Chapter 72: Time to leave
A figure appeared, fully clad in heavy armor, concealing all but a pair of cold, piercing eyes.
In a flash, the armored figure positioned themselves between the warriors and the Bearded Beast.
"Swish∼, swish∼!"
The seemingly indestructible tendrils of the Bearded Beast were severed one by one, falling to the ground.
"Rhaa∼"
The beast let out a sharp, agonizing screech as its tendrils, which had been attacking Bald Liu, were cut off, sending him tumbling forward.
A tall figure rushed to catch Bald Liu, accompanied by a delicate fragrance.
It was Feng Man'er!
Feng Man'er quickly supported Bald Liu and led him away from the battlefield.
Despite the severity of the wound, masters like Bald Liu could survive so long as their vitals weren't hit.
Even though he was severely wounded, if this ordeal won Feng Man'er's heart, Bald Liu would think it was worth it!
Everyone stared in shock at the sudden appearance of the armored figure—a towering two meters tall (6.56 feet)—who had seemingly come out of nowhere. Where had this person come from? No one in Lingyun Town had ever heard of such a warrior.
Hua Hongyi was not one to miss such an opportunity, immediately launching a massive ice hammer at the Bearded Beast's head.
The Beast staggered back, its skull now encased in a thick layer of frost, exuding a chilling cold.
After saving Bald Liu at the last second, Su Hao wasted no time and dashed straight toward the Bearded Beast.
‹Impact›
With a powerful stomp, there was a loud "boom∼" as Su Hao shot forward like a bullet towards the Bearded Beast.
'The Bearded Beast's vein ability is ‹Hardening›. Its entire body is covered in a thick layer of scales, making it impossible for regular attacks to penetrate its defense. In that case, I'll use ‹Penetration›, ‹Sharpness›, ‹Shock› and ‹Corrosion› together to create an opening!'
Su Hao's mind worked rapidly, formulating his attack plan in the blink of an eye.
Su Hao moved too fast for the Bearded Beast's tendrils to intercept him. The Beast could only watch helplessly as Su Hao raised his glowing blade and brought it crashing down.
"Slash∼!"
The ‹Penetration› effect from Su Hao's blood Qi negated the Beast's ‹Hardening›, and with the combined force of ‹Sharpness›, ‹Corrosion›, and his immense blood Qi, the blade tore through its scales as though slicing through butter.
"Rhaa∼"
The Beast let out a more pained and desperate shriek, genuinely hurt this time. Hundreds of tendrils burst from its body, spreading in all directions like a deadly rain.
"Retreat!" Hua Hongyi shouted, immediately pulling back. The other masters, having maintained their distance, also leapt away in time.
Most of the tendrils, however, targeted Su Hao, sealing off every inch of space around him.
‹Barrier› ‹Deflection›
Su Hao activated the runes he had prepared in advance and, instead of retreating, charged forward.
His long blade shimmered with light, the effects of ‹Sharpness› and ‹Corrosion› still active.
«Wind Slash»
Leaping into the air, Su Hao spun his blade with both hands, sending a brilliant white arc slicing through the air.
"Pfft∼ pfft∼ pfft∼…"
A large number of tendrils were severed with a single swing, their cut ends sizzling and corroding as they fell to the ground.
The tendrils that managed to avoid Su Hao's blade struck at him, but they were stopped by a faint red barrier around his body. Others missed entirely, losing their trajectory and veered off course by the ‹Deflection› rune.
Su Hao stepped onto a misdirected tendril, using it as leverage to leap out of the tendrils onslaught, landing above the Beast.
At that moment, the Bearded Beast had extended all its tendrils and had yet to retract them, leaving it temporarily without a way to attack.
Su Hao reversed his grip on the blade, pointing it downward.
"Thunk∼!" His blade plunged into the deep gash he had made earlier, all the way to the hilt. He then ruthlessly dragged it downward, enlarging the wound.
"Hiss∼!"
The wound was now deep enough, and blue blood gushed out like a high-pressure fountain, drenching Su Hao's armor.
Without blinking, Su Hao swiftly pulled out his blade and retreated, distancing himself from the beast.
At the same time, he began redrawing runes on his Formation Disc: ‹Impact›, ‹Barrier›, ‹Deflection›, ‹Sharpness›, ‹Penetration›, and ‹Corrosion›.
Sure enough, just as Su Hao backed away, the Bearded Beast went berserk.
Its tendrils flailed wildly around its body as its maw let out a piercing scream.
The beast then turned, its two sharp horns aimed directly at Su Hao.
"Watch out for its horns!" Hua Hongyi shouted in warning.
"Boom∼!"
The beast's massive body, as large as a house, launched itself like a cannonball toward Su Hao.
What does it feel like when a twenty-meter-tall beast charges at you?
It was like the sky itself was falling.
Su Hao narrowed his eyes. From his earlier attack, he knew he could break through the beast's defense, but the creature was just too large. His blade was like a toothpick in comparison, and even with his powerful abilities, the damage he inflicted was limited.
Since the beast had decided to leap, exposing its weak spot, Su Hao wasn't going to hold back.
Su Hao crouched slightly, then lunged at the Bearded Beast, raising his left hand to aim directly at its green eyes.
