Before the punch even arrived, the force of the blow made it impossible for Ling Yun to open his eyes. He couldn't jump or dodge, and even if he ducked, he was still within the range of Wu Xun's punch. He could only block, not dodge, this third heavy punch.
All the powerful figures witnessed Ling Yun deflecting Wu Xun's two powerful punches, and they couldn't help but marvel at it, raising their standards for Ling Yun's strength even further. Even though Ling Yun appeared quite disheveled, he had still managed to directly withstand two full-force attacks from Wu Xun. Not only could no superhuman below the instructor level do that, but even the other instructors present would mostly have opted to dodge, given Wu Xun's innate superhuman strength, which gave him a significant advantage. To confront him head-on would be a foolish act of using one's limited strength against another's superior power.
Most of the instructors were seeing the Five Elements Fist's ability to control the earth for the first time, and most of them were startled, having never seen Wu Xun use his transformation in public before. Many began to secretly wonder how they would dodge Wu Xun's incredibly powerful punches if they were in Ling Yun's position.
As Luo Panxi saw Wu Xun unleash his third heavy punch, Ling Yun seemed unable to dodge it. He clenched his fists tightly, a silver light flashing on them. His mental energy field was ready to be unleashed. If Ling Yun was indeed unable to avoid it, he was prepared to save him at the last moment. Judging from the power of Wu Xun's punch, let alone a small living person like Ling Yun, even a heavy tank would probably be smashed to pieces.
Ling Yun sighed inwardly. He had originally wanted to test his strength against Wu Xun to see how much his power had improved since emerging from the core space. Now it seemed that although his strength had grown to be comparable to the instructor's, he was still a step behind. At least under Wu Xun's powerful punch, he couldn't dodge it with his own strength alone. Although he didn't know if his energy crystallized body could withstand this earth-shattering blow, Ling Yun rarely experimented on himself; after all, preserving his own life was the most important thing.
In reality, Ling Yun had underestimated his own strength. Even before transforming, Wu Xun's power was already considerable among the instructors; after transforming, his strength rivaled that of a colonel at the Heavenly Eye Academy. Moreover, even among equally powerful individuals, not everyone could withstand his unparalleled, powerful punches. Furthermore, after transforming, Wu Xun's strength would be significantly reduced, even weaker than that of ordinary ability users, requiring at least several days to recover. During this time, he couldn't engage in combat—this was the side effect of the greatly increased power after transforming.
Suddenly, a bright silver light shone from Ling Yun's body, instantly forming an impenetrable sphere that enveloped both Ling Yun and Wu Xun, immediately obscuring everyone's view.
Everyone was stunned, wondering what Ling Yun was up to. Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the sphere of light, and an incredibly powerful golden beam, as thick as a bowl, shot out from the silver sphere like an enlarged Ruyi Jingu Bang, instantly blasting Wu Xun out.
Wu Xun was pushed back more than ten meters by the golden beam of light. He fell backward and landed heavily in the corner of the square with a thud. His huge and heavy body immediately smashed the blue bricks on the square to pieces.
Without the slightest pause, Wu Xun leaped up like a furious lion. Just as he saw that Ling Yun was unable to dodge, his third heavy punch was intended to shatter Ling Yun's skull. However, to his utter surprise, Ling Yun's body did not move at all, but suddenly a thick golden light shot out from his chest. The two bodies were extremely close, and the punch was aimed at his chest. Caught off guard, Wu Xun was immediately struck by the immense force, and his final heavy punch completely missed. Even though he was incredibly strong after his transformation, he couldn't help but feel weak and exhausted after swinging too hard and missing the target.
The silver light vanished abruptly, and Ling Yun stood expressionless, his disheveled appearance completely gone. The young man had returned to normal in a mere moment. He stretched out his arm, his right hand clenched tightly, and a silver longsword, almost tangible, slowly formed in his hand, its two-meter-long, luminous tip pointing at Wu Xun in the distance.
