Chapter 52: Mental-Type Crystal Core

Xia Tong did not choose to confront the expanding withering force field head-on. Instead, her figure flashed, and she swept rapidly to the side like a ghost, attempting to bypass the front of the field.

Her black figure left a residual image amidst the interlaced withered-yellow and emerald-green forest, moving at a startling speed.

At the same time, water elements condensed in her mouth once again. This time, it was no longer a single water sphere, but three finger-sized, highly refined dark blue water droplets. They whistled out in a pin-wheel formation, striking Li Sishui's face and both shoulders respectively, intending to cut off his movement.

"Tricks of a mere trickster!" A trace of disdain flashed across Li Sishui's eyes. Facing the incoming water droplets, he neither dodged nor evaded, letting the grayish withering force field meet them head-on.

"Hiss, hiss..."

A teeth-grating sound echoed. The three water droplets imbued with explosive energy, the moment they contacted the withering force field, vaporized violently like boiling oil poured into water, rapidly vanishing into nothingness without leaving behind even a trace of water vapor.

How bizarre!

This guy hid himself deep enough back then!

"Did you see that? This is the gap between us!" The mockery on Li Sishui's face grew even more intense. "Your power is vulnerable and fragile before my withering!"

Xia Tong's heart sank. Not only could this withering force field suppress the wood element, but it could also massively weaken or even directly annihilate water element supernatural abilities!

This already exceeded the scope of mere mental interference and resembled a domain-type ability instead.

This was going to be a big trouble.

The very instant Xia Tong's mind grew slightly stern, a fierce look flashed in Li Sishui's eyes. He abruptly raised his hand, spreading his five fingers in the void. A far more powerful mental shock—invisible and intangible, yet carrying the terrifying momentum of tearing apart souls—suddenly slammed toward Xia Tong's core consciousness!

[Warning! High-intensity mental shock! Mental shielding is being breached!]

The alert sound of the "Source Core" rang out sharply, but that mental shock came too fast and too fiercely, penetrating the defense of the "Source Core" almost instantly.

"Hum..."

Xia Tong only felt as if her head had been heavily smashed by an invisible giant hammer. Golden stars danced before her eyes, her consciousness blurred in a wave, and her body uncontrollably stiffened for a split second.

That agonizing pain was stronger than any previous time, as if it were going to tear her soul apart.

"Such strong... mental power!"

[Warning! To ensure the stability of the host's mental sea, the intruder will be effectively expelled!]

The warning sound of the "Source Core" had just finished when a mental force—far more refined and domineering than Li Sishui's mental shock—suddenly erupted from the button-shaped "Source Core" within Xia Tong's mental sea!

This force was invisible and intangible, yet it carried an overriding will, acting like a solid mental blade that fiercely slashed toward Li Sishui's invading mental tentacles!

Li Sishui's ferocious grin instantly froze, replaced by extreme terror and incredulous pain.

He only felt as though the mental power he had extended out had collided with an indestructible steel barrier. Immediately after, an irresistible, terrifying force rolled back in reverse, brutally tearing apart his mental perception!

"Pfft!"

Li Sishui spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Unlike before, this blood actually contained tiny specks of shimmering light transformed from dissipated mental energy. The luster in his eyes instantly scattered, and his body swayed violently as if he might collapse at any moment.

That gloomy face was distorted by intense pain, filled with shock.

Due to this sudden active counterattack by the "Source Core," Xia Tong's mental sea also experienced a violent tremor, feeling as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer. However, this discomfort came and went quickly, returning to clarity almost instantly.

She keenly seized the golden opportunity of Li Sishui's mental trauma... without the slightest hesitation!

A cold light flashed in her glazed cat-like pupils, and water elements condensed around her body once again. An extremely compressed dark blue water blade gathered out of thin air!

This water blade was as thin as cicada wings, its edges flashing with a heart-palpitating, sharp, and chilling light, as if it could slice through the air. Carrying a bone-chilling intent to kill, it shot toward Li Sishui's undefended and fragile neck at a speed far exceeding before!

"No..."

Li Sishui's scattered pupils reflected that streak of fatal deep blue. He wanted to dodge, wanted to defend, but the severe mental trauma made even raising his arm extraordinarily difficult.

"Swoosh..."

The water blade swept past accurately and flawlessly.

He failed to even emit a complete miserable scream before his head instantly separated from his body, rolling onto the ground stained with withered leaves.

In those eyes that refused to close in death, strong terror and deep resentment still lingered.

His bright future had actually been buried like this by a mutated creature...

As his life aura completely severed, the "withering force field" that had enshrouded his entire body, exuding an aura of dead silence, also dissipated without a trace like energy lacking a source.

Simultaneously, the crown of thorns above Xia Tong's head withered visibly to the naked eye, losing its initial luster and becoming much dimmer.

[Target eliminated. Obtained 40 points of energy experience value.]

[Current water element ability experience value: Tier 1, Three Stars (40/1000)]

[Current wood element ability experience value: Tier 1, One Star (0/10)]

[Available assignable experience value: 80]

The cold prompt sound of the "Source Core" echoed in Xia Tong's mind.

She let out a relaxed breath. "It's finally over."

...

...

Recovering her composure, Xia Tong vigilantly glanced around. Confirming there was no threat, she walked with light steps toward Li Sishui's corpse.

Extending her sharp claws, she sliced open Li Sishui's still-warm skull without hesitation, precisely hooking out a crystal core about the size of a finger from within.

Counting the previous two, Xia Tong now possessed three crystal cores, though unfortunately, she had never found the time to digest them.

This crystal core presented a faint grayish halo throughout its body, yet amidst the gray, a faint and elusive bizarre dark gleam was mixed in, radiating a unique fluctuation of mental energy.

It was a rare mental-type crystal core!

This was truly a rare commodity!

A trace of joy flashed through Xia Tong's heart. Mental-type ability users were already scarce to begin with, so the value of their crystal cores naturally rose accordingly.

However, this was not the time to take inventory of the spoils. Although the battle just now had been brief, the commotion caused was not small. Li Sishui's companions might be attracted over at any moment, and even surrounding mutated creatures could potentially be drawn in.

Xia Tong did not dare to linger here. She quickly picked up the mental-type crystal core radiating the dark gleam in her jaws, her sharp cat pupils vigilantly scanning the surroundings while rapidly identifying directions.

Relying on her vague memory of the terrain of this abandoned zoo, Xia Tong quickly locked onto a rockery area she had glimpsed while tracking earlier.

Her figure lowered, blending into the shadows. She silently and stealthily crept toward the rockery, finally drilling into a concealed cave crevice cleverly covered by vines and rubble.

Upon entering the rockery cave, Xia Tong carefully used scattered gravel and withered branches and leaves from the surroundings to briefly cover the cave entrance from the inside, trying her best not to leave any obvious traces.

After finishing this, her mind stirred slightly, attempting to stimulate the still somewhat unpolished wood element ability within her body.

A few tiny vines grew quietly out of the rock crevices near the cave entrance as if possessing life, hanging down naturally to form a simple natural barrier.

This was also the utmost layout her wood element ability could manage at present. After all, having just awakened, it was truly unfit for heavy use and required more polishing in the future.