Chapter 441: One‑Hammer Instant Kill

The moment he emerged from the portal, Lei En heard at least five hundred heartbeats in his ears.

The sound of all things ran to the Extreme Warrior limit, and the multi‑core crystal had already activated; in just a few seconds, he identified the strongest of those hundreds of heartbeats, like a thundering drum, undeniably a legendary‑level melee combatant with an exceptionally robust physique.

Beside this legend stood six slightly weaker transcendents, likely high‑rank warriors.

Lei En listened to the heartbeats while observing his position.

During the portal's activation, he had already scouted the target terrain, locating himself outside the island's sole castle.

Ai Mili Si had introduced it before the battle; this is Dragon Crystal Castle.

This ancient castle has stood on the island for thousands of years, built from massive rocks, entirely jet‑black, perched on a cliff on the north side of Dragon Crystal Island, rising more than a hundred meters above sea level, entirely jet‑black, the main keep over thirty meters tall, protected by a towering hexagonal wall; the courtyard between the keep and the wall spans nearly a hundred meters, and six soaring stone archways connect the keep with the watchtowers on the wall.

The rugged terrain combined with the sturdy fortifications makes Dragon Crystal Castle comparable to a military stronghold.

The main keep has seven floors; on the highest platform stands a stone carving of a giant dragon, the benevolent dragon god Bahamut.

It crouches on the high platform, wings folded, gazing out over the Black Wind River Bay dozens of li away.

Waluogen had long ago surveyed the castle's interior; King Ma Erke dispatched a transcendental legion of three hundred to guard Dragon Crystal Castle, led by a legendary warrior named Luo Si Bi.

"That heartbeat must be Luo Si Bi."

Lei En locked onto the source.

Dragon Crystal Castle is easy to defend but hard to assault; the best approach is to breach it from within.

However, the castle is sealed with a separating formation, preventing direct teleportation; Lei En's portal was positioned outside the castle, less than a hundred meters from the wall, practically under his eyelid.

He appeared and was immediately spotted by the wall's guards.

The guards wore enchanted armor, each bearing a deer‑head crest with antlers shaped like a tree‑fork on their chests, representing the Lao Bo Di Er family.

Outside the tower's wall hung a banner‑style flag depicting a running black deer.

Amid loud shouts, the watchtower's crossbow cannon swivelled its barrel; before it could aim, Lei En's feet punched a huge pit in the ground, propelling his whole body upward onto the wall.

Bang!

Lei En landed outside the tower's gate, charged in and smashed two crossbow‑operating guards, swinging his war hammer which unleashed massive bolts of lightning that swept the tower's interior, killing every guard.

The battle rattled the entire castle.

Amid the sound of all things, Lei En heard the legend's heartbeat racing, heavy footfalls thudding rapidly, moving so fast it seemed a small mountain were running.

More guards poured out of the castle's great hall, charging up the wall.

Meanwhile, from the portal outside, Bo Erqi, A Si Tan, Jia La De Luo Si and Yi Geng burst out one after another.

The three dragons, though in human form, exuded a terrifying aura.

The guards on the wall fell into panic; someone shouted, "They're all legends, run!"

Yet the true death god stood among them.

Lei En cleared the tower, raised his hand and fired a Rainbow Light Beam—already a Five‑Ring Beam—over fifty meters long, thicker than an arm, its rainbow‑colored radiance packed with terrifying destructive power, like the sharpest giant blade, sweeping across the wall in the direction he pointed.

"Aaah…" A chorus of screams rose as a dozen or so guards were sliced apart on the spot.

The entire stretch of wall was swept clean.

Only two or three quick‑reacting transcendents rolled aside on the spot to avoid disaster; before they could celebrate, A Si Tan and the three dragons also leapt onto the wall.

Facing four legendary strongmen, the guards had no chance to retaliate and were cut down instantly.

The guards who had just surged from the hall, seeing this, were terrified; someone turned and fled back into the castle, colliding with unaware guards behind them, creating utter chaos.

"Split up and act."

Lei En shouted loudly.

According to the plan, he, A Si Tan, and the three dragons would lead the charge to seize control of the Dragon Crystal Dragon, needing a swift, decisive battle to capture the castle as fast as possible, allowing no one to escape and report, lest they rouse the Gray Whale Port in the bay dozens of li away.

A Si Tan and the three dragons each took charge of a section of the wall.

When Lei En shouted, he triggered the Mirror Image Technique, and five identical Lei Ens appeared around him, each clad in a blood‑red great cloak, wielding a war hammer, leaping down into the courtyard between the wall and the keep.

Each Mirror Image, under the control of the multi‑core crystal, possessed its own independent consciousness, employing the most suitable combat tactics.

Flash, thunderous strike!

Electric Blast Orb, Rainbow Light Beam, chain lightning…

Multicolored spells ignited, falling on the chaotic guards, terrifying energy ravaged them, and screams continued unabated.

Most of these guards were low‑rank transcendents, also wearing enchanted armor, but under Lei En's spell bombardment they were virtually ineffective.

In just a few dozen seconds, the guards before the castle's great hall were slaughtered completely.

Occasionally someone survived the spell damage thanks to protective gear, but before they could flee, a Mirror Image flashed before them and hammered them into meat paste.

Such a horrific sight instantly left the castle's guards pale with fear; no one dared to charge again, all scrambling for hidden corners to hide.

The five Mirror Images split up, hunting enemies everywhere.

Lei En stood before the castle's main gate, corpses littering the ground beneath his feet; after a few seconds, a massive figure finally surged down from the upper levels of the castle.

