45: Crushing and destroying

Ding!

Random draw successful.

Boom—!

A thunderous roar echoed in Lin Yan's mind.

Clang, clang, clang... The fist does not surpass the gold, Golden Platform!

Several large characters flashed.

Threat target locked.

Preparing to take over the Host's body.

This is...!

Lin Yan's heart jolted.

He felt himself completely lose control of his body in an instant.

Then, his entire being shifted into a bystander's perspective with absolute vision.

"Lin Yan" looked up, an ancient and indifferent light flashing through the depths of his eyes.

Swish—!

Duan Tiancheng, who hadn't even reacted to Lin Yan's previous sentence, suddenly felt the space behind him go empty.

What?

He whipped his head around.

Where did the kid go?

"Trying to run!"

"Impossible!!"

At the same time.

On the other side, Shi Lanzhi, Black Ice, and the others shouted coldly, launching a pursuit against Evil Charm and his group.

"Hahaha!"

Evil Charm turned his head and laughed loudly.

He was about to lead the Dark Cultists away for good.

What?

His expression changed drastically.

Who is it?

Shi Lanzhi's eyes trembled slightly.

In Evil Charm's field of vision, a streak of light flashed past Shi Lanzhi in an instant.

In Shi Lanzhi's peripheral vision, an afterimage streaked past him at extreme speed.

Fast, incredibly fast, fast to the absolute limit.

So fast that the two powerful Heavenly Extreme Martial Artists only had time for a brief thought.

Evil Charm's vision blurred.

A massive force pressed down on his head.

Shi Lanzhi's eyes narrowed slightly.

A figure in black appeared in front of Evil Charm, pressing a palm down onto his head.

And then.

Bang—!

A thunderous explosion.

Evil Charm's mid-leap body was like a cannonball, smashed violently into the earth.

Dust and smoke billowed dozens of meters into the air.

"Cough... Pfft..."

In the giant crater, Evil Charm coughed up blood continuously. His body was in tearing pain, and he couldn't muster even a shred of strength.

Wha... What's going on?

It wasn't until the moment his head was pinned down.

That he finally saw clearly.

It was actually Lin Yan, the one regarded as a Ten-Star threat target.

It wasn't just him.

Shi Lanzhi, who had witnessed everything, wasn't faring much better.

What is wrong with this kid?!!

He stared at the "Lin Yan" who slowly turned his head to glance at him, his heart filled with shock.

That gaze... Before he could think further.

"Lin Yan" took a step forward, his body turning into an afterimage.

In the distance, Black Ice and the Dark Cultists, who had just turned their heads toward this sudden development, felt their vision blur.

Bang... Bang bang bang... A series of muffled thuds rang out.

Clouds of blood mist exploded.

The Dark Cultists were all killed instantly right before the eyes of Black Ice and the others.

"He..."

Mo Fan and the other four were stunned.

In the distance, Duan Tiancheng remained dazed throughout the entire process.

Right then.

The "Lin Yan" standing on the ground swayed slightly, a touch of paleness crossing his face.

"Body takeover terminated."

The familiar control over his body returned.

Lin Yan immediately felt a burning sensation throughout his body and a tearing pain in his meridians.

As if knowing his thoughts.

"Host's cultivation is too low."

"Just take a little time to recover."

Lin Yan nodded.

He was already well aware of the overbearing Body's recovery capabilities.

Since the System said it was fine, then there was no problem.

"You..."

At this time.

Duan Tiancheng, Black Ice, and the others had all gathered around.

They stared at the pale Lin Yan, hesitant to speak.

A Third-Rank Martial Artist suddenly erupted with the strength to insta-kill a Heavenly Extreme Martial Artist!

This... If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it even if they were beaten to death!

Even in a martial arts civilization, there should be some logic, right?

Lin Yan looked at them and quickly understood what they were thinking.

He already had an explanation prepared.

Though they likely wouldn't believe it.

"It's residual power from my Post-Heaven Awakening."

"I've been saving it for a dangerous moment."

Duan Tiancheng and the others glanced at each other, still silent.

Just then.

Shi Lanzhi arrived, carrying the dying Evil Charm.

This instantly shifted their attention.

Under the black robe.

Was a mangled Western male face.

But they still recognized him immediately.

"A member of the Heavenly Extreme Hall!"

“Brady from the USA!!”

"It's actually him!"

Black Ice and the others' eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hehe..."

Brady struggled to look up at them, his gaze fixing on Lin Yan.

"Truly a Ten-Star threat target."

With just those words.

