Chapter 76: Thunder Extreme State! What Kind of Monster Is This?

Wang’s voice echoed through the cave, and the remaining team members turned to glare with hostile expressions.

The tall, thin man who had spoken earlier rushed forward in three swift strides to the spring.

After a brief inspection, he exclaimed happily:

“Captain, it’s confirmed—this is an S-class Earth Spirit Spring! And there’s enough for five people!”

We’re done for. They found us.

S-class heavenly treasures are invaluable even to top-tier factions.

This group of third-rank adepts would never give a share of an S-class Earth Spirit Spring to two second-rankers like us and our senior.

Worse still, if we anger them, we might not even survive to leave this place.

Realizing this, Jiang Chu could no longer cling to false hope.

She took a deep breath and spoke slowly:

“Since you’ve all figured it out, then these Earth Spirit Springs—”

“And the rare herbs and flowers—belong to you. We ask for nothing.”

“Senior, let’s go.”

Saying this, Jiang Chu reached out to pull Xu Jingming beside her.

But she found him rooted to the spot, immovable as a nail.

“Senior, you said it yourself—treasures go to those with the strength to claim them.”

“Wang’s team are all peak third-rank adepts. We can’t compete with them.”

Jiang Chu panicked, urgently urging him.

Her guard team was a third-rank elite squad, with the captain and vice-captain both peak third-rank experts.

The other three members were all at least mid-third-rank!

Such a team was terrifying—even weak fourth-rank beasts could be held at bay.

Though Xu Jingming could instantly kill a third-rank lower-tier Earth-Digging Dragon, against this team, the power gap was still far too great!

“Junior, you said it yourself—treasures go to those with strength. I don’t think I’m weaker than them.”

Crackling—

With a sound like a thousand birds shrieking, the purple thunder that had been restrained around Xu Jingming suddenly flared with brilliant lightning!

Simultaneously, his clear, dark eyes glowed with an unprecedented chill:

“Besides, even if we handed over every heavenly treasure, they wouldn’t let us live.”

From the moment the S-class Earth Spirit Spring was exposed, the final outcome between both sides was sealed.

“Hah! You’re bold in speech, but you’re right—I never intended to let you go.”

Wang, the leader, his eyes glinting with frost, and the rest of the team spread out, blocking every exit from the cave.

Seeing this, Jiang Chu’s face turned pale. “You’ve got the treasures—why won’t you let us go?”

“It’s because of you, Miss Jiang.”

Wang’s lips curled into a mocking smile:

“A blogger with ten million fans—go back and post a video crying for sympathy, and how will we ever survive? Better to make you vanish entirely—fewer headaches that way.”

“And your old lover beside you? We’ll take care of him too.”

“Because of me...”

Jiang Chu felt ice flood her limbs.

Indeed—

Since they’d decided to claim all the Earth Spirit Springs for themselves, they could never allow an unstable element like her to escape.

“Senior, this is my fault.”

“I’ll swallow the Blood-Explosion Pill to stall them for a moment—then you break out while they’re distracted.”

Jiang Chu whispered, her beautiful eyes flashing with resolve.

Then, a dark red pill appeared on her fingertip, and she swallowed it in one motion.

Jiang Chu whispered softly, a flicker of resolve passing through her beautiful eyes.

A sickly flush spread across Jiang Chu’s face as a powerful third-rank aura erupted from her body!

Simultaneously, a bone-chilling cold radiated from her, plunging the entire cave’s temperature sharply downward.

Within seconds, it dropped below ten degrees below zero!

Ice crystals formed on the cave ceiling, and even the small pool of Earth Spirit Spring froze over with a thin layer of ice.

“Jiang Chu is mine. Zhou Chong, deal with her old lover first. The rest of you, hold the exit.”

Ice crystals formed on the ceiling of the cave, and even the small pool of earth-spirit spring surfaced with a thin layer of ice.

A team member wielding a long blade grinned as he advanced toward Xu Jingming.

Meanwhile, Captain Wang slowly approached Jiang Chu.

The others stood by the exit, smirking, ready to watch the show.

“Miss Jiang, sorry—but you’ll die today.”

Wang’s face twisted into a feral grin as two sharp fangs grew from his mouth.

Simultaneously, his limbs swelled with muscle, and gray-yellow fur sprouted across his exposed skin.

On his forehead, the fur subtly formed the shape of a “Wang” character!

Enhanced Beast-Type C-Rank Ability—“Sabertooth Tiger!”

In this beast form, his physical strength surged dramatically across all aspects.

Just with this form alone, he’d slain countless beasts and human adepts.

“Captain, take it easy—don’t kill her outright. The guys want to enjoy her first.”

