22: Kneel down and answer me!

Just as Qin Lang was making a Breakthrough in the middle of battle and his cultivation was climbing steadily.

Tiandu, Shangguan Family manor.

An encrypted message made the expression of Shangguan Tai in the study instantly darken until it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"In just fifteen days, he successfully achieved Core Condensation and stepped into the Second Tier of a Gene Warrior?"

He looked at the latest strength assessment report regarding Shangguan Xue on his personal terminal, his fingers turning slightly white from the force.

"During that period, he even took two days to learn a movement technique?"

This speed was simply inconceivable!

Even those top Geniuses built up from childhood with massive resources could absolutely never reach such a level!

Shangguan Tai deeply realized the terrifying potential contained behind the four words "Ice Emperor Gene".

It also made that thought in his heart more and more firm.

"She must be eliminated!"

"This huge future threat must absolutely not be allowed to grow up alive!"

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, and he hoped even more that the Shadow Demon Clan he had secretly contacted could kill this future major trouble in the cradle as soon as possible.

...

On the other side.

The thirty-fold excess return finally slowly came to an end.

The violent, surging hot current inside Qin Lang's body, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, finally settled completely into the newly formed energy core deep within his Dantian.

His cultivation finally stabilized at the third level of Core Condensation.

An unprecedented, surging power filled his limbs and bones, as if he could punch through alloy armor with a single blow.

Qin Lang slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, it seemed as if a Chaos galaxy was flowing, so profound it was heart-stopping.

"Meow~"

A soft meow pulled his thoughts back to reality.

He looked down at the little kitten in his arms that was actively rubbing against his chin and trying hard to act cute, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

However, just at this moment!

A sharp sound of breaking air suddenly attacked from the side!

A pitch-black crossbow bolt tore through the air, pointing directly at his temple!

Qin Lang's reaction speed was now no longer what it used to be.

He didn't even need to think; his body's instinct had already made the most perfect response.

His body swayed slightly.

That fatal crossbow bolt brushed past his hair tips, flying past in a dangerously close call, and with a "thud" sound, it nailed deeply into the ground in the distance.

Qin Lang's eyes instantly turned cold.

His gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the masked attacker wearing black tight-fitting clothes, hiding in the shadows of the bushes less than twenty meters away.

The opponent clearly didn't expect this sure-kill strike to miss, and his movements appeared frozen for an instant.

But quickly, he raised the martial hunting crossbow in his hand again.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Three more crossbow bolts, in a triangular formation, sealed off all possible escape routes for Qin Lang!

Facing these successive attacks, Qin Lang did not choose to dodge this time.

He gently tossed the little kitten in his arms backward, letting it land on a safe patch of grass.

Then, he actively met the attack!

Just at the moment he Breakthrough, he had already clearly perceived.

The opponent's strength was also at the Second Tier of a Gene Warrior, definitely not reaching the Third Tier.

Both are Second Tier?

Possessing a Physical Body tempered to the twenty-fourth tier, and an energy core dozens of times larger than ordinary people.

Qin Lang had absolute confidence that he could completely crush the opponent!

"Myriad Shadow Traces!"

The Gene Primal Energy in his body roared into operation!

His whole person instantly turned into a blurry afterimage, drifting unpredictably amidst the dense rain of arrows, like a ghost!

All the crossbow bolts missed completely!

The masked Martial Artist's pupils suddenly contracted, and he decisively abandoned the crossbow.

"Clang!"

He drew a short blade flashing with cold light from his waist, and hacked down fiercely at the figure rushing forward!

The blade was sharp, even bringing up a sharp sound of breaking air!

However, what he hacked into was only an afterimage that was slowly dissipating.

Not good!

The masked Martial Artist's internal alarm bells rang loudly, and he was just about to pull back and retreat.

But everything was already too late.

A fist bigger than a sandbag, carrying an unrivaled, terrifying force, had already slammed solidly into the side of his head!

"Bang!"

Amidst the muffled loud noise, the terrifying force instantly penetrated his skull!

The masked Martial Artist only felt darkness before his eyes, the world spinning, and his entire brain felt like it had turned into mush, buzzing.

He instantly lost most of his combat power.

Qin Lang did not let up when he had the advantage!

He didn't give the opponent any chance to catch their breath at all!

Relying on the elusive movement technique of "Myriad Shadow Traces", his figure was like maggots on a bone, tightly entangled around the opponent!

Punch!

Elbow!

Knee!

Kick!

Every strike landed accurately and ruthlessly on the most fragile joints and vital points of the masked Martial Artist's body!

The whole process was smooth as flowing water, fast enough to be dazzling!

In less than a minute.

"Crack!"

Following a crisp sound of bone cracking.

That arrogant masked Martial Artist was like a kite with a broken string, kicked to the ground by Qin Lang, unable to move anymore.

Qin Lang walked up slowly.

One foot stepped heavily onto his chest!

He bent down and ripped off the black mask on the opponent's face.

Beneath the mask was an unremarkable, yet extremely unfamiliar face.

It confirmed his previous guess.

The attacker was not from the Shadow Demon Clan.

Qin Lang's eyes turned completely cold, and his voice carried no warmth.

"Who sent you?"

"Speak."

The highly oppressive interrogation made the already heavily injured masked man tremble all over.

But he was clearly a tough nut to crack, gritting his teeth, squeezing a few words out from between his teeth.

"You recognized the wrong person; I was just passing by."

"Passing by?"

Qin Lang smiled.

But that smile, in the eyes of the masked man, was even more terrifying than a devil.

Qin Lang squatted down, leaned into his ear, and said softly in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Stop pretending."

"The person you want to kill isn't it me?"

"My name is Qin Lang."

This sentence was like a thunderclap, exploding in the masked man's mind!

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes, widened in fear, full of disbelief.

"You... you are Qin Lang?!"

"This... this is impossible!"

He completely collapsed!

He couldn't believe it!

A college freshman who had just unlocked his first Gene Lock half a month ago!

Now, he actually possessed terrifying strength of at least the fifth, or even sixth level of Core Condensation!

This had completely exceeded his understanding!

"Asking you one last time."

Qin Lang's voice became even colder.

He drew the four-star top-grade longsword "Wu Feng" from his back, the cold blade gently pressed against the masked man's neck.

"Who sent you?"

The sharpness that could cut through skin, and the bone-chilling cold emanating from the sword, completely broke the masked man's last line of psychological defense.

In the face of the threat of death, he finally chose to confess.

"It's... it's the 'Dark Web'!"

His voice trembled violently with fear.

"I accepted the mission on the 'Dark Web'!"

"I don't know the employer's identity at all! The 'Dark Web' has strict confidentiality agreements!"

"I just did it for the generous reward of five thousand units of high-purity biological energy, that's why... that's why I took the risk and accepted this mission to assassinate a Genius!"