A giant, towering like a small mountain and clad in heavy black armor, was energizing the surrounding life forms and absorbing them into its body.
"Woooo..."
It slowly turned its head and saw Zhang Chen and the three little cats.
At that moment, the three little cats and Zhang Chen were equally startled.
However, their reasons for surprise differed.
The three little cats were shocked because this creature, though in the shape of a human giant, had no facial features. It was a terrifying sight one would only encounter in nightmares.
The scene made their fur stand on end.
"Meow!"
Zhang Chen's surprise stemmed from encountering such a long-unseen creature after such a long time.
A Giant Faceless One!
In the apocalypse, the previous Giant Faceless Ones were considered only third or fourth-rate existences.
But in this current world, they would likely be top-tier monsters.
However... they seemed quite weak.
They lacked the surging, formidable aura of the Faceless Ones from the apocalypse, feeling rather like a paper tiger.
"Was it forcibly revived? Is its energy insufficient to maintain its strength, requiring it to absorb other life forms for replenishment?"
"This armor is meant to enhance it... how bizarre and out of place!"
Zhang Chen shook his head helplessly.
He had initially thought there would be a good fight, as he hadn't stretched his muscles in a while.
A third or fourth-rate monster, facing Zhang Chen with only a fraction of his power, felt like a return to the days of the apocalypse.
But when Zhang Chen realized how weak these monsters appeared, a look of disdain crossed his face.
"Trash, not worth my effort."
"Roar!"
Seeing Zhang Chen, the Giant Faceless One suddenly swung its right hand, wielding a massive spiked mace.
*Whoosh!*
*Bang!*
The blow struck the ground, creating a large crater.
"Such immense strength!"
Miao Ke said with a solemn expression.
"According to the Law of Monster Combat Power, size is directly proportional to defense, strength, and HP."
"A creature this large might have defenses that our attacks can't penetrate, but if we get hit, our lives could be forfeit!"
Miao Yin, leveraging her academic strengths, analyzed from the side.
"The Law of Monster Combat Power? Is that a thing? I've never heard of it," Miao Qi asked in surprise.
"We learned that in class together. After class, you told me you dreamed of fishing by the sea!" Miao Yin raised an eyebrow, speaking with a hint of playful mockery.
"You guys go ahead, I'll take a rest!"
Zhang Chen waved his hand, sending a surge of energy into each of the three little cats.
Concurrently, a battle suit imbued with the attributes of divine realm armor appeared on them, complete with matching weapons.
Miao Ke's weapon was a long sword and shield, Miao Qi wielded two daggers, and Miao Yin's weapon was a bow and arrows.
"Yes, Master, leave it to us! Meow!"
The three little cats cried out, then charged towards the Giant Faceless One, quickly engaging it in battle.
"If the Mother God Cult had an army like this... putting aside their actual strength, they would likely require vast amounts of life forms to sustain the existence of the Faceless Ones."
"If that's the case, they shouldn't be attacking the Elf Kingdom. Across the entire world, elves are rare, while humans are the most numerous."
"Then what is their objective in attacking here?"
Zhang Chen felt that things were definitely not as simple as they seemed, suspecting a grand conspiracy behind it all.
While the protectors of the Mother God Cult might not be skilled, it didn't mean their schemes weren't.
*Rumble!*
*Bang!*
*Thump!*
*Crack!*
The surrounding trees, branches, massive rocks on the ground, and dust were thrown into chaos by the battle.
Countless debris flew towards Zhang Chen, who was sitting on the ground sipping grape juice.
But when they were still five or six meters away, they were pulled aside by an invisible force.
With Zhang Chen's current weakened body, his force field ability could only achieve this much.
While it was difficult to use for combat to instantly kill enemies, it was more than enough for him to comfortably watch the battle up close.
No matter how chaotic the entire forest became, the area around Zhang Chen remained pristine and clean.
As the three little cats gradually gained the upper hand against the Giant Faceless One, knocking its mace out of its grasp, and with victory imminent, allowing him to rest soon, the scene abruptly shifted. The once slow and clumsy Faceless One suddenly became energized as if injected with stimulants.
Its massive body suddenly became agile.
With rapid, cracking movements, it delivered three palm strikes, forcing the three little cats back.
"What's going on?"
"Is this creature hiding its strength?"
"Did I see that right? It can actually attack with its palms?"
The three little cats were filled with astonishment.
They were completely bewildered by the sudden, drastic change in the Faceless One.
"They are sharing information!"
Zhang Chen also put away his grape juice, narrowing his eyes as he spoke.
Just before the Giant Faceless One grew stronger, a surge of energy had been injected into it.
This energy wasn't powerful; it was more like a stream of information.
Zhang Chen hadn't paid it much mind at first, as information flows were common on the battlefield, nothing unusual.
But when he saw the actions the Faceless One took, his expression stiffened.
The strikes the Faceless One had just delivered were Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palms). Both the movements, the force, and the angles of attack were remarkably standard.
The only flaw was the somewhat stiff execution of the changes in technique.
The last time he had witnessed Baguazhang was during his confrontation with Qing Feng.
Had these Faceless Ones learned Qing Feng's Baguazhang?!
This... was too absurd!
Could it be...
Zhang Chen continued to track the source of the informational energy, soon discovering it originated from a military camp of puppet soldiers fifty kilometers away.
A battle seemed to be occurring there.
Zhang Chen increased his energy consumption again, zooming in on the scene.
He saw a group of Faceless Ones battling two powerful individuals.
One of them was using Baguazhang.
"Is that Qing Luan and Bai Lu?!"
"Indeed... she is likely a descendant of Qing Feng..."
Zhang Chen nodded.
"You can stand down, I'll handle it!"
Zhang Chen said, clapping his hands.
"We apologize, Master. We failed to defeat it and have disappointed you!"
Miao Ke retreated, her head bowed in shame.
"I am not disappointed, you performed admirably. I underestimated the enemy!"
"These Faceless Ones possess the ability to learn. They can copy the attack methods and skills of their opponents during battle and share them with all other Faceless Ones."
"This ability is likely linked to the pink crystals. My intervention was simply to prevent your combat styles from being learned by it!"
As Zhang Chen spoke, his figure flickered.
*Bang!*
*Boom!*
The Giant Faceless One instantly vaporized, turning into a cloud of white mist...