Downstairs, Lin Yi could guess that everyone was probably worried about him right now.
But he wasn't worried at all.
He didn't even need a Detector to know the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's Source Energy Value.
It was only 200 points. No big deal.
As he charged straight toward the Abyssal Beast horde, Lin Yi calmly assessed the battle.
This time was different from before. He didn't plan to use Source Energy Projection for ranged attacks.
He could kill a few wolves instantly, but against a horde this large, backed by an elite Abyssal Beast, it would have little deterrent effect.
And with his current Source Energy, the Blue Radiance he could fire from his fingertips couldn't threaten the Giant Rock Abyss Bear at all. It would only waste his precious energy.
Every bit of his strength had to be put to the best use.
His goal was simple. Two words.
Decapitation!
Only by quickly taking down the most dangerous Giant Rock Abyss Bear could he break the wolves' confidence. Otherwise, if he got bogged down in a drawn-out fight, things would get troublesome.
As his figure raced through the ruins, the silver gleam of his Flowing Cloud Armor drew a low-flying streak of light through the dawn.
The instant he entered the Abyssal Wolves' attack range—
"Pfft! Pfft-pfft-pfft!"
On both sides, six groups of Abyssal Wolves simultaneously whipped their Bone Tails and spat out clumps of dark green Corrosive Acid, like well-trained grenadiers. They sealed off every possible route Lin Yi could take to advance or retreat.
"Watch out!"
Someone cried out from a second-floor window.
Behind her camera, Ren Yinuo held her breath, too.
Lin Yi reacted swiftly, making minute adjustments to his movements.
He swayed left and right like a slender willow in the wind, dodging by mere inches. One moment he made a sudden, short sidestep; the next, he abruptly stopped. More than a dozen clumps of acid whistled past the edges of his armor and missed.
The one or two that came close to hitting vital spots were precisely swatted aside with a backhanded sweep of his spear.
The shaft cut through the air with a muffled whoosh. The acid burst in midair, and the liquid that hit the ground began eating into the concrete, hissing as white smoke rose from it.
Although the Abyssal Wolves' coordinated acid attack had caused no damage, it had slightly slowed Lin Yi down.
By then, the Giant Rock Abyss Bear had charged right up to him.
The shadow cast by its mountain-like body instantly swallowed Lin Yi. It let out a deafening roar, then reared up and brought its massive paw crashing down with overwhelming force, a gust of ill wind accompanying the strike. That paw could smash armor to pieces.
At the same time, the Abyssal Wolves on both sides sprang into action.
Four or five of them lunged wildly from the flanks, their claws aiming for Lin Yi's legs and waist as they tried to pin him in place. The others spat acid again, precisely covering the paths he might take to retreat or dodge sideways.
A standard encirclement tactic.
Bear Strength for the main attack, close-range attackers to limit his movement, and ranged attackers to finish him off.
I can't retreat. If I do, I'll get dragged into a drawn-out fight...
A cold glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes as he willed his energy into action.
The surface of his Flowing Cloud Armor suddenly glowed brighter and more rapidly, as if a fast-flowing energy membrane had covered his entire body.
"Clang! Ssshhk!"
The claws of several Abyssal Wolves lunging at him scraped across his armor, but it was as if they'd struck a rapidly spinning pulley. Their force was strangely deflected and dissipated, leaving not even a scratch.
The clumps of acid that slammed hard into his chest and shoulder plates fared no better. As though they'd hit slanted armor, most of them were deflected and slid off to either side. Only a small amount of viscous liquid stuck to the armor, hissing faintly before quickly dissipating.
At the same time, Lin Yi's movements never faltered. Taking advantage of a wolf on his left missing its pounce, he drove his waist forward and spun halfway around like a top. Holding the Abyss Breaking Spear in his right hand, he used the momentum to unleash a lightning-fast reverse sweep.
"Bam! Crack!"
The heavy shaft slammed into the ribs of two Abyssal Wolves pouncing through the air on his right, like a massive steel whip.
They didn't even have time to howl. As if hit head-on by a speeding truck, they were sent flying and crashed heavily into the ruins in the distance, where they lay motionless.
And in that split second, the Giant Bear's devastating blow came crashing down over his head.
"Boom!!!"
Its giant paw slammed down with immense force. The ground shuddered, and the hard concrete exploded into a huge crater. Cracks spread wildly like a spiderweb, while countless chunks of stone and broken bricks shot out in every direction like shrapnel.
But Lin Yi was no longer there.
Before the force of his spear sweep had even run out, he pushed off the ground hard with his toes. Using the recoil of the sweeping strike, he shot toward the left like a Silver Arrow fired from a powerful crossbow, slipping out of the blow's lethal range by a hair's breadth. Only the flying debris struck his armor, making it clatter.
He landed atop a metal parking booth on the left.
With a muffled bang, Lin Yi landed steadily on the roof, his body slightly crouched.
The Abyss Bear's missed strike had not only wreaked havoc on the ground but also left it briefly off balance.
Its momentum had run out, and it hadn't yet gathered strength for another strike. Its massive body even leaned forward slightly.
