Breakthrough to Martial King Second Layer

The atmosphere in the conference hall was solemn.

After Commander Lin Xiaotian finished listening to Lei Yan's report, his gaze fell on Fang Yan, a flicker of astonishment in his eyes. "Not bad. At such a young age, you've broken through to the Martial King Realm and even slain an alien commander. Fang Yan, you've rendered great service to the army!"

Fang Yan bowed slightly. "You flatter me, Commander. It was merely my duty."

Lin Xiaotian nodded and said in a deep voice, "The aliens have been unusually active lately. The collapse of the demonic cavern is only a temporary calm. I've decided to appoint Fang Yan as the commander of the Vanguard Camp. Assemble a team at once and investigate the aliens' movements."

Fang Yan clasped his fists and accepted the order.

Fang Yan led the Vanguard Camp and raced along the border for three days.

That evening, the team reached the outside of a gorge called Black Wind Valley. A faint smell of blood permeated the air. Fang Yan furrowed his brows and raised a hand, signaling the team to stop.

"Commander, what's wrong?" Deputy General Zhao Hu asked in a low voice beside him.

Fang Yan said nothing and merely focused on sensing his surroundings. His Martial King Realm aura spread out, and he vaguely detected dozens of alien auras lurking deep within the gorge. One of them was especially powerful—it had actually reached the First Layer of the Profound Connection Realm, equivalent to the First Layer of the Martial King Realm among humans.

"We're ambushed." Fang Yan spoke in a deep voice. "Zhao Hu, take half the men and circle around from the mountain path on the left. The rest will attack head-on with me. Remember, prioritize killing the aliens in the Bone Refining Realm and Qi Transformation Realm. Leave the Profound Connection Realm one to me."

Zhao Hu accepted the order and immediately led a squad away in silence.

Fang Yan tightened his grip on the long spear in his hand. Its shaft was pitch-black, faint dragon patterns swirling across it. He drew a deep breath and shouted:

He charged into the gorge first, and three Bone Refining Realm aliens pounced at him from the front. They had human bodies and beast heads, their fangs bared as they wielded bone blades, radiating murderous ferocity.

A chill flashed through Fang Yan's eyes, and he advanced instead of retreating. With a tremor of his long spear, it transformed into three spear images that stabbed straight toward the aliens' throats.

Pfft!

Three soft sounds rang out. The three Bone Refining Realm aliens did not even have time to scream before collapsing to the ground, their bodies rapidly withering.

[Ding! Slain 3 Bone Refining Realm aliens. Reward: +30 Qi-Blood Points, 10 Low-grade Spirit Stones.]

The system notification rang out in Fang Yan's mind, and his heart stirred. As a First Layer Martial King, his Qi-Blood had already been around 1,426. With these 30 points added, he had grown even stronger.

At that moment, the aliens deep in the gorge noticed the disturbance. That Profound Connection Realm aura suddenly surged, and an alien commander three zhang tall charged out with dozens of Qi Transformation Realm aliens. Holding a gigantic bone hammer, it glared at Fang Yan. "Tiny human, how dare you trespass on my territory!"

"Enough nonsense. Come and die!" Fang Yan showed no fear. He leaped into the air, his long spear pointing straight at the alien commander.

The alien commander roared, and the bone hammer smashed toward Fang Yan with a howling wind. The blow was immensely powerful and heavy. If it landed, even an early-stage Martial King would suffer serious injuries.

Fang Yan's eyes narrowed, and he did not dare to take it head-on. His body turned nimbly in midair, dodging the bone hammer's attack. At the same time, he joined the fingers of his right hand and unleashed the Great Desolation Prison Heaven Finger.

A condensed finger force tore through the air, carrying an aura of desolation as it shot straight toward the alien commander's brow.

"Cheap tricks!" the alien commander sneered disdainfully. With a wave of its left hand, it sent out a black stream of force that blocked the finger force.

But in that instant, Fang Yan had already closed in. He clenched his left hand into a fist, gathering the power of the Five Finger Fist Heart Sword, and slammed it into the alien commander's chest.

The fist collided with the alien commander's chest with a muffled boom. The alien commander felt a fierce Sword Qi surge into its body, churning its blood and vital energy. It had never expected this First Layer Martial King human to possess such strength.

Fang Yan pressed his advantage, thrusting his long spear out again. Spear images flew everywhere, every move aimed straight at the alien commander's vital points.

The alien commander was forced back repeatedly by Fang Yan's onslaught, shocked and enraged. It had never imagined that it would be suppressed by a First Layer Martial King human.

Just then, shouts of battle erupted from both sides of the gorge. The forces led by Zhao Hu had already circled behind the aliens and launched a surprise attack. The Qi Transformation Realm aliens were immediately trapped between attacks from both sides.

Fang Yan seized the opportunity and unleashed the Great Desolation Prison Heaven Finger once more. This time, he condensed all the Qi-Blood power in his body, making the finger force several times stronger than before.

The finger force struck the alien commander's shoulder, shattering its shoulder blade. The alien commander let out a terrible scream, its combat strength instantly plummeting.

A fierce glint flashed through Fang Yan's eyes. He leaped into the air, and his long spear transformed into a streak of light that pierced through the alien commander's heart.

[Ding! Slain Profound Connection Realm alien commander. Killed an enemy across a minor realm. Reward: +500 Qi-Blood Points, 10 High-grade Spirit Stones, 1 Random Martial Skill Fragment.]

[Ding! Qi-Blood has reached 2,000. Breakthrough conditions satisfied. Break through to Martial King Second Layer?]

Fang Yan's heart jolted. He had never expected that killing a Profound Connection Realm alien would directly fulfill the conditions for a breakthrough. Without hesitation, he silently recited in his heart: Break through!

A vast energy surged out from within his body, and Fang Yan's aura rapidly climbed. Moments later, his Qi-Blood stabilized at 1,500, and he officially stepped into the Martial King Second Layer.

After dealing with the alien commander, Fang Yan turned to look at the remaining Qi Transformation Realm aliens. Under Zhao Hu and the others' encirclement, almost none of them remained.

Fang Yan took up his long spear and joined the battle. With the strength of the Martial King Second Layer, he was like a tiger that had grown wings. Wherever his long spear passed, aliens fell one after another.

[Ding! Slain 1 Qi Transformation Realm alien. Reward: +20 Qi-Blood Points, 5 Low-grade Spirit Stones.]

[Ding! Slain 1 Qi Transformation Realm alien. Reward: +20 Qi-Blood Points, 5 Low-grade Spirit Stones.]

Soon, every alien had been slaughtered. Blood ran like a river through the gorge, and the stench of blood in the air grew even thicker.

Zhao Hu walked over to Fang Yan, clasped his fists, and said, "The commander is mighty! We owe this easy victory to you. Without you, we couldn't have dealt with these aliens so effortlessly."

Fang Yan smiled. "Everyone's worked hard. Clean up the battlefield and count the spoils. We'll leave this place as soon as possible."

The soldiers immediately got to work. Fang Yan, meanwhile, took out the Random Martial Skill Fragment he had just been rewarded and felt his heart fill with anticipation. He had no idea what kind of surprise this fragment would bring him.