The clouds, once thick and viscous under the suppressive force, were violently ripped open by a single Annihilation Realm bomb.

What rained down was not blood, but a crystalline powder, dust flash-forged by the intense heat. Under the dim, gray daylight, it refracted a bizarre and desolate glimmer.

*Hiss…*

Atop the city wall, Zhang Shihao drew a sharp, cold breath. His hand, which had been resting on the battlements, tightened unconsciously, crushing a brick to pieces.

“That was close. The Burning Explosion Skill Rune Circuits etched onto the casing must have been suppressed, but the explosives packed inside are still just as fearsome,” a man from the logistics and armaments division exclaimed, clapping his hands in amazement.

‘A big payload is always a good thing!’

“It has to be dead! There’s no way that giant beast could have survived.”

Some of the physically weaker individuals were even thrown off their feet by the shockwave.

Now, heedless of the potential dangers from light and thermal radiation, everyone stared wide-eyed. Filled with the curiosity and hope of survivors, they gazed intently at the pillar of black smoke that pierced the sky at the heart of the battlefield.

In mid-air, Su Chen hovered at the edge of the lingering smoke and fire. His silver-white True Spirit Dominating Armor flared with an arc of Spiritual Energy.

While the others were still in shocked suspense, his Spiritual Power had already flowed like invisible mercury, piercing through the layers of searing ash and chaotic energy to confirm that the grotesque beast’s form had completely disappeared.

All that remained on the ground was a scorched, bottomless crater over a hundred meters in diameter.

‘Maybe it really is dead for good.’

Su Chen’s eyes flickered. His Telekinesis acted like a delicate, invisible hand, gently sifting through the charred earth below.

Suddenly, his expression hardened.

Amidst a pile of ashen remains about to scatter to the wind, a dull yet profound light glinted.

The object hadn’t been destroyed in the terrifying explosion. On the contrary, with its fleshly shell gone, its true form was now revealed.

Su Chen made a beckoning gesture toward the empty air.

WHOOSH!

A translucent, irregularly shaped geometric crystal about the size of a fingernail shot through the air and into his hand.

From another angle, it also resembled a peculiar seed.

When he tried to permeate it with his consciousness, however, he couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary.

And that, in itself, was the biggest clue that something was wrong.

‘To survive an “Annihilation Nuke” is the most extraordinary thing about it.’

‘As expected of a mighty being who sits upon a throne. Even after its physical body was reduced to paste, the very foundation of its existence was somehow preserved.’

Su Chen mulled it over. Regardless of what secrets it held, he decided to sacrifice it first.

After all, the Jade Pendant still needed time to convert things. If the Elemental Suppression reached over 99% and the world’s will was completely driven from this area, whatever threat it concealed might fully emerge.

‘I have to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.’

‘Not a bad haul.’

He first placed the shard into his Soul Pocket, then turned around. His sharp gaze cut through the smoke and dust, settling on the depths of the distant, still-stirring fissure.

To his surprise, at the edge of the chasm—as deep as the Abyss—a massive shadow that had just begun to emerge was now retreating.

It was another behemoth lurking underground, a creature of flesh and blood whose size was no less than the one he had just faced.

It could be another Flesh Giant.

Perhaps it was wary of the devastating explosive yield, or perhaps it was simply acting on instinct—seeking advantage while avoiding harm, waiting for the Elemental Suppression to reach its peak… For the time being, the beast did not rashly surface to its death. Instead, it slid backward, descending deeper into the subterranean canyon.

‘Cowardly old thing.’

Su Chen raised an eyebrow. According to intelligence from the rear, Dongfu City currently possessed only one extra-large Annihilation Realm bomb; more were being rushed into production.

In other words, if this monster had attacked right after, the threat it posed would have been hard to judge.

But…

It had chickened out.

Its consciousness might have been gone, but its physical instincts compelled it to act cautiously.

By the time the smoke and fire finally dissipated, many of the defenders on the wall were staring at the terrifying crater with expressions of awe.

One shot, practically a tactical nuke!

