C2 Yellow and Yellow Shocking Change(2)

To amplify his strength, Laojiu opted for his signature move, the Knee Strike!

When executed with a full-power sprint, this move could unleash strength well beyond his own capabilities, making it the ideal tactic against the thick-skinned Giant Bear.

As Laojiu neared the bear, about ten meters away, he propelled himself off the ground, soaring three to four meters into the air. With a slight forward tilt, he brought his left knee up, cradling it with one hand.

Boom!

Laojiu's knee plowed through the Giant Bear's front paw, striking squarely at its chest!

The sheer muscle power, combined with the gravitational force from his leap, doubled the impact of his strike. Despite the bear's massive size, it couldn't withstand such formidable force.

The three-meter-tall Giant Bear tumbled to the ground like a struck gourd. The impact was incredibly solid!

Laojiu grunted, wincing from the pain in his knee, but he was far from comfortable.

Ignoring the throbbing pain, Laojiu rolled forward and, without giving the Giant Bear a chance to rise, he was back on his feet and sprinting toward Blood Lake.

Roar!

The Giant Bear, unaccustomed to such defeat, was furiously enraged. Though the blow hadn't inflicted serious harm, by the time it managed to stand, Laojiu was already a considerable distance away. The bear's rage now redirected toward the next challenger.

Laojiu's strategy was sound, but Yuh Hualong's nimbleness was several notches superior. With a swift motion, he drew a three-section staff, flicked it in the air, and it straightened into a rod. With a light touch on the Giant Bear, he propelled himself over the obstructing beast with ease.

After dashing through the territories of three ferocious beasts, Laojiu was gasping for breath. Blood Lake was now within sight, less than a mile away.

Meanwhile, Yuh Hualong, hot on his heels, seemed to have lost his senses, relentlessly pursuing Laojiu as if he had completely forgotten the dire warnings about Blood Lake being off-limits.

Yuh Hualong was once a renowned martial artist who, instead of perishing in the apocalypse, emerged even stronger. Laojiu yearned to challenge him, but knowing Yuh's reputation was well-earned and that his own skills were hardly a match, he reluctantly abandoned the impractical notion.

Deep down, Yuh Hualong was seething with frustration. He wouldn't normally push himself to the brink, but the indifference of the elite outsiders towards his Beast Arena had him worried. Without any formidable beasts or warriors to engage in bloody battles, the spectacle lost its appeal.

Should he fail to capture the upper echelons' interest, his position could be jeopardized, or worse, he could be cast aside. The post-apocalyptic hardships had left him with no desire to revert to his former life. He was determined to rise above, to at least stand out among the masses.

The emergence of Laojiu sparked new hope in him. This humanoid Fierce Creature was unique, possessing remarkable strength and speed, coupled with a brutal nature. Yuh was convinced that pitting it against a worthy adversary would revitalize the Beast Arena and delight the influential slave masters.

Resolved to capture this humanoid 'monster,' Yuh was prepared to pay a steep price. His pursuit had given him a fair assessment of the creature's capabilities. He was confident he could traverse the same terrains, provided he avoided running into a pack of wild beasts.

Laojiu's route was guided by his sharpened instincts, a result of his transformation. With the beasts' strong sense of territory, he stuck to the fringes of their domains. While this made his escape easier, shaking off Yuh Hualong proved challenging.

Yet, Laojiu had a unique talent: diving. Ordinary people, unaided, could dive for a mere three to five minutes. Laojiu, however, could last about fifteen minutes underwater. His abilities had only grown since the disaster. Once, in pursuit of a large fish in a water dam, he remained submerged for over twenty minutes without feeling the urge to breathe.

Laojiu began to wonder if he, like a fish, could breathe underwater.

Yuh Hualong's dogged pursuit left Laojiu with no choice but to abandon his initial plan. To shake him off, he had to play to his strengths and make a break for Blood Lake.

What lay within Blood Lake and the cause of its crimson waters remained a mystery. The only certainty was that the animals in its vicinity had grown stronger.

Nearing the lake, encounters with Fierce Creatures became more frequent. Any creature that dared to approach would be met with bared teeth and unsheathed claws, ready to attack without mercy. Even creatures of the same species were not spared from confrontation.

As an outsider, Laojiu was not welcomed warmly. His tough scales were no match for the sharp claws that left deep gashes on his legs and back. Had he not been so agile, never lingering in one spot for more than a second, he might not have survived.

With Laojiu clearing the path, Yuh Hualong fared much better. His superior agility meant he escaped unscathed.

Watching Yuh Hualong hot on his heels, Laojiu was itching to give him a piece of his mind. But he couldn't risk speaking up and arousing suspicion.

As they drew near the water's edge, the fierce beasts thinned out, unexpectedly creating a safe zone. Once past the haphazard throng of beasts, they ceased their pursuit. Yuh Hualong, on the other hand, seemed to think he had Laojiu cornered.

With a splash, Laojiu surged ahead, plunging into the blood-red waters of the lake like a darting arrowfish. He paid no heed to whether Yuh Hualong would follow him into the water, instead propelling himself towards the lake's depths. In under a minute, he had put over two hundred meters between himself and the shore.

It was then that Laojiu could finally take a moment to look back at the shore.

Yuh Hualong stood there, his expression one of disappointment. After less than two minutes, he turned back decisively, showing no signs of entering the water to continue the chase.

This individual could certainly be described as a force to be reckoned with, displaying considerable boldness and decisiveness in his actions.

"Thank goodness, the plague-bringer has finally gone!"

Laojiu exhaled a deep breath of relief, ready to make his way back to the shore.

Earlier, he had been solely focused on escaping into the water, but now, fear was setting in. His instincts screamed that Blood Lake was fraught with peril!

As Laojiu prepared to swim back, the blood-red water before him surged upward, churning violently as if driven by an enormous underwater pump.

Then, a massive black fin, over ten meters in length, broke the surface, resembling that of a shark.

"Damn it! How could there possibly be a shark here?"

Laojiu swore under his breath. It all made sense now – the reason the fierce beasts steered clear of the lake's edge was undoubtedly linked to this large black-backed fish.

He hadn't anticipated walking straight into a trap. Now, getting to shore was going to be a challenge!

"I'll find another way to shore!"

Laojiu had no intention of engaging in a life-or-death chase with the shark-like behemoth. One wrong move, and he could end up as just another morsel in the big fish's mouth!