Set a goal, and the system takes over the body.

Qi Xiuyuan wasted no more time and suddenly exerted force with his five fingers.

"Snap!"

With a sharp crack, Niu Er's cervical vertebrae were snapped, his eyes rolled upwards, and he died moments later.

Qi Xiuyuan released his grip, and Niu Er fell to the ground, scattering a few withered leaves.

He then turned to look at Gui Qi.

Gui Qi was so frightened that his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes were filled with fear.

But his life force was sealed, and he couldn't even beg for mercy. He could only watch helplessly as Qi Xiuyuan approached step by step, his eyes full of pleading.

"Not going to beg for mercy? You certainly have guts. Well then, you can die."

As Qi Xiuyuan spoke, his hand had already gripped Gui Qi's neck.

Gui Qi's eyes widened in disbelief, and he was cursing inwardly.

Damn it!

Is this a sign of not begging for mercy?

I just can't bring myself to say it!

You bastard surnamed Qi, you're not even human!

"Click."

Another crisp sound.

Ghost Qi's head lolled to the side, and he died on the spot, his eyes wide open.

Qi Xiuyuan squatted down, took some loose silver coins from the two of them, and put them in his pocket.

He then picked up the two corpses, used his deer-like movement technique, and in a few leaps, he flew a long way away, throwing the corpses into the depths of the mountain stream.

He had cleared that path with his sickle. If a herb gatherer followed the trail, he might easily stumble upon the corpse. The path had to be cleaned up and handled properly.

of course.

If the old herb gatherer wasn't lying, there shouldn't be many herb gatherers daring to enter the mountains these days, so the probability of finding a body is low.

But better safe than sorry, and being cautious is never a bad thing.

"It's still early. We can take down Wang Heihu after nightfall. Right now, let's go and pick the purple heart fruit first."

Without further hesitation, Qi Xiuyuan determined the direction and continued walking deeper into the mountains and forests.

The humidity in the forest grew heavier, and the fallen leaves underfoot were as thick as a carpet, soft and yielding to the touch.

"We'll be there soon. Once we pass through that bamboo grove, we'll reach the place where the purple heart fruit grows."

He swung his sickle to cut through the vines blocking his path, and finally, the bamboo grove he remembered began to appear in the distance.

"Click...click..."

"Wait, what's that sound?"

The faint rustling sounds coming from deep within the bamboo forest made Qi Xiuyuan frown, his steps halting instantly, and his aura immediately concealed as he listened quietly to the sound.

It sounded like teeth biting into something hard, a crisp sound mixed with a sharp grinding sound that made your teeth ache.

The old man's words immediately echoed in Qi Xiuyuan's mind.

"Could it be that monster that can gnaw on medicine sickles?"

This bamboo forest is the only way to pick purple heart fruit. There are steep cliffs on both sides. If you take a detour, you have to go through dozens of miles of primeval forest, which is more than ten times more difficult than taking the official road.

Qi Xiuyuan gripped the medicine sickle in his hand and, using his light and agile deer-like movements, quietly walked into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Deep in the bamboo forest, a strong stench of blood wafted through the air.

Several mutilated corpses lay scattered on the ground, dressed in the martial arts uniform of the Baqiang Martial Arts School. Several red-tasseled spears lay nearby, two of which were broken. The surrounding area was a complete mess, with large sections of thick bamboo broken off.

On one of the broken bamboo poles, a red figure was pierced through the abdomen and hung there, limbs limply hanging down, half of its blood-stained face buried in its disheveled hair, and a row of gleaming throwing knives were still tucked into its waistband, the sheaths bearing the mark of the Overlord Spear Martial Arts School.

Blood dripped down the clothes and bamboo pole, pattering onto the red-tasseled spear stuck upside down below, forming a small dark red puddle on the ground.

"Shen Feiyi?!"

Qi Xiuyuan's eyes narrowed suddenly, and his right hand gripped the sickle tightly.

The person hanging on the broken bamboo was Shen Feiyi from the Baqiang Martial Arts School.

Lying on the ground were all her disciples who had gone into the mountains with her.

