Cataclysm: The Enhancement Warlock's Rebirth

Twilight.

Nine people gathered at a shop on the street.

Qin Xun glanced at everyone and spoke first: "With the battle imminent, everyone should briefly introduce their talents and abilities so that we can be well-informed and cooperate better."

He raised his right hand, and a crimson scale appeared on the back of his hand, gleaming metallically in the morning light.

"My talent is called Crimson Scales. When covered in scales, my physical functions and defensive capabilities are greatly enhanced."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the others.

"Fu Xinyu's talent is Judgment. He can summon a holy sword, which provides a power boost when wielding it."

Fu Xinyu was a teenager with acne.

He reached out and grasped at the air.

A two-handed greatsword materialized out of thin air, its blade thick and entirely black.

"Watch me!"

Pan Qiaoyun smoothed her hair and raised her hand as if to grab something.

A semi-solid, cyan chain extended from her palm, rustling as it moved through the air.

"Wind Speaker's skill is Wind Chains, which can bind enemies."

She gave Jiang Xiao a smug look.

Unfortunately, his flirtatious glances were wasted on a blind man; he discovered that the other person's gaze was fixed on Qin Zhi'en.

"Cloud Tiger. It can transform into a white tiger to fight."

Qin Zhi'en doesn't talk much, but her words are concise and to the point.

She spread her five fingers, and from her fingertips sprang several curved tiger claws, gleaming coldly.

Jiang Xiao stared at her for a moment, vaguely remembering something.

Before I was captured in my previous life, a medium-sized insect infestation broke out in Jiangzhou City.

While he was leading his men to resist the insect swarm, he heard that a camp in the eastern city had been destroyed, and that a superhuman who could transform into a white tiger had been devoured by the insect swarm.

Everyone felt it was a pity, saying that the one who transformed was a cute little girl.

He felt it was most likely the person in front of him.

"Feng Yang's talent is Boundary Escape. He can create a ten-square-meter defensive barrier to block attacks."

A chubby little boy raised his hand and smiled憨厚ly.

"Lin Hansheng's talent is superhuman perception. He can predict attack trajectories and deadly threats in advance."

The speaker was a tall, thin man with a confident look in his eyes, exuding a sense of self-assurance.

He paused, then added,

"With this ability, I once faced an attack by dozens of red beetles alone, killed more than half of them, and escaped unscathed. If I had a suitable weapon, annihilating them would be a piece of cake."

As he spoke, his gaze lingered, intentionally or unintentionally, on Jiang Xiao's Tang sword.

Jiang Xiao ignored him, reciting the prepared script: "Word magic. It can amplify oneself through incantations, such as speed, strength, and defense."

He was telling a half-truth, but at least it matched his own abilities.

"Great talent."

Qin Xun offered a word of praise, then changed the subject, "However, Brother Jiang, your abilities are probably more than that, aren't they?"

Jiang Xiao looked over.

Qin Xun smiled and said, "Armor-piercing! I bet your Word of Power can also add armor-piercing effects to weapons!"

His tone was confident, as if he had already seen through it all and there was no need to hide his abilities anymore.

Jiang Xiao smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Brother Qin, you really have a sharp eye."

Qin Xun smiled confidently.

He had experience with modern cold weapons and knew roughly the quality of swords and knives on the market.

The sharpness of Jiang Xiao's Tang sword clearly exceeded the normal range, and considering his abilities, it's not hard to guess.

After everyone finished introducing themselves, their gaze fell on the last person—Wu Daolin.

The man was in his thirties, thin, and dressed somewhat sloppily.

He hadn't said much since the beginning, just listened and nodded frequently.

Seeing that everyone was looking over, Wu Daolin coughed lightly and said:

"I think we've gathered so many people, we're qualified to negotiate. There's no need to fight them head-on. If we sit down and talk, the problem will naturally be solved."

