Chapter 529: First Battle with Liu Zhuang
Within the dense forest, two figures swiftly flashed by.
Their speed was extraordinary; even upon careful observation, only the rustling of leaves betrayed their presence as they quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
These two figures were none other than Lin Langtian and Lin Dong.
"Brother Langtian, it seems the number of strong competitors around us is gradually decreasing," Lin Dong murmured as he scanned the surroundings while they continued to move forward.
"Indeed. It appears we're getting closer to our destination," Lin Langtian replied calmly.
"Then let's speed up! I'm eager to see what powerful experts await us at the foot of Boundless Mountain," Lin Dong said excitedly, his eyes blazing with anticipation.
Lin Langtian nodded, tapping lightly off a slender branch that stretched out from the dense foliage. His figure then shot forward gracefully, like a hawk taking flight.
As they continued their journey, although the number of contestants they encountered decreased, the strength of those individuals noticeably increased.
However, these competitors clearly recognized Lin Langtian and Lin Dong. When their gazes met, expressions of fear and hesitation appeared in their eyes, and they promptly retreated into the distance, afraid of provoking the duo.
Lin Langtian exchanged a knowing smile with Lin Dong, both choosing to ignore these fleeing figures and increasing their pace.
Whoosh!
As Lin Langtian agilely navigated through the trees, he suddenly raised his head toward the distant horizon. At their current speed, it would take roughly half an hour to reach the base of Boundless Mountain.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Lin Langtian's eyes sharpened. He raised his hand to signal Lin Dong, who quickly moved up behind him, curious: "What's wrong?"
Lin Langtian slowed down and landed on a massive tree branch, his eyes focusing on a clearing ahead. A strong stench of blood emanated from that direction. On the ground lay more than a dozen corpses, their blood staining the soil crimson.
"They were killed," Lin Dong remarked, his brows furrowing in concern. Every participant had a spirit seal that allowed instant escape upon crushing it. Yet, these people had clearly been killed before they even had a chance to do so. Whoever attacked them was obviously incredibly ruthless.
Lin Langtian approached the bodies, crouching to inspect the blood. His fingers brushed against it, activating his demon seed energy. A faint trace of sinister black mist quickly rose from the blood droplets.
"Demonic Qi," Lin Langtian remarked coldly. "As I expected, the one who did this is definitely connected to the Yimo—likely the infiltrators from Yuan Gate."
"They're also taking this route?" Lin Dong questioned in surprise.
"Let's keep moving," Lin Langtian said quietly, his eyes narrowing. Without hesitation, he sprang forward once again.
Continuing their journey, the two encountered several more similarly grim scenes. Every time, the competitors had been slain without a chance to escape.
Such brutality made Lin Langtian and Lin Dong's expressions grow colder. There was clearly no need for this senseless killing, yet whoever was responsible chose not to spare anyone they encountered.
"There's movement up ahead. Be careful," Lin Langtian warned, a chilling intent emerging in his eyes as he stared deeper into the woods. A foreboding aura emanated from that direction.
"Who are you?!"
Within a clearing in the forest, several battered individuals had gathered together. Their eyes revealed intense fear as they stared at the young man standing calmly atop a branch.
Among them, three individuals were notably strong, each ranked within the top ten of the newcomer rankings. Yet, despite their strength, their expressions were filled with dread.
The gray-robed young man standing before them slowly raised his head, revealing a pale, youthful face wearing a chilling smile—a smile akin to that of Death itself, sending chills down the spines of those who faced it.
Even when these three had joined forces, they couldn't withstand a single blow from this terrifying opponent. Such overwhelming power was truly inconceivable.
"The newcomers of the Chaotic Demon Sea truly disappoint me," the gray-robed man chuckled softly.
Without waiting further, he reached out, and an enormous surge of sinister black energy erupted, forming a giant hand that immediately grasped at the group below.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Refusing to surrender, they desperately unleashed their martial arts, but every attack vanished harmlessly into that eerie black hand.
"What the hell is this?!"
The group's horror intensified upon seeing their attacks rendered useless. Who exactly was this individual, and why hadn't they heard of someone this monstrous existing within the Chaotic Demon Sea?
"Time to die."
With a sinister smile, the giant hand descended mercilessly upon them.
However, just as it was about to crush them, a fiery aura exploded through the trees. A massive flaming sparrow violently collided with the giant hand.
Bang!
A shockwave scattered violently, pushing the group backward. Before they understood what happened, two figures had swiftly landed in front of them.
"Lin Langtian! Lin Dong!"
