"Ding, congratulations to the host for increasing combat power, currently at the early stage of the second order!"
Ten thousand upgrade points vanished, and strength broke through again.
In the cave, Lin Yu's body emitted white light, and the energy within him surged tenfold!
Not only that, but he found his perception had become extremely sharp.
He could vaguely sense some situations on the ground, and sounds he heard would form blurry images in his mind.
"This must be the perception power of the second order!"
"After reaching the second order, perception becomes stronger and stronger, and firearms can no longer threaten awakened individuals above the second order!"
"One can sense the enemy's next move, and it's like a weakened divine sense, able to perceive things at a distance."
"This is just the second order, and it's already so powerful. How powerful must the divine beings above the legendary ninth order be?"
He showed a look of longing and clenched his fists.
One day, he would make these gods and demons in the sky bow their heads in submission and grovel at his feet!
On the other side.
Zhao Ke finally condensed the Thunder Emperor.
Behind her, a phantom of the Thunder Emperor made of lightning appeared, its eyes shooting lightning as it looked into the distance.
Zhao Ke said, "I'll go eliminate the locust swarm!"
Everyone's faces lit up with joy.
"With Zhao Ke's Thunder Emperor, the locust swarm is no match!"
"Is this the terror of an SS-class talent? It's simply amazing!"
"Just one glance at that Thunder Emperor chills the heart, its aura is too strong!"
Everyone flattered Zhao Ke, but she maintained a cold, unsmiling expression.
However, as they moved forward, they were puzzled. Where was the fiery locust swarm?
Why had they all disappeared?
As they ventured deeper, they began to see the corpses of dead fiery locusts.
"This is a fiery locust guard, actually killed by a single sword!"
"And this one, also slain with a single sword!"
"Amazing, there are at least a few thousand dead fiery locusts around here!"
"Could it be that a team has arrived?"
Zhao Ke frowned and said, "Keep moving!"
Everyone nodded and continued on.
But all they saw along the way were dead locusts.
On the other side.
The clone killed the locust leader and, not bothering to chase the fleeing locusts, returned to Lin Yu with a skill crystal.
Lin Yu learned it without a second word, as skills were what he lacked the most.
This skill was Flame Spit, which could release a fan-shaped flame to attack enemies.
He tested it, and it was far superior to Energy Slash.
With a single strike, the area within three meters in front was within the attack range.
The high temperature and burning damage made its power considerable!
"Now that I'm in the second order, I'll boost your combat power too!"
Lin Yu recalled his clone and then released another. All ten clones also advanced to the early stage of the second order.
Not only that, but they had also inherited his skills, Flame Spit and Energy Slash.
"Go protect Zhao Ke!"
The clones nodded and departed.
...
Zhao Ke felt dejected, looking at the phantom of the Thunder Emperor behind her. She was frustrated.
The skill she had painstakingly condensed had no chance to be used as the crisis was already over.
However, the others didn't have such complex thoughts; each of them showed relief at having survived.
"That was close. If it weren't for the mysterious helper, we would have died!"
"Damn Li Yuan, that scoundrel, for killing Wang Li!"
The thought of Wang Li being thrown to the monsters by Li Yuan as he fled filled everyone with rage.
Upon their return, they would definitely report him! Running away might not be illegal, but causing the death of a classmate was a violation of regulations.
Fleeing for self-preservation was a flaw in personal character, but harming others showed malicious intent, and the law would not protect such individuals.
"When we get back, we must report him!"
"This kind of person will be a menace in the future; we can't let him get away!"
"My mind will not be at peace until this grudge is avenged!"
Everyone was filled with righteous indignation, united in their condemnation of Li Yuan.
Zhao Ke was also furious. Li Yuan had joined her team.
She had disagreed initially, but the school's guiding teacher had insisted on bringing Li Yuan in, which nearly cost everyone their lives!
The thought filled her with anger.
When they returned to the city, he was as good as dead!!!
Zhao Ke decided to report the matter to the principal immediately upon their return, so Li Yuan would get the retribution he deserved.
With her SS-class talent, she held a high position in the entire high school.
Furthermore, she had already been accepted into Chaos Element Academy. With such immense talent and the backing of ten top universities, no one dared to offend her.
Even the principal would have to think twice about her requests.
However, as she looked around, she still couldn't find any other locust swarms, and a sense of disappointment washed over her.
Alas!
She hadn't found her benefactor, and the Thunder Emperor she had condensed had no use!
She couldn't help but feel disheartened.
Just then, her face suddenly lit up with joy.
She saw ten identical figures appearing in front of her.
Seeing them, Zhao Ke immediately called out, "Here, here!"
She acted like a little girl, astonishing everyone else.
Lin Yu's clones quickly arrived.
"Lin Yu, what are you doing here?"
"I was out hunting and couldn't get back. You too?"
"Yes, if someone hadn't saved us just now, we might have been killed!"
"This..." Lin Yu was about to say he was the one who saved them when he was interrupted by a voice.
A young man said, "Zhao Ke, who is this?"
