Chapter 210: Rhode's Invitation, Join the Amethyst?

"That's right, you are already on the Star Glory Empire's blacklist. Continuing to wander will do you no good. It would be better to join the Amethyst Civilization," Rhode pointed out.

Rhode's reasoning made perfect sense. Due to the Star Glory Empire's active warrants, even though his identity was well hidden, he could not stay in one place for too long.

Li Yu frowned slightly, highly skeptical. "You would go up against the Star Glory Empire for me?"

"Why would we need to fight the Star Glory Empire?" Rhode countered. "How would the Star Glory Empire even know?"

Li Yu's expression faded, replaced by an icy glare. The Amethyst Civilization certainly had a nice scheme plotted out.

Once he joined them, he would be completely at their mercy. Otherwise, they could simply hand him over to the Star Glory Empire to curry favor with the empire.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested."

Rhode frowned and said, "You possess extraordinary potential. Wandering aimlessly is not the life you should be living..."

"I said..." Li Yu interrupted Rhode, his eyes as still as stagnant water, "I'm not interested."

"You are completely surrounded! Drop your weapons and await judgment!"

A sudden warning rang out from not far away, acting almost like a signal.

Bang!

The ground was violently smashed open as a dark shadow shot forward like a crashing meteor, appearing in front of Li Yu in an instant. A fist wrapped in heavy purple crystal slammed brutally into his chest and abdomen.

Terrifying power erupted from the fist.

Boom!!

A shockwave of air burst outward. Li Yu, along with the mechanical hover chair behind him, was sent flying backward in a straight line. He shot through the air like a cannonball fired from a barrel, moving so fast he almost left an afterimage.

He flew rapidly over a kilometer away, crashing through a small hill with a deafening blast. He was instantly buried under a collapsing pile of rubble as thick dust filled the air.

Rhode, who had launched Li Yu, now stood exactly where his target had been seconds before. The weighty Heavy Purple Crystal Armor covered his entire body, looking utterly magnificent.

The shockwave of that single strike cracked the earth beneath their feet. The native Marauders, who had just been preparing to swoop in and reap the spoils, froze in place. Their eyes glazed over in shock, completely terrified to move a single muscle.

Clatter—

The pile of rubble tumbled as Li Yu leaped out. There were no injuries on his body. Thanks to the mitigation of the Purple Crystal Light Membrane and the Red Crystal Domain, he only felt a slight ache.

"This level of strength is a bit unexpected," Li Yu muttered, rubbing the spot that had just been hammered. He shook his head. "No matter how much we talk, it still comes down to a fight."

The Amethyst Civilization didn't just want the ore core; they wanted Li Yu as well!

Rhode remained silent. Intense purple energy fluctuations ignited all over his body, and like a streaking meteor, he crashed fiercely toward Li Yu.

The structural components of whatever model of amethyst armor he was wearing began to shift. The configuration grew increasingly complex, clearly entering a specialized combat mode.

Purplish-red electric arcs flashed as the Titan Symbiotic Armor deployed. Li Yu caught Rhode's fist, instantly unleashing a violent energy shockwave.

An overwhelming force bore down on him. Surprisingly, Li Yu was outmatched by Rhode in both mass and physical strength. He was immediately forced backward, his boots plowing a deep trench into the ground as he slid.

This took him somewhat by surprise. Rhode had not yet reached the realm of an A-Class Lifeform; he was still a B-Class Lifeform, yet he was actually a notch stronger than Li Yu.

His power even surpassed the B-plus category. It was absurdly strong.

"Master, pay attention to the amethyst on his forehead," Claptrap warned. Li Yu frowned slightly. Observing carefully, he could vaguely make out several purple Energy Streamers.

These energy ribbons drifted out from the forehead crystals of Rhode's subordinates in the distance and seamlessly fused into his own body.

'It can actually be used like this? Is it a stacking of strength?'

Li Yu pondered for a brief moment before equipping the purple title he had just acquired: Lone Wolf. When facing multiple enemies of the same tier, it provided a fifty percent strength amplification!

'This should count as facing multiple enemies of the same tier, right?'

In an instant, Li Yu distinctly felt a formidable surge of power erupt from deep within his corporeal form. It was as if his entire body possessed an inexhaustible supply of energy. His overall strength skyrocketed!

His backward momentum halted for a split second. Stomping his feet firmly into the earth, Li Yu grabbed Rhode's fist with both hands. Using his opponent's own momentum, he executed a flawless shoulder throw, hurling Rhode backward!

The moment Rhode left his grip, a sonic boom exploded in the air. Rhode was launched in a straight line at breakneck speed, shrinking into a tiny speck on the horizon in the blink of an eye.

