The Caucasian man was equally stunned; he could never have imagined Zheng Zha possessing such terrifying power. This level of strength and speed far surpassed his own. If he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he wouldn't have believed that such a powerhouse could exist within a team whose overall strength was merely average. But thought was quickly followed by action; the Caucasian man pivoted his Excalibur, swinging the weapon toward Zheng Zha. Yet, before he could even bring the heavy sword to bear, Zheng Zha’s speed overwhelmed him. Zheng Zha slammed into him, and simultaneously, the Tiger Soul blade slashed diagonally from his left shoulder across his chest. The Excalibur was simply too late to defend.

"Clang!" A deep, resounding boom echoed as a bronze ancient bell materialized around the Caucasian man. Zheng Zha’s strike hit the bronze bell squarely. Although it looked overwhelmingly powerful, causing the ancient bell to tremble violently, that was all it accomplished.

This single blow could not penetrate the bronze bell's defense; instead, it jarred Zheng Zha back several meters. Since both he and the Caucasian man were suspended in mid-air without any leverage, they were equally subjected to the recoil force that shoved them apart.

However, Zheng Zha made no move to land. Just as the Caucasian man was about to descend, Zheng Zha planted his feet hard against the stalk of a massive fungus, using that force to launch himself toward the Caucasian man. The velocity of this second charge was several points faster than his initial leap, so powerful that the fungal stalk snapped clean in two beneath his push. The Caucasian man happened to look up at that precise moment, his eyes widening in disbelief at the sheer power and speed Zheng Zha commanded.

Zheng Zha’s attack speed was breathtakingly fast; he reached the Caucasian man just as he touched the ground.

Before the Caucasian man could react, Zheng Zha drove a fierce kick into his chest, sending him flying upward once more.

But the Caucasian man wouldn't fly far. Despite the bronze bell intercepting the blow again, Zheng Zha paid it no mind, yanking the man back and slamming him hard into the earth.

The Caucasian man was indeed uninjured, but enduring such relentless punishment was unsustainable. This man was inherently arrogant, and his history of bullying newcomers had led him to believe he was godlike. Thus, the blow from Zheng Zha, combined with the humiliation, triggered a ferocious response.

He let out a wild roar, swinging the Excalibur desperately in wild, sweeping arcs. But this attack lacked technique, speed, and power—a farmer’s flurry. Under the dual augmentation of his unlocked Gene Lock and the "Explosion" state, the Tiger Soul blade began to hack furiously at the Caucasian man. In less than ten seconds, at least a hundred blows slammed into him.

The hue of that bronze-colored ancient bell began to look increasingly tarnished.

(A dual B-grade defensive artifact, truly formidable, to withstand my attacks for this long. It seems the existence of the Sen Zhou team's 'coddling' model has its reasons. But... someone who wields such potent artifacts like a nouveau riche brute is no match for me!) Zheng Zha wasn't being arrogant; this conclusion was simply factual. At least with his powerful self-created skills, his opponent stood no chance! The Caucasian man was sent flying again, but this time he was more cautious. As Zheng Zha reached out to grab him, the man let out a mighty shout, and his body instantly fragmented into several pieces. The speed was so great that Zheng Zha only managed to grasp a shadow. When Zheng Zha looked again, the Caucasian man had retreated dozens of meters, and several identical copies of him now stood in the area.

"Strong! You are strong! Unbelievably strong. I absolutely cannot believe someone with such power would emerge from a mere squad of hypocrites! Who exactly are you?" The Caucasian man eyed Zheng Zha with intense caution, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth. Although the B-grade defense item protected the wearer from direct injury, being repeatedly slammed into the ground by intense impacts was enough to cause internal harm. While the injuries were not severe, the blow to his confidence was immeasurable.

Zheng Zha deactivated the "Explosion" state. Maintaining that condition required a constant drain on his internal energy and vampire essence, leaving him no spare reserve to sustain it even while speaking. Although he desperately wanted to press the attack and finish the Caucasian man in one go, the presence of several identical duplicates was too bizarre. He lacked the protective artifacts the Caucasian man possessed; if struck by that invisible Excalibur, it would be bone and flesh sundered. He dared not charge forward recklessly.

"I am the captain of the Central Continent team. Anything else you wish to ask? Do you truly believe I would let you go?" Zheng Zha sneered at the Caucasian man, his eyes meticulously scanning the duplicates for subtle differences—weight, shadows, movement, and even how they held themselves.

