From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

Zhang Xiaoming wasn't listening to anything Lin Qiang was saying. He swung his sword.

Clang!

Lin Qiang's sword, which he was using to block the attack, shattered instantly! The fragments of the broken weapon pierced into his body.

"Ah!" The excruciating pain made him clench his teeth, but Zhang Xiaoming's attack speed was too fast. Even though Lin Qiang was a third-rank warrior with excellent reflexes, he couldn't evade Zhang Xiaoming's next strike. The sword sliced through the air, severing Lin Qiang's arm in a flash.

"Spare me! Spare me! I'll help you find the antidote!" Lin Qiang cried out, desperately leaping backward, trying to escape. In his current state, he had no way to fight back.

"Spare you? I'm going to die anyway, so don't think you'll live either," Zhang Xiaoming snarled. The mention of an antidote made his expression change slightly, but when he looked down at his own skin, now entirely black, he knew it was too late.

"Would an antidote even work at this point?" He stared at Lin Qiang, his voice dripping with venom. Despite Lin Qiang's earlier claim that there was no antidote, Zhang Xiaoming wondered if it was just a lie.

"Yes... If you let me go, I'll take you back to find the antidote," Lin Qiang said, his eyes flickering with a hint of hope. In truth, he had been honest earlier—there was no antidote. Zhang Xiaoming was as good as dead. But now, seeing Zhang Xiaoming's desperation, Lin Qiang decided to continue the ruse. If he could just buy a little more time, the poison would do its work.

"You better not be lying to me..." Zhang Xiaoming growled, his voice filled with malice. He didn't want to die, especially not like this.

"He's about to be fooled again," Ye Fan sighed. This swordmaster, despite his efforts and ruthlessness, was lacking in intelligence. "Looks like I'll be getting a new master soon." But now that Ye Fan had evolved to an A-rank weapon, it was only a matter of time before a truly powerful warrior recognized his value.

Boom!

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently.

What's going on!?

Both Zhang Xiaoming and Lin Qiang were startled by the sudden tremor. The shaking intensified, and the ground began to crack open around them.

"The... the Great Serpent!?" Lin Qiang stammered, his face paling as he realized what was happening. Forgetting the pain in his severed arm, he turned and tried to flee.

"Trying to run!?" Zhang Xiaoming roared, realizing he had been tricked. There was no antidote—Lin Qiang had been playing him all along!

The pain coursing through Zhang Xiaoming's body was becoming unbearable, and he could feel death closing in. With a final burst of strength, he charged forward, his demonic sword piercing through Lin Qiang's back.

Thud!

Lin Qiang coughed up blood, his eyes widening in shock.

"If I die, you're coming with me!" Zhang Xiaoming yelled, his face twisted in rage and agony. His skin had turned pitch black, and his muscles were beginning to wither away.

[Absorbed third-rank warrior's blood, gained 0.3 energy points]

[Killed third-rank warrior, gained 300 evolution points]

Ye Fan received the system's notification. "Still a long way from the next evolution," Ye Fan muttered. To evolve again, he needed 100,000 points—an almost impossible number to reach. He wondered if killing higher-ranked warriors or beasts would yield more points.

"Am I really going to die...?" Zhang Xiaoming's body trembled uncontrollably. Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. At that moment, a massive black shadow loomed over him.

"Damn!" Ye Fan was stunned by what he saw. A giant serpent-like beast appeared behind Zhang Xiaoming. Its eyes were blood-red, and it looked utterly terrifying. The serpent flicked its tongue and, in the next instant, its massive jaws opened wide, swallowing Zhang Xiaoming and Ye Fan whole.

Damn it! I got swallowed by a beast! Ye Fan thought in disbelief as everything around him plunged into darkness.

"It's here! Finally, the disciples' constant slaughter of those beasts has drawn out the Scarlet-Eyed Serpent!" Zhang Laosan, a high-ranking elder, exclaimed in triumph as he heard the tremors. The beast had developed some intelligence over the years. If powerful warriors like them entered the forest, it might not have shown itself. But the relentless bloodshed by the lower-ranked disciples had awakened it.

"Move in!" Zhang Laosan commanded, and he and his group charged into the depths of the Serpent Forest.

"Run! The Serpent has awakened!" The remaining competitors screamed in terror. The Scarlet-Eyed Serpent was the most fearsome and powerful creature in the forest, and they knew they stood no chance against it. Zhang Laosan and his men paid no heed to the fleeing disciples. Their focus was solely on taking down the serpent.

"There it is! Attack!" Zhang Laosan shouted as they spotted the massive serpent. Wielding his long blade, he was the first to strike.

[Swordmaster's blood absorbed, Swordmaster deceased, gained 200 evolution points]

"So, he's finally dead," Ye Fan thought, receiving the system's update.

Gurgle, gurgle...

Inside the serpent's stomach, Ye Fan could hear the sounds of Zhang Xiaoming's body being dissolved. He was submerged in the beast's corrosive stomach acid.

"Damn it! Am I going to be dissolved too!?" Ye Fan suddenly realized the danger. Despite being an A-rank weapon, there was still a chance he could be destroyed by the serpent's powerful digestive fluids. If that happened, it would be the end for him.

Boom, boom, boom!

Outside, the serpent was engaged in a fierce battle with Zhang Laosan and his men.

"Finally, you've revealed yourself," Zhang Laosan laughed maniacally. "I knew you wouldn't show yourself if you sensed our presence!"

With a swing of his long blade, Zhang Laosan unleashed a powerful energy wave at the serpent.