It looks like the entire army has been wiped out.

Not far away, a monster covered in thick black and white fur and the size of a small truck was gnawing on a bloodstained silver spearhead, its sharp teeth scraping against the metal with a grating sound.

"Iron-Eating Demon Bear!!"

Qi Xiuyuan's body tensed slightly.

He had read in ancient books that there were only two kinds of strange creatures that were born to eat iron.

One type is the Yin-Yang Cat-Bear, a mythical beast that is relatively small in size and gentle in nature. It mainly eats bamboo but also consumes ironware.

Another type is the Iron-Eating Demon Bear, which is huge, has a violent temper, and loves to eat iron.

Judging from its size and the ferocity with which it gnaws at the gun barrel, this creature in front of me could never be a docile Yin-Yang panda.

but.

This Iron-Eating Demon Bear has several cuts on its body, which were probably caused by the people from the Overlord Spear Martial Arts School.

"Run...run away quickly..."

A weak voice came from Shen Feiyi's mouth.

The Iron-Eating Demon Bear suddenly raised its head, its blood-red beastly eyes staring straight at Shen Feiyi hanging on the bamboo. Seeing the blood dripping down, it seemed annoyed by her noise, let out a low growl, and raised its millstone-sized paw to slap the bamboo pole.

"Splash..."

The green bamboo shook violently, and Shen Feiyi's body swayed back and forth, with blood splattering everywhere.

Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly and took a step back.

Even Shen Feiyi, who was at the mid-stage of the Inner Strength Realm, and several martial arts school disciples perished here, which is enough to show how powerful this demonic bear is.

He was still unsure whether the Investiture of the Gods technique would work on demons.

Although the original owner had long harbored a secret crush on Shen Feiyi, and this feeling would affect him, after rational analysis, he still felt it wasn't worth taking the risk.

Alternatively, you could try system takeover.

"Set target, kill..."

Suddenly, the iron-eating demon bear turned its head, its fierce eyes locking onto him, and its action of gnawing on the spearhead came to an abrupt halt.

"Run!"

Shen Feiyi mustered her last bit of strength to shout it out.

"roar!!"

The Iron-Eating Demon Bear let out a deafening roar, dropped the half-eaten silver spearhead, and charged straight at Qi Xiuyuan with a thunderous roar, like a speeding truck.

The ground trembled, and bamboo leaves flew everywhere.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the Iron-Eating Demon Bear rushed in front of Qi Xiuyuan.

Qi Xiuyuan didn't have time to set a target. He pushed off the ground with both feet, twisted his waist and hips, and quickly dodged to the side.

The Iron-Eating Demon Bear missed its target and slammed its front paws hard into the ground.

"Bang!!"

With a muffled thud, the ground caved in, sending bamboo leaves and dust flying everywhere.

The mere gust of air that swept over him sent Qi Xiuyuan flying uncontrollably more than ten feet away. His feet landed on the ground covered with bamboo leaves, leaving two long gullies.

Before Qi Xiuyuan could fully regain his footing, the Iron-Eating Demon Bear had already turned around and pounced again.

Its massive body crashed into the bamboo forest with a rustling sound, and the bamboo leaves flying everywhere were swirled by the airflow, forming a faint vortex around it.

It swung its giant claw and slapped again!

Qi Xiuyuan quickly activated his deer-shaped movement technique, using the footwork of a spirit deer treading water to dodge continuously. His figure moved like a shadow through the bamboo forest, quickly circling around to the side of the Iron-Eating Demon Bear.

He lowered his body, switched into ape form, and raised his hand, ready to unleash the God-Sealing Finger.

But as soon as he channeled his strength to his fingertips, a sudden alarm bell rang in his mind. He abruptly withdrew his hand, shifted his stance to a deer-like movement, and retreated swiftly, simultaneously holding the medicine sickle horizontally in front of him.

"Sizzle!!"

The iron-eating demon bear's sharp claws swept across the tip of the medicine sickle.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Qi Xiuyuan retreated, and the tip of his finely crafted iron sickle was instantly severed.

If that claw were to land on a person, it would slice them in two.