Chapter Forty-Two: The Trump Card

"Your physical body is incredibly powerful; there is no way you would die from just this one shot..."

Du Juan sneered as she looked at Lin Lei, maintaining a constant distance and refusing to get even a step closer. Clearly, the scene of Lin Lei killing Blood Shadow moments ago had left a deep impression on her.

Lin Lei’s eyes flashed.

*Clatter.*

He stood up, and a large amount of brick fragments and rubble slid off his body. In truth, the power of Du Juan’s shot was indeed immense, and its speed was so fast that even Lin Lei could not react in time. In the past, such a shot would have easily pierced through his chest, leaving him either dead or completely incapacitated.

However, although this shot had opened a bloody hole in his chest, the protection of his sword-bone structure meant that while the injury was not light, it was entirely manageable and would not significantly hinder his combat effectiveness. With his regenerative abilities, he would be healed in no time.

Lin Lei gripped his bone sword tightly, raising it slightly toward Du Juan in the distance.

Du Juan narrowed her eyes, staring at Lin Lei with a playful smirk. "Little one, as long as you hand over that sword, I can pretend that nothing ever happened. I can even pretend I never saw your special ability to consume corpses to recover your strength, and I will turn around and leave right now..."

Hearing this, Lin Lei’s eyes turned cold. "Do you think I would believe you?"

Setting aside the fact that her sneak attack was ruthless and intended to kill him outright, just the fact that she knew so many of his secrets meant he could not possibly let her leave.

Du Juan’s lips curled, her pupils flickering slightly. She reached out with one hand, aiming her gun at Lin Lei again. "What a pity... then I have no choice but to kill you."

On the other side, *Boom!*

Lin Lei stomped his feet hard, his body lunging forward like a hunting leopard, charging ahead like a phantom. Du Juan’s pupils contracted, and the whites of her eyes turned blood-red. Lin Lei’s speed had reached its absolute limit. Yet, facing the hurricane-like approach of Lin Lei, she remained calm and composed, decisively pulling the trigger.

*Boom!*

As the muzzle flash erupted, Lin Lei’s high-speed movement faltered; he felt a surging, overwhelming force explode in his chest once again.

*Thud!*

Even though he was prepared and had focused all his concentration, Lin Lei still could not dodge in time. The terrifying impact completely halted his charge, causing him to stagger as if he were about to be blown away again.

However, this time he had already activated [Demonization]. The damage and hindrance caused by this shot were far less than the previous one.

*Can this woman still hit me even when I'm moving at this speed?* Lin Lei felt a sense of dread. But then, noticing the astonishment in her eyes and expression, his own eyes glinted. She wasn’t firing continuously; otherwise, even with his terrifying power, he would never be able to close the distance. *It couldn't be that she's intentionally holding back... it must be that she cannot fire continuously.* In other words, while her pistol was powerful, it must have its limitations.

He lifted his head, his face twisted in a ferocious grimace, and spat out a mouthful of blood. He charged forward with his blade once more.

On the other side, Du Juan’s eyes narrowed, watching this scene with a hint of shock. She wasn't surprised that Lin Lei survived the shot, but she had never expected the impact to be so negligible.

*Whoosh!*

In the blink of an eye, Lin Lei covered the tens of meters and lunged before her. The sound of a blade cutting through the air echoed. Du Juan’s expression was grave, and she maintained her one-handed stance. However, the pistol in her hand suddenly turned a cyan color.

With the change in color, another bullet fired. It was just as fast, leaving Lin Lei unable to dodge, but this time, the power was far less than before—it wasn't even enough to break through his reinforced skin, though it did whip up a violent gale.

*Boom!*

Simultaneously, Du Juan’s body seemed to turn into a sheet of paper, swept backward by the gale with near-teleportation speed, retreating dozens of meters in an instant.

*Swoosh!*

Lin Lei’s slash missed, but he looked up, teeth bared, and stomped the ground to charge again.

Du Juan held her ground, her gaze fixed, and the muzzle of her gun flashed again.

*Boom!*

Lin Lei’s body faltered once more as another bloody hole appeared on him. "I can't dodge it at all..." Blood spilled from the corners of Lin Lei’s mouth, his expression savage, yet the moment he was hit, he lunged forward again.

Seeing Lin Lei in this state, Du Juan’s eyes became unusually serious. She raised her other hand. "I refuse to believe that you can still block this shot after being wounded to this extent..."

A surging torrent of source energy radiated from Du Juan, and her pistol changed again, transforming into a pitch-black hue.

Even at this moment, Lin Lei felt his scalp tingle and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. If he took this hit head-on, he might die!

*Is this the power of the 'Gift Liberation'?!* Lin Lei’s eyes flashed, but he felt no fear. In truth, had it been before he defeated "Blood Shadow"—even after devouring so many demi-demons tonight and covering himself in sword-bones—he would not have had the confidence to block this. But now...

His eyes gleamed.

"Die!" Du Juan finished gathering her power, sweat beading on her face as she pulled the trigger with both hands.

A roar echoed, and a searing, massive orb of light shot from the muzzle. The ground was plowed into trenches as the orb hurtled toward Lin Lei at a terrifying speed. In the next instant, a blinding explosion occurred. The earth was blasted into a deep trench, and Lin Lei’s body had completely vanished.

With a *clang*, a black bone sword was tossed high into the air and fell to the ground.

"Huff! That's that!" Du Juan lowered her gun, tucking a damp lock of hair behind her ear, a cold sneer on her face. "After all, you were only at the second stage..."

She stepped forward, but suddenly froze. A faint scent of blood lingered in the air, and she sensed an abnormal fluctuation of source energy. Before she knew it, a mass of blood-red mist had appeared right in front of her.

"No!" Du Juan immediately tried to raise her gun again, but she was a step too late.

The blood mist solidified, and Lin Lei’s figure emerged, letting out a fierce, low roar.

*Dragon Might!*

Du Juan’s body suddenly locked up. Even though her gun was raised, she could no longer pull the trigger. Lin Lei stepped forward and swung his hand down with a violent force.

*Slash!*

Black sword-bones protruded from his palm, forming a sharp, long blade that cut through the air and descended, severing Du Juan’s head.

Du Juan was extremely powerful in mid-to-long-range combat, but her own physical constitution was pitifully fragile—certainly no match for a third-stage demi-demon. Once the distance was closed, there was no way she could withstand Lin Lei’s terrifying strength.

Her head flew high into the air, a flicker of confusion and terror in her eyes, before it fell heavily to the ground, leaving behind nothing but resentment.