"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall."
Lin Jin opened with Wood Release.
The ground abruptly split open, and several thick wooden vines burst from the earth, weaving together into a curved wooden wall before him.
Zhou Heng's steel fist slammed into the wooden wall with a dull thud.
The wall did not budge. Instead, Zhou Heng himself was knocked several steps back, fine cracks appearing across his Steel Hardening fist.
Wind blades struck the wall, leaving only faint white marks, while stone spikes shattered at the tips as they stabbed into it. Poison mist enveloped the wall but could not penetrate it at all. The Wood Release was so dense that it could even block gas.
Wood Locking Wall was the most basic defensive Ninjutsu in Wood Release.
But bolstered by Lin Jin's immense chakra, this wooden wall was as hard as the full-strength protection of an S-Rank defensive Awakened, with resilience far beyond any metal.
Lin Jin waved his right hand, and the wooden wall dispersed.
He did not immediately retaliate, instead turning his gaze toward the black crystal core at the center of the seal.
He could sense that the instant he acted, the core's pulsing had grown more intense.
The cracks on its surface kept spreading, and more black mist seeped out with every pulse.
The mist no longer drifted aimlessly. Instead, it began gathering purposefully, forming layer upon layer of black cocoon shells around the core.
The thing inside was taking the opportunity to batter the seal.
A flicker of understanding crossed Lin Jin's eyes.
The four people's attacks on him were merely meant to buy time.
Their true purpose was to give the thing inside that core time to break free of the seal.
"Want to come out?" he said flatly. "Then come out. It'll save