Chapter 488: Wanton Crushing

"Who exactly are you?"

Among the thirteen, a wizard wearing a monocle and holding a metal book in his hand spoke in a deep voice.

Data streams were flashing rapidly on his monocle.

This was a high-level detection wizardry capable of analyzing the target's energy composition, law tendencies, and even soul intensity.

But at this moment, the more he analyzed, the uglier his face became.

Because the analysis results... were all garbled code.

That meant "unparseable."

The soul intensity was clearly only at the peak of Tier 5, but the external energy defense was as complex as a labyrinth, and his detection wizardry couldn't even penetrate the outermost layer.

What was even more terrifying was...

"Be careful."

The monocle wizard took a deep breath, saying to his companions in a dry voice:

"This guy... the 'energy level' of the attack just now has reached the standard of Tier 6 wizardry."

As soon as this was said, the faces of all the wizards around changed.

Although they knew Jie Ming's attack just now was very exaggerated, they really didn't expect it to be this conclusion.

Tier 6?

A Tier 5 wizard, an attack released at will, can reach Tier 6 power?!

Are you kidding me!

"Impossible!" A wizard wearing heavy armor and holding a giant hammer roared in a low voice, "There is an essential gap between Tier 5 and Tier 6! Even if he has some explosive secret technique, it is impossible to cross such a large level gap..."

"But the fact is exactly so."

The monocle wizard interrupted him, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling:

"My 'Eye of Truth' will not be wrong. The dark golden light that guy released just now, whether it is energy density, law completeness, or actual destructive power, all steadily reached the Tier 6 level."

He paused, looking at Jie Ming, his eyes full of dread:

"This guy... either hid his true level, or mastered some kind of forbidden technology we cannot understand that can significantly increase the power of wizardry."

But no matter which one it was, it meant danger.

Extremely dangerous.

For a time, all the wizards were facing a formidable enemy.

Looking at Jie Ming, who seemed to be still completely defenseless, they no longer held back and released their strongest defensive wizardry one after another.

A female wizard put her hands together, and a transparent force field supported around her.

Inside the force field, light began to twist, refract, and split, forming countless tiny prism structures like a kaleidoscope.

Any light-based attack entering this force field would be refracted and dispersed infinitely, eventually vanishing into nothingness.

Clearly, she was specifically prepared for Jie Ming's kind of "dark golden light" defense.

Other wizards also showed their magical powers:

Some summoned giant rock giants to block in front of them; some laid layers of curse traps under their feet; some directly entered a semi-virtual state, with their bodies constantly switching between solid and energy bodies; some even began to prepare large-scale spatial blockade wizardry to prevent Jie Ming from escaping.

... Although from the current situation, this spatial blockade wizardry was more like they were preventing Jie Ming from "pursuing."

Jie Ming looked at them frantically deploying defenses, his eyes still calm.

As if he didn't see those defensive wizardries that were taking shape, he spoke to himself:

"During this period, the loss rate and death rate of reconnaissance teams in this area are far higher than in other areas."

"On average, for every ten teams sent out, seven lose contact, and three retreat with serious injuries."

"And the teams that retreated brought back information all pointing to the same phenomenon—encountered an ambush by 'enemies far exceeding the norm', and the enemies cooperated tacitly, with insidious tactics."

Jie Ming's gaze slowly swept across the thirteen wizards around, his voice calm:

"It seems... it was you who did it."

"The two guys I just finished off, were they also your 'teammates'?"

Among the thirteen wizards, a wizard who summoned three obsidian rock giants over thirty meters high sneered upon hearing this:

"You guessed it right."

Then he looked at other companions:

"Don't go head-to-head with him! Drag him! As long as we persist for three minutes... no, two minutes! Our Tier 6 wizards will arrive!"

"When the time comes, no matter what trump card he has, he will definitely die!"

Hearing this, other wizards were refreshed.

That's right!

They are not fighting alone!

This area is a "hunting zone" set up by the coalition of the Chaos Secret Sect and the Tower of Extinction.

In addition to their Tier 5 elites, there are at least three Tier 6 wizards sitting in the rear, ready to support at any time!

Just dragging this monster for two minutes is enough!

Jie Ming, however, laughed upon hearing this.

