38: Chapter 38: First Battle of the A-Rank Beast's Nest Achieved Victory

Three days later, early in the morning. The sky was barely brightening, and the morning mist had yet to disperse. The Black Wind Ridge in the western suburbs of Jiangcheng was already filled with murderous intent.

The Black Wind Ridge had steep terrain with towering ancient trees that blotted out the sky. The canopy cut the sunlight into fragmented spots, casting them onto the ground covered in withered branches and fallen leaves. The air was permeated with a thick stench of blood and wild beast musk, mixed with the scent of damp humus, making one feel nauseous.

On the open ground below the ridge, the three members of the Sun-Shooting Squad were fully prepared.

Lin Zhou was still dressed in black tight-fitting combat gear, with the blazing sun sniper bow slung across his shoulder. The crimson patterns on the bow body glowed faintly in the morning mist, and the scorching energy of the sun-shooting bow fragments flowed across the bow, causing the surrounding air to ripple with subtle heat waves. His storage space was already stocked with special armor-piercing arrows, incendiary arrows, and three core arrows fused with Vicious Beast demon cores, each containing world-destroying power.

Su Ye had changed into a heavy suit of profound iron armor, covered in menacing spikes. He carried a huge Mountain-Opening Axe on his back, its blade gleaming with a cold light. He circulated his Berserker Mind-Cultivation Technique, and a faint red halo appeared around his body. His muscles bulged, and his Legend Initial Rank spiritual power surged within him like a tide, making him look like a Vicious Beast ready to strike.

Qin Yue was dressed in white as snow, with her long sword, "Clear Frost," unsheathed by a third, revealing a blade as white and lustrous as jade, wreathed in a faint cyan Sword Intent. Her temperament was cold and aloof, her gaze as sharp as a sword. Her Legend Intermediate Rank spiritual power was restrained, yet it gave people a feeling of sharpness, like a Fairy about to slay demons and eliminate evil.

"Lin Zhou, Young Miss Qin Yue, Su Ye, sorry to keep you waiting!"

A burst of hurried footsteps approached. Leading them was the middle-aged military officer who had invited them three days ago. Behind him followed a team of fully armed military Martial Artists, each with a steady Aura. The lowest among them were at the Elite Peak Rank, and there was no lack of several Legend Initial Rank experts.

"Colonel Wang, you are too polite." Lin Zhou nodded slightly. "I wonder if the military has already scouted the situation inside the nest?"

Colonel Wang's face showed a grave expression. He took out a beast-hide map from his storage space and spread it out before the three of them: "According to drone reconnaissance and information sent back by undercover agents, the A-Rank nest in Black Wind Ridge has its core located in the Black Wind Cave at the summit. There are thirty-five Vicious Beasts in the nest: thirty Legend Initial Rank Black Wind Wolves, four Legend Intermediate Rank Black Wind Leopards, and one... Pseudo-King Rank Black Wind Demon Bear!"

"Pseudo-King Rank!" Su Ye's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but gasp.

A Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beast had strength comparable to a Pseudo-King Peak Rank Martial Artist, just one step away from advancing to the king-level. Its Physical Body strength and spiritual power reserves far exceeded those of ordinary Legend Rank Vicious Beasts, and it even mastered some simple Domain power.

Qin Yue's expression also became grave: "The Black Wind Demon Bear is known for its defense and strength. It has thick skin and flesh, and ordinary attacks simply cannot harm it in the slightest. Moreover, it is inherently brutal and likes to fight in groups. Once it goes berserk, even a Legend Peak Rank Martial Artist would have to retreat."

Lin Zhou's eyes, however, became increasingly sharp: "The stronger the opponent, the more we can hone the squad's strength. It just so happens that we, the Sun-Shooting Squad, will test the mettle of this Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beast!"

Since Transmigration to Blue Star, he had never faced a Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beast head-on. This time, it was both to complete the System task and an excellent opportunity for actual combat.

