THE BLACK CULTIVATOR

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

The ruins echoed with the relentless sounds of s*******r. More beasts poured in from the shattered stone spires and overgrown thickets — twisted, snarling creatures with jagged fangs and hides like cracked, hardened leather.

Chris moved like a whirlwind of death, his katana flashing in deadly, precise arcs. His laughter boomed across the battlefield, raw and unhinged, mixing with the wet thuds of bodies hitting the blood-soaked ground.

[Adrenaline & Willpower Surge: 30%.]

[Host Has Killed 10 Beasts.]

[Host Has Killed 3 Beasts.]

[Host Has Killed 8 Beasts.]

Chris finally paused, chest heaving heavily. His once-pristine brown robe clung heavily to his frame, drenched in thick, warm blood that carried the metallic tang of iron and the earthy stench of torn flesh.

Each breath came out in visible white puffs in the cooling air, while droplets of blood slid from his eyelashes, tracing warm, sticky paths down his cheeks before splattering onto the crimson-stained earth.

"This is so entertaining... and annoying," he grumbled, his voice rough from exertion. "I just cleaned my body and this robe. Now look at what you fools have done."

He gripped the hem of his robe and squeezed hard. Fresh blood poured out in heavy rivulets, soaking his fingers with a slick, viscous texture. The once-vibrant green grasses underfoot had transformed into a soggy, red carpet, matted and slippery with gore.

Dead beasts lay piled around him — some still twitching weakly, their hides torn open to reveal glistening innards and shattered bones.

He turned slowly, and his eyes widened in genuine horror.

"f**k no! Not the river too! Now how am I supposed to clean up?!"

Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at the once-clear river, now a sluggish, blood-red flow choked with floating carcasses. The water gave off a foul, coppery reek that mixed with the damp, mossy scent of the banks.

"God, I think I'm going to be stinky for a long time. I might start smelling like aboki soon." (God, I think I'm going to be stinky for a long time. I might start smelling like a Northerner soon.)

[21 Beast Cores Absorbed.]

[Calculating Awards >>> 50%.]

[Core Formation - Early Stage: 61% — 75%.]

**ARRRGH!**

[Notice: A Perfect Foundation Building Beast Detected.]

[Info: Stone Ape — Close To Breaking Into Core Formation.]

[Warning: Ape Berserk Stage Detected. Host Is Advised To Be Extremely Careful.]

From a towering, weathered spire of ancient stone, the massive Stone Ape leaped into the clearing. Its body was a mountain of rippling gray muscle and rocky hide, veins pulsing like molten ore beneath the surface.

The impact shattered the earth on landing, sending a powerful shockwave that cracked the ground and hurled a thick cloud of dust and debris skyward, temporarily blocking the faint rays of sunlight filtering through the ruins.

The beast advanced with thunderous steps, its red eyes glowing with primal, uncontrollable rage.

"You guys just keep coming!" Chris smirked, gripping his katana tighter. The blade hummed with restrained, deadly energy.

He charged head-on. Their blows collided with bone-jarring force — fist against steel, muscle against Qi — each impact sending tremors through the crumbling stone structures around them. Dust and small pebbles rained down like gritty hail.

**Bam!**

The ape’s massive fist connected squarely with Chris’s face, the impact like being hit by a boulder wrapped in rough, calloused skin. The force launched him backward, tumbling through the air before crashing into the blood-red river with a heavy splash. Cold water enveloped him instantly, thick and salty on his tongue.

[Stone Ape Has Entered Berserk Stage.]

[25x Recovery Engaged.]

"Nice. I actually felt that one," Chris muttered, wiping blood from his split lip with the soaked sleeve of his robe. The fabric felt heavy and clinging against his skin. As he pushed himself up from the riverbed, a small silver fish darted past his eyes, its scales glinting softly in the murky red water.

*Hold on, how am I able to breathe and talk underwater?*

[Aquatic Adaptation (Passive) Activated.]

*I see.*

His eyes widened in surprise. Schools of large, exotic fish glided around him, their bodies sleek and iridescent. Shadowy crocodile-like creatures slithered past, scales scraping lightly against the current.

**Boom!**

Above the surface, the Stone Ape slammed both fists into the riverbank. Deep cracks spiderwebbed across the riverbed with a grinding roar. The water level dropped rapidly, draining away in swirling vortices and leaving behind slippery mud and flopping fish.

Chris erupted upward from the draining river, Core Formation energy blazing around him like a golden aura, warm and crackling with power. His wet robe whipped in the sudden updraft.

"Fighting me is one thing — but killing these innocent fish and destroying their home is another!"

**ARRRRGH!!!**

The berserk ape roared and hurled an entire ruined building at him, chunks of stone and timber tumbling through the air. With a swift, fluid motion, Chris sliced the massive projectile cleanly in two with his katana. The halves crashed back down into the mud with heavy, wet thuds.

"Naija Heritage: Pressure Of Tinubu!"

Dark, ominous clouds gathered overhead with unnatural speed, heavy and churning like thick smoke. The sky split open as a colossal brown sword — massive, ethereal, and radiating overwhelming spiritual pressure — descended slowly. The Stone Ape struggled, muscles bulging and veins straining, but the invisible force pinned it flat against the shattered ground, crushing stone and bone alike.

"Get lost!" Chris roared, swinging his right hand downward in a decisive chop.

**BOOOOOOM!**

The sword struck with cataclysmic force. A blinding explosion of Qi and otherworldly energy erupted outward like a nuclear blast, the shockwave ripping through the air with a deafening roar.

