The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

(The title is wrong, it should be Chapter Sixty-Nine)

"Wife!!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Gaoen was shocked and rushed forward to embrace his lover. Qian Qing, suddenly struck by a severe blow, suffered damage to her heart and lungs and was unable to speak, only instinctively reaching out her hand for help!

Just then, the long sword suddenly changed direction, the blade thrusting upwards with force, cleaving Lu Gaoen's beloved wife in two from the chest up!

"Bastard!!!" Lu Gaoen's eyes were bloodshot as he lunged at the lean figure hiding in the shadows behind him. However, instead of retreating, the man, who was several times his size, stepped forward and thrust his long sword forward!

Lu Gaoen's eyes were already bloodshot. He didn't dodge the blade at all and lunged straight at it. With a soft thud, the long blade pierced through his chest, but it wasn't enough to kill him instantly. In his rage, he rapidly circulated his Inner Breath and swung his fists down to kill the man who had murdered his wife, even at the cost of his life!

However, the person in the darkness simply smiled, raised one hand above his head, and with a bang, steadily blocked Lu Gaoen's fists!

To be fair, that guy wasn't short either. Although he was lean, he had a large frame, so he wasn't a weak person. But compared to Lu Gaoen, who was over two meters tall and resembled a brown bear, he still looked much thinner. The fact that he so easily caught the Giant Man's full-force attack was really counterintuitive, making Chu Xin, who was standing to the side, widen his eyes in astonishment.

"Good Root Bone, a promising talent, but a pity..." The lean, dark figure shook his head, flicked his wrist, and swung his long sword back and forth, splitting Lu Gaoen's massive body apart from the chest. The cross-section was smooth and flat, and you could even see his still-beating heart!

In the blink of an eye, Lu Gaoen and Qian Qing, this powerful couple of Rogue Cultivator, both died before their eyes!

"Aaaaah, you damned Polluter!" Chu Xin screamed in terror, raising his gun and firing wildly at the Polluter!

His strong reaction wasn't due to any deep friendship with the couple, but rather because he had witnessed the terrifying nature of the enemy. He shouted to bolster his own courage and also to warn other experts nearby to come and help.

Bullets whizzed past, but suddenly a shimmering light shone from the figure in the darkness, blocking all the bullets!

It's Gang Qi, this guy has unlocked the Pei Yuan realm!

Although he hadn't unlocked his Yuan Qi yet and couldn't see his Gang Qi, Chu Xin could clearly see the effect of the bullet being deflected. Knowing he was no match for this guy, he turned and ran, but because of his injury, he was limping and couldn't run fast at all.

The Polluter sneered, took a step forward, and with a swift movement, slashed at Chu Xin's nape!

Just then, a spear flew out and deflected the attacker's longsword with a clang. Then, a lithe figure leaped down from the second floor, raised his hand to recall the spear, and stood behind Chu Xin. It was Ling Yu.

"Where are you Polluter from? You're so young!"

Ling Yu sized up the knife-wielding man in front of him. The man was of medium to tall stature and looked like a teenager of about fifteen or sixteen years old, but his brows revealed a cunning and ruthlessness that was incongruous with his age.

"You're not that old, kid." The young man with the knife glanced at the spear in his hand. "It's at least epic quality, you've really invested in it..."

"The Foundation Establishment Realm isn't cheap either," Ling Yu scoffed. "Looks like you've killed quite a few people; you should be worth a lot, right?"

"Likewise..." The young man with the knife sneered, his eyes suddenly sharpening, and a palpable Killing Intent intent pressed down on Ling Yu, making him feel a chill run down his spine and instinctively become on guard!

Just then, a Bone Spur shot out from the darkness behind him, aiming straight for his back. Ling Yu's attention was still focused on the knife-wielding youth in front of him, and he was completely unaware!

At the critical moment, a figure flashed behind him, knocking away bone Bone Spur with a steel bar in his hand—it was Ling Fei!

"Don't let your guard down!" Ling Fei shielded Ling Yu's back and scolded, "Focusing only on the enemy in front and ignoring the sneak attacks from behind will lead to a great loss! Don't bring shame to the royal family!"

Ling Yu then realized something was wrong and hurriedly apologized, "Fei Shu is right..." Then, looking at the young man with the long sword, he said indignantly, "You bastard, you actually used a feint and a sneak attack!"

To his surprise, the young man didn't even look at him, but instead focused his gaze on Ling Fei: "I remember you, a member of the Ling Family clan! Thirty years ago, in the Martial World, many people said that you would reach the Peak within ten years... So many years have passed, how come you're still stuck at this level?"

Ling Fei frowned slightly upon hearing this. "You know me? Thirty years ago? You don't seem as young as you appear."

"I never imagined I'd live this long..." The young man shook his head. "And I certainly never expected the Ling Family's lineage to decline so drastically with each generation..."

"What did you say!" Ling Yu was furious upon hearing this and was about to rush forward when he heard a loud crash behind him, and a huge figure flew out and landed near the group.