‹Blinding Flash›
A burst of intense light shot out from Su Hao's hand, and the Bearded Beast's vision immediately went white. The sudden flare caused it to lose sight of its target. Though its other senses could still detect Su Hao's presence, it hesitated for a brief moment.
And that moment was all Su Hao needed. He slid beneath the beast, narrowly passing under its massive body, then sprang up.
The grotesque maw underneath the Bearded Beast were now fully exposed to Su Hao.
The grotesque maw beneath the Bearded Beast was fully exposed. Rows of razor-sharp teeth lined its circular mouth, resembling a horrifying flower ready to bloom.. Surrounding it were countless holes, ready to shoot out lethal tendrils. Many of these tendrils were already extended, providing the beast with the force to launch its attacks. However, some of the holes remained ominously empty, ready to strike at any moment.
But those tendrils no longer posed a threat to Su Hao.
His ‹Impact› rune had recharged.
‹Impact›
Su Hao activated the rune, propelling himself forward. Before the Bearded Beast could close its jaws, he darted past its sharpest teeth and plunged into its gaping maw.
‹Vibration›
His entire suit of armor began to vibrate at a high frequency, repelling any nearby tongues or slime from the beast's innards.
‹Sharpness› ‹Penetration›
With both attack runes activated, Su Hao relentlessly stabbed forward, cutting through flesh and blood. His goal was clear: advance ten meters, straight to the beast's core of the Bearded Beast.
"Rip∼!"
Every bit of flesh that stood in his way was torn apart by his blade, the high-frequency vibrations of his armor ensuring that no tissue could touch him. Su Hao pushed deeper inside, without much resistance.
Two meters, three meters... five meters!
Suddenly, the pressure on Su Hao lightened, and he found himself inside the beast's abdominal cavity. The complex organs within were writhing rhythmically, the entire space as large as a two-story building.
A grin spread across Su Hao's face.
He placed his hand on one of the organs, and a massive surge of blood Qi flowed from him, forming a massive rune formation around the beast's organs.
In just ten seconds, the giant formation was complete.
‹Collapse›
The rune activated.
The organs in the abdominal cavity suddenly compressed as if under immense gravitational pressure, collapsing toward the center to form a small mass the size of a water tank.
The Bearded Beast, severely injured, began thrashing wildly. Inside the creature, Su Hao lost his balance.
‹Drill› ‹Penetration›
Su Hao activated two more runes, stacking their effects onto his long blade, and stabbed it into the beast's abdominal inner wall.
"Rip∼!"
With a muffled thud, blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
A large, circular hole appeared in the innerl wall.
Su Hao pushed off with his foot, diving into the hole he had carved.
He felt a wave of dizziness; he knew he was running out of oxygen.
"I need to get out of here fast!"
While the effects of the ‹Drill› and ‹Penetration› runes still lingered on his blade, Su Hao dug his way out, slashing repeatedly at the walls of flesh. As he moved, he continuously replenished the runes.
Before long, he reached the outer edge, where he encountered a thick layer of scales.
With the runes fully charged, he struck forward with all his might.
"Boom∼!"
Air rushed into the cavity through the hole he'd made, flooding the beast's abdomen.
Su Hao shot out from the opening, greedily gulping down fresh air.
Landing on the ground and steadying himself, he immediately sprinted away. After putting some distance between himself and the Bearded Beast, he turned back to watch.
Hua Hongyi, leading the remaining masters, was frantically launching attacks on the beast. They were taking full advantage of its weakened state to finish it off.
Seeing Su Hao, covered in blue slime, Hua Hongyi's face lit up with surprise and joy. "You're alive?!"
Su Hao nodded, watching the beast thrash and roar. Its breath was labored, and its tendrils flailed weakly. It was as good as dead—this was just its final struggle.
He was tempted to study the creature's body, but its organs had been collapsed into a small lump. While he had obtained the beast's ‹Hardening› vein, aside from the mysterious best core, the research value had greatly diminished.
Besides, it was time to leave.
He didn't want to interact with Hua Hongyi and the others—especially with Bald Liu watching nearby. What if he got recognized? The thought gnawed at him.
It wasn't his own safety that concerned him. He could handle the consequences, but any slip-up could negativ impact his father, Wu Yuntian, and the Chashan Outpost.
That was perhaps the only thing he was truly concerned about.
Su Hao flicked the blue blood from his blade, the liquid splattering onto the ground. Without a second's hesitation, he dashed into the maze of buildings, disappearing of sight of the battlefield.
From a distance, Hua Hongyi's brows furrowed in bafflement.
"???" A huge question mark seemed to pop up on his forehead as he stared at the spot where the mysterious warrior had vanished.
Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
'Hey! The Bearded Beast isn't fully dead yet! Big guy, come back, we still need you!' The silent thought screamed through their minds, but no one had the courage to shout it aloud.
But Su Hao could no longer hear the crowd's thoughts—or care. Even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. The Bearded Beast's hulking form was now limp, its once-lethal tendrils now drooping, powerless. It would die in just a few moments.
Su Hao quickly returned to the weapon shop, changed into his clean armor, picked up a rag and wiped down his blade before sheathing it.
He slung his pack over his shoulder.
And left without hesitation.
Time to go!