Lin Yu replied, "My name is Lin Yu, Zhao Ke's deskmate. Just now..."
Before he could finish, the young man introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Zhao Xing, with an S-class talent, Diamond Body!"
Lin Yu blinked. This person looked just like Li Yuan!
"Lin Yu, A-class talent, Clone!"
Upon hearing that Lin Yu had an A-class talent, Zhao Xing's initial enthusiasm immediately waned. He said coldly, "Oh, A-class? My apologies, I have some matters to attend to. You all chat!"
With that, he retreated.
The others, losing interest, did not step forward to speak.
Meanwhile, the young man with the Heavenly Eye, the third eye on his brow shimmering with a faint light, saw some secrets. He stepped forward and said, "Hello, my name is Bai Xiaosa, S-class talent, Insightful Heavenly Eye!"
Lin Yu returned the greeting, feeling a good impression of this young man.
Zhao Ke asked, "Has your talent transformed?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, I knew it. As long as one works hard, there will be rewards. Keep working hard, and the Sword God is your goal!"
"Don't worry, I won't let you down!"
As they chatted, both of them looked towards Bai Xiaosa.
Bai Xiaosa awkwardly said, "Uh... I still have things to do. You guys chat!"
Bai Xiaosa retreated.
The others gathered together, looking at Lin Yu with disdain.
"What's with Zhao Ke? Talking to a mere A-class talent for so long?"
"They're deskmates, after all. There must be some affection. You don't think Zhao Ke would be interested in that kid, do you?"
"Of course not. Zhao Ke is a celestial maiden, and he? Frankly, he's just a minnow in the mud!"
At that moment, Bai Xiaosa walked over. Hearing their conversation, he interjected, "Underestimating others can lead to great losses!"
Everyone else rolled their eyes at him, unconcerned.
Could a mere A-class awakened individual make them suffer great losses? What a joke!
Just then, Bai Xiaosa's expression turned serious.
"Not good, another locust swarm is attacking, and this time the scale is even larger!"
As he spoke, everyone immediately became alert and prepared for defense.
"Don't think about running. Without speed-type skills, you can't outrun the locusts!"
"Zhao Ke, another locust swarm is coming. It's up to you!" Bai Xiaosa said, "In one minute, the locusts will arrive!"
In less than a minute, everyone saw a red cloud approaching.
This time, the locust swarm was larger than the previous one.
Moreover, the leading monster was at least twice the size of the previous locust leader.
Its four-meter-long body, reflecting a golden-red light, seemed forged from metal, showcasing its formidable defense.
Everyone turned pale with shock.
The hope that had just risen was ruthlessly extinguished.
How could they possibly fight this?
This was a second-order locust commander!
It had an army of one hundred thousand locusts under its command. Although the locusts' strength was low, below even the first order, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
"Lin Yu, hide behind me!"
"Don't worry, I can help you!"
"Lin Yu, be obedient and hide. Remember what I said? As long as you don't die, you can rise again!"
Lin Yu's heart warmed at her words, and he no longer insisted. He quietly retreated but kept a close eye on his surroundings, ready to save Zhao Ke immediately if she was in danger.
Among everyone present, only Zhao Ke mattered to him.
What if the others all died?
Thunder Emperor!
Zhao Ke pointed at the locust swarm.
"Thunder Emperor, go!"
The phantom behind her nodded slightly, left Zhao Ke, and flew towards the locust swarm.
The phantom of the Thunder Emperor was over three meters tall, appearing insignificant against the overwhelming locust swarm.
However, the Thunder Emperor raised a finger towards the sky.
"Thunder Descends!"
Crackling!!!
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and countless bolts of lightning condensed within them, descending with a roar.
Like raindrops, they poured down, covering an area of a hundred meters.
Instantly, the lightning cleared a hundred-meter radius, killing and injuring all the monsters.
Then, it unleashed a lightning storm on other areas.
Crackling!!
Another area was cleared, and the remaining ten thousand locusts were few in number.
Lin Yu watched this scene, his jaw dropping in astonishment.
This SS-class talent was too terrifying!
"Kill!"
Another bolt of lightning descended, striking the locust commander.
However, the Thunder Emperor became increasingly blurry, appearing as though it might dissipate at any moment.
After unleashing this final bolt of lightning, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, believing the locust commander was dead.
The Thunder Emperor's attack power was too high; even a second-order monster couldn't withstand it!
However, something astonishing happened.
The guards around the locust commander all gathered together, merging into streaks of red light that flowed into the locust commander.
Some became wings, some became helmets, some became armor, and some became weapons.
When they looked again, the locust commander had transformed into a winged humanoid creature.
"Not good, this is a fusion technique! It has absorbed hundreds of first-order locusts to forcefully increase its power!"
"This monster now possesses at least peak second-order strength!"
"Oh no, the Thunder Emperor has dissipated!"
The Thunder Emperor had expended too much power and had vanished.
Despair surged among everyone once more.
It was over!!!
Just then, ten identical figures suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes. These ten figures, wielding various weapons, rapidly charged towards the locust commander.