Beneath the murky sky, Chen Chong's Alloy Combat Blade trailed a streak of silver as he slammed into the swarm of Black Earth Dragons!
The Black Earth Dragons had noticed their prey stop long ago, and every one of them had picked up speed. But against the sudden flash charging at them, their bodies seemed especially sluggish.
Chen Chong picked the nearest one at the front and charged straight at it. The Earth Dragon seemed to sense the threat too. Its mouthparts gaped wide as it snapped at him!
It was more than twice as fast as the Red Earth Dragons.
But Chen Chong lightly tapped his foot and slid several meters to the side, then leaped straight into the air. Holding his blade crosswise, he passed right by the Earth Dragon's head.
Sshhk—
With a muffled sound of a blade slicing through flesh, the side of the Earth Dragon's head suddenly burst open!
A third of its entire upper body had been completely sliced apart, spraying black flesh and blood.
Chen Chong stomped hard on its body and sprang away, dodging the impact of another Earth Dragon beside him. As he did, he slashed a gruesome gash across that one too.
Bang!
The two Earth Dragons crashed into each other. The first one's wound immediately widened, and it fell to the ground like a heap of spilled meat, landing with a rumble;
The second one's head burst halfway open. The collision wrenched out half its teeth and half its head, and it began thrashing wildly in place, scattering dirt and filling the air with dust.
Chen Chong burst out of the dust and quickly left the two Earth Dragons behind, charging once more at the one in front of him.
He was several times faster than before. Compared to these Earth Dragons, he was practically lightning. Before his prey could react, Chen Chong had circled around its head and was slashing wildly at its midsection, scattering a swath of silver light!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The sound of his swift blade slicing through the air was piercing. Chen Chong leaped away before the Earth Dragon could react. Its head was raised as it searched for him, then suddenly drooped and slammed into the ground. Its back had been completely carved open, no longer able to support its heavy mouthparts. Black blood shot skyward like a whale spouting water, then rained down as a foul-smelling mist that blanketed a ten-meter radius.
Chen Chong had taken down three Earth Dragons. He darted away again.
The surrounding Earth Dragons had closed in. At a glance, all he could see was a writhing forest of pitch-black, grotesque muscles and slime-coated, toothed mouthparts.
There was no time to count how many Earth Dragons there were. The two closest ones had already slammed their mouthparts down!
Chen Chong slipped through a gap and slashed once to either side. But there was hardly any room left for him to dodge and weave. He could only strike hastily before jumping away again, unable to inflict greater damage on either Earth Dragon.
With worms writhing all around him, Chen Chong fought them for a while before switching to a bleeding tactic.
His long combat blade was highly effective against the Earth Dragons, far more useful than a dagger.
But these Black Earth Dragons were much larger than the Red Earth Dragons he'd faced before, and they were all around him. It would take who knew how long to bleed them out.
This wouldn't do.
Chen Chong took a deep breath. Red light flared in his eyes!
His movements instantly sped up another level. His figure became impossible to make out, and the blade in his hand turned into a full moon.
The forest of flesh covered the ground, obscuring the figure in its center from view.
But suddenly, a dazzling silver light blazed within the forest. It pierced through the wall formed by the Black Earth Dragons, and countless gaps were slashed through the densely packed mass, letting brilliant flashes of blade light shine through!
All the Earth Dragons around him went rigid, and great chunks of flesh burst outward. Chen Chong darted through the gaps, finally feeling as if the forest had thinned a little.
Just then, the ground churned, and several Earth Dragons suddenly burst out of the earth at once!
They had made no sound before, even using the commotion caused by their companions to hide their movements. They'd launched a sneak attack from below!
Chen Chong's figure flashed, and he leaped high into the air. He narrowly dodged the mouthparts of two Earth Dragons, but the third was already right in front of him!
Chen Chong glanced at its rows of sharp teeth. A light flashed in his eyes. Instead of retreating, he planted both feet against the Earth Dragon behind him and accelerated straight into its open mouth!
The Earth Dragon snapped its mouthparts shut, but just missed him.
Its body seemed to wave about in midair in confusion, then suddenly went rigid!
It shot straight up from the ground, its lower half still buried in the soil stretching up with it. Its entire body became a thirty-meter-tall black pillar standing on the ground.
For a moment, time stood still.
Then a streak of silver light flashed in midair.
The pillar was still for a moment, then suddenly split in two down the middle!
Chen Chong was drenched in blood, white steam rising from his body, as he leaped down from above.
Behind him, the Earth Dragon crashed to the ground, and black blood rained from the sky.
The moment Chen Chong landed, he vanished again, rampaging back and forth through the forest of flesh around him.
This time, nothing could stop him.
After slicing open the last Earth Dragon, he stopped with his blade held crosswise and looked around.
His field of vision had opened up. Not a single black Exotic Beast remained standing before him.
Chen Chong let out a breath, then suddenly sank into utter exhaustion.
0%.
He had never seen zero before... The Second Form's energy and progress had both been completely depleted, and the Battle Angel Serum had been used up too.
With that enormous power gone all at once, Chen Chong almost felt as if he'd come down with a serious illness.
He quickly swept past the flesh scattered across the ground and headed straight for the off-road vehicle.
The Earth Dragons weren't quite dead yet, but Chen Chong didn't have time to deal with them. They wouldn't be able to pursue him again anytime soon anyway.
He tossed the blade onto the back seat, climbed into the vehicle, and slammed the door shut.
The off-road vehicle roared back to life. Its front end swerved twice before it headed northwest.
Chen Chong drove with one hand, while the other kept reaching into the bag beside him for Nutrient Paste. Every so often, he took a sip of water, then swallowed the paste in his mouth without chewing.
He felt utterly drained. If he didn't replenish his energy soon, he'd have trouble even gripping the steering wheel.
After a while, Chen Chong reached into the bag again and suddenly brushed against something soft and smooth.
He turned at once and saw Xie Wushuang take out a stick of Nutrient Paste from the bag. She asked:
"Does this taste good?"
Before he could answer, she tore open the wrapper and took a small bite, then froze.
She quietly opened the window and leaned her head outside. Only after a moment did she turn back, calmly wipe her mouth with the back of her hand, then casually toss the Nutrient Paste far away.
"When did you wake up?"
Chen Chong asked.
Xie Wushuang replied:
"Just now."
She looked at Chen Chong for a few seconds.
"I told you you could help me."
Chen Chong said nothing.
Xie Wushuang didn't mind. She said calmly:
"The mission's over. We have you to thank for that. As promised, I'll pay you your reward."
She flipped her hand and produced a small syringe from somewhere in her combat suit:
"A-1. It'll be useful at your current level. But I suggest waiting a while before using it, since you've only just broken through."
A-1?
Chen Chong froze, then turned at once to stare at the tiny glass vial.
The A Series nutritional supplements made by Dawn Biology?
The A Series that could even help fighters who had tempered their bodies to the limit?
Xie Wushuang wasn't finished. She set the small silver pistol on the center console too.
"Bluebird Model 900. At your current level, one shot is enough to take each one down."
She spoke pointedly.
"I mean someone at your level."
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