Chapter 352 – Meteor, Goodbye, I Seem to Have Fought You Before

Lord Kalador lost?

As a top-tier supernova equipped with a sky level armament, Lord Kalador, with his composite combat capability comparable to the seventh stage, lost?!

He fought with all his might, bursting forth with brilliance like that of a star.

And then…

He was squashed like a weak mosquito in a single blow!

“Buzz-“

At that moment, everyone present had a ringing in their ears.

Their minds went blank, their thoughts stuck.

A bone-chilling cold spread through every person.

The scene before them was beyond their comprehension, an unprecedented shock that left the exploration team members, whose strengths averaged between second-stage and fourth-stage, in a daze, feeling a strong sense of surrealism as if they were living in a dream.

“Quite quick.”

Lu Yuan noticed the mysterious beast bone emitting a red glow on the altar had disappeared, likely snatched away by the cuckoo bird during the recent fight.

He had kept his eyes on every member of the exploration team and knew exactly who had and hadn’t made a move.

“Never mind, I’ll catch up and split the spoils later…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered for a moment, then he quickly pushed the thought aside.

One of his main goals in this battle was to test his own strength.

The results were quite satisfactory to him.

In the state of The Fusion of Two Flowers, combining the Qi Flower and the Flesh Flower, the combat power of the Ming King’s Body had jumped several levels and firmly stood at the seventh stage.

“Hmm?”

Lu Yuan scanned the scene, and his gaze suddenly settled on a figure.

-It was a sturdy young man with a pale face and a shallow scar on his left brow bone.

It was him.

Lu Yuan recognized him, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

He remembered the man’s name was Xilin?!

He left a deep impression on him last time in the elephant deity secret realm.

His strength was mediocre, but his persistent spirit to get beaten left a strong “impression” on him.

He had satisfied Xilin’s curiosity later with a good “friendly” spar.

Wonder if he still remembers me.

Thinking this, Lu Yuan decided to go up and greet him briefly.

What should he say?

“Plop-“

A massive figure, as dense as a thick cloud, moved slightly within the valley, its footsteps creating a muffled sound.

Hearing this sound, Xilin’s heart involuntarily pounded hard.

He stared blankly, watching as that nightmare-like terrifying figure began to move.

Step by step.

“!”

It wasn’t until the shadow of that enormous body completely enveloped him that Xilin snapped out of his stupor, waking up suddenly.

Then, a tide of terror surged from the depths of his heart, instantly swallowing him whole.

He was walking toward him.

He was coming right toward him!

Xilin panted heavily, feeling as if powerful electric currents were coursing through his entire body.

He wanted to move, turn around, run away.

But his legs felt rooted to the ground, completely out of his control, unable to move.

Finally.

The enormous three heads and six arms figure came to a stop right in front of him.

Xilin stared up blankly, his mind losing the ability to think, his heart seemingly ceasing to beat.

His eyes could see no light, his pupils fully consumed by shadows.

He couldn’t make out the appearance of his opponent, only focusing on a pair of eyes.

A pair of sinister eyes with beautiful blood-red lotus flowers spinning within, gazing down at him from above.

Suddenly enveloped by a terrifying pressure, akin to being submerged in the deep sea, Xilin felt all the air being squeezed out, overwhelming him with an intense sense of suffocation.

“I remember you.”

A low, calm voice sounded, but to Xilin’s ears, it was like rolling thunder.

“It seems I’ve fought you before.”

“Uhh…”

Xilin’s mouth emitted meaningless sounds; he didn’t know what he was trying to convey, nor did he know what to do.

An indescribable sense of enormous fear and tension surged, causing every cell in his body to scream, tremble, and shout.

The light from the five star acupoints within him flashed, his natal star diagram lit up, then dimmed, then lit up again.

Energy within him roiled chaotically like boiling porridge.

Suddenly.

“Boom!”

A thunderous roar echoed through the sky above.

Xilin, unconsciously following the sound, looked up.

He saw a magnificent streak of light whistling down from above the valley.

Its imposing momentum, accompanied by a brilliant, long tail of flames, looked just like a dazzling meteor falling from the heavens.

Encased in the radiant glow of the meteor was a silhouette wrapped in a streamlined, moon-white armor.

