Captured Alive

The tall, middle-aged Roam had something on his back: a coffin-like, jet-black box made of some special alloy. The metal box, two and a half meters tall and nearly one meter wide, had several indicator lights flashing, suggesting some kind of machinery was operating within. Gu Xiechen's claws, imbued with destructive power, swooped down erratically. Roam, who was less than two meters away from Gu Xiechen, was caught off guard. He hastily turned and retreated, a blue light flashing in his eyes.

An invisible mental shockwave slammed into Gu Xiechen, causing his heart rate to surge to a terrifying six hundred beats per minute. Fine streams of blood seeped from his pores, instantly turning Gu Xiechen into a bloodied figure. His Dao Embryo frantically expelled pure energy, continuously enhancing Gu Xiechen's bodily functions. One stream of energy transformed into a powerful and resilient mental wave that shot directly towards Gu Xiechen's head. The two mental attacks collided violently at the outer edge of Gu Xiechen's brain.

With a muffled grunt, Gu Xiechen saw stars. He wildly swiped his claws four or five times before staggering backward.

The blue light in Roam's eyes dimmed. He let out a horrified cry. Gu Xiechen's claws had raked across the metal box behind him several times, sending sparks flying. As dark energy erupted from Gu Xiechen's claws, Roam felt as if he'd been hit by a train. He lost control of his body and was also sent tumbling forward a dozen meters. Roam's vision was also filled with stars. His mental attack had been forcefully repelled by Gu Xiechen, and his brain had suffered a severe jolt.

"Die!"

As soon as he regained his balance, Gu Xiechen pulled out two egg-shaped grenades from his belt. With a sinister grin, Gu Xiechen pulled the pins and hurled them with all his might.

Two bursts of blue light exploded outside the swirling blue flames around Roam. A massive amount of electromagnetic radiation, accompanied by an unpleasant whistling sound, enveloped the unprepared Roam. The specialized electromagnetic bombs battered the energy shield of Roam's energy armor. After a blinding flash of electrical light, the blue flames around Roam's body abruptly shrank to a mere inch in thickness.

Roam cursed. He staggered forward a few steps, then turned back and unleashed another mental shockwave at Gu Xiechen. This time, Roam poured almost all his strength into it. A bright blue beam, resembling a high-energy laser, shot out from between his eyebrows, heading straight for Gu Xiechen.

"Break!" Gu Xiechen crossed his claws. The skin, muscles, blood vessels, and meridians on his palms and fingers instantly became transparent like white glaze. Wisps of ethereal white cold energy shot out from his finger bones, gradually turning his finger bones themselves a strange translucent hue.

Gu Xiechen unleashed the secret killing technique 'Snow Soul Divine Claw' from the supplementary volume of the all-encompassing Hanyuan Zhen Dian with all his might. Ninety-nine percent of Gu Xiechen's Innate Qi was concentrated in his claws. The pure Innate Qi circulated rapidly within the fine meridians and acupoints of his claws along bizarre trajectories. The Innate Qi condensed at his claw tips had instantly transformed into 'Snow Soul True Qi,' capable of piercing metal and shattering flesh.

His monstrous claws slashed down fiercely. Gu Xiechen's claws met the intensely bright blue mental wave head-on.

With an extremely high-frequency shattering sound, large clouds of almost tangible white ice mist sprayed from Gu Xiechen's claws. The blue mental wave was deflected diagonally. Roam was sent flying backward, roaring in shock. He had lost control of his all-out mental assault. The mental wave plunged into the dense forest to Gu Xiechen's right. Over a dozen thick, ancient trees, each about a meter in diameter, rapidly disintegrated from their roots with a strange rumbling sound. In the blink of an eye, the dozen trees turned into fine sawdust that scattered everywhere.

A faint whistling sound emanated from Gu Xiechen's stiffened claws. The Snow Soul True Qi condensed at his claw tips had been almost pulverized by Roam's mental attack. Large patches of fine white ice crystals were now seen drifting from Gu Xiechen's fingertips.

The panicked, middle-aged Roam glared at Gu Xiechen. His mental state, having been hit repeatedly, finally caused him to lose control of his internal injuries. Large amounts of golden blood spurted from his nostrils.

"Human! I will remember you!"

The middle-aged Roam dipped his finger into the golden blood flowing from his nose and, mustering a bit of mental energy, drew a strange pattern in the air.

"By the glorious ancestors of the Holsom Family, I, Gilt Holsom, swear I will personally sever your head!"

Glaring fiercely at the stiffened Gu Xiechen, Gilt Holsom turned and stumbled forward, continuing his escape.

A sinister low hiss escaped Gu Xiechen's lips. His heart rate, now at seven hundred beats per second, pumped the surging power from his heart into his right arm. Disregarding the potential damage to his arm's meridians from such a surge, Gu Xiechen silently circulated the Hanyuan Zhen Dian's cultivation method. He unleashed eighteen consecutive palm strikes with the 'Cloud Severing Palm,' recorded in the supplementary volume of the Hanyuan Zhen Dian, in a swift motion.

The spacious, solidified meridians trembled under the terrifying pressure. The blood vessels in Gu Xiechen's right arm bulged to an alarming size, and his arm's skin stretched to the point of becoming almost luminous and transparent!

Eighteen consecutive palm strikes, hazy white with faint fluorescent specks, drifting unpredictably like the thin clouds floating at the highest point of the sky in the early morning, erupted from Gu Xiechen's right palm.

