Suddenly, a beam of light shot into the sky from the western side of Jinling. Aoton swung his sword, and the slash collided with the beam high above, exploding.
"Technology weapons?" Aoton sneered. The reason they weren't fighting outside the city was that they feared technology weapons. Even this native planet had technology advanced enough to reach outer space—and produce weapons capable of threatening them.
Outside the City, Granny and Lu Yin landed.
"Could that be Teres? This is trouble," Granny said in surprise.
Lu Yin looked puzzled. "Teres?"
"One of the top three powerhouses at the First Military Academy. His battle power is as high as 2,500," Granny said gravely.
Lu Yin's heart sank. "As long as you can hold him off, I'll deal with Aoton as quickly as I can."
Granny thought it over. "I can, but not for long."
Lu Yin nodded and raced along the ground toward Zhou Shan.
Beam after beam shot toward Aoton from the sky. He grew impatient. "I'll kill this native first, then settle the score with you!" As he spoke, he charged toward the ground and thrust his sword at Zhou Shan.
Zhou Shan gritted his teeth, raised his great axe, and knocked the attack aside before clashing head-on with Aoton. He believed he could match Teres in strength, but with Aoton added to the fight, the outcome was immediately clear.
Teres landed as well. Though he was confident he could dodge the technology weapons, he was a cautious man.
As Lu Yin approached the battlefield where Zhou Shan and Aoton were fighting, he took out a Flame Crystal and tossed it into the sky.
The red crystal stood out. Aoton and Zhou Shan were occupied with their fight and paid it no attention, but Teres spotted it at once, his gaze turning feverish. Before he could wonder why there was a Flame Crystal in the sky, a sharp pain struck his back. Teres twisted quickly, his body swaying like a leaf in the wind as he dodged Granny's second strike. "You?"
Granny said nothing. She took a Flame Crystal from her Void Ring and crushed it in her hand. Scorching flames swept across the ground. "Flame Palm!" she shouted, thrusting out her palm. Fire gathered in her hand, darkening into a deeper hue as it struck at Teres.
Teres roared in fury and spat out blood. "You're asking for death!" His right palm trembled rapidly as he grasped at the air. This was Wave Palm.
Bang!
Their palms collided. Flames and air currents swept across the ground, destroying every building within a hundred meters.
The vast blaze was swept upward by the currents, dancing through the air like fiery serpents.
Granny staggered back several steps, her face pale. Teres's Wave Palm was far stronger than Lu Yin's. Even with her battle technique, she could barely withstand it.
Teres was in no better shape. Flame-based battle techniques were naturally powerful and destructive, and Granny had also used a Flame Crystal. That palm had been no weaker than his own.
"Granny, this is my territory!" Teres roared.
Granny didn't reply. Her Ring Armor reflected the firelight in a red glow.
Teres gritted his teeth as Ring Armor spread over his body. He hadn't worn it until now, but he could feel the pressure—and, more importantly, he was injured.
In the distance, Aoton looked back in shock. "Granny? What are you doing here?"
Zhou Shan roared and swung his great axe at Aoton with all his strength. Aoton didn't dare be careless. He raised his sword to meet the blow, and the fierce force of their attacks swept through the surroundings, splitting the ground.
Lu Yin suddenly made his move. Using Roaming Step, he rushed to Aoton's side and struck with his palm. As his palm fell, stars appeared. This was—Heavenly Star Palm.
Neither Aoton nor Zhou Shan had expected anyone to be hiding nearby. Aoton froze when he saw Lu Yin, while Zhou Shan stared at him in confusion. But in the next instant, Lu Yin's Heavenly Star Palm struck Aoton in the chest. Aoton didn't even have time to scream before his heart was shattered. The immense energy pierced through his chest and slammed into a house, reducing it to rubble.
The ground gave way under the force and shattered at once.
Zhou Shan stared at Lu Yin in shock. "You—"
Lu Yin spun around and swept a leg toward Zhou Shan. With his back to Granny and Teres, he said quietly, "Attack me."
Zhou Shan's eyes flickered, but he still attacked Lu Yin without holding back, unleashing Storm Slash.
Lu Yin used Roaming Step to dodge Storm Slash. He wasn't injured, but his clothes were torn. "Send me flying over there," he said in a low voice.
Zhou Shan roared and swung his great axe sideways. Using its force, Lu Yin was sent hurtling toward the battlefield where Teres and Granny were fighting.
Boom!
The violent shockwave spread into the distance. Granny's face was deathly pale, and her right hand trembled. Teres had dealt her a severe blow.
Teres was in no better shape. His armor had been scorched and cracked by the flames.
Just then, Lu Yin crashed into a wall not far from Teres and slowly slid down.
Teres glanced at Lu Yin, then looked into the distance and saw Aoton's corpse. His expression shifted. Before he could say anything, Zhou Shan took off, fleeing into the distance.
