The roar of fury drew ever closer, and Xu Que swallowed hard, aware that although he was now a thousand times stronger than he had been at this moment in his previous life, he still dared not confront a B-grade boss head-on!
The difference between C-grade and B-grade is akin to a chasm; a moment's inattention could lead to being crushed underfoot!
Under equal circumstances, two to three B-grade human powerhouses would be required to defeat a single B-grade interdimensional creature.
Moreover, the formidable entity he faced now was a B-grade boss-level interdimensional being!
Flee!
This was Xu Que's instinctive choice.
He swiftly gathered the items dropped by the nearby elite goblin and turned to escape!
As for the loot from the other elite goblin, he didn't even think twice; there was no other human around, so he could always return to collect it once he had distanced himself sufficiently!
The sounds of splintering trees echoed behind him. While he had perused information about this area in his previous life, the two timelines differed significantly. It was clear that if he truly wished to eliminate the interdimensional creatures pursuing him, he needed more preparation.
"Crack!"
A massive hammer crashed down, toppling a tree as a gigantic goblin, resembling an orc with its red skin, emerged before the corpse of the elite goblin.
"Roar!"
Its furious bellow reverberated, causing the surrounding trees to shudder as if battered by a typhoon.
As Xu Que sought refuge beneath a tree, he gasped for breath; his stamina had been utterly depleted, compounded by a long absence of rest. His entire body felt on the brink of collapse.
Enduring his fatigue, Xu Que knew this was no time to rest. Without companions to guard him, sleeping now would be perilously reckless!
Quickly regaining his composure, Xu Que pulled out some raw meat and began to chew vigorously.
Swallowing the raw flesh, he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. Compared to his current cultivation level, what Xu Que lacked most was proficiency in his techniques. After utilizing the "Heavenly Slash" twice, he realized that his choice had not been misguided.
To his astonishment, a technique that merely scratched the surface could unleash power akin to his past mastery of weaponry.
While he couldn't quite grasp why Liu Ruyan hadn't tapped into such power in his previous life, he understood the vital importance of skill mastery.
What Xu Que did not know was that in his former life, Liu Ruyan had never focused on honing her technique proficiency. Aside from barking orders at Xu Que daily, she was simply waiting for him to present her with valuable items while spending the rest of her time alongside Ji Boda.
Ji Boda, in turn, dedicated his entire focus to enhancing his own strength and courting other women; otherwise, he would never have achieved S-grade status.
With the celestial abyss now opened, fifty-two hours had elapsed.
In the outside world, war raged on across nations. While interdimensional creatures had been purged from urban areas, many cities continued to suffer from this monstrous slaughter.
Meanwhile, in the defense zone of Magic City, dozens of tanks lined up, aimed at a tear in the interdimensional fabric.
Hundreds of fully armed soldiers awaited the monsters' emergence.
At this moment, no one dared to venture into the rift, as its destination remained a mystery.
"Eagle, Eagle, respond if you hear me." A voice crackled through a wireless earpiece.
The middle-aged officer took the earpiece, saying, "Eagle received. Command, please advise."
"An energy fluctuation has been detected near the eastern harbor. Deploy the Fifty-Second Regiment to investigate."
"Understood, Eagle. I'll dispatch troops immediately." The officer set down the earpiece and strode out of the temporary command tent.
As orders were issued, soldiers hurried to their vehicles, following the armored convoys as they slowly departed.
Simultaneously, the interdimensional rift at the eastern harbor began to widen, and countless bear-like monsters surged forth, closely followed by a multitude of massive two-tailed scorpions!
If Xu Que were present, he would undoubtedly be taken aback, for this rift had opened three hours earlier than in his previous life!
In that timeline, there had been five interdimensional rifts in Magic City: the first was an unentered rift in the northern district; the second was the subway station where Xu Que currently stood, which would reopen in twenty-three hours; the third was the rift at the eastern harbor, which would become active fifty-five hours later.
As for the fourth and fifth rifts, those would manifest seventy-two hours hence.
At that time, Magic City would be better prepared; however, the cost of that preparation had been steep!
The moment the soldiers of the Fifty-Second Regiment entered the harbor area, they were besieged by hordes of bear-like monsters.
"Open fire!"
Explosions and gunfire erupted throughout the harbor, as numerous two-tailed scorpions scuttled out from the buildings toward the Fifty-Second Regiment.
"There are too many of these creatures! Request fire support immediately!"
As a commander issued the order, a communications officer hurriedly called for air support.
Meanwhile, at the military base in Magic City, dozens of fighter jets took off, their sights set on the eastern harbor!
The sound of artillery thundered as several bear-like monsters fell, yet the relentless tide of interdimensional creatures surged forward, breaching the first line of fire within mere minutes.
A massive two-tailed scorpion seized a soldier with its formidable pincers, preparing to deliver him to its maw.
The soldier, barely clinging to life, managed a pained smile as he fumbled for an iron ring at his waist.
"Boom!"
The explosion obliterated both the soldier and the scorpion's head.
Such scenes unfolded one after another!
"Where are the reinforcements? I demand the fire support I requested!" the commander roared in fury.
"They'll arrive in two minutes!" the communication soldier replied hastily.
"Hold your ground! Just two more minutes!" The commander gripped his machine gun and unleashed a torrent of fire at the advancing creatures.
The artillery continued to rain down upon the horde. Just as the bear-like monsters threatened to breach the second line of defense, the sky erupted with a deafening roar.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh…"
Dozens of air-to-ground missiles streaked through the sky, saturating half the harbor area.
"Get down!"
With that shout, a massive explosion leveled the entire harbor!
The bear-like monsters let out anguished howls, while some two-tailed scorpions writhed in agony, their limbs severed.
"Advance with heavy armor, covering fire!"
With armored vehicles and tanks pushing forward, the commander promptly called for additional reinforcements, knowing that this interdimensional rift was far too vast!
...
Within the interdimensional realm, Xu Que had now changed his location for absorbing spiritual energy for the ninth time. Initially, he had remained at the periphery, but realizing the depths yielded energy more rapidly, he decided to explore every nook and cranny.
As stars ignited one after another, Xu Que converted their celestial power into mastery of his techniques.
At this moment, he had refined the "Heavenly Slash" to a nascent level, while the "Sword Mastery" was nearing that same state.
Xu Que refrained from fixating on a single technique; although this might yield early strength, to progress further, one must understand the art of technique synergy. He had learned this lesson from observing others in his previous life and recognized the significance of maintaining a balance among techniques.
With the tenth star ignited, Xu Que poured his energy directly into "Sword Mastery"!
"Empty!"
Sounds of air bursting erupted around him.
As he watched leaves fall, Xu Que's eyes widened; the leaves seemed to resonate with him.
With a flicker of thought, the leaves began to whirl around Xu Que.
"Indeed! This is the technique that caused countless women to scream in my previous life!"
Retracting his focus, Xu Que severed the connection with the leaves and unsheathed a long knife from his waist.
Channeling his intent, the knife quickly soared into the air.
"The heavier the object, the more mental energy it consumes," he noted.
He seized the long knife once more, then pulled out a dagger from his pocket.
These daggers, wielded by goblin archers, weren't as effective as the long knife, but they had served as throwing knives during critical moments.
Assessing the weight, Xu Que decisively linked his mind to one of the daggers.
While his cultivation hadn't progressed, his skill had surged severalfold!
Gazing toward the heart of the forest, a wicked smile crept across Xu Que's lips!