Colonel Wang nodded, a flash of admiration in his eyes: "Lin Zhou is indeed courageous! The military has already set up defensive formations around Black Wind Ridge to prevent the Vicious Beasts from escaping. Our mission is to contain the Black Wind Wolves and Black Wind Leopards on the periphery; we leave the Pseudo-King Rank Black Wind Demon Bear to the Sun-Shooting Squad!"

"Rest assured!" Lin Zhou said in a deep voice. "Today, our Sun-Shooting Squad will definitely slay this beast!"

"Good!" Colonel Wang waved his hand. "All units! Proceed according to the predetermined plan!"

Following Colonel Wang's order, the military Martial Artists immediately dispersed and moved to surround Black Wind Ridge from all directions. For a time, sounds of fighting rang out in the forest, and the roars of spiritual power colliding rose one after another; they had clearly engaged with the Vicious Beasts on the periphery.

"Let's move too!"

Lin Zhou let out a low shout and took the lead, rushing toward the summit. Su Ye and Qin Yue followed closely behind. The three of them were extremely fast, like three streaks of light, shuttling through the dense forest.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered a few stray Black Wind Wolves. Su Ye charged straight at them, brandishing his Mountain-Opening Axe. The axe blade brought with it a whistling wind, splitting the Black Wind Wolf's head in two with a single strike. Blood splattered all over his profound iron armor, but it did not affect his speed in the slightest.

Qin Yue's sword moved with her body, and her cyan Sword Intent swept across like a ribbon of silk. The Black Wind Wolves and Black Wind Leopards they encountered simply could not withstand the power of her sword and fell to the ground, dead.

Lin Zhou did not make a move; his target was the Black Wind Demon Bear at the summit. While rushing, he circulated his Celestial Fox Physique. The 50% Awakening degree raised his perception of the surroundings to the extreme; every blade of grass and tree, every rustle of the wind, was clearly presented in his mind.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the summit.

At the summit, there was no vegetation, only a stretch of bare rock. In the center was a huge cave, its entrance wreathed in black mist. Faint roars could be heard from within, causing the entire mountain to tremble slightly.

"That is the Black Wind Cave!" Qin Yue pointed at the cave, her voice low. "The Black Wind Demon Bear should be inside."

Lin Zhou nodded, signaling for the two to stop. "Su Ye, you charge from the front and attract the Black Wind Demon Bear's attention. Qin Yue, you flank from the side and use your Sword Intent to restrict its movements. I will provide ranged output from the back and look for its weak points."

"Understood!" Su Ye and Qin Yue replied in unison.

Su Ye took a deep breath, gripped the Mountain-Opening Axe with both hands, and charged fiercely toward the Black Wind Cave, roaring as he ran: "Vile beast! Come out and die!"

"Roar—!"

The roaring inside the cave suddenly became violent. A massive wave of black energy surged out from the cave, and immediately following it, a colossal figure rushed out.

It was a Black Wind Demon Bear five meters tall, its entire body covered in thick black fur that looked like it was cast from steel, shimmering with a metallic luster. Its head was huge, its eyes crimson like two balls of burning fire. Its fangs protruded from its mouth, dripping with highly corrosive saliva that etched small pits into the ground.

The Pseudo-King Rank pressure crushed down like a mountain, causing Su Ye's steps to falter slightly, his face turning somewhat pale.

"A Legend Intermediate Rank Berserker? You dare to be presumptuous in front of this King!"

The Black Wind Demon Bear spoke in human language, its voice exploding like thunder. It raised its massive bear paw, carrying world-destroying power, and swiped down toward Su Ye.

Before the bear paw arrived, the powerful wind pressure had already made Su Ye's profound iron armor creak, and the ground was pressed with cracks.

"Bring it on!"

A trace of fanaticism flashed in Su Ye's eyes. The Berserker's bloodthirsty genes were triggered. He roared, his muscles expanded again, and the red halo became even more intense. The Mountain-Opening Axe in his hand carried blazing flames as he cleaved upward to meet the bear paw.

