Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 275 A fake is still a fake (5K)

"I refuse."

Lin Yi had not yet fully uttered the word "absolute," and his afterimage was still lingering in place, but his true form had already merged with the space and completely disappeared from the spot.

"careful!"

Despite being prepared, Lin Yi's sudden attack, launched without warning and before he could even finish speaking, still sent alarm bells ringing in the hearts of the three Kunmo clan prodigies.

Almost at the same instant Lin Yi disappeared, they pushed their already compressed domain force field to its peak, their bodies flying backward as if propelled by a powerful spring.

Lin Yi's target was clear: Salis, the one among the three Kunmo tribes whose rules were the most mysterious and who could cause the greatest interference with spatial movement.

He knew very well that when facing multiple opponents, it was best to disable the opponent's control and disruption cores first, if possible.

"Hey!"

The tip of the Rift Spear, wreathed in silver spatial cutting power and golden extreme sharpness, suddenly appeared in front of Salis like a venomous snake emerging from its hole.

The force field surrounding her, formed by the fusion of the suppleness of water and the distortion of light and shadow, emitted a tearing sound the moment the tip of the Rift Spear touched her.

The force field twisted and dented violently, attempting to deflect the power of the spear tip, but the spatial penetration attribute, concentrated to its extreme, forcibly tore through this layer of defense.

However, it was this brief moment of force field obstruction that bought Salis precious time to react.

Her slender figure swayed backward like ripples on water, defying the laws of physics, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow to the heart.

The tip of the Rift Spear grazed her shoulder armor, sending up several fragments of broken blue shell.

They flashed away, retreating thousands of meters before regaining their footing, a hint of lingering fear flashing in their dark red compound eyes.

Fighting against cultivators of spatial rules is like this: you are always on the defensive, never knowing where or when a fatal attack will come from, like walking on a tightrope over a bottomless abyss, where the slightest mistake will lead to annihilation.

"We can't hesitate any longer!" Gragu roared, his voice filled with determination.

Furthermore, Balot and Elise instantly understood.

Without any hesitation, they made a strange movement, and then a dark red light shone brightly on their chests, which were covered by the armor of rules, as if something inside had been forcibly ignited.

"puff!"

Three thick, dark red blood mists, so dense they seemed impossible to disperse, suddenly gushed out from their chests.

Instead of dissipating, the blood mist seemed to come alive, rapidly weaving and merging in the air to form a complex blood-red rune array.

Immediately afterwards, the array burst into flames, transforming into three blood-red pillars of light that poured back into the air.

"Buzz!"

An aura far more violent and ferocious than before surged into the sky from the three of them!

Countless dark red patterns, writhing like blood vessels, instantly appeared on their battle armor. The originally distinct forces of fire, earth, water, light, and metal were now forcibly blended and amplified by a blood-red energy full of primal life force.

At this moment, their realm of rules temporarily broke through to the third realm.

Although it was merely a forced advancement through burning essence and blood using a secret method, resulting in a superficial realm, it was indeed the pressure and energy level of a third-level domain.

The Rules of Blood!
The secret technique was completed, and the three of them were surrounded by blood-red light, exuding an overwhelming aura.

The crimson patterns on the Gragu Lava Crystal Armor pulsated like magma veins, Salis's Water Light Armor was stained with a strange dark red, and Balot's metal armor was wrapped with crimson threads full of death.

Gragu stared intently at Lin Yi, whose aura was equally imposing, wielding the Rift Sword, his eyes icy cold. His voice was like muffled thunder, carrying a hint of heartache and a final admonition:

"You've forced us to use the methods we prepared for this secret realm; you have every reason to be proud! Now, how about retreating? Otherwise, even if we can't kill you today, we'll make you pay a heavy price."

"So the hidden third rule is the rule of blood. Is this the source of their confidence to stand in front of me? No wonder I felt hesitant and timid."

Lin Yi sneered inwardly.

