Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1280 - 621:

"He never displayed anything extraordinary previously; it was only when he made a move against the mutated Old Dog that we realized just how terrifying his skills were."

"As for how he managed to pass through that Golden Light Barrier... he simply walked straight in. We didn’t observe any Magic Artifact at all!"

"Walked straight in?"

The man concealed by a mask narrowed his eyes, hidden behind the bronze facade, a flicker of disdain crossing his gaze.

"Impossible! Utterly impossible!"

Grey Eagle leaped to his feet next to them, pointing directly at Hou Peng’s nose as he berated him:

"That Golden Light possesses the capability to dissolve my Assassins into mere blood in an instant. How in the blazes could a mortal, flesh-and-blood body withstand something far more savage than nuclear radiation?"

"You two pieces of rubbish, you're already on death's door and still attempting to shield him!"

The masked individual raised his right hand, encased in a black leather glove, and made a subtle gesture.

Grey Eagle’s tirade ceased abruptly. He quickly sealed his lips, fearing that another word might incur the other man's displeasure.

"In this existence, no carbon-based lifeform possesses flesh that can endure the energy radiation emanating from the world's barrier."

The masked man decreed with absolute certainty:

"Even I, without adequate preparations, cannot remain within for an extended period."

He paused, as though realizing the futility of expounding so much to mere ants.

Subsequently, he lifted his right hand, the gloved fingertips casually sketching an arc through the air.

Whoosh—

The pervasive fog surrounding them suddenly seemed to be violently agitated by an unseen, colossal hand.

A pressure, tangible as solid matter, descended from nowhere, akin to an invisible mountain crashing down upon Ma Donghe and Hou Peng's shoulders.

"Crack!"

Hou Peng’s already grievously wounded left knee buckled, shattering into the muddy earth with a distinct snapping sound of his kneecap.

He was pressed flat against the ground, to such an extent that even the slightest movement of a finger became an agonizing ordeal.

Ma Donghe endured an even harsher fate; the immense Strength bearing down on him caved in his chest, his ribs groaning audibly under the immense strain, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth.

"Since the both of you can no longer offer me any value, then proceed to become nourishment for this forest."

The masked man's voice held a chilling neutrality, as if he were merely deciding to extinguish two insects obstructing his path.

He elevated his right hand, and a sphere of dazzling, ethereal blue lightning began to coalesce faintly within his palm.

The pungent aroma of ozone in the atmosphere instantly intensified to an extreme degree.

The destructive energy demonstrably contained within that lightning orb caused the pupils of Ma Donghe and Hou Peng to contract violently.

The specter of demise once again cast its grim shadow over the pair.

In that precise, fleeting instant.

"Ssshhh—"

A ferocious hissing, reminiscent of cold water striking incandescent iron, suddenly emanated from the depths of the fog, dozens of meters away.

Though the sound was subtle to the ear, it was impossible to conceal from anyone possessing highly refined Spirit senses.

The ghostly blue lightning held within the masked man’s hand froze mid-formation.

He abruptly turned his head, his masked eyes piercing through the dense layers of fog, fixing their gaze upon the origin of the sound.

Grey Eagle, his attention no longer on Ma Donghe, spun around in sheer terror, swallowing hard and staring intently at that particular patch of darkness.

Before them, the golden barrier that had hitherto separated the current reality from the unknown realm now writhed with violent undulations.

The high-dimensional radiation energy churned like heated water, expelling thick, acrid white vapor.

A brilliant streak of pure golden flame, akin to a searing blade, sliced through the Barrier.

Immediately thereafter, an increasing torrent of golden flames surged outward, forcefully ripping open a fissure within that luminous curtain.

The intense heat instantly dispelled the surrounding chill; even the very air warped dramatically under the onslaught of the hot wind.

Under the watchful eyes of Ma Donghe, Hou Peng, Grey Eagle, and the masked assailant.

A tall, imposing figure emerged from the deepest shadows, advancing with measured, deliberate steps.

The instant this individual took a stride forward, the golden flames enveloping his form receded like an ebbing tide.

In a flash, they were absorbed into his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones, vanishing without a trace.

The Golden Light Barrier, having served its purpose, sealed itself shut once more, re-establishing the separation between the present world and the Otherworld.

Ma Donghe lay sprawled in the mud. Upon clearly perceiving the newcomer's visage, his lips instantly contorted into an expression of ecstatic jubilation.

