Chapter 00091: The Disfigured Woman
# The Disfigured Woman
Chapter 91
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 91: The Disfigured Woman
As the giant ape swung its massive iron hammer toward him once more, Ding Huan desperately wanted to stay and finish off this beast.
The area was wide open, and with his Wind Blade Technique and Wind Control Technique, he might just be able to take down this level-nine ferocious beast.
But Ding Huan knew better.
Killing the giant ape wasn’t something he could do quickly, and the endless horde of beasts around him wouldn’t give him a chance to escape.
What’s more, there was another creature lurking somewhere nearby, possibly even stronger than a level-nine beast.
Ding Huan unleashed a dozen wind blades and kicked the log he had intercepted earlier.
As the log flew toward the sea, Ding Huan leaped after it.
*Boom!* Almost the moment Ding Huan left the shore, the giant hammer smashed into the spot where he had been standing.
The ape, filled with hatred for Ding Huan, hurled the hammer after him.
The beast was clearly experienced in combat—it didn’t aim the hammer directly at Ding Huan but instead targeted his path.
No matter how strong Ding Huan’s aerial techniques were, his true energy couldn’t sustain such extreme consumption.
Just as he was about to collide with the hammer, Ding Huan twisted his body mid-air and lunged back toward the shore.
Even with his quick reflexes, the hammer grazed his waist, nearly sending him crashing into the sea.
“Damn ape!” Ding Huan cursed in anger.
Couldn’t it even let him leave?
He slashed out with his Starry Sky Blade, unleashing hundreds of wind blades to lock down the ape’s movements.
Since he couldn’t escape, he decided to fight.
Ding Huan charged at the ape with his blade.
“Roar!” The ape, enraged by Ding Huan’s audacity, roared and charged back.
Just as the two were about to collide, Ding Huan sidestepped and hurled a fireball into the ape’s gaping mouth.
He quickly retracted his Starry Sky Blade, then thrust it into the ape’s back.
The ape, which had been aiming a punch at the blade and a claw at Ding Huan’s throat, missed both attacks as Ding Huan dodged and struck.
The hundreds of wind blades Ding Huan had unleashed earlier did little damage to the ape, but the fireball exploded in its throat, blasting a bloody hole from the inside out.
From the moment the ape hurled the hammer to stop Ding Huan, to Ding Huan’s counterattack, to the ape’s retaliation and Ding Huan’s final strike, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The ape let out a blood-curdling scream of pain as Ding Huan’s Starry Sky Blade pierced its back.
Ding Huan didn’t hold back—he yanked the blade downward, causing the ape to howl in agony.
The ape, now severely injured, didn’t dare stay a moment longer.
It fled, leaving a trail of blood behind.
The other beasts, seeing their leader retreat, swarmed toward Ding Huan.
He dashed toward the sea, skimming across the surface like a skier before landing on the floating log.
With a surge of true energy from his feet, the log shot forward like a boat, carrying Ding Huan away.
He knew the ape wasn’t dead.
If it came back and delayed him even for a moment, he’d be done for.
For now, escape was his only option.
As Ding Huan fled, the remaining beasts roared furiously from the shore.
…
Far away, inside a steel fortress, three people fell silent as they heard the ape’s roars.
Wei Datai didn’t even bother to look through his binoculars anymore.
“He’s probably gone,” Wei Datai sighed after a long pause.
They had seen the giant ape before—it was an absolute monster.
Rumor had it that this global beast tide had been started by a dragon-like creature, but in their eyes, the ape was just as terrifying.
If Ding Huan had been cornered by that ape on the human defense line, there was no way he could have survived.
“Sigh…” Han Qi sighed as well.
She had always admired Ding Huan, especially since he had trained several powerful disciples.
She had even planned to visit him during her vacation.
But now, it seemed this would be their last meeting.
…
Ding Huan didn’t plan to go too far from the shore.
This was the Atlantic Ocean, and with his current strength, he wouldn’t survive if he ventured too far out.
But just as he thought this, a sharp blade shot out from the depths of the sea, aiming straight for his throat.
A true energy arrow?
Ding Huan’s heart raced as he leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the arrow that grazed the bottom of his feet.
Whoever—or whatever—had fired that arrow was at least a level-four or level-five beast.
Ding Huan felt a growing sense of unease.
If there were underwater beasts capable of firing such arrows, he was in serious trouble.
Before he could even land, a dozen more arrows shot toward him.
At the same time, hundreds of fish with blade-like fins leaped out of the water, charging at him.
Ding Huan’s scalp tingled as he frantically unleashed a barrage of wind blades.
This was the fastest he had ever used the technique.
Without his spiritual sense, he wouldn’t even have been able to fight back in this situation.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!* Blood sprayed into the air as the wind blades struck the fish.
But at the same time, Ding Huan felt sharp pains in his body—he had been hit by at least six arrows, one of which had pierced straight through him.
His spiritual sense was still too weak.
He couldn’t block all the arrows, nor could he kill all the blade-finned fish at once.
