Slay the Beast Emperor! The Battle Begins Now!

The cabin door opened, and Lin Yuan followed behind Hong, stepping out.

No sooner had they landed than a hearty laugh greeted them.

"Haha, Brother Hong! You finally made it."

A bald man wearing a white martial arts uniform strode toward them with long, confident strides.

He was burly with a resolute face, his entire being radiating an aura that was as violent as a thunderbolt yet perfectly restrained.

This was the world's second-strongest fighter—Thunder God.

Thunder God walked up to Hong, and the two exchanged a few brief pleasantries.

Suddenly, Thunder God's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

He looked at Hong, then turned his gaze to Lin Yuan standing behind him. His stare was blunt, and when he looked back at Hong, it carried a hint of, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Brother Hong, are you serious?"

Thunder God lowered his voice, gesturing toward Lin Yuan, "Just this kid?"

Hong's expression remained indifferent; he merely gave a slight nod.

Thunder God curled his lip, seemingly finding Hong's decision unbelievable.

But he knew Hong; once this man made a decision, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

Moreover, since Hong dared to reveal the entire plan and even decided to go alone (with a dead weight in tow?) to slay that terrifying Tentacle Beast Emperor, it meant...

Perhaps this kid named Lin Yuan really had something up his sleeve?

Thinking this, Thunder God walked straight toward Lin Yuan. His large, copper-bell-like eyes scrutinized Lin Yuan from head to toe, as if trying to see right through him.

Suddenly, Thunder God reached out a thick arm and slung it around Lin Yuan's shoulder, the movement as familiar as if they were brothers who hadn't met in years.

"You're that... Lin Yuan, right? I've heard much about you!"

Thunder God spoke with great enthusiasm, his booming voice making Lin Yuan's eardrums ring, "Since even Brother Hong thinks so highly of you, even changing his original plan for your sake—it seems you might not be weaker than me after all!"

Lin Yuan's mouth twitched slightly.

This Thunder God was truly just as the rumors described: no airs of a powerhouse, just a chatterbox who treated everyone like an old friend.

However, Lin Yuan also knew that while Thunder God spoke carelessly, he didn't actually think much of this operation.

After all, that was a Beast Emperor that even several Inspectors combined couldn't handle. It was already risky enough for Hong to go alone, and now he was bringing along a "newcomer" like himself.

"You flatter me, Senior Thunder God."

Lin Yuan responded neither humbly nor arrogantly, while calmly slipping his shoulder out of Thunder God's "bear hug," "I am merely doing my best, hoping to be of some help to the Hall Master."

His attention was focused more on the churning lake in the distance. From there, a heart-palpitating, murderous aura was surging into the sky.

At this moment, Hong walked over, his gaze sweeping across the two, and said calmly: "Save the small talk for later. Prepare to move out."

"Understood, Hall Master." Lin Yuan nodded, his expression instantly turning solemn.

Thunder God shrugged, dropping his playful demeanor: "Fine, then I'll tag along... to watch the show. But let's get this straight: unless you two are truly about to kick the bucket, I'm not lifting a finger."

He wouldn't intervene because this was an internal operation of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, involving the distribution of spoils and the Hall's prestige; he would only intervene because of his life-or-death friendship with Hong.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three figures shot into the sky, instantly appearing in the public eye.

At this moment, countless gazes from the various factions stationed around Mist Island converged upon them.

"Look! It's Hong and Thunder God!"

"Are they finally making a move? That Beast Emperor is a tough nut to crack!"

"Eh? Who is that young man next to Hong and Thunder God?"

The crowd erupted into a flurry of discussion.

Hong and Thunder God were two monuments on Earth; everyone knew them.

But the young man in black following them was a stranger to many.

"Is that... Lin Yuan? That Honorary Inspector?"

Some recognized him, but most were filled with confusion.

In the camp of the HR Alliance, a hot-bodied, cold-faced blonde woman—Fall—was staring fixedly at the figure in the sky, her eyes full of disbelief.

"It's him?!"

Fall gritted her teeth, "He's actually part of this operation? Are you kidding me! In a battle of this level, is a newcomer who just broke through going there to die?"

Although her heart was filled with doubt and disdain, no one dared to speak out loud at this moment.

After all, if someone was willing to gnaw on this hardest of bones, they were happy to reap the benefits; who would be stupid enough to stop them?

Speeding along, the three soon arrived above the massive lake.

The lake water was as black as ink and bottomless, resembling a giant maw waiting to devour anything that dared to approach.

Hong stopped his movement and took a deep look at Lin Yuan. In that gaze, there was both scrutiny and a trace of imperceptible expectation.

"Are you ready?"

"At any time." Lin Yuan flipped his wrist, and the ink-black SS-grade battle blade [Shadow Devourer] appeared in his hand.

"Good."

Hong said no more. His figure flickered, and he transformed into a streak of black light, instantly plunging into the lake.

"I'm heading in too."

Lin Yuan nodded to Thunder God, who was hovering in the air, and then a brilliant radiance erupted from his body. He seemed to transform into a dazzling ray of light, following closely behind and submerging into the water.

