"I actually managed to charge it to the limit. My core really is something, huh?" Leyvi muttered, gazing at the metal bat in his hand.
The weapon was, after all, a Tier-5 Spirit Artifact—crafted for Soul Formation Realm experts. Charging it to its full capacity was something only cultivators at that level could achieve with ease. Yet here he was, a Core Formation cultivator, whose core had supplied the same immense amount of Qi without much strain. An unbelievable accomplishment.
"Burly guy, I'm sorry, but you'll need to take a nap for a while," Leyvi said, lowering his stance in preparation to throw.
He planted his feet firmly into the Celestial Cloud's surface, knees slightly bent, body leaning forward with unwavering focus. His right arm, gripping the bat, drew back, muscles tensed like compressed steel springs, while his left arm extended forward for balance, fingers spread wide.
The massive metal bat avatar, more than twenty meters long, mirrored him precisely. Its translucent form shimmered with golden light, rippling like molten metal, perfectly aligned with the real bat's movements and amplifying the imminent strike.
Leyvi locked his Spiritual Sense onto the hulking man below. Then, channeling Fiery Qi into his throwing arm, he built up even more power. The air around him distorted violently, trembling under the immense spiritual pressure.
A few seconds later, his stance steadied. The bat pulsed with contained fury, the air thick with tension.
He was ready to throw.
"MEGA BONK!"
Leyvi hurled the fully charged metal bat from high above, sending it streaking down toward the target several kilometers below.
BOOM!
The throw, empowered by Leyvi's bursting specialty, tore through the sky like a meteor, leaving behind a roaring trail and continuous sonic booms that rattled the heavens.
"Huh? What's that?" The hulking man paused mid-step, frowning as he sensed an immense pressure descending from above.
"A meteor?" From his point of view, a blazing orb of light was rapidly expanding in the sky, growing brighter and larger with every heartbeat.
But within moments, the weight of the incoming pressure multiplied. His instincts screamed danger—fatal danger. If that thing hit him, he knew he wouldn't survive.
Reacting purely on instinct, he tried to dash away, his massive frame blurring into motion. But it was already far too late.
Guided by Leyvi's Aiming Expert ability, the enormous bat avatar, radiating golden energy and shrieking through the air, descended with flawless precision.
BONKKKKKKKKKK!!!!
A thunderous and comically long bonk sound exploded across the land, shaking trees, hills, and even the lake. The sound wave rippled outward for tens of kilometers in every direction.
The hulking man collapsed instantly, snoring like a thunder beast before he even hit the ground. The metal bat, mission accomplished, clanged into the earth beside him with a deep metallic thud.
True to the purpose it was created for, the metal bat caused no destruction. All the energy it carried was converted into a special sound that induced deep sleep in any living being struck by it.
However, Leyvi didn't realize that at full power, the effect wasn't limited to the target alone. The echoes of the bonk also carried the same sleep-inducing property, though much weaker depending on the distance from the source.
As a result, it wasn't just the hulking man who fell asleep. Every creature near the impact zone, animals and demonic beasts alike, was instantly lulled into slumber. Even those further away struggled to stay awake. The stronger demonic beasts barely managed to resist, but ordinary animals had no such chance. Before long, the entire region was filled with sleeping beasts under the afternoon sun.
High above the sky, Leyvi remained completely unaffected. Anda, however, was on her knees, clutching her head as a wave of drowsiness threatened to overwhelm her. She barely managed to resist it.
"Are you alright, Anda?" Leyvi asked, crouching beside her.
"Mmm…" Anda nodded weakly.
"Phew… I didn't know the metal bat could do that. Almost everything down there fell asleep," Leyvi said, glancing down at the quiet landscape below.
"I'm fine... But I need some stimulation to fully fend off the drowsiness. Leyvi, kiss me passionately or fondle my breasts or something," Anda requested, her tone convincing.
Leyvi was speechless. He wasn't sure if his wife was joking or being serious due to her tone.
But now wasn't the time for him to think whether it was fake or not because the next part of their plan required Anda.
So he pulled her into his embrace, delivering a long, deep kiss while fondling her breasts in the way she loved most.
After a while, Leyvi unlocked their lips and asked, "Any better?"
But when he saw a mischievous smile forming on her lips, he knew he had been duped by this panda. She was just fooling around!