The Caucasian man fell silent for a moment, then suddenly touched his face and burst into wild laughter. After the bout of maniacal glee, his tone turned serious. "Then I owe you a profound apology for my earlier disrespect. The only people I despise are the hypocritical weaklings; because they lack the strength to commit evil, they feign kindness—nothing more. But the strong are different. The strong can choose their own path, be it virtuous or wicked, just like you and me, ha ha ha... Since I am facing a challenge from a true powerhouse, those few seconds of chatter were indeed discourteous. To deal with a master like you, I must finally unleash my true strength, ha ha ha..." As he spoke, the multiple figures merged back into one. The Caucasian man stood alone, but his eyes held a vacant look, and his musculature began to swell noticeably. He had clearly unlocked his Gene Lock, and at the level of the Second Tier.

"Have you finished your last words?" Zheng Zha violently reactivated the "Explosion" skill, his feet crushing the ground as he shot forward toward the Caucasian man again at terrifying speed.

Once the Caucasian man entered the unlocked Gene Lock state, his previous frenzy and arrogance vanished entirely. As Zheng Zha charged, although his speed lagged significantly behind Zheng Zha's, his special skill served as his salvation. The instant Zheng Zha reached him, the Caucasian man dissolved into multiple copies, scattering from his original spot. Zheng Zha only managed to swing the Tiger Soul horizontally at two shadows. With a soft swish, the two illusions vanished, but a faint, stinging pain registered on Zheng Zha’s back.

Taking advantage of Zheng Zha's sweeping strike, the Caucasian man had driven his Excalibur toward Zheng Zha's back. The blow found its mark. However, Zheng Zha was currently in the "Explosion" state, moving far faster than his opponent. Therefore, the sword only managed to slice three fen deep into the flesh. Before the Caucasian man could muster his strength to deepen the wound, Zheng Zha stepped forward, sidestepping the strike. Simultaneously, he twisted his body and brought the Tiger Soul down upon the Caucasian man. A clash of metal rang out. The blow was blocked by the ancient bell, but the sheer kinetic force still sent the Caucasian man flying backward.

Zheng Zha stopped, taking a brief moment to assess the injury on his back. The wound was not serious, but the Excalibur seemed to absorb or annihilate energy; the cut had depleted about ten percent of the internal vampire energy and internal force within him. This explained why it could so easily cut through the blade’s energy signature of the Tiger Soul previously, as the Tiger Soul's energy projection was a form of stored power.

Seizing this brief opening, the Caucasian man slowly stood up again, still maintaining his unlocked Gene Lock state. This time, however, he charged toward Zheng Zha, shouting loudly as he ran: "Captain of the Central Continent team, your power is indeed immense, but it also proves your incompetence! Such immense power, yet completely devoid of technique or form—at this level... you are surely doomed to lose!" "Mirror Image..." As the Caucasian man charged, Zheng Zha felt his speed increasing exponentially. When the man finally closed the distance, he once again fractured into several identical figures. This time, Zheng Zha played smart; he already had a counter-tactic in mind for this move. But as he leaped up, his entire body suddenly froze in mid-air about a meter high, as if suspended in a zero-gravity stasis. The Caucasian men surrounding him simultaneously raised their hands, bringing the invisible Excalibur down viciously toward Zheng Zha.

"Mirror Image, Dimensional Severance!" Around Zheng Zha, within a one-meter radius, the air began to shatter like glass in expanding shards. As the first fractured area touched Zheng Zha’s left hand, his fingers cleanly broke off along with the piece of shattered reality. It was only at this instant that a dire premonition flashed through Zheng Zha’s mind. This feeling spurred him into a frantic writhing motion, simultaneously triggering his "Destruction" state. The terrifying surge of power instantly allowed him to regain control of his body. He violently tore through the zone of shattering fragments just as the next piece was about to strike, unleashing a slash charged with destructive force directly at the heads of the surrounding Caucasian men.

Infinite Horror—Second Half, Volume 4: Iron Blood Star River (Part Three) Chapter 8: Power (One) After Zheng Zha activated the Explosion skill, his speed and strength were beyond mere exaggeration. In terms of raw physical attributes, his opponent, the Caucasian man, was certainly his equal, and perhaps even surpassed him after reinforcing special skills or attributes. But once the "Explosion" skill was engaged, Zheng Zha was vastly superior to the Caucasian man! With terrifying speed and power, before the Caucasian man could fully recover, Zheng Zha sliced through the fungal plant beneath his feet. This single strike sent the Caucasian man sliding downward from above. Zheng Zha then pushed off with his foot, leaping high into the air and charging fiercely toward the falling figure of the Caucasian man.

