A Blade Cuts Down the Cloud-Touching Vine, Aiming to Break Through to Planetary Level! [Please Read On!]

Time ticked by second by second, and an oppressive feeling hung in the air, so suffocating it was hard to breathe.

Quite some time had passed since Iceberg ventured into the depths of Mist Island. Every so often, muffled booms rolled out from within the billowing white fog, as if some enormous creature were turning over beneath the earth.

At the edge of Mist Island, the two groups stood clearly apart.

On one side were the people from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Their expressions were grave, but they remained relatively composed. On the other stood Councilor Fal of the HR Alliance, Catlan, and the others.

At that moment, Fal, Catlan, and the rest looked utterly grim.

There was only one reason: the young man in black standing at the very front, a war blade strapped to his back and his arms folded across his chest.

Whenever Catlan or Fal made even the slightest move toward Mist Island, Lin Yuan would turn his head and give them an utterly "friendly" look.

His gaze was as calm as still water, yet Catlan felt as though an ancient ferocious beast had its eyes on him. Cold sweat ran down his back, and the foot he had just put forward promptly drew back.

That guy... He's a complete monster. Catlan cursed inwardly, but could only stand there, fuming.

The sight left Luo Feng and Liu He, standing behind Lin Yuan, at a loss between laughter and tears.

"Looks like Inspector Lin left them with quite a bit of trauma," Liu He murmured, the corner of his mouth curling in a schadenfreude-filled smile.

Luo Feng couldn't help laughing either, but his attention was soon drawn to Lin Yuan's telekinetic weapons.

Without thinking, he touched the throwing-knife pouch on the outside of his thigh, feeling a pang of envy.

Compared to Brother Lin's gear, my few throwing knives are practically scrap metal...

A fervent light flashed in Luo Feng's eyes, and he secretly vowed, Once we leave Mist Island, I'll have to find a way to get my hands on some proper telekinetic weapons too!

Just as Luo Feng was still envying Lin Yuan's equipment—

RUMBLE!!!

Without the slightest warning, the entire island shook violently!

"What's going on?!" Liu He's expression changed.

"That's..." Luo Feng's pupils contracted sharply.

Deep within the thick fog, a figure in a white combat suit was hurtling out at astonishing speed.

It was Iceberg!

Iceberg looked rather battered. Several tears marred his once-neat combat suit, but he clutched a bulging backpack tightly to his chest, his face tense.

"Quick! Get back to the fighter jet! Take off immediately!!!"

Iceberg hadn't even reached them yet, but his urgent shout had already boomed in everyone's ears, carried by vibrations in the Origin Force.

Before they could react, everyone drew a sharp breath.

Because chasing Iceberg weren't just flying chunks of rock—there were also six terrifying blackish-purple vines!

Each vine stretched a thousand meters, with a diameter of twenty centimeters. Their entire length gleamed with a metallic sheen, like six blackish-purple giant serpents crawling out of hell!

They pursued Iceberg relentlessly.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

The vines lashed against the rocky ground, pulverizing the hard stone in an instant.

They were like the will of Mist Island itself, relentlessly targeting Iceberg, the intruder who had stolen its treasure.

Whenever Iceberg tried to change direction and escape the encirclement, the blackish-purple vines would twist and extend in unnatural ways, as if they possessed intelligence, instantly blocking his escape!

"What the hell are those things?!"

Liu He was aghast. As a veteran Inspector, he immediately recognized how terrifying they were.

"From the initial look of it, those vines are definitely as tough as King-level monsters! And... look at those severed ends. They're healing! Its recovery speed is frighteningly fast!"

"Quick, back to the cabin!"

Liu He acted decisively, grabbing Luo Feng and heading for the intelligent fighter jet hovering in midair.

Against a plant life-form that was hard, long, and capable of endless regeneration, human warriors were at a severe disadvantage on the ground.

Luo Feng and Liu He reacted swiftly, darting toward the cabin door.

Yet amid the chaotic retreat, one figure surged against the flow.

Clang—!

A clear, ringing blade cry instantly drowned out the thunder of the vines lashing the ground.

Luo Feng looked back in shock and saw that Lin Yuan had not retreated. Instead, he had drawn the [Shadow Devourer] war blade on his back once more!

The next second, Lin Yuan moved.

BOOM!

