Chapter 370: Comprehensive Combat

Lin Xuan sent his final instructions to everyone through Ling Bo's mental bond: "Once you encounter a powerful enemy, do not get entangled in battle; reaching Tianmen is the primary mission. Remember, only when the five are gathered can the Heaven Origin Instrument be activated."

No sooner had the words fallen than the five scattered, disappearing into every corner of Kunlun Shan.

However, Mo Rui seemed to have anticipated their actions long ago. Inside the command center of the Star Domain Conqueror, Mo Rui coldly ordered: "Activate the 'Hunt for Origin Plan', dispatch all special forces, and spare no cost to stop them from reaching the target location."

A group of elite warriors prepared specifically for this operation was quickly deployed. These warriors had undergone special enhancement, each designed to target the characteristics of Five Elements Energy, equipped with gear and abilities capable of suppressing specific elemental powers.

Li Yan chose a route through an ancient pine forest. Here, the Spirit Qi was dense, which was favorable for the exertion of his Fire Element power. However, just as he passed through a canyon halfway up the mountain, three figures suddenly descended from the sky, blocking his path.

These three pursuers were covered in special silver-gray armor, the surface of which flowed with blue energy patterns, emitting a chill. They held peculiar weapons in their hands that looked like energy spears, but the spear tips were composed of solidified Water Element.

"Fire Element Houxuanzhe locked, beginning capture," the lead pursuer said mechanically, their voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Li Yan immediately understood that these pursuers were designed specifically to target his Fire Element ability. He took a deep breath, formed seals with his hands, and his entire body was instantly surrounded by orange-red flames: "Star-Extinguishing Blaze!"

A scorching dragon of flame roared from his palms, lunging straight at the three pursuers. However, to Li Yan's shock, the power of the Fire Dragon was greatly diminished upon contacting the pursuers' armor, and some of the flames were even absorbed and Zhuanghua into blue energy, flowing back into his own body.

"What kind of technology is this?" Li Yan retreated a step in surprise, feeling his Fire Element power being interfered with by some kind of force field.

The pursuers did not answer, instead launching an attack with astonishing speed. Their spears thrust toward Li Yan's vitals.

Li Yan was forced to fight with all his might, but he soon discovered he had fallen into an unfavorable situation. These pursuers could not only suppress his Fire Element ability but also interfere with his energy circulation through some method, causing the power of the Star-Extinguishing Blaze to be greatly discounted.

Just as he was driven into a desperate situation, a low roar came from deep within the forest. Over a dozen massive, half-plant, half-animal creatures rushed out from all directions, violently attacking the pursuers. These were the new creatures that had migrated from the Southern Jungle, and they seemed to have sensed Li Yan's crisis.

"Great!" Li Yan seized the opportunity, preparing to break through.

However, the pursuers' strength far exceeded expectations. They quickly adjusted their tactics, and the blue energy on their spears erupted, forming a frost shockwave that instantly froze several of the new creatures. But these creatures did not retreat; instead, they lunged at the enemies with even more frenzied postures, some even detonating the energy within their bodies, causing a massive explosion.

Li Yan realized these creatures were sacrificing themselves to buy him time.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Li Yan unleashed the strongest strike of the Star-Extinguishing Blaze, carving a path of fire on the ground, then charged out at full speed, continuing to advance toward the direction of Tianmen.

Meanwhile, Ling Bo chose a water route. She utilized the ability of the Water Element Component to travel through rivers and lakes, like a spirit in the water, moving extremely fast and difficult to track.

"Water element flow is normal, advancing according to plan," Ling Bo reported the situation to the others through the mental bond.

However, when she approached a high-altitude lake in the Kunlun Shan region, the surface of the lake suddenly rippled unnaturally. Six pursuers wearing red armor emerged from underwater, their bodies surrounded by eerie red energy, clearly a suppressing force aimed at the Water Element.

"Ambush detected!" Ling Bo immediately adjusted her direction, attempting to avoid them.

But it was too late; the pursuers had already activated special devices. Dozens of red energy orbs were thrown into the lake, quickly forming an energy net that interfered with the flow of the Water Element throughout the entire lake. Ling Bo felt her abilities severely restricted, and even breathing became difficult.

At the critical moment, several green lights suddenly shot out from the woods by the lake, precisely hitting the energy devices of two pursuers and causing a brief energy disturbance. A squad from the Green-Robed Person organization appeared in time, creating an opportunity for Ling Bo to break through.

"Miss Ling Bo, go quickly! We will cover you!" the lead Green-Robed Person shouted loudly, simultaneously detonating several specially made interference bombs.

Ling Bo seized the opportunity, focused all her willpower, forcibly broke through a corner of the energy net, transformed into a stream of water, and disappeared into the depths of the lake, continuing to advance toward the target location.

Xu Feng, meanwhile, advanced rapidly along the mountain road relying on his exquisite mechanical arts. His Metal Element Component allowed him to instantly understand and manipulate various mechanical devices, and he could even temporarily modify natural matter into simple mechanisms.

When five pursuers intercepted from above the cliff, Xu Feng was already prepared. He quickly activated pre-buried mechanical traps, and dozens of metal spheres exploded, releasing electromagnetic interference that temporarily paralyzed the pursuers' equipment systems.

"This level of interference is useless against me!" Xu Feng smiled confidently while his hands continuously assembled something.

Within a few short seconds, he had actually assembled a complex mechanical device from the parts he carried. After the device was activated, the ground shook, rocks split apart one after another, and an underground passage formed. Xu Feng leaped in, and the passage immediately closed behind him.

This high-intensity mechanical operation consumed a large amount of Xu Feng's energy, but it also successfully shook off most of the pursuers. His breathing became rapid, sweat seeped from his forehead, but he still firmly pushed forward.

Young Shi Qi displayed calmness and wisdom beyond her years. She continuously utilized her perception of the earth veins to alter the surrounding terrain, creating a maze-like environment that caused the trackers to lose their way in the complex valleys and rock arrays.

"Grandfather once said, the Earth Element is most about thickness and tolerance," Shi Qi whispered to herself, pressing her hands onto the ground as a flow of earth-yellow energy slowly poured into the earth.

The ground then underwent a wondrous change; the original path was covered by rocks, a new passage opened elsewhere, and the entire terrain kept changing like a living thing. The pursuers were trapped in this "Living Earth Maze," finding it difficult to determine Shi Qi's exact location.

The challenge Lin Xuan faced was the most severe. The top-tier hunter personally dispatched by Mo Rui had locked onto him—a tall warrior covered in black armor, whose true face could not be seen beneath the mask, but whose eyes flickered with a purple light unlike that of life on Diqiu.

"Lin Xuan, I have studied every one of your battles and understand every one of your abilities," the hunter's voice was low and calm, "You cannot escape."