Reincarnation Paradise: The Crucible.

Chapter 495 Siege and Killing
On the edge of the scorched earth, the death tide launching its first counterattack collided once again with the countless wolf packs pouring out from the shadows of the dense forest. The colliding torrents caused the overflowing waves of blood to quickly spread into a long, scarlet embankment.

Meanwhile, far away on the long dike, Xu Yue, the leader of the Death Tide, seemed to have no intention of joining the battle. Although the sounds of fighting in the distance were getting stronger, the pace of his wolf rider remained unhurried. With each inch forward, a large number of wisps of black evil energy were silently drawn from all corners of the scorched battlefield and were eventually swallowed up by the coiled dragon relief on the halberd.

The swallowing sound, like a whale swallowing water, was faint and indistinct, and in a daze, a deep, excited dragon roar kept echoing in Xu Yue's ears.

For the Panlong weapon spirit, which feeds on evil spirits, this scorched battlefield, once littered with corpses, is nothing short of a delicious feast. As more and more surging evil energy is devoured, it has gradually whetted its appetite and even began to actively demand more bloodshed from the weapon master.

The excited dragon roar echoing in their ears grew even louder. Looking to the side, they saw a pair of scarlet dragon eyes appearing and disappearing amidst the black mist, while the slightly trembling halberd was firmly held in place by a large silver hand that gripped the shaft. Ignoring the excited agitation of his own weapon spirit, the tall knight on the wolf cavalry glanced indifferently at the narrow, blood-soaked battle line in the distance before turning his gaze away without a second thought.

Judging from the current situation, even without his participation, the Death Tide, which has just undergone expansion, can still steadily suppress the dense wolf pack that is still surging out on the other side. At least in the short term, the situation between the two sides has become one of attack and defense.

In other words, at this point, his strategic objective of drawing attention to cover Afu and the others' safe retreat had been largely achieved. The most urgent task now was no longer to continue this meaningless and pointless fighting, but to find an opportunity as quickly as possible to leave this dangerous place constantly watched by countless observers.

Of course, while he was evacuating, he was determined to obtain the spatial skill called 'Displacement' that Cang Yue possessed before leaving.

As for how to lure out this 'cautious' wolf king who has been hiding behind the scenes? It's simple. As long as he is alone, and as long as the enemy still harbors murderous intent towards him, his arrogance will soon make the other party eagerly come to surrender.

Like this!
As the thought shifted, Xu Yue's gaze suddenly fell downwards. What he saw was that the ground beneath the wolf riders, which should have been solid and heavy, had unexpectedly collapsed into a thick swamp several meters wide as his feet landed.

The next moment, tiny specks of mud flew everywhere, and the wolf rider's forelegs, which had suddenly lost their footing, were immediately swallowed up by the bottomless mud. The wolf's body, which had lost its support, sank into the mud. At the same time, taking advantage of the moment when the entire wolf rider lost its weight and fell, a blurry figure holding a spike emerged straight out from the murky mud.

As the saying goes, "If you don't move, you don't move; but if you do, you'll be as powerful as thunder." Although Cang Ji was one of the three wolf guards who went to explore the way, he was much luckier than Ren and Kui, who were burned to ashes on the spot before they even reached their target.

The solid earth allowed him to perfectly avoid the infernal sea of ​​fire that had engulfed everything not long ago, and also allowed him to lie in wait for this perfectly timed fatal attack after a long period of lurking!

"call out!!"

The ear-piercing shriek was like an arrow piercing the air. At this moment, even the invisible air currents seemed to be violently torn apart by this blurry light and shadow rising from below. At the very tip of the light and shadow, the sharp, cold light that pierced through at lightning speed drew an extremely conspicuous thin silver line between the fallen wolf rider and the mud below.

In the blink of an eye, the wolf rider's skull, which should have been as hard as steel, was easily pierced by this seemingly fragile silver-white thread.

Amidst the howling sound, countless bone fragments, forcibly shattered, resembled a dazzling array of stars spreading across the sky under the cold moonlight of the night. In the center of the starry sea, a streak of unstoppable, trailing meteor could be seen breaking through the light and shadow, until it leaped over the sea and soared into the sky!
It only took a breath, or even less!
From the sudden appearance of the swamp to the silver line piercing the sky, and then to the skeletal wolf rider with its head shattered and crashing to the ground, the whole process took only a moment. The long silver line transformed from Cang Ji had already torn apart all obstacles along the way with unstoppable force, and was pointing directly at the human throat that was almost within reach above.

