Chapter 37: Fierce Fight!
Chapter 37: Fierce Fight!
Bang!
Tang Jinbiao turned his body to the side, and a fist-sized Fireball grazed past his clothing to crash into the ground behind. The Fireball struck the earth with a bang, exploding into a wisp of blue smoke that vanished instantly in the air.
Boom!
But just as the Fireball disappeared, Tang Jinbiao’s clothes abruptly burst into flames.
“Fuck!”
Tang Jinbiao ripped his clothes off and hurled them away, cursing silently within.
As he tore off the clothing, it revealed his perfect physique. Though there were no terrifyingly bulky muscles, their lines were flawlessly defined, each chunk clearly visible, as if one could count every muscle just by looking at his body. His bronzed skin lent him an intensely charming appearance!
Bzzz!
Whoosh!
However, the moment Tang Jinbiao flung away the clothes, a green light formed by a green Tiny Sword shot toward the back of his head.
Bang!
As the green Tiny Sword hurtled toward him, Tang Jinbiao threw himself violently to the ground. Just when his body was about to slam hard onto the earth, his hands acted like springs, slapping the surface lightly, then his legs flexed with force. His entire frame transformed into a yellow blur as he shot rapidly across the ground toward a figure about three to five zhang away from him.
“Not good!”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao’s form attacking toward her, the young woman’s face instantly flashed with panic. She quickly stepped backward, simultaneously producing an orange-yellow Talisman Paper in her hand.
This person was none other than the young woman who had ascended earlier with the burly man!
Originally, the Third Elder had consented to a match among the three, intended to be one-on-one. Yet to validate his abilities, Tang Jinbiao had bragged and permitted both opponents to engage him simultaneously.
However, those two seemed like seasoned individuals. Upon stepping onto the Platform Stage, they immediately retreated to its edges, attacking solely from afar using Spells and Spirit Artifacts. Each time Tang Jinbiao closed in, the targeted person focused solely on fleeing, while the other attacked from behind. Gradually, this trial had dragged on for half a quarter-hour. The onlookers below gradually hushed, their prior scorn for Tang Jinbiao slowly lessening. Perceptive spectators already noticed that the Spiritual Energy inside the young woman and the man was near exhaustion, risking defeat at any instant. Now, if just one of them fell, the outcome would be decided swiftly.
“Burst!”
The young woman intensely channeled Spiritual Energy into the orange-yellow Talisman Paper. In just a blink, intense heat radiated from it, like flames violently combusting there.
Once hurled, the Talisman Paper instantly morphed into a head-sized flame that rolled directly toward Tang Jinbiao.
“Damn it!”
As he sensed the extreme heat in the flame, Tang Jinbiao’s expression altered abruptly. He dared no pursuit forward; instead, he tumbled fiercely across the ground and instantly dodged aside.
Boom!
Right after Tang Jinbiao rolled away one or two meters, the flame smashed onto the ground and detonated. Countless small Fireballs blasted out in all directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Tang Jinbiao kept rolling farther back to evade the small Fireballs one by one. His body hadn’t undergone any refinement—if those Fireballs struck him, they’d certainly pierce holes right through him. Currently, his greatest assets were his leg speed and hand explosive power, for he cultivated the Ape Art with his hands as its focus. But he simply couldn’t get within reach now; all his capabilities proved utterly unutilizable.
Bzzz!
Yet while he rolled backwards on the ground, he abruptly sensed a chill on his back and heard a faint hum. Immediately, a green Flying Sword skimmed over the earth toward his rear.
“Coward!”
Bang!
Tang Jinbiao cursed vehemently in his heart. Not daring to roll further, he snapped his legs together and slammed both hands fiercely on the ground. With a bang, his body catapulted skyward as if recoiled by a massive spring.
Whoosh!
The moment his body left the ground, the green flying sword shot out beneath him like a venomous serpent.
Thud, thud, thud!
After scrambling upright, Tang Jinbiao instantly retreated seven or eight steps, positioning himself at a corner of the Platform Stage. He glared at the young woman and the large man, his face dark with anger.
Boom, boom, boom!
The small fireballs resulting from the Talisman Paper’s explosions struck the Light Barrier behind Tang Jinbiao one after the other. They vanished silently, as if sinking into a vast sea.
Huff, huff, huff!
Tang Jinbiao, his expression grim, stared across the Platform Stage. Standing at opposite corners, the young woman and the large man also stared back at him, their faces slightly pale. A hint of shock flickered in their eyes; it was clear they hadn’t anticipated Tang Jinbiao to be this strong, holding out for so long against their coordinated efforts.
