Chapter 338: Instant Kill! The Holy Maiden

Aside from ferocious beasts, Xu Jingming was not actually a bloodthirsty man.

As long as you didn't offend him or those he cherished, you could be as arrogant as you liked.

But once you crossed the line, even your ashes would be scattered!

In fact, upon advancing to the upper tier of the fourth rank.

Xu Jingming already possessed the capability to single-handedly kill any team from the Sakura Nation's Tenryo Dojo.

Yet he had no intention of doing so.

On one hand, he had no interest in slaughtering the weak.

On the other, the ones seeking to kill him were the Tenryo Dojo's eighth-rank Grand Master.

Even if he were to seek the source, he should go after that eighth-rank Grand Master.

But unexpectedly, while he had no intention of acting, the Tenryo Dojo's people came to him first.

Since they had brought death upon themselves, Xu Jingming would show no mercy!

He decisively activated Thunder Extreme State!

Upon reaching the upper tier of the fourth rank, the power of the SS-grade Daitian Divine Thunder had increased more than tenfold from before!

As soon as he entered Thunder Extreme State, crimson-gold lightning imbued with terrifying energy erupted outward from Xu Jingming!

Crackling—

Violent lightning raged like a storm, devouring trees and soil around him.

And as the source of the lightning, Xu Jingming's body began to change rapidly.

His height of one meter eighty-nine surged to two meters twenty; his already balanced muscles swelled slightly.

Beneath his S-grade battle suit, his broad back muscles twisted together, faintly forming the shape of a demonic face!

Red scales grew over vulnerable joints—knees, elbows, ankles—to provide protection.

His once sharply divided black-and-white eyes transformed into golden, reptilian dragon pupils!

A brutal, formidable aura exploded outward from Xu Jingming!

A crushing pressure, like a mountain peak, settled upon everyone present!

"What is this...?"

Not far away, Sakura Rin's almond eyes widened in shock as she watched.

The greatest difference between lone-wolf adepts and those from major factions was their inferior equipment and combat techniques.

Yet who could have imagined that this lone-wolf adept known as the Ferocious Beast Hunter possessed such a formidable technique?

And why did this transformation look so familiar?

Hss!

Isn't this the combat technique used by Xu Jingming, the SS-grade adept of Great Xia, during the Great Xia National University League not long ago?

Sakura Rin's pupils shrank sharply!

Could this Ferocious Beast Hunter be a fellow disciple of Great Xia's SS-grade adept? Otherwise, how could their techniques be identical?

But when she saw his signature brilliant golden dragon pupils, she immediately dismissed the thought.

No, no!

Those eyes could only belong to Great Xia's SS-grade adept!

Confirming this, Sakura Rin felt a surge of deep confusion.

But wasn't Great Xia's SS-grade adept only at the lower tier of the fourth rank? How had he advanced to the upper tier so quickly?

"Xu Jingming! Great Xia's SS-grade?!"

Like Sakura Rin, Mark had also recognized Xu Jingming's identity.

Shock gave way to wild elation:

"You actually dared come to Site 9 of the Civilization Ruin?! Perfect—I'll take your corpse back with me!"

The SS-grade adept of Great Xia had a bounty placed on him by the United States.

If he completed the kill, the reward alone would sustain him for years—even without relying on the William Family!

As for Xu Jingming's changed rank aura, he paid it no mind.

So what if he was upper-tier fourth rank?

I'm two full ranks above him—could he possibly kill me?!

Thinking this, Mark lost all interest in playing cat-and-mouse.

With a single step, he crossed dozens of meters and appeared before Xu Jingming.

"Star Shatter Slash!"

Blood qi surged wildly; his battle blade, sharp as a blade of wind, became a meteor streaking toward Xu Jingming!

Star Shatter Slash!

S-grade combat technique! Usually reserved by Mark for sixth-rank ferocious beasts.

Yet now it was being used against a mere upper-tier fourth-rank adept!

"Die!" Mark's face twisted with glee.

He already imagined Xu Jingming's corpse beneath his blade, himself returning to claim the reward.

But at that moment, Xu Jingming moved!

His black spear, wrapped in lightning, thrust forward—faster than Mark's blade could strike!

"Lei Guan Demon-Slaying Spear!"

BOOM!!

A flash of golden lightning erupted; the spear became a black-gold phantom, slamming into Mark!

A golden lightning pillar, as thick as an adult's waist, pierced clean through his body.

It carved a hundred-meter-long trench into the ground behind him before finally fading.

Mark didn't even have time to scream.

His entire head, along with half his upper torso, was obliterated by the lightning.

"This?!!"

The intense heat from the lightning instantly ignited surrounding shrubs; flames and thunder intertwined, raising the air temperature by over ten degrees.

But Sakura Rin felt as if plunged into an ice cave—her limbs turned cold, her heart chilled.

Dead?

Mark was dead?

Though she disliked Mark, among their five-person team,

Mark—possessing an A-grade adept power and sixth-rank lower-tier strength—was the strongest.

Yet in a single instant, Xu Jingming had instantly killed him!

What terrifying power was this?

"Is this what an SS-grade adept power truly is?"

Shocked, Sakura Rin immediately commanded: "Master Shuimu, Master Shanxia, attack together!"

"Yes!"

The two Sakura Nation adepts nodded instantly; the middle-aged white man also went berserk:

"F**k, Mark is dead?! I'll take your life!"

Mark was the most promising heir in their branch of the William Family—now murdered right before his eyes. How could he not rage?

"Spirit, Snow Woman!"

"Spirit, Kama-Itachi!"

"..."

Over a dozen spirits erupted from Sakura Rin, lunging at Xu Jingming!

"Spirits? Child's play!"

Xu Jingming sneered, raised his right hand, and clenched it: "Lei Yu!"

Violent golden lightning formed a prison, locking Sakura Rin in place.

Even the stray sparks from Lei Yu alone obliterated every single spirit!

The remaining three adepts were all enhancement-type adepts.

After pinning Sakura Rin in place, Xu Jingming, wreathed in lightning, charged forward with his spear toward the other three sixth-rank adepts.

"My spirits..."

Inside Lei Yu, Sakura Rin's face turned instantly pale.

She knew her spirits couldn't defeat Xu Jingming.

But she never imagined even the residual lightning from his attack could wipe out all her spirits...

"Is an SS-grade adept power truly this strong?"

At this moment, for the first time since awakening her S-grade adept power and being adored by the entire Sakura Nation,

the heavenly prodigy Sakura Rin—crowned the "Holy Maiden"—felt an unprecedented sense of defeat.

"But three sixth-rank adepts should be enough to crush him, right?"

Sakura Rin's entire power relied on her spirits.

Now that all her spirits were obliterated, restoring them would take time.

And her own strength was even weaker than an ordinary fourth-rank mid-tier adept.

Before this terrifying Thunder Prison, she could only turn her gaze to the battlefield...