Bang! Bang! Bang…

Each of the opponent's steps caused the ground to tremble; Lei En squinted, sizing up this legend.

He stood over 2.3 meters tall, comparable to an Extreme Warrior; a pure‑blood human reaching such height is exceedingly rare.

Even more astonishing was his build—neither a tiger‑back nor a bear‑waist could describe it; his body expanded laterally like a massive barrel, the half‑armor barely containing it, two exposed arms as thick as pillars, darkened skin, and his war helm bore a pair of antler‑like ornaments.

This image matches the intel Waluogen provided; he is Luo Si Bi, a legendary Giant Deer Warrior.

Kangjiatuo's transcendents are distinctive, differing from the Empire's transcendental professions.

Living in remote regions, they tackled the Blood Soul Curse by adopting a beast‑warrior cultivation path, merging bloodlines to empower themselves and suppress the curse within their souls.

Generations of bloodline inheritance altered Kangjiatuo peoples' physique and appearance; the stronger they become, the more they diverge from humans.

Kangjiatuo's bloodline warriors number over a hundred types, with six most successful and refined, corresponding to the six great families aside from the Zhuogeng Fortress dragon‑descendants.

King Ma Erke's Lao Bo Di Er family controls the Giant Deer bloodline, and the transcendental legion they train consists mainly of Giant Deer Warriors.

Giant Deer Warriors fuse the Wind‑Rage Giant Deer bloodline, granting them towering size, extraordinary strength, enduring stamina, and immense regenerative and defensive power; they run slightly slower, yet move nimbly in close quarters, and on Kangjiatuo there is no transcendental fighter stronger than a Giant Deer Warrior!

The Luosi Bi before me is a Giant Deer Warrior, at level twelve, the pinnacle of the early legendary stage.

Lei En's Soul Eye sees through Luosi Bi's background.

More than twenty Elements manifest, the most notable being the level‑eight "Strength" and "Limb Regeneration", and the level‑seven "Self‑Healing"—all three are Super‑Exceptional Elements. In addition there is a series of melee Elements: Blood Frenzy, Charge, Angry Strike, and so on, making him undoubtedly a battle‑hardened legendary warrior.

The Giant Deer Warrior is not a purely melee class; the Wind‑Rage Giant Deer Bloodline also grants several wind‑type spells for acceleration and control, enhancing attack potency.

Luosi Bi catches sight of Lei En standing at the castle hall entrance, a half‑face hidden by a dense beard showing a look of puzzlement.

He then sees the corpse at Lei En's feet, and his eyes instantly redden as he enters a Blood Frenzy state.

"No matter who you are, daring to breach Dragon Crystal Castle, you will pay the price!"

Luosi Bi roars in fury.

He wields a massive axe weighing a thousand pounds, its blade flashing with a blue sheen, power surging, and charges wildly at Lei En.

Lei En can't help but shake his head inwardly.

Another brute; a Giant Deer Warrior who knows spells is not much better than a berserker.

Luosi Bi's towering body rolls forward like a small mountain, surrounded by blue qi streams, wind blades slicing air and ground; the aura is terrifying, as if ten thousand troops are charging, crushing all enemies in the way.

"You are courting death," Lei En says calmly.

He shows no intention to dodge, instantly triggers Blood Frenzy, his body swelling outward, and swings his war hammer to meet Luosi Bi head‑on.

The two figures collide instantly.

The qi blades surrounding Luosi Bi cut Lei En, yet leave no scar; his massive axe strikes Lei En, emitting a deafening blast.

Bang!

Amidst sparks flying, a terrifying recoil reverberates through the axe, his arms go numb and weak; Luosi Bi feels he has struck not a body but a wall of steel.

Almost at the same instant, Lei En's war hammer also lands on Luosi Bi.

This hit‑for‑hit style is the Giant Deer Warrior's specialty; stunned, Luosi Bi shouts "bad luck" but cannot evade in time.

The hammer strike smashes his head.

Even though Luosi Bi possesses the level‑five "Giant Deer Skin", defense comparable to a steel knight, his head is still blown apart by a single hammer blow; a blood‑red cloak is the last sight he sees.

The towering headless body crashes down.

Without a head, Limb Regeneration fails; he is utterly dead.

Lei En steps over Luosi Bi's corpse, gives it no further glance, and continues hunting the castle's foes. Besides Luosi Bi, the castle houses several high‑rank Giant Deer Warriors; some fight to the death, some flee, some hide, but before Lei En and his Mirror Images, none can escape, all meeting the same end.

Asitan and the three‑headed dragon also cleared the wall guards, entered the castle together, and engaged; Lei En's original body plus five Mirror Images, ten legendary‑level strongmen in total, made for a one‑sided slaughter.

After ten minutes, Lei En's Mirror Images vanish.

At this point, the remaining enemies in Dragon Crystal Castle are few; only a little over two hundred ordinary servants of the transcendent are left, driven onto an open ground, huddling together trembling.

Lei En and his companions continue the sweep until they confirm all hidden foes have been eliminated.

Within Dragon Crystal Castle there is a secret passage leading to a dock beneath the cliff; Lei En personally traverses it, reaches the dock, where several ships docked have already been cleared by Yi Geng's teleportation, the decks littered with corpses, no living soul left.

Moments later, a ship carrying a centaur army appears at sea; on the deck of the first vessel, Ai Mi Li Si gazes into the distance.

She sees Lei En's figure on the dock, and her anxious heart finally settles.

(End of Chapter)