"An evil being? evil beings aren't this troublesome." Chongyun looked at the Ruin Hunter flying in the Sky and took a deep breath.
evil beings weren't as terrifying as a Ruin Hunter. At most, they just scared people. Only truly formidable evil spirits or demons could take a person's life.
But the Ruin Hunter before them was far more ferocious than any evil being. It not only took lives but could also scatter a person's ashes.
"Buzz—"
Just as Xingqiu and Chongyun were on high alert, the Ruin Hunter in the air made a new move.
After a low hum, the Ruin Hunter's sharp arms, suspended on either side of its body, began to twist and deform.
Finally, the four sharp, drill-like arms transformed into new launch units.
The ring-shaped launch units rotated around the Ruin Hunter, glowing with an orange-yellow light—the same light as when the Ruin Hunter's core engine was Burning.
The four launch units looked like glowing hollow frisbees, bearing no resemblance to weapons of war.
But very quickly, Xingqiu and Chongyun witnessed the terrifying firepower of the Ruin Hunter after it had completely abandoned its close-combat capabilities.
The light from the launch units grew brighter, enveloping the Ruin Hunter and revealing its charred but still sturdy body.
Judging by the wounds on its body, this Ruin Hunter should have had no chance of survival, yet it had survived.
"Hiss—"
A sound like Melting steel emanated as the light from the launch units reached its peak intensity.
"Whoosh!"
The light expanded and bulged, and finally, an orange-yellow laser beam shot out from the four glowing units, striking at Xingqiu and Chongyun below with lightning speed.
"So fast!"
Xingqiu's pupils contracted. At this speed, there was no time to dodge!
With a tingling scalp, Xingqiu frantically activated his Vision at his waist.
A light blue glow covered his weapon. Facing the incoming laser, Xingqiu immediately raised his sword and struck.
"Ha..."
The light, which was originally weightless, seemed to gain substance in such a solid and swift state.
Xingqiu held his sword with both hands, and a powerful force immediately surged through them. If he hadn't stabilized his stance beforehand, that single blow would have been enough to leave him completely exposed.
"Good. I can hold it." Xingqiu narrowed his eyes. Despite the intense light, he felt no discomfort.
If anything, it might have been due to his previous experience of staring directly at "Shiny Chongyun."
The laser impacted Xingqiu's sword, creating a hazy mist while also scattering into countless smaller light beams.
Looking at the flagstones on the ground, which had been corroded by the light beams, Xingqiu couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he had already used his Elemental Burst. Otherwise, Xingqiu wouldn't have been confident in directly blocking the laser fired by this Ruin Hunter.
The Raincutter circling him was not only a deadly weapon but also a tough shield.
While continuously providing Elemental energy, it could also strengthen Xingqiu's body. Combined with his martial arts, all of this forged Xingqiu's rock-solid lower body, allowing him to stand firm in the laser and even advance further!
"Hehe, big hunk of metal, let me show you what true strength is!" Feeling that he still had energy to spare, Xingqiu immediately settled his breath in his dantian and pushed off with his feet—he actually began to move forward amidst the roaring laser.
"Hmph... I underestimated this thing a bit..."
Xingqiu advanced one step at a time, each step more strenuous than he had imagined, like walking through waist-deep mud. Despite this, he did not retreat.
Xingqiu was clenching his teeth, his face flushed red, and veins bulging on his forehead. He was holding his breath.
Xingqiu couldn't release this breath; if he did, all the power he had accumulated would vanish. And he would become Fish for the taking.
Xingqiu's mind was now blank. He had only one thought: to completely disperse the bright orange-yellow laser in front of him.
However, something took advantage of Xingqiu's undivided attention and seeped into his mind.
In a Vision invisible to ordinary people, a black and green wisp of resentment emanated from the Ruin Hunter, following the gushing laser and drilling into Xingqiu's mind.
"Morax..."
"This land... nothing grows..."
"Ah!"
Xingqiu felt a sharp pain deep in his brain, followed by meaningless roars and outbursts of unwillingness and resentment echoing in his mind.
Affected by this, Xingqiu's advancing steps immediately halted. At the same time, his sword-wielding hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
He looked as if he would be swallowed by the laser at any moment.
"Halt! Wake up quickly!"
Just as Xingqiu was struggling to hold on, a familiar voice pierced through the roars filling his ears, reaching the depths of Xingqiu's heart.
Accompanying Chongyun's shout, a refreshing coolness emanated from Xingqiu's glabella.
It was a Qingxin talisman that Chongyun had just placed on Xingqiu. As soon as the white talisman paper touched Xingqiu's glabella, it transformed into a trickling stream and seeped into him.
The substance formed by the talisman was like water yet not water; it seemed to be something created by an arcane art.
"Hoo..."
Xingqiu suddenly opened his eyes and saw a new light—it was Chongyun, covered in talismans.
He was holding a greatsword, blocking in front of Xingqiu. Seeing Xingqiu awaken, he immediately exerted force and swung hard, and the laser was instantly torn apart by the sword wind Chongyun generated, becoming soft and powerless.
"When did you get so strong?!"
Seeing this, Xingqiu immediately sprang up from the ground with a carp-like flip, throwing the pain in his head to the back of his mind.
It's fine if others are doing well, but if a brother is doing well, it can make one lose their appetite.
This was also true for Xingqiu, but the word "well" had to be changed to "strong."
Xingqiu looked at Chongyun with a shocked and puzzled expression, clearly saying: "Dude, you've changed."
"Adjust your breath. This thing isn't simple." As Xingqiu's good friend, Chongyun immediately understood what Xingqiu was thinking.
He didn't explain anything, just made a hand seal, then brushed Xingqiu's eyes with his spell-infused fingertips.
A special power covered Xingqiu's eyeballs. When he reopened his eyes, the scene Xingqiu saw became unique.
If he had to describe it, it was similar to Elemental Sight. But instead of Elemental energy, something else had replaced it.
The originally empty Sky began to show a distinct grayish-green trace. Following that trace and looking up at the Sky, Xingqiu saw the so-called "evil being."
The Ruin Hunter in the Sky still existed, but many other things had been added to it.
The entire Ruin Hunter's body was enveloped by a black-green mist.
The mist was not as imperceptible as before. On the contrary, it was extremely dense, so thick that the entire Ruin Hunter seemed to be covered by a curtain.
The mist not only covered the Ruin Hunter's exterior but also penetrated deep inside it. The entire Ruin Hunter, inside and out, was corroded by this mist.
The Ruin Hunter was like a shell, a shell that could contain this dense mist; what it was seemed unimportant.
The mist swirled and changed around the Ruin Hunter, as if countless writhing tentacles had grown from its body. Combined with the naturally dim light of the underground, it made it look like a demon from a legend.
"Hey... Chongyun, are you still saying this isn't an evil being?" Xingqiu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked Chongyun.
"I take back what I said earlier. An evil being, it should be like this." Chongyun gripped his sword hilt, looking at the Ruin Hunter possessed by resentment in the Sky, and replied.
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