Section 060: God-Tier Phantom VS God-Slaying Squad! Xu Ran: Hurry, Hurry, Hurry! [Six Thousand Words!]-Começando como um bebê, cultivando o Dao e tornando-se um Lorde(Brisa que desperta da embriaguez)

"This... this..."

"Is this really a combat method accessible to human practitioners?"

"Those flying-head ghosts that regenerate even after being smashed, disgusting enough to make us dizzy and nauseous—yet he slashes them one by one, completely obliterating them?"

The practitioners within the third defense line stared in utter astonishment.

They watched the army cutting a bloody path and advancing with brutal speed, their jaws dropping wider and wider.

They were... watching with soaked eyes...

Xu Ran's army had not only pulverized the flying-head ghosts, but also shattered the "common sense" of human practitioners.

"The higher-ups said that the flying-head ghost avatars are a divine bestowed ability; as long as the deity lives, the avatars are immortal..."

"What on earth is going on with this big shot?"

"Could it be that his bestowed ability surpasses that of a god?!"

"Hiss—"

One breath of awe after another was drawn in succession.

The practitioners inside the third defense line looked at the empty inner city, and then at the paper-doll army scattered throughout, hunting down the remaining stray flying-head ghosts. Their expressions and gazes turned extraordinarily bizarre.

They could not help but hold their breath.

It was not for any other reason than the sheer oppressive aura exuding from the paper-doll generals, which made cold sweat stream down their spines.

Each paper-doll general seemed forged from dark iron. At a single glance, they appeared cold, hard, fierce, and merciless—veritable ruthless killing machines radiating absolute pressure!

The sharp claws of eagles, tigers, leopards, and bears were indestructible! The Dadao-wielding generals and armored generals possessed an even more terrifying murderous aura. Every swing of a blade and every crash of a hammer made one's heart palpitate with fear!

The scene was simply too shocking.

Everyone held their breath, not even daring to stare too long, feeling as though a giant hammer might smash their skulls in the next second just by looking.

The mere murderous aura emanating from the puppets was enough to shake a person's mind! It filled them with fear and reverence!

Terrifying!

Truly terrifying!

With reverent gazes, they couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling a deep internal chill.

However, the fact that the third defense line, previously swarming with flying-head ghosts, had been violently cleared turned their panic into excitement.

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs: "The third defense line has been defended!!!!"

The young woman in battle robes said: "But we still have on—"

Before her words could finish, an assassin mantis, already fully fed and gorged, trailed a flash of blade light, grazing just fifty centimeters past the woman's face with lightning speed, slicing apart a flying-head ghost.

A fierce gust ruffled the battle-robed woman's hair. Her eyes widened as she stared at the black shadow, which was moving too fast for even the naked eye to catch. Her heart shuddered violently: "Such terrifying speed!"

"And it obliterates flying-head ghosts in a single strike!"

"We tried desperately, killing flying-head ghosts a dozen times over, yet we couldn't halt their advance."

"Yet he brought an army of fifty, and simply swept through the battlefield directly."

The massive contrast filled the battle-robed woman with a sense of suffocation.

She felt as though she were gazing up at a towering, insurmountable mountain.

Beside her, her teammate was equally dazed: "A one-man army! A one-man army! If I could achieve even one percent of what he can, it would be worth it even if I drove luxury cars, lived in villas, and became a Cliff-realm powerhouse for the rest of my life."

Teammate: "..."

Commander of the Third Defense Line Command Group: "Everyone, the third defense line has held. Please rest for a moment; I fear the flying-head ghosts will make a comeback."

With that, the command group leader walked over to Xu Ran's avatar.

"Thank you. Once the battle concludes, I will report your achievements to the District Chief and distribute your reward."

The paper-doll avatar nodded.

Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away, the invisible Xu Ran smiled faintly.

"A reward? I didn't expect to pick up some extra spoils along the way. Not bad at all."

His original goal was simply to let the paper-doll army devour enough ghost energy, so any additional gains counted as a pleasant surprise.

"Hmm... the flying-head ghosts are quite useful indeed, easier to kill and devour than other ghosts. Not bad, not bad. It saved me half a month of time."

"However, it also has a little something to do with the paper-folding acquiring a soul... With the presence of a soul, the paper-doll army doesn't merely suppress ghost entities; it violently plundered them—tearing apart and devouring their ghost energy. Even with a controller behind the scenes, it forcefully devours them anyway, becoming even more ferocious."

"On the other hand, paper dolls that have detained souls possess greater combat skills."

"If I capture even more powerful spirits in the future, might I master spellcasting?"

