Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1272 - 617:

The four members constituting the Hunter Squad found themselves suspended in a state of utter stupefaction, utterly incapable of any reaction.

Witnessing the swift demise of its brethren, the final Crawling Beast, ensconced within the passage’s corner, emitted a sound akin to a mournful whimper. Its scales quivered uncontrollably.

Subsequently, the creature, its once-bloodthirsty demeanor replaced by sheer terror, tucked its tail between its legs. Its limbs scrabbled desperately on the dust-laden tiles, propelling it away from the scene and towards the passage’s entrance at breakneck speed, not daring to cast a single glance backward.

It seemed that the potential for annihilation by the formidable beast swarm lurking outside, which could reduce it to mere pulp, was a far more comforting prospect than facing the unarmed human standing before it.

Fang Cheng made no move to pursue.

With a nonchalant flick of his wrist, he cleansed the bloodstains from his knuckles before turning his attention to Kael, who remained slumped on the ground.

Kael’s gaze was fixed on Fang Cheng, a blankness etched upon his features.

Concealed beneath the gas mask, his rugged face was utterly immobile, even the natural rhythm of his breathing seemingly arrested in that precise moment.

Not far removed, Roken tightly grasped his wounded shoulder, his eyes fixed upon the man who so casually dispensed death, as if beholding either a deity or a fiend.

Pike, meanwhile, was engaged in a frantic crawl towards Ira’s side, his mouth agape, seemingly devoid of the capacity for speech.

The young man’s eyes remained locked onto Fang Cheng, his pupils subtly constricting.

It had become undeniably clear to him that the individual before them, the one who had so easily torn apart monstrous creatures with his bare hands, was the same stranger he had encountered during his guard duty shifts.

The very same eccentric who had been calmly roasting meat amidst the desolate ruins of the city, completely unfazed by the surrounding desolation!

A profound chill coursed through Pike, originating from the base of his spine and extending all the way to the nape of his neck.

It was only at this precise juncture that a stark realization dawned upon him: the man who had so casually ignited a fire within the very heart of the Mutant Beast territory was not acting out of recklessness.

On the contrary, his actions stemmed from an inherent indifference towards creatures that possessed the power to effortlessly annihilate an entire Hunter Squad.

While Kael and the others had not directly observed Fang Cheng's prior actions, their gazes were equally transfixed, captivated by the scene unfolding.

Remarkably, he wore no protective suit, nor any gas mask.

He relied solely on his unadulterated physical prowess to subdue the monsters, thereby unleashing an overwhelming force that subjugated all opposition.

These mere seconds of observation had irrevocably shattered their preconceived notions regarding the definition of a “human.”

"Th-thank you..."

Kael managed to utter, his Adam’s apple bobbing noticeably as he swallowed with evident difficulty.

Leveraging the fractured security scanner for support, his legs betrayed him with a tremor, yet he stubbornly willed himself to remain upright.

With a deliberate motion, he lowered his head, a gesture of profound respect from an elite hunter of Iron City.

Confronted with the sheer, unadulterated power displayed by this man, their once-vaunted Combat Skills now appeared as ludicrous as a child's game.

Only through unreserved submission could they possibly convey their genuine respect.

Fang Cheng regarded Kael, who was bowing before him, his expression remaining impassive.

Following this, he brushed the lingering dust from his hands and stated plainly:

"I am unfamiliar with this locale; I require someone to guide me."

Upon hearing this request, an immense wave of relief washed over Kael, causing his entire body to relax perceptibly.

"Yes, sir, I am more than willing to serve as your guide."

He was on the verge of expressing his profound gratitude and detailing the subterranean passage's layout to this formidable individual.

Abruptly, Fang Cheng's brow furrowed, and he gestured for silence.

His gaze then shifted, traversing the debris of vanquished monsters strewn across the ground, and fixed upon the darkened entrance of the passage.

The oppressive tremors emanating from the surface had, unbeknownst to them, completely ceased.

The cacophony of the beast swarm that had been rampaging and howling beyond the passage mere moments ago had fallen utterly silent, leaving not a single trace of sound.

The entire Wasteland World appeared to have plunged into an unfathomable abyss in an instant.

Shortly thereafter, an intensely frigid wind began to infiltrate the underground hall through the passage entrance.

This wind was no ordinary zephyr; it carried a deathly silence that seemed capable of freezing one’s very senses.

The acrid aroma of sulfur and the pervasive, foul stench of blood that had previously saturated the air were completely eradicated by this unnerving, cold gust.

