142: Chapter 142 One man slays through the third-tier zone, shocking all schools and making heroes tremble!

The mist deep in Black Wind Valley was thicker than at the periphery, the damp, cold air entwined with a fishy-sweet scent of rot, and the fallen leaves beneath his feet were half a foot thick, making his steps silent.

Zhang Wen's breathing was extremely slow, and his Eye of Thunder Punishment was quietly activated, pale purple Lightning Radiance flowing in the depths of his eyes, illuminating the energy Meridians of the surrounding vines with absolute clarity.

Every inch of the Bloodthirsty Vine King's texture and every energy node had nowhere to hide; in particular, the weak point with a grayish-white hue at the main trunk's suction cup was firmly locked onto by him.

The Vicious Beast cores accumulated from three days of hunting had already been exchanged for academic credits, and he used those points to trade for three "thunder gathering pillss."

One was currently held under his tongue, the ice-cold medicinal liquid sliding down his throat, slowly nourishing the Meridians that had just achieved a Breakthrough to the Late Stage of the Penetration Realm.

Passing through a grove of dead maple trees, a depression suddenly appeared before his eyes.

A deformed ancient tree stood in the center of the depression, its trunk long since rotted away, replaced by dense, dark red vines.

They were like countless venomous snakes coiled together, thrusting straight into the clouds, and the slime dripping from the tips of the vines instantly corroded small pits into the ground.

This was the true body of the Bloodthirsty Vine King.

Just as Zhang Wen stepped into the range of the depression, the outermost vines suddenly moved!

Dozens of arm-thick vines whipped toward him with the sharp whistle of breaking wind, their tips splitting into five petals to reveal serrated barbs inside, flickering with a ghostly green poisonous light.

“Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks!”

Lightning Radiance flashed beneath his feet, and his figure suddenly shifted thirty feet horizontally; while evading the vines, the ground he stepped on exploded with circular thunder patterns.

Numbing electrical currents spread along the vines, causing the whipping vines to instantly freeze for a fraction of a second.

Taking advantage of this momentary gap, he made a grasping motion with his right hand, and the sky-splitting startling thunder spear appeared in his hand, its shaft entwined with coiling dragon-shaped electrical flashes—“Myriad Thunders Coiling Dragon Break!”

“Roar——”

A roar that was neither beast nor human came from deep within the ancient tree, and the entire depression trembled.

More vines surged from all directions, some sweeping like long whips, others coiling like giant pythons, and a few slender vines even slid along the ground, attempting to circle behind him for a sneak attack.

Zhang Wen's gaze sharpened, and instead of retreating, he advanced, his Eye of Thunder Punishment staring fixedly at the area with the most chaotic energy among the vine cluster: “Myriad Thunders Heavenly Prison Lure!”

He abruptly raised his hand, and the Lightning Radiance around him surged violently as countless bolts of lightning struck down from the clouds, weaving into an airtight thunder net above his head, covering the entire depression like a cage.

The surging vines slammed into the thunder net and were instantly charred black and stiffened by the electricity; amidst the "sizzling" sound of the current, many vines snapped and fell directly.

However, the Bloodthirsty Vine King's regenerative power far exceeded expectations; thick sap gushed from the wounds of the broken vines, turning into new thin vines upon hitting the ground, coiling around his ankles like maggots on a bone.

Although the paralysis effect of the “Thunder and Lightning” was working, it couldn't stop the speed of the vines' frantic growth; the cold touch mixed with poisonous sap seeped into his wounds, causing half of his body to begin to go numb.

Just then, a bucket-thick main vine suddenly dropped from the top of the ancient tree, its body covered in bowl-sized suction cups, within which the remains of white bones could be vaguely seen.

The Eye of Thunder Punishment instantly captured the pale gray fragile area on the inner side of the suction cup.

“Now!”

Instead of panicking, a sharp light flashed in Zhang Wen's eyes.

He activated his “Indestructible Thunder Body,” and pale gold Lightning Radiance overflowed from his pores, forming a layer of tough thunder armor that temporarily forced back the toxins invading his body.

Simultaneously, he poured all of his spiritual Qi into the sky-splitting startling thunder spear.

“Myriad Thunders Coiling Dragon Break!”

The purple-blue Lightning Radiance suddenly turned into a deep indigo, and the coiling dragon phantom on the thunder spear came to life, roaring and baring its claws.

He threw the thunder spear toward the main vine, the shaft carrying a momentum that could destroy heaven and earth, accurately piercing the weak point locked by the Eye of Thunder Punishment.

“Boom——!”

The thunder spear exploded, and the indigo Lightning Radiance danced like a wild dragon, spreading along the main vine to the entire ancient tree.

The electrical net of the Myriad Thunders Heavenly Prison Lure resonated with it, instantly enveloping the vine cluster completely; countless vines snapped inch by inch in the Lightning Radiance, letting out shrill shrieks.

The main trunk of the Bloodthirsty Vine King withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, and dark red sap mixed with charred debris splashed across the depression.

The main vine went limp on the ground as if it had lost all strength, and the vine roots coiled around his ankles withered along with it.

Zhang Wen staggered back a few steps, leaning against a dead tree to gasp for air, as the thunder armor of the Indestructible Thunder Body gradually dissipated, revealing his sweat-soaked clothes.

His right hand trembled slightly from overextending his spiritual Qi, but his Eye of Thunder Punishment remained bright, reflecting the scene of the vines ahead completely turned to charcoal.