Its power was no joke.

“Stop gawking! Where are you all looking?!”

A thunderous roar erupted from the top of the wall. A commander of the Guard Legion wiped the ash from his face, his Rune Longsword suddenly pointing toward the forest.

“The big one fled, but these smaller ones aren’t all dead! They’re still charging!”

Many of the soldiers snapped back to their senses. Just as the commander had said, although the giant, grotesque monster had fallen, the tide-like assault of the cave dwellers had not weakened. In fact, it had grown even more frenzied.

Along the vast defensive line of the city wall, dangerous signs were already emerging on a distant section of the wall near Gate No. 3.

*Hah!*

An elite, fully armored cave dweller shot into the air like a cannonball, clearing a height of over twenty meters in a single leap before crashing down heavily onto the city wall.

“What kind of jumping power is that?!”

Before the defenders’ shouts of alarm could fade, the cave dweller flexed its arms, and two ghastly white Bone Blades shot out from its elbows. It spun like a top, instantly carving a bloody path through the crowd.

In this environment of Elemental Suppression, the Mages’ shields were as fragile as paper, while these monsters’ bodies were as hard as steel. It was nearly impossible to effectively pierce their defenses.

And this was only the beginning.

A section of the wall on the flank suddenly erupted with a muffled BOOM, sending stone fragments flying. Unlike the previous jumper, a cave dweller burst right through the wall and began to rampage. Its arms had mutated into blood-red tentacles several meters long, each tipped with a huge, gaping maw covered in fine barbs that began to slaughter indiscriminately.

Even more horrifying, the tentacles seemed to contain some sort of pumping mechanism. Anyone pierced by the maws on its tentacles had their vital essence and blood drained dry, which in turn nourished and strengthened the monster’s body.

…

「Meanwhile.」

On the other end of the battlefield, Su Chen paid no heed to the localized chaos.

He had already used a Teleportation Gate to arrive at the Mission Hall in the southern part of the city, where he immediately initiated a conscious interface.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he tossed the Ancient Status Shard he had just acquired, which emanated a bizarre aura, into the sacrifice interface.

‘Let’s see what I can get for this.’

Besides his own personal rewards, Su Chen also hoped that the will of the Magic World backing him could analyze and decipher the shard.

VMMMM!

In an instant, accompanied by a distant and boundless aura, an unprecedentedly immense will seemed to forcibly descend from the bleak, silent heavens.

And then, out of nowhere…

A voice issued from the Mission Hall.

[Sacrifice successful! Extremely rare high-status offering!]

[Special reward triggered: Soul Sublimation (One-time)!]

Without any warning, a golden light of absolute purity instantly enveloped Su Chen’s entire body.

Su Chen felt a sudden tremor deep within his soul—the exhilarating shudder of ascending to a higher level of existence.

His already terrifying physical stats skyrocketed as if strapped to a rocket.

His bones hummed, his blood surged, and every cell in his body rejoiced as it was baptized by this power.

‘Power +30, Agility +30, Physique +30, Intelligence +30, Perception +30!’

‘Soul intensity increased! Life level has ascended!’

Su Chen lightly clenched his fist, and a sharp CRACK echoed from his palm.

This feeling of sheer physical power was intoxicating.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

This perfectly timed sacrifice seemed to have pleased the world’s will.

But there was more.

The rewards were no longer limited to him alone!

VMMMM!

The Level 6 crystal prism tower in the center of Dongfu City seemed to answer a call. The tower began to tremble violently, and then, a halo shimmering with an icy luster erupted outward in all directions.

The light was divine and warm, possessing a domineering power that dispelled the gloom.

Wherever the halo passed, the suffocating force of Elemental Suppression that had permeated the air was repelled, and even completely neutralized.

“Holy shit, the Rune Store finally has new items!”

Another major discovery was announced nearby. The dim and desolate Broken Star Ring had been affecting the daily reset, but now, at this critical juncture, it had unprecedentedly broken with tradition and released a new wave of stock.

“Awesome, it’s the Anomaly Resistance Potion!”

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.