Chapter 8: Helping A Stranger In A Cave.
"Tf is this smell..." Alex muttered, covering his nose with his hand, repulsed by the strong iron scent emanating from the cave's entrance.
Despite his discomfort, curiosity pulled him closer to the dark opening, seeking to uncover the source of the pungent odor.
"Blood," Alex deduced as he noticed the crimson stains on the cave floor before even stepping inside.
His progress halted, torn between his eagerness to investigate and the realization that his current strength might be insufficient for whatever awaited him.
"Do I enter?" Alex deliberated, his mind caught in a dilemma.
"AH, FUCK..." Determination overrode his apprehensions, and Alex cautiously ventured into the cave, gripping his sect-issued sword. Despite the crude craftsmanship of the weapon, its edges were still sharp enough to offer some form of defense.
The cave stretched deeper and darker before him, each step leading him further into the unknown.
"Cough.." The sound of a weak cough echoed within the cave's confines.
"AGGHHH!!!"
SLASH!!!
Startled by the unexpected sound, Alex swung his sword through the air, heart racing from the sudden fright.
"WHO'S HERE!!!" The sudden tension completely erased Alex's casual demeanor, replacing it with unbridled seriousness.
"COUGH. COUGH.." The series of coughs persisted, guiding Alex toward their source.
BANG!!!
Finally, he entered a broader space, the source of the light that illuminated it was a crack in the mountain's ceiling.
"Who..." Alex's guard was up, his sword poised to strike, as he noticed a man lying on the ground. The handsome stranger's body glowed with a faint blue light, his form battered and bruised.
"Unconscious and coughing? Hey, are you alright?" Alex's concern overshadowed his caution as he threw a pebble at the front of him, he was a beautiful man with red hair just lying there.
No response.
Undeterred, Alex approached the injured man. "Do I go in?" he hesitated again, but the sight of the man's dire condition pushed him onward.
"Hey are you okay?" He tried to help the person, he ripped his already old roble and was about to bandage the person. "Holy crap, you are really bruised, man how did you turn out like this." He saw the bad condition of the man. he pulled him up on the walls of the cave, it wasn't smooth but still.
"Thank... you Sir... Junior Brother." Man opened his eyes and looked at Alex.
"No problem, i am just doing what any normal person would do." He continued to bandage the person. "By the way, am going to rip your robe off, i need to make some bandages, there is no other way... what is your name?"
"It's Okay..." Hong Feng Coughed.
"Hong... Feng..." Hong Feng opened his eyes with some pain.
"(Commoner?)" Hong Feng's mental note about Alex's attire flickered across his mind.
"Where are you... from.. Junior Brother..." He asked.
"Oh, there's a sect nearby. What's it called... umm... Scarlet something. Anyway, I can't remember the exact name," Alex dismissed the memory with a shrug, unfazed by the intricate names of the local sects.
Yet, Hong Feng perceived the words in a drastically different context.
"Scarlet... Carnage Sect?" Hong Feng's voice quavered, recognizing the name.
"Ah, yeah, that's the one. Familiar with it?" Alex's response carried a smile, ignorant of the weight his words held.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Alex was interrupted by a tremendous explosion that sent him hurtling from the cave.
[Congratulations! You have taken 3889 Points Of Damage +Aura Weaponry Technique]
"Bleerghh..." Coughing up blood, Alex staggered, reeling from the blast's impact.
"What the..." Alex's hand instinctively pressed against his shattered ribs. Despite the damage, the body of a cultivator proved resilient. He willed himself to his feet, struggling to regain his balance. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, MAN!!! I TRIED TO SAVE YOU!!!"
SLICE!!! SLICE!!! SLICE!!!
Swinging his sword in rapid succession, a barrage of slashes materialized from the cave's darkness.
"SHIT!!!" Alex dodged the onslaught narrowly, each slash grazing dangerously close.
"WHO IS IT!!!" Unaware of his attacker, Alex's voice was a mix of frustration and desperation.
"SCARLET CARNAGE SECT!!! ALL OF THEM DESERVE TO DIE!!!" The chilling proclamation echoed from the depths of the cave, lashing out at Alex.
"AAGHHH!!!" Another attack caught Alex off-guard, the force knocking him backward.
"[Congratulations! You have taken 345 Points Of Damage +345 Years of Lifespan]"
"(HOLY SHIT!!!)" Pain surged through his body as Alex registered the damage and the accompanying lifespan he gained. His insides quaked like a drum, the power of his opponent leaving a deep imprint.
"WHAT BULLSHIT IS THIS NOW???!!" His fury surged as the realization hit him that he was being targeted by the very person he had tried to help.
"DIE!!!" Hong Feng's furious voice resounded, and the injured cultivator limped out of the cave, sword drawn, determination etched across his features.
SWING!!! SWING!!! SWING!!!
Despite his injuries, Hong Feng continued his relentless assault, slashing with all his might to end Alex's slow.
"FUCK!!!" Alex sprinted, driven by a mixture of panic and outrage. The once joyful forest was now a battlefield, as Hong Feng's pursuit triggered a cataclysmic clash between him.
Amidst the destruction, Alex found himself cornered behind a small rocky hill.
"Huhh... Huh... Huh... Damn it!!!" Gasping for breath, he cursed his predicament, frustration boiling over. Fatigue gnawed at his stamina, the high-speed chase taking its toll. Alex looked over to behind the hill.
"(He must be tired too, right?)" Alex's hope flared that the relentless assailant would finally relent.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The hillside erupted with also, obliterated by a single stroke of Hong Feng's sword.
"WHAT!!!" Alex sprang out of the wreckage, his pursuit recommenced as Hong Feng advanced relentlessly. without rest.
"THIS IS IT!!! YOU'RE FUCKING DYING!!!" Alex's rage reached its peak. Though he thirsted for vengeance, wisdom prevailed, leading him to strategize rather than fight this person with no plan at all.
"(His speed is slower than mine. I need to exploit that and land Mountain Shatter Fist with three Mountains' worth of power. I haven't tested its full potential since it evolved. I just hope it works, or I'm done for.)"
Alex seized a keep deep breath, dodging with a zigzag pattern that pushed his pursuer to his limits.
"STOP THIS, YOU WON'T ESCAPE!!!" Hong Feng's furious shouts echoed through the forest, his eyes burning with hatred and determination.
SLASH!!! SLASH!!! SLASH!!!
Hong Feng's strikes continued, Alex's nimble evasions the only thing keeping him alive.
Ten long minutes turned to a relentless, heart-pounding chase. Trees fell in their wake, and the once serene forest transformed into a battlefield.
Hong Feng looked down on his injuries and they were getting worse, he wanted to recuperate but he knew if he stopped right now this person would escape instantly, he was mad really mad, and finally...
Exhausted also but resolute, Alex's attention snapped to a sudden explosion of aura.
"JUST FUCKING DIE!!! AAAAAAAAAAGHHHGGH!!!" Hong Feng's unleashed fury resonated, rippling through the forest like a shockwave.
Alex's eyes widened, his plan crystallizing in that instant.
"(This is it!!!)" A confident smile tugged at Alex's lips as he propelled himself toward the furious cultivator, determination guiding his every step.
In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance.
Ignoring his own injuries, and almost destroyed feet. he focused solely on his technique.
"[Mountain Shatter Fist 3 Mountain]"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
End Of Chapter.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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