Xie Jun darted forward, grabbing the female teammate. Lu Yuan's punch had just unintentionally sent half her hair flying. He gritted his teeth and ferociously slapped her face twice; one side was deeply indented, the other swollen like a pig's head. After administering a shot of adrenaline, he and another teammate quickly retreated while she slowly regained consciousness.

The three of them retreated right out of the Death Qi Crystal Wall.

They watched as the huge black mushroom cloud of Death Qi slowly ascended within the crystal wall, then exploded with a boom. The terrifying impact shook the entire crystal wall, causing it to resonate loudly as numerous tiny cracks appeared on its surface.

It was horrifying. Xie Jun and the two others exchanged terrified glances. Under such a terrifying deluge of Death Qi, if they had remained, they would have instantly awakened in their clone cold-storage chambers.

This was just the pressure endured at the edge; what about the center of the explosion?

"That guy's definitely dead!" another Gold Bear teammate said, his expression gloomy. "Even an SS-Rank Flying Bear couldn't survive the combined attack from four Walker Level enemies. Let's go, Xie..."

Xie Jun nodded slightly, his face a complex mix of emotions.

By now, the Evil Energy monitoring function of his intelligent optical computer had returned to normal. It clearly detected four strong Evil Energy fluctuations, SS-Rank and above, within the black Death Qi Crystal Wall. Two of them even reached SS+ Rank.

As his teammate had said, even a Flying Bear of the same rank would have no chance of surviving this situation.

For some reason, a strange sense of relief washed over Xie Jun. He felt regret over the death of the mysteriously powerful Gold Bear comrade, but at least he no longer had to agonize over whether or not that teammate was... that person.

Xie Jun exhaled softly, ready to lead his two remaining comrades away. But just as he was turning to leave, he heard a strange fluctuation from behind him.

CRACK—

It was accompanied by the sound of something collapsing.

Xie Jun turned abruptly. The sound came from within the Death Qi Crystal Wall. The thick wall obstructed his line of sight, making it impossible to see the exact circumstances inside. A light flickered in his eyes, and then, on a whim, he made a sudden decision.

"Let's go," he signaled his comrades. The three of them swiftly moved to the gap in the crystal wall they had previously escaped through.

Through the gap, taller than a person, Xie Jun and his team were startled to see the battle site within, where the Death Qi was slowly dispersing.

Four Crow God Walkers, half-crow and half-human, stood at four corners. In their center, a black pyramid over ten meters tall and covered in demonic markings, as formidable as a small mountain, had appeared out of nowhere.

The black pyramid was currently cracking and collapsing, large chunks of black rock tumbling off.

Soon, the interior of the black pyramid was exposed, revealing a figure more than five meters tall, its formidable build resembling that of a giant. This giant wore the deep blue protective combat suit exclusive to the Gold Bears. It was stretched so taut it resembled a thin layer of gauze, yet it stubbornly clung to this sturdy and majestic body, as grand as Demon Mountain.

Xie Jun and his two teammates' pupils contracted; their minds felt as if they had been heavily struck by something.

BUZZ—

Their minds echoed with a single, swirling thought: It's him! He's okay! How could he not be dead?!

HUFF—

Lu Yuan let out a long breath, a sense of relief welling up in his heart.

On his already activated [Elephant God Walk Posture (Extraordinary)] panel, one skill, lv1 [Demon Mountain Blessing]!, was now shining brilliantly.

As the name suggested, this skill summoned the ancient power of Demon Mountain to provide an unbreakable sanctuary.

Lu Yuan had always thought of himself as "unlucky," but it seemed even an unlucky man has his day. From the [Elephant God Walk Posture (Extraordinary)] panel, he had casually picked an unlocked skill, and it had immediately proven useful.

If not for this skill, the sudden attack from the four Walker Level Crowmen might have penetrated even his formidable Elephant God Walk posture.

The massive black pyramid collapsed with a loud rumble, revealing Lu Yuan's majestic figure like a king shedding his armor. After his height increased to over five meters, the four Crow God Walkers before him, generally over two meters tall, looked like children in the eyes of an adult.

WHOOSH!

One of the Crow God Walkers launched the first attack. This Walker Level Crowman—with a bulky, solid body, a crow-shaped head, and arms replaced by two large black blades—appeared above Lu Yuan's head as if by teleportation. It lifted its arms, and the two black blades slashed down mercilessly at his head, their edges shimmering with a chillingly sharp aura.

Seeing the air before him smoothly sliced open, Lu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly. He swiftly raised his arm and slammed it onto the Crowman's chest. The terrifying impact of hundreds of tons struck, but it felt like hitting soft cotton. The Crowman paused, then seemed to disperse like smoke.

Huh?! Lu Yuan's eyebrows rose, ready to pursue.

WHOOSH—

A sharp whistling sound echoed by his ear. He abruptly looked up and saw a huge black scythe—more than ten meters long and several meters wide, made entirely of condensed Death Qi—slashing diagonally towards him.

He quickly sidestepped. The huge black scythe sliced past his body. It struck the ground, which was smoothly sliced open like tofu, leaving a bottomless black trench.

He had barely dodged the Death Qi scythe's attack when several burning black fireballs flew towards him. Lu Yuan threw a punch forward, deliberately striking empty space, creating a series of distorted, transparent shockwaves.

