The aftershock of that strike still rippled through the air, and trees all around had toppled.
Lin Yuan didn't even glance at Fall, who had been blasted away. It was as if he'd merely swatted an annoying fly.
He turned around, his gaze landing on the young man in a dark red combat suit not far away. The cold expression on his face softened at once.
"You all right?"
It was a simple question, but it carried the protective concern that only a fellow member of the same family could show.
Luo Feng froze for a moment.
Everything had happened too quickly. A second ago, he'd thought Councilor Fall's pressure would crush him to pieces. The next, the haughty councilor had been sent flying.
Looking at the Inspector, who seemed far too young, Luo Feng felt a warm current well up inside him. He quickly straightened and said respectfully, "I'm not seriously hurt. Thank you for coming to my aid, Inspector!"
"Good. As long as you're all right." Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
But the instant his words fell—
Boom!!!
A world-shaking explosion suddenly erupted from the ruins hundreds of meters away!
A terrifying wave of heat swept across the area. The damp mist around them instantly evaporated, hissing as it vanished.
Luo Feng's expression changed. He whipped around.
From within the ruins, a figure wreathed in blazing flames slowly rose into the air.
It was Fall!
All traces of his previous composure were gone. His hair hung loose, his eyes were bloodshot, and tangible Origin Force flames coiled around him.
From a distance, he looked like a sun falling from the sky, radiating suffocating heat as if he meant to melt everything on Mist Island.
Crack!
He jerked both arms, and a pair of alloy gauntlets with a cold gleam appeared out of thin air, instantly covering his arms.
Complex secret runes shimmered across the gauntlets. They were clearly no ordinary weapons.
The situation was obvious. The man had completely lost his temper!
As a lofty Councilor Level expert and an elder of the HR Alliance, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? Being sent flying in front of everyone by a mere youngster was worse than death!
"Lin—Yuan!!!"
Fall hovered in midair, his voice sharp and grating with fury. Each word sounded as if he were forcing it through clenched teeth. "You bastard!"
Boom!
The next moment, he turned into a streak of crimson light and charged straight at Lin Yuan!
He moved so fast that a long sonic boom cloud trailed behind him.
Luo Feng's breath caught. Under the Councilor Level expert's violent pressure, he felt like a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, liable to capsize at any moment.
And yet—
Lin Yuan, standing at the heart of the storm, didn't even lift an eyelid.
He only tilted his head slightly, giving the rapidly approaching "fireball" a sidelong glance...
"Once is an accident; twice is a pattern. I'll teach you another lesson."
Before the words had even left his mouth, Lin Yuan slowly raised his right hand.
The motion was casual, as if he were shooing away a mosquito.
Humm—
The silver disc, the Arc Wheel, hovering behind him shivered slightly.
Lin Yuan curled a finger and gave it a gentle flick.
Whoosh!
The Arc Wheel instantly came apart. A blade-thin sliver detached from it, transforming into a silver thread almost impossible to see as it shot toward the sea of flames!
"A mentalist?!"
Nearby, Luo Feng, struggling to withstand the pressure as he stared fixedly at the battle, felt his pupils contract.
He was a mentalist himself and knew the art of controlling weapons all too well. But he had never imagined that this Inspector, whose swordsmanship looked so astonishing, had another identity as well!
"To witness a battle at this level is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Luo Feng held his breath, not daring to blink.
In midair—
Confronted with the tiny, seemingly insignificant blade, Fall, consumed by fury, didn't give it a second thought.
"Get out of my way!"
He roared, channeling all the fiery Origin Force in his body into his right fist. With enough power to shatter a mountain, he swung it hard at the blade!
In his eyes, a mere hidden weapon would be reduced to scrap the moment it met his iron fist and the defense of his Black God Suit.
But—
The instant his fist touched the blade—
Fall's twisted face froze.
In its place came utter terror and disbelief!
"What... what kind of power is this?!"
He felt as if he hadn't punched a blade, but a speeding interstellar train!
The force was immense, razor-sharp, and unstoppable!
Crack!
A crisp snap rang out.
