Chapter 173: Lei Shen Finger! Crushing Everything in Its Path!

"Alright, let's prepare and depart as soon as possible."

Director Cai nodded and immediately led his team off to get ready.

Had this been yesterday, someone as level-headed as him would never have agreed to act so readily.

But Xu Jingming had already proven his strength—following him was the right choice.

"Team leader, you guys should head to a hotel and rest for now."

Xu Jingming turned to look at Lin Qingyuan and her group, standing quietly nearby.

Until the mission to destroy the Tianming Sect's branch is complete, all these personnel must remain under the Public Security Bureau's supervision.

Fortunately, there are several hotels within the Blue Sea Tech Park.

"Alright, wish you all success in your mission."

"Also, when you leave Jinning City, let me know—I'll come see you off."

A faint smile appeared on Lin Qingyuan's pale, oval face; she wasn't overly concerned for Xu Jingming's safety.

After all, given the terrifying power he'd just displayed, it was the Tianming Sect members who should be worried.

"Of course." Xu Jingming nodded with a smile.

Director Cai's efficiency was still impressive.

Just over ten minutes later, he assembled a team of forty.

Besides Cai Ju's squad, the rest were all second-rank energy users.

Each was fully armed, carrying firearms, weapons, and shields.

Xu Jingming had also donned his own Class-A battle suit.

Thus, including Xu Jingming, the forty-one of them boarded the Public Security Bureau's vehicles and sped toward the suburbs of Jinning City.

The suburbs of Jinning City were a mountainous forest region.

Decades ago, ferocious beasts still roamed freely.

But they were all cleared out by official military forces; now it was just an undeveloped ordinary forest area.

More than a dozen vehicles halted at the final stretch of cement road before the suburbs.

Xu Jingming's group quickly disembarked and entered the forest.

They moved swiftly forward, taking half an hour to reach the vicinity of the address provided by Leng Chang for the Tianming Sect's branch.

"Is that where the Tianming Sect's branch is located?"

Amid the dense forest,

Xu Jingming crouched hidden among the shrubs, peering through the gaps between them.

Outside, there was nothing unusual except a small hill overgrown with weeds.

"According to Leng Chang's description, the Tianming Sect's branch has been using visual interference tech—nothing looks abnormal to the naked eye."

Sun Yan, a third-rank upper-level mental energy user, spoke gravely as his potent mental force surged forth:

"But for someone like me, it's instantly visible.

Relax your minds—I'll share my vision with you."

Under Sun Yan's shared vision, Xu Jingming's surroundings instantly transformed.

The hill was still the same hill, but the scene at its base was completely different.

Trees and weeds on the ground had vanished, replaced by clean, flat cement pathways.

Two alloy doors, each four meters high and eight meters wide, now appeared on the hillside.

Above the alloy doors were four or five pitch-black openings, concealing unknown weapons.

In front of the doors stood four second-rank energy users clad in battle suits, constantly on guard.

"This mental energy user ability is incredibly useful—I wonder if we electric-type users can achieve similar perception."

Xu Jingming's eyes lit up as his vision cleared; he decided to visit the Combat Techniques Library once back at school.

If he could learn a combat technique with similar capabilities, it would make future operations much easier.

"The Tianming Sect hollowed out the entire hill and built a base inside?!"

Captain Cai Ju was stunned and furious.

While energy users can purchase various alloy weapons, the Great Xia state tightly controls metal alloys.

Only small quantities are needed for individual energy weapons, so no strict control is necessary.

But constructing these two alloy doors on the opposite hill would require far more alloy than any single soldier's gear.

Any such purchase would inevitably trigger government alert.

Yet the Tianming Sect still managed to acquire them silently.

"It seems we have traitors within Jinning City," Cai Ju's face darkened.

With these two massive alloy doors blocking the way, their group would struggle to break through.

Even if they succeeded, the cost would be devastating.

After all, those pitch-black openings above the doors weren't for show.

Cai Ju was certain that if they launched a surprise attack, they'd be met with a hail of machine-gun fire.

Bullets posed little threat to third-rank energy users.

But the second-rank members would likely be wiped out—possibly even the entire team.

"Xiao Tong, can your elemental fire energy break open this alloy door or shatter the hillside?"

Cai Ju turned to Zhang Tong.

Though they carried individual rocket launchers,

it was obvious they couldn't blow open the alloy doors without alerting the enemy.

Only Zhang Tong, with her B-rank elemental fire energy and third-rank upper-level rank, had any chance.

"It's difficult..."

Zhang Tong hesitated and shook her head.

The alloy doors appeared to be at least D-rank alloy.

Her fire energy could only melt E-rank alloy.

She could easily destroy ordinary hillside walls, but the Tianming Sect surely reinforced the interior.

Her fire might not work.

Also, the Tianming Sect was clever.

They'd cleared all trees and shrubs within a hundred-meter radius around the hill, leaving the view completely open.

Her longest-range fire technique only reached 100 meters—right at its limit.

Beyond that, she couldn't even hit anything...

"So it is..."

Cai Ju frowned deeply, placing his last hope on Xu Jingming:

"Xu brother, can you force your way in?"

"I can try."

Xu Jingming didn't overpromise.

But with the power of the S-rank supreme technique, Lei Shen Finger, it should be manageable.

"Then we rely on you, Xu brother."

Director Cai nodded with a wry smile.

He'd failed to help capture Leng Chang and had hoped to contribute more here.

Yet the very first obstacle turned out to require Xu Jingming's intervention.

It made him feel that his elite third-rank squad was useless before this Mada S-rank prodigy...

"No trouble at all—we all aim to destroy the Tianming Sect's branch."

Xu Jingming waved his hand casually.

He took a Grade-3 energy recovery pill from his space ring and swallowed it.

Then he activated Lei Jitai!

Crackling—

Powerful golden lightning erupted violently, turning Xu Jingming into a golden lightning sphere!

Then, under the stunned gaze of Cai Ju and the others, Xu Jingming's body rapidly expanded to 2. meters tall.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

The unusual lightning disturbance immediately drew the attention of the guards outside the Tianming Sect's gate; they grabbed their weapons and rushed over.

But Xu Jingming's brilliant golden dragon eyes paid them no mind.

He fixed his gaze on the distant hill, his voice resonating like a god's command:

"Lei Shen Finger!"

Boom!

As he spoke, thunder rolled across the clear noon sky.

The next instant,

A colossal golden lightning finger, streaked with crackling arcs, descended from the heavens!

Enhanced by Lei Jitai, this Lei Shen Finger was even thicker than the first time he'd used it.

The massive lightning finger slowly pressed down with unstoppable might.

Soon, it shattered the surrounding clouds, then slammed into the peak before the stunned gazes of Cai Ju and the others!

BOOM!!

A deafening collision rang out, and terrifying energy waves swept outward from the point of impact.

A golden lightning radiance blazed forth, as brilliant as the sun!

The ground itself shook violently, forcing Cai Ju and the others to quickly grab onto nearby trees.

The alloy giant gate, which they had just deemed nearly impossible to breach, twisted and deformed in an instant!

No, not just the alloy giant gate!

Even the entire small peak, under the rampage of the furious golden lightning,

Was shattered by more than half, as if crushed by a storm, revealing its inner defensive structures!

"Good heavens?! Am I not dreaming?!"

Cai Ju stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

In his view, Xu Jingming's strike had been impressive if it could even damage the alloy giant gate.

Yet this single combat technique had already accomplished more than half of their goal—to destroy the Heavenly Fate Sect's branch base...