'At this distance, he can't possibly dodge. If I can kill him, I'll be the undisputed strongest assassin among the Ten Wolf Guards!'

Within the silver line, turbulent thoughts surged within Cang Ji's seemingly calm eyes, while outside the silver line, a few strands of remnant soul fire, forcibly torn apart, scattered across the corners of his eyes, reflecting within his pupils an extreme fervor far more intense than any flame.

At the same time, illuminated by the scattered firelight was the indifferent gaze from directly above, which never showed the slightest sign of panic.

"Qiang!"

The next instant, the stagnant night was shattered by a piercing metallic clang. As the rising cold light and the flying figure collided, what shot out was not the warm blood that Cang Ji had hoped for, but a few fine golden-red sparks that flashed and disappeared into the night.

The scattered sparks were quickly swallowed up by the howling hurricane. Between the cold moon and the scorched earth, only a slender beam of silver light could be seen lifting a magnificent giant more than three meters tall high into the air. The tip of the silver light was aimed directly at the throat, seemingly on the verge of life or death. However, as one's gaze gradually narrowed, it was not difficult to see that the sharp, cold light pressing down on the throat had not even completely penetrated the outermost silver membrane of the throat.

"How can it be……"

As he murmured, Cang Ji slowly raised his slightly stiff neck, his gaze sweeping over the seemingly unharmed silver throat before him, and then what came into view was a cold gaze looking down from above.

"That's it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying howl erupted from the upper left and instantly drowned out the faint murmur that had not yet dissipated. Then, a raging hurricane that pressed down began to tear at Cang Ji's face and make him tremble. Within his constricted pupils, a giant silver hand, seemingly about to blot out the sky, was rapidly enlarging.

There was no time to react. In the blink of an eye, when Cang Ji finally came to his senses from the excruciating pain, his entire head was completely enveloped by the massive, silvery-white hand that had descended upon him.

The cold, metallic fingers were like steel hoops, and not only the flesh but even the deeper skull seemed to be crumbling under these hoops.

Pain? No! Compared to the intense pain that penetrated deep into his brain, what occupied Cang Ji's heart at this moment was the extreme fear that surged up when he felt death was coming.

His gaze struggled to pass through the narrow gap between his fingers. The perfectly round jade disc at the top still hung high in the sky. Under the moonlight, the human face looking down from above, backlit by the moonlight, appeared particularly blurry in the drooping shadows. Although he couldn't see the specific expression, the other party's extremely cold gaze was like a sharp sword piercing straight into the depths of Cang Ji's already fearful heart.

"Wait for me……"

"Bang!!"

Before he finished speaking, a dazzling burst of fire suddenly erupted, and rolling heat waves surged. At the same time, countless viscous, almost liquid, golden-red flames began to emerge from the fingers that were tightly gripping Cang Ji's head, and immediately poured into his exposed seven orifices.

Like a basin of scorching lava poured down, the head under the silvery giant hand didn't even have time to utter a groan before its fragile eyeballs and throat were instantly incinerated, followed by flesh, skull, and even the boiling brain matter deeper inside.

The body, which had been struggling violently, quickly went limp. When the dazzling flames subsided, only a few wisps of fine black ash remained of Cangji's head, slowly seeping from between his clenched fingers. Below, the headless body, severed from the neck, tumbled and plummeted straight down from mid-air.

[You have killed the wolf demon Cangji, one of the Ten Wolf Guards of Canglang. You have gained 2.4% of the World Source, bringing your total World Source to 75%.]

[Current reputation with the Azure Wolf Clan is -1600 (mortal enemy)]

You have earned 2000 Paradise Coins.

[Obtained a treasure chest (purple)]

…………

"Wolf Guards? They're weaker than I expected, but the profits are quite good."

Above the scorched earth, two magnificent fiery wings spread out in the air, resembling a long and churning golden-red fire cloud when unfolded. At the center of the fire cloud was Xu Yue's enormous body, which had grown to more than three meters tall.

His massive size not only brought a visible and overwhelming pressure, but also simultaneously boosted his strength and physical defense to a terrifying level. In this state, he could even ignore most physical attacks below the second tier.

Therefore, there is no need to dodge or block. He only needs to wait for his opponent to get close, and his body strength, which has been enhanced to the extreme, will be enough to easily crush any weak assassin who dares to walk into his trap.

