Chapter Ninety-Four: The Terror of the Great Beast, Awakening of Bloodline Power

"Now... let me show you what true terror really is!"

Blood geysered from the slash at his neck, yet Joyce did not care. He gave a savage grin, then shifted his gaze toward the full moon in the sky.

The instant the moon came into view, the eerie green in his eyes gradually flared into a crimson glow. Joyce's body then seemed to undergo a grotesque mutation, swelling at an astonishing rate.

In Western legends, werewolves transform on the night of the full moon. For Joyce, this so-called transformation meant releasing his true power from within and assuming his original form.

The clouds were sparse tonight. Beneath a sky strewn with stars, the full moon hung high like a silver disc, casting a soft radiance.

The moment Joyce looked up at the moon, the passive ability known as Crisis Warning alerted Cheng Feng to danger.

A few more seconds, and he had been certain he could sever Joyce's neck. But Joyce had clearly activated his transformation ability, and the situation had changed. He probably no longer had even those few seconds.

Cheng Feng had never been stronger than Joyce to begin with. This had been a hard-won chance to kill him, and though it was a pity, retreat was the only option.

Just as he was about to draw back his spirit blade and withdraw, Cheng Feng found that he could not. The edge of Thunder-Cleaver had become lodged in Joyce's neck.

The monster's body was swelling, causing Thunder-Cleaver to be pinched fast within the thickening flesh of its neck.

"Stuck, is it?"

Cheng Feng tried twice at top speed, only to find it still would not budge. He abruptly abandoned the blade and leaped back.

Joyce completed his transformation. With a thunderous roar, he expelled a vast surge of searing steam and vapor, shrouding himself in it.

A terrifying pressure spilled outward from ahead, making Cheng Feng's scalp prickle. This was the might of a great yokai-level monster in its true form.

After transforming, the burst of power he released was immensely formidable.

On raw strength alone, Cheng Feng had already struggled to contend with Joyce. And now this werewolf monster, after transforming, radiated an aura that alone made it clear his combat power had multiplied several times over.

The gap in strength turned an already grim battle into something far more dangerous.

As the steam dispersed, the outline of a colossal beast gradually emerged. Before him stood a ferocious giant wolf covered from head to toe in black fur, or rather... a standing werewolf.

Its black ears were erect, two sharp fangs bared. A black-furred tail hung behind it, and its two razor claws flashed with a cold, sinister light beneath the night sky. Bent slightly forward, the enormous wolf body towered nearly ten meters high.

"This is my true form..."

Joyce rolled his neck left and right, producing a crackling of bones. His massive frame stood higher than the nearby shops, like a black behemoth planted in the middle of the street, exuding overwhelming oppression.

The situation was terrible. Cheng Feng had no idea where he had even flung Thunder-Cleaver.

Taking a deep breath, he activated Blood Control Art. Blood seeped from his arm, flowed into his hand, and condensed into a two-meter-long spear of fresh blood.

Joyce knew that if he revealed himself in the middle of the street, demon hunters would soon come to reinforce the area. He had to kill Cheng Feng as quickly as possible, then continue the pursuit of Snow Jue.

"You dared anger me? I'll tear you to shreds and show you!"

Lowering his gaze, Joyce looked down at the many times smaller Cheng Feng as though at some insignificant ant, and could not help letting out bursts of sneering laughter.

He moved.

In an instant he charged forward, so fast that only a blurred black afterimage could be seen.

Even after growing several times larger, his speed had not been restricted in the slightest; if anything, he was faster than before.

Cheng Feng hurled the blood spear. It tore through the air with a shriek, flying straight for its target.

Joyce was about to swat it aside with a casual wave, but just as his arm was about to strike the incoming spear, Cheng Feng activated Blood Burst Art. The blood spear exploded violently, becoming a mass of blasting flame that engulfed Joyce's upper body.

"Damn brat!"

The power of Blood Burst Art brought Joyce intense pain, but not enough to seriously wound him. Instead, it only enraged him further, and he surged toward Cheng Feng at even greater speed.

Cheng Feng stomped hard on the ground and sprang away.

Whoosh!

A black heavy fist cleaved through the air. Joyce's follow-up attack slammed down on the spot where Cheng Feng had stood a moment before, and the force shattered the ground into flying grit and rubble.

Those eerie green eyes shifted as Joyce saw through Cheng Feng's evasion route.

He turned, and with a piercing howl, the fluffy black wolf tail behind him lashed out like a whip toward Cheng Feng.

Suspended in midair with no leverage to draw upon, Cheng Feng immediately used Blood Control Art again, condensing a thick, sturdy layer of blood armor over his left arm.

Yet the blood armor held for only one second before failing. It shattered into fragments, and Cheng Feng was sent flying by the tremendous force, crashing into the wall of a roadside building.

Joyce bared his mouthful of sharpened teeth in triumph and strode over.

"I've already memorized that little cat spirit's scent. No matter where she hides, it won't matter... After I kill you, I'll go eat her."

...

It was already late at the Cat Maid Cafe.

At the entrance, the catgirl waitress Xiao Ju glanced left and right, preparing to hang out the closed sign.

"Xiao Ju!"

A voice suddenly sounded behind her, startling her. She patted her chest and turned around.

A white-haired girl then rushed up and threw her arms around her.

"It's really you, Xiao Ju!" Snow Jue was so excited she nearly cried. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Eh, wait, wait! You are..."

Xiao Ju placed both hands on the white-haired girl's shoulders and gently pushed her away. Once she had made out her face, shock filled her expression.

"Sn-Snow Jue?! Why are you here? Weren't you in Crimson Moon City?"

"I'll explain later!"

Snow Jue said hastily, "My friend is in danger! I need to find that person for help!"

"What happened??"

...

Bang!

A figure smashed through a wall beside the street and, amid a spray of rubble, tumbled into an unoccupied house, overturning tables, chairs, and other furniture.

In the dust and smoke, Cheng Feng slowly pushed himself up. After Joyce's heavy blow, his internal organs had already been damaged, but under his healing ability they were gradually recovering.

Wiping away the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, Cheng Feng realized that the speed of his recovery was no longer as fast as before. It had clearly slowed considerably, proving that he had once again reached his limit.

The last time this had happened, it had only been a hypothesis. Now it had been confirmed once more.

If an opponent was too formidable and inflicted damage beyond a certain threshold, his healing effect would slow down dramatically.

The last time had been during the tournament, when he fought Wang Yuming. At that time, the injuries had exceeded the body's limit of endurance, and it had taken more than half an hour for them to heal completely.

But now, compared with Wang Yuming, Joyce was far stronger.

Thump... thump...

As Cheng Feng rapidly searched for a way to respond, he suddenly heard the sound of his own heartbeat, fierce as the beating of war drums.

With that incessant pounding, it was as though some incomparably powerful energy were gathering within his body.