Bull Leader

"Moo--!!!"

A deafening roar, filled with fury, tore through the air!

Its colossal body, two stories tall, rose from a crouch with unbelievable agility. Its four hooves, thick as temple pillars, slammed into the ground, sending dirt and grass flying!

Immediately after, it charged towards Xu Feng and the others with terrifying momentum, moving at a speed completely unfitting for its massive size.

Like an uncontrollable torrent, it surged forward!

Even the earth groaned beneath its hooves!

Without any warning, Xu Feng and Jin Shan were already in combat stance.

Xu Feng let out a low grunt, his arm muscles bulging as he steadily raised the two-meter-tall heavy steel shield, positioning it at the very front of their formation.

Jin Shan shifted his stance slightly, lunging out from the side of the shield. He gripped the door-sized greatsword with both hands, its blade aimed directly at the Bull Leader's relatively vulnerable neck, boldly meeting the charge!

Bang--!!!

A colossal impact, like two heavy trucks colliding at high speed, erupted!

The Bull Leader's massive head, covered in thick bone armor, slammed squarely into Xu Feng's shield!

In front of the behemoth, even the two-meter-tall shield looked like a toy.

An unstoppable, terrifying force, like a bursting dam, surged through the shield and into Xu Feng's arms, then his body!

Driven by this savage power, Xu Feng's body slid backward uncontrollably.

His feet gouged two deep, several-inch-deep trenches, several meters long, into the solid ground!

Dirt churned, and grass fragments flew.

But he had, in the end, blocked that thunderous impact!

A wave of numbness spread through Xu Feng's arms, and his heart grew solemn.

"Such immense strength! It definitely surpasses D-class Intermediate, possibly even nearing the limit of D-class Advanced!"

Even though he had channeled a wisp of Qi and Blood to strengthen both his arms, it still felt insufficient against this pure, brute force.

Fortunately, his resilient physique, tempered by the First Refinement, had withstood the impact, leaving his bones and internal organs unharmed.

The Bull Leader seemed extremely displeased that this "little ant" could block its charge. It stomped its hooves furiously in place, causing the ground to tremble.

Just as its blood-red eyes locked onto Xu Feng, preparing for a second, more ferocious charge—

Whoosh—!

A sharp whistling sound came from its right!

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Jin Shan swung his greatsword with all his might, channeling the momentum of his charge, and fiercely struck the Bull Leader's thick neck from the side!

However, this powerful strike, capable of shattering stone, only managed to cut a half-meter-long gash, less than half an inch deep, into the Bull Leader's neck, which was layered with thick hide, muscle, and bone plates!

Dark red blood seeped out, but for the Bull Leader's massive vitality, this injury was negligible.

It was akin to a mosquito bite.

"Moo—!"

The sting on its neck didn't wound it; instead, it completely ignited its ferocity!

With red eyes, it abruptly changed direction, aiming its menacing, gleaming horns at the nearby Jin Shan. Its hind hooves gathered strength, ready to deliver a fatal charge!

"Jin Shan, Xiao Feng, get back!"

Kuang Lei's slightly hurried but exceptionally clear shout came from behind.

Xu Feng and Jin Shan didn't hesitate for a moment. Using the recoil from their previous actions, they both retreated rapidly to the sides!

Just as the Bull Leader was about to exert its force to pursue—a sudden change occurred!

The ground around it, previously flat, suddenly exploded!

Thick, dark green vines, half a meter in diameter and covered in barbs and tough fibers, erupted from the earth in all directions like long-dormant pythons, wrapping around the Bull Leader with astonishing speed!

In an instant, the Bull Leader's massive body was tightly bound by layers upon layers of vines, looking from afar like a struggling green cocoon!

And it wasn't over yet!

Li Ze Yuan, who had been preparing for a long time, chanted continuously, pointing his staff at the beast bound by the vines.

Large amounts of soil, as if alive, rapidly climbed along the gaps between the vines, filling them and solidifying.

In the blink of an eye, a hard, thick shell of earth formed on the outside of the vines, further restricting the Bull Leader's ability to twist and exert force!

At this moment, it was like being sealed within a cage of rock and thorns that continuously tightened.

It possessed terrifying strength but couldn't break free, only letting out increasingly furious and impotent roars.

And at the sniping position two hundred meters away, the fireball Kuang Lei had been brewing for a long time had expanded to a terrifying five-meter diameter!

It hovered in mid-air like a miniature sun, churning with heart-stopping crimson and bright white light, emitting heat that distorted the surrounding air.

Kuang Lei's face was pale, sweat soaking his robe.

Clearly, maintaining and injecting such immense magical power was a huge burden on him, but the excitement and determination in his eyes reached their peak.

He stared intently at the "green mound" that was firmly bound in the distance, his voice hoarse as he growled:

"Art... is EXPLOSION--!!!"

The moment his voice fell, the five-meter diameter sphere of destructive energy, carrying a shriek that tore through the air and a terrifying heatwave, streaked across the sky.

It plummeted towards the Bull Leader's location at astonishing speed!

Even though it was bound, the fatal sense of danger stemming from its primal instincts made the Bull Leader struggle frantically, but the combined restraint of vines and earth shells was as unbreakable as concrete.

It could only watch as the "little sun" radiating an aura of death rapidly enlarged in its vision, and finally--

BOOM--!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The earth-shattering explosion sounded as if it would overturn the entire underground city!

Blinding white light and an orange-red fireball instantly engulfed the Bull Leader's location.

A small mushroom cloud mixed with smoke, dust, and flames rose from the grassland!

A furious shockwave, carrying flames and debris, swept out in all directions, the heatwave washing over them.

Even from a hundred meters away, Xu Feng and the others could feel the destructive power.

The destructive force of this attack was no less than a tactical missile of medium yield hitting directly!

"Is this the destructive power of an elemental Hunter, especially a fire mage?"

Looking at the smoke and scorch marks in the distance that had not yet completely dissipated, Xu Feng was deeply shaken.

He knew that the ultimate move Kuang Lei had brewed for a long time would undoubtedly be powerful, but witnessing this scene, comparable to a direct missile strike, still exceeded his expectations.

He asked himself, even in his current state, he would have no chance of survival if he took this blow head-on.

Of course, this was assuming he didn't interrupt Kuang Lei's more than ten-minute casting startup, which had no defenses, and didn't dodge or evade at all.

"The destructive power of mages... truly lives up to its reputation!" he marveled inwardly.

With team coordination and thorough protection, such strategic strikes requiring long preparation times could indeed unleash terrifying power that could change the course of the battle.

His gaze turned to the center of the explosion. The arrogant Bull Leader was now a horrific sight.

More than half of its head, along with part of its neck, had turned into charcoal and fragments in the explosion. Only a small, broken portion of its body remained, emitting smoke and the pungent smell of burnt protein.

[Breakthrough Points + 20]

As the Bull Leader's life force completely dissipated, a notification sounded in Xu Feng's mind.

"How much?"

Xu Feng was slightly taken aback and quickly glanced at the system panel. The number of [Breakthrough Points] had already jumped to 160.

He had to remember that he hadn't personally killed this Bull Leader.

Just by participating, he received a full 20 points?

This was much more than the Breakthrough Points he had received from killing ordinary bulls or sharing in his teammates' kills before!

"It seems that killing 'leader-class' monsters grants additional bonus Breakthrough Points," Xu Feng mused.

He hadn't yet fully figured out the specific algorithm for acquiring Breakthrough Points, but it was roughly related to the strength of the target monster and his contribution to its demise.

Now it seemed that whether the target was a "leader" was also an important factor.