Volume 1, Chapter 25: Surviving the Bloodbath

At the breach in the main defensive line, Zhang Nan heard the commotion from the east. His eyes widened in fury, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"Chen Hao! You despicable, shameless dog!"

He roared, desperate to fly over and tear the infiltrators to shreds, but the fish-monsters before him grew increasingly savage and relentless, pinning him down and making it impossible to break free.

Su Mengyi’s healing burden suddenly intensified.

With the eastern line collapsed, a tide of severely wounded soldiers was being rushed toward her. Her face turned deathly pale, her body swaying as if she were about to be utterly drained by the endless stream of casualties.

Within the waters, the Lantern Fish King sensed the piercing, frigid killing intent aimed directly at its core, as well as the immense threat posed by the human, Li Hexuan.

A manic, brutal light flickered in its millstone-sized eye. The light from the "lantern" atop its head flared to its limit, the ghostly blue glow nearly solidifying and emitting terrifying waves that made one’s heart shudder.

"ROAR!"

A deafening, stone-shattering howl resonated throughout the entire Fallen Leaf Mountain waters. The peerless ferocity contained in that roar seemed to dissipate the thick fog shrouding the world.

At that moment, the dark, armored scales covering the Lantern Fish King’s body stood on end, as if it had instantly donned a hideous suit of armor composed of countless spikes.

It abruptly opened its blood-red maw, filled with layers of terrifying, jagged fangs. A dark green orb of venom, the size of a human head and radiating an intense, nauseating stench and a skin-crawling, corrosive aura, began to condense rapidly within its mouth.

The surface of the venom orb bubbled with unsettling intensity, and the surrounding air hissed and distorted, warped by the terrifying energy contained within.

"Oh no!"

Li Hexuan felt his scalp prickle. The destructive aura emanating from that dark green orb smelled strongly of death.

The base was already under attack from two sides; if he were to be caught by a full-power strike from this fish king, he would be critically wounded, if not killed outright.

The consequences would be unimaginable.

A flash of unwavering resolve crossed Li Hexuan’s eyes. He took a sharp breath, pouring every ounce of his strength into this moment, holding nothing back.

"Thunder! Judgment!"

He unleashed a roar that sounded like a thunderbolt descending from the heavens.

The lightning power within his body and his newly awakened electromagnetic energy erupted in a wild, unrestrained burst.

Violent, deep blue electric arcs surged from his body, rapidly weaving and swirling around him. They coalesced into a small field about seven or eight meters in diameter, filled with destructive, violent lightning and chaotic magnetic forces.

Countless tiny electric serpents darted through this field, flickering in and out of existence, while the air filled with the pungent smell of ozone.

Scattered metal debris in the vicinity vibrated violently, colliding and warping, some even being torn apart by the sheer force of the field.

"Prototype... Thunder Judgment Domain!"

Li Hexuan gritted his teeth, veins throbbing on his forehead as he forcibly maintained this terrifying power that far exceeded his current limits.

The Lantern Fish King seemed to sense this sudden, life-threatening destructive force.

The dark green venom orb, now condensed to its peak, shot from its mouth like a stream of dark green light, heading straight for Li Hexuan.

But under the intense interference of the prototype "Thunder Judgment Domain," the chaotic magnetic force acted upon the venom orb instantly.

The orb’s trajectory shifted visibly, whistling past the edge of the field and plunging directly into the dense pack of fish-monsters behind him.

BOOM!

The venom orb exploded, instantly creating a dark green zone of death. Countless unfortunate fish-monsters didn’t even have time to scream before they dissolved into pools of foul-smelling pus under the horrific corrosion.

Now!

Li Hexuan seized this fleeting opportunity. He poured the instantaneous power generated by the domain’s manifestation, along with all the remaining source energy in his dantian, into the metal spear in his hand without hesitation.

The tip of the spear flashed with blinding electric light, eventually condensing into a single, piercing speck of azure radiance.

Though small, the speck was so bright it was impossible to look at directly, holding the power of a thousand thunderstorms.

"Break... for me!"

Li Hexuan gathered all his strength, casting the spear—infused with his life’s energy and indomitable will—directly at the glowing blue "lantern" atop the fish king’s head, the symbol of its life core and power source.

The metal spear left his hand, becoming a shrill streak of blue light. It tore through the mist and pierced the curtain of water, striking with the momentum of a cataclysmic storm, aimed with pinpoint accuracy at the azure "lantern" that would decide the fate of the battlefield.

"THWIP—CRACK!"

A clear, chilling sound, like tough fabric being torn asunder, rang out abruptly.

Under the gaze of countless eyes—some terrified, some nervous, some expectant...

The metal spear, condensed with all of Li Hexuan’s power and will, shattered all resistance and drove deep into the very center of the Lantern Fish King’s blue "lantern."

"SPLAT!"

A dull, teeth-grinding thud followed.

The millstone-sized "lantern" shuddered violently, its blue light fading rapidly like a punctured balloon.

Hideous cracks erupted from the point of impact, spreading like a spiderweb.

"Gah... Gaaah...!!!"

The Lantern Fish King let out a heaven-shaking wail, its cry filled with agony and despair, stripped of its former majesty.

Its massive body thrashed and writhed in the murky water, kicking up waves dozens of meters high and crushing countless ordinary fish-monsters into pulp.

The blue "lantern" that had controlled the army and suppressed their abilities was now completely extinguished, dim as a dead star, with only broken shards remaining on the fish king’s head.

With the "lantern" shattered, the fearless fish-monster army lost its guidance, and its formation collapsed instantly.

Countless fish-monsters shrieked in confusion. Some spun in circles, others, driven into a frenzy by the king’s wails, attacked any living thing nearby, while most instinctively turned and fled into the depths of the fog.

On the battlefield, a strange scene of chaotic violence and sudden calm emerged.

"Hah... hah..."

After throwing the spear, Li Hexuan’s vision went black. His strength was spent, and a wave of severe exhaustion washed over him.

He swayed and fell to one knee, using the twisted metal spear to prop himself up so he wouldn't collapse completely.

Forcing the "Thunder Judgment Domain" prototype and the final desperate strike had drained the last drop of his source energy and mental strength.

"Mr. Li!"

Su Mengyi screamed. Ignoring the dangers of the battlefield, she rushed from the rear, her face full of anxiety and terror.

She knelt beside Li Hexuan, the dim light of her "Gift of Life" ability once again surging forth without regard for the cost, desperately pouring into Li Hexuan’s depleted body.