Chapter 460 - 341: Crystal Flower, Hunting the Lord (2)

Soon, he caught the familiar, ancient, and chilling aura.

It came from the deepest part of the mineral vein.

"Found you..." A cold glint flashed in Ian’s eyes.

He stopped and took a Purification Crystal Cluster Tube from his Dimension Ring.

He uncorked the stopper and, with a flick of his finger, sent a single drop of pale gold liquid flying. It traced an arc through the air before falling into the depths of the vein.

The instant the liquid made contact.

BOOM!!!

A brilliant, pale gold light erupted!

Wherever the light passed, the surrounding Shadow Crystals melted away frantically, like snow under a scorching sun.

The sizzling sound of Purification echoed throughout the mineral vein.

But what was more terrifying... was that the light didn’t dissipate. Instead, it began to "grow."

From an initial fist-sized ball of light, it expanded rapidly.

Delicate crystalline branches sprouted from its edges, like coral, like quartz, like a... blooming Crystal Flower.

The crystalline branches continued to fork, extend, and multiply.

It absorbed the surrounding Shadow Energy, converting it into its own Power of Order Purification.

With every bit of energy it absorbed, the crystal grew stronger.

In just three seconds, it expanded from the size of a fist to ten meters in diameter!

Within the Crystal Flower, a silvery-white Order Mark could be seen faintly, rotating slowly.

HISSS!!!

A piercing screech echoed from the depths of the vein—a sound of rage, agony, and... a trace of confusion.

The giant centipede had been awakened.

Its three-hundred-meter-long body burst from the depths of the crystalline forest, its dark purple compound eyes fixed on the Crystal Flower.

For the first time, its eyes showed... wariness.

It opened its maw. A dark vortex formed, aimed at the Crystal Flower, unleashing a terrifying suction in an attempt to devour and annihilate it.

But this time, it had no effect.

This was a Purification Potion Ian had meticulously concocted—the culmination of his expertise in Magic Potion Science.

The moment the suction touched the Crystal Flower, it was instantly vaporized, like water on red-hot iron.

Instead, it drew even more Purification Power, which followed the suction along the dark vortex and shot into the Shadow Centipede’s mouth!

HISSS!!!

The Shadow Centipede let out a pained shriek and slammed its mouth shut.

On its Dark Gold shell, natural Rune patterns flashed wildly, attempting to resist the Erosion of the Purification Power.

But Ian wasn’t going to give it any time.

"Now!"

Order, fully unleashed!

His divine form swelled once more to a colossal size, its silver light illuminating the entire mineral vein.

Deep within his pupils, the Time Rule activated. The flow of time in a thousand-meter radius abruptly accelerated tenfold!

The movements of his divine form became ten times faster.

One moment he was standing still; the next, he appeared before the Shadow Centipede!

Ian clenched his right hand into a fist, and a Gravity Collapse Ball instantly coalesced.

Twelve black spheres, each the size of a sesame seed, orbited his fist.

Aiming for a gap in its shell, he threw a punch!

"Just... die!"

The Shadow Centipede’s pupils contracted. Its hundreds of pairs of appendages beat frantically against the ground as it tried to activate Shadow Swamp.

But Ian was too fast.

BOOM!!!

The instant his fist collided with the shell, space itself twisted violently.

The Gravity Collapse Ball spun wildly, tearing apart and devouring the Shadow Energy at the crevice!

The shell cracked open. Dark purple fluid sprayed from the fissure, releasing a pungent, fishy stench.

HISSS!!! HISSS!!!

The Shadow Centipede let out a shrill screech, its body writhing madly.

Ian’s fist clung to the fissure like a cancer, pressed deep within the crack.

He poured in the full power of the Purification Rule!

Pale gold Order Energy poured into the wound like lava, searing the flesh, bones, and Energy Nodes within.

The sound of sizzling corrosion was incessant.

The Dark Gold markings on the Shadow Centipede’s body began to dim across large patches.

URRGH!!!

With another agonized screech, it went completely berserk.

Its three-hundred-meter-long body thrashed about, crushing all the surrounding Shadow Crystals.

At the same time, it opened its maw, and an invisible Spiritual Fluctuation spread out.

Deep within the mineral vein, countless dark-red eyes lit up.

The Shadow Wolf Pack!

Hundreds of them, then thousands... a dense, endless tide.

They didn’t attack Ian. Instead... they lunged for the Purification Crystal Flower!

They were trying to overwhelm and devour the Crystal Flower with sheer numbers.

With a flap of its wings, Gaga fully unleashed its Shadow Domain!

A Dark Silver light radiated from its body, covering a hundred-meter radius.

Within the Domain, Shadow Energy writhed and twisted like a living creature, forming countless black tentacles, blades, and spikes...

Tentacles ensnared the limbs of the Shadow Wolves, blades slit their throats, and spikes pierced their hearts.

Gaga zipped madly through the pack, each Shadow Jump claiming a dozen more Shadow Wolves.

Its Tier Two Late Stage power, boosted by fifty percent in the Shadow World and further enhanced by its Shadow Domain...

It was like an efficient killing machine. The Shadow Wolf Pack’s numerical advantage was meaningless before it.

In a single minute, Gaga had killed over a thousand Shadow Wolves.

The Shadow Wolves began to show fear. Their advance halted, and some even started to quietly retreat.

But the Shadow Centipede wouldn’t allow it. It screeched again, its Spiritual Fluctuation growing even more piercing.

The pack’s eyes instantly turned blood-red as they completely lost their minds.

They flung themselves recklessly toward the Crystal Flower, toward Gaga, toward... Ian!

’A desperate, final struggle.’

Ian’s eyes were ice-cold. A pale gold light ignited on the tip of his left index finger.

Purification Rule, full power!

With him at its center, a pale gold Purification Aura abruptly expanded!

Wherever the aura passed, the Shadow Energy coating the Shadow Wolves’ bodies melted away.

The hundreds of Shadow Wolves at the very front instantly dissolved into gray-black wisps of residual energy.

The movements of the wolves behind them stiffened. The crimson in their eyes faded, replaced once again by fear.

"Gaga, clean them up!"

"Understood!"

The little one unfurled its Shadow Domain once more, sweeping through the wolf pack like a black tempest.

As for Ian, he focused his entire attention on the Shadow Centipede.