From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

As Ren Xing stepped deeper inside, he found himself in an even more expansive space.

The area was vast, and numerous colossal statues surrounded it. Each statue depicted a warrior, and their lifelike detail made it feel as if their eyes were following him, giving an eerie sensation of being watched.

"What... what are these?" Ren Xing muttered, his body trembling slightly as he observed the scene.

For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that these warriors might still be alive.

Other martial artists who had ventured this far were also fixated on the statues, staring at them with a mix of awe and wariness.

"So that's it! The weapons in their hands look like top-tier A-grade weapons!"

A martial artist laughed wildly and leaped into the air, aiming to seize one of the weapons resting in a statue's hand.

But as soon as his hand reached for the weapon, an overwhelming surge of energy blasted into his body.

His eyes widened in horror as the immense energy filled him too quickly, beyond his capacity to absorb. Within moments, his entire body swelled unnaturally.

Boom!

In an instant, his body exploded.

"Fool," another martial artist sneered at the sight.

Those who had entered the ruins first had already tried to claim the weapons. There was no doubt these were top-tier A-grade weapons, and every martial artist present coveted them.

However, these weapons were infused with an immense amount of energy.

The moment someone reached for a weapon, a massive wave of energy would flood into their body. Martial artists who couldn't withstand the surge of energy would explode on the spot.

"I'll give it a try!"

At that moment, a towering martial artist jumped onto one of the enormous statues' arms and reached for the spear held in its hand.

The powerful energy surged into his body immediately, and his figure swelled with the raw force.

Just as the crowd expected him to suffer the same fate as the others, his body slowly began returning to its normal state, though blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

"Xiao Feng, an eighth-tier martial artist!"

"No wonder he could wield that weapon!"

The surrounding martial artists murmured in admiration.

Xiao Feng, now gripping the silver spear, jumped down from the statue and continued walking deeper into the ruins, ignoring everyone else.

"An eighth-tier warrior, huh?" Ren Xing thought, his eyes gleaming as he glanced at his own Yao Zhan Sword. "If I kill him and let the sword absorb his blood, it'll make the Yao Zhan even sharper."

Ren Xing chuckled darkly to himself.

"Don't get too cocky, old man," Ye Fan muttered, observing Ren Xing from within. "That guy's an eighth-tier martial artist. It won't be easy."

But Ren Xing ignored the warning. Without hesitation, he leaped onto one of the statues and landed on the outstretched hand, where a sword rested.

A wicked grin spread across his face as he eyed the blade.

"A sixth-tier warrior trying to pull a sword," someone in the crowd snickered, watching Ren Xing's actions with amusement.

Earlier, a sixth-tier martial artist had attempted to claim a similar sword, only to be overwhelmed by the energy, leading to his immediate death.

It was obvious that Ren Xing would meet the same fate.

"I heard that certain cursed swords can absorb energy from powerful weapons. You should be able to do the same, right?" Ren Xing murmured to the Yao Zhan Sword.

Though he wasn't entirely certain, he was willing to take the risk.

"Hah! What a brilliant move, old man!" Ye Fan exclaimed with excitement.

The last time they had destroyed a cursed blade, the Yao Zhan Sword had absorbed a significant amount of power. This time, it might work again.

Ren Xing channeled his energy into the long sword embedded in the statue's hand, his eyes gleaming as the Yao Zhan Sword's blade turned jet black, its sinister energy surging.

Clang!

The Yao Zhan Sword struck the ancient blade, creating a loud, ringing noise as sparks flew.

Despite the weapon's formidable power, the Yao Zhan Sword's edge carved a notch into the blade.

"Perfect! Let's break it apart!" Ren Xing laughed loudly, swinging the Yao Zhan Sword down again with all his might.

His full power flowed into the attack, and this time, the force behind his swing was tremendous.

Clang!

With a sharp, clear sound, the A-grade sword shattered into two pieces beneath the force of the Yao Zhan Sword.

As the ancient sword broke, a flood of energy surged out of it, immediately absorbed by Ren Xing's demonic blade.

[Absorbed special energy, gained 10,111 evolution points!]

"That much!?" Ye Fan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ten thousand one hundred and eleven points! Incredible!"

Just as the system's notification rang out, the surrounding martial artists finally realized what was happening. They were furious.

"You destroyed it! What are you doing!?" several of them shouted, outraged that Ren Xing had shattered one of the coveted weapons.

"You weren't going to take it anyway. Might as well let me destroy it," Ren Xing said with a wicked grin, his eyes scanning the crowd below.

Without warning, Ren Xing leapt toward another statue, this one holding a long blade.

"Stop him!" some martial artists shouted angrily.

Several of them leapt into the air, weapons drawn, to prevent Ren Xing from continuing his rampage.

"Looking for death, are you?" Ren Xing sneered, his face darkening as he saw them attacking. Without hesitation, he swung the Yao Zhan Sword at them.

Clang! Clang!

With a few swift strikes, their weapons shattered like brittle twigs.

The martial artists' eyes widened in disbelief as they realized just how sharp Ren Xing's blade truly was.

"You came to die, so now I'll grant your wish!"

Ren Xing laughed as the Yao Zhan Sword released a terrifying surge of sword energy.

[Phantom Dance]!

With this technique now firmly under his control, Ren Xing could unleash it repeatedly without worrying about exhausting his source energy.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

His figure blurred, splitting into multiple shadows as he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes.

In moments, the martial artists were cut down, their blood spraying across the ruins.

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

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

…

[Absorbed blood of fifth-tier martial artist, gained 0.5 energy points]

[Absorbed blood of fourth-tier martial artist, gained 0.5 energy points]

…

"I'm on the verge of evolving!" Ye Fan's eyes lit up as he read the system notifications.

The accumulated evolution points had now exceeded eighty thousand!

If Ren Xing destroyed a few more of these powerful weapons and absorbed their energy, Ye Fan would finally evolve to S-grade!

Ye Fan's excitement grew. What kind of power would an S-grade Yao Zhan Sword possess?