In that smile, there was no tension at all, but rather... a playfulness as if hearing something interesting.

"Tier 6 wizards are coming?"

He nodded, his tone as relaxed as discussing what to eat for dinner:

"Since that's the case, it seems I have to solve you quickly."

"Lest... delay time."

As the words fell, Jie Ming raised his right hand.

Index finger extended, a little dark golden light on the fingertip began to condense again.

"Stop him!!!"

The monocle wizard roared hoarsely.

Almost at the same time, thirteen wizards launched attacks simultaneously.

"Earth Cage!!!"

The wizard summoning the rock giant clapped his palms on the ground, and countless thick rock tentacles suddenly exploded from the lava ground under Jie Ming's feet, winding towards Jie Ming's legs like pythons.

"Elemental Riot!!!"

Another wizard raised his staff high, and the elements in the sky began to riot frantically, fireballs, ice cones, thunder snakes, wind blades... tens of thousands of chaotic elemental attacks smashed towards Jie Ming like a rainstorm.

"Soul Scream!"

A Chaos Secret Sect wizard opened his mouth, emitting a silent spiritual impact acting directly on the soul level.

"Curse Rain!!!"

Finally, a female wizard formed seals with both hands, and black "raindrops" emitting rich ominous aura fell from the sky.

In every raindrop, there was a vicious curse capable of eroding flesh, polluting the soul, and weakening energy.

The joint attack of thirteen Tier

The entire area was completely submerged by the violent, turbulent energy flow.

However.

In the very center of this destructive storm.

Jie Ming did not even lift an eyelid.

The dark golden light at his fingertips had already condensed to the size of a soybean.

Then, he swept his finger casually in a circle.

The dark golden light, starting from his fingertip, spread outward in a fan shape.

Wherever the light passed.

The rock tentacles melted like ice and snow under the sun.

Elemental attacks were annihilated into the most basic particles the moment they touched the light.

Mental shocks were directly erased by the power contained within the light.

The rain of curses did not even manage to enter the range covered by the light before evaporating into black smoke in mid-air, vanishing without a trace.

Just a single "sweep."

The joint attack of thirteen wizards vanished into thin air.

And the aftermath of the dark golden light also incidentally "brushed" past the three obsidian rock giants that had just charged up.

Pfft, pfft, pfft.

Three soft sounds.

The thirty-meter-tall giants collapsed and disintegrated like sand sculptures, turning into a pile of lifeless rubble.

The entire scene was deathly silent.

All the wizards stared at this scene, dumbfounded.

They knew Jie Ming was strong.

But to be strong to this extent...

It had already exceeded their understanding of conventional wizards!

"His move has a flaw!"

The wizard with the monocle suddenly shouted sharply.

His "Eye of Truth" had been running at full power just now, capturing every detail of Jie Ming releasing the dark golden light.

"It requires about 0.1 seconds of charging before attacking! Although it's very short, for the reaction speed of a Level 5 wizard, this interval is enough to make a response!"

"This is our only chance, seize that 0.1-second charging interval!"

This information, quickly transmitted via mental power, made the eyes of the wizards present light up.

"Attack!"

A wizard wearing tight leather armor and holding two short blades was the first to move.

This wizard was a rare type who focused on "melee combat techniques."

The moment Jie Ming finished releasing the dark golden light, this wizard's body disappeared.

He stomped hard on the ground, his body tearing through the air and erupting in a deafening sonic boom cloud.

The ground beneath his feet was stomped into a crater several meters in diameter, and in an instant, he crossed a distance of several hundred meters, appearing behind Jie Ming.

His dual blades crossed, slashing toward Jie Ming's neck.

This strike condensed all his power, speed, and understanding of the law of "slashing."

Wherever the blades passed, the space itself was cut with two fine black cracks.

Clang!!!!

The explosive sound of metal clashing echoed across the battlefield.

The short blades stopped three inches in front of Jie Ming's neck.

They were blocked by a thin, almost invisible layer of transparent armor.

The Return to Ruins Armor.

Jie Ming did not even turn his head.

He just stood where he was, letting the dual blades that were sharp enough to cut through space hack at his Return to Ruins Armor.

"Wha...?!"

The melee wizard's pupils shrank sharply.