"If they were truly confident of surviving, why waste words? They should have attacked with overwhelming force the moment they completed the secret technique. This blustering threat only exposes their weakness. It's clearly a temporary triple state that has consumed their essence and blood, and it's estimated to be short-lived. Moreover, essence and blood are finite, and the boost they gain from burning it will likely consume more as the battle goes on, leading to their quicker defeat."

"Logically, the best solution is to keep them hanging, engage in hit-and-run tactics to wear them down until their secret techniques end and their life force is depleted, at which point we can easily reap the rewards."

Lin Yi's gaze swept almost imperceptibly over the Star Army soldiers below who were still fighting hard, struggling to hold on with the defensive line he had previously stabilized. "...But, it's not feasible now."

If he adopts a harassing tactic, these three Kunmo clan prodigies, each possessing triple-domain combat power, could instantly crush the Kans space station and its garrison into dust.

"However, let's look on the bright side."

Lin Yi's eyes flashed with a cold light, and the star core in his body was operating wildly at an unprecedented speed. The power of the three domains intertwined around him, forming a heart-palpitating force field. "Killing scum in the three domains will also earn you much more military merit."

"If the three temporary triples were to fight head-on, it would be one against many. They couldn't afford to expend their life essence, and I couldn't afford to expend my source energy either. It's still unknown who would give up first." Lin Yi's mind raced, and he instantly devised a strategy. "To be on the safe side, I'd rather pay a price and finish this quickly!"

"kill!"

Almost at the same moment Lin Yi made up his mind, the three Kunmo clan prodigies also moved.

The blood sacrifice ritual is a precious time-consuming process that cannot be wasted.

The battle broke out instantly.

Gragu was like a human-shaped, blood-red star, carrying the scorching heat that could burn the eight wastelands and the weight that could crush stars. Every part of his body—fists, palms, elbows, and knees—was transformed into the most terrifying weapon.

Instead of releasing its energy outwards, it compressed the violent power of the crimson fire and earth rules to an extreme degree, condensing it on its body surface and fist. Each strike was simple and unadorned, yet it contained the terrifying power to shatter mountains, like a crimson mountain range that was constantly advancing, pressing down on Lin Yi head-on and forcing him to confront it head-on.

Baloté, on the other hand, transformed into a blood-gold death hurricane.

Its speed, enhanced by the Blood Rule, soared to a terrifying level, and its twin blades transformed into countless death lines that tore through space.

The sharpest metal is responsible for breaking through defenses, the rules of death erode life force, and the rules of blood endow it with strange vitality and tracking ability.

It was like a persistent, lingering ailment, swirling wildly around Lin Yi, searching for any opening in his defenses. Every attack it made was cunning and ruthless, aimed directly at his vitals.

The most troublesome one is Salis.

Her hands moved like invisible strings, creating twisted force fields and crimson lines containing the rules of blood, like countless invisible tentacles, filling every inch of space around Lin Yi.

These force fields can not only slow down spatial movement, making Lin Yi's teleportation less smooth and free, but also deflect his attacks at critical moments, and even refract and amplify some of the attack energy of Gragu and Balot, forming a more bizarre combined attack.

Faced with the combined attack of the three, Lin Yi was not intimidated at all and instantly brought his own advantages to the extreme.

As a higher-level rule, spatial rules are not merely simple tools for movement, but also powerful techniques that integrate offense and defense.

Lin Yi's figure flickered in the starry sky, sometimes like a mirage, disappearing under Gragu's lava punch, but his true form appeared on Balot's flank, forcing the opponent to retreat with a spear strike containing life-corroding power.

Sometimes she uses spatial folding to slightly shift the spatial plane she is in, causing Salis's distorting force field to fall into empty space.

At times, he would use the Rift Spear to carve out tiny yet stable spatial rifts, like setting traps to devour and cut off incoming attacks.

In Lin Yi's hands, the Spear of Rift sometimes moved like a dragon soaring through the air, striking, thrusting, picking, and sweeping, fully demonstrating the sharpness of gold. It not only drew upon the power of space, making the spear strikes silently, but also appeared from the most unexpected angles. By utilizing the rules of life, it not only made the spear's momentum continuous, but also dissolved the erosion of the rules of death and blood.