Xu Ran analyzed silently. After engaging in real battlefield slaughter, his understanding of his miraculous ability gradually deepened.

As he pondered, he completely failed to notice...

The three people protecting him were dumbfounded.

Li Wei wore a look of intense meditation, not knowing where to begin or what to say: "Uh..."

Cai Miao wanted to speak but stopped: "..."

Fu Lin: "..." Not speaking, are you? If none of you speak, then neither will I.

At the same time.

At the front-line first defense line, Jiang Man, the Cliff-realm powerhouse and Chief of the Sixth District, had long since noticed Xu Ran's exploits.

At this moment.

The super-tier flying-head ghost avatar ahead was no longer launching aggressive attacks.

He quickly diverted a shred of his attention and looked back.

Right in time, he saw the army standing at the dead center of the third defense line, their eyes narrowed, overlooking the battlefield like monarchs.

Dominance overflowing!

Jiang Nan was greatly startled: "Whose super genius is this? They actually cleared out the flying-head ghosts in half an hour?"

Lu Ha: "Could that be... Ye Ping? After he was injured, he went back to protect the kids, and now he's rushed over to the Sixth District... Could he be a super genius from the Jing Province campus?"

Li Liang, Left General of the Sixth District: "His bestowed ability is puppets, and he can suppress ghosts. I've never heard of such a genius before."

Lu Ha, Right General of the Sixth District: "Could he... be from this current batch?"

Jiang Man shook his head: "How is that possible! The oldest kids in this batch are barely over ten years old. A ten-year-old brat, no matter how much of a genius, couldn't instantly wipe out a flying-head ghost with 100,000 vitality points! Let alone the fact that this genius swept through the entire battlefield directly!"

Lu Ha: "Most likely a talented youth in his twenties who suddenly discovered that his bestowed ability can counter flying-head ghosts!!"

The Cliff-realm powerhouses murmured and guessed among themselves.

Suddenly, their gazes shifted toward the distance.

At the horizon's edge, several pillars of light soaring into the sky shredded the dark clouds blanketing the firmament.

Shrill ghost wails shook the earth, resembling an underground dragon turning over.

Shortly after, explosive flames mushroomed into the sky, detonating in several consecutive bursts.

Instantly.

Tens of thousands of flying-head ghosts seemed to receive some kind of summons; they abandoned the fight and retreated like a receding tide, as if rushing back to rescue something.

Seeing this, Jiang Man heaved a sigh of relief: "It seems the God-Slaying Squad has found the true body of the flying-head ghost. Once the true body is found, its so-called bizarre abilities are worthless."

"Let's go provide cover. In case any members of the God-Slaying Squad are injured, we can step in and hold the line temporarily."

As he spoke, the Qi and blood of several Cliff-realm powerhouses surged, transforming into glowing spheres that chased after the ghost tide. Before long, they arrived at the gathering point of the flying-head ghost horde.

The scene ahead was quite spectacular!

A hundred-meter-high, hundred-meter-long cage of fire stood erect on the horizon, burning fiercely and distorting space.

And those tens of thousands of retreating flying-head ghosts, their entire bodies radiating purple-black light, threw themselves at the fire cage like moths to a flame, as if determined to extinguish the fire by sheer force.

One flying-head ghost after another collided with the flames, being burned to pieces while emitting bizarre, piercing shrieks. Amidst those screams, they rapidly fused back together and regenerated.

However, the fire cage was not extinguished; instead, the flames burned even more fiercely!

The bulging eyes of the tens of thousands of flying-head ghosts turned frantic as they hurled themselves madly inward!

The spectacle was breathtaking.

Why were tens of thousands of flying-head ghosts frantically assaulting the fire cage?

Because inside the fire cage, a beautiful woman's head was locked tightly away.

The woman's head was as large as a mountain, the cut at her neck as smooth as those of the other flying-head ghosts. Her blood-red eyes bulged, weeping bloody tears while her blood-stained tongue lolled out.

Seven golden chains pierced through the woman's eyes, ears, and temples, locking her firmly in place.

The woman's head... suffered excruciating agony, struggling and screaming inside the cage.

"Dammit! My children, rush in, rush in, and obliterate the energy of this cage!"

Tens of thousands of flying-head ghosts kept hurling themselves against the fiery walls of the cage, causing them to shake violently.

"Now you know how to panic? Where did all that arrogant, sickening bravado go just now?"

"Heh."

Above the fire cage, two God-Slaying Squads hovered quietly. One squad of seven wore flaming trench coats, while the other squad of seven wore golden trench coats.

The fourteen individuals looked down from above, their trench coats snapping in the wind.