"No way!" Qin Xun frowned and decisively rejected the proposal. "How can you seize control of the altar with just words? How will the profits be divided afterward? Who will take the lead? If we can't reach an agreement, and the other side becomes wary, it will be even more difficult to deal with them later."

Lin Hansheng, a staunch advocate of war, chimed in, "That's right! Only through actual combat can the true power be distinguished. If you try to negotiate without fighting, people will only see you as a pushover."

Wu Daolin grew anxious and suggested again, "Then let's wait two more days and gather more people. We'll definitely be able to force them to give in."

Jiang Xiao's expression was displeased.

Before the two sides made contact, they had already hinted that they would take action.

Everyone is sharing information and gearing up for a big push, so why is this person pouring cold water on them?

Qin Xun disagreed: "Wait two days? Do you know what items they'll get from the altar in those two days? Every extra day we wait, they'll become stronger!"

Wu Daolin continued to persuade, "In these chaotic times, insects and beasts are the real enemies. Why should we humans fight to the death?"

He looked at Qin Xun and Jiang Xiao, knowing they were the ones in charge, and tried to reason with them and appeal to their emotions.

"Think about it, if a fight breaks out, there will definitely be casualties. Is it worth it?"

Seeing that the two remained unmoved, Wu Daolin became so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead, his face flushed, and his tone turned angry: "Since we have different opinions, I'm withdrawing!"

He adopted an air of indifference, as if he were someone not worth discussing things with, and turned to leave.

Jiang Xiao's eyes flashed slightly, and he drew his sword.

A flash of cold light.

There was no blood splattering as I had imagined, and no heads rolled.

The blade grazed the scalp, and a few strands of hair fell.

Wu Daolin felt a bone-chilling cold. He turned around and saw the Tang sword resting right next to his neck, the blade less than a finger's width from his skin.

He was so frightened that his legs trembled uncontrollably, and he could barely speak: "Brother...brother, we can talk about it if we disagree, there's no need..."

"You have some nerve."

Jiang Xiao stared at him for a while, then asked curiously, "How could an ordinary person dare to infiltrate the group and swindle people?"

"I...I don't understand what you're saying."

Wu Daolin swallowed hard, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Don't understand?" Jiang Xiao tapped his face with the back of his knife and said, "Then show us your talent."

Wu Daolin stood there, rubbing his hands together like flies, looking troubled.

The others realized what was happening.

"Damn it!" Lin Hansheng cursed, "So he's not a superhuman after all? No wonder he kept trying to make peace."

Qiao Xin's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected anyone to dare do something like this.

Jiang Xiao had sensed something was wrong from the beginning.

When traveling, Wu Daolin often fell behind the group, his stamina clearly failing him.

Their physical abilities are unlike those of people with extraordinary abilities.

He had previously thought that the other party might be a mage who controlled the elements, whose physical abilities had not been greatly enhanced, and who was weaker due to his previous poor stamina.

Surprisingly, he was just an ordinary person?

They were even bold enough to infiltrate the ranks of superhumans and swindle people!

She had the ability to "see clearly" and could distinguish lies, yet she still managed to fool him.

Wu Daolin's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud.

"Have mercy, sir!"

He clasped his hands together and kept bowing, saying, "I didn't mean to deceive everyone, I apologize."

Before the catastrophe, he worked as a fortune teller.

He makes a living by reading palms in parks and squares.

They're the type who speaks to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language.

Having drifted along with the tide until now, tonight I discovered the light of the altar, attracting all sorts of people.

It is foreseeable that this place will become a gathering place for survivors in the future.

Upon discovering that Jiang Xiao and his group were recruiting superhumans in preparation for dealing with another group, he thought that as long as he could infiltrate the group and facilitate this negotiation and transaction, outsiders would definitely think he was a superhuman.

If I keep a low profile and hire a few ordinary people to do things for me, I might be able to live a peaceful life for the rest of my days.

