The Fallen Deity Mountains lie in the desolate southern expanse of the continent, stretching for thousands of miles, vast and expansive. Deep within its depths, powerful monsters roam freely, posing grave dangers, and earning it the reputation of a treacherous land.

Outside a cave in the mountains, a recent battle has just concluded, leaving behind a scene of bloodstains and human limbs strewn across the ground. A monstrous beast, resembling a small mountain in size, is leisurely devouring the corpses of humans.

This beast has a face like a sinister crow, its body covered in black scales akin to bronze and iron, resembling a fortress wall. Rows of sharp spikes several meters long protrude from its back, exuding an incredibly ferocious and violent aura. It greedily chews on the severed limbs of humans, occasionally roaring towards the cave entrance, its intention to intimidate and threaten unmistakable.

In the cramped cave, seven youths huddle together, their faces drained of color, eyes filled with fear and despair under the terrifying roars of the monstrous beast.

Chen Yu sits at the cave entrance, observing the beast devouring human corpses. He occasionally glances back at his companions, who are petrified with fear, his expression one of helplessness.

Caught between the indomitable seventh level monstrous beast, the Black Scales Jackal, and his terrified companions, Chen Yu sees no hope for survival in this dire situation.

Even in the treacherous land of the Fallen Deity Mountains, the Black Scales Jackal reigns as a formidable apex predator, far beyond the capabilities of these low-level martial practitioners within the cave.

In fact, prior to taking refuge in this narrow cave, the original group included three peak Vital energy Condensation realm powerhouses. However, under the assault of the Black Scales Jackal, these three experts were torn to shreds with just a glance, while the remaining thirty-plus warriors of varying strengths met similarly grim fates. In the end, only Chen Yu and the other six individuals remained.

"What... what do we do? We're trapped here!" a voice tinged with tears cried out.

A young teenager who appears to be sixteen or seventeen years old, adorned in luxurious brocade, occupies the innermost position of the cave. His face is filled with terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"I don't want to die! I am a core descendant of the Su Family. My grandfather is the second elder of the Su Family, and my father is Su Qingfeng, the future patriarch of the Su Family. My status is noble; I cannot perish here!"

"Yes, I can't die, absolutely can't die here... You must ensure I survive. Your worthless lives mean nothing; it doesn't matter if you die. I am an important figure of the Su Family, I must not die. You must figure out how to get me out of this cursed place safely..."

As the young man in brocade speaks, his voice grows louder, his emotions becoming increasingly agitated, his expression contorted and sinister!

As the young man in brocade descends into madness, the other youths in the cave become more and more panicked, silently bowing their heads.

The atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive, leaving one feeling hopeless.

Watching the young man in brocade, who despite his obvious weakness, still carries himself with an air of superiority, Chen Yu furrows his brow, his eyes revealing a deep sense of disgust.

The young man in brocade is named Su Xu, and indeed, his status is exceptional. He is a direct descendant of the Su Family, a martial arts aristocracy that rules over an area of three thousand miles around the city of Minglan. His grandfather and father are both powerful figures within the Su Family.

However, the culprit responsible for the current situation is none other than Su Xu.

Half a month ago, Su Xu gathered his friends and guards and went to Five Clans Fort on the outskirts of the Fallen Deity Mountains for leisure. After causing chaos at Five Clans Fort, he had a sudden whim and, disregarding the dissuasion from the fort's authorities, insisted on entering the Fallen Deity Mountains for hunting.

Despite the efforts of the Five Clans Fort to dissuade Su Xu, they had no choice but to send a large number of personnel to protect this young master who ventured into the mountains. Chen Yu, as the young master of the Chen family within the Five Clans Fort, had to join the team protecting Su Xu for some reason.

Little did they know, once they entered the mountains, Su Xu repeatedly acted foolishly, disregarding the objections of all the martial practitioners from the Five Clans Fort, including Chen Yu, and kept pushing deeper into the heart of the Fallen Deity Mountains.

