Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

Chapter 214 The Escape Team

Ian stopped, turned around, and leaned against the cold stone wall, his iron sword held horizontally in front of him.

His chest rose and fell slightly, each breath carrying the stench of blood.

The outburst just now aggravated the internal injuries that had not yet fully healed.

"A mere awakened brat..." The tall man, carrying a machete, approached step by step.

"He still smells of starlight on him... Which family's escapee is he?"

He licked his lips, a greedy glint in his dark red eyes.

"Eating you...maybe it will give me a few more days to live..."

"Boss, be careful," the shorter guy warned from the side. "That kid ran really fast just now, he might be pretty good."

"Skill?" the tall man scoffed. "No matter how skilled you are, you're still only at the Awakening stage."

He walked three steps away from Ian and stopped.

The machete dragged on the ground, making a screeching sound.

"Kid, hand over your valuables, and I'll let you die a quick death."

Ian didn't speak, he just stared at him.

His eyes were calm, even a little cold.

The tall man felt uncomfortable being looked at like that.

That wasn't the look a boy should have when he's been driven to the brink; it was more like... looking at a dead person.

"Pretending to be something you're not..."

He spat, said no more, picked up his machete, and chopped down on his head!

The knife was swift, carrying a stench.

The blade was wreathed in dark red, foul energy, and wherever it passed, the air hissed and corroded.

Ian's pupils contracted slightly; the energy fluctuations emanating from this Fallen One were very similar to the aura of the Abyss.

Don't try to take it head-on!

He pushed off the wall with his right foot and slid to the left.

The blade grazed his shoulder as it fell to the ground, sending shards of stone flying.

At the same time, the Fallen Ones on the left and right sides also moved.

The short man lunged from the left, his dagger aimed straight at Ian's ribs.

The one on the right wielded a short spear, sweeping it across Ian's knee.

Their perfect teamwork sealed off all dodge angles.

Ian gritted his teeth, slammed his left hand against the wall, and used the momentum to spring upwards!

【Star Steps】!

He took two quick steps on the wall and leaped up more than a meter like a gecko.

The short man's dagger missed its mark.

The short spear on the right swept past his calf, only tearing his trouser leg.

With nothing to hold onto in mid-air, Ian began to fall.

The tall man grinned maliciously, raising his machete again, waiting for the moment it would fall.

It's now!

A golden light flashed in Ian's eyes, and he frantically poured his mental energy into the iron sword in his right hand.

The sword gleamed with a very faint silver light.

It's not a slash, it's... a pull!

The tip of the sword traced a tiny arc in the void.

The faint starlight in the surrounding air was disturbed and began to shift slightly.

The tall man suddenly felt the machete in his hand become heavier.

It didn't actually get heavier; it was just that the trajectory of the blade's cut... was slightly pulled off course by some invisible force, deviating by an inch.

Just this one inch.

Ian landed in a position that just avoided the blade's most lethal area.

He stepped on the back of the machete with his right foot, used the force to push off, and sprang up again, falling into the tall man's arms!

The distance between the two instantly closed to half a meter.

The tall man's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively wanted to back away.

But Ian's sword had already been thrust out.

The sword tip was not aimed at the heart, nor at the throat.

It's the area right in the center of the chest, the region where the energy fluctuations are most chaotic and impure.

Under the [Starlight Perception], it looked like a constantly writhing dark red abscess.

laugh!

The sword tip pierced through.

The sensation wasn't like piercing flesh; it was more like puncturing a sac filled with viscous liquid.

Dark red, foul-smelling blood gushed out, splattering all over Ian's face.

It smelled fishy, was scalding hot, and had a strong corrosive effect.

A burning, stinging pain instantly shot through my face.

But Ian didn't let go. With a twist of his wrist, the sword swirled halfway through the other's chest cavity.

"Ugh...!"

The tall man let out a piercing scream, the cleaver slipped from his hand, and he gripped the blade tightly with both hands, trying to pull it out.

But Ian's sword had already pierced the "pustule".

The foul energy leaked out wildly, and the tall man's body deflated rapidly like a punctured sack.

The black blood vessels under the skin broke off one by one, and the dark red eyes gradually dimmed.

Finally, he collapsed to his knees and fell silent.

Basic swordsmanship proficiency +1.2%

[Star Step Proficiency +0.8%]

[Starshine Perception Proficiency +0.5%]

The panel prompts flashed repeatedly.

But Ian didn't have time to look closely.

The other two Fallen Ones roared and pounced on him!

"Boss!!"

"Kill him!!"

The short man thrust his dagger straight into Ian's back.

The short spear on the right was aimed at his neck.

Ian had just drawn his sword when his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, so he didn't have time to turn around and block.

Life or death hangs in the balance.

He gritted his teeth and slammed his left hand into his chest.

The Core of a Fallen Star!

hum!

The pendant vibrated again, and a cool, silvery energy surged into the body.

But this time, Ian didn't use it to repair his injuries.

He guided this energy and poured it all into the iron sword in his right hand!

The sword shone with a brilliant silver light!

It's not a faint glow, it's a real, visible silver halo!

At the same time, [Starlight Perception] was operating at full capacity.

The faint starlight in the surrounding air seemed to be summoned and converged wildly, forming a weak force field with a diameter of half a meter around the sword.

The short man's dagger pierced the force field, causing his speed to drop sharply.

Like being stuck in a quagmire.

The same was true for the short spear on the right; the tip was only three inches from Ian's neck, but it could not penetrate any further.

