(Though he looked formidable, why were all the animals black?) Such a strange thought flickered through Zheng Zha’s mind, but it vanished in an instant. Then, the black man charged forward with thunderous momentum. A few sharp crack sounds echoed—the sound of his feet striking the ground. The slate paving stones beneath could not bear such immense force and shattered effortlessly.

Seeing the frightening speed of the charging black man, Zheng Zha barely managed to swing his Hu Po Blade horizontally. To his surprise, the large black man met the blade strike with a simple punch. Just as the fist was about to collide with the arc of blade energy, his fist suddenly morphed into the shape of a black leopard, latching onto the blade’s aura tenaciously. Meanwhile, the black man’s other fist hammered towards Zheng Zha.

Zheng Zha pulled his blade back, finding it stuck fast, leaving him only his free fist to meet the incoming blow. He was cautious, however, channeling a thick layer of Neili into his hand. Sure enough, a black tiger phantom materialized on the opponent's fist, its maw wide open, lunging to bite at Zheng Zha's own fist. Startled, Zheng Zha immediately activated his “Instant Annihilation” state and unleashed a "Fist Spear" at incredible velocity onto the black man’s fist. Not only did this shatter the black tiger phantom, but Zheng Zha distinctly heard the sound of bone cracking—one-two ethylamine bone crack. The large black man screamed and staggered back.

Luo Yinglong’s eyes lit up. He blurted out, "Good! That’s a skill you created yourself, isn't it?" Zheng Zha was locked in desperate combat and had no time to reply. The moment the black man retreated, Zheng Zha entered the state of unlocking the fourth stage of the Genetic Lock. He noticed there were no human soldiers around. Furthermore, unlike the "Annihilation" state, this unlocked realm could be sustained indefinitely. Such profound mastery shouldn't go unused; even if he couldn't fully exploit its potential due to the difference in strength, it should be enough to deal with these few opponents! "(Stepping twice in rapid succession on the ground increases speed by more than double by instantly creating resonance in the earth, resulting in explosive power.)" As Zheng Zha entered the fourth stage of the Genetic Lock, watching the black man retreat rapidly, this thought suddenly occurred to him.

Without pausing to judge right or wrong, he executed the technique immediately. As the two forces were transmitted simultaneously over a very short period, the instant the stone beneath his feet shattered, a reactive force surged back through his soles. Only then did he truly understand why Luo Yinglong claimed that once one reached the fourth stage, creating skills became intuitive. With this sensation of energy conversion and flow, inventing new techniques was no longer difficult! As the black man retreated, the Caucasian woman began chanting an obscure spell, and a white light enveloped him. The black man's wrist began to heal at a visible rate. Just as Zheng Zha completed his footwork and charged, the man’s wrist had completely mended. He roared loudly, and the black bear phantom that had momentarily burrowed into his body resurfaced. The black man’s physique immediately began to expand. By the time Zheng Zha reached him, the man had swelled two to three times his original size, resembling a giant, muscles bulging, launching a punch carrying terrifying pressure toward Zheng Zha.

The oppression from this punch was so overwhelming that Zheng Zha sensed danger before the fist even made contact. He stomped his foot and dove toward the lowest level of the city, narrowly avoiding the punch’s full force. Where he had just been standing, the sheer concussive wave and wind from the black man's blow pulverized the ground, sending chunks of rock tumbling down toward the lower levels.

Although Zheng Zha’s current state was involuntary, his consciousness remained sharp. Moments ago, he had felt this black man was nothing to fear—just a brute with some strength, suitable for an exhibition match. Was this truly a member of the God Squad? If so, the God Squad might not be invincible. But now, in the blink of an eye, that damaging punch had healed, and the black man had suddenly grown stronger. If that punch had connected fully, even he might not have survived it.

Luo Yinglong showed no intention of intervening. He settled comfortably onto his flying sword, laughing loudly, "Zheng Zha, I told you long ago: strength isn't defined solely by how many levels of the Genetic Lock you’ve opened, or how much your attributes are enhanced. True strength is the power to eliminate your opponent! No matter how many Genetic Lock stages you’ve unlocked, or what enhancements you have, the one who kills the other is the strongest! That’s it. Hahaha! My companion has enhanced the spirits of four A-rank animals and his A-rank Dugu-Di muscles to one hundred percent. In terms of close combat power and destructive force, he is second only to Song Tian in the entire team! Hahaha! Beat him first, then you’ll have the qualification to even face me."

