Gao Bancheng!

"Seven Soul-Severing Forms—God-Slayer!" Unable to win after a prolonged battle, Li Qiang grew anxious. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed his trump card!

This was a life-or-death killing move. It consumed an enormous amount of energy, but its power was terrifying. It had once helped him severely wound a stronger enemy across a level!

Yet, facing the sky full of spear shadows, the dark golden light in Lin Ming's eyes blazed. The Indestructible Asura Body's passive ability, Boiling War Blood, had long been pushed to its limit during the intense battle! Not only did he not retreat, he stepped forward into the spear shadows!

Dark golden blood energy frantically compressed and condensed around the Silver Frost Spear, making the spear shaft emit a low groan as if it could no longer bear the strain! At its tip, an ultimate glacial gleam lit up, as though it would pierce through heaven and earth itself!

Heaven-Splitting Three Forms—Third Form, Heaven-Splitting!

Bzzzz!

An extremely condensed dark golden spear beam, barely three feet long yet seemingly containing the power to shatter all laws, burst from the tip of the Silver Frost Spear!

Where the spear beam passed, even space faintly twisted, producing a chilling tearing sound!

The dark golden spear beam collided head-on with the seven gray spear shadows!

Screech!

Crack!

A faint yet distinct sound of shattering rang out.

Li Qiang's pupils contracted sharply. Reflected in his eyes was that dark golden glacial gleam drawing ever closer, as if it would pierce through his very soul, along with the spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spreading across his own spear tip!

The dark golden spear beam paused slightly before effortlessly piercing through the cracked spear tip. Then, like a hot knife through butter, it traveled up the shaft and savagely plunged into Li Qiang's slightly open right chest!

"Argh!!!"

Li Qiang let out a shrill, despairing scream. His entire body was sent flying backward as though he had been struck head-on by a battering ram!

A horrifying, bowl-sized bloody hole had opened in his chest, piercing clean through from front to back. Blood surged from it like a fountain!

The tip of the silver-gray spear in his hand had shattered, while the shaft was covered in cracks. It was nearly ruined!

Li Qiang crashed heavily onto the ground dozens of meters away, rolling more than ten times before finally stopping. He struggled to rise, but the horrific wound in his chest and his rapidly draining life force made it difficult even to move a finger.

He raised his head and looked at the young figure approaching step by step with the Silver Frost Spear in hand. His eyes were filled with endless fear, regret, and... disbelief.

He, Li Qiang, the Tier Four, Second Level "Soul-Severing Spear," had actually... lost? Lost to some unknown brat under twenty?

And it was a complete defeat. Even his trump card had been shattered head-on and utterly crushed!

How was that possible?!

Lin Ming walked up to Li Qiang, the tip of the Silver Frost Spear resting against his throat. The icy touch made Li Qiang shudder all over.

"W-Wait!" Li Qiang said with difficulty, his voice hoarse and filled with fear of death.

"D-Don't kill me! I... I was wrong! I failed to recognize your greatness! The Water of Life... I don't want it anymore! I... I can give you all my savings! I have several properties in East Forest... they're all yours! Spare my life! I... I can serve you like an ox or horse!"

He had completely caved in, casting aside all the pride and dignity of an expert. All he wanted was to live.

Lin Ming frowned slightly as he watched him grovel and beg, seeming somewhat... impatient.

"What a bother," Lin Ming said calmly, though his voice carried a cold mockery. "Have some backbone. Don't disgrace yourself. Be like... you were just now."

He was referring to Li Qiang's earlier appearance—calm, confident, looking down on everyone as though he controlled everything.

Li Qiang's face instantly turned deathly pale. His lips trembled as he tried to say something more.

But Lin Ming had already run out of patience.

With a gentle push of his wrist—

Pfft.

The tip of the Silver Frost Spear sank into his throat.

Li Qiang's body stiffened abruptly. The fear, pleading, and regret in his eyes quickly froze, then faded away.

Li Qiang, the famed Tier Four expert of East Forest Base City known as the "Soul-Severing Spear," had fallen here.

Even the wind of the Wilderness seemed to freeze at that moment. The thick, inescapable stench of blood mixed with the scent of dust and death, weighing heavily on Xia He's heart.

Standing more than ten meters from the corpse, her body trembled uncontrollably. It was not fear, but a nearly numb shock and the exhaustion of having survived a calamity.

She had watched with her own eyes as Li Qiang, the infamous "Soul-Severing Spear" of East Forest Base City, a Tier Four, Second Level powerhouse feared by countless people, fell beneath the spear of the young man named Lin Ming.

From his initial calm confidence, to shock and frustration, then to his final desperate pleading... before a spear pierced his throat and ended his life.

The entire process had been so fast that she could barely react, yet so clear that it was branded deep into her soul.

Killing an enemy across levels! And across an entire major realm at that, directly killing a Tier Four expert!

If news of this spread, it would be enough to shake all of East Forest Base City. It might even reach South River, making the Chen Household and those hidden masterminds tremble in fear!

Lin Ming slowly withdrew the Silver Frost Spear. A trail of dark red blood droplets dripped from its tip onto the dry earth and quickly seeped in.

He closed his eyes slightly, listening to the cold yet wonderful notification in his mind.

[Killed a Tier Four, Second Level martial artist. Kill Points gained: 100000. Major level-crossing kill reward: 300000 Kill Points! Total gained: 400000 Kill Points.]

[Current accumulated Kill Points: 512315]

Five hundred and twelve thousand, three hundred and fifteen points!

A fortune vast enough to make one dizzy! This was what he had killed for over the past three sleepless days amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood! It was the "ransom for their lives" that those greedy hunters had "contributed" with their deaths!

The corner of Lin Ming's mouth lifted ever so slightly, forming a cold, satisfied curve. With these Kill Points, there was much more he could do. However, now was not the time to spend them.

He opened his eyes and glanced at the corpse in the distance. Then he looked at several new wounds on his body that were not particularly deep—Li Qiang's final desperate strike had still caused him some trouble—before turning to Xia He, who still stood frozen in place with a pale face.

"Let's go." Lin Ming's voice held a faint rasp from the fierce battle and the consumption of his blood energy, but his tone remained calm.

"Up ahead is the boundary of East Forest Base City. They won't dare be so arrogant there."

He was referring to the other pursuers who might still be watching from the shadows or rushing over after receiving word.

So close to the base city, openly hunting and killing humans would cross the line. Those hyenas lurking in the dark might temporarily draw back their fangs.

Xia He suddenly came back to herself. Looking at Lin Ming, then at the steel fortress in the distance that seemed close enough to touch, hope rekindled in her eyes. She nodded firmly.

Just as she was about to take a step, she hesitated and looked at Lin Ming with a complicated expression. "Lin Ming... thank you. Without you, I..."

"It was only a transaction," Lin Ming interrupted without any intention of claiming credit. "You paid me, and I kept you safe. We're even."

He said it bluntly, even coldly, but Xia He heard a unique and reassuring dependability in his words. At the very least, he kept his promises.

"Mm." Xia He said no more. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and followed behind Lin Ming toward East Forest Base City. The land beneath their feet remained desolate, but hope lay ahead.

However, the light of hope always seemed to be accompanied by new shadows.

The two had only walked less than a hundred meters.

Vrooom—!

A low engine roar, accompanied by a shrill sound of air being torn apart, came from the direction of East Forest Base City.

Three luxurious hovercars, entirely black and sleekly lined, bearing golden emblems marked with the character "Gao," shot across the wilderness like three black bolts of lightning. They came to a steady stop dozens of meters before Lin Ming and Xia He, blocking their path.

The doors slid open silently.