Mrs. Yan roared furiously, her chest torn open with a gaping wound, blood gushing out like a spring.

Just one more step!

This mutated woman still clung to the last shred of consciousness. She couldn't fathom why after all this time she still hadn't been able to kill this frail boy. Every time she was about to succeed, he always managed to survive against all odds!

Gu Jianlin seized the opportunity, speeding off on his motorcycle. The downpour washed away the blood covering him, as he sped onto a desolate highway, his jacket ripped away by the wind, his black hair wildly whipping in the storm!

Faster, faster!

Ten minutes and five seconds!

Somewhere, the sound of a zither began to play, faint and fragile.

Though weak, it remained unwavering.

Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!

In the void, chillingly terrifying fissures appeared, crisscrossing like splattered ink.

Mrs. Yan crashed forward recklessly, avoiding the dreadful cracks while charging angrily in pursuit.

It was at this moment that Gu Jianlin finally realized who had been protecting him from the shadows all along.

So it was you.

Though he didn't know why, he still felt gratitude.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a delicate silhouette in the storm, standing gracefully in the rain.

She must have sustained serious injuries from battling the Nightmare Master earlier.

Yet despite this, she remained by his side.

Gu Jianlin rushed toward the highway, only to suddenly hear a deafening noise from afar—a rocket whizzing through the sky!

With a thunderous explosion, an iron warehouse collapsed.

Unerringly, it fell directly upon Mrs. Yan, who had been closing in!

Gu Jianlin turned his head to see, in the distance, a tiny figure lying prone on a rooftop.

It was Fu Chaoyang, that little rascal.

He must be familiar enough with West Port to predict where Gu Jianlin would head, stepping in at the critical moment to lend a hand.

By now, the little brat should have made it out safely.

The mischievous child had braved the storm and come through on the other side.

Just then, an enraged voice rang out from Gu Jianlin's cell phone.

"Gu Jianlin! What are you doing? You're about to leave West Port, and if you bring that monster outside, do you have any idea how many civilians could die because of it? Can you take responsibility for that?"

It was the voice of Nie, the Deacon.

Gu Jianlin pulled out his phone and said coldly, "I take full responsibility for my actions. Since you can't do it yourselves, keep your mouths shut, open your eyes, and watch closely."

With that, he was about to turn off his phone.

But at that moment, he suddenly noticed a message on WeChat.

"When are you coming home? I made soup for you."

Simple text.

A familiar tone.

The warmth of a far-off memory.

Gu Jianlin paused for a second, then smiled in relief. Suddenly, he no longer felt alone.

Even amidst exhaustion, fleeing through the storm, it felt as though countless hands were pushing him forward.

It brought him back to childhood, when he had just learned to ride a bicycle. Too young to keep steady, there was always a man and woman behind him, supporting him.

The wind blew away the man's hat and the woman's long hair, while he laughed loudly against the gusts.

Freedom, exhilaration.

Racing against the wind.

As though his soul was set free.

The spiritual tide surged in Gu Jianlin's mind, like a calm sea suddenly whipped into a frenzy by a storm, brewing with titanic waves that aimed to pierce the heavens!

At this moment, Mrs. Yan lunged again, her body swollen to an extreme. A terrifying toxin accumulated inside, ready to explode like a bomb at any moment!

Taixu's voice came through on the phone just in time: "Road ahead is clear. Fifty meters to exit Forbidden Zone! We've evacuated the area within a kilometer radius—use it as you like. Over!"

Gu Jianlin softly replied, "Thanks, not necessary."

On the rain-soaked highway, with storm clouds enveloping the sky, dim streetlights cast a faint glow.

Below the road lay an ink-black sea, waves crashing tumultuously!

Gu Jianlin sharply turned his motorcycle, accelerating toward a rocky precipice on the side of the road.

Twelve minutes and fifty-five seconds!

Boom!

At that moment, the boy soared into the sky on his motorcycle.

The wind and rain couldn't hold him back; the storm clouds began to disperse as well.

Moonlight descended from above.

The ocean within his mind surged upward.

Ten meters, a hundred meters, a thousand meters!