The four figures transformed into four streams of light of different colors, colliding wildly in the cold starry sky.

Golden spear light, blood-red fist imprints, gray-white blade light, and distorted force fields—various rules of power collided and annihilated, erupting into a dazzling yet deadly halo.

The shockwave, like a relentless tide, continued to spread outwards, shattering nearby meteorite fragments and battlefield debris.

This is a contest of will and rules, strength and skill.

Lin Yi was like a king dancing on the edge of a knife. Although he could always avoid fatal attacks at the last second, he was under a lot of pressure.

The temporary triple domain is still triple, especially since the three opponents cooperated seamlessly, combining offense and defense, making it difficult for him to find an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

He tried several times to use spatial teleportation to ambush one of them, but each time he appeared, the other two would launch a barrage of attacks, forcing him to abandon his offensive and instead defend or dodge.

Time passed amidst the fierce fighting.

Lin Yi could clearly sense that although the blood-red light emanating from the three opponents was still intense, the burning momentum seemed to show a slight, almost imperceptible sign of fatigue. In particular, the robust Kunmo Clan member who had launched a frontal assault and borne the brunt of his counterattack was breathing out blood vapor with a restless scent, a sign of excessive burning of its essence blood.

An opportunity is brewing.

Just after a fierce collision, Lin Yi used Lieyu to deflect Balot's double-bladed stabbing attack, then flashed away, preparing to create distance and look for another opportunity.

At that very moment, Lin Yi suddenly noticed that the female Kunmo clan prodigy who had been manipulating the distorting force field like the most precise instrument had experienced an extremely slight lag in her movements.

It wasn't that she was careless, but maintaining such a large-scale, high-intensity force field interference, and precisely controlling it to avoid affecting the two of them, was a huge burden on her soul power and control over the rules.

This momentary delay is like a tiny stutter between the gears of a precision clock—brief, yet fatal.

Lin Yi, who had been keeping most of his senses focused on her, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

opportunity!

In a flash, Lin Yi made a decision.

However, he did not choose to attack Salis, who was showing signs of weakness, because the distance was too far and Balot was nearby providing support.

His target was the enemy facing him, whose force field coordination with Salis had created a slight gap due to his all-out attack.

That robust and proud Kunmo tribe!
"Buzz!"

With the spatial rules activated at full power, Lin Yi's figure disappeared once again.

He appeared behind Gragu in an instant, like a ghost.

The spear thrust out silently, its target the core of Gragu's armor, which shimmered with intense blood light and a reddish-yellow luster, in his back.

This shot embodies most of the power he can muster at this moment, perfectly blending the power of metal penetration, spatial cutting, and life erosion, aiming to defeat the enemy in one strike.

Gragu also felt the deadly chill coming from behind.

It wanted to turn around and defend itself, but Lin Yi's appearance was too sudden and his attack too swift.

At this critical moment, Balot, who had been lurking like a shadow, displayed his terrifying reaction speed and decisiveness as a top genius.

It didn't try to intercept Lin Yi's lightning-fast shot; it was too late.

Its choice is to attack the enemy's defenses.

Balot let out a hoarse shriek, his entire being merging completely with the twin blades, transforming into a golden-gray death beam that seemed capable of devouring all light.

This death ray ignored the distance in space. Almost at the same time Lin Yi drew his gun, it carried a terrifying will that could pierce through stars and annihilate life, and went straight for the open left side of Lin Yi's vest that had been exposed due to his all-out attack.

This is a life-or-death choice.

It bet that Lin Yi wouldn't dare to directly withstand this fatal blow, which embodied all of its death rules and parts of the rules of gold and blood.

If Lin Yi returns to defend, Gragu will be saved.

Feeling the deadly aura behind him, sharp enough to freeze even a star core, Lin Yi's eyes became incredibly calm at this moment, even carrying a hint of cold mockery.

Retreat?

Do not!
This is the opportunity he has been waiting for!
Lin Yi had already calculated that although the tall, thin Kunmo clansman's attack was strong, the main threat lay in the subsequent erosion of the rules of death and the instantaneous physical destructive power. He was confident that he could withstand most of the power with the Void Walker's Battle Suit, the Triple Rule Armor, and the Space Folding Secret Technique.