At the cave entrance, a male team member stared hungrily at Jiang Chu’s curves.

“Don’t worry—I won’t kill such a fine beauty right away.”

Wang licked his lips.

Farther away, Jiang Chu watched this scene and felt despair settle over her.

They’d assigned separate members to handle her and her senior, while others blocked the exit.

No matter what she did, escape was impossible now.

“I should never have brought Senior here—now he’ll die with me.”

Jiang Chu regretted bitterly.

But then, a thunderclap suddenly rang from the side—followed by a piercing scream.

“Zhou Chong, what the hell are you doing? Fighting a second-rank upper-tier adept and making this much noise...”

Wang frowned, turning his head—but his words cut off as his pupils shrank.

Before him, Xu Jingming’s spear had pierced through Zhou Chong’s heart, impaling him high into the air with shocking force.

Wang Dui frowned and turned his head; before he could finish speaking, his pupils shrank.

The terrifying lightning surging along the spear had charred Zhou Chong’s chest and battle robe to ash!

“C...Cap...tain...”

Zhou Chong gasped two words, then his head slumped, life extinguished.

Xu Jingming yanked his spear back with a sharp motion.

With a wet *plop*, blood gushed violently from the severed major artery.

The corpse, now unsupported, fell like a broken doll to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Looks like your team’s strength isn’t so impressive...”

Xu Jingming’s Dark Cloud Gale Spear trembled slightly, emitting a resonant hum.

Combined with the flickering, terrifying lightning swirling around him, a powerful aura swept through the entire cave.

“Zhou Chong’s dead?!”

Xu Jingming’s kill happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time the others reacted, Zhou Chong was already dead beyond recovery.

Each of them glared at Xu Jingming with fury.

But due to their disciplined training, none broke ranks or left their posts.

“Zhou Chong may have been only mid-third-rank, but he wasn’t someone easily killed.”

“So... you’re the real problem...”

Wang drew a deep breath, his gaze turning deadly.

He abandoned Jiang Chu instantly, lunging forward with a flash of motion, slashing his blade at Xu Jingming with a feral snarl:

“Then die with Zhou Chong! Tiger Roar Slash!”

He then abandoned Jiang Chu outright, his figure flashing forward as he lunged before Xu Jingming, raising his blade with a ferocious expression.

With a deep tiger’s roar, his massive blade slashed toward Xu Jingming as if tearing the air itself apart.

But Xu Jingming remained calm, his feet surging with lightning as he dodged sideways with “Thunder Flash.”

Accompanied by a low tiger’s roar, the massive blade slashed toward Xu Jingming with a force that seemed to tear the air apart.

Yet Xu Jingming remained utterly calm, his feet surging with thunder as he dodged sideways using Thunder Flash.

Boom!!

The great knife slashed against the stone wall, instantly blasting a crater over three meters in diameter!

Shattered rocks continued to tumble down.

Xu Jingming frowned at the sight; judging solely by the strength of the attack, this third-rank peak squad leader was indeed significantly stronger than him.

But with Lei Shan, escaping would be troublesome—yet still possible—even taking Jiang Chu along wouldn’t be an issue.

“Pity—I want this S-class Earth Spirit Spring and all these rare flowers and herbs too...”

Xu Jingming took a deep breath, then a faint smirk curled at the corner of his resolute, handsome face:

“If that’s the case, I’ll have to eliminate you all... Lei Jí Tái!”

BOOM!!!

Before the stunned eyes of Wang’s squad, countless blue-purple lightning bolts erupted outward from Xu Jingming!

Crackling—

The entire cave instantly became a miniature thunderstorm zone, lightning flashing and thunder roaring.

Blue-purple lightning, carrying the primal essence of the heavens, rained down relentlessly, spraying dirt everywhere!

What terrified Wang’s squad even more was that Xu Jingming’s aura kept surging upward, his height continuously increasing!

One point nine meters... one point nine five... two meters... two point zero five...

BAM!

Xu Jingming’s upper-body battle attire exploded into shreds, revealing his bare torso like a work of art.

Muscles twisted and knotted, radiating raw, violent beauty!

At the same time, Xu Jingming’s cold, sharply defined black-and-white eyes flipped violently.

Transformed into a pair of dragon-like vertical pupils, swirling with blue lightning and brimming with savage fury!

Finally, before Wang’s squad stood a towering figure, wreathed in blue-purple lightning.

Over two meters tall, massive in build, exuding a terrifying aura like that of a supreme draconic beast.

“W-What kind of monster is this?!”

Gazing at Xu Jingming’s towering, iron-like form, Wang’s squad leader swallowed hard.