From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"Agreed," Brother Hu hesitated for a moment before nodding.

The power Ren Xing had just displayed was beyond his own. And for some reason, if the fight continued, Brother Hu had the distinct feeling that he would end up dead at Ren Xing's hands. His intuition had always been sharp, and now was no time to take unnecessary risks.

Ren Xing sheathed the Yao Zhan Sword, and in that instant, Brother Hu's keen senses noticed that the eerie, demonic aura surrounding Ren Xing had suddenly vanished.

Could it be… that strange aura earlier came from his sword? Brother Hu thought to himself as he glanced at the blade.

"This Brother Hu is much stronger than the previous one," Ye Fan remarked with amusement. "Too bad Ren Xing didn't kill him outright. He would have gotten a ton of evolution points."

It was clear now that Ren Xing had a plan in mind. He intended to ally with this group of martial artists to confront the Lion Mercenary Group together.

"Do you know where the ancient ruins are located?" Ren Xing asked, his eyes fixed on Brother Hu.

"I don't know the exact location, but it's definitely somewhere in the Tian Valley Mountains," Brother Hu replied seriously.

"Obviously, we know it's in Tian Valley," Huang Conghui interrupted, unable to resist.

Brother Hu shot him a cold glance, and Huang Conghui immediately took a step back, his body trembling. After all, Brother Hu was a seventh-tier martial artist, and Huang Conghui was merely a fifth-tier warrior.

"The central region of Tian Valley," Brother Hu continued. "If I had to guess, that's where the entrance will appear."

"Can I trust you?" Ren Xing narrowed his eyes, studying Brother Hu.

Ren Xing was inherently suspicious of others, especially someone he had just formed an alliance with. Trusting Brother Hu was out of the question.

"I have no reason to lie," Brother Hu said calmly. "Soon, more martial artists will arrive. If we don't work together, we won't be able to fend them off."

Ren Xing nodded slightly, realizing the truth in Brother Hu's words.

The allure of the ancient ruins was too strong. Even though the Lion Mercenary Group was powerful, many independent martial artists in the area were formidable in their own right. The Lion Mercenary Group would not be able to monopolize the ruins without a fight.

"Someone's coming," Brother Hu said suddenly, his brow furrowing.

"Kill them all," Ren Xing said, a sinister smile curling on his lips.

Before Brother Hu could react, Ren Xing had already taken the lead, moving toward the newcomers with the Yao Zhan Sword in hand.

A group of independent martial artists was sneaking toward the area.

"A bunch of low-tier martial artists dares to venture here?" Ren Xing scoffed as he glanced at them.

"Who's there!?" one of the martial artists exclaimed, their expression changing in alarm.

Shing, shing, shing—

In an instant, cold flashes of light and shadows flickered before their eyes. Moments later, all of them were dead.

[Killed fourth-tier martial artist, gained 400 evolution points]

[Killed fourth-tier martial artist, gained 400 evolution points]

…

[Absorbed blood of fourth-tier martial artist, gained 0.4 energy points]

[Absorbed blood of fourth-tier martial artist, gained 0.4 energy points]

The system notifications flooded in.

"Feels good," Ye Fan said, pleased with the influx of evolution and energy points. But he couldn't help but note Ren Xing's ruthlessness. "He really doesn't hold back."

"From now on, I'll kill any martial artist who comes this way," Ren Xing declared, his cold gaze sweeping over the group. "Unless they're seventh-tier or higher."

No one will take the ancient ruins from me! Ren Xing thought with resolve.

Brother Hu and the others could only stand there, their expressions tense.

Ren Xing's mercilessness was on full display, and Brother Hu knew he was doing this to instill fear in them. Ren Xing wanted to remind them who was in control.

Brother Hu smiled inwardly. He had his own plans. For now, he would bide his time and let Ren Xing do the dirty work. He would preserve his strength for when the ruins opened.

As more blood was absorbed into the Yao Zhan Sword, the blade grew even sharper.

"They haven't shown up yet," someone murmured, referring to the Lion Mercenary Group. The group was getting closer to the central area of Tian Valley, but no sign of the mercenaries had appeared, leaving them puzzled.

"Could it be that they've already found the ruins?" Brother Hu speculated, his brow furrowed.

Boom—

Before he could finish speaking, the entire area began to tremble violently.

It felt like an earthquake had struck Tian Valley, and suddenly, a bright light shot up into the sky from the central region of the mountains.

"The ancient ruins… have appeared!!" a martial artist nearby shouted excitedly.

Ren Xing's expression shifted dramatically.

"Go!" he barked, rushing forward toward the source of the light.

As they sprinted toward the central region, Ren Xing could feel powerful auras approaching from all directions. Footsteps echoed throughout the valley.

There were many of them. Countless martial artists were converging on the ancient ruins.

Ren Xing quickened his pace, with Brother Hu close by. When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of hundreds of martial artists gathered in front of the ruins.

"So many… martial artists!" Huang Conghui whispered, his eyes wide with shock.

The sheer number of warriors was overwhelming. It was as if a sea of people had gathered at the ruins.

"They must have come from the other side of the valley," Ren Xing said coldly.

Ahead of them, a massive rock formation was beginning to crack open, with golden light pouring out from within.

The ground continued to shake as the cracks grew larger, and soon, the entrance to the ancient ruins would be fully revealed.

As the martial artists gazed at the scene, a sense of excitement and anticipation filled the air.

"It's finally happening," Ren Xing muttered, excitement welling up inside him.

No one made any rash moves. Every group present was waiting for the ruins to fully open. Fighting now would only cause unnecessary losses.

"Are we really going to let all these people enter the ruins?" a man in silver armor with a lion insignia whispered to the tall, imposing figure standing beside him, high up on a nearby cliff.