He wanted to retreat, change his move, and activate a life-saving wizardry.

But it was already too late.

Jie Ming's left hand swung backward casually, like swatting a fly.

The movement was not fast.

But in the perception of that melee wizard, that palm seemed to fill the heavens and earth, blocking all space for evasion, and came toward him with a sense of "inevitable hit."

He could only raise his dual blades to block in front of him.

Slap.

A soft sound came, like the sound of something being smashed.

Then, the melee wizard, along with the dual blades in his hands, turned into a mist of blood filling the sky.

And only then did the second wave of attacks released by the other wizards arrive late.

Fireballs, ice arrows, lightning spears, poison mist, curses, mental shocks...

Dozens of attacks of different attributes bombarded Jie Ming from all directions.

Jie Ming was too lazy to even dodge.

He just stood there, letting those attacks smash into him.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions were continuous.

The turbulent energy flow plowed the surrounding ground once more.

Smoke and dust rose into the sky.

But when the smoke and dust dispersed, Jie Ming was still standing in the same spot.

His gray robe was spotless, and his expression was as calm as before.

Even the ground beneath his feet did not show any new cracks—all the power had been perfectly absorbed and converted by the Return to Ruins Armor.

"How is it possible..."

"This... what kind of defense is this..."

"Even a Level 6 protective wizardry couldn't possibly block the joint attack of so many of us so easily!"

The wizards began to break down.

Can't hit him.

Simply can't hit him!

Attacks are ineffective, defense is invincible, and a casual strike can instantly kill the strongest melee fighter among them...

How is this still fightable?!

"My turn!"

The one speaking was a female wizard who had been chanting ancient and blasphemous incantations with her hands forming seals since just now.

After what was a long time for a wizard, her spell was finally completed!

Ominous black mist began to seep out of the surrounding space, and countless faces wailing in pain rolled within the mist.

This was her trump card, the "Soul Corruption Curse," which could directly erode the target's soul origin, pollute and twist it, and eventually completely "corrupt" them into a puppet without self-awareness.

To launch this curse, she even burned a part of her own soul as fuel.

A pitch-black beam of light that seemed to condense all the malice in the world shot out from her palm, heading straight for Jie Ming.

This time, Jie Ming finally reacted.

He... made a strange expression.

He tilted his head, looking at the incoming curse beam, with thoughts flashing in his eyes.

Then, under the dumbfounded gaze of everyone, he actively dispersed the Return to Ruins Armor on his chest.

Leaving a small area without any protection.

"Is he crazy?!"

"Courting death!!!"

In the eyes of the wizards, who were both shocked and delighted, the pitch-black beam hit Jie Ming's chest without any obstruction.

Then...

It sank in.

It disappeared.

As if a clay ox had entered the sea, it did not stir up a single ripple.

And Jie Ming revealed a playful expression.

"Quite brave..."

He muttered softly.

Then, at the position of his chest, a point of white light quietly lit up.

It was the automatic counterattack of the Profound Xuan Gang Hong Chen Barrier.

The power of the Profound Xuan Gang Hong Chen Barrier fed back along the invisible connection between the spell and the caster, instantly hitting the female wizard who had released the curse.

She didn't even have time to scream before her body began to melt like snow under the sun.

Skin, muscles, bones, internal organs, soul... layer by layer, they turned into the most basic light spots and dissipated into the air.

In an instant, the position where the wizard had originally been became empty, leaving only a wisp of fragrance belonging to the "Vows of All Living Beings" drifting away with the wind.

The other wizards present had their pupils shrink suddenly, but Jie Ming no longer wanted to "play" with them.

A wizard, who seemed particularly sensitive, sensed Jie Ming's change in mindset and flew away into the distance without warning.

"What kind of monster is this guy?! No, I must bring his intelligence back..."

Just as this wizard was thinking, Jie Ming appeared beside this wizard, who was supposed to be from the Tower of Silence, like a teleportation.

In his terrified gaze, Jie Ming raised his right hand and clenched his fist.

Then, he smashed down!

The fist easily pierced through the reaction shield on his body, which was created by two conflicting energies; Jie Ming's powerful physical body directly ignored the counterattack caused by the shield.

In the stunned gaze of this wizard, Jie Ming blew him up with one punch!

(End of chapter)