Chapter 27: Defeating a Higher-Rank Foe
Chapter 27: Defeating a Higher-Rank Foe
Roar.
Its territory invaded, a purple monster beast whose aura reached the Third Grade quickly locked onto Lu Hangzhi, let out a low growl, and pounced wildly from a distance. Its speed was no less than the Swift Movement Art, and it became faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, the distance between the man and the beast closed to less than fifty meters.
Lu Hangzhi was startled!
“A Third Grade monster beast?”
“Come at me!”
Lu Hangzhi remained calm and composed! Having fought his way through many battles, his spirit was at its peak. Faced with a Third Grade monster beast whose aura was even stronger than his own, he neither dodged nor avoided. Instead, he activated the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura for protection and charged forward, immediately unleashing his most skilled set of spells.
Go!
Floating Fire Art!
Sharp Gold Sword Qi!
Tongue Sword Art!
Although these were not Third Grade spells, two Second Rank Peak spells plus one First Rank Peak spell still packed a formidable punch, quite comparable to Third Grade power.
Moving at high speed, the three spells shot toward the purple monster beast. With its astonishing agility, the Third Grade monster beast reacted, but by then the spells were already too close. It only had time to gather a ball of lightning in its mouth when—boom!—the lightning ball was shattered by the Floating Fire Art. As the scattered flames exploded, the Sharp Gold Sword Qi mercilessly sliced a half-foot-long gash across the beast’s body.
The most deadly was the Tongue Sword Sword Qi.
As a low-grade spell, it was extremely fast and had always been Lu Hangzhi’s trump card for decisive strikes. He never used it lightly, and when he did, he always aimed for vital spots. As the purple monster beast howled in pain, a chilling sensation hit its throat and neck, leaving a shocking gash. Blood gushed out like a fountain.
Shrouded by the shadow of death, the purple monster beast turned and fled!
But facing Lu Hangzhi, who had mastered the Swift Movement Art to perfection, it hadn’t run more than a few dozen meters when a Sharp Gold Sword Qi caught up from behind and severed its hind leg. It fell dead on the spot.
Points increased to two hundred!
“Killing Third Grade monster beasts sure gives more points.”
Lu Hangzhi smiled.
Just then, he suddenly frowned slightly, turned to look at the woods on his left, his gaze darkening as he shouted, “Sneaking around, come out!”
As soon as he spoke, a man and a woman stepped out from behind the trees, followed by a one-meter-tall spirit dog. They were the Senior Brother and Junior Sister, Wang Yu and Zhang Xinyu, who had recently killed Hu Wang.
The two had just arrived, tracking the magical fluctuations, and hadn’t witnessed Lu Hangzhi killing the purple lightning leopard…
“Strange.”
“Dongdong said there was a Third Grade monster beast here. Why is there only a little Second Rank Peak guy here?”
Wang Yu didn’t pay Lu Hangzhi any mind, instead puzzled by the Third Grade monster beast’s aura inexplicably disappearing.
Third Grade cultivators.
Two of them!
Lu Hangzhi felt troubled.
What made him even more wary was that this pair of Third Grade cultivators was accompanied by a spirit beast emitting a Second Rank Peak aura.
This combination!
It was practically unbeatable.
“Senior Brother, he’s a Third Grade cultivator.”
“Huh?”
Only after his Junior Sister’s reminder did Wang Yu suddenly realize that the aura around the other wasn’t the Mystic Armor Art but the Third Grade Fierce Gaze Golden Aura Art…
Without another word, Lu Hangzhi turned and ran.
“Stop!”
“Dongdong! Chase him!”
Wang Yu yelled urgently.
He was like someone picking up ten dollars on the street—initially unimpressed, but then suddenly realizing it was an antique coin worth ten times more, he got excited!
Wang Yu cast the Swift Movement Art and gave chase relentlessly.
