Not long after, the third level of the entire beast lair echoed with intense fighting, attracting other intelligent mutated behemoths.
However, upon clearly seeing the battlefield, they immediately turned and fled without a word, each finding the safest place to hide.
Meanwhile, unintelligent mutated creatures continuously rushed towards the battlefield. Li Chonglou paid them no mind, his fists landing with solid impact against the gorilla. At this moment, he felt his entire body ablaze with passion.
He wasn't afraid of them coming; he was afraid they wouldn't come in sufficient numbers!
Li Chonglou, now fully immersed in battle intent, unleashed his full strength. Against the smaller mutated creatures, he could take them down with a single punch. Only the three colossal beasts could put up a semblance of a fight.
Yet, even so, the three enormous mutated beasts were merely struggling desperately, for they had all discovered a tragic truth.
They couldn't leave if they wanted to, and staying meant being thrashed by someone else!
While Li Chonglou's strength was rapidly increasing, the people above the base began to grow anxious.
After all, half an hour had passed quickly, and the beast tide on the first level had already begun attacking the entrance. This undoubtedly indicated that the source on the third level had not been dealt with.
"Old Xi, what's going on? Didn't you say that person was very strong?" Gurney Shaw asked Xi Wen with confusion.
"That shouldn't be the case. Did those mutated beasts also undergo some kind of change? Based on what I saw, Little Li should have finished them off in at most ten minutes!"
Xi Wen was also extremely puzzled, but even with the beast tide clearly not resolved, he still didn't believe Li Chonglou's strength would be in any danger on the third level.
However, just as everyone was preparing to counterattack the beast tide, a sudden exclamation came from the soldiers in front.
"Boss, the beast tide has retreated! They've all withdrawn!"
The exclamation was filled with evident excitement. Xi Wen and Gurney Shaw exchanged glances.
"The source must be in danger, which recalled all the mutated creatures," Gurney Shaw offered his guess.
"That's likely it, otherwise, their retreat wouldn't be so uniformly decisive," Xi Wen nodded.
After speaking, Xi Wen's face broke into a smile. "I knew it. How could that kid not be able to handle it?"
Watching his smug expression, Gurney Shaw rolled his eyes. "It's as if you're the one who handled it."
"Hmph, that's the kind of person from my Daredevil Squad. They're all my little brothers, Old Xi's little brothers. If you're not convinced, go find him. I bet you can't even last three moves against him."
Xi Wen eyed Gurney Shaw. Although there was a considerable gap in their strength, they had both been comrades who had faced life and death together in their youth. It was only later that Gurney Shaw, due to personal encounters, broke through, leading to their current disparity.
Therefore, their conversations were always candid, and they would jab at each other whenever the opportunity arose.
Indeed, upon hearing this, Gurney Shaw's expression instantly hardened, and he stated with absolute certainty, "Don't worry, when he comes out, I'll personally test him. I want to see just how strong this peerless expert you're talking about is."
Following this, the two of them waited there for Li Chonglou's return.
With the two important figures not leaving, the subordinates below wouldn't dare to leave either. In an instant, the entire base and all the reinforcements from Iron Forest gathered before the passage.
Everyone was waiting for a single figure.
To their surprise, they waited for another two hours.
"Damn it, what the hell is that kid doing in there? He still hasn't come out!" Xi Wen finally grew impatient and couldn't help but complain.
"It's been two hours. It's hard to say if he can still get out," Gurney Shaw, who was already displeased, immediately poured cold water on his optimism.
Xi Wen didn't argue with him this time, as two hours was indeed too long, and the situation was filled with variables. He could no longer be entirely certain of his earlier assumptions.
A few minutes later, just as Gurney Shaw was about to lead his men back, a familiar figure to Xi Wen finally appeared at the entrance of the passage.
Time rewound by about half an hour. In the third level, Li Chonglou fought with unrestrained freedom. This was precisely due to the unique nature of the third level – although the mutated creatures were powerful, their numbers were extremely small, making the battles incredibly exhilarating.
The acupoints within his body were also rapidly improving. By the time he eliminated the last mutated creature on the entire third level, the strength of all his acupoints had increased severalfold!
He had finally entered the Pulse Sublimation realm!
"This cultivation technique is truly monstrous. After fighting for so long, I don't feel even a hint of fatigue!"
Li Chonglou exclaimed internally. At their level, people feared protracted battles and attrition the most. This was because such situations often led to life-or-death struggles, where the one who exposed a flaw first due to exhaustion would meet their end.
However, he now had no such worries. With the Pulse Sublimation technique, as long as the opponent couldn't kill him in a single blow, Li Chonglou estimated he would still be full of energy even after fighting for three days and three nights.
This was an extremely terrifying prospect for his enemies!
Therefore, Li Chonglou didn't rush to leave when returning to the second level. Instead, he went directly to the location the old man had mentioned. After obtaining his token, he leisurely made his way back up.
Along the way, he encountered various mutated creature groups that had already calmed down. Li Chonglou couldn't resist charging forward to spar with them, consolidating his current strength.
Instantly, wherever he went, there were corpses strewn across the ground. By the time he returned to the first level, the aura of killing intent he exuded caused the other calmed mutated creatures to turn and flee at the mere sight of him!
They didn't even have the courage to look at him directly.
This was why Li Chonglou had taken several hours before returning to the passage entrance on the first level.
However, to his surprise, as soon as he reached the passage, he saw Xi Wen. Simultaneously, a figure was rapidly approaching him.
An attack? An enemy?
Li Chonglou's eyes instantly turned cold, and his body flickered and disappeared as he moved to meet the approaching figure.
Gurney Shaw couldn't even see Li Chonglou's movement before feeling a presence behind him. His expression instantly turned to horror, as he suddenly experienced a sense of mortal danger.
Fortunately, Xi Wen reacted quickly. Just as Li Chonglou's fist was aimed at Gurney Shaw's back, he shouted loudly.
"Little Li, that's my friend!"
Li Chonglou, with his fist halfway extended, changed his expression. He could only retract half his strength, but his fist was already unstoppable as it struck Gurney Shaw.
The latter, being experienced, instinctively twisted his body slightly, using his arm to block Li Chonglou's punch.