Chapter 73: A Thousand Blows of Inch Force

The intelligence of King-level beasts rivals that of humans. It is rare for them to gather together, yet in this valley, four appeared. Four—what could that mean?

“I’ve been ambushed!” Qin Ming realized immediately.

A sharp, resonant cry echoed overhead. A golden-winged eagle, its wings spanning over a hundred meters, swooped down. With a single beat, gusts of wind swept across the wilderness. Its keen eyes locked onto him.

A sudden whistle sliced through the air—a vine shot up from below at a speed of a kilometer per second, blood-red thorns bristling along its length. Fierce and terrifying.

With a metallic clang, Qin Ming’s battle blade flashed out. He unleashed the full power of his inch-punch technique, amplifying his strength ninefold. With a foundation of one million kilograms of force, he cleaved the vine in two with a single strike.

“So tough!” Qin Ming’s expression changed. Though his strike seemed effortless, he felt the dreadful resistance.

No time to think—he sensed a terrifying pressure from behind. The golden-winged eagle was already attacking. Escape was hopeless.

“In that case…!” Without turning, Qin Ming plunged downward at full speed.

Below, the Titan Blast Ape sprang into the air, its fist shattering the void. Qin Ming wanted to veer and flee in another direction, but the earth of the valley erupted, and a giant pangolin, over ten meters long and clad in dark golden scales, burst forth. Its sharp claws left no doubt they could tear through the hardest alloys.

“Surrounded on all sides!” His heart sank. In that moment, his thoughts raced, lightning quick, as countless plans flashed through his mind.

If he kept falling, he’d be struck head-on by the Titan Blast Ape. Any pause meant he’d be caught by the eagle behind. The pangolin blocked the right; the left was barred by the King-level vine, writhing menacingly.

“Then I’ll risk it!” In the heat of crisis, Qin Ming made a resolute decision. In a heartbeat, he dove into the dancing vines, letting the Black God Battle Suit envelop him completely.

Countless vines wrapped around him, dragging him deeper within. Such a beast, if it failed to entangle its prey, wasn’t too threatening—but once ensnared, its danger far surpassed even the Titan Blast Ape. The vines, impossibly tough, made escape nearly impossible. Their crushing force was more dreadful than any python.

“Xiao Qiang, fire an Annihilation Bomb at me!” Qin Ming commanded simultaneously.

From ten thousand meters above, a ray of light streaked from a Universe-class intelligent fighter, plummeting instantly. The three King-level beasts—golden-winged eagle, Titan Blast Ape, and pangolin—looked up, then turned and fled. At their speed, they barely cleared the valley as the Annihilation Bomb landed above the vine, only to be struck and detonated by a single lash.

Thunder erupted. Flames soared; the mountains collapsed instantly, earth sinking. Every peak encircling the valley was destroyed. Smoke billowed straight into the sky.

A hundred miles away, a vast patch of cloud hung low. Within, a fighter jet hovered. Thor sat inside, a massive screen before him, displaying every detail of the valley with crystal clarity.

“Rampant slaughter—ambushed at last, huh?” he murmured. “Four King-level beasts—tsk, even I’d have some trouble facing them! With the golden-winged eagle’s speed, escape is impossible. A moment’s entanglement, and the others catch up. The Titan Blast Ape’s power is absolutely fearsome! The Pangolin King ensures he can’t escape underground! The vine’s ensnarement is the deadliest—once caught, that kid is truly in danger! Qin Ming, Qin Ming, how will you handle this?”

Thor sipped his tea and chuckled, “Big brother, what do you think he’ll do?”

“In this situation, he must first kill the Blood Jade Vine!” A portrait of Hong appeared in the screen’s corner. “Kill the vine first, then the eagle—only then is there a chance to escape.”

“So, his first step is to find hope in despair! The turning point lies with the Blood Jade Vine. Because he has a fighter jet overhead,” Hong said slowly.

“That method?” Thor set down his tea, pinched his chin. “Can he think of it? Even if he can, will he be bold enough to risk it? One mistake, and there’s no turning back… Heh, this kid is decisive enough, and ruthless too!”

Thor watched as Qin Ming plunged into the Blood Jade Vine, becoming completely entangled, then saw the Annihilation Bomb descend from above.

Flames exploded, the screen blurred. The Blood Jade Vine, after all a King-level beast, lashed out at the bomb in an instant, its main vine contracting wildly, wrapping itself into a sphere and burrowing underground. Even with its quick reaction, it was still battered to pieces, its main vine nearly shattered.

Within, Qin Ming felt the tremors outside. Waves of force seeped in, but the Black God Battle Suit absorbed them layer by layer, leaving him almost unharmed.

“This rhythm…!”

His eyes lit up.

“The inch-punch has a guiding principle: ‘A thousand strikes condensed, returning to one!’ And these vibrations passed through layer by layer…”

“Xiao Qiang, target me—fire two more Annihilation Bombs!” Qin Ming ordered decisively.

Outside, two more beams streaked down. In a tenth of a second, they landed.

The Blood Jade Vine writhed violently, its tendrils snapping like bowstrings, hurling Qin Ming upward to shield itself from the bombs.

“Did you think I wouldn’t anticipate this?” Qin Ming snorted. He dared not underestimate the intelligence of King-level beasts.

His body vibrated rapidly, not only dissipating the force directed at him but creating a rotational energy. Instead of being flung away, he burrowed deeper. The Shadow Blood Battle Blade danced, unleashing all his strength, severing two vines and dropping to the very bottom.

Thunder boomed. Flames rose, as if the apocalypse had arrived. The valley was transformed into a vast basin.

The King-level Blood Jade Vine—its branches and leaves all destroyed—was reduced to a bare, twisting main vine, pitiful and near death.

The Black God Battle Suit squirmed, exposing his mouth. Qin Ming spat a mouthful of blood, but his gaze was bright, undiminished.

“I finally understand the ninth layer of the inch-punch!” A smile played on his lips, though his internal state was far from optimistic. Despite the vine overhead and the suit’s protection, the successive waves still shook his organs, even cracking them, leaving him with serious internal injuries.

A glance at the devastated Blood Jade Vine told the tale. The King-level vine was now utterly weakened, its vitality at its lowest. Even burrowing underground was arduous.

“Heh, now it’s my turn!” Qin Ming let out a long howl. “Die!”

The ninth layer of inch-punch technique. Tenfold strength amplification. This strike unleashed ten million kilograms of force.

With a single blow, the main vine was severed, roots shattered.