The Abyssal Wolf guarding its left flank had just finished its pounce and couldn't get back in time.
This was the opening Lin Yi had deliberately created!
Thud!
The metal roof beneath Lin Yi's feet boomed as the sudden burst of his strength crushed it out of shape.
He sprang from the roof of the booth and leaped boldly toward the right, as if freed from gravity. His target wasn't the ground, but the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's thick shoulder and neck, the muscles knotted beneath its heavy, dark-yellow Rock Armor.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that instant.
Through her camera lens, Ren Yinuo clearly saw the Silver Figure unfold in midair, his movements fluid and powerful. Sunlight slipped through the gap between the buildings, gilding him in a dazzling golden glow, as if a God of War had descended to earth.
On the second floor of Hongfu Tower, everyone who saw the scene was left completely blank-minded.
Zhou Jianjun's mouth hung half open, but he couldn't make a sound... Chen Yu forgot to breathe, his eyes wide as saucers... Zhou Yuxuan was struggling to put on his Arm Armor, but his movements had frozen completely. He stared out the window in a daze.
Pfft!
With a soft thud, Lin Yi landed precisely on the Giant Bear's broad right shoulder, which was as flat as a rocky platform.
"Roar?!"
The Giant Rock Abyss Bear seemed to have only just realized what was happening. It let out a furious, startled roar and instinctively jerked its head and shoulder, trying to fling the tiny creature off.
But it was too late.
Lin Yi's feet were firmly planted on its shoulder blade as if rooted there. He steadied himself, coordinating his waist and legs, then gripped the Abyss Breaking Spear in both hands with the blade facing down and raised it high above his head.
All the strength in his body, along with the Source Energy surging within him, gathered at an unprecedented speed.
Star Splitting Spear Art—Star Piercer!
Armor Break effect—activated!
The muscles in Lin Yi's arms bulged instantly. As the massive surge of Source Energy flowed into it, the Abyss Breaking Spear gave a faint hum. The dark patterns along its shaft suddenly glowed with a deep light, and an intensely cold gleam flashed at the spearhead, dazzlingly bright.
"Die!"
Lin Yi let out a roar of exhilaration.
The muscles in his arms tightened like steel cables. He poured into the Abyss Breaking Spear all the pent-up frustration he'd carried since his rebirth, then drove it down with all his might into the most vulnerable point where the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's neck met its shoulder.
Clang! Squelch!!
A strange, bone-chilling clash of sounds exploded.
First came the ear-piercing shriek of the spearhead's concentrated energy slamming into the thick Rock Armor. But after only a moment's resistance, the hard armor shattered like fragile glass.
Then the spear plunged through flesh, pulverized bone, and pierced through the beast's body, its unstoppable force accompanied by a muffled tearing sound.
"ROAR!!!"
The Giant Rock Abyss Bear let out a horrific scream.
The enormous sound wave swept outward as if it had substance, making the windows of Hongfu Tower buzz. Its massive body went rigid, then began shaking and swaying wildly, trying to throw off the deadly threat on its shoulder.
But Lin Yi wasn't about to give it the chance.
He gripped the shaft with both hands, his arms surging with terrible strength once more as he pressed down hard and twisted!
The scream was cut short as if by a blade.
The Giant Rock Abyss Bear's movements froze completely. The violent light in its blood-red eyes quickly faded. Its mountain-sized body lost all support and crashed forward onto the ground.
Thud!
The earth gave a deep rumble. As if fulfilling its fate, the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's corpse toppled into the crater made by its own paw. Dust billowed outward in a ring like the shock wave of an explosion.
It was as if the entire world had fallen silent.
A deathly silence hung over the second-floor windows.
Zhou Jianjun's hand, braced against the window, trembled uncontrollably. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Chen Yu slumped to the ground, muttering over and over, "Holy shit... Holy shit..."
Zhou Yuxuan stopped struggling with his Arm Armor. Through his lenses, he stared fixedly at the cloud of dust below, his face expressionless.
Only the slight contraction of his pupils betrayed how unsettled he was.
On the rooftop, Ren Yinuo slowly lowered her camera and pressed a hand against her wildly pounding heart. Then she took a deep breath, raised the camera again, and aimed it at the center of the swirling dust.
The dust slowly settled, and a figure gradually emerged.
Lin Yi stood steadily beside the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's lifeless, massive head, one knee slightly bent. Dust and a few dark bloodstains marked his silver-gray Flowing Cloud Light Armor, which nevertheless reflected a unique gleam in the growing morning light.
He slowly raised a hand and gripped the still slightly trembling shaft of the Abyss Breaking Spear. With a sharp rasp, he pulled it from the Abyss Bear's neck, bringing with it a string of dark blood droplets.
Then he angled the spearhead toward the ground. Viscous blood slowly ran along the blood groove and dripped off, making soft plinks in the silent morning.
The surrounding Abyssal Wolves stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by a spell.
Reflected in their blood-red eyes was the Abyss Bear's massive body, which had crashed to the ground and was now slowly disintegrating into ash. Their ferocity and greed were instantly replaced by the most primal fear.
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