Chapter 8: Stoneclaw Beast

The claws of the Stoneclaw Beast pierced into Gu Zhiyou's chest, tearing it open with a single swipe. As it retracted its claws and attempted to pounce on a third person, it was also struck in the back by two short blades, each a foot long.

"Hoo—" Gu Zhiuyou shouted, the short knife sliced through the air, a chill spreading across his chest, followed by a tearing pain that extended from his chest down to his lower abdomen

On the other side, Wu Wenxu is tall and strong, with greater strength than Lin Xiao. Although he has a simple mind, in terms of skills, he is the most formidable among Lin Xiao, Sun Yaojie, and the other five. Dealing with ordinary street thugs, he can easily handle two or three at a time.

Lin Xiaoxin, startled, retracted his hand holding the knife. Fortunately, he reacted quickly; the stone claw beast did not bite his arm but instead bit down on the short knife in his hand.

Gu Zhiyou's face was pressed against the ground as he fell, his right hand tightly gripping the short knife, never relaxing its hold, while his legs continued to twitch uncontrollably

These three wounds are cut extremely deep, with the trachea completely severed

"You will not die, you will not." Lin Xiao wanted to press down on the wound on his chest, but the wound was simply too large to be held down. Thinking of his wife and his two or three-year-old child, his expression darkened.

With a scoff, a deep wound over a foot long was suddenly dragged down from the back of this stone claw beast.

On the other side, Lin Xiao got up and carefully turned over Gu Zhiyou's body

All of this may seem lengthy, but in reality, it is merely the blink of an eye. When the Stoneclaw Beast opened its mouth to howl and released the knife it had bitten, Fang Xinyi, Sun Yaojie, Shi Qian, Fang Zhirong, and three other robust young men all charged forward with their knives drawn.

With a swipe of its stone claw, the throat of the short and thin man was slashed open by the three stone claws, immediately causing three gashes of blood to flow out.

The people all around were almost stunned in shock

The short and thin man let out a cry of agony, retreating three steps with a "thud, thud, thud." His face was filled with pain and terror, and three deep gashes quickly opened up at his throat, resembling three gaping mouths, with blood gushing forth like a spring.

The Stoneclaw Beast, injured and even more frenzied, opened its gaping maw and swung its tail, striking Wu Wenxu. It then tilted its head and lunged to bite Lin Xiao's right arm

Now, holding a short knife, he almost simultaneously plunged it into the body of this stone-claw beast along with Lin Xiao, and then he dragged the knife to carve out an extremely long wound on the other side.

The creature that suddenly pounced out from the aquatic vegetation was indeed a stone-claw beast as large as an adult lion or tiger

I... I cannot... die..." Gu Zhiyou gripped his own short knife tightly with his right hand, while his left hand held onto Lin Xiao, who was supporting him. His eyes were wide open, and his whole body was trembling

This fierce beast possesses two well-developed forelimbs, each with three sharp claws on its palm. Its hind limbs have degenerated to the point of being nearly invisible, and its body is devoid of any hair, with skin resembling rock. A stone horn grows from its forehead

Falling into that quagmire, when faced with danger, he did not cry; when confronted with death and the loss of his books, he also did not cry. However, when he thought of his wife and children, he wept

Lin Xiao was taken aback, and the others hurriedly stepped forward. Then, they saw Gu Zhiyou's pupils dilate, and his head suddenly droop.

"Chang... Chang Juan... Xiao Li... They want... want me... I cannot die... I... cannot... die... here... this... this..."

Although the Stoneclaw Beast was ferocious, among the more than forty individuals, some hesitated in fear. However, the majority still charged forward actively. Firstly, they were armed with knives, and secondly, they were all young and strong. Confronting a wild beast, even a lion or a tiger, should not pose an insurmountable challenge.

The steaming fresh blood gushed out like a fountain, along with the internal organs and intestines, all flowing out at once

After Sun Yaojie and Fang Xinyi and others stepped back, they saw the stone claw beast lying on the ground, its body pierced with short knives, resembling a hedgehog. It lay motionless on the ground, blood continuously flowing out and staining the surrounding aquatic plants red, clearly indicating that it was dead

Following closely behind, Sun Yaojie, Fang Zhirong, and others all took action. In the blink of an eye, it was unclear how many short blades had been deeply embedded in the body of this stone claw beast

Gu Zhiyou was crouching beside Chen Long's corpse. When the stone claw beast pounced, he had not yet fully stood up; his body was bent, and the short knife in his right hand slashed out.