He closed his eyes again.

Shi Lanzhi also took a deep look at Lin Yan.

The words from before.

He had heard them too.

"Back to the branch first."

In this situation.

He couldn't make the call.

Furthermore.

Capturing Evil Charm alive required him to report immediately to... the Dragon Country's Imperial Capital.

The top floor of the building symbolizing the highest power center of the Dragon Country.

A spacious room.

Two middle-aged men sat on a sofa.

In green, the First Speaker of the Blue Star Council, Xia Zhou.

In white, the Fifth Speaker of the Blue Star Council, Jiang Mobai.

Besides these two.

There was also a figure in a black combat suit whose appearance was somewhat similar to Shi Lanzhi's, standing not far away.

"Speakers."

"This is the news just sent from the Modu Branch."

Jiang Mobai's eyes were thoughtful.

"Brady..."

"It's expected that the Dark Cultists have Heavenly Extreme Hall members."

He looked at Xia Zhou on the other sofa and smiled.

"But for the first Dark Cultist Extreme Seat to be dug out to be from the USA."

"The Modu Branch has achieved a great merit."

Xia Zhou smiled and nodded.

"Mobai is right."

"The USA has been making quite a few small moves over the years."

"Cripple his cultivation first."

"See if we can get anything else out of him."

The figure in the black combat suit nodded.

"Yes."

Xia Zhou glanced at him and pointed to an empty spot on the sofa.

"Shi Yuan."

"How many times do I have to say it?"

"You are a King Rank Martial Artist after all, and one of the members of the Blue Star Council."

"In private, be more casual."

Shi Yuan went silent for a moment and sat on the sofa.

Xia Zhou looked at him and spoke again.

"I know what you're thinking."

"Tell me about that Lin Yan."

Shi Yuan looked up.

"Lanzhi told me."

"Although the events happened in a flash."

"He still captured some key information."

"First, the aura Lin Yan emitted wasn't that strong, between the Seventh and Sixth Meridians of the Heavenly Extreme."

"Second, the two of them had a brief moment of eye contact—indifferent."

"It was a gaze that looked down upon everything."

After hearing this.

Xia Zhou and Jiang Mobai looked at each other.

"He said himself that it's residual power from his Post-Heaven Awakening?"

Shi Yuan nodded.

"Yes."

Jiang Mobai pondered slightly.

"Post-Heaven Awakening..."

"Martial arts has developed to this day, yet we still haven't been able to produce an accurate judgment on such matters."

"Unable to judge means the unknown."

"The unknown means anything is possible."

"The way this kid put it, there's really no fault to be found."

Xia Zhou looked at the two who were lost in thought and laughed.

"You two."

"Shouldn't the direction of your thinking change a bit?"

Jiang Mobai and Shi Yuan paused slightly and turned their heads at the same time.

Xia Zhou continued.

"Supreme Talent."

"Why was it named that?"

"Because of that little fellow named Gu Chen, whose cultivation speed and Martial Skill comprehension are more terrifying than SSS-grade talents."

"And for Lin Yan, who is even more abnormal than Gu Chen."

"Can we be certain his talent is just what we consider 'Supreme'?"

"Just like how the strongest group of people on Blue Star are King Rank—can we then conclude that the end of the martial path is the King Rank?"

"Since the appearance of the Beast Secret Realms, martial arts has been developing continuously. More and more unknowns will surely appear, and only that can prove our Blue Star is progressing."

At this point.

He slowly scanned the two of them.

"So."

"The fundamental issue is not to investigate what secrets this Lin Yan has."

"But rather to confirm whether he has a pure heart and character toward the Dragon Country and the humans of Blue Star."

"Regarding this."

"Shi Yuan, you should have the most say."

Jiang Mobai gave a thumbs up.

It has to be you, Brother Zhou.

A smile appeared on Shi Yuan's tense face.

Although he was the overall person-in-charge of Black Ice.

He was also Shi Lanzhi's biological older brother.

With a good seedling finally appearing on his brother's side, he genuinely didn't want to see any accidents happen.

Understanding the meaning behind Xia Zhou's words, he immediately replied.

"From what we can see now."

"This kid is just decisive in killing and acts somewhat overbearing."

"For a Prodigy, these can't even be called flaws."

"Plus, he was willing to expose his trump card just to help us capture the Dark Cultist member alive."

"There is absolutely no problem with this kid's character and Heart-Nature."

Xia Zhou nodded, settling the matter.

"Therefore."

"For him."

"We should support and protect him with all our strength."