156: The rage of a poor man: You don't deserve to win at this level.

Fists met flesh.

There was no earth-shattering explosion as imagined.

That streak of lightning penetrated Tianshu's thick black Protective Aura.

“Pch.”

That was the sound of electricity vaporizing flesh and blood.

“Boom!!!”

The lightning exploded right in Tianshu's face!

His entire body was sent flying backward, plowing a half-meter deep trench in the ground.

He crashed straight through a milk tea shop at the end of the street before finally stopping amidst a pile of tables and chairs.

“Cough... cough cough...”

Lin Yuan retracted his fist and shook his slightly numb wrist.

[power level: 5%]

“He's really tough.”

Lin Yuan frowned deeply as he looked at the pile of rubble.

If that punch had hit anyone else, their head would have been a smashed watermelon.

But this old monster... “ROAR---!!!”

The rubble exploded outward.

Tables and chairs flew everywhere.

Tianshu shakily stood up.

Half of his face had been obliterated by the blast.

Exposing white bone and wriggling black granulation tissue.

That tissue was frantically repairing the damaged structure.

In the blink of an eye, a layer of fleshy membrane had already grown back over that half-face!

“Is this the power of the Abyss?”

Lin Yuan felt his scalp tingle upon seeing this.

This recovery ability, is he an immortal cockroach?

“Lin... Yuan...”

Tianshu's voice became slurred, as if he had a mouthful of thick phlegm.

But the aura emanating from him did not decrease; it intensified!

“Die!!!”

He stomped his foot violently.

The ground of the entire street sank slightly!

Countless black spikes burst out frantically from underground!

The range covered a hundred meters in all directions!

A full-screen attack!

“Holy crap! That's not playing fair!”

Lightning flashed beneath Lin Yuan's feet, activating [Lightning Step].

He maneuvered through the dense forest of black spikes.

“Tear!”

His pant leg was torn.

A streak of blood appeared on his calf.

“Hiss!”

A new wound appeared on his shoulder.

It was too dense!

There was simply nowhere to step!

“I can't keep wasting time like this!”

Lin Yuan knew this clearly.

Fighting a battle of attrition?

His opponent had the Abyss as a power bank, while he was left with just the base of a charger.

He had to finish this quickly!

He glanced at a street lamp pole nearby.

It was an old-fashioned concrete pole, with several broken high-voltage wires hanging from it, sparking fiercely.

Power source!

Although the voltage wasn't high, mosquito legs are still meat!

A sharp gleam flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, enduring the searing pain as two black spikes pierced his arm, and lunged toward the street lamp pole!

“Let me... charge up!”

He grabbed the exposed cable!

“Zzzzzz—”

Electricity flowed into his body.

[External energy input detected...]

[Voltage Rank: Low. Energy Purity: Inferior.]

[Conversion in progress...]

[power level: 5%... 6%... 7%...]

“This is too slow!”

Lin Yuan was so anxious he wanted to curse.

This was like trying to drink the Yangtze River through a straw; it wouldn't quench his thirst!

Meanwhile.

Tianshu had already arrived right in front of him!

His intact right arm had completely mutated into a black bone blade.

He brought it down directly upon Lin Yuan, who was currently clinging to the street lamp pole!

“Die! You bug!”

This strike sealed off all possible retreats.

“This miserable electricity isn't even enough to pick my teeth!” Lin Yuan let go of the broken cable.

He shifted his focus to the spores floating in the air.

“I have no choice!”

“System! Feed me!!”

Lin Yuan roared in his mind.

[Warning: Reconfirming that 'Abyssal Active Matter' possesses extremely strong mental contamination. Forcible conversion may lead to the Host's sanity collapsing, resulting in becoming an Abyssal Vassal...]

“Stop talking nonsense! I'm about to be hacked to death! Who cares if the way I eat is unsightly?!”

“Consume... now!!!”

Lin Yuan spread his arms and activated the [Primordial Thunder God Body].

In an instant, spores within several hundred meters were drawn in by some force, rushing into Lin Yuan's pores!

“Ugh ah ah ah ah---!!!”

A horrifying shriek erupted from the depths of Lin Yuan's throat.

It was too painful!

This wasn't the tingling numbness of electricity entering his body, but the searing pain of countless insects crawling into his blood vessels.

Dark red patterns bulged across the surface of his skin.

The whites of his left eye were rapidly consumed by blackness, and the aura he emitted was actually several degrees more sinister than Tianshu's!

[Warning: Mental threshold fluctuating violently! Forcible suppression in progress... Conversion rate 40%... Energy surging!]

[power level: 55%!]

