第22章 深入

Hundreds of feather blades began to feed at once; the scene was truly a bit frightening.

That absurdly thick alloy door, along with several tons of reinforced steel plates in the wall, lost its luster in just a few minutes.

The originally bright silver-gray surface rapidly turned dull and peeled away, as if it had aged hundreds of years in an instant. The hard metal structure became like a flaky pastry, shedding debris as it crumbled.

In the end, this top-tier fortification, which might not have been breached even by explosives, was completely devoured by Sky Splitter, leaving behind only a pile of reddish-brown rust dust.

Once full, the feather blades in mid-air stopped flying about and quickly returned to Lin Fan's back.

As the wings on his back reassembled and pressed against his spine, Lin Fan suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold rush from his vertebrae to the top of his head, making him shudder.

This sensation was extremely peculiar.

If the power of Calamity just now was like being roasted over a fire—rough and intense—then the feedback from Sky Splitter was like washing his brain with spring water, gentle and thorough.

Lin Fan felt his brain go "buzz."

His head, which had felt like it was filled with lead due to the exhaustion of his telekinesis, instantly cleared, and the throbbing pain vanished without a trace.

That coolness was like applying thermal paste to an overheating CPU; the smooth sensation was simply addictive.

Beyond this comfort, Lin Fan felt his telekinetic strength climbing steadily.

His originally blurry range of perception was suddenly pushed outward.

Fifty meters.

One hundred meters.

It wasn't just his perception range; even the speed of his thought processes felt several times faster.

The combat techniques he had previously found convoluted now passed through his mind, and his body instinctively knew how to exert force.

This was an improvement in comprehension!

Just as Lin Fan was reveling in the comfort, his back emitted a series of dense "click-clack" sounds.

It sounded like the winding of a mechanical watch, crisp and clear.

He saw new buds sprouting wildly from the base of his wings, much like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Brand-new feathers emerged, looking even sharper than before.

Each edge shimmered with a cold light, and they even bore streamlined, high-tech patterns.

They were dense and numerous, with the count doubling instantly!

The wings now looked much thicker, broader, and more imposing, yet they didn't appear cumbersome in the slightest.

With the wings fully spread, the new Sky Splitter had a wingspan of four meters.

Lin Fan turned his head to look at the pair of wings on his back, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

[Sky Splitter (Tier 1)]

[Telekinetic Compatibility: 100%]

[Trait Changes:]

[Devour Range: 1->10]

[Devour Speed: 1->10]

[Base Attributes: Sharpness +10, Weight +10, Hardness +10]

[New Function Unlocked: Can engrave Law Runes.]

[Structural Evolution: Feather count increased by 108 (Total: 216).]

[Secret Technique Inheritance: Obtained the first level of Sky-Splitting Escape Method.]

Lin Fan closed his eyes.

He didn't need to consciously sense them; the connection between his telekinesis and the wings was incredibly clear.

It felt as if those two hundred-plus feathers were newly grown fingers, moving exactly as he willed.

He didn't need any flashy operations; with just a thought from Lin Fan, the hundreds of feathers scattered and reorganized instantly, their flexibility reaching an absurd level.

One moment they formed an impenetrable silver shield, and the next they transformed into a metallic whirlwind, carving out ear-piercing shrieks in the air. If anyone were caught in it, they would likely be reduced to nothing but minced meat.

"Physical fitness skyrocketed, spiritual telekinesis transformed."

"Plus two exclusive combat secret techniques..."

Lin Fan snapped his eyes open, his pupils flashing with brilliance; he couldn't hide his excitement.

He was a completely different person from the unlucky guy who had almost died from an ambush just moments ago.

He didn't perform any charging motions; he didn't need to bend his knees or push off the ground.

With a slight shift of his intent and a gentle flap of the Sky Splitter wings on his back, he simply floated upward.

He hovered in mid-air, silver wings spread behind him, Calamity hanging low in his hand.

A suffocating pressure permeated the narrow underground space.

"Whoo, that feels great."

After a brief experience of being a bird-man, Lin Fan slowly descended.

As his soles touched solid ground again, the floating sensation of weightlessness faded, replaced by the reassurance of being grounded.

With a metallic clang, the massive silver wings instantly retracted and were stored into his space ring.

The swelling sense of total control subsided, and Lin Fan exhaled a breath of stale air, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.

"Sky Splitter is still too conspicuous. I should use it sparingly until I reach the Planetary Level."

Lin Fan then turned around and cast his gaze toward the corpse of the high-level beast general not far away.

The Iron-Bristled Demon Badger was ugly, but its body was a literal "gold mine"—every part of it was a treasure.

That single horn could be made into armor-piercing warheads, its hide could be used for protective gear, and its flesh and blood were hard currency highly sought after on the black market.

The heart, in particular, was a great tonic for martial artists practicing special techniques.

Lin Fan walked over with Calamity in hand, his wrist flicking to send the scythe dancing in a blur.

The newly upgraded scythe was indeed different; it was excessively sharp.

The thick hide, which even large-caliber sniper rifles couldn't penetrate, was as brittle as A4 paper before the dark red blade.

Lin Fan moved with precision.

Swish, swish.

The most valuable single horn was cut off cleanly.

Next came the four fangs and the toughest piece of hide protecting the heart on its back.

As for the tedious work of deboning and butchering, Lin Fan couldn't be bothered; his space ring was large enough, so he packed it all away.

With a thought, the massive corpse on the ground, along with the pool of blood, vanished instantly, stuffed into the space ring.

The previously crowded underground space suddenly became much emptier, leaving only the mess and the lingering stench of blood.

After collecting his spoils, Lin Fan didn't rush to leave.

He looked toward the vault door that the Iron-Bristled Demon Badger had burst through.

Since this place had been occupied by the beast for so long, it must have a lair, and there might even be something good hidden inside.

After all, monsters had habits, especially an Iron-Bristled Demon Badger of the beast general level that had gained intelligence; they often liked to collect shiny or metallic items.

Lin Fan followed the pungent, musky odor and the tracks on the ground, venturing deeper into the vault.

The further he went, the darker it became, and the stench grew heavier, stinging his eyes until he almost teared up.

After bypassing several metal shelves that had been twisted and mangled by brute force, he actually made a discovery.

A massive "nest" appeared before his eyes.

"Oh? There really is one!"