Volume 1, Chapter 38: Turmoil in the Ranks

After a brief respite, the group set off once more.

The path to the tower top was a true trial. The third floor was filled with swarms of crystal scorpions, capable of refracting light to become almost entirely invisible. Relying on their extensive combat experience and absolute trust in one another, the team established a crossfire grid. With Li Hexuan providing precise electromagnetic lock-on targeting, they managed to annihilate the entire swarm without incident.

The fourth floor was a massive labyrinth composed of energy, within which wandered intelligent energy aggregates. These entities lacked fixed forms but could mimic the abilities of any intruder. Here, Su Mengyi’s unique constitution played a pivotal role.

"To the left—the energy flow in that passage is the most stable."

In the labyrinth, she closed her eyes, sensing the surroundings with her heart. The energy veins of the entire tower transformed into a clear map in her perception; traps and passages were laid bare at a glance. She even discovered that the vines she cultivated not only remained intact when touching those energy aggregates but could actually absorb their energy, briefly binding them in the process. Guided by Su Mengyi and the team’s seamless coordination, they successfully cleared the fourth floor.

Finally, after passing through a film of starlight energy, they stepped onto the summit of the Source Energy Tower.

It was not a rooftop, but an incredibly vast circular platform. Above it lay not the sky, but a magnificent, slowly rotating nebula made of pure energy. In the center of the platform, a massive spherical core, over twenty meters in diameter, hovered silently like a liquid sun. With every pulse, the entire space resonated.

The heart of the Source Energy Tower!

"Good heavens, is this... is this the top?" Zhang Nan’s throat felt parched. Faced with such vast pressure, he felt as small as a speck of dust.

Li Hexuan’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared intently at the energy core, but what truly chilled him was the colossal figure coiled beneath it.

It was a beast the size of a small mountain, its entire body covered in obsidian-like crystal armor. Deep purple lightning energy flowed slowly through the gaps between each scale. It lay coiled beside the energy core, seemingly slumbering, yet the faint, terrifying pressure it exuded was enough to make any intruder’s soul tremble.

King-tier!

The strength of this Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon had definitely reached the King-tier, and it was far more powerful than the Lantern Fish King they had encountered before!

Just as the Thunder God Squad was stunned by the sight, figures appeared at two other entrances almost simultaneously.

"Everyone, stay alert! Secure key positions!"

A steady command echoed. From the left entrance, a squad of over a dozen military personnel filed in. They were equipped with the latest exoskeleton armor, led by the young second lieutenant whom Li Hexuan had met once before.

On the other side, through the right entrance, emerged a group of people clad in dark blue combat uniforms. Their leader was a man in his fifties with a cold, stern face and sharp eyes, radiating the powerful aura of a high-level esper.

"Uncle, that’s them! That’s the brat who crippled me!" Zhao Yuhang, who had been disabled, followed behind the middle-aged man. The moment he saw Li Hexuan, he pointed at him and shouted with venomous hatred.

Zhao Qilong, the highest-ranking representative of the Apocalypse Group in E City, glanced at Li Hexuan coldly. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the energy core in the center and the slumbering King-tier beast, his eyes erupting with undisguised greed and ambition.

Three factions had gathered at the top of the tower.

The air froze instantly. The tension of swords drawn and bows bent, mixed with the killing intent and greed radiating from everyone, finally disturbed the terrifying existence in slumber.

The massive body of the Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon shifted slightly. The scales covering its eyelids parted slowly, revealing a giant vertical pupil that looked like molten gold. The eye swept over the military squad, then the Apocalypse Group, and finally, it settled on Li Hexuan’s group.

A pressure originating from the apex of life descended with a roar!

"ROAR—!"

A heaven-shaking bellow erupted from the depths of the Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon’s throat! It was not a mere sound, but a destructive shockwave blended with draconic majesty and violent energy!

The entire platform trembled violently. The weaker members of every faction felt as if they had been struck in the chest by an invisible giant hammer; their blood surged, and they coughed up blood on the spot, collapsing to the ground in a sorry state. Even the military lieutenant and Zhao Qilong of the Apocalypse Group had to exert their full power to resist the residual force of the roar.

A single roar had demonstrated overwhelming power!

A King-tier beast was truly terrifying!

The Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon stood up slowly, its mountain-like body obscuring the light of the energy core and casting a massive shadow that enveloped all three factions. Its golden vertical pupils burned with the rage of being awakened and a cruel desire to kill.

In an instant, the confrontation between the three factions became meaningless. Faced with the absolute threat of death, everyone’s minds went blank.

Li Hexuan’s gaze was as sharp as a blade. He stared at the approaching King-tier beast, his brain spinning at high speed.

The great battle was about to break out!

The rage in the golden pupils of the Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon exploded completely. It ignored Li Hexuan’s group, who appeared the weakest, and it did not choose the well-equipped military; instead, it locked its first target onto the Apocalypse Group, whose greed was the most palpable!

"ROAR!"

Another roar followed, but this one manifested into something physical. The terrifying sonic waves, mixed with deep purple energy, formed a destructive shockwave fan that swept toward the Apocalypse Group!

"Defend! Earth wall formation!"

Zhao Qilong was a high-level esper, after all, and his reaction was swift. He slammed both hands onto the ground, releasing a surge of powerful earth-yellow energy. The ground before him cracked instantly, and three massive stone walls, each several meters thick, rose from the earth to shield the Apocalypse Group.

But against the absolute power of a King-tier beast, this hastily constructed defense was as fragile as paper.

BOOM!

The energy shockwave collided with the stone walls, stalling for less than half a second before the walls shattered into dust! Countless stone fragments, mixed with violent energy, sprayed backward like shotgun pellets.

"AH!"

"PFFT!"

In the ranks of the Apocalypse Group, several weaker members were torn to pieces by the shockwave before they could even scream. Zhao Yuhang was struck by a flying boulder and rolled to the ground screaming; had his uncle not pulled him away just in time, he would have been swallowed by the subsequent torrent of energy.

"You beast!"

Zhao Qilong was both shocked and enraged. Seeing the mountain-like body of the Earth Dragon closing in, he roared, pulled a silver metal sphere from his robes, and crushed it!

"Ultimate Electromagnetic Pulse!"

WUM!

An invisible, powerful pulse expanded instantly. The purple lightning flowing on the Earth Dragon’s surface faltered, and its massive body went rigid for a split second. This was a technological weapon developed by the Apocalypse Group at a great cost, specifically designed to deal with energy-based organisms.

"Everyone, focus fire on its eyes!" Zhao Qilong seized this fleeting opportunity and shouted a command.

On the other side, the military squad’s response was far more methodical.

"All units, free fire, suppressive fire!" the young lieutenant commanded calmly. "Esper squad, Group A, attack its hind leg joints to restrict its movement! Group B, prepare high-energy armor-piercing rounds, wait for my command!"