Luo Yunxi quickly pulled the iron door shut, her face filled with anxiety.
She was completely unarmed.
There was nothing she could do to help.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Violent pounding erupted against the door once more.
Outside, Feng Moxi smashed another monster’s skull with her iron rod.
Without missing a beat, she spun and drove a powerful kick into another monster that was lunging at her.
Using the momentum from the kick, she twisted her body in mid-motion and retreated three quick steps.
Her eyes landed on the monster still slamming itself against the iron door.
Without hesitation, she sprinted toward it.
Crack!
Raising the iron rod high overhead, she brought it crashing down.
The monster, which had been roaring and battering the door, collapsed instantly.
“Raaagh!”
Another monster let out a guttural growl and charged from behind, its clawed hand reaching straight for Feng Moxi’s neck.
Sensing the attack at her back, Feng Moxi ducked just in time.
The claws barely missed her.
Before she could recover, three monsters closed in simultaneously, surrounding her from three directions.
She was already running out of strength.
Having never truly fought monsters before, even her hands had begun to tremble.
She couldn’t overpower them head-on.
The only option was to run.
If she could lure them farther away from the basement…
Luo Yunxi noticed that the pounding on the door had stopped.
She cautiously opened it a narrow crack.
The moment she saw Feng Moxi surrounded, her legs nearly gave out beneath her.
Feng Moxi threw herself into a roll across the ground, narrowly avoiding six clawed hands reaching for her at once.
The instant she regained her footing, she dashed toward a curved flower bed nearby.
The monsters let out strange, hoarse cries as they chased after her.
Once she had successfully drawn them away from the door, Feng Moxi suddenly turned around.
She charged straight at the nearest monster.
Swing!
Her iron rod smashed into its ankle.
The monster stumbled violently.
Its body slammed into the monster behind it, sending both crashing to the ground.
At that moment, the third monster lunged toward her.
Feng Moxi leaped into the air.
Her foot slammed squarely into its chest.
The force sent the monster flying backward.
Its chest visibly caved inward from the impact.
Even Feng Moxi stared in disbelief.
She hadn’t expected her kick to be that powerful.
“Heh… heh…”
The three monsters struggled back to their feet.
Strange bubbling sounds escaped from their throats as they relentlessly advanced again.
They truly wouldn’t stop until one side was dead.
By now, Feng Moxi had caught her breath.
She swung her iron rod once more.
Golden energy flowed along the weapon, forming razor-sharp metal blades.
Slash!
A monster’s skull split open instantly.
Black blood sprayed into the air before the corpse crashed heavily to the ground.
Without stopping, Feng Moxi pressed forward.
The iron rod whistled through the air.
Bang!
Bang!
The remaining two monsters fell one after another.
Only then did Feng Moxi collapse onto the ground herself.
This body was still far too weak.
After only one battle, every muscle in her arms and legs screamed in exhaustion.
She couldn’t summon another ounce of strength.
Her gaze slowly grew calm.
A faint smile crossed her lips.
So…
This was all there was to killing monsters.
In her previous life, she had always hidden behind others.
Even after awakening enhanced strength, she had never killed a single monster herself.
She had only known how to run.
To scream.
To depend on others.
Back then, she had possessed nothing more than enhanced physical strength.
It was slightly better than being an ordinary person.
During the early days of the apocalypse, that had been enough.
She had been stronger than most survivors and capable of fighting.
But as more and more people awakened elemental abilities…
Strength enhancement gradually became one of the weakest abilities.
Not only did it advance painfully slowly…
It also couldn’t absorb the energy cores that monsters produced to grow stronger.
Because of that, she had come to despise her own power.
She gave up on herself.
She relied entirely on Wan Wanxin for survival.
To secure a more comfortable life, she deliberately turned herself into a delicate, helpless woman.
She believed that if she remained gentle and dependent…
She could survive forever.
Who would have thought…
That it would end with betrayal?
After resting for a while, Feng Moxi slowly crossed her legs and began circulating the cultivation technique.
A familiar current of warmth flowed smoothly through every meridian in her body.
Her exhausted muscles gradually relaxed.
The abandoned residence became deathly silent.
Standing alone beneath the gloomy sky, it looked eerie enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.
Luo Yunxi didn’t dare make a sound.
Seeing Feng Moxi meditating, she quietly remained behind the iron door.
She was afraid that even the slightest disturbance might place Feng Moxi in danger again.
After cultivating for quite some time, Feng Moxi finally opened her eyes.
The battle had unexpectedly strengthened her metal-element ability.
The golden energy flowing within her had become noticeably more refined than before.
She carefully surveyed the surroundings.
Beyond the abandoned courtyard stood a traditional residence with white walls and gray roof tiles.
Judging by its location, it wasn’t situated in a town.
It was probably part of a remote village.
Dark bloodstains covered the white walls.
Blood was splattered throughout the corridor.
Considering how long they had been imprisoned underground, everyone who had once lived here had either been slaughtered…
Or escaped.
Feng Moxi quietly approached the front door of the residence.
She pressed her ear against it.
“Raaagh!”
Several loud monster roars erupted from inside.
Startled, she immediately stepped back.
There were quite a few monsters still inside.
Turning around, she noticed the girls slowly climbing out of the basement.
Luo Yunxi had already taken two cautious steps forward.
Feng Moxi immediately raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh.”
The girls froze in fright and hurried back into hiding.
Luo Yunxi also retreated to the doorway.
She knew she couldn’t help.
The least she could do was avoid becoming a burden.
Several of the other girls had already reached the breaking point.
Without a second thought, they sprinted toward the low wall surrounding the back courtyard.
After everything they had endured, they wanted nothing more than to escape this terrifying place.
Even if they had to crawl…
They refused to remain here another minute.
Luo Yunxi anxiously called after them.
“Don’t run! W-we can think of something together!”
Only the empty wind answered her.
Feng Moxi had different priorities.
First, she needed food.
Second, she needed a safe place to continue cultivating.
She had to break through to the Innate Realm as quickly as possible.
Otherwise…
She was still far too weak.
Her gaze settled once more on the door of the white-walled residence.
Quietly, she estimated how many monsters remained inside.
Finally, she gritted her teeth.
With a wave of her hand, a golden shield formed in front of her body.
Carefully, she pushed the door open just a crack.
Immediately, a monster heard the sound.
“Heh… heh…”
It rushed toward her.
Feng Moxi turned and ran.
Within only a few exchanges, she killed the pursuing monster.
Then she quietly returned to the doorway once more.
“Heh… heh…”
This time, three… then four monsters rushed out together.
Several flashes of golden light streaked through the air.
The first three monsters collapsed instantly.
Every strike had pierced directly through their heads.
The remaining monsters inside roared even louder.
Five or six more came charging toward her, baring their claws and fangs.
At this point, Feng Moxi’s greatest strengths were no longer just her physical power.
It was her agility.
Although this body had yet to be fully tempered, channeling her metal-element ability through the iron rod made the weapon astonishingly effective.
She weaved effortlessly through the monsters, fighting with growing confidence and ease.