Madmen and masters

"Form ranks!"

Yuan Ming roared with all his might, slamming his hands on the ground. Dozens of arm-thick, emerald-green vines burst forth from the earth, intertwining to form a thick vine wall in front of the four. The surface of the vines oozed a viscous, purple venom that gleamed eerily in the sunlight.

Zhao Tieshan reacted the fastest, stomping his right foot on the ground, and a pair of jet-black iron hammers flew out of his Soul Tool Ring and landed in his palm. With the hammers in hand, his aura suddenly soared, his burly body seemed to expand even more, his arm muscles bulging and veins standing out.

"Who came from, you blind fool, daring to provoke me!"

He roared and slammed his double hammers together in front of his chest, producing a deafening clang of metal striking metal.

Zhou Zheng's arms had completely transformed into the wings of Gale Falcon, the sharp wing blades gleaming coldly in the sunlight. His legs were also slightly bent, making him look like a spring ready to be launched at any moment. As soon as he could pinpoint the location of the approaching person, he would deliver the most swift and devastating attack.

Liu Qingping quickly took a half step back, holding up a budding emerald green lotus flower in her right hand. The lotus flower slowly rotated, emitting a soft, pale green light that enveloped the four of them. This was her First Soul Skill, Jade Wave Protection, which could provide her teammates with a certain degree of damage reduction.

The four players' teamwork was seamless, clearly honed through countless battles. The Control System provided defense, the Power Attack System, the Agility Attack System waited for the opportune moment, and the Support System provided buffs. This standard four-person team tactical configuration was more than enough to handle most unexpected situations.

But it was too late.

The bolt of lightning that shot out from the depths of the dense forest was much faster than Yuan Ming had predicted.

Almost at the same instant the vine wall was erected, a blinding bolt of lightning shot out from the shadows of the dense forest and directly into the four people's field of vision.

It was so fast that you couldn't even blink.

Before Zhao Tieshan could even see the person's face clearly, he only saw a dazzling bolt of lightning rapidly enlarge in his pupils, followed by a terrifying force like an overwhelming tidal wave slamming into his chest.

He didn't even have time to raise the heavy black iron hammer in his hand.

boom--

Zhao Tieshan was as if he had been hit head-on by a ten -Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. His feet left the ground, and his massive body drew an arc in the air before slamming heavily into a large tree ten meters away. The huge Impact made the ancient tree, which was as thick as two people could hug, tremble and its leaves fell to the ground like rain.

He felt a sweet taste in his throat, and then spat out a mouthful of blood. His chest was charred black from the electric shock, and his skin was covered with spiderweb-like scorch marks.

"Tieshan!"

Zhou Zheng Zheng's pupils contracted sharply, but his reaction was indeed fast. Almost at the same moment Zhao Tieshan was knocked away, the wing blades on his arms were already out, and two cyan Wind Blade crossed and slashed towards the spot where the lightning had landed, with a sharp and piercing sound of air being cut.

However, his Wind Blade missed its target.

The bolt of lightning didn't stop at Zhao Tieshan's location at all. Instead, it made a bizarre right-angle turn and rushed directly towards Yuan Ming in a way that completely defied the laws of physics.

Yuan Ming's eyes widened, his pupils reflecting a rapidly approaching hand.

That hand was very white, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. It even looked somewhat delicate, like the hand of a noble young master playing the piano.

Yet this very hand carried a terrifying sense of oppression that made him unable to breathe.

He tried to dodge, but his body couldn't react in time. His vines were frantically warning him, but his body's reaction speed couldn't keep up with his senses, and he could only watch helplessly as the hand reached for his collar.

Then, he was lifted up.

Standing at 1.8 meters tall, he lifted Yuan Ming was less than 1.6 meters tall, into the air like a chick. The vines Entanglement around Yuan Ming's ankles frantically tried to wrap around the man's arms, but the moment they touched the other's skin, they were repelled by an invisible electric current, unable to even get close.

"You--"

Yuan Ming had just opened his mouth, but before he could utter a second word, the hand gripping his collar suddenly tightened, slamming him violently against a nearby tree trunk.

Bang!

A dull Collision echoed through the forest.

Yuan Ming's back slammed solidly into the tree trunk, which was as thick as a water bucket. The enormous Impact cracked the trunk in several places. He felt as if his entire spine was about to break, and his internal organs were displaced. A metallic taste rushed to his throat, and he vomited it out with a "whoosh".

Then his body slid limply off the tree trunk, collapsing to the ground, convulsing all over, unable to get up for a moment.

From the moment Bai Yushan appeared to the Yuan Ming was thrown against the tree, the entire process took no more than two seconds.

A level 39 Control System Soul Elder was easily and effortlessly killed.

No one even saw how he made his move.

Zhou Zheng's expression finally changed.

He considered himself a prominent figure in Eastsea City, a level 39 Agility Attack System whose forte was speed. However, the speed Bai Yushan had just displayed made even this Agility Attack System Soul Elder, known for his speed, feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

That's not even in the same league.

But he was, after all, the captain. His willpower, honed through countless life-or-death battles, forced him to suppress his terror, and he shouted sharply, "Who are you! We have no grudge against you, why—"

He couldn't continue speaking halfway through his sentence.

Because Bai Yushan turned his head and looked at him.

What kind of eyes were those?

With his narrow eyes and sharp brow bones, he was clearly a handsome young man of exceptionally refined appearance, yet the things churning in those eyes sent chills down Zhou Zheng's spine, even though Zhou Zheng was Three-Ring Soul Elder who had seen countless life and death.

There was a nonchalant nonchalance in his eyes, an aloof indifference, and a hint of unfathomable madness.

It was as if they were looking at prey, or as if they were looking at ants.

It's not like they're treating each other as equals.

"You talk too much nonsense."

Bai Yushan flicked his wrist, his tone languid, as if discussing a trivial matter, "Are you going to hand over the signal device yourselves, or will I do it myself?"

The air froze for two seconds.

Zhou Zheng's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water. He stared intently at the boy in front of him, who was more than half a head taller than him, and his mind raced as he made his calculations.

Standing at 1.8 meters tall with a slender and upright figure, although his face looked a bit young, judging from the Thunderous Might- fast speed of his sudden attack just now, this guy was definitely not as simple as he appeared. Anyone who could move alone in the Spirit Ascension Platform during the Riot Period was either a madman or a true master.

The one before us is probably both.