Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 554: Special Delivery

When the dust settled, the greenery below them had turned into a scorched wasteland of ash and glass. The intense heat from the [Flame-Burst Talismans] had fused the soil, creating a crater.

However, despite the lack of Zephyr Stalkers running about, the notification for the floor clear did not appear.

"Yep. It survived it," Lin Mo muttered as his eyes narrowed to pinpoint the location of the Zephyr-King. "Even a bombardment of high-grade talismans wasn’t enough to secure a checkout. It must’ve used its ability."

"But it should be injured, Boss. I’ve seen it hit by my lightning bolts! And it became engulfed with your flames!"

"Mhm. You’re not wrong. But it’s still the Floor Guardian. It’s even called the Apex Predator. Let’s settle this cleanly without being careless."

"Got it!"

Since they couldn’t stay afloat for too long, he and Liu Xiaoyu gradually descended.

Liu Xiaoyu used her spiritual senses to pick up the trail that might be left behind by the creature. Meanwhile, Lin Mo used his [Stillwater Perception] alongside his spiritual sense to find a clue.

Even with the [Divine Vitality Surge] buffing his senses, the Zephyr-King Stalker’s concealment was near-perfect.

Perfect Camouflage. Atmosphere Domination. Vacuum Domain.

Its abilities were something he couldn’t imagine from an ordinary cultivator.

If he had to guess, it probably used that first ability to erase its presence from the airflow and used the second to move about like a phantom limb of the wind itself.

"Careful, Xiaoyu. The wind isn’t moving naturally," Lin Mo warned as they landed on the ground.

His [Stillwater Perception] picked up subtle anomalies but it was too vague to understand in order to pinpoint its origin.

However, upon looking closely, he noticed the ash from the explosion wasn’t settling. It hovered in the air like something was keeping it suspended.

"I know, Boss. Sparky doesn’t like it either. His fur is standing up, and not just because he’s made of lightning."

The little lightning wolf growled low in its throat, its ears swiveling frantically, trying to pin down a sound that wasn’t there.

Suddenly, the air pressure dropped.

It wasn’t gradual but instant. The sound of the wind vanished, replaced by a deafening, ringing silence.

Both of their suits flashed red with warning.

"It’s here!"

Lin Mo didn’t wait for a visual confirmation. He stomped his foot, driving the butt of his spear into the ground.

His domain condensed into a heavy, gravitational anchor around them to prevent them from being lifted off their feet. Liu Xiaoyu closed in and also planted her feet, supplying her spiritual energy into reinforcing Lin Mo’s domain.

Just in time.

WHOOSH!

A terrifying suction force erupted from the center of the crater. The ash, the

shattered rocks, and the charred remains of the vegetation were ripped from the ground, spiraling inwards into an invisible vortex.

If they hadn’t anchored themselves, they would have been dragged into the shredder.

"Vacuum Domain..." Liu Xiaoyu muttered as she pointed at a distortion in the air directly above the vortex.

The distortion revealed the outline of the Zephyr-King. It was massive, easily three times the size of the lesser stalkers. Its body appeared translucent with shifting colors to match the sky. However, scorch marks from the earlier talisman and lightning bombardment marred its left flank, revealing a bloodied mess of its internal organs beneath.

It was injured and furious.

"Screeech!"

The creature shrieked, and the suction force reversed instantly.

The debris it had gathered was blasted back at them with the velocity of a railgun.

"Shields!" Lin Mo commanded.

He thrust his left hand forward. [Qi Solidification]. A hexagonal wall of solid starlight materialized.

Xiaoyu crossed her gauntlets, generating a screen of dense, golden static.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CRACK!

The shrapnel hammered against their defenses like a machine gun barrage.

Lin Mo’s starlight barrier fractured as spiderweb cracks spread rapidly from the relentless kinetic force battering it.

"Boss, I have an idea. I’m gonna pull it down!" Liu Xiaoyu gritted her teeth as she pushed back against the onslaught.

She then dropped her guard for a split second and clapped her hands together.

"[Nine Heavens Storm: Lightning Blanket]!"

Arcs of golden lightning shot from her fingers, seemingly trying to latch onto the airborne creature. They lashed out like whips, seeking to bind it in.

The Zephyr-King scoffed and flickered as the [Perfect Camouflage] once again became engaged.

It vanished and the lightning whips struck empty air.

"Ugh. Why is it so slick? Boss, scan it! Support me."

"I’m trying, but the Vacuum Domain is scattering my perception." Lin Mo grunted.

With the air around them becoming turbulent and chaotic, using their perception to detect the creature was like trying to see through a funhouse mirror.

All they could rely on at the moment was their instinct.

