Perfection, Danger!

Lin Fan did not hesitate. He gripped the air with his right hand, and Calamity appeared in his grasp.

He held the long handle with both hands and drove Calamity's crescent-sharp blade deep into the priceless ZG-003 alloy door.

Sizzle!

An unprecedented metallic feast began.

Lin Fan braced himself against the scythe, watching as the half-meter-thick solid alloy door began to soften and collapse at a visible rate.

Ripples spread across the hard, cold metal surface before transforming into countless silver-gray streams of light, which were forcibly extracted and surged frantically into the black blade.

Devouring this high-purity solid alloy was far more efficient than consuming the impure scrap metal of old cars.

[Devouring ZG-003 alloy (Grade A).]
[High purity, conversion rate: 100%.]
[Calamity (Scythe) growth progress: +0.5%...]
[+1.2%...]
[+3.5%...]

The progress bar shot upward frantically. In just a few minutes, a hole about a meter in diameter had been "eaten" through the intact vault door, the edges smooth as a mirror.

The progress bar, previously at 23.5%, was now completely full!

[Ding! Calamity growth progress has reached 100%.]
[Energy accumulation complete.]
[Conditions met, beginning rank evolution.]
[Current stage: Rank 0 Embryo -> Rank 1 Divine Weapon.]

"It's full!"

All of Lin Fan's attention was focused on Calamity in that instant.

Boom!

An invisible shockwave radiated from Calamity, kicking up the dust on the floor into a small cyclone.

Then, a terrifying aura, unlike anything he had ever felt, erupted from deep within the blade, instantly filling the entire underground space.

The surface of the blade, which had previously been pitch-black and matte, underwent a startling transformation.

The dark purple patterns that were usually invisible on the blade seemed to come alive, beginning to crawl and intertwine across the steel until they covered the entire weapon in mere moments.

Immediately after, a deep purple light radiated from these markings.

"This aura..."

Lin Fan stared at the evolving Calamity, his eyes narrowing as he felt a pulse of connection as if they shared the same blood.

But just as the purple light reached its peak and the system notification faded, at the very moment Lin Fan's focus was at its absolute zenith:

"ROAR!!!"

A roar of extreme brutality erupted without warning from behind the hole just corroded through the metal door.

A black shadow shot out like a cannonball, carrying a nauseating, fishy stench and rot, instantly passing through the meter-wide opening.

Its heavy, scale-covered claws tore through the air, slamming viciously toward Lin Fan, who was completely caught off guard.

It was too fast, and the distance was far too short.

By the time Lin Fan heard the rush of wind, he didn't even have time to look up before the terrifying force had already grazed his face.

His body instinctively tried to dodge.

But it was too late.

BANG!!!

A dull, teeth-rattling impact echoed out.

Lin Fan only had time to adjust his posture, holding the floating Calamity across his chest to block the blow.

The next second, a crushing, overwhelming force slammed into his chest.

"Pfft!"

Lin Fan spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward like a fly swatted by a racket.

He slammed into a concrete load-bearing wall twenty meters away, creating a spiderweb-like crater before sliding limply to the ground.

"Cough... cough..."

Lin Fan felt as if his chest had collapsed. The intense pain made him suspect his ribs were not only broken but might have punctured his lungs.

Even breathing now made his vision go black.

Lin Fan lifted his head with great difficulty, looking forward.

Beside the Calamity, which was still emitting a deep purple light, crouched a massive monster.

It was nearly four meters long, its shoulders and back humped like an anvil, its entire body covered in black, needle-like bristles. Each one shimmered with a metallic cold light, as if it were wearing heavy needle-armor.

Its head resembled a badger, but it possessed a massive maw that split all the way to its ears. Its eyes—one red, one dark—burned with the brutality of a creature whose slumber had been disturbed.

"Iron-Bristled Demon Badger..."

This was a fierce beast known for its defense and explosive power.

Judging by its size and the metallic texture of its fur, it had clearly reached the High-Level Beast General rank.

"Damn it, how is this thing here?"

"ROAR!"

The Iron-Bristled Demon Badger let out a low growl, digging its sharp claws into the hard concrete floor and carving deep furrows.

It gave Lin Fan no time to catch his breath. Pushing off with its hind legs, the beast lunged again like a heavy tank flying across the ground.

Its gaping, blood-red maw, carrying a suffocating stench, headed straight for Lin Fan's head.

The scent of death pressed down upon him.

Lin Fan leaned against the corner, his body spasming from the agony, lacking the strength to even lift his arms to block.

The pain in his chest made him numb. The massive maw in his field of vision grew closer, close enough that he could see the scraps of meat between its teeth.

A desperate situation.

If he were an ordinary martial artist, he would be a dead man by now.

Yet, there was no fear in Lin Fan's eyes. The gaze that had been unfocused from his severe injuries suddenly coalesced, turning as cold as ice.

"You want to kill me?"

Lin Fan focused his intent.

Swish.

Sky Splitter appeared instantly behind his back, and then six silver streams of light, thin as cicada wings, shot out from its feathers without warning!

In this moment of life and death, Lin Fan pushed his psychic power to the limit.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

The six silver streams traced six eerie, perfect arcs through the air, shooting toward the Iron-Bristled Demon Badger.

The beast was about to crush its prey's skull, a look of bloodthirsty satisfaction already surfacing in its pupils.

But the next instant, a lethal chill pierced its nerves.

It instinctively tried to close its eyes, intending to use its thick eyelids—capable of deflecting bullets—to tank the hit.

But the Psychic Feather Blades were too fast, and the angles were too cunning.

Pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft-pfft!

Six soft sounds of flesh being pierced overlapped into one.

Two blades pierced the weakest gaps in the eye sockets, shredding the eyeballs and driving straight into the Iron-Bristled Demon Badger's brain.

Two more penetrated behind the ears, severing its central nervous system.

The final two were even more ruthless; as the beast opened its mouth to lunge, they drove straight into the depths of its throat, piercing upward and pinning into its brainstem.

Every single strike hit a weak point!

The Iron-Bristled Demon Badger's violent charge came to an abrupt halt.

It let out a shrill, distorted howl. Its massive body continued to slide forward due to its immense momentum, stopping dead only two meters in front of Lin Fan.

Its head twitched violently, blood gushing from all seven orifices, and its indestructible iron bristles trembled.

The struggle lasted only a few seconds.

Then, it collapsed with a crash.

The dust settled.

The underground space returned to a deathly silence.

Only Calamity remained in the distance, still emitting a purple glow, while six blood-stained feather blades hovered around Lin Fan, humming softly.