C18 See Me like an Asura

In the blink of an eye, Luo Yan darted into the crevice of a towering rock, pushing forward two to three meters without stopping. He paused briefly to deftly retrieve a magazine and set it aside. Zeng Shan followed suit, slipping in behind him.

"Get down and get ready to fight," Luo Yan instructed as he swiftly inspected his firearm before aiming it at the entrance.

The space was cramped, making it difficult for the Goldfin Louse to swarm inside. Moreover, they hadn't made it back to camp yet, and Wai Fenghua was likely to have taken notice. If they could just hold out a little longer, help might arrive.

Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings echoed from outside the crevice as the Goldfin Louse closed in. The fog, however, caused many of them to fly over the rocks in a disoriented search for Luo Yan and Zeng Shan. Thanks to his Illusion Breaking Eye, Luo Yan witnessed this and breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet, outside the rocks, a significant number of Goldfin Louse continued to hover—easily a hundred. In an open space, a swarm like that could strip Luo Yan and Zeng Shan to the bone. But here, many were merely crawling over the stones, with only a couple venturing toward the crevice.

After a moment's thought, Luo Yan set down his rifle and drew his military knife. He gave Zeng Shan's shoulder a reassuring pat before flipping over to take point at the entrance, lying in wait.

As a mass of biological ashen light crept in, the Goldfin Louse failed to detect the ambush. With a swift strike, Luo Yan cleaved through its brain and with a quick pull, the creature's head tumbled to the ground.

Witnessing this, Zeng Shan's breath quickened, his respect for Luo Yan deepening. Luo Yan, utilizing the Illusion Breaking Eye, had silently dispatched several of the creatures. But the respite was short-lived; it was uncertain whether the scent of their kin's blood had drawn more attention.

The swarm of Goldfin Lice that had been skittering across the rocky debris started to converge toward a crevice in the high cliff. Luo Yan realized their situation was dire. He retreated to his initial spot and quietly said to Zeng Shan, "They're on their way."

Zeng Shan, lacking the 'Illusion Breaking Eye' and with darkness enveloping them, couldn't see his hand in front of his face within the crevice. Yet, the sounds were unmistakable. Hiss hiss... The noise of the Goldfin Lice communicating intensified at the entrance.

Gripping his rifle with growing tension, he prepared himself. The academy-issued rifles were light machine guns, designed for ease of carry and use in confined spaces. The grip and trigger guard were seamlessly integrated, featuring a rotary bolt. The firing mode could switch between single and automatic fire. The magazine held a standard 30 rounds, and since this was a collection mission, Luo Yan and his team were only allotted two magazines each.

To conserve ammunition, Luo Yan should have opted for single shots. But in this instance, he chose automatic fire. His shooting skills had improved significantly over the past two weeks of systematic training, yet he was far from a sharpshooter. Using single shots in such a precarious situation could have disastrous consequences.

As time trickled by, the inevitable happened. A Goldfin Louse peeked its head out from the rock crevice, which was now teeming with its kin, their wings buzzing incessantly.

Luo Yan, utilizing the Illusion Breaking Eye to locate his target, adjusted his aim and gently squeezed the trigger. Zeng Shan flinched as a loud bang resounded overhead, and a burst of light flashed. A spent cartridge clinked onto his shoulder before clattering to the ground.

The muzzle flash illuminated the scene before Zeng Shan, revealing the entrance of the crevice where the head of a Goldfin Louse had been blown apart. More lice, with their black shells and golden-striped wings, were scrambling to get through. Their heads resembled those of locusts, but with four small green eyes. Bang! Bang! Bang! Gunshots echoed above Zeng Shan's head.

Parasitic creatures that had burrowed into the crevice continued to burst into clouds of blood mist.

Then, Luo Yan's roar pierced the air.

"Open fire!"

"You take the bottom."

Zeng Shan snapped out of his daze and bellowed as he began shooting.

He managed to keep his cool.

Heeding Luo Yan's orders, he aimed his gun lower.

He opened fire on the Goldfin Lice swarming up from the ground.

His bullets tore through the parasites, shredding their wings and severing their limbs.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire echoed through the rocky gap.

Flashes of gunfire lit up the darkness.

