Gao Wu: I became the minor villain that the protagonist was about to destroy.

"Humans..."

A deep, rumbling voice burst forth from Du Xiao's throat, making the air buzz.

"You...are very good. Your blood will surely be very...delicious!"

Upon hearing this, Yujiro looked surprised. He hadn't expected the Cyclops to actually speak. Cyclops were notoriously brainless. For a normal monster to speak, a Demon General level was sufficient, but for a Cyclops, a Demon General level 5 was required to have the ability to speak.

Yujiro pulled his hands out of his pockets, slowly clenching his fists. Red and black energy continuously emanated from his fists, causing the air to distort and his knuckles to crackle.

The battle is about to begin! Although the Cyclops is not very intelligent, its biological instincts allow it to clearly sense the naked provocation from the humans before it.

Enrage instantly overwhelmed its remaining rationality. The lone owl let out a deafening roar, its arm muscles bulging like a volcanic eruption. It raised the massive, dark spiked club high above its head and slammed it down on Yujiro with the force of a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting!

"Whoosh—!" The spiked club tore through the air, bringing with it a deadly wind pressure.

Seeing this, Yujiro's arrogant smile widened even further. He neither dodged nor evaded, and in an instant, his right fist was covered with deep Armament Haki, turning as black as ink.

Just as the spiked club swung with immense force towards him, Yujiro shifted to the side and delivered a precise, powerful punch to the side of the club.

"Bang--!!!"

The collision of fist and steel produced a deafening roar! The two terrifying forces did not completely clash, but instead entered a brief stalemate.

The energy fluctuations generated by the collision spread wildly in all directions like tangible ripples, stirring up clouds of dust.

Yujiro's muscles were taut, and his veins bulged like dragons. Even someone as strong as him felt some pressure in terms of pure power when facing a demon general-level monster whose realm was a whole level higher.

Using the momentum, Yujiro nimbly flipped through the air like a nimble ape. Lone Owl's spiked club, guided by this skillful maneuver, lost its target and crashed heavily to the ground.

"BOOM!!!"

The entire mountaintop seemed to tremble! Where the spiked club struck, the ground cracked inch by inch like fragile glass, and a huge fissure spread out.

Yujiro, using the momentum of his tumble, landed lightly and steadily on the thick shaft of the spiked club. He looked down at the Cyclops King, the provocation in his eyes unmistakable.

"roar--!!!"

Enraged by this taunt, the Cyclops was completely enraged! It opened its massive maw and unleashed the Cyclops' innate battle cry—[War Roar: Those judged as enemies suffer a 20% decrease in physical abilities while the Cyclops' own abilities are increased by 10%]! Visible sound waves mixed with a dark red energy aura instantly spread out!

The aura of the lone owl surged again by ten percent, like oil being poured on a raging fire! But Yujiro was completely unaffected.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Du Xiao suddenly exerted force with his right hand, trying to fling the spiked club and Yujiro on it together! However, in that instant, Yujiro's figure disappeared like a ghost!

The next moment, he appeared directly in front of Du Xiao's broad, cliff-like chest! His right fist, radiating a scarlet glow from highly concentrated spiritual energy, swung fiercely upwards!

"Bang--!"

A muffled thud! But this blow, powerful enough to shatter stone, struck the Lone Owl's chest, which was covered with thick keratin and hard muscles, yet it only made the owl sway slightly, leaving a relatively deep mark. The difference in physical strength brought about by the vast difference in cultivation realm was like an insurmountable chasm!

"roar--!!"

With a roar, the lone owl unleashed a massive fist that slammed down on Yujiro's chest like a meteorite! Yujiro crossed his arms to block, but was still blasted away by the overwhelming force. He tumbled dozens of times in the air before barely managing to deflect the force and land on the ground, staggering backward.

Before he could even regain his footing, the massive body of the Lone Owl had already unleashed an astonishing speed that was disproportionate to its size! The ground beneath its feet cracked as it unleashed a savage charge similar to the "mountain-hugging" technique in martial arts, crashing down like a mountain collapsing!

"Bang!"

This time, Yujiro had no way to avoid it and was hit squarely! He was like a baseball hit with all his might, flying backwards like a black shadow, and finally crashing into the ground in the distance, forming a huge cracked crater, with dust billowing everywhere.

The lone owl stood still, its single eye filled with disdain and cruelty. It believed the battle was over; how dare a mere human challenge the majesty of a king?

But just as it was about to deliver the final blow, something unexpected happened!

A thick, viscous, crimson aura, brimming with primal savagery, surged forth from the crater like a fountain of blood! This aura carried a soul-chilling pressure, causing the remaining elite Cyclops to collapse to the ground in terror, trembling uncontrollably.

The owl's enormous single eye suddenly contracted. The deepest instinctive fear that a creature feels when facing its natural enemy or an insurmountable foe caused its massive body to uncontrollably take a half-step back! It seemed to see some extremely terrifying being awakening!

"roar--!!!"

The lone owl roared instinctively; this was a creature's instinct to intimidate a powerful enemy by roaring.

To Du Xiao's horrified gaze, Hanma Yujiro, inside the pit, suddenly opened his eyes! They were eyes that had turned completely scarlet, like those of a demon! His body didn't move, but his entire upper body seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, forcibly suspending itself parallel to the sunken ground, and then landing steadily on his feet.

He slowly opened his arms, assuming a gesture of embracing the world. At the same time, the already incredibly developed muscles on his back began to writhe, bulge, and swell in an unbelievable way! The texture and shadows of the muscles intertwined and outlined, ultimately... forming a hideous, twisted face on his back, as if it were laughing silently!

Inherent Trait [Strongest Creature on Earth: When activated, constitution is increased by 30 times, attacks on terrestrial creatures ignore 30% of their defense, attacks on non-terrestrial creatures ignore 10% of their defense, and all of the opponent's abilities are reduced by 20%]

[Fanma Star People: Ignore any negative status effects, possess innate superhuman strength (10 times stronger), and physical attributes far exceeding those of ordinary people (30 times stronger). Their physical attributes increase 50 times when enraged.]

Acquired characteristics

[Ghost Back: When activated, strength is increased by 15 times, grants the attribute "Invincible Body," constitution is increased by 30 times, and has a 100% chance to intimidate enemies, reducing all of their abilities by 30%. Those with weak will will lose the will to fight.]

[Martial Artist (Fist - Red): Proficient in all martial arts, possessing unparalleled understanding of the martial way, increasing the power of martial arts skills tenfold]

[Peak martial arts skills: The ability to quickly learn an opponent's moves.]