The trio quickly turned their heads.
The terrifying Death Qi, which the Strong Divine Envoy had just released like a colossal wave, now seemed as if something had pierced it through. It exploded violently from the center. The black deathly fog scattered throughout the forest along with panicked crows.
"What just happened?"
"A new development?!"
Gao Qing and the others stared intently at the epicenter of the Death Qi explosion. Finally, as the scene within came into focus, all three widened their eyes, their pupils contracting as if witnessing something utterly unbelievable and inconceivable. Their faces filled with shock and astonishment.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Calophis stood rooted to the spot. His palm remained in a descending posture, and his expression was one of sudden, unprepared shock. He found himself staring at his descending palm. Or, to be precise, at the hand that was tightly gripping his own.
It was broad and thick. Knuckles protruded sharply, and bulging veins, like earthworms, clung to the back of the hand.
Most importantly, this hand was scorching, as if it had just been pulled from molten lava! From its palm to the back, and down to the extending wrist and elbow, the skin glowed an unnatural, faint red. It was as if searing magma roiled and flowed unceasingly beneath the flesh.
The hand, accompanied by a sound like the heavy panting of a colossal beast, rose and fell slightly. Calophis followed it with his gaze. He saw that merely inches away, amidst the gradually dispersing black fog of Death Qi, a figure was slowly emerging.
He stood well over two meters tall, a head taller than Calophis. Long black hair draped over his shoulders. His muscles weren’t excessively developed; instead, they were extremely well-proportioned. Yet, they displayed a strange, slightly contorted growth pattern, reminiscent of bundles of steel rebar, tightly bound and then twisted. And they exuded a peculiar aesthetic of raw power. Thɪs chapter is updated by noⅴelfire.net
Across these muscles, crimson blood vessels surfaced smoothly, like tattoos weaving over his physique.
THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!
Calophis heard a dull, thudding heartbeat, like the beating of war drums—it certainly wasn’t his own. He saw the man before him tilt his head up slightly. Then, visible white steam plumed from beneath the crow mask.
It was as if magma flowed through this man’s veins, and a volcano seethed within his chest. He radiated waves of terrifying heat, and the air around him seemed to shimmer and distort, becoming faintly transparent.
Calophis stared blankly, about to say something. The man gripping his hand finally turned his head to face him. Beneath the mask, the man’s eyes curved slightly, as if he were smiling. Calophis heard his deep, searing voice.
"The real fight... is just about to begin."
At this moment, on Lu Yuan’s class panel, two entries seemed to glow brilliantly.
One was Physical Constitution, under his quaternity basic attributes. The other was a specific Core Skill on the [Fighter] class panel.
The former had increased by one point, becoming 20. A few small characters had appeared after it: [Physical Constitution: 20 (Break the Limit: 1)]
The latter now read: [Special Burst LVL 4]—Ultimate Outburst!
This... this was the trump card Lu Yuan had ultimately chosen!