CRACK!!
Just as the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King was about to turn and attack Zheng Kai's group, a thunderclap exploded within the cavern. A bolt of purple lightning, thick as a man's thigh, seemed to materialize from the void. It coalesced instantly and slammed onto the scorpion's back!!
BOOM!!
An ear-splitting blast shook the entire cave. The massive purple bolt struck the Scorpion King dead center. Yet, horrifyingly, the colossal beast merely staggered slightly before regaining its balance!!
SCREEEEEEECH!!!
Though uninjured, the Scorpion King was unmistakably enraged. It shrieked furiously, its head swiveling towards Lin Feng's position.
As if instinctively knowing Lin Feng was the source of the attack, it let out another piercing cry. Its enormous tail suddenly whipped forward, stretching impossibly long—more than doubling its length—arching backwards over its own head like a colossal, flaming spear aiming to impale Lin Feng!!
The fireball at the tip of that tail was nearly larger than Lin Feng himself. If 'speared', he wouldn't be pierced; he'd be pulverized into paste and incinerated to ash instantly!
"Look out!!"
Witnessing this, Zheng Kai's group across the cavern paled dramatically. Chang Gong Xiaojing couldn't suppress a gasp of horror.
Hmmmmmm…..
At that critical moment, a cyan spirit light shield blinked into existence before Lin Feng and his companions. The next instant brought a BOOM! as the massive tail slammed solidly into the cyan barrier. The shield flared violently… but did not shatter!
Seeing Lin Feng's defensive artifact withstand the blow, Zheng Kai and the others exhaled in relief, mixed with profound shock. During the earlier scorpion swarm battle, they'd only seen Lin Feng use a high-grade treasure artifact shield. They hadn't realized he possessed something even stronger.
"Go! NOW!!"
Heartened that Lin Feng had genuinely blocked the Scorpion King, Lu Yang wasted no time. With a sharp command, his group redoubled their speed towards the tunnel entrance.
SCREEEECH!!!
In the cavern's center, having its attack thwarted only fueled the Scorpion King's fury. Its rows of legs suddenly churned. It surged forward seven or eight meters in the blink of an eye! Both massive pincers rose high, sweeping down like monstrous hammers towards Lin Feng!
"Tch! Brace yourselves! Stick close!!"
Lin Feng's gaze sharpened. He pushed forward with Zhang Fangzhou and the others close behind. Simultaneously, his right hand snapped up. A cyan talisman in his grasp flashed brightly. Instantly, a violent gale whipped through the cavern. A gigantic wind blade, its ends burying themselves into the cavern floor and ceiling, materialized in a flash! It carved deep grooves as it shrieked towards the Scorpion King mere meters away!
The attack was virtually point-blank. Yet, the Scorpion King's reaction speed was terrifyingly fast. Screeching, it snapped its right pincer back, shielding its head like a buckler.
BOOM!! BOOM!!
Two earth-shattering crashes overlapped. One was the wind blade impacting the massive pincer shield. The other was the Scorpion King's left pincer smashing down onto the cyan spirit shield protecting Lin Feng's group!
Humm-humm-humm…
The shield above their heads vibrated violently, threatening to collapse. Lin Feng, Zhang Fangzhou, and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats. Their hopeful gazes snapped forward towards the wind blade's result… only for their expressions to darken further.
"Damn it!! Nothing?! That was a top-grade Level 3 Wind Blade Talisman!! Was it defective?!"
Lin Feng cursed aloud. His earlier mid-grade Level 3 Purple Lightning Talisman had left the beast unscathed. Now his supposedly stronger top-grade Level 3 Wind Blade Talisman had been completely blocked by its pincer! That attack was equivalent to a Golden Core mid-stage cultivator's spell! Just how absurdly tough was this monster's carapace?!
SCREEEEE!!!
The Fire-Tailed Scorpion King ahead seemed only further enraged. It shook its right pincer like a man flicking off an irritant. Simultaneously, it raised its left pincer again and hammered down towards Lin Feng, seemingly venting its wrath!
Lin Feng shot a glance towards the other group. Lu Yang's team had covered half the distance and were now directly opposite Lin Feng's position. The colossal scorpion blocked the center, temporarily obscuring their view of each other.
"Let's see if you can block this!!"
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, finally deciding to deploy one of his trump cards – the flying sword. His right hand flicked. The flying sword materialized instantly from his storage ring before him. A faint sword hum echoed. Silver light flashed. The sword shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
The instant the flying sword appeared, the Scorpion King's movements faltered minutely. Sensing immense threat, it abandoned its downward hammering strike towards Lin Feng. Instead, its left pincer swept violently sideways, aiming to swat the flying sword from the air.
ZHEEEENG…
But just before the massive pincer could connect, the flying sword abruptly veered! As if possessing its own intelligence, it arced sharply around the swinging claw. Then, its speed exploded, continuing its deadly trajectory straight towards the Scorpion King's head!!