Zhang Xinyu didn’t know the Swift Movement Art and had to rely on running, quickly falling behind.
“Dammit! He’s pretending to be weak to catch the strong.”
“Senior Brother! Don’t let him get away! That Third Grade monster beast earlier must have been killed by him.”
Wang Yu and Zhang Xinyu figured it out as they chased, growing more certain they couldn’t let this formidable foe escape.
As if sensing its master’s urgency, the spirit dog chased even more eagerly, accelerating continuously, swift as the wind, gradually closing the distance.
Two legs really couldn’t outrun four.
Lu Hangzhi gritted his teeth secretly.
But…
A mere Second Grade spirit beast acting so arrogantly—where did it get the confidence!
Go!
The Sharp Gold Sword Qi shot backward through the air.
The spirit dog’s eyes widened in anger, only seeing a flash of cold light before its head was severed. A whimper caught in its throat as it was expelled from the Trial Space…
“Dongdong!”
“Bastard! Damn you!”
Wang Yu’s eyes turned red with rage at the sight.
Dongdong was the spirit beast he had raised since joining the Spirit Beast Peak. Over time, he had come to care for it like his own child, developing a deep bond.
Now, seeing his spirit beast killed right before his eyes, Wang Yu nearly exploded. He recklessly pushed his Magic Power to accelerate…
By then, Zhang Xinyu was long out of sight.
Blinded by fury, Wang Yu no longer cared about anything else, single-mindedly wanting the culprit to pay with his life.
After chasing for a while, he suddenly stepped into a patch of mud, his speed plummeting. When he looked up, the man was gone without a trace.
“Mire Art?”
“That cunning bastard!”
“Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll tear you to pieces!”
Wang Yu cursed in frustration.
He waited on the spot for a while, but his Junior Sister didn’t catch up. A flicker of unease crossed his brow.
Just then, a powerful surge of Magic Power came from the direction he had come from.
Crap!
Wang Yu immediately turned and rushed back.
…
Meanwhile, Zhang Xinyu, unable to use the Swift Movement Art, trailed slowly behind, unaware that the spirit beast Dongdong had been killed. Seeing the two chase targets pulling farther away, a hint of unease slowly crept into her heart.
A few moments later, a ghostly blue figure rapidly approached. The strong Third Grade aura made her relax slightly, but before she could finish exhaling, her eyes widened. She poured Magic Power frantically into a Talisman in her hand and activated the Fierce Gaze Golden Aura for protection.
Lu Hangzhi’s expression was grave.
This was the perfect chance to pick them off one by one. He had to end this quickly!
Seeing Zhang Xinyu’s reaction, Lu Hangzhi’s frown actually eased.
He used a Talisman?
Great!
Swift Movement Art quickly closed the distance. While the opponent was casting a spell, the long-prepared Floating Fire Art blasted at close range, with Sharp Gold Sword Qi following right after, arriving later but striking first.
Tongue Sword Art!
The Talisman glowed brightly, and the ground beneath Zhang Xinyu turned muddy.
Her body sank, and in a moment of panic, she was struck head-on by the Floating Fire Art on her protective Barrier. The flames exploded, and as she lost sight of the target, she endured two more fierce attacks in quick succession, causing the protective glow to dim significantly.
Immediately after, a Wood Spirit Sword Qi slashed heavily onto the Barrier, which became completely dim, on the verge of breaking with just one more hit.
Zhang Xinyu had never seen such a violent assault. Her face turned pale with fright:
“Ah! No!”
“Senior Brother, please show mercy!”
Zhang Xinyu was terrified!
On one hand, her footing was unsteady; on the other, the relentless storm of attacks made it impossible for her to focus. The spell she was halfway through casting failed, and her heart sank. She couldn’t help but cry out.
Begging for mercy?
How could Lu Hangzhi not know this was just a delaying tactic?
Strike while the iron is hot!