"Clang!"

With a deafening roar, the axe and paw collided. The violent energy spread out like a shockwave, instantly shattering the surrounding rocks into powder.

Su Ye only felt a tremendous force transmit through him. His arms went numb, the webbing between his thumb and index finger split, and blood flowed freely. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the mountain, emitting a muffled thud, and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Su Ye!" Qin Yue's expression changed, and she was about to rush up to support him.

"Don't go!" Lin Zhou grabbed Qin Yue. "This is his battle! A Berserker can only break through his own limits on the edge of life and death!"

Qin Yue hesitated for a moment but ultimately stopped. She knew Lin Zhou was right; if Su Ye wanted to become stronger, he had to experience such tempering.

The Black Wind Demon Bear looked at Su Ye, who had been sent flying, and a trace of disdain flashed in its eyes: "Pathetic!"

It roared again and charged toward Su Ye, its massive bear paw raised once more, intending to crush Su Ye to death completely.

Just at this moment, a cyan sword light streaked across like a shooting star, pointing straight at the Black Wind Demon Bear's eye.

"Vile beast, do not be presumptuous!"

Qin Yue's voice was cold and aloof. Her figure appeared like a ghost at the side of the Black Wind Demon Bear, and the Clear Frost sword in her hand, carrying fierce Sword Intent, stabbed toward the Black Wind Demon Bear's weak point.

The Black Wind Demon Bear frowned. It had to abandon its attack on Su Ye and dodged Qin Yue's sword by turning sideways.

"A Legend Intermediate Rank Sword Fairy? Interesting!" The Black Wind Demon Bear sneered, and its other bear paw swiped out fiercely, sweeping horizontally toward Qin Yue.

Qin Yue's eyes narrowed. Her body turned lightly in the air, dodging the bear paw like a falling leaf. At the same time, she flicked her wrist, and the Clear Frost sword transformed into countless sword lights, stabbing toward the Black Wind Demon Bear's body.

"Ding, ding, ding!"

The sword lights landed on the Black Wind Demon Bear's fur, emitting a crisp sound of metal colliding, but they only left shallow white marks, unable to harm it in the slightest.

"Your sword is too weak!" The Black Wind Demon Bear said disdainfully, waving its bear paw again to swipe at Qin Yue.

Qin Yue's expression became somewhat ugly; the Black Wind Demon Bear's defense was even more formidable than she had imagined.

"It's my turn!"

Lin Zhou's voice suddenly rang out. He slowly raised the blazing sun sniper bow, supporting the bow with his left hand and nocking an arrow with his right, his eyes becoming incomparably focused.

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The Celestial Fox Physique operated at full capacity, silver-white light erupting from his body as his speed and perception were boosted to the extreme. In his mind, the entire structure of the Black Wind Demon Bear instantly materialized, making every weakness clearly visible.

"Archery Concept: Sun-Shooting!"

Lin Zhou gave a low shout, and the spiritual energy in his body surged frantically into the blazing sun sniper bow. The crimson patterns on the bow's body shone brilliantly, as the scorching power of the sun-shooting bow fragment merged perfectly with his Archery Concept.

An arrow of intertwined gold and red, condensing all his power and insights, shot through the air with an Aura of indomitable determination!

This arrow was incredibly fast; wherever it passed, the air was scorched into distortion, emitting a piercing whistle.

The Black Wind Demon Bear felt a fatal threat. Its expression changed as it tried to dodge, only to find the arrow's speed was far too great to evade. It could only instinctively raise its bear paw to block its front.

Clang!

The arrow struck the bear paw, producing a deafening boom.

The Black Wind Demon Bear felt a surge of scorching power enter its body, burning its Meridians like lava. It couldn't help but let out a roar of pain, its massive frame stumbling back several steps.

