Downstairs, Lin Yi could guess that everyone was probably worried about him by now.
But he wasn't worried at all.
He didn't need a Detector to know the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's Source Energy value.
It was only 200 points. No big deal.
As he charged toward the Abyss Beasts, Lin Yi calmly assessed the battle.
This time was different from before. He didn't plan to use ranged attacks that projected Source Energy.
Killing a few wolves instantly would do little to intimidate a pack this large, especially with an elite Abyss Beast leading it.
And with his current amount of Source Energy, the blue flashes he could fire from his fingertips wouldn't threaten the Giant Rock Abyss Bear. They'd only waste his precious energy.
Every bit of strength he had now had to be put to good use.
His goal was clear. It could be summed up in two words.
Decapitation!
Only by quickly taking out the most dangerous threat, the Giant Rock Abyss Bear, could he break the wolves' confidence. Otherwise, getting bogged down in a drawn-out fight would be troublesome.
As he sped through the ruins, the Silver Radiance of his Flowing Cloud Armor traced a low-flying meteor through the dawn light.
The instant he entered the Abyss Wolves' attack range—
"Pfft! Pfft, pfft, pfft!"
On either side, six packs of Abyss Wolves moved like well-trained grenadiers. They whipped their bony tails and spat clumps of dark green corrosive acid, sealing off every possible route Lin Yi could take to advance or retreat.
"Watch out!"
Someone cried out from a second-floor window.
Behind the camera, Ren Yinuo held her breath.
Lin Yi reacted in an instant, making minute adjustments with his body.
Like a slender willow swaying in the wind, he dodged left and right by the narrowest margins, now executing a sudden, short sidestep, now abruptly stopping. More than a dozen clumps of acid whooshed past the edges of his armor, all missing their mark!
The one or two that came close to hitting a vital spot were knocked away by a precise sweep of his spear.
The spear shaft cut through the air with a muffled whoosh. The acid burst in midair, and the drops that splattered on the ground ate into the concrete with a sizzling hiss, releasing white smoke.
The Abyss Wolves' coordinated acid attack had failed to injure him, but it had slowed his advance just a little.
By then, the Giant Rock Abyss Bear had already charged up to Lin Yi.
Its mountain-sized frame cast a shadow over him. With a deafening roar, it rose onto its hind legs, then brought down a massive paw capable of crushing armor, its crushing blow wrapped in a fierce gust of wind!
At the same time, the Abyss Wolves on either side sprang into action.
Four or five of them charged wildly from the flanks, claws aimed at Lin Yi's legs and waist as they tried to pin him in place. Several others spat acid again, accurately covering the routes he might take to retreat or dodge sideways.
A standard encirclement tactic.
The bear attacked head-on, the wolves restricted his movement in close combat, and the others provided ranged support.
I can't retreat. If I do, I'll get dragged into a drawn-out fight.
A cold glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes as he willed Source Energy into his armor.
The surface of the Flowing Cloud Armor abruptly brightened, its energy flowing faster, like a high-speed membrane covering his entire body.
"Clang! Screech!"
The claws of the Abyss Wolves that lunged at him raked across his armor, but it was like trying to grip a rapidly spinning wheel. Their force was strangely deflected and dissipated, leaving not even a scratch.
The clumps of acid that slammed into his breastplate and shoulder guards fared no better. Like shots hitting slanted armor, most of the liquid deflected and slid off to either side. Only a little viscous residue clung to the armor, giving off a faint sizzle before quickly disappearing.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi didn't falter for an instant. Taking advantage of an Abyss Wolf's missed lunge on his left, he drove his waist into a powerful twist, spinning halfway around like a top. Using the momentum of his turn, he gripped the Abyss-Splitter Spear in his right hand and swept it back with blinding speed.
"Thud! Crack!"
The heavy spear shaft lashed like a steel whip, striking two Abyss Wolves that were lunging through the air on the right.
The wolves didn't even have time to scream. Hit head-on by what felt like a speeding truck, they flew into the distance and crashed into the ruins, their bodies going limp.
In that split second, the Giant Bear's devastating blow came crashing down over his head.
"Boom!!!"
Its massive paw slammed down with tremendous force. The ground shook, and a huge crater blasted through the hard concrete. Cracks spread like a spiderweb, while countless chunks of stone and brick shot through the air like shrapnel.
But Lin Yi was no longer there.
Before the momentum of his spear sweep had run its course, he pushed off hard with the tips of his toes. At the same time, he used the recoil of the swing to propel himself left, like a silver arrow loosed from a powerful crossbow. He just barely escaped the center of the fatal blow, his armor clanging as flying rubble struck it.
He landed on the roof of a metal parking booth to the left.
With a dull clang, Lin Yi landed in a crouch atop the booth.
The Giant Bear's missed strike had caused massive destruction, but it also left the beast briefly off balance.
Its momentum spent and its next move not yet ready, its huge body even pitched slightly forward.
The Abyss Wolves guarding its left flank had only just finished lunging and had no time to return to its defense.