He walked to the ancient tree and took a thick section of its main trunk, which still bore the scorch marks of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

Sunlight finally penetrated the thick fog and shone into the depression, falling on his blood-stained face; in those eyes, besides exhaustion, there was a more intense determination tempered by thunder.

Dragging the heavy main trunk of the vine king, Zhang Wen walked out of the depression step by step, leaving behind the carcass of the Level 3 zone's overlord.

When Zhang Wen returned to the Azure Mist outpost dragging the corpse of the Bloodthirsty Vine King, the entire camp fell into an eerie silence.

The dawn light spilled over him through the gaps in the alloy towers, and the blood-ice condensed on his defensive armor was melting, dripping down the patterns of the plates and blooming into dark red flowers on the ground.

The wound on his shoulder was still seeping blood, yet it couldn't hide those startlingly bright eyes—it was a cold, sharp edge tempered through dozens of life-and-death battles.

“Is that... the main trunk of the Bloodthirsty Vine King?”

A student registering at the entrance of the resource vault suddenly lost his voice, his finger trembling as he pointed at the thing Zhang Wen was dragging behind him.

It was a section of vine nearly two meters in diameter, its surface covered in charred thunder marks, with purple-gold electrical flashes still remaining at the break; it was precisely the most feared overlord of the Level 3 zone.

A Bloodthirsty Vine King at the Peak of the Penetration Realm, or even half a step into the Domain Realm.

Beside the vine king's massive body, there was also a pile of seven or eight Vicious Beast inner cores of various sizes, each emitting spiritual Qi fluctuations of the Late Stage or even the Peak of the Penetration Realm.

The camp instantly erupted into a frenzy.

“Heavens! He really killed the Bloodthirsty Vine King?”

“More than that, look at the bag at his waist; there are at least twenty inner cores in there!”

“Three days! He's only been here for three days and he's slaughtered through the Level 3 zone? This is something even senior fourth-year students wouldn't dare to attempt easily!”

Discussions surged like a tide, and the tall boy who had mocked Zhang Wen on the training field before turned pale, subconsciously shrinking back.

This New Student who "didn't look like much" had already turned the Vicious Beast overlords of the entire Level 3 zone upside down.

Zhao Feng rushed over upon hearing the news, and when he saw the Bloodthirsty Vine King's corpse at Zhang Wen's feet, even this normally steady counselor drew a sharp breath.

He stepped forward quickly to inspect it, and when his fingertips touched the bone-deep thunder mark on the vine, his pupils suddenly constricted: “Was this... split by you using only your ability?”

Zhang Wen nodded, his voice a bit raspy: “Yes, its vine regeneration was too fast, so I could only use the high temperature of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder to completely destroy its vitality.”

He paused, untied the bag of inner cores from his waist, and handed it over, “Please count these and exchange them for academic credits.”

Zhao Feng took the bag, the weight of it making his wrist sink slightly.

He opened it to see the inner cores arranged neatly inside, each one cleaned thoroughly, clearly the result of countless operations where practice had made perfect.

He looked up at Zhang Wen; this New Student who had been somewhat green three days ago was now tinged with a murderous aura unsuitable for his age, his gaze as calm as a bottomless pool of cold water.

“Wait a moment.”

Zhao Feng suddenly thought of something and turned to run into the intelligence center.

A moment later, he returned with a silver communicator, his expression solemn, “A communication from headquarters, they want you to take it immediately.”

Zhang Wen took the communicator, and the moment he pressed the answer button, the joyful voice of the Azure Mist University principal came through.

“Zhang Wen, your battle achievements in the Level 3 zone have already spread through the Alliance's colleges and universities. Now, I am giving you two choices.”

“One is to return to school immediately and enter the special-grade Cultivation room for secluded meditation.”

“The second is to stay in the experience zone; unless the school summons you, you don't need to return. We will still distribute resources as usual, and once you Breakthrough to the Domain Realm, you can enter the Level 4 zone.”

Zhang Wen's eyes lit up, and he didn't hesitate for a second: “I choose the second one.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by a light chuckle: “As expected of the one I favor. Remember, the Vicious Beasts in the Level 4 zone have already reached the Domain Realm; you must not be careless.”

“Additionally, the top students from various colleges are rushing to Black Wind Valley; some want to challenge you, and some... want to see the worth of an SSS-Rank Talent.”

“I understand.” Zhang Wen hung up the communication and returned the device to Zhao Feng.

At that moment, a commotion came from the camp entrance.

A dozen shuttle buses from different colleges drove in one after another; the doors opened, and the students who stepped out all had steady auras and sharp gazes, clearly the top figures of their respective schools.

As soon as they found their footing, their gazes collectively shifted toward Zhang Wen, carrying scrutiny, curiosity, and unconcealed Battle Intent.

“Azure Mist's Zhang Wen?”

A boy wearing a white lab coat and gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward; he had a refined temperament, yet his fingers were unconsciously twirling a silver needle.

This was precisely his talent—S-Rank Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements!

“I am Lin Zhou from Dongmo University. I heard you can leapfrog ranks to kill those at the Peak of the Penetration Realm; I wonder if you are interested in a spar?”

Before Zhang Wen could speak, a cold snort came from the side: “Lin Zhou, don't delay the man from exchanging his credits.”

“If you ask me, if you really have the ability, let's compete against each other. What's the point of bullying a New Student here?”

The speaker was a girl with a fiery figure, carrying a massive battle axe on her shoulder; her chest badge showed she was from Shushan University in the west, and her Realm was already at the Peak of the Penetration Realm.

And her talent was the SS-Rank Sky-Breaking Axe Soul!