In the distance, when Cangjia and his group finally arrived nearby, what they saw was a headless wolf corpse rapidly melting away amidst the flames and scorched earth, and a silver giant with fiery wings billowing in the sky above.

"Is this guy... really a human?"

The wolf guards all stopped in their tracks. At the rear of the group, Cang Geng, holding a giant hammer, looked up at the exaggerated figure towering above him, his words filled with doubt.

To be honest, the other party's appearance looked more like a demon than theirs. Putting aside everything else, their enormous body, which was over three meters tall, far exceeded the range of what a normal human should be.

"Regardless of whether he is human or not, he must be killed today. The majesty of the Azure Wolf cannot be violated."

Cang Geng's questioning finally received a response. Glancing at the wolf guards beside him who were gradually showing signs of retreat, Cang Jia, who was leading the way, spoke coldly, "Don't forget, His Majesty Cang Yue has always been watching us."

Upon hearing this, all the wolf guards' expressions changed instantly. Although fighting the human above might be a matter of life and death, retreating would mean certain death for them. "How do we kill him? A, whether it's defense, offense, or the mobility brought by flight, this human has virtually no weaknesses."

Cang Yi's question rang out among the wolf guards. Upon hearing this, Cang Jia slightly raised his wolf head, and at the same time, fine, azure lightning began to surge out of his body.

"Metal can't withstand lightning. Next, Bing and I will lead the attack, while the rest of the wolf guards will provide support and hold him back. Let's take him down first! Remember, watch out for his flames, and that halberd..."

…………

Looking down at the seven wolf guards whispering below, Xu Yue casually brushed away the remaining ash from between his fingers and said indifferently, "Have you finished discussing? Gentlemen."

The tone, though not loud, sounded particularly mocking on the battlefield. Pairs of eerie green wolf eyes looked up at him, their eyes filled with undisguised chilling killing intent.

"kill!"

With a sharp shout, Cangjia and Cangbing below transformed into a bolt of lightning, a line of fire shooting straight into the sky, while the remaining wolf guards scattered. Before long, several wind blades, an earthen spear, and countless tiny steel needles flew out from every corner of the battlefield.

A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air, tearing through the clouds. In an instant, the fastest wind blades and steel needles approached the two ends of the fiery clouds above. However, before they could touch their targets, a halberd shrouded in black mist swung out and collided precisely with the two.

There was no fierce roar of evenly matched forces, only a complete and utter crushing crushing force. Wherever the halberd passed, only the wind blades were annihilated and the steel needles were shattered. The surging wind swept up the remaining debris and howled out, but it was quickly crushed again by another earthen spear that followed.

Unlike the previous two 'miniature' ones, the earthen spear that followed was less a spear and more a solid building in the shape of a spear. Xu Yue's height of over three meters was already exaggerated, but the earthen spear in front of him was at least three times his size.

The closer they got, the stronger the oppressive feeling brought by the earthen spear became. Even the invisible air currents around them seemed to be forcibly compressed into solid form. Its momentum was like an entire mountain peak collapsing. Everywhere you looked, there were layers upon layers of sharp rock cones pressing down heavily.

"That was an interesting knockout."

As the giant spear drew ever closer, Xu Yue, his fiery wings unfurled behind him, raised an eyebrow. He then decisively advanced instead of retreating. Although he could easily dodge the spear before it hit him, he clearly preferred a head-on confrontation to dodging.

Flaming wings flapped behind him, while the halberd in his hand cracked silently. Then, thousands of scattered black and red fragments began to climb onto his arms on their own, quickly piecing together a rough, yet incredibly ferocious, arm armor.

The sharp teeth at the tip of his fist resembled fangs, and when he clenched his fist, a faint dragon's roar could be heard echoing, wild and high-pitched, but all the strange sounds were swept away by the raging hurricane stirred up by Xu Yue's punch.

"Come!"

"boom!!!"

Above the scorched earth, the 'slender' fist clashed head-on with the giant earthen spear. The two seemed vastly different, but at the moment of impact, they suddenly exploded into a terrifying roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

From a distance, one could see a giant spear soaring into the sky, striking the fiery clouds. Visibly, invisible ripples first pushed away the moonlight. Then, the stalemate didn't last long. The seemingly ethereal fiery clouds remained unmoved, while the giant spear, far larger than the spear, began to collapse amidst a series of deafening roars.

He threw punches, repeated them, and threw another... Although Xu Yue's punches weren't particularly frequent, the violent gusts of wind from each strike were enough to completely tear apart everything around him.
A series of deafening roars echoed across the sky, followed by a torrent of shattered rocks and raging flames, resembling a magnificent yet perilous meteor shower.

