When Zhou Yuanqi confirmed that the treasure was indeed inside this temple, he could no longer hold back.
Unleashing the full speed of a Level 4, he didn't even care how the people around him would look at him.
With the temple entrance in sight, the villagers blocking the way were nothing more than obstructive ants in his eyes!
He stepped into the temple and saw the silver crystal embedded in the forehead of the statue.
For a moment, his breath hitched.
The crystal contained primitive, pure energy. He had been stuck at Level 4 Early Stage for nearly ten years, and this level of energy was exactly what he was missing!
As long as he obtained this crystal, his strength would undoubtedly experience a qualitative leap!
Perhaps he could break through to Level 4 Mid Stage, perhaps he could touch the threshold of the Late Stage, perhaps—
He stopped thinking and decisively reached out, grabbing for the silver crystal!
The crystal was embedded deeply, but the surrounding stone had become brittle with age.
Zhou Yuanqi pinched the edges of the crystal with two fingers and pulled gently—
The silver Energy Source Crystal detached from the statue's forehead and fell steadily into his palm.
Standing in the crowd outside the temple entrance, Su Wan watched as his fingers trembled slightly while holding the crystal.
Zhou Yuanqi's eyes were terrifyingly bright.
An almost maniacal, long-suppressed desire had finally been satisfied, leading to a loss of control!
At this moment, he was like a child who had received the most precious gift in the world, cradling the crystal as the curl of his lips grew wider and wider!
Su Wan's hands, hanging at her sides, clenched slightly.
She knew that at this moment, Zhou Yuanqi's mind was entirely focused on the source crystal. Even if he could sense energy fluctuations, he wouldn't be able to lock onto her!
If she was going to act, this was the perfect opportunity!
Su Wan's gaze flickered as it landed on the villagers who had been knocked to the ground.
Their faces were filled with fear and bewilderment; some were still groaning, some curled up and didn't dare to move, while others struggled to stand, their legs trembling.
Su Wan no longer hesitated. With a slight nudge of her mind,
her mental power spread silently like a wisp of invisible smoke, precisely probing into the depths of each villager's consciousness.
A gentle touch...
Like a pebble thrown into a calm pool of water.
The ripples spread.
Fear was amplified, bewilderment was ignited, and a burning rage gradually surged in the eyes of the villagers who had been too intimidated by the pressure to move.
“Damn it... Who the hell is he?!”
No one knew who cursed first.
“Smashing our temple?! And hitting our people?!”
“Stop him! Don't let him escape!”
“The statue! The statue! He destroyed our statue!!”
Anger spread through the crowd like wildfire.
A burly man was the first to scramble up. His face flushed red, he snatched a carrying pole from the ground and charged into the temple.
Then came a second, a third, a fourth...
Over a hundred villagers scrambled up from the ground, roaring and cursing as they surged into the tiny temple like a tidal wave.
Zhou Yuanqi had just taken the crystal and hadn't even had time to turn around when the sudden commotion made him furrow his brow.
Turning around, he saw the villagers rushing at him with bloodshot eyes, brandishing hoes and carrying poles. The curl of his lips froze for an instant.
But only for an instant.
His gaze swept over those angry faces, devoid of any other emotion.
A Level 4 Ability User facing over a hundred ordinary people was like a tiger facing a swarm of ants.
He didn't care about these villagers at all.
He was even too lazy to lift a finger.
With the treasure in hand, he was in an excellent mood and didn't want to bother with them.
Furthermore, the organization had rules against attacking ordinary people, so he didn't actually plan to do anything to them.
He sidestepped the first burly man who charged, his steps light as he strolled through the crowd like he was walking in a park.
None of the hoes, carrying poles, or fists could touch even the hem of his clothes.
Within a few steps, he reached the temple entrance and raised his foot to step out—
Suddenly, a white light exploded in his mind!
The pain came without warning, like a red-hot steel needle stabbing through the crown of his head, piercing his entire skull and reaching straight down to his throat!
The fingers of the hand holding the crystal suddenly lost all sensation.
It felt as though something had violently detonated in the deepest recesses of his consciousness, tearing his thoughts into countless fragments.
His vision went black, and the world spun.
This blow was none other than Su Wan's 【Mental Shock】!
As a Mental-type Ability User, Su Wan's attacks were naturally hard to guard against. She seized the moment when Zhou Yuanqi was most relaxed and struck decisively!
Zhou Yuanqi's body swayed. He grabbed the temple's doorframe, barely managing to stay on his feet.
The entire process was incredibly brief, lasting less than two seconds.
But in those brief one or two seconds of distraction, the Energy Source Crystal he had just acquired was gone!
Zhou Yuanqi's expression changed dramatically!
He snapped his head down to look at his right hand—
It was empty.
His fingers were still curled in a gripping posture, but there was nothing between them.
He frantically searched his pockets, sleeves, waistband...
Nothing.
Nothing at all!
He channeled his mental power, attempting to sense the crystal's energy fluctuations—
Still nothing.
The unique energy belonging to the treasure had completely vanished!
It was as if the item had never existed in the first place!
How could this happen?!
What on earth had happened in that split second!
Zhou Yuanqi's face turned from pale to green, and then to purple.
His gaze, sharp as a knife, swept across his surroundings, but he only saw the swarming crowd!
The villagers were still crowding forward, brandishing hoes and carrying poles in the air. Their curses and roars made the temple's beams and pillars tremble slightly!
Zhou Yuanqi's chest heaved violently, his breathing growing heavier.
His eyes began to turn red.
A violent aura emanated from him, and the pressure of a Level 4 Ability User pressed down like a mountain!
The temperature inside the temple plummeted by several degrees. The villagers who were still charging forward froze in their tracks.
Fear crept back onto their faces.
Zhou Yuanqi's fingers slowly closed, tightening into a fist.
He wanted to kill!
He could no longer control the rage and hostility that threatened to tear him apart!
The thing he had searched for so long, which had been in his very hand, just as he was about to take it away—
was gone!
He didn't know who did it, how they did it, or even when it had happened!
But that crystal had vanished right from his hand!
He had to find it!
These villagers—
any one of them could be the culprit!
He raised his hand, a visible wave of energy condensing in his palm. The air warped and distorted in his grasp, emitting a faint hum.
This was the scene Yin Ji witnessed when he arrived.
His expression shifted dramatically, his eyes filled with horror!
“Mr. Zhou!”
Yin Ji's voice came from outside the temple entrance, urgent and sharp.
Unleashing the full speed of a Level 3 Mid Stage, he swept into the temple like a blur, blocking the villagers.
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