And this robust Kunmo tribesman, once pierced by Lieyu, would undoubtedly die.

"die!"

Lin Yi let out a low, cold shout, ignoring the deadly attack coming from behind, and poured all his power into the Rift Spear in his hand.

"puff!"

"Clang."

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Lin Yi's Rift Spear pierced Gragu's back without any resistance.

The power, condensed to its extreme, erupted instantly. Golden light tore through its thick defenses, spatial power shattered its internal structure, and the rules of life eroded its boundless vitality.

Gragna's massive body stiffened abruptly. It looked down in disbelief at the dark golden spear tip protruding from its chest.

It opened its mouth, trying to let out a final roar, but only shattered internal organs and thick blood foam poured out.

Lin Yi then flicked his wrist, and Gragu's body instantly disintegrated and scattered.

Almost at the same instant, Balot's "Soul Piercing Thrust," imbued with the will to die, struck Lin Yi hard.

The Voidwalker's battle armor emitted a piercing tearing sound as the resilient spatial folds were forcibly ripped open. The golden sharpness contained within pierced through first, followed by the death rule power that frantically eroded life like a maggot clinging to bone, and finally, a violent surge of blood energy.

"Crack!"

Lin Yi's left shoulder instantly collapsed, his armor shattered, his flesh and blood were mangled, revealing his bare bones.

A mixture of deathly grayness and sharp, violent energy instantly invaded his arm, frantically destroying his meridians, flesh, and bones, and attempting to spread towards his torso.

Having landed a successful blow, Lin Yi endured the excruciating pain in his left arm and the mixed energy that was constantly eroding his life force, and retreated without hesitation.

His right hand held the Spear of Rift at an angle, the tip dripping dark red blood. His left arm hung limply, the wound a bloody mess, revealing the bare white bone.

However, although the injury looks serious, it is actually not a serious matter.

As he discovered after their encounter, the imposter was indeed an imposter. His temporarily enhanced strength, though seemingly at the triple level, clearly lacked a perfect integration of the three types of rule power.

After being weakened multiple times, this attack not only failed to hit a vital point, but after breaking through the defense, it only caused him minor injuries.

Such injuries are nothing in the face of a cultivator of the rules of life.

With a thought, Lin Yi unleashed a surge of lush, verdant life force towards the wound on his left arm, fiercely confronting the three different types of life force energies. His flesh began to wriggle and grow at a visible speed, and the broken bones began to reconnect and heal under the protection of the life force.

In just a few breaths, Lin Yi's left arm was completely restored.

Although the three-colored, intertwined destructive energy was still swirling around it, requiring him to continuously dedicate some of his mind and energy to suppress it, it was not a major problem.

Then, Lin Yi's cold gaze swept over the remaining two Kunmo tribesmen.

Having witnessed Gragu's brutal killing and then seeing Lin Yi quickly stabilize his injuries and still have fighting power, Salis and Balot felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

escape!
We must escape immediately.

Three people attacked together and one of them was killed. If they continued fighting, they would surely die!

This thought spread rapidly through their minds like wildfire.

Without exchanging any words, Salis and Balot moved in perfect unison, one transforming into a distorted blue-red beam of light and shadow, and disappeared into the complex area of ​​the shattered star belt above the battlefield.

The other burst forth with extreme speed, transforming into a golden-gray streak of light, fleeing straight into the depths of space, far from the battlefield.

They clearly understood that splitting up and fleeing was their only option to save their lives at that moment.

As for who will be hunted down, that's up to fate.

Lin Yi, watching the two figures fleeing for their lives, had his mind racing.

"That female Kunmo tribeswoman possesses distorted rules. Even if we catch up, given her bizarre abilities, it will inevitably take some effort. In the process of fighting and fleeing, she might escape the battlefield."

"And this tall, thin Kunmo tribe member's rules are all offensive; if I manage to stop him, I can easily subdue him."

With that thought in mind, Lin Yi made a decision instantly.

(End of this chapter)