"Now, we have several options before us..."
Zhou Li raised a finger:
"First, abandon the camp, immediately pack up all the materials and personnel that can be taken away, and rush to the next city's Bedrock'Forward Base as quickly as possible."
"There is a high probability that there will be master-level combat forces stationed there, relying on fortifications to jointly resist the beast tide."
"If we choose this path, the probability of our overall survival is not small, but it means giving up everything we have been operating here for many years, and... the road may not be safe."
He raised a second finger:
"Second, Windless Mercenary Group... is disbanded."
"Everyone went their separate ways to find their own way."
"The advantage is that there are many gathering points for humans like us around Windless City, and there is a mix of good and bad, and we are relatively on the periphery."
"As long as you act fast enough, target small enough, and break out before the beast tide is completely encircled, the possibility of surviving this disaster with your own individual skills... is still very high."
Everyone looked at me and me, their breathing became a little heavier, but no one said anything immediately.
Abandoning your companions and escaping alone is an extremely difficult and shameful choice for mercenaries who regard the team as the basis of their survival.
In the oppressive silence, someone shouted hoarsely in the corner:
"Captain... then, what about the third one?"
Zhou Li raised his third finger, his voice suddenly raised, with a kind of vigor:
"Just last night, I received a radio message that an elite team drawn from the Black Wind Valley front line had secretly arrived in the nearby area."
His eyes were as bright as a torch, and he scanned the whole place:
"Our third option is to join them!"
"Cooperate with this elite team to attack Huanglong. The target is...Thunder Roar Mountain's top. Kill Thunder Cloud Eagle King before it completes its breakthrough!"
At night, everything is silent except for the subtle sound of the wind blowing through the sand and stones in the wilderness.
Chen Yan was alone, standing in a rugged barren valley outside the camp.
There was no moon in the night sky, and only the sparse stars cast a dim light, making his slender figure increasingly hazy.
After acquiring [Mirror Flower Water Moon] from the original body and successfully separating his clone, there was a perfect division of labor in daily practice.
Those practical skills that require fierce confrontation, interaction with the environment, and even a killing spirit.
Such as [Shadow Concealment], [Arrow Barrage] and [Godly Movement], are mainly borne by his avatar in Wilderness Zone.
At this moment, he was preoccupied with three things, and his figure moved between the rocks and shadows at an inhuman speed.
[Godly Movement] The secret method acts on the legs, and the footsteps follow a mysterious trajectory. They are not running in a straight line, but are erratic like ghosts, but the speed is so fast that afterimages are drawn out, as if they are blended into the night wind.
At the same time, the art of [Shadow Concealment] operates naturally.
Not only has it restrained all its aura, but the air-breaking sound that may be caused by high-speed movement has been cleverly eliminated.
His figure disappears and appears in the interplay of light and dark, perfectly taking advantage of every shadow in the environment, as if he has become a part of the night itself.
And in this state of extreme speed and stealth, his fists did not stop, practicing the secret of Yellow-Black Fist calmly and powerfully.
The boxing style is concise, leading but not releasing.
Each punch carries the heavy meaning of stimulating the earth's veins, but due to the effect of [Shadow Concealment], it does not disturb the surroundings at all. Only the punch stirs the weak airflow around the body.
Time passes slowly in practice...
When Chen Yan returned to the room that Qiu Yashuang had packed for him, a cold reminder sounded in his mind in an orderly manner:
[You work hard to hide yourself, blend into the environment, skill (Shadow Concealment) proficiency +100, current progress (9900/10000)]
[You travel through complex terrain at high speed, skill (Godly Movement) proficiency +100, current progress (9900/10000)]
[You practice boxing, control the flow of energy, skill (Arrow Barrage) proficiency +100, current progress (9900/10000)]
"Huh--" He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air with faint energy spots.
Chen Yan felt the endless power in his body, but what surged in his heart was indescribable joy and fulfillment.
According to this progress, a batch of key skills will break through to the third sequence tomorrow, and his actual combat ability will reach a new level.
Now I can only fight against the weak fifth-level ferocious beast. After this breakthrough, I may be able to touch Tier 6 Ferocious Beast!
He habitually looks inwards at himself.
It was shocking to find that the sea of qi in Dantian had almost been completely filled and transformed by the pure and condensed Chaos Qi!
The gray air seemed to contain all the possibilities before the creation of the world.
Beneath the calm surface is a powerful force that is about to explode and reshape everything.
"The breakthrough is imminent. I don't know how big the movement will be. It's best to cover up in this camp."
Chen Yan's mind moved slightly, and he pointed like a pen, drawing casually on the void in front of him...
A portal with a shimmering light appeared out of thin air, and behind the door was the shadow of a spacious and solemn Martial Arts Hall training ground.
Brick floor, wooden weapon rack.
All the details are lifelike, yet independent of the real space.
He immediately stepped into the painting.
The portal behind him rippled and disappeared, and he was already in this private realm modeled after the Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall.
Sitting cross-legged in the center of the training ground, Chen Yan held his breath and waited quietly for the arrival of the final opportunity.
Breakthroughs come naturally.
"Buzz--!"
The sound is not transmitted through the air, but a low hum that directly affects the soul and material levels, reverberating in the space in the painting.
Like an invisible bell being struck, the airflow throughout Painted World suddenly shook and then stagnated.
The next moment!
An indescribable majestic torrent of energy that was both hot and cold, both creative and Return to Void exploded from the core of his Dantian!
It's like the first judgment of chaos, the separation of yin and yang.
A stream of Chaos True Qi originating from the origin of all things surged in like a bursting river of galaxies, sweeping past with overwhelming force!