That was the opening Lin Yi had deliberately created!
"Thump!"
The metal roof beneath Lin Yi's feet boomed as his sudden burst of strength crushed and deformed it.
He launched himself from the booth, as if freed from gravity, and leaped back toward the right. His target wasn't the ground, but the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's thick shoulder and neck, covered in dark yellow rock armor and bulging with muscle.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly.
Through her camera lens, Ren Yinuo on the rooftop saw the silver figure unfurl in midair, his movements fluid and full of power. Sunlight slipped through a gap between buildings, gilding him in brilliant gold, as if a war god had descended to earth.
On the second floor of Hongfu Restaurant, everyone who saw the scene was stunned into silence.
Zhou Jianjun's mouth hung half open, but no sound came out. Chen Yu forgot to breathe, his eyes wide. Zhou Yuxuan was struggling to put on his arm guards, but his movements had frozen completely as he stared blankly out the window.
"Pfft!"
With a soft thud, Lin Yi landed with pinpoint precision on the Giant Bear's broad right shoulder, as flat as a rocky plateau.
"Roar?!"
The Giant Rock Abyss Bear seemed to have only just realized what had happened. It let out a furious, startled roar and instinctively shook its head and shoulders, trying to fling the tiny creature off.
But it was too late.
Lin Yi's feet were firmly planted on its shoulder blade as if rooted there. He braced himself, body steady, then gripped the Abyss-Splitter Spear in both hands and raised it high overhead.
All the strength in his body, along with the surging Source Energy within him, gathered at an unprecedented speed.
Star-Splitting Spear Art—Star-Piercing!
Armor-Splitting effect—activated!
The muscles in Lin Yi's arms bulged instantly. As he poured in his vast Source Energy, the Abyss-Splitter Spear began to hum softly. Its dull patterns suddenly glowed with a deep light, and a point of piercing radiance flashed at the spearhead.
"Die!"
Lin Yi let out a roar of exhilaration.
His arm muscles tightened like steel cables. He poured into the Abyss-Splitter all the pent-up anguish he had carried since being reborn, then drove it down with all his might toward the most vulnerable spot where the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's neck joined its shoulder.
"Clang! Shhk!!"
A bizarre, hair-raising crash rang out!
First came the shrill clang of the spearhead's concentrated energy striking the heavy rock armor. The two forces clashed for just an instant before the hard armor shattered like fragile glass.
Then the spear drove in, unstoppable, plunging deep into flesh, crushing bone, and piercing through the beast's body with a muffled tearing sound.
"Roar!!!"
The Giant Rock Abyss Bear let out a heart-rending howl.
Its deafening roar crashed through the air like a physical force, making the windows of Hongfu Restaurant vibrate. Its massive body went rigid, then began to shake and thrash wildly, trying to dislodge the deadly threat on its shoulder.
But Lin Yi wasn't about to give it the chance.
He clamped both hands around the spear shaft and unleashed another terrifying burst of strength, wrenching it down and twisting hard!
The howl was cut off as if by a blade.
Every movement of the Giant Rock Abyss Bear stopped at once. The ferocious light in its huge, blood-red eyes quickly faded, and its mountain-sized body lost all support before crashing forward.
"Thud!"
The earth rumbled as the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's corpse fell into the crater its paw had made, as if fate had led it there. Dust blasted out in a circular wave, like the shockwave of an explosion.
The entire world seemed to fall silent.
At the second-floor window, there was a deathly hush.
Zhou Jianjun's hand, gripping the window frame, trembled uncontrollably. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Chen Yu slumped to the floor, muttering, "Holy shit. Holy shit."
Zhou Yuxuan stopped struggling with his arm guards. Through his lenses, he stared fixedly at the cloud of dust below, his face expressionless.
But his slightly contracted pupils showed that he was far from calm.
On the rooftop, Ren Yinuo slowly lowered her camera. She raised a hand and pressed it against her pounding chest, then took a deep breath and lifted the camera again, pointing the lens toward the center of the swirling dust.
The dust slowly settled, and a figure gradually came into view.
Lin Yi stood steadily beside the Giant Rock Abyss Bear's lifeless, enormous head, one knee slightly bent. Dust and a few spots of dark blood stained his silver-gray Flowing Cloud Light Armor, which reflected the growing dawn in a light all its own.
He reached down and grasped the still-quivering shaft of the Abyss-Splitter. With a rasp, he pulled the spear from the bear's neck, drawing out a trail of dark blood droplets.
Then he pointed the spearhead toward the ground. Viscous blood slowly ran down its groove, dripping in the quiet morning with soft plinks.
The Abyss Wolves around him stood frozen in place, as if under a spell.
Their blood-red eyes reflected the Giant Bear's massive body, which had collapsed with a crash and was now slowly crumbling into ash. Their original ferocity and greed gave way to the most primal fear.
Ah... The end of the month was coming. It'd be a waste not to use your votes, so you might consider giving them to Little Paicai.
Before you continue