"Tsk tsk, there's an expert in the rear defense line; it took them only half a day to find a way to eradicate the flying-head ghost avatars. I thought it would take a month."

"Let me strip away all its energy before we discuss other matters. We cannot allow any mishaps, because after all... stripping away its energy will ensure it cannot make a comeback for a decade."

Lin Feng, captain of the golden God-Slaying Squad, took a slow step forward, a shield of fire instantly manifesting around his body.

"I've given you the fire shield. Hurry in and finish the job, Brother Feng!"

Lin Feng nodded and leaped into the fire prison with the shield.

A cluster of golden and dark light materialized between his palms, which he then pressed firmly against the center of the woman's brow.

"Ability Deprivation!"

Feeling Lin Feng's bestowed ability, the woman's head wore a look of utter terror, baring a mouth full of fangs as she let out a piercing shriek toward Lin Feng!

The golden chains pulled taut, and Lin Feng hopped backward.

"Still trying to scare people when death is at hand. How naughty!"

His eyes suddenly turned cold. The golden and dark light whirled inside the woman's head like a hurricane.

Boundless ghost energy was pulled out and blasted high into the sky like blooming fireworks.

The woman's head instantly withered, turning into a pile of bones scattered across the ground.

Outside the fire cage, tens of thousands of flying-head ghosts melted like candles, turning into pools of contamination.

The true body's energy of the flying-head ghost had been stripped away.

It was equivalent to having its entire realm wiped clean.

Leaving behind only a wicked, unbreakable eyeball that floated out from among the white bones...

The evil eyeball was a deep, purplish-black color, resembling a whirlpool, a nebula, distorting vision, distorting space, distorting light, and distorting spiritual power.

The eyeball stared at Lin Feng with a bizarre gaze.

Lin Feng tightened his trench coat and flashed a ferocious grin: "Don't look at me like that. If I could smash you to pieces, I'd definitely hit you with the heaviest blows! Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of sending you back to lie dormant for ten years."

As his voice fell, the fire prison dissipated.

The other comrades landed beside Lin Feng, eyeing the evil eyeball.

A member of the flaming-trench-coat squad said irritably: "It's this evil eyeball again. When will someone find a way to suppress these bastards? Looking at this damn eyeball makes me sick!"

Another flaming-trench-coat powerhouse, possessing the demeanor of an ice-cold royal sister with long, slender legs, wore a look of utter disgust. She raised her hand and fired a beam of blue flame, blasting the evil eyeball for half a minute straight.

Yet the evil eyeball remained spotless and motionless.

"God-of-Vengeance, god-level ghosts, and god-level crystal beasts all conceal such an evil eyeball within them... This is perhaps their path to becoming gods."

"Who knows? Such evil eyeballs are bizarre in the extreme; they must belong to a higher tier of power."

"Mm, it's slowly flying toward the natural disaster contamination zone."

"Damn it, we can't kill it, nor can we even stop it! Ten years from now, it will recover at full health and make a comeback!!"

Lin Feng collected his focus: "It's fine. One day, we'll find a way to deal with them. Right now, our main priority is to buy time. We cannot let the alien races shatter the safe zone again!"

Saying this, he turned back to glance at Jiang Man, who had hurried over. "The core of the safe zone wasn't breached, was it?"

Jiang Man smiled with relief: "No, the flying-head ghosts didn't penetrate deep into the inner city."

The fourteen members of the God-Slaying Squad landed before Jiang Man: "Tell us, what's the situation? Who is the meritorious hero that found the weakness of the flying-head ghosts?"

Jiang Man: "It's a super genius who possesses the ability to control puppets. He's a bit exaggerated—a one-man army, slaying a flying-head ghost with a single slash. Not just shattered, but completely obliterated. Over ten thousand flying-head ghost avatars in the third defense line were all chopped to obliteration by him alone."

The fourteen God-Slaying powerhouses: "..." They fell into silence.

Jiang Man spread his hands: "I know you might not believe it, but there really is such a genius who suddenly appeared in the Sixth District, bringing a bizarre puppet army and operating as a one-man army, slaughtering the third defense line until it was empty..."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "Which place produced a genius so outrageous?"

The other teammates nodded vigorously: "Theoretically speaking, unless the true body is found, other avatars can regenerate rapidly. That is the bestowed ability of the flying-head ghosts. With that bestowed ability in play, even we can't kill the flying-head ghost avatars... Yet this genius managed to bypass their bestowed ability and outright obliterate the avatars?"

"Who on earth is he? We should have heard of such a genius; they wouldn't just rise from obscurity for no reason."