The figure clutched a huge alloy combat blade in both hands, the faceplate of the mask lifted to reveal a face filled with madness, defiance, and murderous intent, exuding strength and unshakable confidence.

His destination was clear-straight toward Xilin’s direction.

Judging by the trajectory, it seemed the intended target was the back of the three heads and six arms person in front of him.

“Ugh…”

Xilin stared blankly at the meteoric figure rushing toward them, then looked at the one with three heads and six arms standing silently, looming over him.

The energy within Xilin’s body boiled like overheated porridge, making his mind fuzzy and disoriented.

He wasn’t sure why, but he slowly raised his hand, pointing towards the incoming “meteor.”

“There…”

Xilin wanted to warn the three heads and six arms person.

Because it seemed he had no idea someone was attempting to ambush him; his gaze remained fixed on Xilin.

There was neither hostility nor friendliness, just a quiet, steady observation.

“Unexpected to meet you here; it seems fate truly binds us,” the deep voice sounded again.

The sound of the descending “meteor” grew louder.

It was almost there.

“Hmm…”

Xilin’s thoughts were jumbled, he raised his arm a bit higher, his gaze darting back and forth between the plummeting “meteor” and the one with three heads and six arms.

He tried to draw the person’s attention to the impending ambush.

“Someone is trying to…”

Xilin struggled to form the words, feeling as though uttering each syllable was an immense effort.

“Rumbling-“

Accompanied by a tremendous whooshing sound, the descending impact of the “meteor” from the sky stirred up a violent windstorm as it neared the ground.

Xilin clearly saw the individual clad in sky armament within the meteor, each part of his gleaming armor standing out, the raised combat blade emanating an indefinable force. The killing intent and arrogance on his face were at their peak, exuding unparalleled ferocity.

In the midst of this tense and eerie pressure, the pent-up breath within Xilin finally burst out uncontrollably.

“Someone is trying to-“

But before he could finish his warning.

The figure with three heads and six arms suddenly spun around, raising an arm to deliver a punch.

“Boom!”

A blood-red sun abruptly rose in Xilin’s eyes, intercepting the magnificent “meteor” descending from the sky.

And then, without so much as a sound, the “meteor” exploded.

The blinding light was silently swallowed by the blood-red sun.

“Boom!”

Fragments were blown apart in all directions, and a massive shockwave spread through the air, producing a series of terrifying, tearing sounds.

“Clang!”

An alloy combat blade, now twisted beyond recognition, fell to the ground, landing right by Xilin’s feet.

“Ugh…”

Xilin stared dumbfounded at the blade, his mouth agape. His ears buzzed, and his mind felt muddled like mashed paste.

“Goodbye.”

After delivering a punch that conjured a blood-red sun and effortlessly destroyed the ambushing “meteor,” the one with three heads and six arms turned back, gently patting Xilin’s shoulder with a friendly demeanor, and said this word before turning to leave.

He moved away slowly, like an imposing demon mountain, a dense cloud drifting away.

“Gulp.”

Xilin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Then, staring blankly at the receding silhouette, he mumbled two words.

“Goodbye.”

Silence.

Dead silence.

After the light screen showcased the scene where the three heads and six arms figure turned and punched, blowing up the “Meteor,” the entire meeting room fell into an eerie dead silence.

Everyone remained silent.

Their minds and bodies enveloped by an inexplicable sense of awe, they temporarily lost the desire to speak, only wanting to ponder quietly.

No one knew how much time had passed before a slightly strained voice broke the silence in the meeting room.

“Tudor seems to be stronger than Kalador, right?”

The responder’s voice also sounded a bit hesitant.

“Yes, Tudor’s ranking is indeed higher than Kalador’s, and the performance of his sky armament is superior to Kalador’s.”

Silence.

Continued silence.

A moment later, the calm voice of the head of the distant star federation, Oresa, broke the stillness.

“Notify Oresa to be cautious of this person. Also, have the remaining sky level mecha ready for action at any moment to execute a surround and destroy operation.”

“Understood.”

“[Martial Grandmaster (Extraordinary)] profession has leveled up again, now reaching Lv10.”

In the dense primeval forest, Lu Yuan, having returned to his normal state, stood under an ancient towering tree, checking his professional panel.

The results were satisfying.

