99: Chapter 99 Half a minute, one million

The massive body suddenly stiffened, and the violent momentum of its charge seemed to be violently cut off as if its throat had been gripped by an invisible giant hand.

It frantically shook its head and struggled, but its body, pierced and internally detonated at the vital center by the [Overlapping Waves Style], only convulsed violently a few times, as if all its vitality had been drained.

Its originally fierce, blood-red eyes dimmed and dissipated rapidly, like the light of a blown-out candle.

The huge carcass crashed down with a deafening roar, falling heavily into the dust like a collapsing mountain.

The earth shook violently, sending dust soaring into the sky.

Through the lingering smoke and dust, Li Wen staggered slightly before forcefully stabilizing himself.

He gasped heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly like a bellows, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Slaying this Peak Intermediate Yao Beast, renowned for its defense, by forcefully executing the still unfamiliar [Overlapping Waves Style], consumed more than ten times the energy of instantly killing those two wolf Yao Beasts.

The feeling of Mental Energy exhaustion, in particular, struck him like needles.

The ordinary standard long saber in his hand, whose tip endured pressure and energy infusion far exceeding its limit while executing the Overlapping Waves, was now covered in cracks. The front section splintered inch by inch, leaving only half a hilt in his grasp, silently proclaiming the absolute ferocity of that final strike.

Li Wen suppressed the dizziness from his depleted Mental Energy and the surging Qi and blood in his Physical Body, forcefully maintaining the last trace of clarity under the [Absolute Focus] state.

Although his Primordial Spirit detection felt weakened, he still vigilantly scanned his surroundings, locking his gaze specifically onto the depths of the cave in the mountain wall to ensure no other threats remained.

The thick smell of blood and earth, mixed with his rapid gasps, echoed in the valley.

Just then, a sharp sonic boom sounded, approaching from afar.

A military aircraft, entirely black with rigid lines, tore through the sky at an astonishing several times the speed of sound, suddenly hovering dozens of meters directly above the battlefield.

The powerful airflow flattened the vegetation and kicked up flying dust.

"Whoosh!"

A lithe figure leaped down from the still-unsteady aircraft, landing with a thunderous impact like a cannonball, settling steadily with slightly bent knees.

As the dust settled slightly, the newcomer was revealed.

A woman whose figure was exceptionally rounded and full. Her tight black combat suit outlined exaggerated yet powerfully curved lines, making her appearance exceptionally fiery.

She appeared to be around thirty years old, with tan skin, ear-length short hair, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

This was Chu Hong, an Advanced Super Martial Artist stationed there, who had rushed over after receiving the emergency support notification.

Chu Hong's gaze swept over the three Yao Beast corpses on the ground, each with a grotesque and tragic manner of death—the chests of the two wolf Yao Beasts were pierced open, and a long saber was still lodged in the neck of the massive Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast, blood still gushing out.

A strong shock flashed through her eyes, finally settling on the young man.

Although the young man seemed slightly weary, his posture was upright, his eyes bright and sharp, and a strange field of Intent permeated his body, subtly blending with the surrounding environment despite seeming out of place.

She had only felt this aura on a very small number of people before—

"Momentum Realm?" Chu Hong's voice held a trace of imperceptible surprise and—a deep envy.

Li Wen slowly pulled out the long saber stuck in the Iron-Armored Beast's neck and flicked off the blood drops.

Facing Chu Hong's inquiry, he simply nodded calmly: "Mm."

Chu Hong sucked in a sharp breath. Upon confirmation, the shock and envy in her heart instantly transformed into immense bitterness.

She had been stuck at the Peak of Advanced Super Martial Artist for three or four years, cultivating day and night, yet she could never touch the threshold of the Momentum Realm.

That was the key to stepping into the Flying Star Realm.

How many Advanced Super Martial Artists like her were blocked outside this chasm for their entire lives.

Yet, this young man before her—who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen—had already achieved mastery. This talent—

She forcefully suppressed the emotion welling up within her and quickly returned to the main topic: "Did you kill all three Yao Beasts?"

"Yes," Li Wen replied concisely.

Chu Hong nodded, adopting a strictly official expression: "According to regulations, all Yao Beast corpses belong to the hunter. You have the right to dispose of these three Yao Beasts as you see fit. Additionally, according to Qingshi City's supplementary reward regulations, citizens who assist in repelling or killing powerful Yao Beasts threatening the city will also receive extra rewards."

Li Wen was not surprised by this; he had long since memorized the relevant rules of the Kindling Hall.

However, looking at the massive size of the corpses on the ground, especially the Iron-Armored Beast that resembled a small mountain, he couldn't help but frown slightly: "It's just that—with the size of these three Yao Beasts, I probably can't transport them back to the city for processing by myself."

"Haha, small matter," Chu Hong laughed heartily, clearly having anticipated this. "Our aircraft has specialized large capture arms and an ultra-low temperature rapid-freeze storage cabin. We'll transport them back for you! It also serves as thanks for solving the trouble and avenging our people."

She glanced at the sweeping team members who were receiving simple first aid.

"Then I thank you very much," Li Wen naturally had no reason to refuse.

Chu Hong spoke a few words into her communicator.

