently watched its actions. He saw that the Barbaric bull, unlike Normal bulls, had razor-sharp teeth in its mouth and emitted a Savage aura – clearly this Elemental Beast was a carnivore.
The Barbaric bull rammed its head on the trunk of the tree again and again until the tree started shaking violently. Ryan held on to one of its branches tightly, but he knew that the tree wouldn’t be able to hold for long under the Barbaric bull’s powerful strikes.
Raymond, on the other hand, was quite anxious after seeing the Barbaric bull aiming for his disciple. He had already sent a Mental-message to the Elders that were keeping an eye on the newly recruited disciples to help Ryan. He could tell that Ryan would not be able to handle the Barbaric bull, but he relaxed a bit when the Elders told him that they would reach Ryan’s location within a few minutes.
Caius flew out of Ryan’s hair. He had been cultivating Poison Elemental laws all that time. The violent shaking of the tree had disturbed him and left him with no choice but to end his cultivation session. Just as Caius was about to take action against the Barbaric bull, Thorn issued a low roar as he slithered out of Ryan’s right sleeve. Thorn asked Caius to let him take care of the Barbaric bull.
Caius complied with Thorn and once again entered Ryan’s hair, but his short appearance had alarmed the Ancestor Level Martial Artists, though it was not noticed by the Barbaric bull.
“Thorn. Listen. I know that you want to fight that Barbaric bull, but you are too young to fight him. Once you grow up a little, then I will let you fight as much as you want,” Ryan said, but since Ryan’s hands were busy clutching the branch he could only use verbal argument to stop Thorn. Ryan was concerned about Thorn’s wellbeing even though he was an Immortal beast, because, in the end, he was just one day old. He lacked fighting experience. There was a high chance he’d get trampled upon, which might affect his confidence and that could have long term consequences.
Thorn used his Transformation skill to assume his actual size and Ryan’s eyes went wide with shock, as Thorn had grown considerably in size since the morning. He was currently about five meters in length and his body was one meter in thickness, but even now Thorn’s size was negligible in front of the Barbaric bull. Thorn floated in the air as he looked at the Barbaric bull down on the ground with his piercing gaze.
The Barbaric bull shivered a little upon the sudden appearance of Thorn beside Ryan, as it could tell that Thorn was a descendant of a Divine Elemental Beast from his draconic features. However, Thorn’s lack of presence scared the Barbaric bull the most. It spread its Soul-sense over and over as it tried to sense Thorn, but each attempt resulted in failure.
The Barbaric bull felt as if Thorn didn’t exist, but it was certain that the Dragon-serpent was the real deal. Its instincts were all shrieking madly at it to run as far as possible, and the Barbaric bull had never felt like that before. There was another reason for its uneasiness too – it could not gauge Thorn’s Cultivation Level, this being a secondary effect of the same Innate Ability used by Thorn to erase his presence.
Ryan was astonished upon seeing the sudden changes in Thorn’s demeanor. He could feel that Thorn was not the same as he’d been that morning. He already had the ferociousness and savageness of an Elemental Beast, even though he was only one day old.
“I told you he is not a domestic cat,” Earl said, as he understood what was on Ryan’s mind. Ryan nodded his head slightly as he looked at Thorn and the Barbaric bull having a staring match. In reality, the Barbaric bull was scared stiff after its eyes met with Thorns, because of which it didn’t even dare to move a muscle. It just stood in a defensive posture.
It was clear that Thorn was just playing with the Barbaric bull and Ryan could tell that the Barbaric bull was not an equal opponent of Thorn’s, as the Barbaric bull was scared stiff in Thorn’s presence. Ryan felt at ease after seeing this and was less worried about Thorn after that.
Thorn flew towards the Barbaric bull and in a blink of an eye appeared next to its ear and entered it. The Barbaric bull was unable to react in time to prevent that happening. The next moment, the Barbaric bull went berserk as Thorn started eating it alive from the inside. The Barbaric bull started to slam its head on the ground and on the trees to somehow dislodge Thorn from its ear, but nothing helped. The Barbaric bull could only roar in pain as it slowly started to die. Soon the Barbaric bull’s body fell lifelessly to the ground and Ryan was stunned with the brutality Thorn had just displayed.