The Cloud Severing Palm's force was supremely yin and supremely soft, its palm wind moving unpredictably like a hunting serpent, making it extremely difficult to dodge. When practiced to the Great Vehicle stage, each palm strike contained nine hundred layers of hidden force, specializing in damaging internal organs and striking through obstacles. Gu Xiechen had focused on the supreme Snow Soul Divine Claw over the years and hadn't put as much effort into the Cloud Severing Palm, but each of his palm strikes still contained three hundred layers of hidden force!

The eighteen palm strikes, like ghosts, carved mysterious trajectories in the air, ultimately landing on the back of the rapidly fleeing Gilt Holsom. The five thousand four hundred layers of hidden force erupted with a roar. Gilt Holsom's energy armor's energy shield dutifully weakened each hidden force by seventy percent. The remaining thirty percent of the hidden force successfully penetrated the alloy box and ferociously surged into Gilt Holsom's body.

It was as if a divine being had swung a world-splitting hammer and struck Gilt Holsom's back with all its might. Gilt Holsom let out a tragic howl and was sent flying forward, his feet leaving the ground by about a foot. After a terrifying impact, Gilt Holsom crashed headfirst into a giant tree three meters in diameter. His majestic three-meter-tall body became embedded over a meter deep into the tree trunk. Gilt Holsom let out several pained cries before managing to extricate himself from the tree trunk.

At this moment, Gilt Holsom's tall, straight nose had been caved in, but the energy armor on his body actually glowed brighter!

After the series of continuous blows, the main energy system within Gilt Holsom's energy armor had been completely depleted. The backup system immediately began charging the energy armor. The thick blue flames, a meter thick, once again enveloped Gilt Holsom. Gilt Holsom glanced back fearfully at Gu Xiechen, who was standing still and panting. He gritted his teeth and firmly pressed an inconspicuous button on the armor's belt.

A miniature syringe inside the armor penetrated Gilt Holsom's body. The special stimulant for Roam diffused throughout Gilt Holsom's body in a mere half-second.

With a frustrated roar towards the sky, Gilt Holsom's eyes, previously dim blue, flared with intense light. A whirlwind erupted at his feet, and he sped forward as if flying.

Gu Xiechen gritted his teeth, about to continue his attack on Gilt Holsom, when a sharp pain shot through the meridians, blood vessels, and muscles around his heart.

The energy surging from his Dao Embryo had exceeded the limit of Gu Xiechen's physical body. Having completely depleted his internal Qi, Gu Xiechen had lost the strength to continue fighting.

Just as Gilt Holsom was about to escape, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky.

Eight heavy armed helicopters from the Hell Angels Mercenary Group streaked in from behind, flying just above the treetops. The rocket pods hanging under the wings of the helicopters simultaneously emitted sharp whistles. Large clouds of smoke and fire obscured more than half of the eight helicopters. All sixteen rocket pods, containing five hundred and seventy-six 50mm rockets, were emptied in just eight seconds.

Each rocket left a long trail of flames in the air, and eventually, almost all the rockets hit Gilt Holsom, who was glowing brightly in the dense forest like a giant light bulb.

It had to be said, Gilt Holsom, radiating light and standing three meters tall, was a perfect target!

Thunderous explosions sounded continuously. The energy shield on Gilt Holsom's energy armor, which had just recovered, rapidly melted away under the shroud of smoke and fire.

Gilt Holsom was blown over three hundred meters away, spitting blood profusely, his skin scorched black like charcoal. If not for the alloy box behind him blocking most of the force from the rocket explosions, Gilt Holsom would have been torn to shreds by now.

Having just injected a stimulant, Gilt Holsom had overdrawn his life force, and his mental power was currently at its peak.

Furious yet utterly terrified, Gilt Holsom managed to turn himself in mid-air. Blue light flickered in his eyes as dozens of ferocious mental shockwaves, carrying faint blue trails, bombarded the eight roaring heavy armed helicopters.

"Halt!"

A roar like thunder tore through the void. Bore, wielding a golden Ruyi Jingu Bang, leaped high from the cockpit of one of the helicopters. He formed a half-lotus lion seal with his left hand and waved it fiercely forward, instantly nullifying several mental shockwaves aimed at his helicopter.

Fighters from the Hell Angels Mercenary Group who had reached the Innate realm also emerged from the other seven helicopters. They joined forces to shatter Gilt Holsom's hastily launched counterattack.

Gu Xiechen managed to balance his internal Qi. The Hanyuan Zhen Dian was indeed miraculous. Standing on the ground, he absorbed earth energy, and a continuous stream of True Qi was generated. In just a few breaths, he had recovered thirty percent of his cultivation. He let out a few strange laughs, crouched down, and shot towards Gilt Holsom's falling body like a streaking meteor.

Before Bore and the other seven fighters could even land, Gu Xiechen, smiling, caught Gilt Holsom ahead of them.

A single electromagnetic grenade completely shattered the last thin layer of Gilt Holsom's energy shield. Gu Xiechen then punched Gilt Holsom on the back of his head.

With a muffled grunt, Gilt Holsom rolled his eyes and fainted.

An angry curse came through the headset from the bearded commander: "Good job, you brats! Damn it, Evil Dragon, Bore, you scoundrels, hurry back and reinforce!"

Increasingly dense gunfire and artillery fire continued to erupt from the dense forest ahead.

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The more clicks and tickets, the happier this pig's head will be to write! (To be continued)