Black Gate
Of all Qin Tian's talents, this one had the shortest description.
But in terms of usefulness, Black Gate was every bit as good as Space Bag.
Within a minute, Qin Tian had already come up with several ways to use Black Gate. They were all rather devious, especially when combined with Body of Ten Thousand Poisons. His enemies would never see it coming.
Huh? Why did things seem to be getting more and more twisted?
"What are you thinking about?"
Xiao Yunlong patted Qin Tian on the shoulder, bringing him back to his senses.
"Nothing."
Qin Tian shook his head and listened closely to every sound around them.
The Snake-men could block his heat detection,
but they couldn't hide the scraping sounds they made as they moved, or the distinctive smell they carried.
As long as he stayed alert, no Snake-man could approach them without being noticed.
"Wait. I think there's something over there."
Qin Tian stopped and turned to look to one side. He had just heard a faint rustling—the sound of a Snake-man's tail swishing, its scales scraping against the ground.
"Careful."
Qin Dadi signaled to the others, and they took up formation, ready to move closer.
But just then, two balls of light suddenly rose in the distant sky, one white and one green. Blindingly bright, they arced through the air, trailing long tails of flame, before crashing into each other.
BOOM!!!
It was like a thunderclap.
Centered on the two balls of white and green light, a circular Shockwave expanded outward, stirring up layer upon layer of turbulent air.
In an instant, the entire canyon shook. Howling winds swept through as boulders tumbled down and cracks split the cliffs.
Qin Tian raised an arm to shield his eyes. The wind pushed him back two steps, his cheeks trembling as shock surged through him.
And that was only the aftershock of their clash—yet it had unleashed such terrifying destruction.
"Just a Silver Beastkin, and you dare challenge me?"
A calm yet domineering voice rang out from the sky.
That voice...
Qin Tian looked up at the white ball of light. Su Yunyi. It had to be him.
When speaking to the soldiers, Su Yunyi was polite and gentle, like a spring breeze.
But now, facing the powerful Orcs, he displayed all the bearing and authority of the Gold Family.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several more balls of light shot into the sky, charging toward the white one.
"Heh. Fifth- and Sixth-Order Snake-men, all coming at me together? You think having the numbers will help?"
"Perfect. I'll take you all out in one go."
Su Yunyi's light laugh carried through the entire canyon.
The next moment, blazing white light tore through the night. A hundred-meter-long Golden Greatsword descended from the sky, trailing a long streak of light like a divine judgment.
The air split apart with a shrill whistle. Runes shimmered around the sword, and its ancient, mysterious power made the ground tremble. Ripples spread through the space around it, as if a boulder had plunged into a still lake.
On the ground, the Warriors and Snake-men locked in fierce combat froze at the sight.
"So this is the power of a high-order Psionic User?"
Qin Tian stared in shock, his thoughts churning like a stormy sea. It took him a long time to calm down.
"Slash!"
The clear, forceful shout pierced the air and rang through the sky.
With that shout, the hundred-meter Golden Greatsword carved a devastating arc through the air and swept toward the Snake-man elites.
Several Snake-men poured all their Psionic Energy into defenses before them. In an instant, dazzling lights blazed like suns of different colors hanging in the sky.
But against the greatsword, it was all in vain.
The enormous cluster of light was cleaved apart. Blinding radiance burst forth, so bright that no one could keep their eyes open. Then came an ear-splitting boom, a chaotic roar like the birth of heaven and earth, as waves of sound swept out in a force that could topple mountains and overturn seas.
For several miles around, sand and stones flew everywhere. Trees were ripped up by the roots and tossed about in the gale like kites with broken strings. Hard rocks were crushed as easily as fragile biscuits, reduced to a rain of stone dust.
The Earth Dragon Squad was far from the battlefield, but even so, the wind drove them backward. Their feet scraped against the ground with a sharp squealing sound.
"Are the Snake-men dead?"
Liu Zhaozhao's eyes widened as she asked.
"They're definitely dead," Xiao Yunlong declared. "I looked up Su Yunyi's file yesterday. He's a student at the Imperial Royal Military Academy and ranks eighty-third on the Hidden Dragon Ranking."
"Eighty-third on the Hidden Dragon Ranking!"
Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao both jolted.
The Hidden Dragon Ranking was the Empire's combat power list for young people under thirty-five. Everyone on it was an unparalleled prodigy.
Su Yunyi had fought his way into the top hundred—ranking eighty-third among the descendants of the Gold Family and the Nine Great Sacred Bloodlines. That alone showed just how terrifying his talent and strength were.
"Against a prodigy like him, a Silver Snake-man of the same order is no different from an ant."
Xiao Yunlong's eyes shone with excitement. "Only the Royal Family among the Orcs can stand toe-to-toe with Su Yunyi."
Qin Tian gazed up at the sky. Several blurry black shapes were plummeting through his field of vision.
"The high-order Snake-men are dead. Don't let a single one of the rest escape."
Su Yunyi's calm voice rang through the canyon, utterly devoid of emotion, as if what had just happened were no more than a trivial matter.
At his words, the human side's morale soared. Like tigers unleashed from their cages, they surged into battle.
The Snake-men, on the other hand, were thrown into panic, despair filling their hearts.
"He's incredible."
Xiao Yunlong couldn't help exclaiming. "If someone ranked eighty-third on the Hidden Dragon Ranking is this strong, how terrifying must the Sacred Blood prodigies in the top ten be?"
Sacred Blood...
Qin Tian's eyes flickered. The Gold Family was already one of the Galactic Empire's most powerful and influential families, yet above them stood the Nine Great Sacred Blood Families.
They were the Empire's true rulers, the ones who manipulated events from behind the scenes.
The Imperial Clan was one of the Nine Great Sacred Blood Families.
"Don't think too much about it. Sacred Blood is a world away from us. For now, let's focus on completing the mission," Qin Dadi said.
"Right."
The night hung heavy, like a thick black cloth quietly draped over the canyon.
Blood flowed freely, staining every inch of land. The stench of death filled the air, swirling through the canyon and cloaking it in an utterly cruel shroud.
Dawn broke. As the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds and fell upon the earth, the battle to draw out the Snake-men finally came to an end.
Chop!
A massive Snake-man head was severed in one blow, and the stone hand gripping him slowly loosened.
The order to rest in place came over their combat earpieces from the Command Center.
"Phew. It's finally over."
Xiao Yunlong dropped onto the ground, his calf muscles twitching slightly.
With Qin Tian's uncanny senses, they had killed a great many Snake-men that night, working with remarkable efficiency.
When they encountered a powerful Snake-man, Qin Tian took care of the kill.
They dealt with the weaker ones themselves, while Qin Tian covered them from a distance.
Not one of the Snake-men who had survived the missile bombardment was below Second Order. They had been a struggle to deal with, but in return, killing them had earned the squad a generous share of Military Merit Points.
It's over...
Qin Tian lowered Hidden Kill and let his taut nerves relax.
That night, a total of fourteen Snake-man Warriors had died by his gun. They had ranged from Second to Third Order. After the battle, his Evolution Points had officially surpassed twenty thousand, reaching 22,456.
Also, while searching for Snake-men, he had found a new talent on a fallen special-operations soldier.
[Name] Explosion (Green)
[Type] Active Talent
[Description] Infuse an object with explosive power. At the host's command, it can be detonated at will.
Before you continue