Leyvi rolled his eyes. This girl. We're in the middle of a serious situation here, and she takes this chance to tease me.
Seeing that she had been found out, Anda immediately stood up.
"Thank you, husband. The method is extremely effective. All my drowsiness is gone," Anda said as if she hadn't been pretending at all.
She indeed had been affected by the bonk sound and fell to her knees for a few seconds, but after that, it was just her mischievous nature kicking in.
"Alright, if you're done playing, let's go down," Leyvi said, his tone as usual. As if he'd ever get mad at her for something like this—no chance.
Anda controlled the Celestial Cloud, descending straight toward the sleeping hulking man while giggling. She knew the situation was serious, but she couldn't help herself.
When the cloud descended low enough, Leyvi leaped next to the hulking man, intending to pick up his metal bat. Suddenly, the snoring stopped, and he sensed an incoming attack.
"CAREFUL!!" Leyvi heard Anda's warning from above just as he moved to avoid the strike.
BOOM!
A punch landed where he had been standing moments before, cracking and shattering the ground.
What the heck! Was the bonk not effective on him? How was that possible? The metal bat could even put Soul Formation Realm experts to sleep, Leyvi thought, a bit panicked as he took distance.
Thankfully, the hulking man wasn't as fast as Ava, or Leyvi would have taken that devastating punch directly to the head.
Leyvi braced himself, his eyes narrowing as the hulking man remained motionless. Still snoring, yet that fleeting punch had proven this could be unpredictable. He couldn't take any chances.
"Anda, stay up there for now," he instructed calmly.
Qi surged violently through Leyvi's body, spiraling like molten fire through every vein, coiling around his muscles like living serpents. The air around him trembled, charged with heat and power, carrying a faint rumble that shook the ground beneath.
Reddish-black rocks formed from his Qi, orbiting Leyvi in a chaotic dance before slamming into place. They fused instantly, forming jagged, magma-like plates that covered his body in an infernal armor. Veins of glowing crimson ran across the blackened stone like rivers of fire, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Sparks hissed and steamed as the armor absorbed the Qi radiating from him, each plate perfectly locking into the next, forming an unbreakable shell.
The Volcanic Armor of the Great Eruption blazed to life, its aura scorching the air around him, the power of his Fiery Qi, Earth Qi, and Water Qi merging into a single unique force. Leyvi's figure loomed larger, exuding raw strength and defense.
Facing a strong body cultivator like this, Leyvi couldn't afford to be careless. If Ava, who specialized in speed and agility, could injure his tough body, then what about this guy, who specialized in raw strength?
Once Leyvi's Volcanic Armor fully formed, he advanced toward the hulking man, step by step, his senses alert for any sudden movement.
20 meters… 10 meters… 5 meters… 3 meters…
The hulking man's snoring abruptly ceased. With a roar, he lunged forward, his massive fist smashing toward Leyvi with the force of a battering ram. Leyvi sidestepped, letting the colossal fist slice through the air mere centimeters from his side, but this time he didn't retreat.
The hulking man pivoted instantly, unleashing a flurry of earth-shattering punches. Each swing carved grooves into the terrain, sending jagged rocks flying and leaving craters in his wake. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The reverberations rolled like thunder across the hills. Leyvi danced between the strikes, his Volcanic Armor flaring with molten light, the jagged plates absorbing the shockwaves as if daring the brute to land a hit.
But the hulking man's rage escalated. His fists became blur-like, each strike more furious and precise than the last. A brutal punch landed squarely on Leyvi's side. The impact detonated with the force of a small earthquake, tearing him through the air like a rag doll, smashing through rocks and debris before he crashed into the distant hill. Dust and fragments rained down from the destruction left behind.
Moments later, the hulking man's snoring resumed, calm and oblivious as if nothing had happened.
Leyvi rose from the gaping hole in the hill. Half of his Volcanic Armor had been obliterated on the side that took the hit, blackened plates shattered, molten veins flickering out, but his body underneath was unscathed. Not even a scratch.
"So he only attacks within three meters, huh? What's up with this guy? Attacking people in his sleep. Would he pummel his wife in his sleep too? What a pain in the ass," Leyvi mumbled.
Even with all his planning and coordination with Anda, he hadn't anticipated this peculiar, sleepwalking counter.