Chapter 61: A Bloody First Battle
Chapter 61: A Bloody First Battle
In the Training Room of the Matrix Tower, Lu Hangzhi was deeply shaken by the rapidly changing fierce battle outside the Outer Sect. His blood boiled and could not calm down for a long time.
So strong!
The Venerable Ones at the Spirit Condensation Stage were truly powerful…
The cultivators on Two Realms Mountain were all True Disciples from various major sects. Those who survived until today were undoubtedly the best among the True Disciples, possessing combat abilities that surpassed one or even two stages.
However…
Facing such destructive attacks just now, the more than eighty Epiphany Stage cultivators were so powerless.
Lu Hangzhi couldn’t help but think:
If not for the two Venerable Ones guarding the War Zone at the same time, probably very few people would remain in Sector 112 after that wave of attacks.
“The battle is not over yet.”
“Quickly recover and prepare for the next wave of attacks.”
“An hour is almost up. Those who wish to apply to enter the Matrix Tower for rest, nod your head.”
The Eighth Grade Sword Cultivator shouted clearly.
At this moment, almost all Xuanxin Sect disciples realized that this person was likely the core commander of this War Zone before Revered Qin arrived. His thinking was clear, and he had a strong overall view. If not for his reminder earlier, the situation would have been unimaginable.
Fifteen Xuanxin Sect disciples responded. Their Magic Power was nearly depleted, and they had already accepted his command authority from the bottom of their hearts.
Mo Li’s voice came from the Matrix Tower:
“Sword Cultivator, your name.”
The Eighth Grade Sword Cultivator replied neither arrogantly nor humbly:
“Your subordinate is Cheng Fei.”
“Cheng means ‘to succeed,’ Fei means ‘wrong.’ A good name.”
Mo Li praised clearly: “You command the outside.”
“As you command!”
Cheng Fei cupped his fists and accepted the order.
Then, Mo Li named five people in one breath, opened the Matrix Tower Barrier, sent those individuals out of the Matrix Tower, and simultaneously let the fifteen people in.
“Attacks like the one just now usually occur every two hours. In the next round, I hope everyone will not hesitate and kill as many Monster Beasts in the air as possible. This way, the Venerable Ones’ pressure will be greatly reduced.”
Cheng Fei took up his post. While reminding everyone, he made eye contact with the five newly arrived True Disciples one by one. These words were clearly directed at them.
…
“Hangzhi.”
“Prepare yourself.”
“You will leave the Matrix Tower when the next group enters.”
“Disciple understands.”
Lu Hangzhi’s expression was serious.
After watching the previous battles and being agitated by the Inner Core and beast blood, he had long been eager to leave the Matrix Tower and show his skills. So, hearing the Supreme Elder’s reminder did not surprise him at all; he only felt anticipation.
“With my current strength, using the Seven-Seven Sword Formation to control the Sword Control Art can easily kill Sixth-Grade Demonic Beasts. If controlling an Artifact Flying Sword, I can kill Seventh Grade Monster Beasts, surpassing one stage… If I activate the Formation on the Artifact Flying Sword, the power doubles and should pose a threat to Eighth-grade Monster Beasts, but there’s no way to deal with Ninth Grade Demon Beasts.”
Lu Hangzhi quickly analyzed and summarized, making his final preparations before battle:
Endurance was temporarily not a problem— after all, he still had two bottles of Spirit Honey left, enough to last for a while.
Moreover, the top prize in this Inner Sect Competition was fifty top-grade Spirit Stones and two thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones, which could be converted into more Spirit Honey at any time. The only thing to be careful about was not being discovered by others:
He understood the principle that treasure brings blame.
At least before having the strength to protect the Honeycomb Artifact, it was not suitable for too many people to discover this secret.
Including Supreme Elder Mo Li, who could use him as a bargaining chip— who knows if he would take the Honeycomb Artifact away?
Lu Hangzhi secretly became more vigilant.
At this time, the War Zone gradually quieted down.
Perhaps because they detected two Venerable One-level auras appearing consecutively here, the Monster Beasts falling rapidly from the Sky Passage one after another subconsciously avoided this area, resulting in a rare lull in the War Zone. Everyone gained precious rest time.
“Such opportunities are rare.”
“Use the time to rest quickly.”
Cheng Fei loudly reminded everyone.
