From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

After slaughtering so many, the blood energy Ren Xing had expended instantly replenished itself.

"Let's go. It's time to head inside," Ren Xing said.

He glanced at the remaining martial artists nearby. Those who had witnessed his terrifying power were now too scared to approach.

Without further hesitation, Ren Xing charged toward the entrance of the ruins. The fighting among the martial artists had significantly lessened, and many had already rushed inside.

"Follow Lord City Master!" Huang Conghui shouted as he led the others, quickly following Ren Xing's lead.

The martial artists under Huang Conghui also hurriedly followed suit.

"We should move too," Brother Hu said to his group.

…

Meanwhile, from a high vantage point, one of the vice commanders of the Lion Mercenary Group spotted something unusual, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Captain, why are those people wearing our mercenary group's armor?"

In the distance, the figures of Huang Conghui and his group were clearly visible.

"Hmm, looks like Aotian and his team were killed by those martial artists," Zhao Shi, the leader of the Lion Mercenary Group, said in an indifferent tone, though a flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

"When we get inside, we'll kill them all."

As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of Lion Mercenary warriors began to move toward the ruins as well.

Zhao Shi knew that while his group was powerful, there was no way they could stop so many martial artists from entering the ancient ruins. It would be better to let them fight each other first, allowing him to reap the benefits later.

Ren Xing, still gripping the Yao Zhan Sword, had already stormed inside the ruins. His entire presence radiated a chilling murderous aura, making him appear extremely menacing.

"So much concentrated energy!" Ren Xing exclaimed, breathing deeply as he stepped inside, his excitement evident.

The energy within the ruins was even more potent than outside, to a degree that far exceeded his expectations. It was ten times richer!

Even if there were no treasures inside, just cultivating in this place would vastly accelerate one's progress.

Ren Xing ventured deeper into the massive crevice of the cracked mountain. As he progressed, he passed the corpses of numerous martial artists who had killed each other in their mad dash to be the first inside.

Ren Xing chuckled darkly at the sight. "They didn't even make it to the treasures before dying. Tsk, tsk."

He continued forward, with Huang Conghui and the others close behind.

"The energy in the air is so intense..." Huang Conghui murmured in awe as he inhaled deeply. His eyes showed a trace of intoxication, as if the energy were intoxicating him like strong wine.

But he quickly snapped out of it, realizing the danger of the situation. In these ruins, a single careless moment could mean death at the hands of another martial artist.

"Stick close to Lord City Master," Huang Conghui whispered to his men.

As Ren Xing ventured further, he found himself inside a massive passage. The walls of the passage were adorned with intricate murals.

Glowing stones embedded in the walls illuminated the corridor, making it surprisingly bright.

"These murals… they seem to depict martial arts techniques," Ren Xing noted, his eyes widening in surprise.

The murals detailed various martial techniques, and as he moved deeper, the techniques depicted became more advanced and complex.

"You can stay here and study these," Ren Xing said to Huang Conghui and his group, seeing their eager faces as they gazed at the murals.

"Understood!" Huang Conghui replied excitedly, nodding along with the others.

The murals showcased high-level techniques, many of which had been long lost. Learning even a fraction of these techniques would be an incredible boon for them.

And truthfully, going deeper into the ruins wouldn't benefit them much. If there were any priceless treasures inside, they knew they wouldn't stand a chance of claiming them.

Ren Xing, satisfied, left them behind and continued further ahead.

Soon, he spotted a radiant light up ahead, illuminating the ground littered with countless crystals.

"Source… Source Stones!?" Ren Xing's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the scene before him, astonishment filling his gaze.

Source Stones, as the name implied, were stones filled with pure source energy, essentially solidified energy crystals. The purer the Source Stone, the brighter it shone with white light.

These stones only formed in areas where the concentration of source energy was exceedingly high. He hadn't expected to find such a large deposit of Source Stones here.

"I'd better gather some of these and store them in my spatial ring," Ren Xing muttered, walking toward the stones.

Drawing his incredibly sharp Yao Zhan Sword, Ren Xing began to cut the Source Stones from the deposit.

"Get lost!" A group of sword-wielding martial artists glared at him, their eyes full of hostility.

"Everything inside these ruins is unowned," Ren Xing replied coldly, ignoring their threats. He sliced off a large chunk of the Source Stone with ease, the Yao Zhan Sword cutting through the rock like butter.

"You're looking for death!" one of the men yelled, enraged that Ren Xing had ignored him. He charged at Ren Xing with his blade raised.

Shing!

In the blink of an eye, a flash of light streaked past. The man's eyes widened in shock as a sharp pain shot through his neck. The next moment, his head fell to the ground.

The remaining martial artists were left dumbfounded. The attack had happened so quickly that none of them even registered what had happened until it was too late.

"Now, who was it that wanted to die?" Ren Xing asked with a sinister grin.

Before they could react, he struck again.

[Killed fifth-tier martial artist, gained 500 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 fifth-tier martial artist, gained 0.5 energy points]

…

After finishing off the group, Ren Xing stored the chunks of Source Stones he had cut into his spatial ring, filling it to the brim.

"Pity," he muttered, realizing there was still a vast deposit left to be mined. But he couldn't waste time here.

The other martial artists who had bypassed the Source Stones must have been chasing after something even more valuable deeper inside the ruins.

He needed to hurry.

Without wasting another moment, Ren Xing charged forward into the depths of the ruins.