Seizing the moment when Zhang Xinyu was flustered, he cast a spell for the first time in the Trial Space. Three small, diamond-shaped swords, like ice crystals, materialized around him.
At the sight of these small swords, Zhang Xinyu’s already pale face lost all color. She watched helplessly as the icy swords shot toward her…
Zhang Xinyu’s body dissipated.
One hundred Points obtained.
Total Points reached three hundred and ten.
Unaware that he had already secured the top spot in the Sect Grand Competition, Lu Hangzhi’s face turned slightly pale after defeating Zhang Xinyu. He quickly took a Spirit Fruit from his Qiankun Pouch and put it in his mouth, then gripped a Low-Grade Spirit Stone and left the area.
Casting a Third Grade spell with an Early Third Grade cultivation level was indeed quite taxing.
Especially the earlier “Minor Ice Seal Sword Formation,” which was equivalent to the damage of three Second Rank Peak spells and consumed even more Magic Power! After sprinting rapidly and instantly releasing six spells, one Talisman, and a Wood Spirit Sword Qi, it was impressive he didn’t collapse on the spot.
“Less than a third of my Magic Power remains!”
“I need to find a quiet, safe place to recover.”
While moving at high speed, Lu Hangzhi remained vigilant, constantly scanning his surroundings…
“Huh?”
“There are four Cultivators over there.”
“Perfect! I’ll circle behind them. If Wang Yu catches up, they can stall him for me.”
Lu Hangzhi’s ghostly figure went unnoticed by the four Second-rank Cultivators. Instead, they were drawn toward Wang Yu’s direction by a stone Lu Hangzhi deliberately threw.
Whether the two groups would actually meet, Lu Hangzhi didn’t care. He circled behind the team, found a small thicket, sat down cross-legged, and quietly began recovering his depleted Magic Power.
With the Spirit Stone, Spirit Fruit, and Spiritual Energy Vortex all aiding in recovery, his Magic Power replenished quickly.
Just then, intense fluctuations of Art Techniques erupted in the distance, accompanied by the relentless sounds of various attacks, including the fierce aura of Third Grade spells.
Wang Yu!
He really ran into the earlier squad.
Lu Hangzhi’s eyes lit up, and he resolutely stood up, moving closer to the battlefield.
Wang Yu was going crazy!
After reuniting with his junior sister Zhang Xinyu, everything had gone smoothly. They eliminated their main rival, Hu Wang, and it seemed he was about to become the top rank in the Sect Grand Competition. But then Lu Hangzhi appeared out of nowhere and turned the tables. When he turned back to find Zhang Xinyu, she was nowhere to be found.
Worried that something might have happened to his junior sister, Wang Yu charged ahead recklessly, radiating killing intent. As a result, he encountered the last remaining four-person team in the Trial Space.
This team, composed entirely of Second-rank Cultivators, was quite formidable. They had taken down one Early Third Grade Cultivator and killed over a dozen Second-rank disciples and Demonic Beasts and Monsters along the way, riding high on their success.
Sensing Wang Yu’s conspicuous presence, they eagerly went after him without hesitation…
A fierce battle ensued!
Wang Yu, relying on Swift Movement Art and his vast Spiritual Power Pool, along with a Third Grade Talisman, instantly killed two of them. However, the remaining two Second-rank Cultivators were forced to fight with everything they had.
They used all their Talismans!
Six attack spells landed on Wang Yu, shattering his Indignant Vajra Barrier…
But they also pushed him to use his Sword Control Art and his last Talisman.
All four Second-rank Cultivators died.
Wang Yu was left panting, his Magic Power completely drained…
At that moment, a green wooden Flying Sword shot out from the woods.
Exhausted, Wang Yu had no strength left to dodge. He watched as the flying sword swept past his eyes, then everything went black as he was ejected from the Illusory Real World Trial Space…
His Points stopped at two hundred and fifty, placing him second.
First place: Lu Hangzhi, with four hundred Points exactly.