Inside the formation.
Qin Xun stood wounded, his green Daoist robe stained red with blood.
Across from him, three of the nine powerful enemies had already fallen, while the remaining six were all injured.
“How the hell does this old bastard have so many magical artifacts? Even downgraded to C-rank, he’s still this tough to deal with!” one of the C-ranks nearly lost his composure.
The Black leader frowned, his patience wearing thin. “There’s an ancient saying in Xia: ‘A starved camel is still bigger than a horse.’ He was once a peak B-rank, after all. Even though my ‘Divine Skull’ forcibly downgraded him to C-rank, he can still hold his own against an ordinary B-rank.”
“But you’re not an ordinary B-rank either…”
The Black leader shot him a glance but said nothing.
Seeing them whispering among themselves, Qin Xun seized the moment to pop a pill into his mouth.
Hah… relief.
The Black leader had long shed his earlier politeness, his face now icy. “Qin Xun, I admit you’re strong—the first to survive this long under the effects of the ‘Divine Skull.'”
Qin Xun glanced at the skull in the man’s hand and sneered. “Your god must be truly unlucky—not even death brings peace, with his skull paraded around by descendants like you.”
With a flick of his wrist, a palm-leaf fan appeared in his hand. “Care to see how this artifact fares?”
“Again?!” The six opponents widened their eyes in disbelief. None had expected the old Daoist to have such a deep arsenal, his treasures outnumbering theirs combined.
Qin Xun gently waved the fan, and a fierce gale erupted within the formation.
None of them noticed the subtle shift in the formation the moment the fan moved. A glimmer of light flashed in the southeast, faintly revealing a character: Xun (Wind).
But that wasn’t all. With another flick, lightning descended from the sky in the east.
Zhen (Thunder).
They had never witnessed such a sight before, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
“Maybe… we should use that move. Otherwise, we’re all dead here,” one of them cried out.
The Black leader took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Qin Xun’s battered yet unyielding figure. “Fall back!” he commanded.
The others brightened at his words, finally exhaling in relief.
If he’s willing to use that move, we won’t have to throw our lives away.
But then, the Black leader suddenly turned to the one who had suggested it and said coolly, “I hesitated to use it because it drains my vitality. But since you’re so selfless, I’ll accept your offering.”
Before the man could react, the Black leader seized him. No matter how hard he struggled, escape was impossible.
“You—”
The beast-like tattoos on the Black leader’s body began to glow. In mere breaths, the C-rank superhuman in his grasp withered into a desiccated corpse, his vitality absorbed to replenish the leader’s own.
“Beastblood Surge!”
A frenzied aura flooded the formation. The Black leader’s body sprouted lion-like fur, his eyes turning blood-red.
A deafening roar erupted from his throat.
Like a lion pouncing on its prey, he charged at Qin Xun. A bolt of lightning struck him mid-air, charring even his yellow hair black.
Though Qin Xun appeared calm, he was on the verge of collapse. He dared not engage directly, instead summoning thunder to strike, mountains to block, swamps to trap, and gales to blind his foe.
Indeed, this formation was the crystallization of ancient wisdom—the Eight Trigrams Formation!
Qin Xun glanced back at the bustling city behind him, his gaze hardening. “I’ve lived long enough. Today, I’ll use my Sea of Qi and Snowy Peaks to crush this beast!”
So what if I’m C-rank? This old man is still beyond your reach!
In an instant, the sound of crashing waves filled the air, vast and distant.
Everyone turned to look as snowy peaks and an endless sea materialized in the sky.
Vast Snowy Peaks, Boundless Sea of Qi.
Qin Xun waved his fan lightly, and one of the towering peaks crumbled, plunging into the sea and sending waves soaring.
Simultaneously, a bolt of lightning struck the Black leader.
“Ahhh—!” He convulsed in agony.
“Again!”
Another peak collapsed. The sky revealed the rare spectacle of the sun and moon appearing together, a massive Taiji diagram enveloping the Black leader in a soft glow.
“Don’t think a few years in Xia makes you an expert. Have you seen this before?” Qin Xun sneered as the last two peaks crumbled.
An overwhelming pressure descended. The Black leader’s body compressed into a mangled pulp before exploding in a gruesome burst.
The remaining C-ranks had lost all will to fight, frantically pounding at the formation.
Their only thought now: Run.
Who the hell can fight this? Just the sight alone is enough to scare someone to death!
As if answering their prayers, the formation shattered. They scattered like madmen.
Yang He and the North Star squad were already in position. The moment the formation broke, he barked, “Capture them all! Let none escape!”
Led by several C-ranks, the team moved to surround the fleeing enemies while Yang He rushed to check on Qin Xun.
“Commander Yang, be careful! There might still be enemies!” Su Mo warned from behind.
No sooner had he spoken than massive tentacles erupted from all directions, attacking everyone in sight.
Dozens of people—including the fleeing terrorists—were ensnared in an instant, their agonized screams filling the air.
“Kid, you talk too much!”
Three truck-sized tentacle monsters lunged at Su Mo, splattering him with viscous slime.
He slashed at the incoming tentacles with his knife, but their spongy texture dissipated the force, the slimy sensation making him gag.
A few remaining civilians, still evacuating, were caught off guard and swallowed whole by the monsters.
Suddenly, one of the civilians—a middle-aged woman—charged at the nearest tentacle monster. With a single punch, she flattened it into paste.
Huh? She looks familiar.
Su Mo realized it was the same auntie who had asked him about the card earlier while queuing.
Auntie will always be auntie—hidden depths indeed!
The woman tossed aside her expensive coat and high heels, stretching as she warmed up. She even shot him a challenging glance.
What’s that supposed to mean?
No time to ponder. The three tentacle monsters were overwhelming him, forcing him to dodge and counter when possible.
Wait, why am I being singled out?
The three monsters tailing him were all D-rank, while he was only E-rank.
Makes no sense. Absolutely no sense.
At the critical moment, the auntie suddenly dashed toward him. Her slightly plump figure didn’t hinder her agility in the slightest.
“Ha!” Her fist smashed into one monster’s head, instantly turning it into a crater.
Su Mo tried mimicking her, aiming for the monsters’ heads. But the writhing tentacles blocked his path, nearly disarming him.
Against their rubbery flesh, even his “Tetanus Blade” bowed its head in defeat.
So awkward… (°ー°〃)
The auntie turned to help, only to be blocked by more tentacles.
“Open up!” She grabbed and tore.
Snap.
Another blocked her.
Another tear.
Snap.
Simple, brutal, and effective.