208: Chapter 209 The Shock of the Halo Effect to Xu Ruohan

This time, the joint task force from various countries had clearly spared no expense and done their homework thoroughly.

Their goal was clear and cold—either successfully turn Lin Muyang and recruit him for their own use, or completely eradicate him on this desolate island far from the mainland of the Xia Kingdom, never giving this rising star of the Xia Kingdom any chance to continue growing.

To this end, they had considered almost every possible course of action Lin Muyang might take and formulated corresponding counter-strategies.

Every ability and every tactic that Lin Muyang might display was within the calculations of this group of experienced and meticulous top-tier powerhouses.

Among these, one possibility that they discussed repeatedly and placed considerable importance on was that Lin Muyang was extremely likely to be the same person as the mysterious "solo clearing genius" who had stirred up trouble at the "Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand" auction, and had been elusive on the India border, leaving the India military and the Sanctuary humiliated.

Although the activity times of these two identities seemed to overlap slightly on the surface, careful scrutiny revealed many suspicious points.

Both came from the Xia Kingdom, both displayed terrifying strength that transcended their levels, and both possessed an extraordinary suppressive power over high-level monsters.

More importantly, what made the "solo clearing genius" most formidable was its incredible ability to hide and remain undetected, as well as its insidious methods that could inexplicably cause enemies within range to fall into a deep sleep, coupled with the characteristic of seemingly ignoring most magic barriers.

If Lin Muyang was that person, then his greatest reliance on this trip was likely this almost unsolvable stealth and crowd control ability.

He would most likely try to use stealth to sneak onto the island silently, find the "mythical grade skill book", and then quietly take it away or launch a surprise attack.

In response to this possibility, the coalition had made meticulous preparations.

They had invited a remarkable person from Australia who possessed the "Omniscient True Sight" talent—Mavis.

Her eyes could see through the vast majority of concealment, Disguise, illusions, and even snooping within spatial rifts.

They had set up multi-layered composite detection barriers at key locations on the island, including traditional magic fluctuation sensors, monitoring for spatial distortions, and even special magic arrays excavated from ancient ruins that could detect "soul fluctuations."

They had brought in an expert from Japan, "Crow," who was best at setting up silence and anti-stealth barriers, and had established layers of invisible barriers around the island's perimeter and core area.

They had also prepared various magic scrolls and special items capable of creating large-scale true vision and breaking invisibility, which were carried by several powerhouses skilled in area-of-effect magic, ready to be activated at any time.

As for that eerie ability to induce sleep, they speculated it might be related to mental attacks or some special domain.

To this end, the ascetic monk Amir from India, along with two other auxiliary powerhouses specializing in mental defense and purification, were specifically arranged to be in the core team.

They carried "mythic grade" accessories capable of stabilizing the mind and resisting negative states like sleep and fear, and were ready to jointly cast a large-scale mental purification barrier at any time.

It could be said that in order to deal with Lin Muyang, who "might" be the "solo clearing genius," the coalition had considered almost all the moves they could imagine the opponent might use and had formulated seemingly comprehensive response plans.

They were confident that no matter how Lin Muyang appeared, he would surely fall into the net they had meticulously woven.

Lin Muyang, far away in the Xia Kingdom, naturally had no way of knowing about these detailed preparations by the enemy.

But he didn't care at all.

In the face of absolute strength, all calculations and preparations appeared pale and powerless.

Lin Muyang had a clear understanding of his own strength.

As he was now, even without using the full power of the summoned the young ladies, just relying on his own terrifying base attributes—which had been nurtured by the attributes of "mythic grade" BOSSes and far exceeded those of the same level—and his set of bug-like "God-Tier Aura", he was enough to confront and even crush the vast majority of so-called "Nation-Guarding Level" powerhouses head-on.

An old-school "Nation-Guarding Level" like the Old Sword Saint Sword Saint, with deep foundations and many "mythic grade" skills and equipment, might be able to contend with Lin Muyang for a while during a life-and-death struggle by relying on their rich experience and trump card moves, causing Lin Muyang some trouble.

But if they were to fight to the end regardless of the cost, Lin Muyang had absolute confidence in winning.

The effects of his "God-Tier Aura" were too overbearing, and the growth limit was terrifyingly high, which gave him a huge advantage when facing any opponent of the same level or even a slightly higher level.

Therefore, even if countries like the American Empire had sent top-tier existences of their level to oversee things this time, Lin Muyang was not afraid in the least.

He even felt a faint sense of anticipation—if he could take this opportunity to leave behind a few of these top combatants, or even the "boss" level figures of these hostile countries, it would undoubtedly be a huge strategic victory for the Xia Kingdom and would also clear away many obstacles for him in the future.

About ten minutes later.

Time was tight, and there wasn't much time left for Lin Muyang and the Xia Kingdom side to prepare.

In order to disrupt the opponent's deployment and reduce their reaction and adjustment time, Xu Ruohan quickly contacted Lin Muyang via encrypted communication to inform him that the high-level officials of the Xia Kingdom had made the final decision.

Three people would accompany Lin Muyang to "Crocodile Shark Island".