It's unclear whether Su Xu was lucky or unlucky, as they encountered no overly powerful monsters on their journey into the mountains, which led to Su Xu's ego inflating. He thought that the Fallen Deity Mountains regarded as a treacherous land by countless martial practitioners, were nothing special... until just an hour ago when the team encountered the Black Scales Jackal outside the cave.

When the nearly forty-strong team encountered the Black Scales Jackal, the slaughter began, with one-sided massacre ensuing. Not a single person from the large group managed to escape. In the end, it was Chen Yu who, relying on his experience, found this cave as a temporary refuge. However, the Black Scales Jackal soon followed, blocking the entrance to the cave, trapping all survivors, including Chen Yu, like fish in a barrel.

Reflecting on the experiences along the way, Chen Yu sighed, too weary to bother with annoying individuals like Su Xu. His gaze fell upon a girl beside him.

The girl appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, with delicate features and bright eyes, but her complexion was currently pale. She clung tightly to Chen Yu's body, trembling slightly with fear.

The girl's name is Ye Wanrong, the eldest daughter of the Ye family of the Five Clans Fort. Additionally, she holds another significant identity: she is Chen Yu's fiancée.

The Five Clans Fort is jointly governed by five families: Chen, Ye, Xu, Gu, and Zhang. The Chen and Ye families have close ties, and as the young master of the Chen family, Chen Yu and Ye Wanrong are a well-matched couple. Moreover, they have had a close bond since childhood, which led to their engagement at an early age.

Initially, Chen Yu had no intention of accompanying a young master like Su Xu into the mountains. However, Ye Wanrong was inexplicably sent by the Ye family to accompany Su Xu on his journey. In order to protect Ye Wanrong, Chen Yu had no choice but to join the large group accompanying Su Xu on their mountain excursion.

Gazing at Ye Wanrong, Chen Yu's eyes softened, but at the same time, he felt deeply anxious about their current dire situation.

Chen Yu may be indifferent to his own life and death, but he cannot disregard Ye Wanrong's well-being. In his heart, Ye Wanrong is the most important person after his father!

As childhood sweethearts who grew up together, Chen Yu once swore to protect Ye Wanrong for life!

"Why aren't you talking? Aren't you sent by the Five Clans Fort to protect me?" Su Xu, seeing that no one is paying attention to him, shouts louder and louder, his expression becoming increasingly irritated and sinister. He suddenly grabs the collar of a young man and shouts sternly, "Isn't the Five Clans Fort supposed to be the most familiar with this cursed place of the Fallen Deity Mountains? Speak up, do you have any solutions?"

The young man, gripped by Su Xu, turns pale and remains silent.

The others stare at Su Xu in astonishment, their expressions incredulous.

"Useless bunch of trash!" Su Xu has completely lost his sanity, forcefully slamming the head of the young man against the sturdy rock wall, shouting, "If you can't protect me, what are you still alive for? Why aren't you dead yet?"

The young man remains silent, his face growing paler and more panicked.

But Su Xu doesn't stop there. Ignoring the first young man, he slaps another young man from the Five Clans Fort.

A crisp sound echoes as the young man falls to the ground, his expression blank, his eyes hollow as he starts to whimper.

"Worthless!" Su Xu's face contorts into an unrecognizable expression of rage. He bends down, kicking the young man forcefully and then mercilessly pummeling him with punches and kicks.

Watching Su Xu descend into complete madness, the other youths involuntarily shrink back, their expressions becoming fearful and bewildered. No one dares to intervene to stop Su Xu.

Chen Yu recognizes the young man being beaten by Su Xu; he's from the Xu family of the Five Clans Fort, with only a cultivation level of Vital energy Condensation Third Layer. The Xu family sent him to accompany Su Xu into the mountains as a gesture of flattery, but it has led to this unfortunate situation.

"You, I command you to go out and kill that the Black Scales Jackal!" Su Xu, lost in his frenzy, is completely irrational. After viciously attacking the young man from the Xu family, he grabs another young man's clothing and shouts at him.

The young man shakes his head in fear.

"Useless!" Su Xu continues his onslaught of punches and kicks. The young man covers his head, not daring to retaliate.

Chen Yu sighs deeply, overwhelmed with disappointment.

