Chapter 1458: Instant Kill! Shocked Yue Ying!

Although he could not sense the monster's whereabouts, Yue Ying had long ago acquired its scent through the forest.

It's a Star Peak!

And with this special ability, its bloodline rank must be high.

At the very least, it's Spirit Blood grade—possibly even Royal Blood!

And Xu Jingming is only at Star Sixth Stage; if he encounters it, he will surely die!

Thus, upon spotting Xu Jingming, Yue Ying's initial delight quickly turned to terror.

Just as she urgently cried out a warning, the plants sent another faint sensory impression.

The monster had changed direction—its target... had shifted to Xu Jingming in the air!

"Jingming! Dodge!"

Yue Ying's heart nearly leapt from her chest.

She shrieked, her gray eyes filled with unprecedented panic.

In the very instant she screamed—

Beside Xu Jingming, the still air suddenly rippled with faint, nearly imperceptible waves, like ripples on water.

Immediately, a grotesque figure abruptly materialized from the void!

It was a creature resembling a giant mantis, over three meters tall.

Its entire body was covered in dull, light-absorbing carapace, with rows of sharp, bristling spines along its torso and joints, radiating a cold, efficient beauty of slaughter.

At this moment, one of its forelimb spines.

Was stabbing toward Xu Jingming's head at a speed beyond visual capture—silent, ruthless, and deadly!

"Void Reaver!"

Yue Ying's pupils shrank to needle points.

The universe is vast, and the demonic races are countless.

No one can know every type of demonic beast.

But some demonic beasts, due to their extreme danger, must be memorized.

The Void Reaver is one of them.

Royal Blood grade!

A favorite of spatial laws!

A born assassin and hunter!

Possessing the terrifying ability to bypass conventional energy shields, and even partially pierce defenses!

In demonic beast compendiums, it is marked as an extreme threat.

Done for.

It's too late.

Yue Ying's face turned ashen.

She wanted to do something, but there was no time.

She could only watch helplessly as the Void Reaver drove its death-spine straight into Xu Jingming.

Yet, the next instant—

"Dang—!!!"

A sharp, resonant clang, like forged steel colliding, exploded violently above the silent forest!

The expected scene of flying flesh and blood did not occur.

Instead, Xu Jingming's body was suddenly encased in a dense, brilliant Lei Gang!

The Lei Gang swirled with intricate Lei Ting runes.

Though it appeared fragile, it firmly held back the Void Reaver's lethal spine—capable of easily tearing through Star Peak defenses!

Where the spine's tip met the Lei Gang, a cascade of tiny sparks and electric arcs erupted.

The Void Reaver's crimson eyes flickered with a human-like shock.

Clearly, it had not anticipated its killing strike being so easily blocked.

"Hmm?"

Xu Jingming's sword-like brows lifted slightly, as if only now noticing the attack from behind.

He did not even fully turn around—only tilted his head slightly.

He glanced at the grotesque demonic beast with the corner of his eye.

His expression was calm, almost indifferent, as if merely disturbed by an annoying mosquito.

"Void Reaver? Your stealth is impressive."

He murmured to himself, his tone showing little surprise, "But... your attack is weak."

As his words faded—

Sizz—!!!

Golden Lei Guang, brighter than the sun and faster than lightning, erupted violently around him!

This was not a cultivated technique's condensation—it was more like the instantaneous outpouring of law's origin!

The lightning condensed into solid form, becoming a straight golden spear of thunder.

A golden phantom, it struck the Void Reaver's chest head-on!

No earth-shattering explosion, no struggle or screams.

Before the primordial power of the Doushen Shenlei—

The Void Reaver's dark carapace, capable of withstanding Star Peak attacks, was instantly pierced and erased!

"How is this possible?!" Yin Ci roared inside his heart.

In the next instant, violent Lei Ting energy erupted from within.

Completely annihilating this royal-blooded beast, whose name had struck terror into countless geniuses, reducing it to a cloud of scattered charred ash, erasing its soul fluctuations along with it.

From the moment the Void Reaver appeared to strike, to the instant it was utterly vaporized by Lei Ting, the entire process took less than a tenth of a second.

In the dense forest, residual golden lightning serpents slithered through the air, emitting faint hissing sounds.

The suffocating killing intent and sense of crisis receded like a tide.

"This..."

On the ground, Yue Ying stood frozen, her gray eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the scene.

Blocked it?

And then obliterated a Royal-Blooded Star Peak Void Reaver with a single strike?

This... how is this possible?!

Even if Xu Jingming's Star Sixth Stage wasn't boosted by heavenly treasures, this combat power is absurdly excessive!

And what was that terrifying Lei Ting that erupted in an instant, making her soul tremble?

Countless questions churned in her mind; Xu Jingming's counterattack had utterly shattered all her previous understanding and judgment.

Shuuu—

The golden thunder wings fluttered gently, and Xu Jingming descended slowly from the air, landing lightly on an open patch of ground not far from Yue Ying.

The surrounding Lei Guang and Lei Gang quietly retracted, as if the earth-shattering strike had never occurred.

He then turned to Yue Ying and smiled:

"Yue Ying, it's been a long time."

This greeting finally pulled Yue Ying out of her daze.

Her slender body trembled slightly; intense dread and the overwhelming relief of survival surged over her heart like a tide.

In an instant, it shattered the calmness and reserve she had maintained.

"Jingming!"

Yue Ying whispered his name, unable to suppress her emotions any longer.

Her graceful figure lunged forward like the wind, crashing straight into Xu Jingming's arms.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his solid waist, burying her face against his broad chest, her body still trembling faintly from earlier fear.

Xu Jingming felt warm, soft flesh pressed against him; a faint herbal scent from Yue Ying mingled with a trace of sweat as it brushed his face.

Especially the full, soft curves of her chest, tightly pressed against his own, forming an almost exaggerated contour.

Even through her battle armor, he could clearly feel the astonishing elasticity and fullness.

"This..."

Xu Jingming's body stiffened slightly; he instinctively raised his hands, unsure where to place them.

But Yue Ying remained oblivious, still clinging tightly to him.

Her muffled voice came from his chest, trembling with sobs:

"I—I thought I was going to die... that monster kept chasing me, I couldn't shake it off..."

Feeling her body's tremors and the panic in her voice.

Xu Jingming's heart softened; his rigid hands gently lowered.

One hand lightly stroked her back, the other rubbed her silver hair, soothing her in a low voice:

"It's over. It's dead."

His movements were natural, his tone steady.

At this moment, Yue Ying leaned against him.

Listening to the steady, powerful beat of his heart, feeling the warmth of his palm through her armor, she felt utterly at peace.