"I'm pretty good with words, sending me to negotiate would have been a sure thing," Wu Daolin said, looking up with a hint of grievance. "How was I supposed to know you guys were so stubborn, insisting on going to fight!"

He simply couldn't understand it; there was clearly a safer approach like negotiation.

Why take such a risky gamble and fight to the death?

"How dare you!" Qin Xun looked at Jiang Xiao and said in a deep voice, "This person knows about our innate abilities. Let's just kill him." The matter has been accomplished in secret, so we must be careful.

"No, no, no!"

Wu Daolin kowtowed repeatedly, "I swear to God, I promise I won't utter a single word!"

Little Fatty Feng Yang, however, was kind-hearted. After hesitating for a moment, he advised, "We should set off immediately. An ordinary person like him can't possibly catch up. There's no need to kill him, is there?"

Jiang Xiao stepped forward and lightly sliced ​​Wu Daolin's arm with the tip of her knife.

The skin and flesh tore open, and fresh blood gushed out.

Wu Daolin screamed in pain and begged for mercy.

Jiang Xiao sensed the resistance from the tip of the knife and confirmed that it was the toughness of ordinary human skin.

He sheathed his knife, feeling it was pointless.

"Tie him up, throw him here, and let him fend for himself," he said to Feng Yang.

-

-

Dongyang Building Materials City.

The group arrived at the street where the altar was located.

The beam of light had not yet dissipated, shooting straight up from the ground into the sky, illuminating the entire area as if it were daytime.

The altar stands in the middle of the street.

A high stone platform with a wide base that gradually narrows upwards to a flat top.

The surface is engraved with continuous runes, which flicker in and out under the light.

Around the altar, about ten people were stationed to guard it.

Qin Xun glanced at it and whispered, "According to the plan, Zhi'en, Jiang Xiao, Lin Hansheng, Fu Xinyu, and I will be the main attackers. Qiaoyun and Qiao Xin have ranged attacks, so be careful to provide support. Feng Yang, protect them well."

Lin Hansheng nodded and then asked another question:

"We're basically all about combat, so we're not afraid of each other in one-on-one situations. But they exchanged armor from the altar and formed a ten-man squad, each of them clad in armor and wielding a sword."

"Although they haven't received professional training, the combat power of an adult male in full armor should not be underestimated."

"Think about it, swarms of red beetles are hard to deal with, let alone people. Once they put on their armor, they charge like bulldozers, which is quite troublesome."

"Leave it all to me," Jiang Xiao said.

Lin Hansheng was somewhat skeptical: "Using supernatural abilities is very taxing. Can you handle the stamina to fight ten people alone?"

Qin Xun had witnessed the sharpness of Jiang Xiao's blade, so he wasn't worried. "Leave it to Brother Jiang. Since he agreed, I trust him."

Jiang Xiao looked at the altar, pondering how to allocate the 2000 points he would have after taking it down.

"Get ready to do it," he said.

Several people walked out from the street corner.

The guards at the altar immediately became alert and shouted loudly.

A man in his thirties walked out of a shop on the side of the street.

He recognized Qin Xun, his gaze sweeping over the crowd without panicking, instead a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Again?"

Wei Qian crossed his arms, his expression arrogant. "Qin Xun, I made it very clear yesterday: either hand over the Blood Essence or offer sufficient supplies before you can use the altar. What, bringing so many people here, trying to force your way in?"

Jiang Xiao gave the two people behind him a wink.

Pan Qiaoyun raised her hand and flicked it, and the blue chain flew out with a whoosh, like a python coiling around the other person's body.

At the same time, Qiao Xin's hair transformed into a steel cable, heading straight for the opponent's face.

In an instant.

A golden light fell on Wei Qian, and the spear formed from her hair pierced through her, but it was as if it had hit a thick steel plate, remaining completely still.

"I can't get it in." Qiao Xin frowned.

"Even among them, those who are extraordinary possess defensive abilities." Qin Xun looked into the room.

"Come out, everyone!"

Wei Qian called out.