The Caucasian man was equally stunned; he could never have imagined Zheng Zha possessing such terrifying power. This level of strength and speed far surpassed his own. If he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he wouldn't have believed that such a powerhouse could exist within a team whose overall strength was merely average. But thought was quickly followed by action; the Caucasian man pivoted his Excalibur, swinging the weapon toward Zheng Zha. Yet, before he could even bring the heavy sword to bear, Zheng Zha’s speed overwhelmed him. Zheng Zha slammed into him, and simultaneously, the Tiger Soul blade slashed diagonally from his left shoulder across his chest. The Excalibur was simply too late to defend.

"Clang!" A deep, resounding boom echoed as a bronze ancient bell materialized around the Caucasian man. Zheng Zha’s strike hit the bronze bell squarely. Although it looked overwhelmingly powerful, causing the ancient bell to tremble violently, that was all it accomplished.

This single blow could not penetrate the bronze bell's defense; instead, it jarred Zheng Zha back several meters. Since both he and the Caucasian man were suspended in mid-air without any leverage, they were equally subjected to the recoil force that shoved them apart.

However, Zheng Zha made no move to land. Just as the Caucasian man was about to descend, Zheng Zha planted his feet hard against the stalk of a massive fungus, using that force to launch himself toward the Caucasian man. The velocity of this second charge was several points faster than his initial leap, so powerful that the fungal stalk snapped clean in two beneath his push. The Caucasian man happened to look up at that precise moment, his eyes widening in disbelief at the sheer power and speed Zheng Zha commanded.

Zheng Zha’s attack speed was breathtakingly fast; he reached the Caucasian man just as he touched the ground.

Before the Caucasian man could react, Zheng Zha drove a fierce kick into his chest, sending him flying upward once more.

But the Caucasian man wouldn't fly far. Despite the bronze bell intercepting the blow again, Zheng Zha paid it no mind, yanking the man back and slamming him hard into the earth.

The Caucasian man was indeed uninjured, but enduring such relentless punishment was unsustainable. This man was inherently arrogant, and his history of bullying newcomers had led him to believe he was godlike. Thus, the blow from Zheng Zha, combined with the humiliation, triggered a ferocious response.

He let out a wild roar, swinging the Excalibur desperately in wild, sweeping arcs. But this attack lacked technique, speed, and power—a farmer’s flurry. Under the dual augmentation of his unlocked Gene Lock and the "Explosion" state, the Tiger Soul blade began to hack furiously at the Caucasian man. In less than ten seconds, at least a hundred blows slammed into him.

The hue of that bronze-colored ancient bell began to look increasingly tarnished.

(A dual B-grade defensive artifact, truly formidable, to withstand my attacks for this long. It seems the existence of the Sen Zhou team's 'coddling' model has its reasons. But... someone who wields such potent artifacts like a nouveau riche brute is no match for me!) Zheng Zha wasn't being arrogant; this conclusion was simply factual. At least with his powerful self-created skills, his opponent stood no chance! The Caucasian man was sent flying again, but this time he was more cautious. As Zheng Zha reached out to grab him, the man let out a mighty shout, and his body instantly fragmented into several pieces. The speed was so great that Zheng Zha only managed to grasp a shadow. When Zheng Zha looked again, the Caucasian man had retreated dozens of meters, and several identical copies of him now stood in the area.

"Strong! You are strong! Unbelievably strong. I absolutely cannot believe someone with such power would emerge from a mere squad of hypocrites! Who exactly are you?" The Caucasian man eyed Zheng Zha with intense caution, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth. Although the B-grade defense item protected the wearer from direct injury, being repeatedly slammed into the ground by intense impacts was enough to cause internal harm. While the injuries were not severe, the blow to his confidence was immeasurable.

Zheng Zha deactivated the "Explosion" state. Maintaining that condition required a constant drain on his internal energy and vampire essence, leaving him no spare reserve to sustain it even while speaking. Although he desperately wanted to press the attack and finish the Caucasian man in one go, the presence of several identical duplicates was too bizarre. He lacked the protective artifacts the Caucasian man possessed; if struck by that invisible Excalibur, it would be bone and flesh sundered. He dared not charge forward recklessly.