The ground heaved and collapsed, carving out a vast crater. Everything within a two-kilometer radius — beasts, river, fish, ruins — was vaporized into fine ash and swirling dust. The air hung thick with the acrid smell of burnt flesh, sweat, and scorched earth.

The Naija youth stepped from the Shield Of Shege, eyes bulging, sweat dripping down his chin.

[Host Has Killed 200 Beasts.]

[Calculating Reward.]

[New Title Acquired: Destroyer Of Life.]

[Effect: When Activated, All Skills, Traits, and Talents Gain 200x More Explosive Power.]

"Omo, I went too far. Too, too far," Chris whispered, hovering in the air and staring at the devastated landscape. Where lush greenery and flowing water once existed, only a barren, smoking crater remained.

[Qi Reserves: -50%.]

*I'm not really interested in that.*

*Forgive me, my friends.*

He bowed his head respectfully for a moment, then shot into the sky, leaving the destruction in his wake.

As he flew, Chris reached into his Void Storage and pulled out a ripe yellow fruit. Its skin was smooth and slightly fuzzy, bursting with sweet-tart juice as he bit down.

His sharp eyes scanned the terrain below: patches of blackened ash giving way to swaying green grasses, then clusters of ancient, vine-covered buildings piercing the clouds like forgotten giants. Beasts roared in defiance as he passed overhead, their voices echoing with challenge.

*Come down here and fight us, bitch.*

Low-level creatures wisely scurried into hiding, their eyes gleaming from shadows as Chris observed them with a calm, predatory gaze.

One hour later, the Naija youth perched on the flat rooftop of a crumbling tower. His blood-drenched robe fluttered lazily in the cool breeze, still damp and clinging with a heavy, uncomfortable texture against his skin.

[Calculating And Analyzing Completed Successfully.]

[Core Formation - Early Stage: 75% >>> 100%.]

[Core Formation Early Stage — Mid Stage.]

[Host Has Killed 223 Beasts.]

[All Cores Absorbed Automatically.]

[All Stats Increased x1000.]

[Blade Art Lv3 → Lv4.]

[Shield Of Shege Lv5 → Lv6.]

[Pressure Of Tinubu Lv5 → Lv6.]

[Voice Of The Streets Lv3.5 → Lv4.5.]

[Core Shockwave Lv1 → Lv3.]

[Rhythmic Combat Intuition Lv5 → Lv6.]

[No Pain-No Gain Lv7 → Lv8.]

[Naija Heritage Lv5 → Lv6.]

[Rewards: +50 Advanced Healing Pills, +1 Grade 5 Brown Robe, +1 Core Formation Advanced Pill, +10 Teleportation Talismans, +1 Heritage Transformation Scroll.]

Chris laughed softly, the sound low and satisfied. "Now this is an upgrade." He clenched his fists, feeling raw power surge through his veins like liquid fire.

*I can already feel it overflowing within me.*

[Alert!]

[Two Large Dragons At The Core Formation Stage Detected, Approaching Rapidly.]

[Recommended Action: Run.]

"Taaa! Impossible! I'm going nowhere." (Hahaha, Impossible! I'm going nowhere.)

The Naija youth rose smoothly to his feet, eyes burning with fierce excitement as dark, thunderous clouds began to gather once more.

[Undying Courage Activated.]

[Adrenaline & Willpower Surge: 40%.]

Thick, oppressive clouds blanketed half the continent, crackling with raw lightning and booming thunder that shook the air. Foundation Building beasts fled in panic, their roars fading into the distance. Weaker Qi Condensation creatures were instantly crushed by the suffocating spiritual pressure, their bodies bursting with wet, sickening pops.

[Overwhelming Bloodlust Detected From Both Dragons.]

Chris stood firm on the rooftop, wind whipping his robe, a wide, confident smile spreading across his face as the two colossal dragons approached.

The dragon on the right was an Early Stage Core Formation Obsidian Flame Dragon. Its scales gleamed like blackened steel, rough and impenetrable, while its eyes burned with molten lava that cast flickering orange light across the ruins. The other was a Late Stage Core Formation Void Storm Dragon — longer, more serpentine, with a body that swirled with living dark clouds and constant crackling lightning, its hide shifting like storm winds made solid.

*This is my first time seeing beasts this massive. These ancient buildings look like toddlers’ toys next to them… but I’m still going to kill both.*

**ARRRRGH!**

The Obsidian Flame Dragon roared, the sound alone shattering nearby stone structures into flying debris. The force slammed into Chris like a physical wall, pushing him backward. His feet dug deep grooves into the concrete rooftop as he fought to regain balance, muscles straining.

Almost immediately, the dragon unleashed its infernal breath — a roaring torrent of blinding white-hot flames mixed with bubbling molten rock. The heat wave scorched the air itself, turning standing houses into glowing pools of lava that hissed and popped. Chris twisted away just in time, but the intense heat still seared his left arm, the skin blistering with a sharp, stinging pain.

[25x Recovery Engaged.]

*I almost got turned into a roasted chicken.*

Chris studied the two dragons carefully, analyzing their movements amid the chaos of wind and flame.

*They’re coordinating. Attacking without finding a clear opening is suicide.*

Just then, the Void Storm Dragon struck. It unleashed an abyssal thunder coil, twisting toward him at blinding speed. Its massive serpentine body wrapped around Chris like a living hurricane — scales rough and charged with electricity. Lightning exploded across his skin in searing bursts, while razor-sharp wind blades sliced at him from every direction, cutting through the air with vicious whistles.