Looking up, there was a half-human, half-insect monster, over two meters tall, with four arms, its whole body covered in keratinous carapace, and human facial features could still be seen on its head, but below the nose was not a regular mouth, but two large, horizontally open jaws!

A half-insect human? A mutated monster? No, he's still wearing clothes. He's a Polluter! Polluter from the [Savage Wilderness]!

"A powerful Zhang Shi!" Ling Fei recognized the monster and announced its name.

After falling to the ground, Zhang Shi didn't even bother to get up. He opened his jaws and shot Root Bone behind him!

At the same time, a figure with a high ponytail darted out from the direction he flew from, grabbed the Bone Spur, and threw it back!

It was Ling Xin. Even without her protective aura, her powerful talent and enhancements gave her extremely strong Root Bone. Her wrist strength was comparable to many experts who had unlocked the Foundation Establishment Realm. This throw was even more powerful than the Bone Spur spikes that the insectoid had spat out! The Polluter couldn't dodge in time and was pierced through the shoulder with a soft thud, pinning it to the ground!

"Hmph, this is also a member of my Ling Family!" Seeing Ling Xin appear, Ling Fei felt a surge of pride and raised his head a little higher.

Just as Ling Xin was about to press her advantage, a pale-faced woman with a braid suddenly rushed out from behind the knife-wielding youth. The woman's braid was longer than her height. After blocking Ling Xin's path, the braid automatically unfurled, and her thick, long hair moved without wind, gathering in front of her to block Ling Xin's attack.

"Azure Silk Ink Cloud ..." Ling Fei frowned. "A master of the [Paranormal] world... It's truly strange that Polluter from the three worlds of [Martial World], [Savage Wilderness], and [Paranormal] would cooperate!"

"This is a mission of confrontation..." Azure Silk Ink Cloud sneered, "Didn't your Ling Family also join forces with the Zhuge Family...?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than two more people darted out from not far away. One was Zhuge Lan, and the other was a young man with long hair. After they appeared, they looked at each other, then stepped back and came to their companions.

"The last long-haired man to appear is Youying Feng Zi Ming," Zhuge Lan introduced. "Polluter of the [Paranormal] and a subordinate of the Spirit King Zhuge Lang!"

Mentioning Zhuge Lang, everyone was secretly taken aback. This guy's fearsome reputation had been around for a long time, especially his method of instantly killing without regard to internal energy, which made people tremble at the mere mention of his name.

"Zhuge Lang?" Ling Yu sneered, "What Spirit King? Wasn't he already killed in a mission last month?"

"What do you know?" Feng Zi Ming said unhappily upon hearing this, "Spirit King Lingwang, he..." He hesitated for a moment, then snorted and stopped speaking.

"Feng Zi Ming, Mo Yun, Zhang Shi ... and one more..." Ling Fei carefully examined the young man with the knife, feeling that his features were indeed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

"He is Long Hui!" Ling Xin finally announced his name: "An apostle of [the Martial World]!"

"An Apostle?" The group was shocked and took two steps back. Even though Long Hui had disappeared in recent years and the younger generation might not be familiar with him, the title of Apostle was enough to intimidate them. To become an Apostle, one had to be at least a Peak Expert, and even without unlocking abilities, one's innate Root Bone had to be stronger than that of an ordinary Cultivators!

"You still remember me..." Long Hui chuckled, "I also have to thank you. Thanks to the pollution on your body, I was able to recover so well."

"But you're clearly not back to your Peak condition yet," Ling Xin scoffed. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be wasting your breath talking to us here."

Long Hui frowned slightly. "Young lady, you talk too much!"

After saying that, he instantly unleashed his inner energy and charged directly towards Ling Xin!

Ling Xin had not yet unlocked her inner Qi. She was confident she could fight against other Foundation Establishment Realm, but since her opponent was Long Hui, she could only avoid his sharp edge. She dodged him and rushed towards Zhang Shi, who had just gotten up.

Zhang Shi had just pulled the Bone Spur from his shoulder, and seeing this, he could only use it as a dagger to fight back. However, he was no match for Ling Xin in speed. After his attack was dodged, he saw that the other party was about to kick him, so he could only use his remaining three arms to cross them in defense!

With a loud crack, Ling Xin's force was immense, sending the giant half-insect man flying backward. One of his arms cracked open, oozing a mixture of red and white liquid.

On the other side, Zhuge Lan picked up a steel bar and stabbed Feng Zi Ming, and the two began to fight.

Not far away, Long Hui, whose attack had missed, faced Ling Fei. Although the latter hadn't unlocked his inner energy, he was still able to hold his own thanks to his seasoned experience and exquisite techniques. Ling Yu, who was standing nearby, intended to help, but was entangled by Mo Yun, a man with black hair, and couldn't break free for a moment...

Seeing that the two sides' experts had started fighting, Chu Xin could only limp away.