Sun Yaojie and Fang Zhirong, along with a few others, gathered around the picture book, recalling how well they had been chatting earlier. Gu Zhiyou had been exceptionally friendly and warm towards them. In the blink of an eye, Gu Zhiyou was on the verge of death, and each person's heart felt unbearably heavy.

Lin Xiao did not know what to say, while the others silently watched Gu Zhiyou struggling on the ground. They observed his gaze beginning to crumble, yet tears welled up in his eyes.

Although everyone was quite alert, no one expected that after the stone claw beast killed the young man, it did not leave. Instead, it hid among the water plants, catching everyone off guard. Immediately, a thin, short man closest to the water plants was pounced upon.

Gu Zhiyou desperately clutched Lin Xiao, trying to prop himself up, but he felt strength draining from his body, his consciousness and vision becoming increasingly blurred. He thought of his wife, Chang Juan, and remembered her deep affection for him. For his sake, she had not contacted her parents for the past three years.

At that moment, Gu Zhiyou was crouching beside Chen Long's corpse, while Lin Xiao and Wu Wenxu stood to one side. As the Stone Claw Beast opened Gu Zhiyou's chest, they reacted quickly, stabbing the Stone Claw Beast with their knives.

The Stoneclaw Beast was instantly severely injured, letting out a roar as its claws hit the ground, its body suddenly lunging and shaking violently

Wu Wenxu let out a mournful cry, the short knife slipped from his hand, and he covered his face, which felt as if it had been struck by a whip, with a piercing pain penetrating to the core.

The short and thin man clutched his throat, making a few "gurgling" sounds. He had already spoken, but soon a large amount of fresh blood gushed from his mouth. He fell to the ground, convulsing continuously, and it was evident that he could not survive.

The Stoneclaw Beast moved with great speed. Although there was only one, it showed no fear of the many humans before it. It lunged at a thin man, slashing open his throat, while its other claw struck the thin man's body, using the momentum to dart sideways and pounce on Gu Zhiyou, who was closest to it.

Lin Xiao, Fang Xinyi, and Wu Wenxu rushed out frantically, each of them realizing that if they did not kill this stone claw beast, they would die here.

Now, after much difficulty, her parents have come to terms and are willing to accept him. They are bringing their son, Guli, and the family can finally reunite. How happy this scene should be, how delighted Changjuan would be. But now... now he cannot see it.

The howling Stoneclaw Beast was busy reopening its mouth, which had been cut by a blade, instantly oozing with fresh blood

I cannot die ... ... they cannot be without ... ... I ... ...

Although Chang Juan usually said little, Gu Zhi You understood that deep down, she was still very sad; she longed to reconcile with her parents

Although Gu Zhiyou's chest was opened, he did not die immediately. However, when Lin Xiao saw his intestines spilling out, a heavy feeling settled in his heart, knowing that he would not survive.

The Stoneclaw Beast had previously endured two strikes from Lin Xiao and Wu Wenxu, each of which was nearly fatal. It had just retaliated against Lin Xiao and Wu Wenxu, but it was merely a desperate act in its dying moments

Fang Xinyi is a skilled practitioner. Although not an expert of high caliber, her agility is indeed much greater than that of an average person. She pounced from behind and thrust a knife directly into the back of the stone claw beast's neck, then dragged it back.

At that moment, the ancient claw beast lunged forward and plunged its claws into Gu Zhiyou's chest, then dragged them downward, completely splitting open his chest down to his abdomen

No one expected that, just moments ago, from the depths of the water grass, which was about half a person deep, a beast with a skin color resembling that of rocks would suddenly emerge without any warning

He can see nothing anymore, no longer able to see Changjuan's smiling face, nor can he hold his own son again

Gu Zhiyou suddenly let out a heart-wrenching cry, as if experiencing a moment of clarity. From within his body, an unknown strength surged forth, and he abruptly grasped Lin Xiao, sitting up violently from the ground. In an instant, his chest completely split open.

Although the skin of the Stoneclaw Beast resembles rock in color, it is not truly as hard as rock; a dagger can easily cut through its skin and penetrate deep into its body

With a sharp crack, a tail swung and struck Wu Wenxu's face

By the time it released its bite on Lin Xiao's dagger, its body was already swaying. After taking this hit from Fang Xinyi, it opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar, attempting to counterattack Fang Xinyi, but instead, it stumbled forward, clearly unable to support its own body.

This Damascus knife is extremely sharp; Lin Xiao felt as if the knife had effortlessly pierced through tofu, instantly penetrating half a foot deep. Then, he forcefully pulled it down.

He has died