"I am the captain of the Central Continent team. Anything else you wish to ask? Do you truly believe I would let you go?" Zheng Zha sneered at the Caucasian man, his eyes meticulously scanning the duplicates for subtle differences—weight, shadows, movement, and even how they held themselves.

The Caucasian man fell silent for a moment, then suddenly touched his face and burst into wild laughter. After the bout of maniacal glee, his tone turned serious. "Then I owe you a profound apology for my earlier disrespect. The only people I despise are the hypocritical weaklings; because they lack the strength to commit evil, they feign kindness—nothing more. But the strong are different. The strong can choose their own path, be it virtuous or wicked, just like you and me, ha ha ha... Since I am facing a challenge from a true powerhouse, those few seconds of chatter were indeed discourteous. To deal with a master like you, I must finally unleash my true strength, ha ha ha..." As he spoke, the multiple figures merged back into one. The Caucasian man stood alone, but his eyes held a vacant look, and his musculature began to swell noticeably. He had clearly unlocked his Gene Lock, and at the level of the Second Tier.

"Have you finished your last words?" Zheng Zha violently reactivated the "Explosion" skill, his feet crushing the ground as he shot forward toward the Caucasian man again at terrifying speed.

Once the Caucasian man entered the unlocked Gene Lock state, his previous frenzy and arrogance vanished entirely. As Zheng Zha charged, although his speed lagged significantly behind Zheng Zha's, his special skill served as his salvation. The instant Zheng Zha reached him, the Caucasian man dissolved into multiple copies, scattering from his original spot. Zheng Zha only managed to swing the Tiger Soul horizontally at two shadows. With a soft swish, the two illusions vanished, but a faint, stinging pain registered on Zheng Zha’s back.

Taking advantage of Zheng Zha's sweeping strike, the Caucasian man had driven his Excalibur toward Zheng Zha's back. The blow found its mark. However, Zheng Zha was currently in the "Explosion" state, moving far faster than his opponent. Therefore, the sword only managed to slice three fen deep into the flesh. Before the Caucasian man could muster his strength to deepen the wound, Zheng Zha stepped forward, sidestepping the strike. Simultaneously, he twisted his body and brought the Tiger Soul down upon the Caucasian man. A clash of metal rang out. The blow was blocked by the ancient bell, but the sheer kinetic force still sent the Caucasian man flying backward.

Zheng Zha stopped, taking a brief moment to assess the injury on his back. The wound was not serious, but the Excalibur seemed to absorb or annihilate energy; the cut had depleted about ten percent of the internal vampire energy and internal force within him. This explained why it could so easily cut through the blade’s energy signature of the Tiger Soul previously, as the Tiger Soul's energy projection was a form of stored power.

Seizing this brief opening, the Caucasian man slowly stood up again, still maintaining his unlocked Gene Lock state. This time, however, he charged toward Zheng Zha, shouting loudly as he ran: "Captain of the Central Continent team, your power is indeed immense, but it also proves your incompetence! Such immense power, yet completely devoid of technique or form—at this level... you are surely doomed to lose!" "Mirror Image..." As the Caucasian man charged toward Zheng Zha, he felt the man's speed increasing exponentially. When the man finally closed the distance, he once again fractured into several identical figures. This time, Zheng Zha played smart; he already had a counter-tactic in mind for this move. But as he leaped up, his entire body suddenly froze in mid-air about a meter high, as if suspended in a zero-gravity stasis. The Caucasian men surrounding him simultaneously raised their hands, bringing the invisible Excalibur down viciously toward Zheng Zha.

"Mirror, Dimensional Slash!" Around Zheng Zha, a space within a meter of him suddenly fractured as if made of glass, and this area of shattering continued to expand. By the time the first shard touched his left hand, his fingers snapped clean off along with the fragment. It was only at this very instant that an extreme premonition of danger flashed through Zheng Zha’s mind. This sensation spurred him into a frantic thrash, simultaneously triggering his entry into the "Ruin" state.

The terrifying surge of power instantly restored control over his body, allowing him to violently burst out of the fragment zone just ahead of the other pieces. Simultaneously, he unleashed a strike imbued with destructive force, hacking ferociously toward the heads of the surrounding Caucasian men. Leaping up

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