Even if he were inclined to make a desperate attempt to seize a glimmer of hope under the relentless claws of the Black Scales Jackal, Chen Yu dare not entrust his back to these companions who have been thoroughly frightened, devoid of any courage.

"Darling Yu!" Just as he was contemplating this, Chen Yu hears Ye Wanrong's frightened whisper.

Looking up, Chen Yu sees Su Xu's sinister expression and those pair of eyes, burning red with hostility.

"You... Chen Yu, aren't you proud? Weren't you unwilling to flatter me? You're just a commoner, your Chen family is nothing but a mediocre small clan. How dare you act arrogant in front of me?" Su Xu shouts angrily, lifting his foot to kick Chen Yu.

Chen Yu shakes his head, moving faster than before, agile like a leopard. He delivers a swift slap.

Smack...

Accompanied by the crisp sound of a slap, Su Xu is sent flying by the force, crashing into the cave wall.

"You... How dare you hit me?" Su Xu's face now bears a bright red handprint. He stares blankly, clutching his face and screaming in pain.

"Idiot!" Chen Yu's gaze pierces Su Xu like a knife as he coldly states, "Do you still think you're a pampered young master with guards protecting you? Look around you! Your guards are all dead, do you understand? It's all because of your stupidity, because you're as foolish as a pig. You treated the treacherous the Fallen Deity Mountains like your own backyard. No matter how many people advised you, you didn't listen. It's you who caused their deaths, your guards, and your so-called friends. They all died because of you, do you realize that?"

"I... I'll kill you! I'll wipe out your Chen family, kill every last one of them!" Exposed mercilessly by Chen Yu, Su Xu first freezes in shock, then his expression turns completely insane. He roars madly and lunges forward.

"I'll kill you first!" Hearing Su Xu's threats to annihilate the Chen family, Chen Yu's anger flares up. His eyes turn icy as he delivers a powerful punch, channeling all his strength with his vital energy.

" Yu!" Ye Wanrong exclaims in shock.

"Chen Yu, don't do something reckless!" The youths who were silent and dared not intervene when Su Xu went mad are now pale with horror, trying to dissuade Chen Yu.

However, Chen Yu pays no heed to any dissuasion. His fist strikes Su Xu's chest squarely, sending him flying once again into the cave wall.

In terms of strength, Su Xu indeed hails from the Su family, a martial arts powerhouse. His level of cultivation is actually slightly stronger than Chen Yu's. However, at this moment, he has completely lost his composure and hasn't managed to land a single blow on Chen Yu.

With a swift step forward, Chen Yu bends down and clasps Su Xu's throat, applying pressure.

Su Xu struggles violently, his face turning red with fear. Other youths rush forward to pull Chen Yu away, but he remains unmoved, his intent to kill evident.

Since he has already acted, Chen Yu no longer cares about Su Xu's status. While Su Xu's background is indeed remarkable, what does it matter in such dire circumstances? Who cares about such things now?

Just then, the light in the cave dims suddenly, and the sinister face of the Black Scales Jackal obscures the narrow entrance of the cave. Its blood-red eyes glare into the cave, fierce and terrifying.

Evidently, the commotion in the cave has finally alerted the powerful monster the Black Scales Jackal.

The group of youths let out terrified screams, scrambling deeper into the cave.

"Yu!" Ye Wanrong cries out in fear, falling to the ground and squeezing into the depths of the cave.

Chen Yu turns back, locking eyes with the Black Scales Jackal 's crimson gaze, slowly releasing his grip.

"Sob... Sob..." Su Xu weeps bitterly, collapsing like a limp rag doll on the ground, a pungent odor filling the air as he loses control of his bladder, overwhelmed by Chen Yu's murderous intent and the ferocity of the Black Scales Jackal.

After a moment of scrutiny, the Black Scales Jackal seems to lose interest and slowly withdraws, lazily pacing outside the cave.

With the danger seemingly passed, the people inside the cave breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Glancing at the sorry sight of Su Xu, Chen Yu loses interest in killing him. He sneers, "You're nothing but trash. Look at how scared you've become. Yet you still dare to act tough?"