Translator: CinderTL
"What—"
"How is this possible?"
"What kind of technique is that? Instantly killing over a dozen first breakthrough peak cultivators with a single move?" The remaining experts, nearing the second breakthrough, were utterly astonished.
With their current combat prowess, defeating a first breakthrough peak cultivator was no problem.
But for Jiang Ye to instantly annihilate over a dozen of them? That was simply impossible!
Could the gap in strength really be this vast?
"Jiang Ye... has he truly mastered the third ultimate move?" Shen Changxi glanced at the battle, her heart pounding with surprise.
While the others were clueless, she knew the reason all too well.
The third ultimate move of the Great Sun Spear Technique, "Sun Cascade," inherently belonged to the second breakthrough realm.
Normally, only after achieving the second breakthrough could one unleash this ultimate move!
Though Jiang Ye's execution was merely a rudimentary form, it was still far beyond what any first breakthrough peak cultivator could withstand.
"However..."
"Using his ultimate move so quickly will exhaust him," Shen Changxi murmured, a flicker of worry in her eyes.
Such terrifying power must come at a price.
"He's running out of energy!" A black-clad figure watching Jiang Ye hissed. "Attack together! Kill him first!"
"Kill!"
"Kill! Kill!" The remaining few strongmen, nearing their second breakthrough, charged at Jiang Ye.
Unleashing his ultimate move had indeed drained Jiang Ye's stamina.
He could have held his own against a single opponent nearing their second breakthrough.
But facing a coordinated assault from multiple experts? The situation was dire.
"Die!" Yun Qing'er roared, charging forward with her warhammer.
Seeing the others attack Jiang Ye, she erupted once more, her massive hammer—three times the size of her head—crashing down with savage force.
After her brief rest, Yun Qing'er had recovered completely.
She transformed into a tyrant once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Two hundred hammer strikes per second.
In an instant, she pulverized a strongman nearing his first breakthrough, reducing him to a bloody pulp on the spot.
The battle erupted anew.
"Useless trash!"
The pale-skinned, effeminate youth watched the surveillance footage, his voice dripping with fury. "A bunch of useless trash! Can't even handle four students?"
As he watched his subordinates get crushed one after another, his face grew increasingly terrifying.
"Hai Dong," a heavily muscled, scarred man beside him whispered, "shouldn't we just escape?"
"Escape?"
"Do you think we can escape?" the effeminate youth said coldly. "All our escape routes have been sealed off."
If Jiang Ye had overheard their conversation, he would have been utterly astonished.
This effeminate youth, named Hai Dong, was none other than one of the individuals listed on the roster in the laboratory they had previously infiltrated.
Hai Dong, Subject 33 of the Talent Research Institute, Success.
He was a successful experimental subject!
"There's only one option left: fight."
"Kill them all," Hai Dong said with chilling intensity. "Even if we die, we'll drag these bastards down with us!"
He turned to Scarface beside him. "Death isn't the end. We'll both join the glorious evolution and become members of the Shadow Clan."
Scarface's eyes lit up with renewed hope.
Whoosh!
Hai Dong abruptly stood up.
"Follow me. Let's go slaughter them all."
"Yes, sir."
The two men strode toward the main hall.
With each step they took, their features, skin, and limbs began to transform rapidly.
Within a few breaths, they had completely transformed into pitch-black figures, as if they had become shadows.
Upon closer inspection, their facial features appeared melted by intense heat, their flesh and blood blurred into grotesque, hideous forms.
Simultaneously, the qi prowess within their bodies surged relentlessly.
First breakthrough peak.
Approaching second breakthrough.
Second breakthrough!
Boom! Boom!
Two terrifying Martial Dao Auras erupted from the depths of the hall, instantly engulfing the entire space.
Under the oppressive force of these Auras, Shen Changxi, Liu Wanxiao, and Yun Qing'er were instantly forced to their knees.
This was the pressure of a higher life level!
Like a colossal beast looming over ants.
The overwhelming pressure made Jiang Ye and his companions feel as if they were sinking into quicksand.
"Two second breakthrough experts?" Liu Wanxiao's face paled.
If there had been only one second breakthrough expert, the four of them might have stood a chance.
But two? The difficulty had skyrocketed!
The true challenge of the S-Rank Combat Mission had finally revealed itself.
Facing two second breakthrough experts and over a dozen more approaching that level, Jiang Ye and his team stood no chance of victory.
