But just as he spread his wings and gathered his strength to break free, the ground behind and to his side suddenly let out a sharp hiss. Without warning, a sharp stone spike gleaming with a metallic sheen shot out like lightning, stabbing straight at the opening beneath his ribs. The timing of the strike was exquisite—it came precisely when his old strength had just been spent, new strength had yet to arise, and all his attention was focused beneath his feet.
Xuan Yi was horrified. He barely twisted aside, gathering Xuan Fire beneath his ribs for defense.
Bang!
The stone spike struck the Xuan Fire shield. Though it failed to pierce through, its condensed impact slammed solidly into him. Xuan Yi let out a muffled groan, his body staggering from the blow. His attempt to take flight was interrupted, and both feet sank several inches deeper into the quicksand.
Lin Yan's figure had already risen from the ground before him like a ghost, as though he had always been part of the earth itself. Lin Yan loosely clenched his right hand, and a dark-yellow spear condensed from Wutu Earth Essence Qi appeared in his grasp. Its tip pointed directly at Xuan Yi, while heavy Earth Element Spirit Power perfectly merged along the shaft with a sharp force capable of shattering defenses.
"Excuse me." Before Lin Yan had even finished speaking, he moved with his spear and thrust straight ahead. There were no flashy tricks in this strike—only speed, precision, and ruthlessness. The air itself gave a low whine in the spear's wake, as if it were being rapidly compressed and ground apart by invisible force.
Xuan Yi had just been injured, and his feet were restrained. Faced with this sudden, imposing thrust, he had already lost the initiative. He