About twenty people poured out of the shops around the altar.

The first ten were clad in silver-white armor and wielded standard-issue long swords.

The others behind them, some armored and carrying knives, others unarmed, stared at them from afar.

Fu Xinyu's expression changed. "The number of superhumans is wrong. There are eleven!"

Qin Xun gritted his teeth; the enemy's combat strength far exceeded his expectations.

A hint of smugness flashed in Wei Qian's eyes.

He stared at Qin Xun like a hunter eyeing its captured prey: "I knew you were a troublemaker, I've been waiting for you."

As he spoke, his gaze swept around the surroundings.

He knew very well that there must be other extraordinary individuals lurking nearby.

After this battle, the ownership of the altar will be undisputed, and those people will have no choice but to obediently come and offer tribute.

Because the rules were written in blood, no one dared to question them anymore.

"However—" Wei Qian changed the subject, "I value talent. The team is expanding, so I'll give you three spots. Are you willing…"

Jiang Xiao and Qin Xun were of one mind; before he could finish speaking, they launched an attack.

The two of them stepped forward together.

Wei Qian dodged to the side, and at the same time swung his right hand.

A beam of red light shot out from his palm, enveloping the ten armored soldiers.

"Silver-armored troops, charge!"

The ten men's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and they let out a low growl as they charged towards Jiang Xiao and the others, brandishing their knives.

Jiang Xiao went to greet her.

He cleaved the man at the front of the group in the chest with his blade, the blade cutting through the armor with a piercing metallic scraping sound.

The armor plates tore apart, the blade pierced flesh, but the man didn't react at all, and instead raised his sword to strike.

Jiang Xiao frowned and activated his defensive dodge.

wrong.

Jiang Xiao dodged a few blows, found an opportunity, and slashed at a person's chest with his sword while simultaneously slashing downwards.

A crack appeared in the armor, revealing tattered clothes and skin underneath.

It was bluish-gray, like a stone.

After the blade sliced ​​through the armor, the remaining force struck the bluish-gray skin, leaving only a white mark.

"There's another layer of defense?"

Jiang Xiao was startled. He scanned the entire room and quickly located the caster.

A gentle-looking young woman, dressed in a knitted sweater and a skirt, was being protected at the back of the group.

She bent her knees slightly, her five fingers touching the ground, and a faint light spread out from her fingertips.

Their eyes met for a moment.

She's the one!

Wei Qian stood not far away, watching Jiang Xiao being entangled by ten silver-armored soldiers, and said, "My talent is berserk, which can empower my subordinates, enough to fight for half an hour in armor."

"Lin Wanyi's talent is Stone Skin, which adds another layer of defense to them. These men alone can wear you down. Why don't you surrender?"

"Brother, I see you're quite skilled; it would be a shame if you died."

He glanced at the Tang sword in Jiang Xiao's hand, then at Qin Xun, and smiled.

"Here's the deal: you kill Qin Xun as a pledge of loyalty, and I'll recruit you. You'll get a share of all the altar's profits from now on. How about it?"

Qin Xun was engaged in a fierce battle with one of the other's superhumans.

Upon hearing this, the scales spread from its arms to its neck, and it glared angrily, before he could even offer a word of comfort.

Jiang Xiao forced back the two silver-armored soldiers in front of him with a single strike, then looked at Wei Qian: "Are you so confident that you've got us figured out?"

Wei Qian is going to make an example of them today, and he can't let the two who jumped the highest get away with it.

What I just said was merely an attempt to divide and weaken the enemy. Once Jiang Xiao kills Qin Xun, he will find an excuse to kill him as well.

However, he still had to put on a show: "The advantage is in my hands, I advise you to..."

Jiang Xiao chuckled, the Tang sword in his hand gleaming.

He deliberately murmured, "Words of Power, Radiant Moon!"

The Tang sword shone brightly, with a layer of moon-white halo appearing on the blade, dazzling and eye-catching.

……