Amid Xu Rong’s disbelief, the terrifying fist beam surged forward. In a panic, Xu Rong hurriedly unleashed a fraction of his remaining strength, slashing forward.
However, his weakened force was utterly useless, shattering instantly. The petrification force struck Xu Rong’s body without losing any momentum.
“Sizzle!”
In an instant, amidst his terror, Xu Rong’s body stiffened, his flesh and blood solidifying rapidly.
Then, at a visible speed, his body petrified, transforming into a stone statue, with no trace of life emanating from it.
“What?” Seeing this, the three onlookers’ faces filled with horror.
Xu Rong’s body had been petrified? Turned into a human-shaped stone statue in the blink of an eye?
What kind of technique was this?
They had never seen or heard of anything like it!
“Too terrifying!” The three trembled inwardly. With his entire body petrified, Xu Rong was likely either dead or close to it.
Even Lin Xiao was slightly surprised. After reaching the second stage of the Sky-Sealing Stone Hand, it could indeed petrify enemies.
He wasn’t sure how lethal this petrification was or whether Xu Rong was truly dead.
“Swish!”
After petrifying, Xu Rong’s body fell from the sky.
With a loud “bang,” the stone-like Xu Rong crashed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“It wasn’t you who found me first, you were just the foolish one. Just as you hoped I’d kill Lu Hong, there’s someone else behind you, waiting for me to kill you.”
Looking at the fallen stone statue of Xu Rong, Lin Xiao sighed, no longer concerned with whether Xu Rong was dead. Even if he wasn’t, Xu Rong was surely crippled and posed no further threat.
Then, Lin Xiao’s solemn gaze turned to the void ahead, and he spoke, “Since you’re here, show yourself.”
Hearing this, the three onlookers’ hearts trembled again. Was someone else lurking in the shadows?
“Your divine sense is indeed sharp,” a cold female voice rang out. Then, a stunningly beautiful woman in a white dress emerged from the void, gliding forward on wings of elemental energy.
Her appearance brought a chilling aura that filled the scene.
“Cao Xueqing!” Seeing her, the three onlookers’ hearts jolted again.
Cao Xueqing, the second-ranked genius of the Cao family, a seventh-level Martial Venerable with the Three-Vein Yin Body. They hadn’t expected her to be here.
And Lin Xiao had sensed her presence long before?
“I didn’t expect you to have such a strange power!” Standing in the void, Cao Xueqing stared coldly at Lin Xiao, saying, “But today, you will die!”
As she spoke, a rolling wave of killing intent radiated from her.
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed deeply. He had sensed someone lurking, but he hadn’t expected it to be Cao Xueqing.
With his elemental force sealed, he couldn’t unleash his full combat power. Facing Cao Xueqing, with her Three-Vein Yin Body, his chances of winning were slim.
“Though I’m not afraid, I don’t like the feeling of someone waiting in the shadows. Come out,” Cao Xueqing said suddenly, without rushing to attack.
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed again. Even he hadn’t noticed that another powerhouse was hiding nearby?
The three onlookers were also shocked. Another person here? Why were so many powerhouses appearing?
“Heh, the Three-Vein Yin Body is indeed impressive, spotting me right after I arrived,” a cold laugh echoed. Then, a black-robed young man’s figure flew in from the distant horizon at incredible speed.
The young man had a striking appearance, his eyes deep and intense, exuding the aura of a seventh-level Martial Venerable. Standing in the void, he appeared extraordinary.
“Lu Qi!”
The three onlookers gasped. This was none other than Lu Qi, the second-ranked genius of the Lu family.
Lu Qi’s reputation was no less than Cao Xueqing’s, his combat power formidable, rarely meeting a match in his realm.
They hadn’t expected the commotion here to attract Lu Qi as well.
“Lu Qi, it’s you!” Seeing Lu Qi, Cao Xueqing’s brows furrowed slightly, her expression darkening.
Lu Qi was one of her competitors in the Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm, and now, just after entering, they had crossed paths.
Lin Xiao’s expression grew heavy. With his elemental force sealed, facing Cao Xueqing was already a major problem.
Now, another genius on par with Cao Xueqing had appeared, making his situation even worse.
“I didn’t expect to meet you right upon entering the Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm,” Lu Qi said, looking at Cao Xueqing with a trace of wariness, but a strong battle intent rose on his face. “I’ve long wanted to test the Three-Vein Yin Body. Today, I finally have the chance.”
“But first, shall we deal with this guy? Will you do it, or shall I?” Lu Qi’s lips curled into a provocative smirk.
Clearly, as rivals, he neither wanted nor needed to team up with Cao Xueqing against Lin Xiao, a reflection of his pride as a genius and his disregard for Lin Xiao.
Cao Xueqing’s expression hardened. She wanted to kill Lin Xiao herself and take his treasures, but she also didn’t want to fight Lu Qi for them afterward.
Yet, she didn’t want Lu Qi to take the initiative and gain the upper hand.
Moreover, her pride wouldn’t allow her to yield to Lu Qi.
“Dealing with him doesn’t require you!”
Cao Xueqing’s eyes flashed with cold light, an icy aura radiating from her. She clenched her delicate fist, and immense fluctuations spread from it.
“Swish!” At that moment, Lin Xiao waved his hand, and from his storage ring, he tossed out a combat skeleton.
In his storage ring, he had about twenty combat skeletons of mid-tier Martial King strength, crafted during his time in the Mysterious Domain Battlefield. They had been used once in the battle between Saint Yuan Academy and the Nether Heaven Demon Palace but had since been useless.
Now, he threw one out to test whether the spatial rules of the Yuan Spirit Pool Secret Realm would eject the skeleton.
Logically, as an inanimate object, the skeleton shouldn’t have an age limit.
Its strength, equivalent to a mid-tier Martial King, didn’t exceed the Martial Venerable realm, so it should be usable. This was also a test for the combat skeleton he had crafted from a Martial Monarch’s frame. If this skeleton remained unaffected, he could use that one.