The ambient temperature within the hall plummeted with alarming rapidity.

Kael, who had just managed to straighten his posture, began to shiver uncontrollably.

To his sheer horror, he observed that the volcanic ash, accumulated in the fissures of the tiles, was visibly coalescing into a layer of pale frost at an observable pace.

The very breath he had exhaled moments before had not even dissipated before it transformed into tiny ice chips, cascading onto the ground.

Kael’s gaze remained riveted on the passage entrance, his breathing completely arrested.

Beyond the faint luminescence cast by the flashlight, a shroud of black mist, denser than the deepest darkness, silently crept along the ground.

The fog undulated and billowed, resembling a grotesque, living entity writhing within its depths.

"Black creatures… they are black creatures!"

Pike managed to force out a distorted cry from his constricted throat.

His voice conveyed a terror that far surpassed the fear he had experienced when confronting the rampaging horde of mutant beasts.

"It is over… they have arrived with the storm!"

Roken could not help but close his eyes; the rifle he had only just managed to retrieve slipped from his grasp, falling powerlessly to the ground with a dull clatter.

Within the harsh realities of the wasteland, every hunter was acutely aware of a fundamental, unwritten law.

Conventional physical weaponry proved utterly futile against these spectral entities that roamed freely during the tempestuous storms.

Coming into contact with these entities meant instant freezing and evaporation of living flesh, transforming into ash dispersed by the wind.

The black fog's expansion was incredibly swift.

The first to suffer its effects was the crawling creature impaled on the wall by Fang Cheng's steel pipe.

The encroaching mist swept over its still-bleeding, massive body.

Sizzle—

Its profusely bleeding wounds and tough, blue scales instantly lost all hue, turning withered and ashen.

In moments, the remains of the half-ton mutant beast crumbled like an aged sandcastle, disintegrating into pale gray dust that softly settled on the floor tiles.

From the fog's depths, four spectral shadows gradually materialized.

Devoid of physical form or discernible features, they resembled distorted, elongated human figures, hovering a mere half foot above the ground.

As they drew nearer, the already dim light within the underground hall seemed to be utterly consumed.

An intense cold permeated the air, freezing it solid.

Leaning against the wall, Ira's complexion grew even paler, her lips pressed into a thin line.

She felt her heart's rhythm slowing, as if the blood coursing through her veins was on the verge of freezing.

Fang Cheng’s expression remained composed.

Observing the flickering shadows within the mist, he detected no traces of blood or energy emanations from these beings.

Instead, he sensed an exceedingly chaotic, high-intensity negative spiritual energy.

"Energy beings that subsist by consuming life force..."

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured to himself.

He advanced a step, taking a firm stance before the four nearly-despairing wasteland survivors.

Drawing a deep breath, his chest expanded noticeably.

The Pure Yang True Qi residing within his Dantian, akin to a slumbering volcano, erupted with full force at that instant.

Buzz—

A resonant hum from his muscles and bones echoed like thunder, reverberating powerfully throughout the vacant underground hall.

Immediately, a brilliant golden flame enveloped Fang Cheng's entire body.

The potent yang energy blood-glow rapidly formed a golden barrier, spanning three meters in radius, shielding Kael and the others.

This represented the 'Mixed Element True Domain' pushed to its absolute limit.

Intense heat radiated outwards in all directions, the warmth distorting the air into turbulent waves.

The encroaching white frost evaporated the moment it encountered these heat waves.

To Kael and the others, their eyes wide with astonishment:

The man clad in simple attire erupted in dazzling golden light, like a miniature sun appearing from nowhere in this frigid, endless dark night.

The blinding radiance, with overwhelming force, instantly vaporized the dense fog and banished the fear gripping Kael and his companions.

That commanding yet comforting aura transformed into rolling waves of heat, forcefully penetrating their bodies and re-energizing their nearly frozen blood.

Even Ira’s severely weakened spiritual telekinesis experienced a miraculous resurgence under the golden light's influence.

Her eyes widened with relief as she gazed upon the radiant, dazzling man.

Standing at the core of the light, Fang Cheng’s countenance remained serene and unfazed.

It was as if he had become a living torch, illuminating this desolate wasteland.

The four entities referred to as 'black creatures' halted their approach just beyond the illuminated perimeter.

Their forms writhed and trembled in the darkness, emitting piercing shrieks that bore no resemblance to any known life form.

Seemingly driven to breach this barrier and claim fresh flesh,

yet faced with the rigid, fiercely yang flames, they remained suspended in mid-air, instinctively torn between advancing and retreating due to sheer terror.