632. Turns Out He’s a Rookie / 633. Falling into a Trap

Just as Izayoi had expected, one Giant Bear after another took the bait. The moment they entered the trap, they were trapped inside it.

They could not break free for the moment, but Izayoi still did not dare act rashly. He feared the Giant Bears were only pretending to have fallen for it.

Izayoi looked into the distance and saw more than a dozen Giant Bears charging toward the trap. They wanted to escape from it. He knew these Giant Bears were immensely strong, but this trap had been specially prepared for them.

No matter how hard they struggled, they could not escape. The more they struggled, the deeper the trap sank. The more they struggled, the deeper the trap sank.

Izayoi watched the expressions of those Giant Bears and knew his plan had succeeded. The Giant Bears could no longer escape the trap.

At that moment, Izayoi stepped out from behind the tree. The Giant Bears stared at him with savage looks in their eyes, wanting to tear him to pieces.

Roar! One of the Giant Bears let out a thunderous roar and actually broke free from the trap. It sniffed the air, its nose exceptionally keen.

It caught the scent of blood on Izayoi, and the sharp-nosed Giant Bear pounced at him.

Bang! The Giant Bear’s body collided with Izayoi’s sword. It let out a miserable howl, feeling several of its ribs break, and rolled across the ground in pain.

Izayoi swung his sword and killed the Giant Bear, then walked toward the Giant Bears that had fallen into the trap. The Giant Bear that had escaped earlier had been a complete accident; the others could not escape at all.

It Turned Out to Be a Rookie

He approached the Giant Bears and mocked them, "Beasts are beasts. You don’t have a shred of brains. You fell into my trap so easily."

Upon hearing Izayoi’s words, the Giant Bears glared at him furiously. They opened their mouths, wanting to attack him, but the trap held them fast. They could only roar in rage, unable to escape.

Izayoi sneered. The longsword in his hand flashed, and a massive bear head was sent flying.

The bear head rolled across the ground. At that moment, the other Giant Bears in the group all glared furiously at Izayoi.

Seeing their reactions filled Izayoi with pleasure, but he did not stop attacking the Giant Bears because of it. The Giant Bears were trapped now.

They were fish on the chopping block, left for Izayoi to slaughter. Some Giant Bears even tried to flee, but they could not escape at all.

Roar! A Giant Bear over four meters tall roared. Its body was covered in black fur, and its face was full of ferocity.

This Giant Bear’s fur was exceptionally tough. Ordinary weapons could hardly cut through it, and the fur could even withstand slashes from blades and swords.

This gave Izayoi quite a headache. Then he thought of using fire. He released flames from the sword in his hand and slashed at the Giant Bear. The Giant Bear caught fire, and its fur began to burn.

Roar! The Giant Bear roared in fury and frantically struck at the flames on its body, trying to extinguish them.

Izayoi’s gaze turned cold as he drew another longsword and began to swing it.

The Giant Bear burned in Izayoi’s flames, while Izayoi swung his longsword. The Giant Bear also wildly struck at Izayoi’s blade with its claws, trying to split him in two.

However, Izayoi was immensely powerful. The Giant Bear could not injure him at all. After charging madly several times, it was finally cut down by Izayoi. Its corpse collapsed, and the dust kicked up concealed its body, making it difficult to see clearly.

Next, Giant Bears were burned to death one after another by Izayoi’s flames. The Giant Bear finally collapsed as well.

Seeing this, the surrounding Giant Bears were stunned. Not a single Giant Bear was Izayoi’s match. Was Izayoi’s strength truly this terrifying?

Izayoi glanced at his clothes, which had already been stained by the dust from the Giant Bears.

Izayoi looked at the Giant Bears around him. They too looked at Izayoi, their eyes filled with awe.

However, Izayoi had no intention of sparing them. He continued walking toward the Giant Bears. As they watched his steps draw closer, they all retreated, fear filling their eyes. Even the way they looked at Izayoi had changed.

Izayoi kept walking forward until he stopped in front of a group of Giant Bears. By then, their bodies were covered in dust, and they stared at Izayoi with extreme terror in their eyes.

Izayoi gave his sword a light swing, and the Giant Bears’ heads flew into the air one after another. Their heads rolled across the ground, their eyes full of horror.

Yet there was still a trace of confusion in their eyes. They could not understand how this human had suddenly appeared. How could he be so powerful?

Izayoi’s sword continued to swing, and Giant Bears fell to the ground one after another, their corpses piling together.