"Jiang Ye," Shen Changxi called out, her crimson eyes flickering with concern as she glanced in his direction.
She and Liu Wanxiao were holding their own.
But Yun Qing'er had just unleashed her innate ability, leaving her combat strength severely weakened.
Jiang Ye had also unleashed his ultimate move, likely rendering him unable to use it again for some time.
If Jiang Ye and Yun Qing'er fell, their S-Rank Combat Mission would inevitably fail.
"Kill!" Shen Changxi roared, her sword flashing in a relentless barrage as she slashed at the remaining enemies, desperate to eliminate them before the two second breakthrough experts arrived.
Clang! Clang!
Boom! A terrifying sword strike carved through the air, conjuring a crimson crescent moon phantom that obliterated a near-second breakthrough opponent.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ye and Yun Qing'er were locked in a frenzied battle.
They knew that once the two second breakthrough experts arrived, even these near-second breakthrough opponents would become a formidable threat.
They had to eliminate them quickly.
Though the battle seemed to unfold slowly, it was actually happening at breakneck speed.
From the moment the two second breakthrough auras erupted to Hai Dong and Scarface's arrival, only a few seconds had passed.
In that time, Jiang Ye and his group had managed to eliminate several more enemies.
"You..."
"You deserve to die!" Hai Dong's face flashed with rage as he surveyed the corpses strewn across the ground.
In the next instant, he struck without hesitation. His blade flashed, slashing furiously at Jiang Ye and his companion.
The Assimilation Secret Technique had propelled him to the second breakthrough realm. Confident in his overwhelming power, he believed he could easily subdue these talented students.
"Kill!"
"Kill!" Jiang Ye's figure moved like lightning as he charged forward, spear in hand.
He unleashed over thirty stances of the Great Sun Spear Technique, holding nothing back.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Jiang Ye and the effeminate youth, Hai Dong, clashed in a fierce battle, each strike erupting with sonic booms.
[Tilting at Windmills: When facing an opponent of a higher realm, there is a chance to increase damage by 100% and inflict a continuous bleeding effect.]
Nearly every thrust of Jiang Ye's spear triggered a 100% critical damage boost.
This stacked with the 35% attack speed and 50% damage increase from Beauty's Inquiry.
Even so, Jiang Ye struggled immensely.
A second breakthrough expert was far beyond his current capabilities.
Buzz!
Behind Hai Dong, a glaringly dark meridian pattern materialized.
This was the Star Meridian, a unique mark of second breakthrough experts!
"Star Meridian?" Jiang Ye noticed it too.
A Star Meridian wasn't the same as a regular meridian. It was a higher-level energy transport network capable of channeling stellar energy.
The difference between the two was like comparing a highway to a mountain trail—the gap was actually several times greater than that.
This was the fundamental reason why second breakthrough experts could completely overwhelm those at the first breakthrough!
However, Hai Dong had forcibly reached the second breakthrough through secret techniques, making his Star Meridian appear extremely distorted and unstable.
Even so, the energy it unleashed far surpassed anything a first breakthrough expert could muster.
Boom! Boom! Bang! Each of Hai Dong's strikes carried terrifying killing intent.
An unprecedented life-or-death crisis enveloped Jiang Ye. Any slight opening would be instantly exploited for a fatal blow.
This was how the strong crushed the weak!
Jiang Ye felt immense pressure.
What Jiang Ye didn't realize was that Hai Dong was even more astonished.
"How is this kid still standing?" Hai Dong grew increasingly shocked as the battle continued.
With his second breakthrough cultivation, Hai Dong should have been able to crush Jiang Ye in a one-on-one duel. How could this kid possibly withstand his overwhelming power?
Is he some kind of freak?!
Meanwhile, Yun Qing'er, wielding her massive hammer, charged into the remaining enemies, determined to sweep them aside swiftly.
"Jiang Ye, can you use that ultimate move again?" Yun Qing'er asked quietly through the battle armor's comm channel, her voice strained by the fierce combat.
"I can!" Jiang Ye replied.
"Good. Tell me before you use it," Yun Qing'er instructed. "I can double your damage output."
Jiang Ye's heart surged with shock.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Hai Dong's relentless assault crashed down on him like a tempest.
Without hesitation, Jiang Ye declared, "I'll use it now!"
Buzz!
In the next instant, an invisible wave enveloped Jiang Ye.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A terrifying Martial Dao Aura erupted from Jiang Ye's body.
(End of the Chapter)
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