The scent of blood.
This was the only factor that could influence the beast horde.
As the blood beneath their feet increased, the beast horde, which had been like a flood, gradually slowed down. Pairs of bloodshot eyes turned to fix on Li Chonglou.
"Roar!"
More than a dozen monstrous beasts lunged forward. Their gaping maws were enough to make one's scalp tingle, but what greeted them was a cold sword energy.
*Swish!*
The corpses were split in two almost simultaneously. Before they could even fall, they were knocked aside by the monstrous beasts that pushed up from behind, repeating the cycle.
"Little Li, you can't keep this up for long, the consumption is too great."
Elder An spoke with doubt. He could indeed feel Li Chonglou's internal energy recovering during the battle, but it couldn't keep up with his expenditure.
If this continued, in less than ten minutes, Li Chonglou would not only exhaust his internal energy but also his stamina would drop to its critical point!
Looking around now, Li Chonglou seemed to have fallen into a sea of beasts, surrounded by dense, red-eyed monstrous beasts!
Some of them, unable to squeeze to the front, would even attack their companions, and if they wanted to escape then, it would be impossible!
Therefore, Elder An's words also carried the intention of persuading Li Chonglou to leave early. While the consumption was not yet at its critical point, a burst of power could allow him to break through the beast horde without much trouble.
After all, he possessed the legendary Shadow Step.
However, what surprised him was that Li Chonglou still had no intention of stopping.
"Don't worry, Elder An. I was just afraid the beast horde would leave. Now that they've stopped, I don't need it anymore."
After speaking, Li Chonglou suddenly swung his sword around, releasing a pure sword energy formed from his internal energy, striking in a 360-degree attack.
The monstrous beasts within ten meters of Li Chonglou were instantly sliced apart. Countless broken limbs and remains were flung into the air, the scene resembling hell itself, with a blood stench so thick it could sting the nostrils.
Then, Elder An felt Li Chonglou sheathe his long sword on his back.
"You're going to use your fists?"
Elder An guessed Li Chonglou's intention and was somewhat surprised. After all, weapons were an extension of the body. What originally required ten parts of strength only needed five with a weapon to achieve the same effect.
Using fists would undoubtedly be more strenuous, and the consumption would naturally be greater.
"Elder An, let me show you the peculiarity of my Vein Convergence."
Li Chonglou grinned again. A monstrous beast that had just pounced was instantly blown up by a casual punch, and he then assumed a Tai Chi stance.
This time, Elder An stopped speaking, as he was truly curious about what was so special about the cultivation technique Li Chonglou was always most confident in.
One, two, a hundred, two hundred. As time ticked by, the corpses beneath Li Chonglou's feet even piled up to his waist.
It should be noted that none of the current corpses were intact. Those who died by the sword could still be somewhat pieced together, but under Li Chonglou's fists, nearly ninety percent of the monstrous beasts turned into a bloody mist!
Even so, the remaining corpses could pile up to his waist, which was a testament to the brutality of the scene.
Elder An finally realized what was happening.
"Little Li, your internal energy..."
His voice was filled with shock. Li Chonglou laughed heartily, "This is the peculiarity of my Vein Convergence, nurturing battle with battle!"
Elder An was so shocked he couldn't respond for a moment. This was far more than just nurturing battle with battle. He could even feel the side effects of Li Chonglou's forced use of Shadow Step earlier gradually healing.
This cultivation technique could even heal injuries!
No, not just internal injuries, even stamina could recover during battle!
Realizing this, Elder An was completely bewildered.
In fact, they had long known about Li Chonglou's monstrous Tai Chi. After all, he had taught it to Black Blade and the others back then. However, Elder An had never imagined that he could also demonstrate it in battle!
This completely defied his understanding!
It wasn't until a long time later that Elder An recovered from his shock.
"No wonder he could have such an opportunity. With such talent and comprehension, as long as he is given enough time to grow, what can he not achieve?"
Within the beast horde, Li Chonglou's fists swung relentlessly like a robot, clusters of bloody mist exploding around him, then turning into a pungent wind that lured more monstrous beasts.
This made him feel as if he had returned to the Iron Forest, returned to the Beast Den.
The difference was that the beasts in the Beast Den were stronger on average, and there were even more of them than now.
However, he had been in his peak condition back then. If the current beast horde was comparable to that, Li Chonglou might not have dared to be so bold.
The third level was just right for him, with his soul power currently damaged.
As Li Chonglou gradually got into the zone, he quickly shifted his attention to how to recover his soul power. Entering a state of enlightenment during battle was a discovery that once again shocked Elder An.
Meanwhile.
Elder Tie, with Old Wang, was caught between two waves of beast hordes. He then realized he had escaped in the wrong direction, but it was too late, and he could only be forced to rush towards the direction the beast horde was heading.
"It's over, it's really over this time."
Old Wang looked back at the black lines he couldn't shake off and understood in his heart that it was because Elder Tie was carrying him. If he wasn't considering him.
Based on the camp leader's evaluation of Elder Tie, it was impossible that he couldn't outrun even the speed of a mere four or five-tiered monstrous beast!
Therefore, Old Wang knew that once Elder Tie realized he could no longer escape, he would definitely abandon him and flee!
This was human nature. If it were him, he would do the same.
However, just as he was feeling despair, Elder Tie, who was carrying him, cursed.
"Can you shut up, you brat? Would anyone die with me here? Are you looking down on me?"
Old Wang's heart rejoiced, "Elder Tie, I believe in you, of course, I believe in you! Just don't abandon me!"
"Shut up, talk any more nonsense and I'll throw you away right now."
Elder Tie retorted, and Old Wang immediately shut his mouth, not daring to speak again, while he continued to head towards the direction of the beast horde with a depressed expression.
"Where exactly is that Little Li? I hope he hasn't died in the beast horde after surviving the Black Spirit Stage..."
His anxious state stemmed from this. However, the most important thing now was to shake off the beast horde. As for the method, he had already figured it out after determining the direction.
The underground world was his old stomping ground. He could navigate the paths within the safe zone with his eyes closed, and even outside the safe zone, within a five-kilometer radius, it was much the same.
At first, he was solely focused on finding Li Chonglou as quickly as possible, so he hadn't thought much about it. Now that he had figured out the direction, how could he not know that the beast horde's destination was Blackie's base!
Blackie's bases were all consolidated over decades and centuries, and generally, they would not be easily abandoned.
Therefore, Elder Tie knew that the base was likely still there. And if his guess was correct, as long as he reached the place and took a detour, the following beast horde could be perfectly avoided.
It would just take a little more time.
"Little Li, you have to hold on. Please don't let anything happen to you here!"