“There is no need to be alarmed. He is a descendant of an Asura Dragon, so it is natural for him to be violent and brutal,” Yama reassured Ryan.
“He’s just showing his natural behavior. If he had not shown such behavior, then that would have been a matter of concern,” Yama said sarcastically.
Ryan understood Yama’s underlying meaning but didn’t retort as he looked at the body of the Barbaric bull that was rapidly disappearing in front of his eyes. Thorn was eating it at an outlandish speed. He ripped apart big chunks of meat and swallowed them without chewing them and didn’t even spare the bones.
Ryan noticed another thing too. The Wind wolf pack hadn’t come charging at their location this time, even though the area was thoroughly covered in the scent of the Barbaric bull’s blood. He found this odd.
“The Barbaric bull is the strongest Elemental Beast in this area. Its strength and powers are many times higher than those of the Wind wolves. Even a whole pack of Wind wolves might have a hard time taking down a single Barbaric bull,” Earl commented.
“They know that an Elemental Beast that can kill a Barbaric bull is in this area, so why would they come here to commit suicide?” Earl further explained, and Ryan could not help but nod his head, as he could see the logic in Earl’s words.
It took only a few minutes before Thorn had devoured every last trace of the Barbaric bull’s body. Thorn had a satisfied expression as he flew towards Ryan with the Barbaric bull’s Elemental Core in his mouth. He placed the Elemental Core into Ryan’s hands, then used his Transformation skill to reduce his size and then once again entered Ryan’s right sleeve and coiled himself around Ryan’s wrist.
Ryan was touched by Thorn’s caring action: Thorn knew that Ryan was in need of Elemental Cores, so he hadn’t eaten the Barbaric bull’s Elemental Core. Ryan placed the Elemental Core in his Spatial pouch and gently stroked Thorn’s head. Thorn issued low roars in happiness, as he liked it when Ryan pampered him.
Ryan once again continued his journey towards the Divine Martial Sect. It was morning by then and he was still in the competition, so he had no choice but to rush. He kept an eye out for Elemental Beasts as he still had to hunt one more. The Elemental Core of the Barbaric bull couldn’t be counted as it had been killed by Thorn. Ryan knew that all the newly recruited disciples were under watch, so the Sect would know that. It was in his best interest to hunt one more Elemental Beast.
The Elders that arrived to help Ryan and the Ancestor Level Martial Artists had shocked expressions, as Thorn’s prowess had astounded them. Many Ancestor Level Martial Artists regretted their decisions to auction Thorn, as they’d never imagined that he could become that powerful.
They hadn’t been wrong in their earlier inference, as it was acutely difficult for any Elemental Beast to increase its bloodline purity, but the Divine Martial Sect had had no intention of spending massive amounts of Cultivation resources to increase Thorn’s bloodline purity as there had been no guarantee that his bloodline purity would go up for sure. That was the main reason which had made them decide to auc
tion him off.
“This boy sure has powerful beings by his side. That Black Dragon-serpent most likely came out the Dragon-serpent egg he purchased from the auction. How can it be so strong?” Arlo queried in astonishment.
“The thing that shocks me most, tough, is the Emerald Viper Plant spirit that is following him around. I’ve never heard of a Viper’s Touch Plant spirit forming a Floral contract with a human,” Arlo said with a stunned expression.
Arlo still had very little information regarding Ryan’s Martial Spirits. His expression changed enormously when Emerson informed him about Ryan’s Emerald Viper Martial Spirit, because he knew that it was not impossible for a Martial Artist with Emerald Viper Martial Spirit to form a Floral contract with a Viper’s Touch Plant Spirit. It had happened in the past.
“The Dragon-serpent is most likely in the Mortal Sage Realm or the Mortal Saint Realm, otherwise it wouldn’t have been able to slay the Barbaric bull with such ease. That means its bloodline purity has increased to high-grade,” Emerson deduced.
“The reason is most likely due to his forming an Equal contract with Ryan. Ryan’s Asura Dragon Martial Spirit has a very high chance of increasing the bloodline purity of the Dragon-serpent, as he also possesses the bloodline of Asura Dragon,” Emerson said as he analyzed all the parts of the puzzle.
On hearing this, Arlo had an envious expression, as the number of Martial Artists able to form an Equal contract with descendants of Divine Elemental Beasts or Ancient Elemental Beasts is low.