The black fireballs were instantly dispersed. Some scattered flames splashed onto his body; not even his Elephant God Walk form could entirely withstand it. A small patch of skin and flesh was burned and corroded, a slight sting stimulating Lu Yuan's nerves.

Just then, the fourth Walker Level Crowman also attacked.

After a rapid exchange of blows, Lu Yuan seemed somewhat battered. His mere Elephant God Walk posture temporarily elevated his physical attributes to the Walker Level. But facing an assault from four Walker Level opponents, he was still somewhat overwhelmed.

Interesting... Lu Yuan briefly calmed himself, then gently flexed his body. His massive, rugged frame made a sound like boulders grinding and rolling. His deep black eyes, tinged with crimson, quickly turned pure silver. The desire to win with brute force faded as Lv2 [Unconquerable Instinct] quietly activated. His originally powerful and dignified aura seemed to gain a touch of tranquility and chill, like a frozen winter lake.

CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE—

Large swathes of Death Qi congregated, forming black patterns over his towering five-meter-tall figure; the crystalline Netherworld Clothing swiftly expanded.

The moment Lv4 [Netherworld Clothing] was completely donned...

BOOM!

Lu Yuan suddenly stomped on the ground. Centered on him, the ground beneath his feet rippled and spread outward like waves. His colossal body, as if clad in heavy armor, abruptly vanished.

The next second, he reappeared, as if by teleportation, in front of the Walker Level Crowman whose arms were like black greatswords.

Seeing Lu Yuan's sudden appearance, the two points of crimson light in the Crowman's black eye sockets flickered. It raised its arms, swinging the two black greatswords in a crosscut towards Lu Yuan with vicious force.

Facing the greatswords that could easily leave clear cutting marks in the air, Lu Yuan remained expressionless, his right hand suddenly opening wide. His palm, as large as an ordinary person's torso, directly encompassed both black greatswords. The blades of the greatswords sparked profusely as they struck his palm, now covered in Nether Clothing patterns, creating a harsh metal-grinding noise.

The noise quickly died away. Lu Yuan's palm tightened, clamping down on the two black greatswords, and he lifted the Walker Level Crowman bodily off the ground. His right arm swung, and the air resonated with a sound like an elephant trumpeting.

BOOM!

Lu Yuan violently swung his arm, using the Crowman in his hand as a weapon and hurling it at the nearest Walker Level Crowman. The two figures were sent flying with a THUD.

SWOOSH—

Scythes and fireballs arrived one after another, enveloping Lu Yuan from all directions.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath; Lv1 [Demon Mountain Blessing] activated again.

RUMBLE!

The ground beneath him quickly collapsed, while a pitch-black stone wall rapidly rose around him. Black Death Qi scythes and fireballs bombarded the black stone wall.

BANG!

Numerous black stones exploded, and a figure as colossal as an ancient mammoth forcibly broke through. He smashed large swathes of ground underfoot, appearing irresistibly before a Walker Level Crowman. A lifelike illusion of an elephant-headed humanoid appeared behind him for an instant, then quickly contracted, merging into a fist as large as a water tank.

The air at the edge of his fist twisted violently for a moment...

BOOM!

This unadorned punch struck the Crowman directly. The latter didn't even grunt before exploding into a large cloud of black sand.

His fist opened, fingers brutally stirring the black sand, and grabbed a thumb-sized black orb. Together with the one from before, he threw them both into his mouth, chewing them like fava beans with a loud CRUNCH.

Lu Yuan turned, emotionless, as copious amounts of Death Qi erupted from his body. The Nether Clothing covering his entire body, nourished by the Death Qi, rapidly thickened, its patterns multiplying, seemingly evolving towards a higher level.

Lu Yuan's brow pulsed rapidly, but his eyes showed no emotional fluctuation. His silver pupils scanned the remaining three Walker Level Crowmen one by one. He curled a corner of his mouth, revealing a row of cold, gleaming white teeth, and said quietly, Who's next?

GASP— GASP—

Xie Jun and the others stood rigidly outside the crystal wall, watching the battle from afar. Even though they hadn't moved, their breathing became increasingly rapid. They watched as the five-meter-tall figure rampaged among the four Walker Level Crowmen, charging recklessly and inexplicably. He then swiftly and devastatingly slew one of them.

The strength and methods he displayed were all beyond their imagination and comprehension.

What kind of power system is this? Pure Martial? Evil Martial? Is this Gold Bear Level? Even a regular Flying Bear Level couldn't do this, could they?! Xie Jun and the others, their minds reeling with questions, felt their mouths go dry.

Reason told them that now was undoubtedly the best chance to escape danger, but the battle before them seemed to possess a strange magic, rooting them to the spot, compelling them to keep watching.

Just then, a peculiar fluctuation emanated from the distance. Struck by this fluctuation, Xie Jun and the others, as if suddenly awakened from a deep dream, abruptly raised their heads. Before they could determine the fluctuation's origin, they saw...

CRACKLE, CRACKLE—

A massive network of cracks suddenly appeared on the enormous black Death Qi Crystal Wall before them. Then, inexplicably, it abruptly collapsed with a crash, transforming into an immeasurable tide of Death Qi.

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