A massive holographic screen covered the entire wall, displaying a live feed of high-definition satellite images from hundreds of kilometers away.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt suffocating. Dozens of uniformed operators tapped rapidly at their keyboards, but every face was etched with tension and unease.
"Damn it! What the hell is he trying to do?!"
Ivanov's furious roar shattered the silence.
The burly Russian, built like a brown bear, was staring fixedly at the screen, his eyes bloodshot and the veins on his forehead throbbing.
Onscreen, the black intelligent fighter jet—representing the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's most advanced technology—wasn't circling high above to provide covering fire, as conventional tactics dictated. Instead, it made a move that left everyone dumbfounded—
It pointed its nose down and plunged straight toward the ground!
A kilometer above the earth, its hatch suddenly opened.
A black figure leaped out, plunging straight down without a parachute or any kind of deceleration device!
He wasn't even wearing combat gear!
Boom!
The figure was moving so fast that a visible sonic boom cloud formed around him.
Like a human missile, he hurtled toward the perilous primeval forest below with the grim resolve of someone who would stop at nothing.
"Madman! He's out of his mind!"
Ivanov slammed his fist into the table. The alloy surface caved in.
"He's clearly planning to go head-to-head with the Phantom Cat Emperor! That's a High-level Beast King! A terrifying creature second only to a Beast Emperor! Is his brain full of mush?!"
In Ivanov's eyes, this was no different from suicide.
The intelligence said Lin Yuan was at the "peak of High-level War God," but what difference did that make against a monster of this caliber? A War God was no better than an infant!
The Phantom Cat Emperor was especially terrifying not because of its strength, but because of its bizarre, unpredictable mental illusions and its incredible speed.
Once caught in its illusions, even the strongest body was helpless against it!
"It's over..."
Many of the staff in the command room shut their eyes in pain.
Some mourned the fall of a genius, others despaired over the threat of a beast tide to the Base City, and still others shook their heads, thinking Lin Yuan was too young and arrogant to understand the danger.
"We can't count on him."
Ivanov took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He couldn't stand by and watch millions of people in the Base City become monster fodder.
"Communications officer! Get me the War God Palace's Supreme Council at once! I'm requesting support from a Councilor-level fighter! No matter the cost—even if we have to use the nuclear arsenal, we must..."
He hadn't finished speaking or even touched the red emergency communicator when—
"Look! What's that?!"
A voice rang out, warped with shock. Like a hook, it yanked everyone's attention back to the screen.
Ivanov looked up instinctively.
Onscreen, the figure hurtling toward the ground had bizarrely come to a halt just before impact!
No—not a halt.
He was moving so fast that he had reached the camera's limit, leaving an afterimage on the screen!
Deep in the dense forest of the West Sea Wilderness.
The Phantom Cat Emperor sensed its life was in danger!
A human warrior had broken through its illusion so easily?
"Roar—!"
The Phantom Cat Emperor let out a shrill cry, its scales bristling. Instinctively, it didn't choose to fight at close range. Instead, it immediately unleashed the innate ability it was most proud of.
Vmmm!
An invisible, chilling wave of spiritual energy erupted.
Its eyes turned an eerie, deep purple, like two bottomless whirlpools spinning wildly.
The surrounding space seemed to twist. Countless pink mists appeared out of thin air, brimming with bewitching, hallucinogenic energy as they engulfed Lin Yuan.
This was its trump card—the "Phantom Demon Eye."
Unless someone's Spiritual Force reached the Beyond War God level or they possessed an exceptionally rare soul-defense treasure...
Any War God Level fighter who so much as looked at it would have their soul sink into darkness in an instant, reduced to a walking corpse.
The Phantom Cat Emperor's trump card had never failed. Countless human fighters had fallen to this move.
But—
This time, it was destined to fail!
Faced with the overwhelming mental illusion, Lin Yuan hovered in midair, the faintest trace of disdain curling his lips.
"Showing off your tricks in front of a master."
He spoke four words, his voice calm.
The next moment, two dazzling silver lights, bright as stars, suddenly blazed in Lin Yuan's eyes!
Boom!
If the Phantom Cat Emperor's spiritual power was a cold little stream, then the Spiritual Force Lin Yuan unleashed was an endless, boundless ocean!
It was true Planetary-level Spiritual Force—power that had undergone a qualitative transformation!
The silver light instantly took shape, becoming an invisible shock wave that crashed into the purple mist with unstoppable force.
Crack!
The sound of shattering glass rang out through the air.
The eerie purple mist didn't last even a second before it shattered and vanished!
"Meeeow!"
Its illusion forcibly broken, the Phantom Cat Emperor suffered a terrifying backlash. It cried out in agony as two streams of black blood ran from its eyes. The eerie purple light faded, replaced by sheer terror.
At last, it understood that the human before it wasn't prey at all. He was a demon wearing human skin!
A creature specializing in illusions, it had lost the power it relied on most. Its physical strength alone could never match an opponent of this caliber!
Run!
It had to run!
The Phantom Cat Emperor didn't hesitate. Its four limbs tensed and the ground exploded beneath it as it became a streak of deep blue lightning, fleeing madly into the forest.
It moved at such incredible speed that a string of afterimages trailed through the air.
"Trying to run?"
Lin Yuan stood motionless, his gaze fixed coldly on the fleeing figure. He gave a light wave of his right hand.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Arc Wheel behind him instantly split apart.
Nine silver blades, thin as cicada wings, surged forward on his Planetary-level Spiritual Force, becoming nine streaks of light that moved twice as fast as the Phantom Cat Emperor!
They traced nine strange arcs through the air, instantly sealing off every escape route in front, behind, and to either side of the Phantom Cat Emperor!
Despairing, the Phantom Cat Emperor stopped in its tracks and spun around, ready to fight to the death.
But Lin Yuan wasn't in its field of vision.
There was only a glint of cold light.
A glint so sharp and icy it seemed capable of freezing the soul!
It was the War Blade in Lin Yuan's hand—[Shadow Devourer].
Propelled by his Spiritual Force, Lin Yuan seemed to teleport, crossing hundreds of meters to appear above its head.
The sharp whistle of the blade came only after it had already swung through the air!
"Instant Arc Slash!"
Lin Yuan gave a low shout and brought his blade down.
Squelch!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling clash of energy. Only a faint sound, like a sharp blade cutting through tofu.
The Phantom Cat Emperor's huge, vicious head flew high into the air!
Terror and disbelief still lingered in its slit pupils. Even in death, it couldn't understand why this human's attacks were so bizarre!
They left no trace—and killed in a single strike!
Momentum carried its massive headless corpse dozens of meters before it crashed to the ground. Blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the surrounding vegetation red.
In the blink of an eye, the High-level Beast King that had given European nations endless headaches had fallen silent for good. Seeing this, Lin Yuan couldn't help but grow excited...
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