Wood Style And Sharingan

"Not good!"

Seeing the Violent Pangolin charging directly at her, Yan Yue's face turned pale. Without hesitation, she clapped her hands together and summoned a radiant sphere of golden light, condensing it into a massive holy shield in front of her.

BOOM!

The pangolin slammed into the shield. Although the holy barrier absorbed the brunt of the force, it couldn't withstand the full impact of a fourth-level beast. Within seconds, the shield cracked and shattered into pieces.

The shockwave from the destroyed shield struck Yan Yue with full force. She staggered backward, coughing up blood, her body wracked with pain.

"Yan Yue!"

Wei Lin and Zhao Mei immediately rushed toward her, eyes filled with worry.

"Wood Spirit Explosion!"

"Sweeping Wind Slash!"

Without hesitation, they launched their abilities. Thick wooden spikes erupted from the ground, interwoven with sharp wind blades, slamming into the monster.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

But the Violent Pangolin's silver scales were like impenetrable armor, easily withstanding the attacks. It didn't even flinch, and its eyes didn't leave Yan Yue.

"RAHH!"

With a single sweep of its massive tail, it kicked up clouds of sand and stone. The blow caught both Wei Lin and Zhao Mei mid-dash, hurling them through the air.

CRACK!

Their bodies slammed into a thick tree, splitting its trunk in half. They groaned in pain as they collapsed, their injuries too severe to scream. It felt like their internal organs had been completely rearranged.

Having cleared the interference, the pangolin once again set its sights on Yan Yue.

Its hulking body moved step by step, arcs of silver lightning crackling from the gaps between its scales.

Yan Yue wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and stood her ground. With a deep breath, she summoned a torrent of divine energy and fired it toward the monster.

BOOM!

The golden blast struck the pangolin head-on… and fizzled out, unable to even dent its defenses.

It didn't slow down.

When it reached ten meters away, the beast finally halted, reared up on its hind legs, and opened its jaws wide—gathering silver lightning into a terrifying storm of energy.

Zzzzzt!

Just then, a kunai embedded itself into the ground before Yan Yue.

Whoosh!

A figure appeared instantly in front of her.

"Wood Style: Wooden Barrier!"

Smith appeared, his hands rapidly forming seals.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

A curved row of wooden walls surged from the earth, forming a semi-dome around Smith and Yan Yue.

BOOM!!!

The lightning torrent roared across the battlefield, slamming into the wooden wall. The defense trembled violently, barely holding out for five seconds before it was scorched through and started to collapse.

Just as the barrier was about to break—

"HAH!"

A fierce cry erupted from above. Mingyun suddenly appeared on the pangolin's back and smashed his fist directly into its skull.

BANG!

The blow forced the creature's massive head into the ground.

Before it could recover, a second figure—White Bear, his body wrapped in lightning—descended from above and drove his fist into the pangolin's back.

BOOOOM!

The impact created a crater, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The pangolin was crushed deep into the ground.

Mingyun and White Bear had performed this combo countless times. Few enemies had ever withstood their coordinated strike. Even a fourth-stage monster shouldn't have survived.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

More figures landed—Smith's team had arrived just in time.

"Mingyun, you came right on time!" the squad leader exclaimed in relief.

"Save the thanks—just fight!" Mingyun barked, rallying his team.

With reinforcements joining the battle, the tide quickly shifted. The remaining third-level deadly beetles were overwhelmed and fled in disarray.

Smith didn't join the front lines immediately. Instead, he ran toward Yan Yue, checking her injuries.

"You okay?"

Yan Yue shook her head and pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain. "I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth.

Smith didn't press further. He quickly turned and rushed toward the base of a shattered tree where Wei Lin and Zhao Mei lay injured.

"Wei Lin! Zhao Mei! Can you hear me?"

"…Smith?" Wei Lin's eyelids fluttered open. He was barely conscious, but relief flickered in his eyes. "Yeah… it's you."

"Don't move. Just stay still."

"Don't worry—I'm alive." Wei Lin tried to get up, but groaned in agony.

Smith frowned. "Idiot. Quit acting tough."

Meanwhile, Zhao Mei was already healing herself. As Smith helped Wei Lin sit up, she managed to rise on her own.

"That fourth-level monster was terrifying," she said, still shaken. "I seriously thought we were going to die."

Smith exhaled slowly. "You almost did."

He glanced toward the crater—but what he saw made his heart lurch.

The Violent Pangolin… was gone.

CRACK!

The ground beneath Smith's feet split open. A burst of silver lightning shot out, slamming into him with tremendous force.

ZAAAP!

Electricity coursed through Smith's body. Before he could react, the pangolin erupted from the ground, smashing into him and sending him flying like a ragdoll.

Cough!

Smith felt like he'd been hit by a runaway truck. Pain shot through his chest, and blood spilled from his mouth as he crashed into the dirt.

"Smith!!" someone shouted.

Everyone froze.

Mingyun and his team looked back in shock.

"He's still alive?!"

This was the first time a monster had survived their finishing blow and counterattacked with such precision.

"Red Wind!" Hong Feng yelled.

"Divine Wind Bind!"

A vortex of green wind erupted and bound the pangolin just before it could lunge again.

Mingyun and White Bear dashed forward to finish it.

But just as they were within a meter—

FWOOSH!

A wall of deep purple flame surged from the pangolin's body, forming a blazing barrier that stopped them in their tracks.

The temperature spiked. Even seasoned fighters like Mingyun and White Bear hesitated at its terrifying heat.

Then came a voice.

"Impressive reflexes. As expected from the Huaihai College Executive Department."

It was smooth, calm, and slightly feminine.

Everyone turned.

On the pangolin's head, the purple flames condensed into the shape of a man—a young man, dressed in elegant purple robes, with an ethereal, almost too-perfect face. His eyes gleamed with wicked intelligence.

"Who are you?" Mingyun asked coldly.

The man smiled, raising his chin proudly.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I am Huo Liu, the leader of the Burning Fire Clan."

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)