Passing through every meridian of his limbs and bones, permeating every inch of flesh and blood, even penetrating into every microscopic particle!
The torrent of chaos enveloped him and reshaped his life, washing over his body over and over again.
A subtle buzzing sound was heard among the bones: the sound had nothing to do with the fragility of gold and jade, but more like the vast sound of the great road flowing.
As the buzzing deepens, the bones themselves become denser, and mysterious lines like star patterns appear faintly on the surface.
The muscle fibers are like the rain coming after a long drought, greedily devouring this supreme energy.
The fiber texture becomes stronger and tougher under the nourishment of energy, and it contains terrifying explosive power that can collapse mountains and crack rocks, as if just one move can shake the surrounding world.
In the sea of consciousness, sometimes the four images of earth, fire, water, and wind are manifested, and sometimes they are dissolved into Void. During the changes, the ultimate principles of heaven and earth are hidden, as if the original state of the universe is condensed into a square inch.
The most amazing changes are still in Dantian Qihai.
What was previously just a slowly rotating chaotic cyclone now seems to be injected with infinite power...
Suddenly, the rotational speed skyrocketed, and the volume also expanded crazily. There were even subtle spatial ripples at the edge of the air sea.
In the center of the cyclone, a point of extremely bright light and a ray of profound and boundless darkness were born at the same time.
The two are like yin and yang complementing each other, intertwining, intertwining and evolving.
Every rhythm seems to simulate the grand scene when the universe first opened, bursting out the original breath that makes the world hold its breath.
Wisps of extremely pure chaos essence dispersed from the intersection of light and darkness.
Every strand contains the original true meaning of the unity of all things. As soon as it appears, it nourishes the body that has just been thoroughly baptized by the torrent of chaos like an arm and a finger.
Let every inch of muscle and bone be reborn, and most of it will roll back, feeding the sea of Qi in the Dantian, helping the chaotic cyclone transform into a more mysterious form.
Between inhaling and exhaling, a complex but orderly cycle formed in his body.
It was as if he himself had become a miniature world of chaos.
Energy flows endlessly and is endless.
Chen Yan has a clear mind and can clearly detect every change in the body!
His life level is undergoing a fundamental transition at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The aura around the body is like riding a long wind, continuing to rise at a steady but astonishing speed. Each time it is condensed, it is several times thicker than the previous one.
Even though his body was undergoing such a drastic transformation, the energy and blood all over his body were abnormally stable, without any restlessness at all.
Just like the center of the eye of the storm--
There are turbulent waves surging outside, but there is silence inside, and within this silence lies the majestic power that can control all changes around the body.
The picture is within the Martial Arts Hall.
Chen Yan slowly opened his eyes, and something seemed to flash across his eyes.
He gently pinched his palm, clenched his fingers into a fist, and felt the new power flowing through his meridians.
With a slight thought in his mind, he threw a punch at random towards the void in the space in the painting.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, but wherever the punch passed, the "rules" of Painted World were torn apart as easily as tissue paper!
A twisted, dark crack with chaotic air currents flickering around its edges appeared out of thin air.
You can even vaguely see the room outside through the crack!
The entire Painted World began to vibrate violently, and the space constructed by thoughts was about to collapse.
"... Is this the power of Professional Rank 1?"
Chen Yan reacts very quickly, and like a pen, it activates Chaos True Qi in the body and quickly outlines and applies it to the crack.
As his fingertips passed over it, Chaos True Qi was like the most magical paint, quickly closing the gap.
The leaked energy is smoothed out and the oscillating space is stabilized again.
He looked at Painted World who had recovered as before, and he had a clearer understanding of the destructiveness and controllability of his own power.
At the same time, in the camp.
Qiu Rao was lying on the hard bed, tossing and turning, when his nose suddenly twitched a few times, and he suddenly sat up from the bed, his face instantly filled with excitement and disbelief.
He pushed hard to wake up the dazed Qiu Jiu next to him, and shouted towards the inner room:
"Sister Ya! Sister Ya! Wake up! Get the bucket out! It's going to rain! Really! I smell it!"
Qiu Yashuang was woken up, with a look of doubtful sleepiness on his beautiful face.
She pushed open the squeaky window, and a cool air that was different from the dryness in the past, with a distinct fragrance of moist earth, hit her face.
She stretched out her hand, and her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up:
"Really! Quick! Take out everything that can hold water!"
After a while, the busy figures of the three siblings shuttled under the eaves.
They moved out large and small wooden barrels, iron basins and even repaired old water tanks and placed them neatly in the open space.
In the sky, dark clouds quietly gathered, and fine raindrops began to fall.
It was sparse at first, but soon connected into lines, and fell on the dry land in pattering patterns, making a sweet sound.
The rain fell into the bucket, causing splashes and wetting the hair and clothes of the three people, but their faces were all filled with joy from the bottom of their hearts.
"Hahaha! Great! This water storage will last for a while, and I can take a shower every day!"
Qiu Yashuang raised his face and let the cold raindrops fall on his face. He smiled so hard that his eyes turned into crescents, and tiny drops of water hung on his long eyelashes.
In the dim light, the whole person seemed to be glowing, incredibly beautiful.
After they carefully moved all the containers filled with rainwater back into the house and placed them, the busy excitement gradually faded away. The three of them looked at the "wealth" in the house and suddenly fell silent at the same time.
Oh, yes.
Tomorrow, they will leave here.
These hard-earned rainwater may never be used again.
Qiu Yashuang stood in silence for a long time, the bright smile on his face had long since faded.
She silently picked up a water ladle, leaned down, and began to scoop out the floating leaves and tiny stone particles on the surface of the freshly poured rainwater one ladle at a time with great patience.