Chapter 54: The Trio Reunited
Chapter 54: The Trio Reunited
The group moved quickly, and soon they found signs of a fight near the nest of the Two-headed Dragon Lizard, but the second Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast was gone. Immediately, everyone became uneasy. Without stopping, they split into two groups and hurried to the locations of the last two Sixth-Grade Demonic Beasts.
“Who could it be?”
“All the Inner Sect Fifth-Grade peak experts are here. Could there be another dark horse?”
The Fifth-Grade Cultivators strangely formed a temporary alliance, not attacking each other. As they rushed forward at full speed, they speculated about the true culprit behind the Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast’s demise.
“Maybe it’s Hu Bugui’s younger brother.”
Someone thought of Hu Wang, but Wang Yu quickly denied it.
“Impossible! Not long ago, I saw Hu Wang dealing with a Fifth-Grade Monster Beast. He ran away as soon as he saw me.”
“Then who else could it be?”
Apart from Xiong Qi and Yun Yi, who guessed it might be Lu Hangzhi, no one else considered the new Inner Sect Disciple. After all, when he entered the Inner Sect, his cultivation was too low—only Early Third Grade.
Xiong Qi and Yun Yi met up and secretly communicated through voice transmission.
“We haven’t seen Junior Brother Hangzhi along the way. It seems he probably took down the Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast.”
“Junior Brother Hangzhi is truly impressive. With this, the first True Disciple spot is practically his.”
“Right.”
Upon hearing this, Xiong Qi didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed.
“Master was correct. Junior Brother Hangzhi really advanced to True Disciple before me. I thought he was just trying to provoke me.”
“Junior Brother Hangzhi is really something,” Yun Yi also forced a bitter smile.
As they spoke, the two suddenly sensed something and exchanged a smile. They had finally found the person they were looking for.
At that moment, Lu Hangzhi had already defeated the third Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast, the “Flaming Bird,” and was sitting on the ground, resting and recovering his energy.
Before Xiong Qi and Yun Yi could greet him, the two Fifth-Grade Cultivators with them were the first to act. They simultaneously cast defensive spells and launched Flying Swords and Talismans. Instantly, the quiet forest turned bitterly cold and filled with murderous intent.
The two had seen the glaring number on the back of Lu Hangzhi’s hand:
360,000 Points!
“Bastard!”
“How dare you…”
Enraged, they immediately attacked without another word.
Frost Arrow Rain!
Earthquake Wave!
The first spell lowered the temperature and hindered the enemy’s movement. It was a Fourth Grade spell, but its damage wasn’t very high. The second spell was purely meant to trap the target so the four of them could join forces to kill him.
Unfortunately…
They had clearly miscalculated something.
Xiong Qi and Yun Yi sensed the spell fluctuations nearby and instinctively activated their Defensive Barriers, but they showed no intention of attacking Lu Hangzhi.
At that moment.
Lu Hangzhi moved.
He appeared to be resting and recovering his Magic Power, but in reality, he hadn’t used much Magic Power in his fight with the Flaming Bird. He had only stopped to wait for Xiong Qi and Yun Yi when he saw them.
As the Flying Swords came at him, Lu Hangzhi didn’t have time to think. Five Flying Swords shot out like lightning.
Clang! Clang!
Two of them accurately intercepted the incoming Flying Swords, knocking them aside. Ignoring the countless sharp Frost Arrow Rain falling from the sky, the remaining three Flying Swords swiftly struck one of the attackers.
Focus fire!
A Fifth-Grade Cultivator’s Defensive Barrier could usually withstand at least five attacks of the same grade. With the addition of their Spiritual Artifact’s defense, it could endure more than eight attacks or even more. If the attacks were spread out, it would turn into a stalemate…
Xiong Qi and Yun Yi were initially ready to intervene.
But seeing Lu Hangzhi’s actions, Xiong Qi immediately understood and stopped Yun Yi.
Junior Brother was handling it with ease.
Lotus Bloom.
A snow-white light erupted from the Magical Artifact on his wrist, dreamlike and illusory. A lotus throne instantly enveloped his entire body, its gentle glow illuminating several meters around him…
The countless Frost Arrow Rain descending from the sky melted away before they could even touch the Lotus Barrier, losing all threat.
Beneath his feet, the ground shook and rumbled, but under the protection of the Lotus Barrier, Lu Hangzhi stood firm as if on flat ground, completely unaffected.
Seeing this, the two were horrified.
“A Magical Artifact!”
“How shameless can you be!”
Lu Hangzhi smiled.
Magical Artifacts were different from Spiritual Artifacts. Magical Artifacts combined Spiritual Artifacts with Formations, making them many times more powerful. As long as his Magic Power didn’t run out, in theory, such low-level attacks couldn’t break through.
With a thought, the three Flying Swords slammed into the Barrier of the Fifth-Grade Cultivator on the left. Surprisingly, the Barrier shattered instantly. The protective function of the Spiritual Artifact automatically activated, emitting a faint glow that looked rather pitiful.
“Crap!”
“Five Flying Swords!”
“You guys from Golden Jade Hall…”
His words were abruptly cut off by intense pain.
Yun Yi made his move.
The moment the Fifth-Grade Cultivator’s Barrier broke, Lu Hangzhi informed the two through voice transmission that there was still one last Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast. They quickly made a decision:
One would take the Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast, and the other would take the Points from the remaining Cultivator.
Yun Yi knew he wasn’t a match for the Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast, so he settled for the next best option: with their assistance, he would kill the other Fifth-Grade Cultivator.
