Devil Race

Outside Bloodcolor Mountain, a burst of startled cries rang out.

Anyone who could become an instructor of the Azure Cloud Sect was certainly not lacking in experience.

After all these years, what kind of genius had they not seen?

Some of the geniuses and experts famous throughout the world had even been personally cultivated by them.

Yet at this moment, these instructors still could not help crying out in surprise.

The instructors all had a clear understanding of Fang Yushu's strength, and they understood even better just how powerful the Spirit Artifact Slicing Void Blade in Fang Yushu's hand was!

Those threads of energy were incomparably sharp. They could easily slice a low-grade Spirit Artifact in half, and even a mid-grade Spirit Artifact would probably have a hard time resisting them. At the very least, only a High-Grade Profound Artifact could block those threads.

Yet the scene just now had been so bizarre.

Luo Zheng had actually blocked those threads with his physical body!

Everyone had thought that Luo Zheng's attack was merely his final struggle before being eliminated. Such a struggle was undoubtedly futile. Facing Fang Yushu, who held a Spirit Artifact, Luo Zheng had no chance of victory. The only result of throwing himself at those threads of energy should have been being sliced into pieces.

But not only had Luo Zheng shattered those threads, he had also taken advantage of Fang Yushu's brief daze and seized the opportunity to kill Fang Yushu and eliminate him.

No wonder all the instructors were astonished. Just how had this kid tempered his body? Was its toughness comparable to a High-Grade Profound Artifact?

Fang Yanzhi looked at the chaotic images on the Trust Jade, his mouth filled with bitterness. He had never imagined that Fang Yushu would actually be eliminated. The Fang family had sent four Aristocratic Clan Disciples this time, and three of them had been eliminated all at once. The remaining one was of mediocre strength and probably would not pass the Bloodcolor Trials either. One of them had even been the Fang family's direct-line young master. It seemed that when he returned to the Fang family next time, he would certainly receive a harsh scolding.

Although it was not particularly difficult for members of the Fang family to enter the Azure Cloud Sect, sending in four Fang family disciples only for not one of them to pass would make the Fang family lose all face.

"Luo Zheng!" Fang Yanzhi ground his teeth and carved the name into his mind with hatred. There were many geniuses in the Azure Cloud Sect, but there were even more geniuses who died young. He wanted to see what would become of this fellow!

After all the instructors finished watching, Luo Zheng had vanished without a trace from the Trust Jade. Yet they all wanted to see what had happened. However, after Fang Yushu was eliminated, they could no longer track Luo Zheng on the Trust Jade. Several instructors were already hopping mad, and with nowhere to vent their anger, they actually pointed at Zhong Ming's nose and cursed him wildly.

After being berated, Zhong Ming's face was so gloomy it seemed water might drip from it. He wanted to argue his case, but when he thought of the various frightening rumors surrounding Instructor Su, he could only swallow the bitter fruit in silence.

Zhong Ming's heart was filled with resentment. He was holding a bellyful of fury with nowhere to vent it. Today had truly been disastrous. Who could he blame for all this? That brat Luo Zheng!

He had finally found an outlet for his anger.

He had disliked that brat Luo Zheng from the first moment he saw him. A trial disciple born from humble roots had actually dared to contradict him, causing him to lose face before Instructor Su. Now Luo Zheng had even caused him to be berated by the instructors.

The angrier Zhong Ming became, the more he glanced at the Illusory Formation Plate beside him. His heart suddenly leaped. Heh heh, you little brat. You want to pass the Bloodcolor Trials? No chance!

The illusory formations covering all of Bloodcolor Mountain had been created by an expert of the Azure Cloud Sect. The thousands of illusory formations of various sizes, along with the illusory beasts, were all controlled by this Illusory Formation Plate in his hand.

Since this brat had made him unhappy, he could forget about passing the Bloodcolor Trials. Zhong Ming quietly turned around and, while no one was watching, placed his hand on the innermost ring of the Illusory Formation Plate.

The Illusory Formation Plate had five rings in total, representing the five layers of Bloodcolor Mountain. In the innermost layer, there was only one fifth-level illusory beast. Its strength was comparable to that of an expert in the Innate Secret Realm. Since its strength was too far beyond that of the trial disciples participating in the Bloodcolor Trials, almost no one had entered to challenge it since Bloodcolor Mountain was established.

In fact, many people had raised objections about whether this fifth-level illusory beast needed to exist at all. It was fundamentally impossible for anyone to challenge it successfully. Conjuring a fifth-level illusory beast and leaving it there was completely meaningless. Moreover, using the illusory formation to create a fifth-level illusory beast consumed far too much energy. It was pure waste.

But when this suggestion was submitted, someone rejected it.

The Azure Cloud Sect's higher-ups had given their opinion: since the fifth-level illusory beast had already been conjured, they might as well leave it there permanently. It could serve as a decoration. There was no need to alter it.

