The Talking Lady shrugged in imitation of Ye Zhongming and said nothing more, even taking a step backward.
Her meaning was clearâsince you don't need me, I'll stay out of the way.
Ye Zhongming waved his hand, and Xiao Min let out a sharp whistle.
At that moment, the wheel's countdown officially ended, and the most terrifying thunder descended from the sky.
Simultaneously, Xiao Min placed her hand on the translucent barrier of the Zhuangxiang Eight Trigram Palace, while the rest of the Female Guard unleashed their attacks, converging their power onto Xia Bai. The captain fully activated her abilities and swung her scythe outward.
This move had been seen many times by the Youth Army. The team-amplified attack was horrifyingâeven level-nine lifeforms would think twice before facing it.
The expression on the Talking Lady's face confirmed that this newly ascended level-nine lifeform was indeed wary of such an attack.
But many in the Youth Army felt that this strike seemed even more powerful than before.
Some recalled the potions the Female Guard had taken when the space announced the impending thunder. Was it related to that?
Admittedly, Ye Zhongming's response to the Talking Lady had seemed a bit arrogant, but in truth, he had no confidence in withstanding the tripled thunder.
He had seen the normal or 1.5x amplified thunder before. To be honest, Cloud Peak could block itâYe Zhongming himself could even withstand it alone.
But there would definitely be damage. If it were just him, heâd likely end up with destroyed equipment and severe injuries.
The equipment was purple-grade, and the injuries would be critical.
So, how could he possibly have confidence against tripled thunder?
But this assumption was based on tanking the hit. Since brute force wouldnât work, they had to rely on tactics.
If there was one thing Cloud Peak had in abundance, it was methods.
Those potions were one such method.
They were a diluted version of the Berserk Potionâthe most valuable personal research achievement of Candy, Cloud Peakâs chief alchemist.
Based on the original Berserk Potion formula, after countless experiments and burning through funds at a rate that even made Ye Zhongming wince, Candy finally developed a low-side-effect, lightweight Berserk Potion. It provided roughly half the boost of the original but reduced side effects by two-thirdsâan incredible feat.
However, due to limitationsâonly Candy could produce it, materials were expensive, and success rates were inconsistentâit remained a high-end potion exclusive to Cloud Peakâs core members and the Female Guard.
After consuming it, the Female Guard collectively entered a mild berserk state, including Xia Bai. Their strength saw a noticeable increase, and the team-amplified strike became terrifyingly powerful.
But that wasnât all. No one noticed that Xia Bai had taken something else besides the lightweight Berserk Potion.
It wasnât a potionâjust... venom.
A toxin extracted from the body of a level-eight marine mutant lifeform, originally provided by Xiao Peng as material for Ye Zhongming. During testing, Xia Bai had observed its properties and understood its toxicity.
Later, when Ye Zhongming found no use for it and stored it away, Xia Bai took it for herself.
Because she had an idea.
Xia Baiâs evolution was bizarreâshe followed both the normal human path and the aberrant mutant path.
But one thing had never changed: the more severely injured she was, the stronger her attacks became.
In theory, she could grievously wound herself at the start of battle to instantly annihilate her enemies.
But reality wasnât that simple.
Self-inflicted injuries couldnât impair mobilityâotherwise, no matter how strong the attack, itâd be useless if she couldnât execute it. So how could she strike the perfect balanceânot too light to be ineffective, not too heavy to be suicidal?
Even as Xia Bai grew stronger and situations requiring self-harm became rarer, this problem still haunted her.
How could she maximize her combat power in an instant when Ye Zhongmingâs life was at stake? This question occupied her thoughts daily.
In the heat of battle, finding that precise thresholdâwhere injuries boosted her power to the limit without crippling herâwas nearly impossible.
Until she saw this venom. Her perspective instantly broadened.
So, like a madwoman, she dragged Park Xiuying, Candy, and a detoxification specialist into a grueling, half-month-long ordeal of self-poisoning experiments.
She sought the perfect balanceâingesting enough venom to bring her to the brink of death without crossing it, allowing her to unleash her strongest strike before being healed by potions or skills.
Too little venom, and the effect was negligible. Too much, and sheâd collapse entirely.
Under the conflicted gazes of Park Xiuying, Candy, and the alchemist, Xia Bai endured inhuman torment until she found that equilibrium. She portioned the venom accordingly and carried it with her for emergencies.
Like now.
Xia Bai drank a vial of venom. Instantly, the toxin corroded her body, ravaging her internal organs. The pain was unbearable, making her tremble uncontrollably.
But near-death critical injury was exactly what she wanted.
With both the potion and venom amplifying her, this strike was the strongest attack Xia Bai and the Female Guard could muster.
A streak of light slashed across the sky, fearlessly meeting the Annihilation Thunderstrike.
Then, Xia Bai plummeted, barely managing to swallow a detox potion.
Any delay, and the venom would kill her.
On the light screen, many watched with mouths agape, feeling genuine terror, both at the thunder and Cloud Peakâs counterattack.
Perhaps this was the planetâs most devastating clash.
Either force could likely kill even a level nine lifeform in one hit.
Now, these two monstrous energies collided midair.
The Annihilation Thunderstrike was split in two!
However, the division wasnât cleanâstarting from the point of impact, the thunder was torn apart upward in a mutual cancellation.
There was no denying Cloud Peakâs attack was formidable. Yet... after splitting the thunder halfway, it exhausted itself and dissipated.
The thunder then struck the Zhuangxiang Eight Trigram Palace.
The entire light screen seemed to tremble at that moment.
This sight made one thing clear: even after being weakened by Cloud Peakâs strike, the remaining thunder was still far more powerful than the standard version.
A question arose in everyoneâs mind: Could Cloud Peakâs majestic palace barrier withstand it?
Most doubted it. The thunder was too terrifyingâthe moment it touched the Zhuangxiang Eight Trigram Palace, the defensive barrier showed signs of collapsing instantly!