Chapter 6: Absorbing Hundreds of Crystal Cores

The sudden turn of events sent a shockwave through Zhang Qiang and his men.

"You dare!" Zhang Qiang roared. His subordinates immediately lunged at Ye Yunyi.

Ye Yunyi drew the Giant Axe from his back and hurled it at one of them.

WHOOSH!

The Giant Axe tore through the wind, spinning rapidly in the air as it hurtled toward a lackey.

The lackey's eyes widened. He had no time to react to the rapidly approaching weapon, helplessly watching as the massive blade struck his waist and tore straight out through his lower back. He was cleaved in half!

"Ah!"

An agonized howl tore through the air, testing the nerves of everyone present. Even Zhang Qiang's pupils contracted. He realized that something was wrong; this was absolutely not the strength of the Early-Silver Stage!

"You're at the Mid-Silver Stage!" he exclaimed.

Zhang Qiang hadn't expected to run into such a formidable opponent this time, losing two capable subordinates in the blink of an eye. Boiling with rage, he stomped his foot, fracturing the ground inch by inch beneath him, and charged at Ye Yunyi.

He threw a punch that blasted through the air, the sharp, explosive crack piercing the eardrums of everyone nearby.

THUD!

Fists clashed. Zhang Qiang stared in disbelief at Ye Yunyi, who had met his strike head-on. He was shocked that this kid had actually blocked his punch!

"It seems you aren't that strong either," Ye Yunyi said, raising his gaze to glare at Zhang Qiang.

"Go to hell!" Zhang Qiang backhanded a clawing grip, intending to pull Ye Yunyi in. Unbeknownst to him, Ye Yunyi had already seen through his muscle movements.

Empowered by his Divine-level Hunting Skill, Ye Yunyi could easily predict Zhang Qiang's next move. After a few nimble dodges, Ye Yunyi realized that Zhang Qiang wasn't a run-of-the-mill Mid-Silver Stage fighter either; this guy had likely started off as a bandit, living off pillaging and plundering, which meant he had a wealth of combat experience!

THUD THUD THUD!

Punch after punch, the two fought in the most primal way possible.

"Die!" Zhang Qiang roared. He hadn't expected Ye Yunyi to be this strong. Channeling all of his strength into his next strike, his upper garments burst apart to reveal a terrifyingly muscular back. His fist tore through the air, hurtling straight at Ye Yunyi!

Ye Yunyi threw a punch of his own. Their fists collided once again!

BOOM!

It was like a miniature explosion. Instantly, violent shockwaves erupted in all directions, shattering the carriage canopy. The steel cage inside was blown several meters away, crashing heavily onto the ground. The two girls inside tumbled with the impact, their skirts fluttering to reveal two pairs of slender, jade-like legs.

Only then did the girls get a clear view of the battlefield. They looked at the corpses of the lackeys, then at Ye Yunyi, their eyes trembling with shock. They wondered if he had killed them. Not only had this single person killed so many men, but he was also fighting evenly against Zhang Qiang! They realized that Zhang Qiang's gang had really run into a terrifying adversary.

Back at the fight, the clash sent Ye Yunyi reeling backward. He stumbled several steps before stabilizing himself. Zhang Qiang fared no better; he also retreated, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Just as Ye Yunyi was thinking of a way to deal with him, a faint sound caught his attention.

CLATTER.

Ye Yunyi glanced over and saw a large sack that had fallen not far from the cage. It was filled with Crystal Cores. The ones spilling out were mostly deep green Late-Bronze Stage Crystal Cores, with quite a few white ones mixed in.

Zhang Qiang saw them too! These were the Crystal Cores they had robbed from the Han Family, along with some of their own stash. There were over a hundred in total, all from Exotic Beasts at the Late-Bronze Stage or Silver Tier!

Seeing this, Ye Yunyi's figure flashed as he dashed straight toward the Crystal Cores. Witnessing his movement, Zhang Qiang grew frantic and scrambled after him.

Ye Yunyi reached the sack first and snatched it up. Absorb! A surge of intense energy instantly flooded into his body.

Seeing Ye Yunyi's actions, Zhang Qiang's mouth curled into a sinister grin. He sneered inwardly, "The arrogant brat has actually exposed his back just to grab the Crystal Cores. He is out of his mind! What is the point of taking the Crystal Cores now? Although Mutants can absorb Crystal Core energy, the process is incredibly slow! This is a death wish!"

Zhang Qiang immediately formed his hand into a claw and thrust it toward the center of Ye Yunyi's back. He thought viciously, "You might have the life to take them, but do you have the life to walk away?!"

The next moment, a hand firmly clamped down on Zhang Qiang's wrist!

CRACK!

The sickening sound of shattering bones rang out.

"You are too weak," Ye Yunyi said, a smile pulling at his lips. However, in Zhang Qiang's eyes, this smile was like that of the Hell Death God!

Ye Yunyi glanced at the holographic screen that popped up before him.

[Name: Ye Yunyi]

[Height: 185 cm]

[Tier: Late-Silver Stage]

[Skills: Rapid Absorption, Divine-level Hunting Skill]

[Weapon: Upgradeable Battle Axe]

"You!" Zhang Qiang's face was a mask of utter disbelief. He wondered what was going on. Just a moment ago, Ye Yunyi had been evenly matched with him; how did things change in the blink of an eye?

Before he could comprehend the situation, he felt himself being hoisted into the air.

THUD!

Ye Yunyi violently smashed him against a massive tree, sending wood splinters flying everywhere. Then, he swung him back and smashed him again!

THUD THUD THUD!

CRASH!

After a few brutal slams, the massive tree collapsed.

SPURT!

A geyser of blood shot from Zhang Qiang's mouth. He glared at Ye Yunyi with venomous resentment and was about to speak when Ye Yunyi's large hand clamped down on his head. With a burst of strength...

SPLAT!

Like a crushed watermelon, juices splattered everywhere.

"Ah!" The two remaining lackeys in the distance were scared out of their wits. They dropped to their knees, looking up at Ye Yunyi. "Boss! Boss! We're willing to be your underlings! We'll work like horses for you!

"Please spare our lives! It was all this scar-faced bastard's idea! We never wanted to mess with you!

"Please—"

Before they could finish, Ye Yunyi picked up his axe and walked over. With two swift swings, their world faded to black.

Ye Yunyi wiped the blood from his axe, then turned his gaze toward the two girls in the cage. He noted that their looks were absolutely on par with Zhou Huaiwei's! Seeing their tear-stained, deeply pitiable faces, he couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of tender affection.

With these thoughts in mind, Ye Yunyi started walking toward them.