Jiang Man: "Umm... I don't know. He's a genius brought over by Brother Ye Ping. I haven't asked for his details yet."

Lin Feng: "Oh? Ye Ping? Could it be the time bone? If it's the time bone, there might be a chance. Let's go, fall back in formation. Mission accomplished, time to return to the safe zone to rest. Let's go witness this super genius!"

Teammates behind him: "Even if you didn't say it, we'd still go check him out."

Thus, a grand procession of Cliff-realm-and-above powerhouses surged toward the safe zone.

Inside the safe zone.

Xu Ran withdrew his paper-doll army and emerged from his invisible state.

Ye Ping asked: "Over? Did you kill enough of the ten thousand?"

Xu Ran shook his head: "No. They were all avatars; I didn't kill a single real one."

"Fortunately, my paper-doll army devoured the ghost energy and grew several times stronger. If I want to kill ten thousand monsters with over 100,000 vitality points, I'll have to leave the safe zone. Let's set off now! The true body of the flying-head ghost should have been dealt with. It's much safer outside now. It's impossible for two god-level monsters to be lurking outside the safe zone at the same time, right?"

Ye Ping looked at Li Wei, Cai Miao, and Fu Lin: "What do you think?"

Li Wei: "Let's wait for the God-Slaying Squad to return and gather intelligence."

Ye Ping: "Right, let's ask for intelligence first. The God-Slaying Squad frequently shuttles through Tier-1 contamination zones and even natural-disaster-level contamination zones; they know clearly where god-level monsters might be lurking."

Xu Ran nodded: "That would be even better."

As the group chatted, the command group leaders of the third and second defense lines, accompanied by their combat regiments, returned to the safe zone.

"Phew... It's finally over. The oppressive feeling brought by the flying-head ghosts' bizarre regenerative ability was truly sickening."

"I need to get some good sleep."

"Still, we should go greet the big shot who made such a massive contribution first, right?"

The two commanders walked up to Xu Ran.

"Hello, thank you for your monumental contribution! The safe zone will issue a reward to you."

Ye Ping stepped forward and flashed his inspector badge: "As for the reward, you'll need some time to prepare it anyway. We have other matters to attend to for now, so just make a note of it. We'll come back to collect it later."

The two commanders glanced at the badge: "Understood."

"Would you like to go to the Administration Department to rest?"

Cai Miao and the others waved their hands: "No need, we have other business. You guys go ahead; the outer city still needs to be rebuilt..."

The two commanders: "Very well, we shall take our leave."

Watching the two commanders leave, the group moved forward, standing at the edge of the safe zone and quietly waiting for the returning God-Slaying Squad.

Five minutes later.

Flaming and golden trench coats fluttered in mid-air.

Sensing their arrival, the squad landed before Xu Ran, Ye Ping, Cai Miao, Fu Lin, and Li Wei.

Xu Ran sized up the God-Slaying Squad. Their trench coats looked rather cool, edged with blood-silk spat out by lice and ants to resist contamination, and likely possessing other effects as well.

"Hey, Pingzi."

Lin Feng said: "I heard he's a genius you brought along, and he made a huge contribution. Care to introduce us?"

Ye Ping proudly pulled Xu Ran forward: "Xu Ran, just turned eight recently. A student of the forty-ninth batch of the Jing Province Demi-God Kindergarten."

The fourteen powerhouses of the God-Slaying Squad were dumbfounded.

"Only eight?"

"Just eight years old and he single-handedly chopped down ten thousand flying-head ghost avatars? Those avatars had at least 60,000 vitality points each, right?"

"What kind of monster is this..."

Their gazes locked intently onto Xu Ran, as if looking at some peerless treasure.

Xu Ran spread his hands, looking thoroughly modest: "Just good luck, my abilities happen to counter ghost entities, that's all."

Lin Feng shook his head: "Being able to sweep through ten thousand flying-head ghost avatars has nothing to do with luck. It's purely your sheer hard strength. Eight years old? This is eight years old?!"

Liu炎 (Liu Yan), captain of the Flame Squad: "This batch is quite strong across the board—[Mirror Supreme], [Purifying Thousand Thunders], [Microscopic Myriad Phases]..."

"If the juniors are this strong, it looks like we God-Slaying Squads need to risk our lives a bit more. The safe zone absolutely cannot be breached."

Lin Feng's gaze turned sharp: "Mhm, if alien monsters want to shatter our safe zone within three years, we'll make sure the safe zone survives for five years, ten years!"

Xu Ran raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "Can safe zones even be shattered?"

Liu Yan wore a solemn expression, his voice heavy: "Yes!"