“That's enough!”

Lin Yuan looked up and stopped the absorption.

Bang!

The concrete street lamp pole instantly exploded into dust beneath his feet!

Wreathed in thunder, he charged toward the black bone blade!

[Palm Thunder]

The originally pure lightning now bore a layer of bloody color.

“Old bastard!”

“Since we're both using spores, let Daddy show you...”

“What the correct usage is!”

Lin Yuan's figure crossed paths with Tianshu's.

Right at that moment.

Time suddenly froze.

Lin Yuan's voice softly echoed in Tianshu's ear.

“At this Rank...”

“You don't deserve to win!”

Pch—!

The lightning sliced through.

The black bone blade snapped instantly!

What followed immediately was Tianshu's head.

The light faded.

Lin Yuan knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.

Behind him.

Tianshu's massive body stood motionless.

A thin line appeared across his neck.

Blood erupted like a fountain.

“Gulp.”

The still-regenerating head rolled onto the ground.

It rolled right up to Lin Yuan's feet.

“Hoo...”

Lin Yuan slumped onto the ground, feeling like every bone in his body was about to fall apart.

[power level: 1%]

[Entering mandatory hibernation mode shortly...]

“Wait... don't sleep yet...”

Lin Yuan forced his eyes open and fumbled around on Tianshu's head for a moment.

Finally.

On the back of Tianshu's neck, he felt something hard.

He pried it out firmly.

A blue-glowing crystal was excavated.

This was the energy core of a B-rank Expert!

It was the essence of this old monster's entire cultivation!

“This thing... should be worth a lot of money, right?”

Lin Yuan looked at the crystal in his hand, revealing a money-grubbing smile.

Then.

His eyes rolled back.

He fainted... High above.

The two people engaged in fierce battle simultaneously stopped.

The middle-aged man forced Jing back with a sword, then looked down below.

“Oh, it's already over?”

Surprise flashed in his eyes.

“This kid has some tricks up his sleeve.”

Jing floated in the distance, his gaze beneath the mask also fixed on the ground.

Tianshu was dead.

Dead cleanly and decisively.

But he didn't care.

“Trash is trash in the end.”

Jing said.

He looked up at the dome above, which had been blasted until it was precarious.

“Time is almost up.”

He looked at the middle-aged man holding the wine gourd.

“Today's game of chess can be considered a draw.”

“However, the real show is just beginning.”

After speaking.

His figure began to blur, transforming into a reflection in water.

“Trying to run?”

A fierce look flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, and the iron sword in his hand was about to strike.

“No need to see me off.”

Jing's voice became ethereal.

“Save your strength.”

“Let's see how long this city can last.”

As his voice fell.

Jing completely disappeared.

Not even a trace of his aura remained.

“Tch, slippery as an eel.”

The middle-aged man sheathed his sword and did not pursue.

He knew that at this Rank, if the opponent wanted to leave, he couldn't stop him.

His figure dropped, landing on the street.

He glanced at Lin Yuan, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and then at the headless corpse beside him.

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

The man shook his head, pulled a wine gourd from his robe, and poured a little wine onto Lin Yuan's face.

“Wake up, time to eat.”

“Cough cough cough!!”

Stimulated by the strong liquor, Lin Yuan began coughing and sat up like a zombie.

“Where? Where are we eating? Braised pork or a big pork knuckle?”

The man: “...”

Su Wanqing: “...”

Su Wanqing, who had just crawled out of the rubble, nearly fainted again when she heard that.

“Alright, stop dreaming.”

The middle-aged man picked Lin Yuan up like a chick.

“The dome is about to break, and those guys outside are coming in soon.”

He pointed overhead.

Sure enough.

The light barrier was already covered in cracks.

“Before that happens.”

The man looked at Lin Yuan, his expression suddenly turning serious.

“Old Zhou asked me to pass a message to you.”

Lin Yuan wiped the wine off his face and became slightly more serious.

“What message?”

The man leaned in close and lowered his voice.

“He said...”

“The repair costs for this time will be deducted from the rest of your life's salary.”

Lin Yuan: “???”

“I'm screwed!!!”

A mournful, despairing howl echoed throughout the entire district.

It was a hundred times more desperate than when he faced Tianshu moments ago.

“Crack---!!!”

Right at that moment.

The dome overhead finally buckled under the strain.

It completely shattered!

Countless fragments fell as a rain of light.

And following that downpour of light.

Dozens of black armed helicopters tore through the night sky and descended upon Jiangcheng!

“This is the Dragon Shield Bureau.”

“Takeover protocol initiated.”

“Everyone, stay where you are!”