Everyone was stunned again. They had just seen Wu Xun gain the upper hand and was about to kill Ling Yun with his fists. How could the situation have reversed so quickly? Because Ling Yun had used his mental field to shield everyone's vision and senses, and the change happened so suddenly, no one knew what had happened.
Luo Panxi slowly lowered his clenched fist, and his mental energy field, which had been gathering momentum, gradually dissipated. It seems that Ling Yun still has a backup plan; there's no need to worry about him being killed by Wu Xun with one punch! Very well, let's see what his true strength is.
Although Ling Yun remained expressionless, he secretly felt fortunate. If it weren't for the sudden lightning attack from the barrier within his body, he truly wouldn't know how he would have blocked Wu Xun's heavy punch. However, having ultimately used power that wasn't his own, Ling Yun couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
When his body was crystallized by energy and he gained control of the Heavenly Net Barrier, the Yellow Book Barrier within his body was also crystallized and reorganized. Afterwards, the Yellow Book Barrier underwent a miraculous change. The control model of the Heavenly Net suddenly appeared inside the first layer of the barrier, thus closely linking the characteristics of the Heavenly Net Barrier with the Yellow Book Barrier. This gave the Yellow Book Barrier the ability to attack automatically and to store energy on its own, instead of relying on Ling Yun's mental energy field as its source. In this way, Ling Yun was essentially carrying a destructive weapon with immense power that no one else could know about. Under the threat of Wu Xun's heavy punch, when else would he not use it?
Because the yellow book was extremely well hidden within his body, and after the energy crystallized, even the yellow book mark on his chest was concealed within his body, leaving no trace on the outside, even Luo Panxi and the others didn't notice anything amiss, let alone the other instructors. They simply assumed that Ling Yun still had a life-saving method up his sleeve. However, no one was particularly surprised. Every strong person has a special last resort, used to save their life or in intense battles, often with unexpected results. Wu Xun's transformation was the most obvious example. Therefore, while everyone was somewhat surprised that Ling Yun had reversed the battle situation in the blink of an eye, it was not entirely unexpected.
Wu Xun had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped, looking down at his chest with a puzzled and strange expression. When he was struck by the golden light emanating from the Lingyun Breastplate, he hadn't felt much pain. It was just that the golden light was incredibly powerful and had caught him off guard, which was why it had sent him flying far away. Wu Xun didn't even feel that he was injured; he had just fallen backward. The real reason for his rage was that he couldn't bear the sight of everyone.
But just moments later, a sharp pain in his chest told him that the attack was not so simple. His transformed body not only had increased defense, but also, under the protection of his mental field, was less sensitive to pain. The fact that he could feel such intense pain meant that the attack had damaged his body to a certain extent, even threatening his life.
I don't know when it started, but the once glossy blue chest has turned completely charred, and the pungent smell of burning flesh constantly assaults my nostrils. The lifelike tiger head has vanished completely, replaced by a faint yet persistently burning blue flame!
Chapter 200 Formation
If it weren't for the pain, Wu Xun would have even mistaken the blue flames for his own skin!
The azure flame, though so weak it seemed it could be extinguished with a single breath, was completely still in the slightest breeze, as if burning in a vacuum. In the blink of an eye, it had expanded from the size of a bowl on Wu Xun's chest to the size of a plate.
Wu Xun roared furiously, and a tangible blue light flashed like a storm. His mental energy field surged out almost entirely, but the blue flames seemed unmoved by all the changes, still burning weakly and even steadily, scorching Wu Xun's massive body bit by bit. The smell of burning spread far and wide in the air, reaching the noses of everyone. The faces of the powerful figures changed drastically. They didn't know what kind of flame this was, that even their mental energy field couldn't extinguish it.
Ling Yun stared expressionlessly at Wu Xun. The lightning power of the barrier wasn't so easily blocked; the azure flames possessed such power only because they contained pure energy. Even powerful beings like great wizards would be instantly reduced to ashes when faced with such energy fire, leaving not even a trace of bone. Although the azure flames contained very little energy, it was still beyond Wu Xun's power to withstand.