Seeing the opponent’s Barrier shattered, Yun Yi didn’t hesitate. At close range, he struck successfully, gaining 10,000 Points.
“You…”
The remaining Fifth-Grade Cultivator was shocked and suddenly remembered the relationship between Xiong Qi, Yun Yi, and Lu Hangzhi.
One was his fellow Senior Brother, and the other was the closest ally in Leng Wuya’s circle.
Damn!
Thinking of the strange looks from the other group of peak Fifth-Grade Cultivators, he fully understood: Why was I so stupid to follow these two here?
That was the last thought of the remaining Fifth-Grade Cultivator.
Lu Hangzhi was responsible for breaking the Cultivator’s Barrier, and Yun Yi easily took his life. Yun Yi’s Points immediately surged to 80,000, and he looked pleased.
“A few more kills, and I’ll break 100,000 Points.”
“Right. Before that, let’s deal with the last Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast.”
Lu Hangzhi stood up and nodded. “The last Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast is related to a True Disciple spot. The competition will be fierce! We should go now without delay!”
“Good!”
The two readily followed.
Unknowingly, the two Senior Brother-level figures began to defer to Lu Hangzhi, making him the core of their small team.
The Trial Space constructed by the Sky Chessboard continued to shrink. The three quickly detected the roar of the last Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast and frequent spell fluctuations.
They clashed!
The last Sixth-Grade Demonic Beast had already started fighting with Wang Yu’s team.
Besides Wang Feng, Xuanyuan Guang, and Guyue Duxing, three peak Fifth Grade cultivators, Hu Wang and Wang Yu had also arrived. It was surprising that these two guys could last until now; clearly, after half a year in the Inner Sect, they had trained hard too.
Lu Hangzhi!
Hu Wang and Wang Yu were sworn enemies. They glared at each other fiercely, but when they saw Lu Hangzhi appear, they both instantly shifted focus simultaneously, staring at the back of his hand, and then…
Huh?
Was their sight blurry?
There were so many numbers.
Both rubbed their eyes hard, refusing to believe the numbers on Lu Hangzhi’s hand were real.
What the heck was 360,000!
Lu Hangzhi had no time for these guys from his cohort. Seeing the last blazing tiger lion get badly wounded and bleeding from a group of peak Fifth Grade cultivators, he said nothing and sent five flying swords flying, slamming into the battle zone and messing up the fight, yelling, “Senior Brother Xiong, go!”
“Who is this again?”
Xuanyuan Guang and Guyue Duxing had secretly charged up, waiting for a chance to land the final blow on the blazing tiger lion. But unexpectedly, five sword lights shot in from outside, knocking away their flying swords and those of Wang Feng and others, saving the beast’s life.
“Lu Hangzhi!?”
“No way!”
Wang Feng finally noticed the points on Lu Hangzhi’s hand. His mind shook intensely as he shouted. Three talismans instantly turned to ash, forming three freezing cold ice snakes that roared and charged at the blazing tiger lion…
Now, with all four rivals blocked by Lu Hangzhi, it was the perfect time to steal the kill.
“You’re the one who can’t!”
“The blazing tiger lion is already reserved!”
Facing these Inner Sect senior brothers again, Lu Hangzhi felt totally different. He let out a loud cry. After one strike, he let his five flying swords drop freely. Five new flying swords shot out from his Qiankun Pouch, sharp and fast, surpassing the three ice snakes easily and crushing them to bits.
Wang Feng spat blood on the spot, burning red eyes glaring.
“Lu Hangzhi!”
Xuanyuan Guang got scared by the strength of the Xuanxin Sect disciple who had suddenly appeared, but he still went for it. He merged with his sword like lightning, his power surging as he charged at the blazing tiger lion.
But…
“Get back!”
A loud shout came from above. Xiong Qi swung a huge hammer, knocking Xuanyuan Guang away.
Guyue Duxing was stopped by Yun Yi, who smiled. “Want to fight? I’ll join you!”
Guyue Duxing quickly gave a bitter laugh.
He had just used a lot of magic power, and three talismans were already gone. Yun Yi still had three talismans ready in hand, clearly rested and waiting, with a clear advantage, making it pointless.
“Senior Brother Xiong, hurry up.”
Lu Hangzhi shouted the reminder.
In the fight, besides those three, there were two peak Fifth Grade cultivators, plus the almost turned-to-stone Hu Wang and Wang Yu. With just the three, they couldn’t hold it down. They had to finish fast.
Xiong Qi clearly knew this. After hammering Xuanyuan Guang away, he turned without stopping. His spiritual artifact blazed with bright light, and he suddenly seemed invincible. His energy surged to Sixth Rank in an instant, his eyes gleamed, and his barrier shield detached…
Amazed, Lu Hangzhi and the others watched as Xiong Qi, with the strong presence of a True Disciple, forced back the true demon flames spewing from the blazing tiger lion and swung his huge hammer.
A giant gold hammer shadow came down with powerful pressure like a falling star!
Boom!
The blazing tiger lion crumpled like a fly under a swatter—its legs snapped, its back bone shattered. It smashed hard into the ground, all life gone.
A huge wave of force swept out everywhere.
Xiong Qi officially became second on the leaderboard…
Lu Hangzhi and Yun Yi quickly exchanged a look.
Go!
Their first target was Guyue Duxing, the closest to Yun Yi…
He was still shocked by Xiong Qi’s True Disciple-level strength when a dark blur flashed before him, followed by weird shifting eyes.
Mirror Spirit Cat, soul capture!
Five swords shot out at once and shattered his shield.
Yun Yi moved perfectly in sync. With a flying sword, the head flew high into the air.