He smashed violently into the rolling mountain range in the distance, instantly sending up billowing clouds of dust. The ground trembled slightly under the impact.

Li Yu did not give chase. Instead, he spun around and charged directly at the remaining four B-class Violet Crystal Persons. If he severed Rhode's energy source, the man would naturally deflate.

However, the four B-Class Lifeforms were incredibly fast, scattering in all directions in the blink of an eye.

Rhode, clad in his custom Heavy Purple Crystal Armor with its impenetrable defense, nonchalantly brushed the rubble and dust off his body. He charged forward once more, determined to intercept Li Yu's assault.

Bang, bang, bang—

On the battlefield, the two combatants clashed again and again. Fists and kicks were exchanged in a blur, repeatedly hammering into each other. Shockwave after shockwave erupted from their collisions, kicking up a storm that felt like a localized hurricane.

The devastating aftershocks of their battle rapidly tore the terrain apart, leaving the surrounding area riddled with deep craters and jagged trenches.

With the combined power of the other B-class Violet Crystal Persons, Rhode's raw strength was immense, but after applying his multiple layers of amplification, Li Yu was even more terrifying.

"Your strength is formidable indeed. I'm going to get serious now. I hope you can handle it!"

After grappling for quite some time, Rhode's eyes flashed as he suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a distinct hint of excitement.

The very next moment, the purple aura surrounding Rhode surged violently. The crystal on his forehead shined with unparalleled brilliance as his entire presence abruptly skyrocketed.

'He can still output more power?' Li Yu's eyes narrowed. No wonder these people with amethysts on their foreheads were so arrogant; this thing played a major role.

Bam!

His vision blurred, and the ground rapidly retreated from his sight. Li Yu was struck so hard he was launched straight into the sky.

A split second later, Rhode, who had just been on the ground, closed the distance in a flash. His legs, wrapped in radiant purple light, acted like a pair of deadly shears scissoring toward Li Yu's head. The attack was unimaginably swift, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

Li Yu ducked tightly, letting the vicious whip kick scrape right past his helmet. He dodged it by a hairsbreadth, though the scalding gale it generated washed violently over his face.

With his strike missing its mark, Rhode clasped his hands together, preparing to sledgehammer Li Yu back down to the earth and continue his pursuit.

Right at that moment, an endless barrage of purplish-red electrical arcs blasted directly toward Rhode's face.

Boom!

Rhode's attack was completely interrupted.

Without a moment of hesitation, Li Yu brought his arms together. The arm bracers merged as intricate mechanical structures continuously unfolded and locked into place, forming a massive Electromagnetic Cannon Barrel. A devastating electromagnetic blast roared out of the muzzle, delivering a ranged strike against Rhode, who was charging at him once again.

This was the electromagnetic cannon from the Hover Chair, packing a remarkably powerful punch.

Rhode had no intention of taking the hit head-on. Vents on his ribs spewed bright purple flames, propelling him a hundred meters sideways in an instant. However, what happened next left him utterly dumbfounded.

That azure electromagnetic beam actually banked sharply in mid-air, curving right back toward him. It was the special skill: Perfect Shot!

'An electromagnetic beam with a tracking function?!'

This was the last thought that surfaced in Rhode's mind right before the brilliant blue energy completely engulfed him.

Boom! The electromagnetic blast consumed him entirely, detonating against the ground and throwing up a miniature mushroom cloud as violent electrical arcs spread in all directions.

Simultaneously, the Cursed Arrow was fired. Its target, however, wasn't Rhode, but one of the four B-Class Lifeforms.

The speed of the Cursed Arrow was nearly invisible to the naked eye. Even as its target desperately dodged and wove, their efforts were entirely futile.

It pierced cleanly through one of their skulls in an instant. As the victim fell, their purple Energy Streamers snapped, and the imposing aura radiating from Rhode inside the smoking electromagnetic crater instantly plummeted a notch.

Hum!

In that exact moment, Li Yu gave Rhode absolutely no chance to react.

Li Yu's entire body erupted with astonishing arcs of lightning. The Ship-breaking Blade, violently wreathed in dancing electricity, struck with impossible speed. Plunging downward like a bolt of thunder, the blade mercilessly slashed directly across Rhode's face.

Crack!

The brutal slash sounded as if a peal of thunder had detonated out of thin air!

An electrified shockwave violently expanded outward from beneath Li Yu's feet, causing the ground within a hundred-meter radius to fracture and cave in!

As for Rhode, he had been viciously smashed deep into the earth, throwing up massive clouds of smoke and dust.