The choice of these three people was clearly carefully considered.

The first was Xu Ruohan herself.

She and Lin Muyang were both Summoners, and she was one of the Xia Kingdom high-level officials who had the most contact and was most familiar with Lin Muyang.

With her there, she could act as a communication bridge between Lin Muyang and the official authorities, and could also provide considerable combat power or special support at critical moments by relying on her powerful "mythic grade" summoned beast, the "Azure Phoenix."

The second was an inconspicuous, kind-looking old woman named "Time Utterance."

Her level was as high as 277, and she was a top-tier auxiliary professional in the Xia Kingdom, extremely rare and specializing in the laws of time and space.

Her main task was not to fight, but to ensure that Lin Muyang could safely escape from danger at the most critical moment by utilizing the power of time and space she controlled.

She was the final insurance for this trip.

The third was a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses with an elegant temperament, looking like a middle-aged scholar, but actually nearly fifty years old, codenamed "Heartstring."

He was a mage specializing in the mental field, and although he was not a "Nation-Guarding Level" known for frontal combat power, he had extremely high attainments in mental infiltration, mental suggestion, emotional perception, and control.

Bringing him along was in the hope that if necessary, he could conduct mental interference or suggestion on the enemy holding the "skill book," increasing the chances of successfully retrieving the "skill book," or exerting miraculous effects in negotiations and bargaining situations.

"Lin Muyang, look, is it okay if we three go with you?" Xu Ruohan's virtual image appeared on Lin Muyang's communicator, her tone carrying a sense of discussion, but her eyes were firm.

Lin Muyang glanced at the simple profiles of the three people she sent, did not hesitate too much, and replied concisely: "No problem. Are they ready? If you can, let's leave now."

For him, it didn't make much difference who he brought, as long as it didn't affect his actions.

With the "Divine Concealment Aura" in place, it was easy to bring three more people while remaining invisible.

As for fighting, he hadn't really counted on others anyway.

Bringing them along was more to give the Xia Kingdom official authorities a sense of participation and security, and also to facilitate handling some possible follow-up matters, such as contacting the "Six-Eyed Witches" group.

"Okay, we can leave at any time." Xu Ruohan replied quickly.

Not long after, at a secret takeoff and landing platform in the suburbs of Jingdu City, Lin Muyang met Xu Ruohan and the two companions she brought.

Senior Time Utterance was wearing a simple gray cloth garment, with gray hair, a gentle smile on her face, and holding a seemingly ordinary wooden staff; if one didn't pay attention, she looked just like a kind old grandmother seen everywhere on the street.

But Lin Muyang could keenly sense that she was surrounded by an obscure and powerful spatial-temporal fluctuation, with a faint sense of detachment from the surrounding environment.

Heartstring was in a proper dark suit, his gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses calm and profound; he nodded slightly to Lin Muyang in greeting, without saying much, appearing steady and capable.

"No time to lose, let's go." Lin Muyang didn't exchange too many pleasantries and directly raised his hand.

In an instant, an invisible force spread out from him as the center, enveloping Xu Ruohan, Time Utterance, Heartstring, and the Lilia, Elabess, and Gui Wanwan beside him.

Xu Ruohan and the other two immediately felt their bodies lighten, as if they had shed a heavy burden, and at the same time, an overwhelming force surged into their limbs and bones; their physical strength, reaction speed, and energy circulation speed had all received an unimaginably terrifying boost!

That wasn't all; immediately after, their figures, Auras, and even energy interactions with the surrounding environment instantly became blurred and faded, eventually appearing as if they had merged into the air, disappearing completely without leaving a trace, not even leaking the slightest fluctuation.

God-Tier Aura—【Powerful Divine Protection】 and 【Divine Concealment】 took effect simultaneously!

"Sorry to trouble you, Senior Xu, to lead the way." Lin Muyang's voice rang directly in the ears of everyone in the invisible state, calm as usual.

Xu Ruohan suppressed the shock in her heart and nodded.

She identified the direction, circulated the magic power in her body, and prepared to cast a flight spell to proceed along the predetermined route.

However, just the moment she activated her magic power—

"Whoosh——!!!"

A piercing sound of breaking through the air, sharp to the extreme, suddenly rang out!

Xu Ruohan only felt as if she had been violently pushed forward by an indescribable force, and the scene before her instantly turned into a blur of colors!

She didn't even have time to make any reaction, and her whole body was like a cannonball fired from the chamber, or like a rocket breaking through some limit, speeding forward at a terrifying speed she had never experienced or even imagined!

In less than a hundredth of a second, when she barely regained her senses from this sudden extreme acceleration and stabilized her figure, looking back in shock, she found that she was already in the high sky several kilometers away!

Behind her, the massive outline of Jingdu City had become a blurred background in the distance, while Lin Muyang, the three young ladies Lilia, Senior Time Utterance, and Heartstring were still near the original spot, looking like a few small black dots!

"This... this speed?!"

Xu Ruohan's beautiful face was filled with astonishment, her heart pounding.

She instinctively checked her status, and only then did she see that her body was covered by a pale golden, complex, and profound Aura phantom.