Just now, Wu Xun attacked with all his might without any regard for others; a single heavy punch would have been enough to turn Ling Yun into mincemeat. This was no longer a contest, but a naked massacre. Since the other party was so ruthless and showed no regard for his life, Ling Yun would not hold back either.
Wu Xun's roars turned into a series of agonizing screams. The energy flames instantly engulfed his entire upper body, and his azure transformation, capable of withstanding temperatures of 500 degrees Celsius, quickly turned charred black in the flames, emitting a foul odor of carbonization and burning. His body rapidly shrank, returning to its original size in mere moments. All the energy he had gained after the transformation was predatoryly devoured by the energy flames, which then burned back and harmed him.
"Help! Help me!" Wu Xun screamed desperately, staggering as he was about to fall onto the square.
Three swift figures rushed to his side, their three hands almost simultaneously pressing against Wu Xun's chest, back, and abdomen. A powerful spiritual force field was simultaneously unleashed, and the azure flames of energy fire flickered unwillingly, stubbornly burning on Wu Xun's body for a moment before slowly extinguishing.
Luo Panxi, Tie Li, and Li Zhongqi exchanged glances, their eyes filled with astonishment. Even with their strength, knowledge, and experience, they had never seen such domineering flames. It actually took the combined strength of all three of them to barely extinguish them.
Wu Xun collapsed unconscious to the ground, a wisp of black smoke slowly rising from his back. His upper body was completely charred, covered in open wounds and congealed blood from the intense heat—a horrific sight. The energy fire had not only damaged his skin but also severely injured his internal organs. Even if Wu Xun's life wasn't in danger, it would take a long time for him to recover his strength and health.
Luo Panxi turned around, staring coldly at Ling Yun, and shouted sternly, "Ling Yun, how could you inflict such a cruel and inhuman attack on Instructor Wu? Are you even human? And you still claim to have shown mercy?"
Ling Yun remained motionless, his face expressionless, and slowly shook his head, saying, "Chief Luo, swords have no eyes, and life and death are determined by fate. From the third floor of headquarters onwards, everyone who intercepted me wanted to take my life. If it weren't for my good fortune, I would probably have died under Team Leader Ye Feng's sword long ago, let alone being called a poisoner. Even if I have no merit to headquarters, I certainly have no debt to them. Just because of some fabricated reason of benefiting from the Heavenly Eye, are you going to forcibly keep me here and risk my life? You saw it yourself just now, Wu Xun's last attack could have killed me. I showed him mercy, but who showed mercy to me?"
Luo Panxi snorted coldly: "I won't let him beat you to death. If you were obedient, you would be a nuisance. Why would we have so much trouble?"
Ling Yun shook his head again: "Chief Luo, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. The Heavenly Eye does not belong to the Superpower Headquarters, so don't go to great lengths to obtain it. Moreover, does possessing the Heavenly Eye mean that the Superpower Headquarters can be above all superpowered individuals? I don't think so. I've said it before, I don't want to be enemies with anyone, but if someone really stands in my way, then that person is my enemy. Wu Xun's situation is entirely his own fault, and no one here has anything to say about it."
A moment of silence fell over everyone. Ling Yun was right; Wu Xun had indeed tried to kill Ling Yun first. No matter how ruthless Ling Yun's counterattack was afterward, it was Wu Xun's own fault. Even the instructors who had been looking on with grief and indignation and wanted to stand up for Wu Xun stopped in their tracks, their faces showing resentment as they lowered their heads and remained silent.
Luo Panxi said calmly, "A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. If you let a three-year-old child walk in the bustling city with gold in his pocket, would you naively think that others wouldn't try to steal it? My method is actually very gentle and does not require the use of force. As long as Gu Xiaorou agrees to join the Superpower Headquarters and accept its protection, then the Heavenly Eye will always be hers. No one, including the head instructor, will covet what belongs to her."