Cracks spread across his prized SS-grade alloy gauntlet the instant it made contact. Then it shattered with a bang!
The terrifying impact continued through the Black God Suit, striking the bones of his arm without losing any force.
"Ah!!!"
Fall let out a bloodcurdling scream.
His charge ground to a halt, and then he flew backward even faster than he'd come!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He smashed through more than a dozen towering trees before slamming into a massive boulder dozens of meters high.
Crash!
The boulder instantly split with a web of cracks. Stones flew everywhere as dust billowed into the air.
The entire area fell silent.
Luo Feng stared at the silver blade hovering in midair, its icy light still gleaming, his heart in turmoil.
The force exerted by that unassuming blade in that instant had undoubtedly exceeded a million kilograms!
And the most terrifying thing was...
Luo Feng looked at Lin Yuan and saw that the Inspector still had one hand in his pocket, his expression calm and unruffled, as if that strike had taken no effort at all.
He deliberately held back... Luo Feng was stunned.
He had guessed right.
Lin Yuan really had held back.
The Arc Wheel was a Tier 3 Telekinetic Weapon, after all—something meant for Universe Level experts!
If he'd used its full power, Fall's head would have been sent flying with that strike.
"Cough, cough..."
Beneath the boulder, Fall slid down in a sorry heap.
Clutching his painfully injured right arm, he felt cold sweat cover his body. The flames around him had long since gone out.
He looked up at the young man in the distance. The fury in his eyes had given way to deep fear.
A monster!
He was a complete and utter monster!
"Someone this strong..." Fall's lips trembled. "Could he already be on par with the Third, Fourth, or Fifth Speaker?!"
It had taken just one move.
The lofty councilor had been beaten into submission.
At last, Fall gritted his teeth and accepted defeat.
He might have a bad temper, but he wasn't stupid.
Charging at an expert of this caliber again would be suicide.
Just then, a voice tinged with amusement came from the horizon.
"Well, looks like we're a step too late. We missed quite a show."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streaks of light cut through the sky and landed beside Lin Yuan.
They were the other two Inspectors from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall: Liu He and the taciturn "Iceberg," who always wore a mask.
Liu He looked over the wreckage with a smile. Iceberg's expression remained impassive, but when his gaze swept over Fall, who was in a wretched state in the distance, his pupils contracted slightly and his expression shifted.
They knew how strong Fall was. He might not have been one of the top councilors, but he was certainly no weakling.
And Lin Yuan had dealt with him in just a few minutes?
Fall gave a cold snort at Liu He's taunt, but he didn't dare say another word.
He shot Lin Yuan a wary glance, then flashed away to a distant spot. He just wanted to put as much distance between himself and that monster as possible!
The four members of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall had finally gathered.
Lin Yuan, Liu He, Iceberg, and Luo Feng.
"Iceberg, I'll leave the rest to you." Lin Yuan spoke first, breaking the silence.
On Mist Island, Iceberg had a particular talent and method for finding rare treasures like Spirits of Vegetation. His efficiency in searching for the Willow Wood Heart alone would probably surpass everyone else's combined.
At Lin Yuan's words, Iceberg turned to look at him.
For once, a rueful smile appeared on his usually frosty face.
"I'm not sure I can live up to you calling me 'brother' anymore."
Iceberg shook his head, his voice carrying a hint of emotion.
What he meant was that Lin Yuan was growing stronger far too quickly. Even he had been shaken by that last move!
Without another word, Iceberg blurred and disappeared into the thick mist, beginning his search for treasure.
Liu He walked over, nudged Lin Yuan lightly with his elbow, and shot Fall a suggestive glance in the distance. He couldn't help exclaiming, "Not bad, Lin Yuan. You even managed to tame Fall, that famously hot-tempered madwoman. The way he looked just now, he was like a startled quail."
At that, Lin Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "Inspector Liu, quit teasing me. He attacked first. I was acting in self-defense."
He then briefly filled Liu He in on what had happened. Liu He listened in amazement, and the awe in his gaze grew stronger by the moment.
Nearby, Luo Feng quietly listened to the conversation among the experts. At that moment, his yearning for strength reached its peak.
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