Zhong Ming quietly erased the ring at the center of the Illusory Formation Plate. At the same time, he controlled the fifth-level illusory beast to leave the central area and charge toward the place where Luo Zheng had just been.

"Even the Slicing Void Blade couldn't cut him down. I wonder whether you can withstand this fifth-level illusory beast!"

A vicious smile appeared on Zhong Ming's face.

Luo Zheng had no idea that his actions had caused such a tremendous commotion outside.

After eliminating Fang Yushu, he had gained all the dozens of Crystal Shards on the ground. The Crystal Shards in his possession now far exceeded the requirements of the Bloodcolor Trials. It seemed that all he needed to do was find a corner and quietly wait for the trial to end. Then he would be able to become an Outer Sect Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Although the wounds on his body looked frightening, they were not actually serious.

The threads had left his hands and feet a bloody, mangled mess, horrifying to look at, but these were merely external injuries. They had not damaged his vital flesh.

Luo Zheng exerted force throughout his body. Blood immediately sprayed from the wounds on his arms and legs. Under the pressure of his muscles, the wounds rapidly closed, and the bleeding stopped at the same time. Controlling all the muscles in his body to stop the bleeding quickly and make the wounds heal rapidly was something that could be done at the peak of the Flesh Refining Realm.

Afterward, he walked back and forth a couple of steps. Only after confirming that his body was fine did he choose a direction and leave.

He still felt a little regretful. The weapon Fang Yushu had held was a Spirit Artifact! If the Black Fire in his mind had devoured that Spirit Artifact, how many Dragon Scales would it have lit? Three? Or five? Luo Zheng did not know either. It should have produced far more Iron Essence than a High-Grade Profound Artifact.

Unfortunately, after killing Fang Yushu, his entire body had been wrapped in specks of light. Besides, if he had truly seized such a treasure, the Fang family would probably have entered a state of life-or-death enmity with him. He did not yet have the qualifications to seize someone else's Spirit Artifact.

As for the extra Crystal Shards in his possession, he did not know how to deal with them. If he found Mo Can, he could give some to him.

But the environment of the third layer was so vast and immense. Where was he supposed to find Mo Can?

After walking forward for some distance, Luo Zheng suddenly felt the ground shake violently. Then he heard a "Boom!" It was as if an enormous giant had stepped on the ground, producing a deep rumble.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Every time the sound rang out, the ground trembled.

Moreover, the deep rumbling grew louder and louder, while the trembling became more and more violent.

Luo Zheng's heart jolted. Something is charging toward me? It can't be this coincidental. How did I run into so many bizarre things during one Bloodcolor Trials?

The result was indeed much as he had guessed. When Luo Zheng turned around, he saw three or four trial disciples and two Aristocratic Clan Disciples fleeing wildly. Behind them, the Stone Forest suddenly collapsed, and a gigantic monster burst out from within!

The monster had a human shape, but two sharp horns grew from its head, and its eyes burned with roaring flames.

"Is this a Devil Race member?" Looking at the six-meter-tall monster, Luo Zheng was stunned. Judging from the two sharp horns, this monster should be a member of the Devil Race.

The Devil Race was a species more powerful than humanity. In ancient times, they had always been humanity's mortal enemies. Books recording the countless legends about the Devil Race were piled as high as a cartload of firewood.

Bloodthirsty, brutal, man-eating...

The various legends about the Devil Race had been passed down by word of mouth. They could make adults' faces change and children stop crying.

But that was not the key issue. This Devil Race member clearly should not have appeared in the third-layer illusion!

The Devil Race member charged out and slapped a trial disciple. In an instant, it sent the disciple flying. Before he even landed, countless specks of light enveloped his body. He had already been eliminated.

The fate of another noble clan disciple was even worse. The Devil Race member directly grabbed him. After a sharp scream, it stuffed him into its mouth, which was filled with sharp teeth. Countless specks of light instantly appeared inside the Devil Race member's mouth. Another person had been eliminated.

Only then did Luo Zheng finally react. This Devil Race member was at least a fifth-level illusory beast! As for why this fifth-level illusory beast could appear on the third layer, Luo Zheng had no mind to think about it. His only thought now was to run!

Luo Zheng had not expected that running would make things worse. The moment he fled, the Devil Race member stopped paying attention to the others, lifted its enormous feet, and chased after him.

Although the Devil Race member looked slow, every one of its steps was equivalent to seven or eight of Luo Zheng's. It was far faster than him.

In a short time, Luo Zheng adjusted his breathing to its optimal state, striving to reach his maximum sprinting speed and shake off the Devil Race member.

He had already passed the Bloodcolor Trials. If the Devil Race member killed him at this critical moment, it would be far too unjust!

However, even though Luo Zheng ran forward at full speed, the distance between him and the Devil Race member continued to shrink. Their strengths were simply not on the same level, and naturally, neither were their speeds!

When the Devil Race member was roughly five or six zhang behind Luo Zheng, it suddenly leaped into the air. At the same time, it swung its thick palm and brought it crashing down toward Luo Zheng's head.