Titanic waves rose sky-high, the roar of the ocean echoing with jubilant cheers!

The Breathing Technique, humanity's masterpiece, had shattered its limits at this pinnacle moment!

Courage and vitality burned and blossomed freely!

In mid-air, Gu Jianlin twisted his body, performing a flawless backward flip, hurling his motorcycle overhead!

Mrs. Yan, with twenty-four steel-like limbs, vaulted skyward, her grotesquely deformed body like a bloated cocoon. Her blood-red compound eyes overflowed with malice and killing intent.

She screamed hysterically.

The horrific toxin within her exploded like a bomb, spilling hordes of Gu Worms.

The elemental turbulence above her detonated as well.

Everything was on the brink of annihilation.

Yet Gu Jianlin, arms stretched wide in the air, experienced soul-like transcendence, his breathing aligned to the harmonic rhythms of heaven and earth.

The wind and tide, storm and ocean, sky and Earth.

All synchronized with his tempo of breath!

Gu Jianlin's body radiated with a brilliant domain, bathed in cold moonlight, dazzling in the darkness as though he were a Heavenly Person!

Light flooded the heavens!

Breathing Technique·Realm of Freedom!

Amidst the deafening explosion, Mrs. Yan unleashed the full fury of her poisonous mists, accompanied by spectral, anguished shrieks, targeting the boy for devouring.

Yet in a flash, the moonlight poured forth like tidal waves cleansing the darkness!

The formless domain suddenly erupted, and the cold radiance surged like tides, engulfing the elemental turbulence sweeping in, even burying detonated toxins and Gu Worms beneath its luminance!

Light surged, washing away darkness and purging everything!

Within the Realm of Freedom's domain, there existed no Transcendent power!

Fifteen minutes and one second!

At the moment of mortal peril, Gu Jianlin grasped the true essence of the Breathing Technique, forcibly shielding against the monster's devastating strike!

Within the field of the Realm of Freedom, Mrs. Yan realized in horror that her spirituality was extinguishing!

She roared in fury, her pupils filled with cold luminance, watching the boy tumble gracefully like fallen leaves.

He was so close, yet untouchable.

At this moment, a blazing arrow streaked across the distant horizon, piercing her!

Boom!

·

·

The storm erupted with a massive explosion, firelight illuminating the night, scattering burning fragments across the skies.

Illuminating faces frozen in shock, awe, disbelief, and bewildered admiration.

Chen Bojun lowered his iron bow.

In that final moment, he had tied the antidote to the arrowhead, delivering a fatal strike.

Not just an antidote, but a toxin deadly to the Gu Worms.

One arrow traveled five kilometers to pierce its target.

Yet he felt neither pride nor elation, only watching the explosions within the distant darkness.

Because he knew that against Holy Land Level adversaries, this shot was trivial.

The true game-changer was the boy who led the monster away single-handedly.

He had earned the precious time needed.

A crisp crack sounded.

Chen Bojun sighed, "Such boldness and daring... I pale in comparison."

Lu Zijin hovered mid-air, raising her brow and remarking, "After all, he's the one I chose—a misjudgment isn't my style."

"Respect."

Ying Changsheng stood with hands clasped behind his back, his narrow eyes glimmering with intrigue.

Fu Chaoyang plopped down on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.

Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing exchanged smiles of mutual relief.

Nie, the Deacon, and Councilman Zhang, along with other Judgement Court members, stood frozen in place, listening as applause spread throughout their communication channels, their faces plastered with awkward yet polite smiles, clapping stiffly and mechanically in praise.

The Omega Sequence channel fell silent, before applause erupted like waves.

At this moment, all Dawn Combat Sequence warriors saluted toward the explosion, offering their utmost reverence.

In the darkened grocery store, Jing Ci watched the distant explosion with a quiet smile.

The old man on the recliner opened his eyes and murmured softly, "Kept your word."

After Gu Jianlin stepped forward, not a single life in West Port was lost to the monster.

Applause thundered, echoing through the storm.

A tribute to the lone boy.

A salute to his unwavering courage.

[ps: This book debuts on Qidian Reading App. See you tomorrow at 8:30 PM.]