The rocks beneath his feet shattered instantly. Lin Yuan's entire body transformed into a bolt of lightning, moving so fast that only a string of dark afterimages remained on the retina.

Instead of retreating, he charged straight at the six wildly dancing, terrifying vines!

He went to face the monster that had driven even Iceberg's bodyguards into a frantic retreat!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan was there.

Iceberg was surrounded by three vines in a triangular formation, and he was about to be strangled.

"Get lost!"

His cold shout burst like thunder.

A brilliant gleam flared in Lin Yuan's eyes. At that moment, the war blade in his hand seemed to vanish, replaced by a darkness that swallowed all light.

His fearsome swordsmanship unfolded in an instant!

There was nothing fancy about the strike. It was all extreme speed and razor-sharpness. The blade flashed in a dazzling blur, each swing seeming to carve a black rift in space.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Six muffled slicing sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

The blackish-purple vines, whose toughness rivaled the scales of King-level monsters, were as fragile as tofu beneath Lin Yuan's blade.

One strike severed one vine!

Six severed lengths of vine, each dozens of meters long, shot into the air, spraying purple fluid in every direction.

Screeeee!!!

A cry of pain seemed to come from deep beneath the ground.

The once-arrogant Cloud-Touching Vine seemed to sense a fear that came from the very depths of its soul.

The remaining vines trembled wildly, no longer daring to advance. Like startled snakes, they shrank back in disarray into the thick fog, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, Heaven and Earth fell silent.

Only Lin Yuan remained, standing with his blade in hand amid the severed vines scattered at his feet.

"Let's go."

Lin Yuan sheathed his blade, glanced at Iceberg, and said one word in an even tone.

Iceberg drew a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and nodded.

The two of them blurred into streaks of light and rushed into the Qiankun Fighter Jet through its open hatch.

Inside the fighter jet, the hatch slowly closed, shutting out the commotion outside.

Only then did everyone finally let out a long breath.

"That thing really knows how to cling on."

Iceberg plopped down on the sofa, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said with lingering fear.

Then he looked up at Lin Yuan, who was wiping down his blade, and asked curiously, "Did the Hall Master create that sword technique for you?"

In Iceberg's view, only "Hong," the world's most powerful warrior, could have created a sword technique with such power and profound mastery.

Lin Yuan's hand paused slightly. Then he shook his head and casually brushed the question aside. "No. I had some insights by chance while fighting for my life, then tinkered with it on my own."

There was no way he could tell them the system had suddenly awakened and given it to him while he was sunbathing, was there?

"You came up with it yourself?" Iceberg and Liu He exchanged a glance, their astonishment growing even greater. The kid's comprehension was so monstrously good, it made no sense!

"All right, enough about that."

Liu He waved a hand and looked eagerly at the bulging backpack in Iceberg's arms. "Iceberg, how was the haul this time?"

At the mention of it, a rare smile finally appeared on Iceberg's perpetually frosty face.

"A lot. A whole lot..."

As he spoke, he unzipped the backpack.

At once, a rich aura of life filled the entire cabin, making their pores open in comfort.

There were nearly a hundred Spirits of Vegetation, and quite a few Ten-Thousand-Year Willow Hearts as well.

"We were lucky this time."

Iceberg nodded and looked at everyone. "According to the rules, everyone who took part in the operation gets a share. We'll let the Hall Master distribute it once we get back!"

Liu He and Luo Feng nodded repeatedly.

Lin Yuan nodded too, without refusing.

He had earned it.

He turned and looked through the fighter jet's window at the mysterious island below, still shrouded in thick fog.

The fighter jet's holographic projection screen displayed the full view of Mist Island.

Lin Yuan thought to himself, The Cloud-Touching Vine... It's a highly sought-after plant life-form in the universe, with tremendous growth potential. Hong will come here in person to collect it before long, won't he?

Plant life-forms really are excellent companions in the early stages. They can attack and defend, and even serve as armor. I wonder if I'll have the chance to get one?

But soon, he cast that distracting thought aside.

The Cloud-Touching Vine was powerful, but it was an external asset.

His top priority now was to improve his own strength!

Lin Yuan's gaze fell on the enticingly lustrous Ten-Thousand-Year Willow Heart, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

With this, and the overbearing power of the Nine Star Transformations...

This time, I'll break through the barrier in one go and truly enter the Planetary Level!