127: Chapter 128 A Vast Gap in Strength, Fierce Battle

[Seventh-Grade Exotic Beast] (Blue)

Essence: 500

Qi: 180

Spirit: 50

Comprehensive Rating: 10,000+

Lin Ye's pupils constricted.

He had considered that the exotic beast capable of severely wounding Wang Lin wouldn't be weak, but he hadn't expected it to be this powerful.

These stats already far exceeded those of an ordinary Seventh-Grade Martial Artist, roughly equivalent to Old Man Shen's level before his Breakthrough.

Lin Ye subconsciously glanced at his own attributes.

[Character]: Lin Ye

[Identity]: Ninth-Grade Demon Suppression Guard

[Realm]: Eighth-Grade

Essence: 200 (Golden Muscle and Iron Bones)

Qi: 80

Spirit: 70

Although his essence and qi attributes had increased significantly after breaking through to the Eighth-Grade, the disparity was still immense compared to the exotic beast before him.

He was three hundred points behind in the essence attribute and one hundred points behind in the qi attribute; only his spirit attribute held a slight advantage.

"No wonder Wang Lin was beaten so badly," Lin Ye thought to himself.

Although Wang Lin's cultivation wasn't weak, it was still too much of a stretch for him to face a Half-step Sixth-Grade exotic beast head-on.

Moreover, this exotic beast seemed to have the ability to burrow into the ground, coming and going without a trace, making it nearly impossible to guard against.

Taking a deep breath, he didn't hesitate and decisively activated the two major characteristics: Immortal and War Heaven.

As for the Ruyi characteristic, it wasn't time to use it yet.

In the next second, a surge of boundless energy gushed from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, frantically pouring into his limbs and bones.

Every inch of his muscle was burning, and every bone was trembling; Lin Ye felt his entire body filled with power.

Simultaneously, the shaft of the black iron heavy staff began to glow faintly.

Its original dark-gold luster became a bit more brilliant, as if coated with a layer of flowing gold paint.

Fine patterns emerged from within the staff, winding up along the body and emitting a flickering light.

After breaking through to the Eighth-Grade, the enhancement effect of his Life-Bound Weapon had also undergone a qualitative leap.

Previously, when activating the War Heaven characteristic, he could increase his combat power by fifty percent at most.

But now, it had more than doubled.

This feeling of exploding power gave Lin Ye more confidence to face the Half-step Sixth-Grade exotic beast head-on.

Seemingly sensing the change in Lin Ye's aura, the solemnity in the Giant Pangolin's eyes deepened.

It didn't rush to attack, but instead lowered its body slightly, its sole remaining right eye staring unblinkingly at Lin Ye.

An exotic beast of this level already possessed considerable combat intelligence.

It could easily distinguish which prey could be slaughtered at will and which deserved serious treatment.

Suddenly, it moved.

This time, it didn't choose to burrow but pounced directly.

Its body, over ten meters long, plowed a deep furrow into the ground, soil churning to both sides as gravel and dust filled the air, obscuring Lin Ye's vision.

Its two massive front claws opened like giant iron pincers, closing in from both sides to pin Lin Ye down.

The sharp claws sliced through the air, letting out a piercing screech.

Lin Ye didn't retreat; instead, he exerted slight force with his arms and smashed his staff onto the pangolin's left claw.

"Bang!"

Sparks flew in all directions.

The moment the black iron heavy staff collided with the dark-gold scales, a burst of dazzling light erupted.

The Giant Pangolin's front claw was smashed downward, and Lin Ye was also pushed back several steps by the counter-shock, leaving deep footprints in the ground beneath him.

This exotic beast's scales were absurdly hard.

Fortunately, he was using a heavy weapon and didn't rely on slashing or piercing; otherwise, this battle would have been even more impossible.

Relying on the weight of the black iron heavy staff itself, combined with the support of Internal Qi and techniques, it was enough to transmit a portion of the force through the scales and into the exotic beast's interior.

Lin Ye's strike caused the Giant Pangolin to suffer a silent setback.

Although it wasn't wounded, the penetrating shock caused its internal organs to tremble slightly, making it feel indescribably uncomfortable.

Roar!

It let out a low roar and raised its right claw, slamming it down hard toward Lin Ye; the wind from the strike caused the surrounding air to stagnate slightly.