Their eyes widened in astonishment before quickly turning to relief—these two were clearly allies rather than foes. They had been saved!
Ignoring the group, Lin Langtian and Lin Dong stared fixedly at the mysterious gray-robed figure ahead.
"Heh, we finally meet, traitor. It's time for you to accept your punishment," the gray-robed man said, looking at Lin Langtian with an icy smile.
Lin Langtian's eyes grew sharp. "You must be Liu Zhuang. Funny, during my time at Yuan Gate, I never saw you once."
"Liu Zhuang—the mysterious newcomer ranked first?!" one of the spectators gasped in shock, stunned that the individual before them was the dark horse who'd recently soared to the top of the rankings by killing a Profound Death stage expert.
"The newcomer rankings mean nothing," Liu Zhuang said dismissively. "Killing him was merely convenient. As for you, you never qualified to see me before. But you already know my mission here, don't you?"
"You're here for me, I assume? Then show me what you're capable of—hopefully, you're stronger than the three Yuan Gate heads," Lin Langtian said coldly.
Though this Liu Zhuang was certainly stronger than the previous heads he'd encountered, Lin Langtian remained unfazed.
Liu Zhuang sneered contemptuously. "Those three were mere trash. Whether I can take your corpse back—feel free to test me."
"So, leaving Yuan Gate means I should become a puppet of demons like you? Ridiculous!" Lin Langtian scoffed as he unsheathed his fiery blade, swiftly charging toward Liu Zhuang as a streak of blazing fire.
"Heh, decent speed," Liu Zhuang remarked casually as he narrowly avoided the blade. Flames licked past him, burning a few strands of his hair to ashes.
"Still, it's hardly threatening," Liu Zhuang sneered, materializing a dark sword made from black energy. Countless blade shadows erupted like torrential rain, colliding violently with Lin Langtian's fiery sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two clashed fiercely, tearing massive fissures through the earth. Surprisingly, Lin Langtian's blazing attacks effectively resisted Liu Zhuang's sinister Demonic Qi.
"What impressive flames. I didn't expect a traitor to possess such treasures," Liu Zhuang remarked curiously.
Lin Langtian remained expressionless as he poured immense power into his blade. A massive fiery sparrow burst forth, rushing toward Liu Zhuang with overwhelming heat.
"Impressive flame—but still inadequate," Liu Zhuang chuckled coldly, grasping at the fiery sparrow with strands of dark energy. With a squeeze, the fiery bird shattered into countless fragments.
Lin Langtian retreated slightly, his gaze becoming more serious. Liu Zhuang's power was frightening indeed—easily at the Profound Death stage's pinnacle.
"If I kill you now, the Thunder Ancestral Symbol will be even easier to take," Liu Zhuang said, conjuring a long black spear dripping with evil aura.
"If you're capable," Lin Langtian replied coolly, gripping his flaming sword tighter, readying for an intense confrontation.
Boom!
Just as their battle seemed imminent, a bolt of lightning thundered down.
"Brother Langtian, let me help you!"
Lin Dong descended from the sky, wielding his Thunder Staff, enveloped by crackling lightning as he unleashed a mighty lightning dragon toward Liu Zhuang.
"Hmph!" Liu Zhuang coldly deflected the powerful attack, although the explosive collision caused massive destruction around them.
Lin Dong landed beside Lin Langtian, smiling calmly. "Don't forget, Brother Langtian—I'm here too. We'll fight side by side."
Lin Langtian nodded firmly, returning his smile. "Indeed, side by side."
Liu Zhuang watched them coldly. "Lin Dong, you're also on Yuan Gate's blacklist. How convenient you've brought yourself here."
He glanced disdainfully at the two. "Unfortunately, Hua Chen and Xu Xiu haven't arrived yet. I'll wait until Boundless Mountain—then you'll truly experience despair."
Lin Langtian only smiled lightly in response, calmly meeting Liu Zhuang's eyes.
"Rest assured, by then—I'll kill you."
Liu Zhuang sneered, unimpressed. "We'll see if your strength matches your bravado."
With that, Liu Zhuang swiftly vanished into the shadows.
"He's just provoking us," Lin Dong commented softly.
Lin Langtian stared thoughtfully into the distance, smiling faintly.
"No matter. If Yuan Gate wants to rush toward death, we'll gladly fulfill their wish."
Lin Dong nodded solemnly, his eyes cold with killing intent.
"Yuan Gate... No matter what, I'll help you climb to the top, Brother Langtian—no matter the cost."
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