However, noticing the masked man beside him preparing to strike, he immediately cried out, raising his voice:

"Ah Cheng, be careful!"

"Click."

Grey Eagle’s finger immediately disengaged the safety mechanism on his rifle. The weapon’s barrel swiveled with lightning speed, targeting the newcomer.

The sharp, metallic click of the bolt action echoed piercingly in the deathly silence of the forest.

The masked assailant paused, refraining from immediate assault.

The ethereal blue lightning crackling in his palm slowly faded. Behind the bronze mask, his eyes fixed on Fang Cheng, scanning him with intense focus.

There were no detectable Magic Artifact emanations, no spillover of energy, not even a ripple in his breathing pattern—an absolute picture of tranquility.

Fang Cheng halted his advance, coming to a complete stop.

He inhaled deeply the cool, moist forest air, then rotated his neck, eliciting a sequence of sharp cracks.

Clad in a training outfit, he had an army rucksack slung over his shoulders. His left hand rested in his pocket, while his right casually held a bundle wrapped in rough cloth.

Dark, viscous blood dripped steadily from the bottom of the bundle, striking the dry leaves below with soft, wet thuds and scattering like crimson blossoms.

Were it not for the unsettling environment and the palpable aura of lethal intent.

His composed demeanor suggested a college student concluding a field trip, ready to head home.

Observing this, Hou Peng let out a quiet breath, his tense body suddenly losing its stiffness.

For some reason, whenever he witnessed Fang Cheng's calm expression, the anxieties weighing on his heart would invariably dissipate.

"It... It is him! Sir, it’s him!"

Upon seeing Fang Cheng emerge, Gray Eagle's legs involuntarily trembled, and he shifted back a step.

However, recalling the presence of an unfathomably powerful expert at his side, he instantly squared his shoulders, raised his rifle, and yelled out, his bravado fueled by the proximity of a formidable ally.

The masked man paid no heed to Gray Eagle's show of valor.

His gaze meticulously examined Fang Cheng from head to toe, as if performing a radar sweep, not once, but thrice.

He detected no sign of advanced technological apparatus, nor any energy signature from a Spell or Array designed to counter high-dimensional radiation.

Even the young man's breathing and pulse rate were indistinguishable from an ordinary person's, so unnaturally steady as to be almost provocative.

"To possess the ability to perfectly conceal a Magic Artifact’s energy fluctuations..."

The masked man's eyes narrowed slightly as a conclusion formed in his mind.

"It must be a supreme-grade spatial-attribute Holy Object."

He simply could not accept the notion that a creature of carbon-based biology could traverse between worlds relying solely on its physical form.

The sole plausible explanation was that this individual was concealing a treasure of extraordinary caliber, one capable of masking its aura completely.

Fang Cheng remained unfazed by the masked man's scrutinizing stare. He advanced deliberately, closing the distance without haste.

"Thump."

He casually dropped the blood-soaked bundle beside Ma Donghe.

The item landed with a soft thud in the soft earth, raising a small cloud of dirt.

Fang Cheng stooped, his eyes taking in Ma Donghe's mangled right leg and Hou Peng's impaled shoulder.

Without wasting words on comfort, he retrieved two rolls of military-grade emergency bandages and a container of hemostatic powder from a side pocket of his pack, tossing them to the two men.

"Can you manage on your own?"

Fang Cheng inquired, his tone even.

"I’ll survive. Ah Cheng, I’m a tough old boot. For a flesh wound like this, even King Yama wouldn't bother calling me back," Ma Donghe quipped, flashing a rugged, unrefined smile as he took the hemostatic powder with his uninjured left hand.

"Endure it for now. After we're through here, I'll assist you with the bone setting," Fang Cheng stated.

Fang Cheng gave a nod and stood upright once more.

Only then did he turn his head, finally allowing his gaze to settle upon the figure with white hair and a bronze mask.

The instant their eyes met, a subtle, nearly imperceptible spark flickered within Fang Cheng's gaze.

The opposing figure stood several meters away, his breathing almost nonexistent, yet the surrounding air seemed to subtly warp and distort, as if affected by an invisible force field.

The latent, suppressed danger he projected gave the impression of confronting a dormant killing machine, poised to activate at any second.

This individual was leagues beyond the so-called Black Market mercenaries encountered earlier.

This was a truly formidable opponent.

Fang Cheng silently conducted his assessment internally.