That's right, a ray of light!

After Lin Yuan stepped into the Planetary level...

The special ability he awakened was precisely—Light!

This not only granted him unparalleled speed but also allowed his control over light to reach an inconceivable level.

And the telepathic weapon rewarded by the system, named "Sun God Weapon," was a perfect match for this light ability; it would be his strongest trump card for when he stepped into the universe and conquered the galaxy in the future.

Splash!

The two entered the water and dived downward.

The lake water was bone-chillingly cold; the deeper they went, the greater the pressure, and the light grew increasingly dim. Yet, in their perception, everything around them remained clearly visible.

Not long after they began their descent, a sudden change occurred!

Rumble—

The previously calm lake bottom suddenly shook violently, mud and sand churning.

Immediately after, a massive tentacle, a thousand meters long and as thick as a train, lunged out from the darkness with a suffocating sense of oppression!

The tentacle was covered in hideous suction cups and barbs, and every movement stirred the lake water into a frenzy, forming massive whirlpools.

"Is this single tentacle longer than an Amazonian Titan Anaconda?"

Looking at the behemoth rushing toward him, Lin Yuan felt no fear at all; instead, he casually made a snide remark.

The next second, his eyes turned sharp.

Hum!

The [Shadow Devourer] blade in his hand let out a crisp hum.

Lin Yuan's figure flashed, and he truly seemed to transform into a beam of light. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging directly toward the massive tentacle!

"Slash!"

He let out a low shout in his heart.

A flow of light rippled through the water, and a blade-light, thin as a thread yet brilliantly radiant, flashed and vanished.

Puchi!

That incredibly tough tentacle, which even missiles could hardly blast through, was as fragile as tofu before this blade-light.

In a mere instant, a section was cleanly severed!

The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and the blood hadn't even had time to gush out yet.

This was only natural.

After all, beyond the inherent sharpness of [Shadow Devourer] and the augmentation of the Law of Light, the spatial secret technique "Particle" recently rewarded by the system granted Lin Yuan the terrifying power to cut through all microscopic particles.

At least on the level of Earth, nothing could withstand this strike!

"Roar—!!!"

A roar of pain and fury erupted from the depths of the lake, the sound waves causing the lake water to surge wildly.

Seeing this, Hong, on the other side, was not to be outdone.

The long spear in his hand struck out like a dragon emerging from the sea, carrying a dark domain that destroyed everything in its path as he attacked the other incoming tentacles.

But Lin Yuan's movements were faster!

"Since we're making a scene, let's make it a big one."

With a thought from Lin Yuan, the [Arc Wheel] on his back instantly disassembled, transforming into nine moon-blades as thin as cicada wings. They spun rapidly around him, coalescing into a massive, circular disc of light.

"Go!"

Driven by his willpower, the nine moon-blades instantly turned into nine streaks of light, sinking into the deeper water along with him.

In that very instant, thousands of white lines were born!

It was the perfect fusion of the Law of Light and spiritual telekinesis. Every white line was a lethal cutting beam, weaving into a web of death at the bottom of the pitch-black lake.

On the surface of the lake.

The originally pitch-black water suddenly lit up, as if a scorching sun had risen from the bottom of the lake. Countless blinding beams of light pierced through the surface, shooting straight into the firmament!

This scene left those on the shore dazzled and dumbstruck.

Jia Yi, Zhu Xi, Luo Feng, and the council members of the various major factions were all stunned, their mouths hanging wide open, unable to close them for a long time.

"What... what is happening?!"

"Wasn't it said that the Beast Emperor was incredibly difficult to deal with, and that even the Ice Emperor and his peers had returned in defeat? What the hell is this one-sided crushing?"

"Too strong! This is nothing short of a massacre!"

Because the light from the bottom of the lake was so intense, swirling with thousands of rays, and further obscured by the water, they could not see exactly who was attacking.

However, almost everyone subconsciously assumed this was the work of Hong.

"He is truly the world's number one powerhouse! Aside from Hong, has anyone else on Earth ever displayed such terrifying control over light?"

"Amazing! It seems this Beast Emperor is doomed to die today!"

Everyone clapped and cheered, while simultaneously rubbing their hands and preparing for action.

Because they knew that once the Beast Emperor fell, this treasure trove would trigger a bloodbath, and in the chaos of the field, the rule that martial artists must not kill other martial artists...

would be temporarily forgotten!

Only Thunder God, hovering in the sky, watched the brilliant light at the bottom of the lake, a flash of deep shock crossing his eyes.

This kid... he's been hiding his strength well!

BOOM!

Just then, the surface of the lake exploded, and a massive black shadow shot into the sky amidst a rain of blood, before slamming heavily onto Lake Heart Island.

It was the gargantuan corpse of the Tentacle Beast Emperor, now riddled with holes and completely devoid of life.

The Beast Emperor had fallen!

The entire scene fell silent for a second, before erupting into earth-shattering cheers.

Yet, everyone knew that this was only the beginning.

The main event of the day had only just officially begun!!!