After killing all the Giant Bears, Izayoi began collecting materials from their bodies. He cut off their fur, then removed their gallbladders.

These bear gallbladders contained abundant energy and were indispensable materials for refining pills and weapons.

After handling the bear gallbladders, Izayoi dug out the bears’ internal organs and placed them into his storage bag.

Although these bear organs had little nutritional value, they were still Giant Bear organs, rich in fat. Moreover, bear gallbladders contained many impurities, so they would surely taste good when used to make soup.

After dealing with the Giant Bears, Izayoi looked into the distance and decided to return. He dashed through the forest at great speed and soon disappeared at the edge of the woods.

Many wild beasts attacked him along the way, but none of them were his match. Under his sword, they could only die.

A few cuts were left on his body, but Izayoi did not care in the slightest. Those wounds had no effect on him.

He kept running forward. As he ran, a figure suddenly appeared ahead. Upon seeing him, the figure called out to stop him and said arrogantly.

"I am a supreme swordsmanship expert. I want to collect some protection money from you. Hand over all your valuables now."

A supreme swordsmanship expert? Those words reached Izayoi’s ears.

"Are you really a supreme expert?" Izayoi asked.

"Hmph, of course. A supreme expert like me is not someone you can compare to." The man wore an arrogant expression.

Falling into the Trap

Izayoi looked at the man and smiled. "Since you’re an expert, then let’s trade a few moves." As he spoke, Izayoi drew his sword and attacked him.

Izayoi was extremely powerful, startling the man. The man was not an expert at all. He had merely been pretending to be one in order to rob travelers along the road.

He had originally thought he could scare Izayoi away, but instead, Izayoi looked completely calm. So he drew his weapon and fought him, but how could he possibly be Izayoi’s match?

Still, although the man was no expert, he had some skill. Izayoi used only ten percent of his strength against him, and for a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Seeing that his strength seemed comparable to Izayoi’s, the man believed he could defeat him if he just tried harder. With that thought, he swallowed a pill that could instantly increase his strength.

A pill that could instantly increase one’s strength could double it, and the man was using such a pill.

He unleashed his most powerful move and swung it at Izayoi, attacking one move after another.

It was as if he wanted to unleash every bit of potential in his body, and that was exactly what he did, move after move.

Seeing how desperately the other party fought, Izayoi found it amusing. This man was actually risking his life against him without regard for anything, and he even seemed quite confident.

However, Izayoi paid no mind to it, because he knew the man’s strength was not worth mentioning at all.

The man roared at Izayoi, "I’m about to use my full strength. If you don’t want to die, hand over your valuables!"

After roaring those words, the man’s eyes turned red. Izayoi sensed the change as well and knew the man had entered a berserk state.

Even with Izayoi’s immense strength, he had to deal with someone in this state carefully, because people in that state were the most dangerous.

They could lose their minds at any time and become hostile toward everything around them. They might even harm their own friends.

So Izayoi decided to end the battle quickly. He could not drag it out for too long.

"Brat, are you tired of living? I’m about to use my ultimate move."

As he spoke, the man unleashed his ultimate technique.

Izayoi sneered. Although this man was no match for him at all, there was no need to clash with him head-on. This state would not last long, so all he needed to do was wear him down.

With that thought, Izayoi leaped onto a tree. He decided to wait until the man’s berserk state ended before attacking.

Just as expected, before long, the man’s berserk state ended. His face was flushed red, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Izayoi knew this was the backlash from the end of the berserk state. The man panted heavily as he looked at Izayoi and said,

"Brat, I’m going to kill you." After saying that, the man attacked Izayoi again, but this time, Izayoi did not dodge. He stood where he was.

This time, Izayoi did not use his sword. Instead, he raised his fist and punched the man directly in the chest. The man staggered back several steps before finally falling to the ground.

Izayoi clapped his hands and said, "What a bore. You can’t even withstand three moves from me."

After saying that, Izayoi turned to leave.

But the man climbed back up from the ground. A strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and when Izayoi saw it, a chill ran down his spine.

"I’m not some kind-hearted person."

"What are you planning?" Izayoi asked vigilantly.

At that moment, the man suddenly burst into laughter. His expression was extremely arrogant, making him look like a madman.

"Hahaha! You idiot, don’t you know that sneak attacks are what I’m best at? I can ambush people, I can scheme against them, and I’m incredibly fast. Do you think I’m some fool?"

"The reason I didn’t attack you earlier was because I wanted to test your strength first. Now that I know you’re strong, I’m even willing to spare your miserable life."