Fire rained down, the earth groaned, and the continuous tremors left the battlefield below in ruins. After smashing a fiery meteorite the size of a head with his hammer, Cang Geng, who had stopped in his tracks, looked up at the giant earth spear that was rapidly disintegrating in the sky. He even forgot to put down the giant hammer he was holding.

"What a... monster."

"Hey! B, do you really think we can kill this human on our own? That level of defense is definitely at the Immortal level. Apart from A, our attacks..."

Cang Geng didn't continue speaking, but the meaning behind it was self-evident. As the strongest defender among the Ten Wolf Guards, he knew very well what a tank of this caliber meant. Once the opponent got close and caught them, their fate would be no better than Cang Ji's, who was now just a few wisps of ashes.

Not far away, Cang Yi, who was making the most of his time to accumulate spiritual power, also looked up upon hearing this. However, his gaze did not fall on the earthen spear, but instead focused on the fleeting azure lightning bolt beside it.

"This question is meaningless. The strong live and the weak die, that's all."

"Don't waste time, it's time to prepare for the next attack. Since Wu's earth spear is useless, this time you and Xin will take the lead, and Ding and I will continue to be responsible for reinforcement."

…………

Above, Xu Yue was oblivious to the discussion below and paid it no heed. After delivering a satisfying final punch, the seemingly endless thick rock layer in front of him finally shattered completely. Beneath his feet, countless streams of fire cut through the night sky, while above the fire clouds behind him, an even more dazzling crimson stream of fire was also plummeting downwards.

Extremely fast and discreet!
Unlike the 'slow' falling rocks, the beam of crimson fire above was so fast that it almost became a blurry shadow. Taking advantage of the moment when Xu Yue's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, the entire beam of fire quietly passed over the fire wings and silently headed straight for the back of Xu Yue's head.

As a result, the already intense heat at the fire wings rose even higher, and the air began to boil. However, in the next instant, just as the two were about to intersect, Xu Yue's seemingly clumsy and massive body suddenly flipped over at an undetectable speed, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

As everything froze, a ferocious hand covered in fangs slowly pierced through the layers of flames surrounding the flowing fire, and precisely seized the wolf-headed figure at the center of the fire.

"Here comes another one."

"boom!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Flowing Fire in Xu Yue's hand instantly exploded, a violent roar resounded, and a blazing sun burst forth in the sky above the scorched earth, with countless flames gushing out. But soon, with a long inhale, the sun that had just bloomed began to shrink back at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Countless flames shrank back into streaks of crimson fire, which were soon consumed by the silver-white figure at the center of the great sun.

The flames engulfed their bodies, but only for a moment. The noisy night returned to calm, and the sun disappeared in the sky, leaving only the fiery cloud and the human figure as before.

After successively devouring several high-quality flames, the Burning Flame Seed within Xu Yue's body has begun to reveal its ferocity as the King of All Flames. Even special flames transformed from spiritual energy can be easily devoured by him as long as the opponent has not exceeded the fire seed's carrying capacity.

"tasty."

The faint comment seemed to tear through the stagnation of time and space. As the last wisp of flame disappeared between Xu Yue's mouth and nose, Cang Bing, whose neck was tightly gripped by the Panlong Arm Armor, also struggled to raise his eyes. The two pairs of eyes, one crimson and one pure black, met. Cang Bing's breath hitched for a moment, and then a strange smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The next flavor is even better, human."

After speaking, without Xu Yue exerting any effort, the Cangbing in his hand disintegrated into countless crimson light spots that scattered in all directions. Among the light spots, a beam of fine lightning shot out quickly and accurately left a bright blue lightning mark on the back of the arm armor.

[Notification: The hunter has been marked and has entered 'Thunder Lock' state, duration 3 seconds...]

A familiar amusement park notification popped up, but before Xu Yue could even read the details, a strong sense of crisis from above forced him to look up quickly.

As far as the eye could see, the silvery-white moon in the sky above the dome had been firmly covered by a thick, heavy cloud resembling an iron felt. Fragments of lightning accompanied by suppressed thunder rolled endlessly beneath the clouds, which swirled into a huge black vortex.

Just as Xu Yue looked up, all the lightning suddenly converged at the center of the vortex, transforming into a beam of crimson and white lightning that pierced the heavens and the earth and shot straight down.

"Zha!!"

(End of this chapter)