Although the mysterious beast bone had been taken by the cuckoo bird during this operation, he didn’t walk away empty-handed.

Two battles, both against formidable opponents, granted him significant professional experience, directly leveling up his [Martial Grandmaster (Extraordinary)] profession by one level.

Moreover, Lu Yuan noticed that the experience points for his skills [Grandmaster’s Qi], [Dharma Form], and [Grandmaster’s Domain] had also increased rapidly, with all three nearing Lv5.

Since switching to the Ming King’s Body form, he had been using martial grandmaster skills and techniques. As a result, these skills’ experience points had skyrocketed through consecutive battles.

Indeed, combat has always been the best fertilizer for a martial artist’s growth.

“Once these three skills reach Lv5, the corresponding advanced skills are likely to manifest, along with the second professional core skill above [Three Flowers].”

Lu Yuan had high expectations for the [Martial Grandmaster (Extraordinary)] panel, considering it the “soul” of his power system.

“Cuckoo-Cuckoo-“

Suddenly, the cooing of a bird rang in his ears.

Lu Yuan followed the sound and spotted a familiar orange bird in the distance.

“Cuckoo-Cuckoo.”

The cuckoo bird perched gracefully on the treetop, elegantly preening its feathers while calmly watching Lu Yuan. It looked almost identical to how it had been when Lu Yuan first encountered it.

“So, you managed to exploit the opportunity this time.”

Lu Yuan regarded it calmly.

Originally, the mysterious beast bone should have been guarded by an energy barrier set by the Phoenix bloodline natives, which the cuckoo bird couldn’t break through, hence seeking Lu Yuan’s help. However, the Distant Star Federation and Javier’s joint exploration team had used the mysterious beast bone to set a trap for Lu Yuan. With no protective measures around it to lure him in, the cuckoo bird managed to seize the moment.

“I guess you’re back because you need something from me, and want to continue our cooperation, rather than just to show off.”

Lu Yuan spoke to the cuckoo bird in a calm tone.

“Cuckoo-Cuckoo.”

The cuckoo bird flapped its wings and flew closer to Lu Yuan.

“That’s what I thought.”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered briefly as he said, “If you want to continue our cooperation, let’s first divide the spoils from the last round.”

“Cuckoo-Cuckoo-“

Unexpectedly, the cuckoo bird shook its head. It wasn’t refusing; instead, it meant that the mysterious beast bone was genuinely useful to it and couldn’t be divided.

But it wouldn’t let Lu Yuan’s efforts go unrewarded.

It suggested settling the payment after Lu Yuan helped with the next task.

“Cuckoo-Cuckoo!”

The cuckoo bird stated that it would give him a “down payment” first, then opened its beak and spat out several golden, apple-sized, wondrous items.

Lu Yuan picked up a few of the wondrous fruits and sensed the evil deity factor and energy concentration within. He found them average.

“No problem with the promises. However…”

Lu Yuan put down the wondrous fruits and, looking serenely at the cuckoo bird before him, said, “You’ll need to give me a clearer idea of what the final reward looks like.”

The cuckoo bird tilted its head thoughtfully for a moment before beginning to scratch the ground with its claws. As it drew, it explained to Lu Yuan in its “Cuckoo-Cuckoo” language what it was depicting.

“You want me to take you to a volcano?”

“And around the crater, there are all kinds of wondrous items you desire, any one of which is ten times more valuable than what I have in my hand right now?”

“Is that for real?”

Lu Yuan looked at the volcano diagram the cuckoo bird had sketched on the ground, with abstract lines representing flowers and plants at the summit, and couldn’t help but frown slightly.

He initially doubted the authenticity of the cuckoo bird’s words.

But as he stared at the volcano, he suddenly remembered a video that Lan Chen had sent him before.

In that video, there was also a volcano, and golden grasses exuding flames were growing in the magma at the crater.

“Could it be the same place?”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly as he pondered. Then, he pointed to the center of the crater in the drawing and asked the cuckoo bird, “What exactly do you want to achieve by having me take you to this place? Is there something specific in this crater?”

His intuition told him that if this volcano’s crater was indeed surrounded by various precious top-tier wondrous items, then at the center of these items, there must be something even more valuable.

And chances were, the cuckoo bird was aiming for exactly that.