Ling Yun's face showed a sarcastic smile: "Since Chief Luo says so, then what's wrong with me joining the Superpower Headquarters on behalf of Gu Xiaorou? If the Heavenly Eye will always belong to her and no one will covet it, then I think she would be happy to keep it in a place where no one knows about it. What do you think, Chief Luo?"
Luo Panxi stared intently at him, a hint of anger flashing across his face: "Ling Yun, are you toying with me?"
"I wouldn't dare." Ling Yun's smile remained unchanged. "Chief Luo, I just want to say that everyone knows what your purpose is. What you're after is Gu Xiaorou's Heavenly Eye. Let's not say such formalities."
He paused for a moment, then said seriously, "I just hope that Chief Luo will keep his word. If I get out of the Superpower Headquarters safely, Chief Luo will not make things difficult for us anymore."
Luo Panxi said coldly, "Of course I keep my word, but you have no hope of escaping, so there's no 'what if'."
Ling Yun smiled faintly: "We'll see. It's just a piece of cake for me to leave here. The reason I'm staying is to see who can be my opponent. If they really can't, then, Chief Luo, I'll have to ask you to take action yourself." As he spoke, he pointed westward towards the compass.
Luo Panxi thought he was being arrogant again and was so angry that he couldn't speak. He said sternly, "Fine, fine, as expected, heroes emerge from among the young. Ling Yun, you have guts. Since you can defeat Wu Xun, it proves that you have the strength of an instructor. Although we three old guys are not very talented, we must respect our status as a junior like you and will naturally not make a move."
Ling Yun held his sword horizontally, silently awaiting his next move. He figured the other side had already made arrangements; if one instructor couldn't defeat him, they would naturally send more. Even if Wu Xun were to confront Ling Yun, given his age and experience, it was already a case of the older bullying the younger. Since Wu Xun was still defeated after his transformation, the excuse of bullying was no longer valid; he had to be defeated. Even if Ling Yun was incredibly powerful, defeating Wu Xun was his limit; he couldn't possibly face more than two instructors simultaneously.
Luo Panxi waved his hand slightly, and six instructors immediately stepped out, standing in deliberately arranged positions to form a simple hexagonal square formation. Ling Yun noticed that each instructor's feet were faintly glowing with silver light, a sign that their telekinetic power was about to be unleashed. The six instructors' mental energy fields seemed to be in sync, circulating clockwise like a stream of light, constantly drawing hexagonal circles.
As the light accelerated, a precise hexagon composed entirely of silver lines of mental energy field was formed. Faint energy emanated from the hexagonal array, as if the array organically combined the strengths of the six instructors, converging them into a terrifying power as deep as the abyss.
“Ling Yun, you don’t need to leave the Superpower Headquarters. The three of us old guys won’t attack you. As long as you can break through the formation of these six instructors, my promise will be valid. You can leave at any time. I won’t let everyone rush up and capture you. The headquarters is reasonable. Of course, if you don’t dare to try, then you can just obediently do as I say.” Luo Panxi’s anger seemed to have disappeared, and he smiled faintly as he spoke.
Ling Yun smiled faintly: "Chief Luo, you really took care of me. You didn't let all the instructors beat me to death. You're really reasonable. Shouldn't I thank you properly?"
Luo Panxi seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, and simply glanced at him: "The choice is yours. Don't blame me for not telling you beforehand that this formation has both offensive and defensive characteristics. If you get trapped inside the square formation, it's like entering a meat grinder, where you'll be ground to dust."
Ling Yun silently raised his silver lightsaber. Even without Luo Panxi's explanation, he could see the terrifying power of this simple yet effective offensive and defensive formation. Let alone the combined strength of six instructor-level experts, even a single instructor would likely be no match for Ling Yun if he didn't rely on the yellow book barrier and his control over the Heavenly Net barrier.