“These Monster Beasts are really something. Why don’t they know to concentrate on landing in one area and attack together?” During the rare rest period, a Xuanxin Sect disciple couldn’t help but voice this question.
“You think these Matrix Towers are just for you to rest in?”
Cheng Fei turned to look at the disciple who spoke and explained:
“Once Monster Beasts become too concentrated, the Venerable Ones guarding can activate the attack Magic Formation of the Matrix Tower. Its power is comparable to a Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage strike and can easily crush overly concentrated Epiphany Stage creatures or even Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts within a three-mile radius.”
A group of Xuanxin Sect disciples all showed shocked expressions.
That turtle-shell-like thing actually had such a powerful attack Formation.
“Correct.”
Revered Qin spoke up, confirming Cheng Fei’s words:
“The Venerable Ones guard the Matrix Towers to control these Formation hubs, always ready to deal with the worst situations… Activating the Formations requires drawing a huge amount of Magic Power. Therefore, those guarding must not consume large amounts of Magic Power; their Magic Power must always remain above half. Prolonged spellcasting might attract the attention of those old demons on the mountaintop.”
“Old demons?”
“Yes.”
“The old demons that land on the mountaintop via the Sky Passage are all Spirit Condensation Stage Monster Beasts. They built a nest on the mountaintop and constantly monitor the Human Race’s defense line on Two Realms Mountain.” Revered Qin’s tone turned grave. “The old demons in the mountaintop rarely take action, but every time they do, there are large-scale casualties on Two Realms Mountain. They are very troublesome!”
A group of Xuanxin Sect True Disciples fell silent.
There were actually Spirit Condensation Stage Monster Beasts stationed on the mountaintop…
A terrifying piece of news!
“Enough idle talk.”
“More Monster Beasts are heading this way.”
“Prepare for battle!”
Cheng Fei finished resting, stood up tall. His clothes fluttered without wind, his eyes sparkled, like an unsheathed sword standing between heaven and earth, with an exceptionally graceful bearing.
Revered Qin also nodded slightly to himself.
With such a leader-level True Disciple here, casualties in the War Zone had reduced significantly. As the Venerable One guarding this War Zone, the pressure on him lightened considerably.
“I wonder what performance that little guy will show in the future.”
Revered Qin glanced toward the Matrix Tower:
His original intention was actually to cultivate Lu Hangzhi into a core figure in his jurisdiction’s War Zone in the shortest time possible. What he didn’t expect was that this War Zone already had a good candidate, which alleviated most of his original worries.
…
With two Venerable Ones stationed, the War Zone repeatedly turned danger into safety and passed another half hour with frights but no real disasters.
Lu Hangzhi finally faced his first battle.
He replaced two Xuanxin Sect Senior Brothers whose Magic Power had dried up.
The moment he stepped out of the Matrix Tower, Lu Hangzhi quickly noticed many gazes focusing on him, Cheng Fei among them.
Speaking of which, he should have been the most dazzling presence in the team, second only to the Venerable One.
In Two Realms Mountain, where Venerable Ones were everywhere, finding a cultivator below the Sixth Rank was truly as difficult as reaching for the heavens… yet they actually encountered one.
A True Disciple whose cultivation level was already low practiced the Art of Breath Suppression, hiding one realm of his cultivation. He appeared as if he had just entered the mid-stage Epiphany Stage—a total rookie—so every move he made naturally attracted the attention of others.
Facing all kinds of suspicious and strange gazes, Lu Hangzhi carried a worn-out Sword Box on his back, his steps calm and his expression placid.
“Fifth Grade already?”
Cheng Fei clearly sensed that Lu Hangzhi’s aura had become much denser, having reached the mid-stage of Fifth Grade. His brows gradually relaxed.
So he had concealed his true cultivation level…
“Sister Jun.”
Lu Hangzhi arrived at Nangong Jun’s war zone and said with a smile,
“I have returned to the team.”
“Stop being so casual. This is Two Realms Mountain,” Nangong Jun said in an annoyed tone. “Hangzhi, what’s your cultivation level now? Are you sure you’re fine out here?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already broken through to Sixth Rank. I promise I won’t hold Sister Jun back.”
“Hmph, that’s good… By the way, this is Zi Ying. You should call her Sister as well.”
“Yes, greetings to Sister Zi Ying.”