It looked down at its paw to see its thick mane charred, revealing the dark skin beneath. There was a deep arrow hole in the skin, with blood gurgling out from the wound.

"You actually managed to wound me?" A hint of disbelief flashed in the Black Wind Demon Bear's eyes, which then turned even more berserk. "Kid, you have completely enraged me!"

It let out a furious roar, its black mane standing on end as a black Domain power erupted from its body, enveloping the entire mountaintop.

Within the black Domain, Lin Zhou and the other two felt their bodies grow heavy. Their spiritual energy flow became sluggish, and their speed and strength were greatly suppressed.

"This is the Black Wind Domain! It can weaken enemies and enhance its own strength!" Qin Yue said with a grave expression.

Lin Zhou's gaze remained calm: "Nothing more than a cheap trick."

He nocked another arrow, and spiritual energy once again flooded into the blazing sun sniper bow. This time, he not only mobilized his own spiritual energy but also drew upon the full power of the sun-shooting bow fragment, even integrating his initial insights from Ten Thousand Arrows Return to Origin.

"Cloud-Piercing Arrow Technique!"

Lin Zhou shouted low, and a second gold-red arrow shot through the air. This arrow was even faster and more powerful, carrying a sharp edge that seemed to pierce through heaven and earth as it shot straight for the Black Wind Demon Bear's brow.

A flash of terror crossed the Black Wind Demon Bear's eyes. It wanted to use its paw to block again, but found its body locked by an invisible force, unable to move at all.

This was Lin Zhou's Precision Lock talent!

Puchi!

The arrow struck the Black Wind Demon Bear's brow without suspense, piercing deep into it.

Roar—!

The Black Wind Demon Bear let out a shrill roar, its massive body struggling violently as the black Domain instantly collapsed. Its eyes lost their luster, and its body slowly toppled over, crashing heavily onto the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying the Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beast, Black Wind Demon Bear. Obtained 50,000 points!]

[Ding! Sun-Shooting Squad has completed Guardian's Oath mission progress 1/10 (Hunt Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beast)!]

[Ding! Host's Rank has increased to Lv.38, Peak of the mid-stage legend!]

[Ding! Detected that the host has slain a Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beast and gained Pseudo-King Rank power insights. Talent Triple Fusion permission has been unlocked early!]

A series of System prompts rang out in Lin Zhou's mind, filling him with joy.

Not only did he gain a massive amount of points and reach the Peak of the mid-stage legend, but he also unlocked the Talent Triple Fusion permission ahead of schedule!

This time, it was a massive gain!

"Is it done?" Su Ye scrambled up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at the fallen Black Wind Demon Bear in disbelief.

Qin Yue also breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face: "Lin Zhou, you're amazing! You actually killed a Pseudo-King Rank Black Wind Demon Bear with a single arrow!"

Lin Zhou smiled and stowed the blazing sun sniper bow: "This wasn't just my credit. Without your distraction, I wouldn't have been able to hit its weakness so smoothly."

Just then, a black light suddenly lit up on the Black Wind Demon Bear's corpse. Following that, a fist-sized black Inner Core floated out from the body, surrounded by dense black spiritual energy and emitting a powerful Aura.

"A Pseudo-King Rank Inner Core!" Su Ye's eyes lit up, and he was about to rush over to grab it.

"Wait!" Lin Zhou grabbed Su Ye. "This Inner Core contains powerful black spiritual energy and is inherently violent; absorbing it directly will lead to Qi Deviation. Better to leave it to me; I'll use the System to purify it before sharing it with everyone."

Su Ye and Qin Yue exchanged a glance and nodded. They both knew Lin Zhou had his secrets and trusted that he wouldn't keep it all for himself.

Lin Zhou reached out and drew the black Inner Core into his hand. The core felt ice-cold, and a surge of violent black spiritual energy rushed into his body, attempting to backlash against his Meridians.

"System, purify the Inner Core!" Lin Zhou muttered in his heart.