Lin Ye didn't meet it head-on; with a movement of his feet, he pushed his Basic Qinggong to its limit.

At the moment the giant claw descended, he drifted out through the gaps between the claws.

His posture was calm and composed, as if he had long anticipated the trajectory of the strike.

"Boom!"

A large crater was smashed into the ground, and in an instant, rocks flew and dust filled the air.

Several fist-sized rocks shot toward Lin Ye, but he evaded them one by one.

Lin Ye didn't stop; with a step, he circled to the Giant Pangolin's side, swinging the black iron heavy staff in a wide arc to smash it against its ribs.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed through the mountain forest.

The pangolin's body tilted slightly from the impact, and its four legs carved several deep claw marks into the ground before it could steady itself.

Lin Ye didn't give it a chance to catch its breath.

With his spirit attribute as high as seventy points, his perception was enough to cover a radius of thirty meters.

He could capture every one of the pangolin's attacks in advance and then calmly avoid them.

This near-precognitive ability allowed him to seize a bit of the initiative in this duel where their attributes were so disparate.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Strike after strike, Lin Ye's staff technique was sweeping and grand, with each blow carrying immense weight.

However, he didn't clash head-on with the pangolin at all, instead specifically targeting its joints, abdomen, and the gaps between its scales.

In terms of raw strength, Lin Ye naturally couldn't compare to this Half-step Sixth-Grade exotic beast.

After all, his essence attribute was less than half of the opponent's; facing it head-on would be pure suicide.

But combat was never just about whoever had the higher attributes winning.

No matter how great your strength, if you can't hit the person, it's all for naught.

The Giant Pangolin's attacks grew increasingly violent; its giant claws pounded the ground with a rumble, and its tail swept frantically, clearing a large area.

But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't touch a single hair on its opponent.

That human was like a loach, slippery and hard to catch, always managing to dodge an instant before its attacks landed.

What made it even more uncomfortable was that the opponent always found opportunities to give it a heavy blow.

At first, it didn't feel much, but as time passed, its internal organs began to ache faintly, and its breath carried a hint of blood.

Finally, after being struck dozens of times in succession, a deep wariness appeared in the Giant Pangolin's eyes.

It realized that the human before it was different from the previous one.

Although the previous one with the spear had a stronger aura, his fighting style was too direct and couldn't break its defense at all, but this one before it could actually hurt it!

Most importantly, its most prideful attack, the Giant Tongue Strike, had lost its effectiveness.

This human was like he could foresee the future, narrowly avoiding it every single time.

Lin Ye's offensive didn't stop.

One hundred strikes... two hundred strikes... three hundred strikes...

Each strike carried heavy force; even though the Giant Pangolin's vitality was amazing, it was starting to struggle after being hit so many times by Lin Ye.

Its movements began to slow down, its breathing became heavy, and blood even started to seep from the corners of its mouth—a sign of internal organ damage.

Seeing this, Lin Ye knew the time was about right.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the Thunder Tiger Vajra Body to its full capacity.

Purple electric arcs flickered frantically on the surface of his body, appearing full of might under the enhancement of the thunder phosphorus bracelet.

Immediately afterward, he poured Internal Qi into the staff; the runes on it lit up one by one, and the weight of the black iron heavy staff instantly doubled.

And that wasn't all.

Ruyi characteristic, activated.

Boom!

It was like a thunderclap on a clear day!

The surrounding air seemed unable to bear the weight of the staff, rippling in visible circles.

"Rise for me!"

The veins on Lin Ye's arms bulged, and his muscles swelled to the point of almost bursting his sleeves as he hoisted the black iron heavy staff above his head.

At this moment, Lin Ye felt as if he weren't holding a staff at all, but a mountain.

He wasn't sure exactly how heavy the black iron heavy staff was now, but it must be at least a hundred thousand catties.

If not for the strength enhancement from the Wild Bull Strength, he wouldn't have been able to control this terrifying weight at all.

Just the action of lifting the staff already made the bones throughout his body creak.

"Die!"

Ninth style of the Earth-Splitting Staff Technique—Heaven-Collapsing Earth-Splitting.

All the previous attacks were just setup and attrition; this strike was the true killing blow.