One after another, the Goldfin Lice plummeted to the ground.

Before long, a heap of their carcasses had accumulated at the entrance of the crevice.

Despite the loss of many of their kind, the remaining Goldfin Lice continued to burrow frantically inside.

Luckily, the space within the crevice was limited.

The Goldfin Lice were also quite large.

Typically, only four or five could squeeze in at a time.

The rest were left struggling outside.

In no time at all,

Luo Yan had emptied one magazine.

He swiftly reloaded with another.

It was his last one.

At this point,

The battle had barely begun.

Less than a minute had passed!

In the blink of an eye,

The second magazine was spent.

Luo Yan yelled, "I'm out of bullets!"

Zeng Shan's rifle fell silent a second later.

"Same here."

Without hesitation, Luo Yan drew his military knife.

He moved past Zeng Shan,

Charging at the Goldfin Lice trying to infiltrate from outside.

"Switch in one minute."

As he spoke, his knife sliced through the air,

Decapitating a Goldfin Louse.

Looking up,

He saw two more parasites lunging at him.

Luo Yan used the armor on his arm as a shield to deflect the one on the left.

With a swift upward motion, his military knife pierced the belly of the other creature.

A violent flick of his wrist sent the louse flying,

Its abdomen ripped open, spilling out its entrails and organs.

Luo Yan's actions were relentless.

He spun around and delivered a decisive blow to the louse he had pinned against the rock,

Severing its head completely.

In a flash, he had slain two more creatures.

Luo Yan looked up, ready for the next onslaught.

Luo Yan had already deactivated the Illusion Breaking Eye. Earlier, rifle fire had ignited a few clumps of weeds on the ground, casting a flickering light. In the glow, he spotted three Goldfin Louse charging at him in a straight line due to the confined space. A glint of cold determination flashed in Luo Yan's eyes as his military blade sliced through the air, leaving a streak of silver-white brilliance reminiscent of lightning between the bodies of the lice.

The sword technique he employed was Thunder, a combat skill personally imparted to him by Di Zheng following Lo Beichen's challenge. It was one of two techniques he mastered—the other being the fist technique, Bone Shatter. In a split second, the bodies of the three Goldfin Louse burst open, showering Luo Yan with their blood, drenching his head, shoulders, and torso.

Behind him stood Zeng Shan, who watched Luo Yan, now soaked in blood, with a sense of awe as if he were beholding an Asura amidst the carnage of insect corpses, blood, and the pungent smell of death. Luo Yan seemed transported back to his days on the surface, to a time when survival was a daily battle. His expression was stoic, his gaze icy, and his movements resolute as he held the line.

Injuries began to accumulate, and blood flowed freely, yet he never retreated. Whenever possible, Luo Yan would evade incoming attacks. If evasion was not an option, he would use less critical parts of his body to absorb the blows, trading wounds for life.

Within a mere minute, Luo Yan had transformed into a figure drenched in blood, his hair matted with the sticky fluid. Around his feet lay a growing pile of insect carcasses, and his military blade was notched and damaged. After he managed to sever the head of another louse, he flung it away, turning it into a streak of cold light that impaled another bug squeezing through a crack.

Suddenly, sand and stones rained down upon him. Looking up, Luo Yan noticed a rock above the crevice teetering precariously, its surroundings marred by bullet holes and stained with blood. The rock's structure must have been compromised during the gunfire. The buzzing of wings heralded the arrival of more Goldfin Louse. Without hesitation, Luo Yan formed a seal with his hands and directed his power towards the unstable rock.

Elementary force surged between his fingers, transforming into a black rope.

Profound Art number one: Black Rope!

Much like battle skills and the meditating and thinking skill, Profound Arts were discovered, organized, and adapted in that 'world' to be usable by humans.

There were nearly a hundred different Profound Arts.

Each one was assigned a number.

Moreover, every Profound Art required a specific hand seal, also known as a seal.

Luo Yan had spent two full days just mastering the seal for the Black Rope.

Now was the moment to demonstrate his mastery!

The rope, conjured from elementary force, instantly ensnared the rock above.

With a forceful tug, Luo Yan brought the teetering rock crashing down.

It landed on the insects below, crushing them into a pulp.

Precisely one minute had elapsed!