"You can't escape!" Teres leaped after Zhou Shan, turning his back to Lu Yin. Using the ruined house as a foothold, Lu Yin sprang into the air and struck Teres with his palm. He made no effort to hide the move. Heavenly Star Palm spun like a star and slammed into Teres's back. Teres hadn't paid Lu Yin any attention, but the attack filled him with a powerful sense of danger. He dodged instinctively, but it was too late.
The stars exploded. Lu Yin's palm sent Teres crashing to the ground, where he struck the earth hard enough to leave a massive crater. Teres managed to counterattack, severely injuring Lu Yin and sending him flying back into the wall. His Ring Armor shattered outright. Asta's Ring Armor was completely destroyed.
Granny clutched her arm and walked to the edge of the crater, looking down.
Teres lay on his back, pale-faced and coughing up blood nonstop.
Granny looked at Lu Yin in astonishment. She couldn't imagine how he had managed to severely injure Teres with a single palm strike.
Before she could think further, Teres, who had seemed on the verge of death, suddenly opened his eyes. He pulled out a strangely shaped gun, aimed it at Granny, and fired. A beam pierced her shoulder. Granny struck back with Flame Palm, hitting the spot on Teres's body where Lu Yin's Heavenly Star Palm had struck him. This blow completely shattered Teres's internal organs and killed him.
Granny collapsed to the ground, staring in shock at Teres's corpse, a chill running down her back.
The planet's Evolution Trial didn't limit the number of deaths, but too many casualties could earn the displeasure of certain people. Aoton and Teres had both died in this battle. Teres in particular had been one of the First Military Academy's top three students, with the academy placing great hopes in him. Now that he was dead, Granny felt uneasy.
Lu Yin dragged his badly injured body over to Granny and said weakly, "Don't worry. At worst, I'll ask my grandpa to transfer you to our academy on Tata Planet."
Granny fixed Lu Yin with a cold stare. "What was that palm you used against Teres? Even a Wave Palm twice as strong couldn't have severely injured him."
"You're overthinking it. You'd already injured him, and I just happened to hit the same spot," Lu Yin replied.
Granny clearly didn't believe him. Teres had possessed a battle power of 2,500, yet a Gaze Realm cultivator had severely injured him. Even if it was a coincidence, it couldn't have been that simple.
Suddenly, a roar rang out behind them. Zhou Shan, who they'd thought had escaped, appeared again and swung his axe at Granny and Lu Yin.
Granny instinctively grabbed Lu Yin and held him in front of her. When Zhou Shan saw Lu Yin being pushed out, he hurriedly changed the direction of his attack. His axe missed Lu Yin and struck the ground beside his ear. Lu Yin turned and slammed a palm into Granny. He was too badly injured to hit as hard as he had against Aoton, but he could still severely injure her.
Granny's face turned pale. She endured the pain and instinctively kicked Lu Yin, sending him flying. She fell beside Teres, while Zhou Shan roared again and swung his axe at her. Granny grabbed the gun beside Teres and fired. The beam pierced Zhou Shan's great axe and then his shoulder, blasting him more than ten meters away. He fell to the ground, his life uncertain.
The scene fell silent for a moment. Only the flames continued to burn across the ground.
Four Probe Realm cultivators and one Gaze Realm cultivator had fought, destroying half of Jinling and leaving half the city engulfed in flames.
Granny took a healing pill from her Void Ring and swallowed it, treating her injuries.
A few minutes later, sounds gradually rose around them. Granny's expression changed. She climbed out of the crater. Her body was badly injured, and the beam had pierced her shoulder. It took great effort to reach Zhou Shan, who was unconscious and whose life was uncertain.
Soon, Feng Hong, the bespectacled Qin Xuan, and others surrounded them. They stared at Granny. "Surrender at once, and we can spare your life."
Granny scoffed. "You natives think you can spare my life? What, don't you care about this native's life anymore?" As she spoke, she aimed the gun at Zhou Shan's head.
Feng Hong shouted, "Let Saint of Punishment go!"
"Fall back ten miles, or I'll kill him!" Granny snapped.
Feng Hong and the others exchanged glances but didn't move.
A cold glint flashed in Granny's eyes. She picked up a rock beside her and smashed it hard into Zhou Shan's head. Blood immediately poured out.
Feng Hong shouted, "Stop! We can back away, but you have to let us treat Saint of Punishment. Otherwise, he's going to die."
Granny agreed.
Soon, a doctor approached Granny and Zhou Shan. He examined Zhou Shan, then gave him emergency treatment.
It took a full twenty minutes to stop Zhou Shan's bleeding. "Saint of Punishment's injuries are too severe. We can't delay; he needs comprehensive treatment immediately," the doctor said.
Granny ignored them. "Fall back ten miles at once. I'll leave in three hours. Otherwise, I'll kill this native."
Before you continue