After all, a scorpion is still a scorpion. Even at Level 3 with nascent intelligence, it couldn't comprehend such nuanced feints. Its left pincer sliced through empty air. Confusion flickered for a split second. By the time it tried to bring its right pincer across to block… it was far too late.
Shhhhk!!
A soft, precise sound. The flying sword plunged relentlessly into the Scorpion King's… right eye!!
Lin Feng hadn't intended to test his flying sword's edge against the beast's armored shell. Striking vulnerable points was the only sensible tactic. As the sword pierced the eye, triumph surged within him. He willed the sword to drive deeper, burrowing into the brain, intent on turning its skull into mush.
SCREEEEEEE!!!
However, the instant its eye exploded, the Scorpion King threw its head back in a violent, instinctive jerk. The force was immense. It flung the sword embedded in its eye socket clear! Simultaneously, its left pincer lashed out again! CLANG! The flying sword was sent spinning away, smashing against the nearby cave wall.
"RAAAAAAHHH!!!"
At that moment, a roar, seemingly dredged up from the depths of courage, erupted beside Lin Feng. Zhang Fangzhou, gripped by sudden ferocity, hurled his best talisman – a low-grade Level 3 Fireball Talisman – without caring if it would work.
He wasn't alone. Yao Wangtian and Xu Rong acted almost in unison. They too flung out their strongest talismans – low-grade Level 3 Ice Spike Talismans.
SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH…
A rapid series of whooshes. Brilliant white light flashed. All three had instinctively chosen Ice Spike Talismans! Six ice spikes, thick as a forearm and two feet long, hurtled towards the Scorpion King's head.
Earlier, the Scorpion King could have casually deflected these with a flick of its pincers. Or simply ignored them; the power of mere low-grade Level 3 talismans couldn't breach its hide. But now… it was blinded by agony in its right eye, its defenses momentarily dropped wide open. Four of the six ice spikes were aimed squarely at its remaining, intact left eye!
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK…
The next instant brought the sharp sounds of shattering ice. The Scorpion King, in a final, desperate reflex, jerked its head aside. Most spikes smashed harmlessly against its armored skull. But one… one plunging ice spike struck true, punching into its left eye!!
SCREEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!
An even more piercing, agonized scream ripped from the Scorpion King's maw. Its head snapped back violently. Both massive pincers flailed wildly in the air as if wracked by unbearable torment.
Lin Feng's heart leapt with fierce joy. Snatching back his recalled flying sword in mid-air, he gestured fiercely to Zhang Fangzhou's trio. "Now's our chance!! GO!!"
All four exploded into motion, sprinting along the cave wall towards the distant tunnel entrance.
Meanwhile, Zheng Kai's group was mere steps from plunging into the tunnel. Hearing the Scorpion King's shriek of agony, they glanced back involuntarily. Shock and disbelief warred in their eyes—what could Lin Feng possibly have done to wound a Level 3 demon beast?
Their gazes then swept to the right and spotted Lin Feng's group rounding the cavern wall towards them. Relief flooded their faces. "Lin Feng! Hurry over!" Zheng Kai yelled.
The tunnel mouth yawned before them. Escape lay just beyond! Once inside the tunnel, its irregular width would hinder the Scorpion King's massive bulk, giving them a real chance to shake pursuit. Hope surged. They were almost free… But then… disaster struck!!
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!!!!
A shriek of unparalleled, soul-scorching fury tore through the cavern. An overwhelming wave of violent, scorching energy washed over them. The temperature inside the cave skyrocketed. Horrified, they looked back. The giant scorpion's entire body had turned incandescent red, as if superheated from within! As it screamed, its massive tail whipped viciously. Giant fireballs, each the size of a millstone, erupted from its tail tip like deadly blossoms scattering in all directions!
SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH-SWOOSH…
In an eyeblink, half a dozen colossal fireballs hurtled chaotically through the air. Thankfully, in its berserk frenzy, the Scorpion King wasn't aiming. None flew towards Zheng Kai or Lin Feng's groups. Instead, they smashed indiscriminately into the surrounding cavern walls.
Simultaneously, the enraged beast raised both its monstrous pincers high overhead… and brought them crashing down with apocalyptic force onto the cavern floor!!!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM…
The concussive blasts of exploding fireballs coincided with the thunderous impacts of the pincers hammering the ground. A cacophony of destruction filled the air, echoing relentlessly off the trembling stones.
"DISASTER!! It's trying to bring the mountain down!! RUN!!!"
Lin Feng, momentarily stunned by the Scorpion King's frenzied rampage, grasped its horrifying intent almost instantly. His face drained of color as he bellowed the warning.
The cavern was already convulsing violently. Spiderwebs of massive fissures snaked across the walls, floor, and ceiling. Beneath their feet, the ground fractured catastrophically the instant the Scorpion King's pincers began their devastating assault. Immense cracks ripped open, spreading towards them with terrifying speed!!