"What is this?!"

The short man screamed in terror.

Ian did not answer.

Taking advantage of the brief delay in the force field, he suddenly spun around!

The iron sword sweeps across!

A silver light traced a semicircle.

laugh!laugh!

Two soft sounds.

Urgent! Major plot twist! Watch now!

The short man's neck was cut open.

The fallen one on the right had a deep, bone-revealing wound slashed open in his chest.

The two froze, looking down at their wounds, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Then, she collapsed softly to the ground.

Blood gushed from the wound, quickly soaking the ground.

Ian, leaning on his sword, knelt on one knee, panting heavily.

The areas on my face corroded by the filthy blood burned with pain, and the wound on my chest reopened, with blood dripping down my clothes.

That last blow almost drained him of all his strength.

He doesn't even have the strength to stand up now.

Basic swordsmanship proficiency +2.1%

[Star Step Proficiency +1.5%]

[Starshine Perception Proficiency +1.2%]

[Realm: Late Awakening (71%) → Late Awakening (74%)]

The panel data is fluctuating.

But Ian had no time to be happy.

The stench of blood here is too strong; it will soon attract even more monsters.

He gritted his teeth, leaned on his sword to stand up, and staggered away from the alley.

After walking a long way, I finally found a half-collapsed woodshed, crawled inside, and slumped down in the corner.

He took out the last bit of herbal powder from his pocket and applied it to the corroded areas on his face.

The stinging sensation subsided slightly.

He checked the wound on his chest again. Fortunately, it had only opened up a little and there was no major bleeding.

After resting for about half an hour, I regained some of my strength.

It was nearly noon when Ian got up and continued westward after leaving the city.

He must find supplies, or... find some people, before nightfall.

Staying alone in the wilderness is still too dangerous.

The gray clouds hung low, and the distant horizon glowed with a dark red light, like congealed blood.

Ian walked along a path that was almost completely overgrown with weeds.

Occasionally, you can see scattered traces of blood and footprints on the road, but they are quickly covered by sand blown by the wind.

After walking for about twenty miles, a rocky slope appeared ahead.

The slope was very steep, with jagged rocks and dry thorns growing in the crevices.

Just as Ian was about to go around, he suddenly heard faint voices coming from the top of the hill.

He immediately crouched down and, using the rocks as cover, quietly approached.

There was a relatively flat open space at the bottom of the slope, where about a hundred people were gathered.

Most of them were ordinary people, dressed in tattered coarse cloth clothes, their faces full of fatigue and fear.

Judging from their appearance, they are probably civilians who got separated last night and are now starting to gather.

A dozen or so guards, dressed in leather armor and carrying weapons, stood guard on the perimeter of the crowd, looking around warily.

In the center of the crowd stood several people.

A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue robe, tall, with a scar on his face and sharp eyes.

He was accompanied by two guards, each holding a long sword.

Not far ahead of them was a dark cave.

"Go check over there in that cave to see if there's any water."

The scarred man pointed to a teenager in the crowd, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old, not very tall, with a thin face and a dirty appearance, but his eyes were very bright.

His aura was only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person, and judging from his age, he had just begun his cultivation.

He was wearing ill-fitting old clothes, with worn-out cuffs and trouser legs, and he was barefoot with blisters and wounds all over his feet.

"Chief, that cave... we just checked it, it's dry inside," the boy whispered.

"Just go when I tell you to!" The scarred man's face darkened.

"What, does my word not carry any weight in this group?"

The boy bit his lip, stopped arguing, and walked toward the cave with his head down.

Several guards nearby let out low snickers.

"This kid is pretty stubborn."

"If he weren't still somewhat useful, he would have..."

"Keep your voice down, Boss Chen is listening."

As the group was chatting and laughing, a scream suddenly came from the direction of the cave.

"what!"

It was the boy's voice.

Immediately afterwards, rustling sounds and a sharp hissing sound came from inside the cave.

"Monster!!"

The crowd immediately stirred.

The scarred man's expression changed, and he shouted sharply, "Everyone, stand back! Guards, follow me!"

He charged toward the cave with his knife and two guards.

But it was too late.

At the cave entrance, the boy scrambled out.

Three fist-sized, jet-black beetles with sharp mouthparts were chasing after him.

"Carrion beetle!!"

Someone screamed in terror.

The scarred man swung his knife at a beetle, the blade striking its carapace.

It made a crisp "clang" sound, leaving only a white mark.

The beetle was cleaved away, rolled a few times on the ground, got up again, and hissed as it lunged at Li Yao once more.

"Help!" the boy shouted as he ran, but he stumbled and fell to the ground.

A beetle pounced on his leg, its sharp mouthparts piercing his skin and burrowing inside.

He was in so much pain that his face turned pale, and he tried desperately to swat it off with his hands, but the beetle held on tightly and he couldn't shake it off at all.

Several other beetles also gathered around.

It looked like it was about to drown him.

Just then, a figure rushed down from the rocky slope.

It was extremely fast, like a gray lightning bolt.

The figure landed and waved his right hand.

laugh!

A flash of silver light.

The beetle that had bitten the boy's leg was cleaved in two by a single sword strike.

Dark green bodily fluids splattered all over the ground.

The other beetles simultaneously turned and hissed as they pounced on the new enemy.

Ian’s eyes were cold as he swung his iron sword again.

The sword gleamed with silver light, drawing several delicate arcs in the air.