Soon, the military aircraft hovering above descended slightly, its bottom hatch opened, and a giant metal arm covered in mechanical grappling hooks extended out.

Under precise mechanical control, the metal arm sequentially lifted the two wolf Yao Beasts and the Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast, which weighed over ten tons, securing them firmly on the grappling hooks.

The entire process was efficient and swift, fully displaying the advancement of Federation military equipment.

"Come up! We'll give you a ride!" Chu Hong pointed to the ramp of the aircraft that had landed on the ground.

Li Wen said his thanks and boarded the aircraft along with Chu Hong and the sweepers whose injuries were stabilized.

A few minutes later, this conspicuous military aircraft, like a giant vulture grasping three massive Yao Beast corpses, landed at the edge of the vast plaza in front of the Xinhuo Hall Qingshi Branch.

"Boom!"

When the massive Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast corpse was heavily placed onto the hard ground of the plaza by the mechanical arm, causing the ground to tremble slightly, the entire plaza fell silent for a second before erupting into a huge clamor and discussion.

"My God! What kind of Yao Beast is that? It looks like a pangolin? It's so huge!"

"Look quickly next to it! That's—the Swift Wind Wolf Yao Beast! And both are dead? Who did it?!"

"The one in the middle—that's the Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast, right? Judging by the color and size of its scales, it definitely possesses the strength of an Intermediate Super Martial Artist. Its defense is top-tier even among the Yao Beasts outside the city."

"Hiss—who could kill an Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast? And even bring its corpse back?"

"It was brought by a military aircraft. Is it a military big shot or a master from Kindling Hall?"

"No! Look quickly at the person getting off that small aircraft—so young! That youth?!"

"Holy crap! Isn't that Li Wen? That Genius who ranked 48th in the Provincial First Mock Exam?!"

"It really is him! He even took down a Super Martial Artist level Yao Beast?"

"Momentum Realm! He must have comprehended Blade Intent! Only a Momentum Realm expert can borrow the power of heaven and earth to pierce the Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast's defense! He's too strong!"

The discussion boiled over instantly, like cold water splashed into boiling oil.

Countless gazes were cast toward the three terrifying Yao Beast corpses, and toward the figure of the young man, calm yet slightly fatigued, walking toward the main doors of the Kindling Hall Branch.

Li Wen was long accustomed to being the center of attention.

He ignored the noisy discussions and focused gazes around him, walking straight into the Branch Hall without pausing at all.

He activated his V4 permission wristband and directly contacted the dedicated service personnel responsible for Materials recycling and processing through the internal channel.

Soon, several burly men wearing Kindling Hall work uniforms rushed over and began processing the three behemoths with practiced efficiency.

Weighing, sampling, recording, sectioning—several hours later, Li Wen received a clear account notification: "Respected A-Rank Contract Member Li Wen:

The Yao Beast Materials you submitted have been appraised and processed. The corresponding xinhuo points have been credited to your account:

Swift Wind Wolf Yao Beast (Peak Elementary) Corpse x 2, Excellent Quality, Points Gained: 108,000

Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast (Intermediate) Corpse x 1, Rare Quality, Points Gained: 1,050,000

Total Points Gained: 1,158,000. Please check your account for confirmation. Xinhuo Hall Qingshi Branch Materials Management Office"

One million one hundred fifty-eight thousand xinhuo points.

Even though he had estimated it, Li Wen couldn't help but show a hint of joy when he saw this massive number instantly injected into his account.

This was almost one-fifth of his initial resources under the A-Rank contract, and he had obtained it in less than half a minute.

Especially the rare Iron-Armored Earth Dragon Beast, which was worth over one million.

On the path to growing stronger by killing monsters, points were the most crucial fuel. This instantaneous surge in wealth completely ignited the intense craving for strength and resources within Li Wen.

He even felt the impulse to temporarily halt his arena ranking progression and go to the wilderness outside the city to specifically hunt Yao Beasts.

This thought was extremely tempting.

But immediately, the true horrors that might lurk in the endless wilderness outside the city flashed through his mind—those terrifying Yao Beasts of the Flying Star Realm, or perhaps even the Lunar level.

They lay like silent reapers in the depths of the wilderness.

Even though he was already in the Momentum Realm, once he encountered a Flying Star Realm Yao Beast, in the face of absolute power disparity, his speed, technique, and even Primordial Spirit detection—would likely be meaningless, and he would only be instantly crushed into dust.

Reason quickly extinguished that burning flame of impulse.

"Still too weak..." Li Wen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, the excitement that had just risen in his eyes transforming into deeper calm.

"Provincial Second Mock Exam—Top Three! S-Rank Contract! Those Universe Marvels that can lay the foundation for becoming a Divine Demon—that is the true path to heaven. Hunting monsters outside the city carries too much risk and is too inefficient; it's not advisable for now.

Currently, focusing on breaking into the Diamond rank in the arena while simultaneously improving his Blade Technique Realm and comprehending the [Flowing Rainbow Startling Magpie Chapter] is the top priority."

Over one million points was enough to support his frenzied Cultivation for a period, especially the consumption of starlight condensing spirit fluid.

Killing monsters was merely unexpected windfall; slicing through the stars and the sea with his blade was the path Li Wen intended to walk.

A sharp, blade-like glint quietly condensed in the depths of his eyes.