Still, he managed to take down thirty or forty of them.
The sea around him turned into a frenzy as more fish gathered.
When Ding Huan saw another hundred blade-finned fish leap out of the water, accompanied by an endless barrage of arrows, he knew he had to leave or die.
This wasn’t land.
On land, he had plenty of options.
Here, he only had the log.
If it were destroyed, he’d have nowhere to stand.
The fish hadn’t thought of attacking the log yet, but if he stayed, they’d figure it out soon enough.
As soon as Ding Huan landed on the log, he channeled his true energy into his feet, propelling the log forward like an arrow.
Hundreds more arrows shot toward him.
Ding Huan slashed with his Starry Sky Blade, but he couldn’t block them all.
*Thud! Thud!* Arrows struck Ding Huan’s body, drawing blood with each hit.
But he couldn’t stop, not even for a moment.
He had to focus all his energy on his feet to escape the swarm of blade-finned fish.
The fish were terrifying.
Even with his incredible healing abilities, the sheer number of arrows hitting him left him feeling weak and dizzy.
If it weren’t for the large bag on his back blocking some of the arrows, his injuries would have been even worse.
Fortunately, Ding Huan’s strategy worked.
Despite his injuries, he managed to break free from the swarm of deadly fish.
Now, completely disoriented and weakened from blood loss, Ding Huan felt his head spinning.
He knew that if he passed out in the middle of the ocean, it would mean certain death.
With no sense of direction, Ding Huan continued to drive the log forward, pouring all his remaining energy into it.
Finally, he spotted a small rocky island in the distance.
Without a second thought, he steered the log toward it.
Just as he reached the edge of the island, Ding Huan blacked out.
His last thought was that he was done for—he hadn’t even made it onto the island, but he couldn’t hold on any longer.
The blood loss, severe injuries, and constant use of true energy had pushed him to his limit.
If it weren’t for his enhanced healing genes, he would have been fish food long ago.
But now, it didn’t matter—death was just a matter of time.
…
When Ding Huan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a piece of weathered rock, its surface smoothed by countless waves.
A faint light filtered in, creating an eerie sense of calm.
If it weren’t for the sound of waves crashing against the rocks outside, he might have thought everything that had happened was just a dream.
He wasn’t dead?
Ding Huan sprang to his feet.
His powerful healing genes had worked quickly, and he was already recovering.
“You’re awake?” A slightly hoarse woman’s voice reached his ears.
Ding Huan turned to see a young woman dressed in simple hemp clothing.
Her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered by a gray cloth.
Her figure was slender but not frail, and her eyes were bright, though they carried a hint of sadness.
Her neck was covered in scars, and even though her clothes hid the rest of her body, Ding Huan could tell she had suffered greatly.
“Did you save me?” Ding Huan asked, but then he froze.
He stared at the woman in shock. “You’re not from Earth, are you?”
He didn’t even need to ask—he was certain.
The woman had just spoken in the Universal Language, a tongue used across the cosmos.
Earth, being a planet that hadn’t yet joined the interstellar community, didn’t use it.
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise.
She had spoken in the Universal Language out of habit, never expecting anyone on Earth to understand her.
“Are you from another planet too?” Her voice trembled with hope and excitement.
Earth was home to billions of people, even in this age of beasts.
But for her, it was a lonely place.
She was an outsider, a fugitive who had been captured and tortured.
Ding Huan shook his head. “No, I’m from Earth. I’ve just been off-planet before, so I know the Universal Language.”
The woman’s excitement faded slightly when she heard he was still an Earthling.
“Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I’d have been fish food by now,” Ding Huan said sincerely.
The woman shook her head. “I found you unconscious by the island and brought you here. But we’re still going to die—it’s just a matter of time. Your bag is over there.” She pointed to a corner of the cave.
Ding Huan followed her gaze and saw his bag. “I’m Ding Huan. What’s your name?” He could tell the woman wasn’t a gene cultivator, but she must have practiced some form of ancient martial arts to survive here.
“I’m Qi Xinyue,” she replied.
“There’s no one else here. Why do you keep your face covered?” Ding Huan asked, puzzled.
On this desolate island, what was there to hide?
Qi Xinyue hesitated, then pulled down the cloth covering her face.
Ding Huan’s heart clenched at the sight.
Her face was a mess of scars, crisscrossed like twisted centipedes.
Despite the disfigurement, her features were perfectly proportioned, and Ding Huan could tell she had once been a stunning beauty.
“Who did this to you? Why?” Ding Huan asked, his voice filled with anger.
It wasn’t just because she had saved him—he could sense that Qi Xinyue wasn’t a malicious person.
There was no aura of violence around her.
She had been hiding here, trying to survive, and yet she had still risked saving him, a stranger.
“I came to Earth seven years ago, and they captured me…” Qi Xinyue began.
Ding Huan’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re the one from the alien spacecraft that landed on Earth seven years ago?”
(End of chapter.
Goodnight, friends! Please support with monthly votes!)