[Ding! Consumed 10,000 points to purify the Pseudo-King Rank Black Wind Demon Bear Inner Core!]

As the System prompt sounded, a surge of golden energy erupted from Lin Zhou's body, enveloping the black Inner Core. The black spiritual energy on the core receded rapidly as if meeting its nemesis, eventually turning into a pure white Inner Core that emitted refined spiritual energy.

Lin Zhou divided the Inner Core into three parts and handed them to Su Ye and Qin Yue: "The spiritual energy in this core has been purified and can be absorbed directly. After absorbing it, your strength should receive a significant boost."

Su Ye and Qin Yue took the core pieces and swallowed them without hesitation.

Refined spiritual energy exploded within their bodies, washing through their Meridians and enhancing their cultivation.

Su Ye's Aura climbed steadily until the Bottleneck of the early-tier legend shattered, and he was promoted directly to the mid-stage legend!

Qin Yue's Aura also became more majestic, her mid-stage legend cultivation stabilizing with faint signs of a Breakthrough to the legend high stage.

"Great! I've reached the mid-stage legend!" Su Ye waved his fist excitedly, feeling the surging spiritual energy in his body, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Qin Yue also opened her eyes, a flash of pleasant surprise in them: "My spiritual energy has become even more refined. I'm only one step away from the legend high stage!"

Lin Zhou looked at the two of them with a gratified smile. The stronger the Sun-Shooting Squad became, the more confidence they would have in protecting their home.

Just then, Colonel Wang arrived with the military's Martial Artists. Seeing the fallen corpse of the Black Wind Demon Bear and the changes in the Auras of the three, shock appeared on his face.

"Lin Zhou, you actually managed to slay a Pseudo-King Rank Black Wind Demon Bear!" Colonel Wang said excitedly. "And it seems Mr. Su Ye and Young Miss Qin Yue have also advanced?"

"It was just luck."

Colonel Wang nodded: "Thanks to the Sun-Shooting Squad, now that the Black Wind Demon Bear is dead, the remaining Vicious Beasts are leaderless and have been completely wiped out by us!"

"That's good," Lin Zhou nodded. "The A-Rank nest at Black Wind Ridge has been thoroughly eradicated."

Colonel Wang looked at Lin Zhou with eyes full of admiration: "The Sun-Shooting Squad truly lives up to its reputation! You have performed a great service this time! The military will surely reward you handsomely!"

Lin Zhou waved his hand: "We slay Vicious Beasts and protect Jiang City not for rewards, but for the responsibility on our shoulders."

After saying that, he turned to Su Ye and Qin Yue: "Let's go."

"Alright!"

Su Ye and Qin Yue nodded and followed behind Lin Zhou as they walked down the mountain.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, spilling onto the three of them and casting very long shadows.

The Sun-Shooting Squad's first battle was a complete success!

But Lin Zhou knew this was only the beginning. The crisis of Blue Star was far from over. The remnants of the Blood Shadow Pavilion, more Pseudo-King Rank Vicious Beasts, and even potential king-level threats were all waiting for them to face.

However, Lin Zhou was not afraid.

With his companions from the Sun-Shooting Squad by his side, the assistance of the roguelike system, and the Legacy of the Archery God, he was confident he could lead the Sun-Shooting Squad to slay all demons and protect this land that had accepted him!

He looked into the distance, a fiery light flashing in his eyes.

The next target was the Evil Path power base from the System mission!

Blood Shadow Pavilion, your end is near!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the A-Rank Vicious Beast nest suppression mission. Obtained military rewards: 10,000 points, 10x Legendary Rank Ore, and one priority entry into a National-level Secret Realm!]

The System prompt sounded again, bringing joy to Lin Zhou's heart.

A National-level Secret Realm!

There would surely be more powerful Vicious Beasts, more precious treasures, and even higher points!

This would play a crucial role in unlocking more System functions and enhancing his own strength.

Lin Zhou clenched his fist, his heart filled with anticipation.