Chapter 32: A Bitter Struggle Against a Formidable Foe, A Moment of Imminent Peril!-Pesca nos Céus: Você chama isso de alma marcial amarela?(Glorioso, não é tolo.)

In the confined entrance, Yu Le finally found room to maneuver. He transformed the Dragon-Subduing Rod into the size of a staff, swinging it with wide, sweeping motions.

Having witnessed the immense weight the rod suddenly gained, the four Bristle-Maned Rats recoiled repeatedly, not daring to challenge its reach.

"Su Rui, this one is yours!" Yu Le feinted with his staff, terrifying one of the rats so much that it tumbled across the ground and nearly landed right in Su Rui’s arms.

"You got it!"

Yu Le was left to face the remaining three, including the one-eyed Bristle-Maned Rat.

The one-eyed rat let out a shrill squeak, and the other two rats, understanding the signal, immediately displayed their agility by scrambling up the nearby pipes toward the ceiling.

A pincer attack from the flanks?

Yu Le understood their strategy, yet he did not retreat in the slightest, charging directly at the highly agile one-eyed rat.

Yu Le swung his staff several times, but the creature refused to engage head-on. Rolling and scrambling, it seized an opportunity to grab the Dragon-Subduing Rod and lunged at Yu Le.

Yu Le leaned backward, narrowly dodging the incoming claws, and swung his free hand around to grab the rat by its tail.

But the creature reacted with lightning speed, dropping its front half and snapping its fangs toward Yu Le’s palm.

Had that bite connected, he would have surely lost his entire hand!

Yu Le immediately flung the creature away. It did not crash, however; instead, it kicked off the air to regain momentum and launched another ferocious pincer attack.

From the other two directions, the rats that had climbed high descended in a coordinated assault.

Yu Le’s expression darkened. He whipped around and swept his staff in a wide arc; one rat, unable to dodge in time, was sent flying with a piercing shriek.

Yet the remaining two, especially the one-eyed leader, pressed the attack, aiming directly for Yu Le’s throat.

With no time to swing his weapon, Yu Le decisively dropped the Dragon-Subduing Rod. Facing the onslaught, he channeled the power of the World-Quaking Force into his arm and struck with a palm gesture.

"Ice-Soul Palm!"

Flesh struck claw. Yu Le felt a sharp pain in his palm and let out a muffled groan.

The one-eyed rat fared no better; it let out a bizarre screech, tumbling backward like a rolling gourd before collapsing on the ground, its body twitching.

But Yu Le’s crisis was far from over. He could already hear the claw of the other rat whistling toward his back.

In the nick of time, Yu Le swayed his body, utilizing the Faint-Sway Light Step.

He failed to dodge completely as he had before. The sharp claws raked across his back, tearing through his combat suit. Yu Le felt a massive chunk of flesh being ripped away; after a searing wave of heat, his back went numb.

His face contorted in agony as he stared with wide eyes at the bloodied claws of the rat as it landed. Meanwhile, the rat he had struck with his palm was shakily pulling itself back to its feet.

They were worthy of being ninth-rank Rock-Stage beasts—their physical bodies were truly formidable.

Even after taking a palm strike empowered by his World-Quaking Force, the creature had suffered no fatal wounds. It looked to be in poor shape, however, with blood foaming from its maw and its gait wavering.

"Yu Le, fall back!"

Gu Xiaoyuan’s voice rang out.

The Healing Sprite hovering above them showered them with gentle rays of light, slightly easing Yu Le’s injuries.

Facing the two rats as they surged forward once more, Yu Le retreated, snatching up his Dragon-Subduing Rod and swinging it left and right to keep them at bay.

Eventually, he reached a point where he had nowhere left to go. His breathing grew heavy.

His right arm lacked strength, and the pain in his back made him break out in cold sweat.

Fortunately, Su Rui had managed to finish off his opponent and rushed over to reinforce him.

"Brother Yu, are you alright?"

"I’m not dead yet. Take that one; leave this one to me!"

"Be careful!"

Leaving the tougher bone for himself, Yu Le stared intently at the equally wounded one-eyed rat.

The rat’s singular eye was filled with cold malice.

After another shrill squeak, the creature began to circle, dodging the sweeps of the rod while searching for an opening.

Yu Le’s swings were losing their rhythm, erratic like someone trying to catch a frantic mouse in a house, unable to track the creature's nimble movements.

His vision began to blur. Even with the aid of the Healing Sprite, the wound on his back was too severe—the bone was almost visible, and blood was pooling beneath his feet. That he remained standing was a testament to his sheer willpower.

Just as Yu Le gritted his teeth to hold on, a sudden development made his eyes bloodshot with rage.

Finding no opening against him, the one-eyed rat had turned and bolted toward Gu Xiaoyuan.

Although Gu Xiaoyuan was no longer a novice on the battlefield, she was not built for direct combat.

She could handle lower-ranked threats, but against a vicious ninth-rank Rock-Stage Bristle-Maned Rat, her face turned pale. She drew a short blade and swung, but against the creature's erratic movement, her efforts were futile.

"Xiaoyuan!"

Su Rui was occupied with his own battle, and Yu Le, ignoring his own condition, pushed through the agonizing pain and charged.

The rat was too fast. Before Gu Xiaoyuan could react, it batted the blade from her hand and swept its claws across her thigh. Overcome with pain, she dropped to one knee.

Seeing this, the one-eyed rat pinned her to the ground. It spat out a foul, blood-scented breath, and its sharp fangs began to descend.

"Stop... right there!"

Yu Le roared. From a distance, he hurled the Dragon-Subduing Rod like a javelin. The muscles in his arm were fully tensed, and he poured every ounce of his World-Quaking Force into the throw.

The rod tore through the air. Just as the fangs were three centimeters from Gu Xiaoyuan’s neck, a splatter of rat blood landed on her face, and she felt the weight on her body vanish.

The powerful beast that had nearly killed her was pierced through the belly by the makeshift javelin. The sheer force pulverized its internal organs, sending the entire body flying.

*Clang!*

The tip of the rod passed through the rat and embedded itself into the wall. The weapon continued to vibrate with a hum, while the impaled one-eyed rat struggled for a moment before drawing its final breath.

Yu Le stumbled over to Gu Xiaoyuan. Seeing the young girl, still too young and now trembling from her brush with death, he asked, "Xiaoyuan, are you alright?"

Gu Xiaoyuan gasped like a drowning person suddenly surfacing. As her senses returned, the lingering fear washed over her.

With a wail, she threw herself into Yu Le’s arms.

"Big brother, I was so scared."

Yu Le let out a long breath and comforted her. "It’s over now. You’re safe."

"Damn you, die!"

Su Rui, his own face a bloody mess, unleashed a surge of fighting spirit. Finding an opening, he landed a heavy blow with his brass knuckles squarely on the chest of his opponent.

At that moment, the rat’s fangs had been mere centimeters from his eyes. Seeing the beast collapse, Su Rui finally slumped to the floor, exhausted.