Chapter 41 opens with the story focusing on the protagonist, Kim.
At this point, he was fully prepared to confront the Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts head-on.
At the Entrance of the Bamboo Forest, nearly thousands of Spiritual Beasts still remained.
But this time...
There was no fear in Kim's heart.
He knew that if he could eliminate every one of these Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts, both his strength and combat experience would increase dramatically.
With that thought in mind, he attacked the nearest Emerald Fang Squirrel Beast without the slightest hesitation.
However, the beast swiftly evaded his strike with astonishing agility.
In the very next instant, it launched a fierce counterattack.
Kim reacted just in time, narrowly dodging the incoming assault.
Suddenly, numerous Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts from the surrounding area charged at him simultaneously.
Focusing with all his might, Kim began evading their relentless attacks one after another.
Then, without warning...
Every one of the Spiritual Beasts suddenly retreated.
In the next moment, they charged forward again at full speed, launching a perfectly coordinated assault as if they intended to leave Kim with no opportunity to recover.
Once again, Kim managed to avoid most of their attacks.
However, one Emerald Fang Squirrel Beast succeeded in grazing his arm with its razor-sharp claws.
A shallow wound appeared, and a few drops of blood fell to the ground.
The instant the Spiritual Beasts caught the scent of blood, their eyes turned even more ferocious.
Their attacks became far more savage and relentless than before.
Without stopping for even a moment, Kim continued dodging every incoming strike with incredible precision.
At the same time, he began using his Inner Courtyard's Space Spike technique.
Whenever an opportunity presented itself, he silently transported the Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts into his Inner Courtyard, one after another.
As the Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts noticed the number of their companions steadily decreasing, they were once again consumed by fury and launched another all-out assault on Kim.
Kim, however, continued fighting without pause.
At times, he used his Inner Courtyard's Space Spike technique to evade their relentless attacks.
At other times, he struck continuously with his sword, forcing the Spiritual Beasts back by inflicting one wound after another.
Little by little, the tide of battle began to shift in Kim's favor.
The number of Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts on the battlefield steadily dwindled.
In the end, the few beasts that remained alive no longer dared to continue fighting him.
Choosing survival over battle, they retreated from the battlefield.
Kim made no attempt to pursue them.
After fighting continuously for so long, he was also utterly exhausted, and most of his energy had already been depleted.
He immediately spent Affinity Points through his System to rapidly restore his energy.
Once his strength had fully recovered, Kim chose one of the fifteen paths leading away from the Entrance of the Bamboo Forest and left the Outer Layer, advancing toward the Second Layer of the Bamboo Forest.
The story then follows Kim's journey.
As the last cultivator to enter the Second Layer through that particular path, his eyes were immediately drawn to numerous corpses scattered across the ground.
The gruesome sight instantly put him on guard.
"Who could have killed all of these people?" he wondered.
With that thought, Kim carefully began examining the bodies.
Some had been beheaded with a single clean strike.
Others had their chests split open by a sword.
Some had even lost entire limbs.
Every corpse bore only one unmistakable sign—
The clean and deadly marks of sword attacks.
As Kim continued forward, he carefully examined every corpse that lay scattered across the ground.
He discovered that one disciple had been struck by such a devastating Palm Technique that nearly every bone in his chest had been shattered.
Others had clearly fallen to the terrifying Thousand Buddha Palm.
Some had been slain by the Thousand Sword Art.
Others had been crushed beneath powerful Refinery Artifacts, while a few had met their end beneath the edge of razor-sharp blades.
The farther Kim walked, the more corpses he encountered.
It was as if death itself had swept through the entire area.
Looking at the gruesome scene, Kim silently thought,
"Back in the Outer Layer, most of the cultivators died at the hands of the Great Families. Some were sacrificed so others could survive... while others were killed simply for someone's amusement."
"But here... it doesn't seem to be the same."
"It feels as though every one of these people was killed by someone—or something—entirely different."
After pondering for a few moments, another thought crossed his mind.
"In the Outer Layer, I strengthened my Inner Courtyard by absorbing the Death Energy from countless dead cultivators and Spiritual Beasts."
"Should I collect the Death Energy from all of these corpses as well?"
However, he quickly dismissed the idea.
Instead of absorbing their Death Energy, Kim left every corpse exactly where it was and continued deeper into the forest.
After traveling some distance, he noticed numerous groups of disciples scattered throughout the area.
Surprisingly...
No one was fighting.
Every cultivator remained within their own group, moving cautiously through the forest while maintaining a vigilant watch over their surroundings.
Seeing this, Kim frowned.
"In the Outer Layer, the Great Families slaughtered cultivators without showing the slightest mercy."
"But here... the atmosphere is completely different."
"No one is attacking anyone."
"It almost feels as though everyone is restrained by something..."
"Are they afraid?"
"Or is there some kind of hidden rule governing this place?"
"Perhaps... within this region, no one is allowed to attack or kill another cultivator."
The strange silence surrounding the Second Layer immediately put Kim on high alert.
Chapter 41 end .
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Chapter 41 - End
Chapter 42 - Coming Soon...
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