“Hello, Junior Brother Hangzhi.”
The conversation between Nangong Jun and Lu Hangzhi inexplicably made Zi Ying feel a bit more relaxed. She spoke up to remind him, “Junior Brother Hangzhi, wait until Sister Jun and I identify our attack targets before you join in. Try to focus fire and kill the demon beasts in mid-air.”
“I understand.”
Lu Hangzhi nodded with a smile. “In comparison, it’s the dead demon beasts that are safer and more reassuring.”
The two women were amused by Lu Hangzhi’s lighthearted words.
Ever since arriving at Two Realms Mountain, everyone had been in a somber mood. Lu Hangzhi was right—demon beasts in the air and those on the ground were two entirely different concepts.
“Junior Brother, be careful. The demon beasts are coming.”
“Are there many of them?”
Lu Hangzhi’s spiritual sense wasn’t as strong as his two sisters’, so he couldn’t see the situation clearly and quickly asked for more details.
Before Nangong Jun and Zi Ying could respond, Revered Qin suddenly stood up. While taking action, he shouted towards the Matrix Tower,
“Revered Mo, remember to maintain your Magic Power!”
Not far away, Cheng Fei roared loudly,
“Sixty-two demon beasts, and the number is still increasing.”
“Everyone in the Matrix Tower, stop cultivating and rush to assist with full strength!”
Nangong Jun and Zi Ying’s faces had already turned pale, clearly sensing the large number of fireballs rapidly descending.
“Everyone, stay calm. Although there are many demon beasts, the number of Ninth Grade Demon Beasts isn’t that high. Don’t lose your composure.”
What exactly is “not that high”?
Lu Hangzhi inwardly complained, and then finally saw that among the countless dense flames in the sky, some suddenly grew brighter and larger, plummeting rapidly towards his war zone. There were already over a hundred, and the number was still increasing…
Revered Qin had already taken action.
Powerful demon beasts in the air kept exploding, like brilliant fireworks of flesh and blood.
But Revered Qin’s expression grew increasingly grave.
It wasn’t just this war zone…
The number of demon beasts in other war zones had also suddenly surged, several times more than usual.
Once the demon beasts landed, the cultivators in the war zone would not only face attacks from the beasts in their own area but might also have to deal with demon beasts breaking in from other war zones.
“My first battle after leaving the tower, and you give me such a grand welcome?”
Lu Hangzhi felt a pang of exasperation.
Not far away, Cheng Fei unleashed three massive golden Sword Qi strikes. Five Artifact Flying Swords shot out from his Sword Box, swift as lightning, almost following right after Sister Jun and Sister Zi Ying’s attacks.
“Didn’t we tell you to watch for our attack targets?”
Zi Ying grew anxious and a bit angry.
The next moment, however, she saw the five Flying Swords strangely and precisely strike their intended target, dismembering the injured Eighth-grade Bull Demon in mid-air.
No one noticed this except for Nangong Jun and Zi Ying.
Lu Hangzhi’s expression was calm as water. He pushed the technique and speed of controlling five swords with a single thought to the limit. The Flying Swords returned and, without hesitation, shot out again to strike once more. His speed was actually faster than that of the two sisters beside him, and he locked onto five Seventh Grade demon beasts that were about to land.
Strike!
For a Sixth Rank cultivator, an ordinary Flying Sword’s power could rival an early-stage Sixth Rank spell. A high-quality Flying Sword could enhance its lethality by one realm, reaching the level of a Seventh Grade spell. However, Magical Artifacts, whether in material or attack Formation, far surpassed high-quality Flying Swords, easily achieving the power of an Eighth-grade Art Technique.
The Flying Swords swept upward!
Under the terrifying force of their rapid descent, the five Seventh Grade demon beasts collided with the Flying Swords, were pierced through, and fell to the ground in a bloody mess, dead on the spot.
Swoosh!
The Flying Swords returned.
Nangong Jun and Zi Ying had just combined their efforts to take down the second Eighth Grade demon beast. Noticing Lu Hangzhi’s incredibly precise sword control, they were utterly amazed.
Dozens of demon beasts landed simultaneously.
After the two Venerable Ones had stationed in the war zone, this area finally saw its first casualties.
The disciples of Xuanxin Sect experienced the truly terrifying assault tide of Two Realms Mountain for the first time.