It was this Aura that gave her the unbelievable and terrifying speed just now!

She made a rough estimate; the instantaneous speed brought by the acceleration at that moment was probably close to a thousand times the speed of sound! Over three hundred kilometers per second!

This simply exceeded the scope of conventional flight spells, almost like the prelude to spatial jumping!

"Is this Lin Muyang's ability enhancement? It's... it's too incredible!"

Xu Ruohan's inner shock was beyond measure.

Her own agility attribute was not low, but at that speed just now, the neural reaction speed brought by her proud agility attribute actually couldn't keep up!

It was entirely by relying on her rich combat instinct and experience that she barely managed to control her figure and did not lose control and hit something because of the excessive speed.

Just when she was in doubt, Lin Muyang, with the three young ladies Lilia, as well as Senior Time Utterance and Heartstring, also came to her side in a few flickers at a speed that seemed leisurely but was actually fast as a ghost.

Looking at them, they were relaxed and at ease, as if the terrifying speed just now was not worth mentioning at all.

"Senior Xu, let's continue to lead the way; we'll go and return quickly." Lin Muyang looked at Xu Ruohan, who was stopped in the air with a shocked expression, and reminded her somewhat strangely.

He had long been accustomed to the effects of his Aura and didn't feel the speed just now was that exaggerated.

"Ah? Oh, okay, okay." Xu Ruohan finally completely recovered from the shock, and two faint blushes couldn't help but fly onto her beautiful face, which was the result of a mix of excitement and a little embarrassment.

She hurriedly restrained her mind, confirmed the direction again, and then carefully began to fly.

This time, she was mentally prepared and carefully felt the enhancement brought by the magical Aura on her body.

She discovered that this was not just a terrifying increase in speed; her magic recovery speed, skill release speed, and even thinking speed had been significantly enhanced!

Flying became effortless; with a mere thought, she could move forward at an extreme speed close to a thousand times the speed of sound, and the consumption of her own magic power and physical strength was negligible!

"This... this is too outrageous!" Xu Ruohan exclaimed in her heart while leading the way.

As a "Nation-Guarding Level" Summoner, she had seen countless buff magic and Aura skills, but she had never heard of such a buff effect as Lin Muyang's, which was so comprehensive, with such a terrifying boost, such a flexible range, and seemingly no consumption or side effects!

This had completely overturned her understanding of auxiliary skills.

It wasn't just her; Senior Time Utterance and Heartstring, who were following behind her, were also quite shaken in their hearts at this moment.

Senior Time Utterance's wrinkled face showed a look of surprise; her hand holding the wooden staff tightened slightly. She could feel that the resistance of the surrounding space had become extremely small under the influence of Lin Muyang's Aura, and flying had become exceptionally smooth, and even the passage of time seemed to have become a fraction slower than usual.

As for Heartstring, he pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, his gaze behind the lenses flickering with surprise and thought. He tried to perceive Lin Muyang's mental fluctuations but found it like sinking into a vast sea of stars, unfathomable, while the mental clarity and focus improvement brought by the Aura were real.

Both of them were battle-hardened and knowledgeable, but the ability that Lin Muyang displayed casually still made them feel deeply shocked.

Only then did they have a more intuitive understanding of the evaluations of Lin Muyang by Sword Saint, Fierce Wolf, and others—this was indeed a monster that could not be measured by common sense.

Fortunately, they were both extremely experienced powerhouses and quickly adapted to this super-accelerated state, following closely behind Xu Ruohan.

Thus, a strange scene appeared in the high sky over the Pacific Ocean.

Several "voids" that were completely undetectable by the naked eye or even conventional detection means were tearing through the sky at a terrifying speed of hundreds of kilometers per second, speeding toward a certain coordinate.

Wherever they passed, the clouds were silently torn apart, and the air was smoothed out by an invisible force before it could even create a sonic boom.

Less than half a minute passed.

Xu Ruohan, who was flying in the front, began to slow down.

On the vast blue sea ahead, the outline of an island rapidly enlarged in her field of vision and became clear.

It was an island that was not large in area but had a quite complex terrain.

The center was a rugged rocky land, seemingly formed after a volcanic eruption, which was gray-black, while the surroundings were covered by dense, deep green forests that were so thick they could not be melted away.

The edge of the island consisted of steep cliffs and scattered reefs, with sea waves crashing against them, stirring up white spray.

The whole island exuded a primitive, wild, and dangerous atmosphere, and it was exactly their destination—Crocodile Shark Island.

"We've arrived." Xu Ruohan's voice reached everyone's ears through the mental link while in the invisible state, carrying a hint of solemnity.

Lin Muyang nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

According to the plan, they would use the invisible state to first sneak into the island quietly, investigate the situation, locate the position of the "mythical grade skill book," and try to retrieve it silently.

However, just as Lin Muyang was controlling the "Divine Concealment Aura," bringing everyone like invisible ghosts, and preparing to land toward a seemingly quiet forest on the outskirts of the island to begin initial reconnaissance—

A sudden change occurred!

The air around everyone began to twist violently without warning!