"The safe zone has existed for 170 years. We once thought it would exist forever and remain the eternal sanctuary of our Huaxia nation, but the latest intelligence has revealed a new finding: if alien races continually breach the core zone and reach a certain threshold, the safe zone will shatter."

Another teammate added: "Huaxia's safe zone doesn't merely protect Huaxia; it also prevents god-level crystal beasts and vengeful gods from entering the Blue Planet. If the safe zone shatters, those vengeful gods and god-level crystal beasts will trample the Blue Planet and reduce it to contamination!"

Xu Ran was surprised, a doubt popping up in his mind: "If that's the case, then how did the [Nightmare Vengeful Mother] sneak into the Blue Planet?"

The fourteen people froze: "This... we don't know."

Xu Ran: "You don't know?"

Lin Feng spread his hands: "Yeah, we don't possess god-level abilities, so we truly don't know the reason."

Liu Yan likewise shook his head: "Although our teamwork allows us to barely destroy a god's physical body, its core—the bizarre eyeball—is something we simply cannot destroy. It ignores all obstacles and slowly flies back to the natural-disaster-level contamination zone... or flies back to its alien nest, where it will accumulate power once more and make a comeback."

Hearing the words "bizarre eyeball," Xu Ran's spirits perked up: "A bizarre eyeball? Is it purplish-black, resembling a whirlpool, a nebula, distorting vision, distorting space, distorting light, and distorting spiritual power... a sickeningly weird eyeball?"

The fourteen looked at Xu Ran suspiciously: "There are photos of it in various science pop-up books, right? No need to be this excited."

Xu Ran: "Where is that eyeball right now?"

Lin Feng pointed into the distance: "It's flying toward the natural-disaster-level contamination zone right now."

Xu Ran leaped up: "Can you guys help lead the way? I'm going after that eyeball!"

Before the fourteen could open their mouths to ask why, Xu Ran cut them off: "Is it flying fast? Can we catch up? Hurry, hurry, hurry, don't ask so many questions for now, just help me catch up to that eyeball first!"

With that, Xu Ran's figure flickered and he vanished into invisibility.

Seeing Xu Ran turn invisible, the fourteen tried sensing him intently, only to find they couldn't perceive his presence at all.

They stood rooted to the spot in utter astonishment: "What is this? Invisibility? A bestowed ability?"

Liu Yan looked at Ye Ping, his eyes filled with inquiry: "Isn't his bestowed ability a puppet skill that counters ghosts? How can he turn invisibility?"

Ye Ping: "Umm... he possesses the comprehension bone. How should I put it? The comprehension bone means having lots of ideas and a broad mindset. At such a young age, he invented invisibility arts. However, ordinary people can't learn it. Anyway, I haven't managed to learn it. There are two geniuses in the kindergarten who managed to learn it, but none as covert as him."

"As for the ghost-suppressing puppets, that is indeed his bestowed ability—Paper Folding."

After hearing the explanation, the astonishment on the faces of the two God-Slaying Squads grew even more intense.

Li Wei, Fu Lin, and Cai Miao were likewise shocked out of their wits: "Comprehension bone? Self-created invisibility arts? How outrageous is that? This invisibility art is practically a bestowed ability in its own right!!"

Lin Feng let out a deep breath. As the captain of a God-Slaying Squad, he possessed the bestowed ability [Energy Deprivation] and belonged to the geniuses among super geniuses, but even in the face of Xu Ran's feat of creating a technique, he was dumbfounded: "Being able to self-create a bestowed ability? I'm willing to call you invincible!"

Liu Yan acutely sensed something: "Wait a minute. A comprehension bone that lets him create invisibility arts—does that mean he can create other techniques as well?"

Xu Ran coughed and interrupted the spellcasting once more: "Stop being shocked! Lead the way ahead! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

He possessed the supreme-gold achievement [Twilight of the Gods], meaning Evil Eyeball = Divine Source.

Divine Source, being a god-level treasure capable of nourishing the [Overbearing and Unique Bone], how could he possibly miss it when it appeared?

The crowd: "..."

Liu Yan threw his hands up in a gesture of giving up: "No wait, why are you in such a rush to find the eyeball? No one can stop it anyway... That's a god-level item... Compared to the eyeball, we're much more interested in you."

Xu Ran tossed out a paper substitute doll: "No, I'm much more interested in the eyeball. Lead me to the bizarre eyeball first; once I return, I'll tell you a secret."

"Right, how fast does the bizarre eyeball fly? If I chase it now, can I still catch up? I won't end up returning empty-handed, right?"

"Oh, and there won't be god-level monsters lurking near there, right? How dangerous is it?"