Chapter 1303: Another Gathering Point  

Zhang Lie leapt high into the air and vaulted between the genetic lifeforms, many of which pounced toward him.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

Chunks of crystal appeared over Zhang Lie's head, reflecting light in five colors, so dazzling it dazed any who looked at it, so beautiful it sparked their desire.

More and more crystals formed above Zhang Lie's head.

As Zhang Lie manipulated space, the crystals shot out in the form of sharp daggers, tearing apart sky and space, in a rain of crystals that were able to penetrate anything thanks to Zhang Lie's mastery of space.

The genetic lifeforms below cried out in pain and shock.

Zhang Lie raised his head and saw the target of the stampede: a city standing tall in the distance, though it remained unclear whether it was a city of genetic hunters or of aliens.

A peak-grade lifeform emerged from the midst of the pack, its black scales layered like armor. It pounced forward, its mouth wide, revealing layer after layer of sharp teeth.

The crystals were unable to pierce through its thick, scaly armor—rather, they crashed into its hide with crystalline plinks.

This peak-grade lifeform's defense had to be incredible if it were capable of blocking those crystals.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Hundred Dragons Soaring]!"

As Zhang Lie cocked his fist, dozens of crystalline dragons formed behind his back, roaring in unison and causing the sky to tremble. The next moment, they shot out through his fists, straight toward the peak-grade lifeform.

With a huge explosion, the peak-grade lifeform screamed in pain. Its head had caved in.

Zhang Lie didn't stop. In a single moment, he had launched a flurry of punches, all of which seemed to have been executed in the blink of an eye, and each of which transformed into a beautiful crystalline dragon.

The dragons' crystalline scales flashed in the sunlight. They hammered away at the peak-grade lifeforms' defense—no matter how strong it was, it couldn't withstand the might of a hundred such dragons coming at it at once.

The peak-grade lifeform was mashed into meat paste. [You successfully killed a peak-grade black-armored rhinoceros. By consuming the flesh of the peak-grade black-armored rhinoceros, you may receive one to ten peak gene fragments.]

Suddenly, as plumes of dust rose into the air, an armored bug charged straight toward Zhang Lie. Its squirming body knocked aside all nearby lifeforms as its momentum carried it toward an impending impact.

The next moment, Zhang Lie vanished from the spot.

Pitch-black genetic energy exploded around him and transformed into a black cyclone that began to widen with every moment. Many nearby lifeforms shrieked and screamed as they were dissolved.

"[Ninecarp Transformation]!"

A black serpent materialized behind Zhang Lie, by now so large and so developed that it resembled the world-swallowing serpent Jormungandr. It let out a threatening hiss as its scales clicked together.

Black genetic energy spread out in front of the armored bug, but it managed to push through the mist and continue charging straight at Zhang Lie.

Zhang Lie punched forward and knocked the armored bug away. His black serpent twined around it.

A hurricane of blood and gusts of hot wind spawned around him as Zhang Lie activated his blood ant and dragonwolf soulshards.

The next moment, Zhang Lie vanished from sight. Bloody swipes appeared all over the armored bug's body.

Zhang Lie had transformed into a dragonwolf with russet fur and limbs covered with a dragon's scales, and a dragon's horns grew out of his forehead.

Before the armored bug could land on the ground, it had been split open by his claws.

[You successfully killed a peak-grade armored sandstorm beetle. By consuming the flesh of the peak-grade armored sandstorm beetle, you may receive one to ten peak gene fragments.]

Zhang Lie turned and rushed off straight toward the city. Bloody swipes appeared where he passed by, slashing the unfortunate lifeforms in his way to pieces.

The city was suffering from an unprecedented crisis of lifeforms all around. A dark mass of lifeforms, almost so many as to form a sea, was headed straight for the city.

Lin Lingfeng's eyes clouded over with despair. [1]

The hunters of the Milky Way had worked hard together to build a city that had lasted three decades. It had overcome disaster after disaster—but this crisis didn't look like one would survive.

This time, Lin Lingfeng didn't think they would be lucky enough to scrape by.

There were far too many genetic lifeforms present, and a large number of peak-grade ones, too. Unlike what happened at Zhang Lie's gathering point, this gathering point wouldn't fall because the leader perished. Lin Lingfeng, the leader of this city, had been directing the hunters to fight all along—but there were simply so many lifeforms and so few hunters that some were already starting to flee via the teleportation apparatus.

With a huge bang, a wall that guarded part of the city collapsed. Lightning forked through the air, causing the most well known hunters of the city to be knocked flying. This particular lifeform was too strong—all the hunters in the city were working together, but even combined, were unable to stop its assault.

The lifeform was beyond peak-grade in strength, and might even be the legendary disaster-grade, able to wreck a city on its own.

Lin Lingfeng, standing at the top of the city, saw the ferocious lifeform invading it from below. A stampede of lifeforms followed behind in the devastation it had caused. In her heart, she knew that this city was doomed.

Her aide urged, "We'd better run! We can't save this city."

"Where could we go?" Lin Lingfeng sighed.

"We'll be able to escape to the nearest gathering point if we leave now!"

Lin Lingfeng smiled wryly, mockingly. "It won't be easy to escape from all these lifeforms surrounding us."

Her companion fell silent. magic

Indeed, even if they were to break out, how would they be able to survive in the cruel, hellish landscape of the fourth realm without any shelter?

Lin Lingfeng sighed mournfully. "All of you should leave. I'll stay behind. As the leader of this city, I'll rise and fall with it. Your trust and expectations still buoy me, after all."

Her companion cried out, "If you die, there won't be anything left!"

"You're right, but I still have to stay here and defend the city. Every additional second I endure might make the difference between life and death for the rest of you—hold on, what's that?!"

Lin Lingfeng looked toward the crowd of lifeforms, at the sky shining with crystal shards, falling onto the lifeforms like rain.

Her companion cried out, "An even stronger genetic lifeform?!"

The genetic hunters still defending the city began to panic.

The peak-grade lifeform that had brought down an entire wall by itself was despairing enough, but now there was an even more mysterious lifeform out there, too?

Lin Lingfeng looked toward the stampede, at the lifeforms that were now slumped over, as hope welled up from her heart once more.

"No, that's not a genetic lifeform."

The silver storm of crystals was slaughtering the stampede of lifeforms in huge swathes.

"What could it be, then?"

"Hold on, it's heading straight for us!"

. Why does this author like having such similar names... ?