"He's gone!"
"The altar! The altar has disappeared!"
"A human! A human took the altar! Kill him! Seize the altar and bring it back! The altar belongs to us, the Troll Clan! No one else is allowed to covet it!"
"Where did that human even come from? He appeared in such a strange way—as if stepping through a door. He knows spatial techniques. We must not let him escape! A mere human… just prey to be hunted, food to be devoured!"
The trolls, who had moments earlier been immersed in the effects of the Tiger Wolf Pill, basking in the growing strength of their bodies, suddenly erupted in rage upon realizing the altar had vanished. Fury filled their eyes, threatening to erupt into violence.
"Courting death! Does he think that just because he can traverse the void he can act recklessly? Deploy the Void Demon-Hunting Net! Seal the void! Since he's here, he'll never leave alive. Our Troll Tribe is not a place anyone can enter and exit at will!"
The troll chieftain, though ice-cold in expression upon seeing the altar disappear, reacted swiftly without panic.
The Troll Clan were born hunters, and they responded instantly to the unexpected change. Despite their rage, they remained composed.
"Deploy the Void Demon-Hunting Net!!"
A troll roared out the command.
In an instant, a large silver-white net was pulled out. Several trolls moved into position and hurled the net toward the sky, much like casting a fishing net.
But once it soared into the air, the net bizarrely merged into the void itself.
Had one not seen it with their own eyes, they might have thought it an illusion or a dream.
"The space in this area… has been completely sealed."
Yi Tianxing, the moment the Void Demon-Hunting Net integrated into the void, immediately sensed the shift. The surrounding space now felt utterly locked down, wrapped in an invisible shackle. It didn't restrict movement on foot, but void travel and flight were completely forbidden.
He could still open space gates, but the pathway beyond them had been cut off. It was like trying to cross a broken bridge—the entrance exists, but the exit is blocked. Like a river without a crossing, the destination was unreachable.
Void Demon-Hunting Net — a treasured artifact of Heaven and Earth. It could cut off void pathways, seal space, and ban aerial travel.
Yi Tianxing didn't know what tier this treasure belonged to, but it was terrifying. Even space gates were sealed, meaning he was trapped inside the troll village.
"This is bad! Something's happened to the Lord!"
Huang Chengyan's face darkened. He hadn't expected such a rare treasure to be hidden in the troll village—something capable of sealing even the void.
"Golden Scale Guards, listen up! Target: the Troll Tribe! Rescue the Lord!" Jiuling gave the order without hesitation.
"No need to panic. That Void Demon-Hunting Net can trap birds in the sky. Attacking from above would be walking into a trap. It was designed to hunt void dwellers."
Jia Xu raised a hand to stop them. Based on its eerie capabilities, he believed any approach to that area would be met with immediate entrapment.
"But we can't just stand by and do nothing!" Zhang Fei roared, eyes wide.
Just then, movement appeared within the troll village.
A massive troll, over three meters tall, rushed forward. In his hand appeared a jet-black throwing spear. With a mighty swing, he hurled it toward Yi Tianxing like a bolt of lightning.
The throw was fast, ruthless, and precise—flawless in execution.
More terrifyingly, the spear carried an invisible will, locking onto its target with a terrifying Qi tracking effect. As long as that will wasn't broken, no matter how far one fled, the spear would follow and strike true.
A dark divine radiance pulsed around the spear—it was a Troll Clan combat art: Shadow Javelin!
Like a predator lurking in the shadows, it would appear at the throat in a flash.
Clang!
Yi Tianxing's lips curled into a cold smile, eyes burning with battle intent. He shouted, "I intended only to take the altar and leave quietly. But since you're so warm in your welcome, how could I leave without a farewell? If you want to keep me here, then prove you have the power. Let me see just how strong you trolls have become after consuming the Tiger Wolf Pill!"
As the Shadow Javelin reached his throat, a hand suddenly materialized and caught the spear mid-air. The scene felt slowed—as though time had halted—but it was simply too fast for the human eye to follow.
The spear had been launched with full force, yet now was clutched still in a hand that didn't even tremble. Black divine light crackled along its shaft, struggling like a venomous snake grasped at the neck.
It twisted and convulsed violently, trying to break free—but to no avail.
With a flick of the wrist, Yi Tianxing reversed the spear, and hurled it back.
Whoosh!
The returning spear tore through the air at several times its original speed, the sonic boom of shredded air trailing behind.
Thud!!
The spear impaled its original owner, tearing through the troll's chest and exiting out his back. The sheer power sent him flying, his insides pulverized by the javelin's force.
Boom!!
The troll crashed to the ground, a gaping wound large enough to fit a human head yawning in his chest. Organs shattered, blood and flesh spewed everywhere. Though still twitching, it was clear he wouldn't survive.
From spear launch to counterattack, everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Swift. Precise. Merciless.
"One move, one kill. The Lord's physical strength is terrifying! Catching a high-speed javelin with his bare hand, and throwing it back with even more force—it takes hundreds of thousands of pounds of explosive strength. I saw that spear bury itself deep into the earth. Who knows how far it went!" Zhang Fei shouted, exhilarated.
"Lord Yi's battles are always a sight to behold. He fights like a storm." Huang Chengyan's eyes gleamed.
"Kill!!"
Other trolls, enraged by the death of their kin, charged forward. Three of them sprang into action. This time, they didn't throw their spears—they ran in, each wielding their weapon with expert coordination, aiming for vital points.
A black aura erupted from their bodies, causing them to swell nearly half again in size. Their power surged, unleashing a heavy pressure.
The three spears moved in unison, cutting off all escape routes.
"Fight!"
A spear appeared in Yi Tianxing's hand. With a swing, nine blood-red spears appeared from the original, each imbued with a different will, striking toward the three incoming trolls.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Their throats were all pierced at once, the savage force of Crushing Jade Spear Intent bursting within.
Boom!!
The three trolls exploded into pieces—shattered into chunks of flesh and bone by the rampant spear intent.
Blood and meat splattered across the ground in a gore-drenched scene.
Swish, swish, swish!!
In the vicinity, the Snake-Haired Tree was roused by the smell of blood. Its hundreds of vine-like tendrils thrashed like living serpents, lashing toward Yi Tianxing. Some turned into spears, others ropes or whips, launching a barrage of coordinated attacks.
"Cut them down!!"
The spear in Yi Tianxing's hand vanished, replaced by a cold battle sword. The instant it appeared, it radiated with sharp sword intent.
Drawing the blade, he unleashed a slash.
A dazzling arc of sword light swept forth, radiant like a meteor trail. Within it surged the will to cleave all things.
This was the sword art: Heaven-Sundering Slash (斩天).
Where the blade passed, the vines were severed cleanly, their legendary toughness meaningless before the Heaven-Sundering Sword Intent. Even the Snake-Haired Tree's notorious durability could not resist.
"No wonder you dared to steal the altar. You're no ordinary foe," muttered the troll chieftain, watching Yi Tianxing with growing seriousness.