And sure enough, it didn’t take long for their danger senses to scream.

"Behind you!"

Lin Mo spun, abandoning the solidified starlight qi and swinging the shaft of the [Starlit Dragon Spear] like a baseball bat, infusing it with every ounce of physical strength the [Decanus Set] could provide.

CLANG!

The spear shaft collided with an invisible, scythe-like limb that had materialized inches from Xiaoyu’s neck.

The impact sent a shockwave through Lin Mo’s arms, rattling his bones even through the armor’s dampeners. The creature was strong. Physically, it was easily at the early Nascent Soul stage.

The Zephyr-King materialized fully for a brief second, its multifaceted eyes glowed with malice. It had used the wind to mask its sound and scent completely, attempting an assassination.

"Oh! Keep it like that, Boss!" Despite having near contact with a fatal strike, Liu Xiaoyu showcased why she was considered a peerless prodigy among other geniuses. There was no hint of fear or hesitation in her eyes.

And as soon as she saw the current state of the Zephyr-King, she had already crafted a way to deal with it.

"Boss! Pour your starlight qi to me through the link! I’ll blast this guy off!"

Without waiting for Lin Mo’s response, her figure had already turned into golden arcs of lightning as it dashed forward.

Lin Mo reacted right away, willing the starlight qi from his dantian, mixing it with the Aether Energy from his shard, and shoved it through the invisible tether connecting their armor suits.

The Aetheric Link flared, turning from a silver thread into a roaring conduit of power.

[Aetheric Link Output: 150%]

[Warning: Energy Surge detected in Linked Unit. Feedback imminent.]

Lin Mo gritted his teeth as the backlash hit him. But instead of pain, a sudden, overwhelming rush of excitement and aggression bled over from Xiaoyu’s emotional state.

Empowered by the influx, Liu Xiaoyu roared. Her golden armor screamed alongside her as the inscriptions etched upon it flared blindingly bright.

Instead of using some kind of technique, she funneled that ocean of shared energy into a single, straightforward punch aimed at the Zephyr-King’s exposed chest.

"Take this! [Divine Convenience Special Delivery]!"

The Zephyr-King, caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed and power, tried to phase into the wind, activating its ability again.

Its form wavered and became translucent.

Unfortunately for him, Liu Xiaoyu was faster.

Her fist connected with the semi-corporeal chest of the four-scythed beast.

BOOM!

A shockwave of golden lightning and blinding light exploded outward and blasted across the entire plain.

The Zephyr-King shrieked as it was launched backward. It rolled over multiple times until it hit the invisible wall of the tower, where its simulated environment had stopped.

The impact made cracks form around it and the body of the creature became flat as though a cartoon character that had been splatted.

"Hah! Direct hit!" Liu Xiaoyu cheered as her figure reformed from the golden lightning. "How’s that for customer service?"

Lin Mo, watching that from behind, could only shake his head at how amazing his assistant was.

He recalled the first day they met. This haughty girl hid with him when the three thugs entered the store. If he had known how utterly overpowered she was, he would have pushed her to deal with them rather than wait for the first customer or use the ’Divine Intervention’ which summoned Taihao.

"Mhm. No point mulling over it. She’ll do things on her own anyway. And with that kind of strength, even without the Divine Vitality Surge, she’d be fine even against a peak Nascent Soul Stage cultivator."

[Floor 9 Cleared]

[Time Elapsed: 4 minutes 23 seconds]

[Rating: SS]

[Rewards: 2 Blue Chests, 1 Purple Chest, 2500 Dimension Essence, Access to Floor 10 Unlocked.]

"Purple Chest again! We’re on a roll, Boss!" Xiaoyu cheered as her armor returned to a cube again. She hopped over and blinked towards the chests.

Without waiting for Lin Mo, she opened them in quick succession.

[Item Acquired: Zephyr-King Essence Core x1]

[Item Acquired: Wind-Blessed Alloy x5]

[Item Acquired: Manual Fragment: [Storm-Walker’s Gait] (High Earth-Grade)]

[Item Acquired: [Gale-Force Mantle] (Mid Earth-Grade defensive artifact)]

[Item Acquired: 2000 Dimension Essence]

"A movement technique manual and a cape? Not bad, you can add this to your assignment," Lin Mo commented, walking up to inspect the loot. "Anyway, this mantle increases evasion against ranged attacks. Might be useful for you, considering you like to charge face-first. Furthermore, it’ll look good with your golden armor, don’t you think so?"

"You think? I don’t get hit, I just tank it with style, Boss. But if it’s going to look good with my suit, then..." Liu Xiaoyu slyly smirked, wrapping the mantle around her.