Chen Gu still stood unyielding, intending to test the mettle of this Subterranean Shaman.

It was still "Entanglement Control" at work, as a mysterious power established a defensive area before him.

CRUNCH—

The stone knives and swords, obviously more powerful than the earlier arrows, managed to penetrate deep into this area, contending with the Quantum Wizard's power for a while before Chen Gu completely immobilized them.

But as Chen Gu prepared to counterattack, the stone knives and swords turned to stone dust in an instant at the sound of the Shaman's incantations.

The booming sounds arose once more. The Subterranean Shaman swung her bone Magic Wand forward with a vigorous motion, pointing across the distance at Chen Gu.

The cracks on the ground spread rapidly, heading straight for Chen Gu's feet. Just as they reached him, the cracks suddenly widened. Blazing red light erupted from beneath as magma from the earth's core was drawn forth. It coalesced into a huge, vicious claw of lava right before Chen Gu, lunging at him.

Chen Gu stood still as before; the power of "Quantum Entanglement" he had laid out before him had not yet dissipated. That giant hand made it more than ten meters before it was firmly controlled and could no longer move.

At the First Energy Level, he could wield the strength of a Quantum Wizard at the Second Energy Level. At that stage, he needed a certain connection to the object he controlled using "Quantum Entanglement."

Upon reaching the Second Energy Level, he could call upon the power of a Quantum Wizard at the Third Energy Level, and the need for such a "connection" was not as crucial.

Now, Chen Gu was at the Third Energy Level, capable of exerting the power of the Fourth Energy Level, making the use of "Quantum Entanglement" seem entirely at his command.

After two head-on probes, Chen Gu had gained some understanding of the Subterranean Shaman's abilities.

She possessed power equivalent to a Third Energy Level practitioner, but could only exhibit combat effectiveness at what amounted to Level Two-and-a-Half.

Why?

Nothing but pomp and flair.

Take that recent strike, for instance, where unnecessary power was wasted to shape the magma into the form of a claw, thereby needlessly weakening her own attack.

Ancient ability bearers often had this common problem, inherited from their unenlightened origins when they used such showmanship to intimidate and awe other ordinary beings.

Among the Subterranean people, Shamans secured their lofty status precisely through their extraordinary powers and a variety of flamboyant spells that seemed outlandish to the average Subterranean.

That magma claw strike just now was sure to become legendary among the Subterraneans: "The Shaman can control demons from the abyss" or something similar.

Similarly, some "fancy" class skills continue to exist in old professions even now.

But human practitioners, especially those in the new professions, have learned the importance of "efficiency," avoiding such wanton waste of power.

Facing such a Shaman, Chen Gu had an overwhelming 120% certainty that he could easily defeat her.

Chen Gu also did not overlook another detail: Wang Chengqian had introduced the Subterranean Shamans to the new students as a combination of "Quantum Wizard" and "Nuclear Explosion Nun."

Yet the Shaman before him utilized "the power of the earth"—it was very possible that humans had not encountered Shamans like this one in previous battles with the Subterraneans.

This indicated that the power system of the Subterranean Shaman was more complex than what the human race had presumed.

After Chen Gu once again neutralized the Shaman's spell, she was no longer so composed. She took a beast tooth from her bracelet and fiercely cut her own wrist, dripping blood onto her bone Magic Wand.

But how could I just sit back and watch her attempt a power-up like that?

He took a fierce step forward, the power of "Entanglement Control" pouring out. The Subterranean Shaman's expression changed; she thought Chen Gu was about to kill her. But to her surprise, Chen Gu used "Quantum Teleportation" to instantly appear behind her. With a palm strike, he struck the Subterranean Shaman on the neck!

With Chen Gu's current terrifying physical prowess, even the sturdy body of a Subterranean could not withstand it; the palm strike directly broke the Shaman's cervical spine.

CRACK!

The Subterranean Shaman's body went limp, and she collapsed.

The other Subterraneans immediately erupted into chaos. Chen Gu, without looking, switched to Isabella Wu's memory, turned around abruptly, and with an imperious lift of both hands, thrust his hands out towards those tunnel openings:

"Mental Storm"!

An invisible wave, like the shockwave of an explosion, swept toward the tunnel openings behind Chen Gu. The openings themselves were silent, not affected in the least, but the Subterraneans inside all rolled their eyes and fell down in unison.

Chen Gu, now able to wield the power of a Fourth Energy Level "Brain Domain Hacker," could, with one skill, easily wipe out the minions without breaking a sweat.

Han Zhuangzhi and the others stood by. Several times, they felt the situation was "critical" and raised their guns to support Brother Chen. Yet, before they could even fire, Chen Gu effortlessly resolved the "critical" moments, so they lowered their arms again.

It wasn't until Chen Gu casually dealt with the Shaman and all the Subterraneans that they still felt as if in a dream: Since when were Subterranean Shamans so fragile?

They had rich experience combating Subterraneans, and every previous encounter with a Subterranean Shaman had come at a great cost before they could kill her.

Just like that moment with the lava claw bursting from the fissure—faced with such a spell, most warriors would panic and turn to flee.

And this, in turn, would greatly boost the morale of the Subterraneans, who would chase after them recklessly.

So it wasn't that the Subterranean Shaman had become weaker, but rather... Brother Chen was too strong.

However, Brother Chen, who in everyone's eyes had already become a grandmaster of significant stature, suddenly became very undignified, starting to rummage over the Subterranean Shaman's corpse.

All her adornments, as well as that bone Magic Wand, were thoroughly looted by him.

Chen Gu, noticing the looks from Han Zhuangzhi and the others, asked worriedly, "Should these items... be turned over to the authorities?"

Han Zhuangzhi hurriedly said, "There's no need for that. The Subterraneans have a very low level of civilization. Aside from certain sacrificial statues and the like that might pertain to their beliefs, the spoils from the battlefield can be disposed of at will by the warriors present. Our comrades often keep some as souvenirs."

However, very few people actually liked Subterranean adornments; they were crudely made and couldn't compare to human jewelry at all.

Chen Gu's thoughts quickly shifted, and he understood. Historically, there must have been practitioners like him who, after fighting side-by-side with the military on Maoshi Star, discovered the value of these Subterranean Shaman ornaments—and just like him, they must have taken them secretly, concealing these "details" from the military.

He chuckled inwardly, stuffing everything into his large backpack. Only the excessively long bone Magic Wand had to be carried in his hand.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.