According to Master Bell Mountain's understanding, the Hexathorn formation should have already pierced through the entire body of Lin Mu. But that didn't happen. Instead, the surface of his skin crumbled like plaster.
And once that part of the skin fell off, one could see the pure golden surface beneath it that stopped the thorns from progressing!
"HAAA!" Lin Mu continued to exert counterforce to the thorns and stopped them from growing any further.
Master Bell Mountain and Ku Mi, who saw the golden skin underneath the crimson layer were stunned. And it wasn't just because of the color, but because they could feel a pure metal energy from it.
"How is that even possible? Pure metal energy like that is only formed when materials containing them are refined endlessly. And it isn't something that can be put in a body like that? It's simply incompatible." Ku Mi couldn't wrap her head around it at all.
"Who knows? He's a demon. Maybe it's possible for demons." Master Bell Mountain can only guess this much.
"At least he's still restrained by it, even if the formation can't kill him." Ku Mi said, finding it all to be overwhelming.
She had never expected the southerns to hide such a trump card. If it were in the hands of their northern tribes, they would have made use of it long time ago. Even the Invader that they had used seemed to be inferior compared to a demon for her.
'Though they did have the advantage of having multiple beings at once.' Ku Mi thought.
But just as she was thinking this, Lin Mu seemed to have done something new.
Lin Mu raised his free hand as energy gathered within it. It was pure vital energy and was being amplified by the aura released by his body. Master Bell Mountain who saw him act was surprised at first, but then when he felt the energy fluctuations that were coming from Lin Mu's hand, he knew he couldn't let him proceed any further.
"No—" but before he could take any action, Lin Mu struck the thorn.
~BANG~
The concentrated vital energy spread through Lin Mu's claws and tore through the thorns as if they were straws.
~CRACK~
The hoop holding the thorns cracked as well, and three of the thorns broke off from it.
"HAA!" Lin Mu pushed the hoop with his free hands and got out from its restraints.
With three of the thorns broken, it was easy for him to get out using the extra space created.
"DAMMIT!" Master Bell Mountain made a gesture with his hand and was about to summon another formation when he was interrupted. "AH!"
His hand was struck with something and actually started bleeding!
Ku Mi who barely saw the incoming object, realized what it was. "The thorns from the Hexathorn formation?"
Lin Mu's red eyes narrowed for a moment, seeing the effect of the thorn and an idea presented to him.
Instead of letting the thorns and the hoop fall off, Lin Mu grabbed them and started throwing them.
First, he threw four thorns each in the four cardinal directions and then the final thorn toward Ku Mi.
The woman's pupils turned into pinpoint as she saw the Thorn shooting towards her at a blinding speed.
"EEK! Shit!" She tried to dodge, but still got hit on her flank. The thorn tore through her skin and exposed her organs and bones underneath.
She tried to take out and eat a healing pill while being careful about Lin Mu, only to realize that he wasn't even looking at her. Instead, he had broken the hoop into two semicircles and hurled them towards the Ancestral bell.
~CLANG~ CLANG~
The two halves of the hoop accurately struck the Ancestral Bell and disturbed its rhythm. Lin Mu had noted that the Bell didn't just toll randomly. There was actually a pattern to it. And while he didn't know the exact mechanism of it, he had a hunch that breaking this pattern might just do this.
He was in a desperate situation anyway and anything was up for an attempt.
"NOO!" Master Bell Mountain though, let out an unwilling cry, as if something really bad had happened.
~WHOOSH~
Lin Mu didn't pause there and rushed towards Ku Mi, who had just consumed a healing pill.
"You—" Resistance was futile for her as Lin Mu's charge shattered her bones and smashed her head apart.
Grabbing the remains of her body, Lin Mu crumpled them like a badly made meat ball and stuffed it into his mouth, restoring a part of the energy he had expended.
~SHUA~
And just a moment later, a strange fluctuation spread in the entire area.
~RUMBLE~
~CLANG~
~CLANG~
~CLANG~
~CLANG~
From the four cardinal directions, sounds of something being hit was heard.
~KACHA~
"LOOK! There are cracks appearing in the air!" A few of the alliance members who were on the periphery noticed.
The cracks were accompanied by a rumbling sound, as if the very air itself was shaking.
Master Bell Mountain's expression darkened as he knew his plan had failed.
~BANG!~
But the cracks were only the start, as the sound of an explosion was heard. It was strange as the sound seemed to be coming from just next to the cracks, but there was nothing there.
The sounds of explosion didn't stop and continued, getting louder by the second.
Master Bell Mountain scrambled to get to the Ancestral Bell and made several runes trying to fix the situation.
"LITTLE SHRUBBY! THERE!" Lin Mu shouted hoarsely.
~ROAR~
Little Shrubby responded with a roar, and left his foe aside for a moment. He had been keeping Master Cull Mountain occupied and had prevented her from interfering in the battle for while.
Both Little Shrubby and Master Cull Mountain had sustained injuries, but they couldn't be seen on Little Shrubby's body since it was hidden under the flames.
Master Cull Mountain took the chance to strike Little Shrubby, but the beast didn't care. He instead rushed to another spot where the air had cracked and hit it with all his strength.
