*Clang!*
A metallic clash rang out, sparks flying. Several bolts of lightning shot toward Yuan Ren, only to dissipate upon hitting his surging blood qi.
Lin Xiao was flung back, his hands tingling.
“Violent Ape Bloodline?” Lin Xiao’s face showed shock. The Violent Ape Bloodline unleashed ferocious power, boosting strength explosively.
No wonder Yuan Ren could rival Gu Xuanyuan and Wang Ming.
“Exactly, Lin Xiao. Now it’s my turn to crush you!” Yuan Ren roared, charging with his blade.
“The Violent Ape Bloodline is impressive, but you won’t get the chance to crush me,” Lin Xiao replied. Raising his sword skyward, his hair whipped without wind, a towering aura erupting from him.
“Hiss! Hiss!”
In an instant, his body turned translucent, immense waves radiating outward. A supreme, world-dominating aura surged, an ancient pressure shaking the heavens.
The crowd’s hearts raced. Who was Lin Xiao, with trump cards each more terrifying than the last?
Even Yuan Ren, empowered by his bloodline, froze. He’d thought he could turn the tide, but Lin Xiao had another devastating move.
He unleashed the full Violent Ape Bloodline, his eyes glinting blood-red.
“Roar!” With a skyward bellow, a blinding blade beam erupted, carrying torrential force like a rainbow, slashing toward Lin Xiao.
“Hiss!”
At that moment, a dazzling white light burst from Lin Xiao, illuminating the heavens. The entire area was bathed in blinding radiance, forcing eyes shut.
Amid the light, Lin Xiao slashed, a radiant sword beam carrying world-annihilating force.
This was the Shaking Light Sword Art, the Shaking Light Emperor’s technique. Though only at the initial stage, its power was immense.
He’d defeated Gu Xuanyuan with it before. Now, at third-level Martial King, its might was even greater.
Gu Xuanyuan, battling Wang Ming, twitched at the sight. Even at sixth-level, he wasn’t sure he could withstand it now.
It was more terrifying than before.
Wang Ming was stunned. Lin Xiao’s attack exceeded his expectations—he wasn’t certain he could block it either.
“Hiss! Hiss!”
As the light faded, Yuan Ren’s body was flung far, drifting like seaweed in the ocean.
He was utterly spent, unable to fight.
The crowd was shocked. The battle was decided—a third-level Martial King had defeated Yuan Ren?
Wang Ming frowned. If Lin Xiao and Gu Xuanyuan teamed up, he’d lose.
“Strike while you’re down!” Lin Xiao shot toward Yuan Ren.
Yuan Ren’s talent and strength were threats. With him incapacitated, it was time to finish him.
Still reeling from the defeat, Yuan Ren’s face paled as Lin Xiao pursued, fear and regret surging. Had he fought Gu Xuanyuan and left Wang Ming to Lin Xiao, would this have happened?
If he’d known, he’d have fled rather than face Lin Xiao.
Too late—Lin Xiao’s sword slashed down.
“Die!”
Lin Xiao roared, swinging.
*Clang!*
But a figure appeared before Yuan Ren, blocking Lin Xiao’s sword with a broadsword. The force pushed Lin Xiao back.
Lin Xiao frowned at the newcomer.
Broad-browed, piercing eyes, clad in a brown robe, wielding a broadsword, exuding a commanding aura.
Most shocking, his aura was seventh-level Martial King.
A seventh-level Martial King had arrived?
And he seemed tied to Yuan Ren?
“Who are you?” Lin Xiao asked, wary.
Yuan Ren had nearly exhausted his trump cards. Facing a stronger seventh-level foe would be daunting.
*Swoosh!* Another figure arrived, riding vital energy wings. Dressed in a cyan robe, handsome and refined, he radiated sixth-level Martial King aura—stronger than Wang Ming or Gu Xuanyuan.
“Senior Brother Ruan Qinglan, Senior Brother Mo Yue, you’re here,” Wang Ming said, surprised, glancing at the cyan-robed youth and the brown-robed man.
“Ruan Qinglan, twenty-eighth on the Human Demon List, and Mo Yue, fifteenth!” Gu Xuanyuan’s brows furrowed. He’d studied the Human Demon List, knowing their names if not their faces.
“Fifteenth and twenty-eighth?” Lin Xiao was stunned. The brown-robed broadsword wielder blocking him was the fifteenth-ranked?
And the other, twenty-eighth, stronger than Wang Ming?
If both attacked, he was in trouble.
The crowd was shocked. With the fifteenth and twenty-eighth Human Demon List disciples here, their chances of seizing the spirit stone dwindled.
Especially the seventh-level Mo Yue, far stronger than Yuan Ren or Wang Ming.
“Thank you, Brother Mo Yue, for saving me!” Yuan Ren, as if returning from the underworld, thanked him.
“The Yuan family and Nether Sky Demon Palace have been in talks lately. Saving you is only right,” Mo Yue said, turning to Wang Ming. “What’s going on here?”
Yuan Ren, defeated by Lin Xiao, might exaggerate. Wang Ming, a fellow disciple, was more reliable.
“Senior Brother Mo Yue, the cave’s two most precious treasures—a mysterious scroll and a fourth-grade spirit stone—were taken by that guy.”
Wang Ming’s voice was cold, pointing at Lin Xiao. He spoke truthfully, knowing he couldn’t claim the treasures without their help.