When Zheng Zha leaped down, the black man followed suit. With every bound, the black leopard image flickered across his body, making him appear extraordinarily agile. The instant Zheng Zha landed, the man delivered a punch from the air. It was only due to Zheng Zha’s swift evasion that the punch only blasted a crater in the ground instead of hitting him.

(This is the true strength of a God Squad member; it lives up to its reputation. This level of power certainly earns the title of God Squad.) Zheng Zha’s mind noted this even as his body moved autonomously. As the large black man blasted a crater into the ground, Zheng Zha stomped his feet twice and surged forward, delivering a "Fist Spear" directly to the man’s abdomen. Unexpectedly, the big man reacted quickly. Both were Genetic Lock unlockers; even though the man was only in the second stage, his reaction speed was maximized. As the "Fist Spear" struck, the image of an elephant flashed over his body. The blow landed on his stomach with a dull thud, feeling like striking a thick tire. The black man was sent flying several meters away.

All this happened in an instant. As the big man landed, both he and Zheng Zha charged toward each other. But before Zheng Zha could unleash his next attack, a brilliant light descended from above, tightly binding him in its center. The black man hesitated no longer, bringing his two palms together to strike Zheng Zha's chest. The black tiger image flashed over his body once again.

This giant black man slammed Zheng Zha down hard onto the thick city wall. With a tremendous crash, the wall was pierced by the two men, one pushing from behind, obscuring them both in a cloud of dust.

The Caucasian woman exclaimed happily, "Wonderful! 'Light Binding' can only hold him for a moment, but that’s enough to kill him! Heh heh, this Level Four Genetic Lock opener is too useless; he’s really nothing special."

Luo Yinglong shot her a cold look. This Caucasian woman was a newcomer to the God Squad. While her strength was decent, she ranked among the very worst in the team. Naturally, she did not know the terror of the Demon Zheng Zha. But Luo Yinglong saw no need to argue with her, as he suddenly heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh coming from within the dust cloud.

(Is this Zheng Zha really that weak? I went to the trouble of saying all those things to him beforehand, and it was all in vain. Is he really the Demon’s true form?) Luo Yinglong harbored doubts, but his expression remained placid as he continued watching the dust cloud. When the massive cloud settled, the scene was not what they had imagined—Zheng Zha beaten and bruised by the black man. Instead, Zheng Zha was gripping the black man’s throat, hoisting him into the air.

A pair of small, black, fleshy bat wings sprouted from Zheng Zha’s back, disproportionate to his body. His mouth was clamped around one of the black man’s arms, tearing and swallowing chunks of flesh while he held the man by the neck with one hand and pierced his abdomen with the other.

"Aargh!" Zheng Zha roared skyward, then tore violently. Under the terrified gaze of the big man, he ripped him cleanly in half, spilling blood and viscera all over him.

"Has it begun? Hahaha! This is what it means to truly reach the fourth stage of the Genetic Lock! Are the powerful genes within him finally awakening? Hahaha!" Luo Yinglong burst into loud laughter, completely contradicting his previous demeanor. He pointed toward Zheng Zha, and the Qingfeng Sword beneath his feet carried him straight out beyond the city wall. The black-haired youth transformed into a streak of azure light, instantly appearing above the wall.

Zheng Zha’s bat wings were only ten centimeters long, looking utterly mismatched with his frame. As Luo Yinglong flew above his head, Zheng Zha instinctively looked up. His eyes were a blazing crimson, entirely devoid of human reason—nothing but a bloodthirsty beast.

Luo Yinglong seemed unfazed. He laughed heartily, "Come on, come on! To keep you from claiming I'm bullying you while your wings aren't fully grown, I won't use flight to oppress you! Borrowing Power from Heaven and Earth, Transporting the Five Elements! Rise!" Luo Yinglong pressed his hands together, and when he separated them, a faint diagram of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams appeared between his palms. Then, the ground within a hundred-meter radius of where Zheng Zha stood violently surged upward and leaped into the air...