134: Speedrun Challenge Tower Floor 35

[Current Challenge Floor: 35]

[Target: Thunder Horned Horse (F-rank Early Stage)]

The strength of the Thunder Horned Horse in front of him had directly reached the Celestial Phenomenon Realm. Especially since the opponent possessed the highly destructive element of thunder, Zhou Xing even began to wonder how Augustus had managed to clear this.

After all, when a normal Mutated Beast's strength fully erupted, it was inherently a level higher than that of a human Awakened One; the only disadvantage was their level of intelligence.

The Thunder Horned Horse before him was nearly ten meters long and five meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body covered in purple scales.

The spiral-shaped thunder horn atop its head was its most terrifying lethal weapon.

At this moment, the Thunder Horned Horse stepped forward slowly, its crimson beastly pupils locked firmly onto Zhou Xing.

"I'll use you to test the waters first."

Zhou Xing was full of confidence. He took the initiative, slamming his right palm onto the ground.

"Frost: Eternal Frozen Labyrinth!"

Crack!

Countless ice crystals instantly rose from the ground, turning the area within a five-hundred-meter radius into an illusionary realm of condensed frost as the temperature plummeted.

The Thunder Horned Horse was now trapped within, its hooves bound by frost, and its massive body suddenly stiffened.

Neigh—!

The horned horse let out a furious neigh, and the horn on its head suddenly lit up with a blinding thunderous light!

This was the opponent's powerful skill, "Horn of Heaven's Punishment!"

Boom!

In an instant, a massive beam of thunder over three meters in diameter pierced through the ice wall, shooting straight at Zhou Xing.

"Ice-Fire Dual Stream: Annihilation!"

Zhou Xing did not dodge. The fire power around him surged out, intertwining with the Frost Power to erupt into a terrifying torrent of ice and fire, meeting the attack head-on.

Bang!

The thunder and the ice-fire energy collided. The terrifying force knocked Zhou Xing back dozens of meters, and the dissipating thunder power left a charred patch on his chest.

However, Zhou Xing's own thunder resistance had reached Lv4, which was enough to reduce thunder damage by 40%.

Especially since he possessed a fragment of the "god of thunder," the thunder power—which had already been significantly depleted by the ice and fire energy—only caused a slight tingling sensation when it hit him, failing to have any real effect.

"Try this move of mine!"

The moment his body stopped, Zhou Xing crossed his hands. Frost and fire fused in his palms, forming a blue-and-white energy spear.

"Ice-Fire Dual Stream: Spear of Annihilation!"

Whoosh!

The spear pierced through the air, striking directly at the horned horse's chest armor!

Boom!

The horned horse roared, brilliant electric light erupting from its body, followed by a thunder barrier appearing in front of it.

The spear slammed into the barrier, triggering a violent explosion.

Using the dust raised by the explosion, Zhou Xing's figure had already vanished from the spot.

"Shadow Leap: Thrust!"

His shadow ability activated, and in an instant, Zhou Xing appeared behind the horned horse. A shadow blade condensed in each of his hands as he stabbed ruthlessly toward the horse's core.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the scales on the horned horse's body suddenly lit up, its defense skyrocketing to block Zhou Xing's attack. Then, its massive tail snapped straight like a steel whip, sending Zhou Xing flying.

"Cough... As expected of an F-rank Mutated Beast, its defense and reaction speed have improved far too much." After landing, Zhou Xing felt his internal organs shudder, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"I don't believe I can't break your defense!"

Zhou Xing wiped away the blood, his eyes suddenly glowing with the blood-red light of the god of war.

This was the activation of the god of war's passive skill, Battle Frenzy.

Combined with Boiling Battle Intent, Zhou Xing's own strength would surge in a short period.

To avoid wasting time, Zhou Xing leaped into the air. Three types of divine energy—ice, fire, and healing—emerged, constantly fusing and compressing with each other.

"Life's Return to the Void!"

Finally, a black-and-white destructive energy orb formed and slammed down violently toward the Thunder Horned Horse.

At this moment, the aura erupted from the Triple-element Fusion made the Thunder Horned Horse feel a massive threat.

Boom!

A large amount of thunder divine power within the Thunder Horned Horse's body continuously gathered toward its horn.

Instantly, a thunder beam even more violent than before erupted, slamming into the black-and-white energy orb.

Rumble!

The moment the two energies collided, the ground within a thousand-meter radius collapsed, and a terrifying mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

Having the foresight, Zhou Xing had already used Gale Step to dodge.

As the dust settled, the scales on the horned horse's body were completely shattered, and its energy core was exposed. Due to the massive consumption of thunder divine power, it was now dim and lusterless.

The power eruption after the Triple-element Fusion was not inferior to the Celestial Phenomenon Realm Middle Stage, enough to break through the Thunder Horned Horse's defense.

Swish!

Zhou Xing flashed to the front of the Thunder Horned Horse and punched its core, his terrifying strength piercing right through it.

Puchi!

Its life signs vanished instantly, and the Thunder Horned Horse finally dissipated.

[Floor 35 cleared. Time: 3 minutes 31 seconds]

[Evaluation: Special Grade]

[All hidden achievements completed. Total points earned: 1,500]

Meanwhile, with Zhou Xing's successful challenge, the rankings on the leaderboard outside changed instantly.

[1st Place: Zhou Xing | Floor: 35 | Time: 3 minutes 31 seconds]

The entire place fell silent; no one could believe their eyes.

Because Augustus, who was in second place, had taken a full 27 minutes and 41 seconds to clear the 35th floor.

Augustus, who had just finished his gravity room training and rushed over upon hearing that Zhou Xing was challenging the tower, witnessed this scene.

He froze on the spot.

What was he seeing?

3 minutes and 31 seconds. Is Zhou Xing even human?

If that's the case, did Zhou Xing hide a lot of his strength during their previous challenge?

Otherwise, there couldn't be such a glaring difference.

Or was the Challenge Tower malfunctioning?

Augustus began to doubt his life.

At this time, Chiba Shinichi also walked in. After seeing the new ranking, a flash of shock passed through his eyes.

This Zhou Xing was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

It seemed necessary for him to find out exactly what Zhou Xing was secretly doing every day.

He had been observing in the shadows for a long time; perhaps there would be a significant harvest.

"No wonder both the commissioner and the Commander value Zhou Xing so much. This kind of talent hasn't appeared in a long time. The gap between the Peak of Control and the Early Stage of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm is completely imperceptible in him."

The Instructor in charge of the Challenge Tower looked at the monitoring data displayed, his pupils shrinking as well.

Although he couldn't see the real-time challenge footage, the Challenge Tower could still display the energy intensity erupted by both sides.

Zhou Xing's true strength had already been judged by the Challenge Tower's System to be at the Celestial Phenomenon Realm Middle Stage.

How long had it been? He had been in the camp for less than two months. This kind of talent and strength was undoubtedly enough to be considered the absolute best in history.

He just wondered which floor Zhou Xing would ultimately reach...