Hearing the man’s words, Izayoi could not help laughing. "I know you’re just a rookie. Stop pretending. It seems it’s time to let you see my true strength."

Izayoi no longer used only ten percent of his strength as before. Instead, he instantly unleashed all of his power, and a powerful wave of energy spread from his body in every direction.

That aura was incredibly powerful. It even caused the entire mountain forest to tremble.

When the man saw that energy, his expression changed drastically. He knew it was the other party’s trump card and understood that the other party was far stronger than him. Without another word,

he turned and fled. He knew that only by escaping could he be safe. If he were caught, he would be finished.

At that moment, Izayoi’s sword struck at him. The man raised his own sword to meet it, but Izayoi’s sword instantly knocked him to the ground.

Seeing Izayoi’s sword about to come down, the man hurriedly knelt and begged, "My lord, spare my life! I was only blinded by greed for a moment. I’ll give you everything I have. I only ask that you spare me."

As he spoke, the man threw out a huge bundle, and the items inside scattered all over the ground.

Among the pile, Izayoi immediately spotted a bottle containing pills. The pills inside seemed quite extraordinary.

The Cunning Pair

Izayoi opened the bottle and swallowed a pill. In an instant, immense energy surged from within his body. A delighted expression appeared on his face. He knew this pill was extremely powerful and could increase his strength.

Not only that, he felt his physical strength double. The feeling was truly wonderful. Greater strength naturally meant greater power in actual combat.

He finally understood why so many people were willing to cultivate desperately: it was all for power, because strength was what truly mattered.

Not only that, he also felt his soul grow stronger. He felt as though his soul had entered an entirely new realm. It was an exceptionally wonderful sensation.

At that moment, his soul seemed especially clear and solid. He could even sense the hidden power within it.

My soul has been strengthened? he thought in surprise.

But surprised as he was, he did not hesitate. He quickly circulated his cultivation technique and absorbed the energy in his dantian. He knew that the most important thing now was to increase his strength.

Then he thought of something. Looking at the man beside him, he said calmly, "All right, you can go. I’m in a good mood, so I’ll spare your life."

The man immediately kowtowed in thanks, then ran away in a flash. After the man left, Izayoi quickly circulated his cultivation technique.

He frantically absorbed the energy in his dantian. Before long, he had absorbed it all.

Izayoi slowly opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. He could feel that his strength had increased again. He believed that if he encountered enemies he had been unable to deal with before, he could defeat them easily.

However, he did not dare let his guard down. After all, his enemies were no ordinary opponents. They were extraordinary beings.

But he did not want to think about such things now. He decided to return first, and with that thought, he ran into the distance.

However, after only a few steps, he fell into a huge pit. It was a trap someone had set beforehand.

Just as Izayoi wondered who had laid the trap, two wild-looking men appeared above the pit. They looked down at Izayoi and mocked him.

"You fool, you actually fell into our trap. Hand over all your valuables, and we’ll spare your life!"

Izayoi looked at the two men and snorted inwardly. On the surface, however, he looked terrified as he said, "Big brothers, I’m just an ordinary person. How could I have any valuables? Please spare my life."

One of the wild-looking men said disdainfully, "Bullshit. Hand over your valuables now, or we’ll kill you!"

"I can’t. I really don’t have any valuables!" Izayoi shook his head.

The wild-looking man grew furious and roared, "Damn it, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! If you won’t hand over your valuables, I’ll kill you first!"

"Wait, I’ll hand them over. I’ll hand them over," Izayoi quickly agreed, while thinking that he would suddenly jump out and attack them later.

But since he did not yet know the strength of these two men, it was better to keep pretending for now. With that thought, his face turned pale, his legs went weak, and he looked as though he might collapse to his knees at any moment.

His acting was quite convincing. Seeing him like this, the two men wore mocking smiles. Then one of the wild-looking men looked at his companion and said, "Second Brother, looks like he’s scared shitless. Hahaha…"

The companion nodded, looked at Izayoi, and said, "Idiot, if you’re scared, why act tough? Hurry up and hand over your valuables."

"Um, I… I don’t know how to give them to you." Izayoi’s face turned green as his legs trembled. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he looked as though he might faint at any moment.

"Damn, you useless piece of trash. Even this stumps you?" Hearing Izayoi’s words, the two wild-looking men began cursing.

Watching their expressions, Izayoi knew they had both lowered their guard. He gathered strength in his legs, preparing to leap up and launch a sudden attack.