“Dammit, these two definitely know each other, and they’ve worked together like this more than once!”
Tang Jinbiao watched them and swore inwardly.
Their coordination was far too harmonious. While falling leagues short of perfection, it was certainly not the clumsy effort of first-time partners. If the large man attacked, the young woman would tie Tang Jinbiao down, and vice versa. Moreover, whomever Tang Jinbiao attacked, the other would launch a vicious assault, seemingly thirsting for his life. Several times he had only narrowly dodged attacks from that green Tiny Sword, and even so, several wounds already marred his body.
The young woman and the large man exchanged a glance, seeming to communicate silently. After a moment, they reached an agreement. Then, the large man suddenly charged straight towards Tang Jinbiao.
“Dammit, here we go again!”
Seeing the large man charge him, Tang Jinbiao’s face showed not the slightest hint of delight. Instead, he rolled away towards another corner, simultaneously focusing all his attention on anticipating every move the young woman might make.
“Midimidimi, momibebe, alakashang…”
Just as Tang Jinbiao had expected, when he looked at the young woman, he saw her sit down cross-legged. At some point, she had produced a fist-sized Bronze Bell in her hand.
She cradled the Bronze Bell in one hand while raising the other high, pointing her index finger towards the sky. She began chanting a stream of nonsensical syllables, like an incantation.
“What?”
Below the stage, the Elders seated on the Elders’ Podium all registered slight changes in their expressions upon seeing the Bronze Bell the young woman produced. They sat up straighter, faces turning serious.
“That guy is so strong he forced Lingmei to use her secret treasure?”
Goddess Tang Yilin seemed to recognize the small Bronze Bell instantly, a trace of shock visible in her eyes as well.
“That trash actually forced… Hmph, trash!”
A flicker of surprise also crossed Tang Shan’s eyes.
“That’s a secret treasure!”
“How is that possible?”
Tang Huaxi and Tang Xingchi also wore expressions of astonishment.
“Heavens!”
“Someone is using a secret treasure!”
A portion of the audience who recognized the Bronze Bell were also thrown into turmoil, looking overjoyed.
Thump!
“What is that?”
For some reason, the moment Tang Jinbiao saw the Bronze Bell, his heart lurched violently. A profound sense of unease washed over him.
“Kid, not good! Quickly interrupt that person’s casting!”
Huang Biaozi seemed to have sensed the Bronze Bell’s terror as well, unexpectedly shouting a warning.
“How? Are you going to possess me?”
Tang Jinbiao focused on avoiding the burly man while desperately trying to rush toward the young woman.
“Possess my sister? You want this venerable to bother with that trash? Can’t you interrupt him with something? His Cultivation Level is too low to focus on anything while activating such a treasure. Toss anything you have! Doesn’t your Storage Pouch have Elixirs and herbs? Throw one out randomly!”
Huang Biaozi’s voice sounded resigned, but he still reminded Tang Jinbiao.
“Right! How did I forget that!”
Hearing Huang Biaozi’s words, an idea struck Tang Jinbiao. He realized his disadvantage against the two was the inability to close the distance—his skills useless at range. Instantly, he thrust his hand into his chest pocket.
“What? Gone?”
But his expression changed with a start. He’d already torn it off earlier, leaving his upper body bare.
“Hehe!”
The burly man seemed to guess Tang Jinbiao’s intent. He snapped his fingers, conjuring a Fireball, then flicked it toward the clothes on the ground.
“Fck!”
Tang Jinbiao had just moved when he saw the Fireball streak over. He cursed inwardly but didn’t stop, still lunging for the clothes.
“Hmph! Only realize now? No chance!”
A cold smirk touched the burly man’s lips. His hands moved rapidly before him, summoning over ten fist-sized Fireballs. With a thought, he split them—half surged at Tang Jinbiao, half blasted toward the pile of clothes, determined to incinerate them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Gah! I’ll risk it!”
Seeing the Fireballs hurtling toward him, Tang Jinbiao paled. But recalling the silently chanting young woman, he gritted his teeth, ignored the oncoming flames, and dove headlong onto the clothes.
Boom!
“Argh!”
Just as Tang Jinbiao grabbed the clothes, a Fireball struck his back. A pained cry tore from his lips.
“Damn it!”
Clenching his jaw against the searing pain, he gave the garment a violent shake. A palm-sized Storage Pouch tumbled out.
With a mental command, a cascade of random objects spewed forth—mostly vials and jars, though one black pearl mingled among them.
“Die now!”
Tang Jinbiao rolled forward, snatched a bottle, and hurled it with all his might toward the young woman meditating cross-legged…