Despite having a gun, Chu Xin dared not participate. Even without internal energy, his powerful Inner Breath alone could only cause superficial wounds with ordinary firearms. If he fired indiscriminately, he would only anger his opponent and hasten his own demise.

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

However, he had only run out a short while when he came limping back, yelling as he ran, "Oh no! The boss is attacking!"

The fighting crowd was stunned for a moment, when a deafening roar rang out. Then, half of the half-built building in the distance suddenly collapsed, and the giant Corpse King emerged from the rubble and peered at them!

Damn it, the battle was too loud and attracted the big boss!

The crucial point is that they haven't defeated their opponent or earned enough points yet, so they're not strong enough to fight this Corpse King!

"Die!" Ling Yu roared, his spear flashing as he thrust it at the enemy before him! Mo Yun hurriedly tried to block with her hair, but having not yet unlocked her inner energy, she was no match for the Epic-level weapon's skill. Her tough hair was torn to shreds, but the spear's momentum remained undiminished, piercing right through Mo Yun's throat!

As blood splattered, the number of survivors on the Polluter side decreased by one, and Ling Yu's points increased by more than 300, but he was still less than 100 points away from unlocking the Foundation Establishment Realm!

At this moment, he set his sights on Zhuge Lan's opponent and rushed forward, wanting to take another kill!

However, Feng Zi Ming was quite clever. Seeing that the situation was not right, he retreated and dodged... Although he was only at the Body Refinement Realm, his Movement Method was quite agile and had a strange quality that was hard to tell from reality. In just a few steps, he managed to dodge both Zhuge Lan and Ling Yu!

Just then, a scream came from not far away. The half-insect man Zhang Shi had his neck snapped by Ling Xin, and his deformed corpse collapsed to the ground. Ling Xin also freed her hands and rushed forward to block the retreating Feng Zi Ming. The two exchanged blows in a flash, and after a few moves, Ling Xin injured Feng Zi Ming with her strong Root Bone. Just when the outcome was about to be decided, Ling Yu rushed up and snatched the head with a spear!

At this point, three of the four Polluter have died, leaving only Long Hui struggling to hold on.

Looking at Feng Zi Ming's corpse on the ground, Ling Xin frowned in displeasure. Ling Yu, his aura rising, laughed and said, "The key now is to concentrate our strength. I have already unlocked the Foundation Establishment Realm. As long as we take down Long Hui in one fell swoop, I will be able to unlock the Heart Refining Realm!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the Corpse King, who was striding closer and closer. "When the time comes, I'll be at full strength and I'll definitely be able to defeat that monster!"

As he spoke, he charged toward Long Hui, who was locked in combat with Ling Fei!

Seeing him approach, Long Hui's lips curled up slightly, and his aura suddenly began to deform, faintly revealing dragon patterns!

Upon seeing this, Ling Fei shouted, "Be careful! Don't get close to him!" and immediately retreated!

But Ling Yu wouldn't listen to any of that. He rushed forward and thrust his Long Hui!

"Puff!"

The sound of piercing rang out, and blood splattered, but it was not Long Hui who was injured, but Ling Yu!

Before his spear could even reach Long Hui, a long blade had already pierced his chest...

No, it wasn't a longsword, but rather the aura attached to it! It faintly bore dragon patterns, as if it were a tangible aura!

"Dragon Pattern Qi..." Ling Fei's eyes widened. "To be able to use this technique, you're not just at the Foundation Establishment Realm... you're at the Heart Refining Realm!"

"You've already unlocked all the levels; you could easily wipe us all out, so why...?"

"Just kill you all like that?" Long Hui smiled slightly. "Wouldn't that mean we wouldn't earn the most points?"

The group was startled upon hearing this, but then they realized that the rules stated that killing enemies would increase one's value—this guy was raising pigs!

After saying that, Long Hui flicked his longsword, unleashing his inner energy, and sliced Ling Yu in two. He then revealed a delighted expression. "This kid has quite a few kills; his score has already reached eight hundred!"

"Split up and run!" Knowing he was no match for Long Hui, Ling Fei turned and fled without hesitation. But Long Hui wasn't about to give him the chance. He grabbed Ling Yu's spear and threw it away!

Ling Fei tried to dodge, but unfortunately, he hadn't even unlocked the Foundation Establishment Realm yet. Even if he anticipated the attack, his body couldn't keep up, and he was ultimately pierced through. The Main World's side lost another contestant...

At this moment, the remaining three decisively scattered and fled. Long Hui glanced at Chu Xin, who was limping not far away, sneered, and chased after Ling Xin first!

As for the enormous Corpse King, Long Hui was confident he could handle it. However, as long as the Source of Calamity existed, it would attract prey. He wasn't in a hurry to attack; he'd leave it for later, and kill his fill first...

Long Hui was calculating with his abacus when suddenly, a black shadow shot through the air like a bullet, striking the giant Corpse King's head. With a bang, the massive, hard skull exploded, turning into a shower of flesh...

"This is..."

Both the fleeing group and Long Hui, who was in pursuit, were stunned by what they saw...

(End of this chapter)