Turmoil 4

"Kid, how much do you have?" Wang Zanghai asked telepathically, unleashing his full strength at the same time. He swung his blade and dragged Zhang Tao toward the outside.

"About two hundred jin!" Zhang Tao replied telepathically.

Wang Zanghai nearly choked on his own breath. He cursed Zhang Tao countless times in his heart. You had this much of something so good, and you didn't say a damn thing sooner?

In this battle, they'd only received a little over ten grams each from the Culture Academy. It was a pitiful amount.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tao had over two hundred jin, and he hadn't said a word. They'd known he'd picked up a Rank 9 Monster Plant with Life Essence, but he'd handed it all over to the Culture Academy. All the Life Essence they'd used had come from Zhang Tao. But who'd have thought the guy still had another two hundred jin? Had he picked up yet another Rank 9 Monster Plant? Was he really that absurdly lucky?

"Old Wu! I'm here!" Wang Zanghai had no time to worry about anything else. He charged over to an old Grandmaster and helped deflect the attack in front of him. Zhang Tao quickly reached into his ring, took out around five jin of Life Essence, and slapped it into the old Grandmaster's body.

The old Grandmaster froze, then stared in shock. He hurriedly used his mental power to seal the Life Essence inside himself. His Golden Body, which had been somewhat shattered, gradually regained its luster.

"This..." The old Grandmaster looked at Zhang Tao, at a loss for words. There was far too much Life Essence. Giving this much to him was a waste.

"Old Wu, hang in there!" Seeing Zhang Tao finish, Wang Zanghai shouted at once. Zhang Tao followed close behind as they began weaving through the Rank 8 battlefield.

With Zhang Tao supplying them with Life Essence, the human Rank 8 fighters were like men who'd been given a shot of adrenaline. Though they were outnumbered, they held their ground.

And with Zhang Tao acting as a human cheat code, the balance quickly shifted in their favor.

As for the Rank 9 battlefield, Li Xianling and the others charged straight at the fifteen Rank 9 experts without a word. Those fifteen were well organized, splitting into groups of five. If they managed to kill even one human Rank 9 fighter, the human side would collapse.

It was a good plan. If Li Xianling hadn't had the God-Slaying Blade, the Catacombs would have won this battle.

But Li Xianling had the God-Slaying Blade, along with a twenty percent boost. This was a twenty percent boost to his Origin Dao! He felt as if heaven itself were lending him a hand. Combined with the God-Slaying Blade's sharpness, he'd never fought a battle this exhilarating!

With the God-Slaying Blade empowering him, he felt that his Origin Dao still had room to grow. He seemed to have a vague sense of how to move forward.

That made Li Xianling even stronger. Every move carried a terrifying force. The five Rank 9 fighters facing him were so wary that he kept them on the defensive. Before long, one of them made a mistake, and Li Xianling sliced his head off with a single strike.

Their disadvantage became even more pronounced. Li Xianling fought with greater ferocity, each blow aimed straight at a vital spot.

Li Wujie had been keeping an eye on the battle the whole time. He still had the Mental Power Avatar given to him by the Heaven Suppressing King in his arms. If things went badly, he'd have to use his final trump card.

But seeing Li Xianling fight so fiercely put Li Wujie at ease. Perhaps he wouldn't need to use the Old Ancestor's Mental Power Avatar after all.

"Hahaha! Today, this old man's Origin Dao will take another step forward!" Li Xianling suddenly let out a long roar. In the midst of the fighting, he'd suddenly found enlightenment.

Li Xianling's Origin Dao had previously stretched only six or seven hundred meters, which already made him a strong Rank 9 fighter.

But the sensation and boost from the God-Slaying Blade had stirred something within him. At last, Li Xianling took another great stride forward, advancing more than a hundred meters.

With some time to properly reflect, Li Xianling might well be able to advance further. Whether he could reach the Apex, however, depended on his fortune.

As Li Xianling's strength grew and the God-Slaying Blade continued to empower him, he was like a tiger let loose from its cage. In an instant, he killed the two Rank 9 fighters in front of him. His sweeping, powerful strikes held back every Rank 9 fighter who came rushing over.

"Not bad, Old Li." Just then, an old man came flying over with a hand pressed to his chest. He was the same old man who'd stood atop the wall with Guo Weicheng. The Rank 9 fighters who'd gone to surround Li Xianling had come from his side. He was helpless; he was the weakest fighter here and couldn't hold off five Rank 9 opponents.

"Feng Moqian, you useless old man! And you've still got the nerve to comment!" Li Xianling laughed heartily. Today's fight had been exhilarating. His Origin Dao, stagnant for so long, had finally advanced. How could he not be happy?

Feng Moqian curled his lip. The old bastard had a Divine Artifact and made a breakthrough, and now he was showing off.

"Let me borrow your blade!" Feng Moqian said at once.

Li Xianling didn't even look at him. What nonsense. Did he think he could just borrow something like this?

Besides, Li Xianling still needed it to kill his enemies.

So Li Xianling charged out, taking on seven opponents alone and chasing the seven Rank 9 fighters all over the battlefield.

Wherever Li Xianling went, the Rank 9 fighters retreated one after another, greatly easing the pressure on Guo Weicheng and the others.

Li Xianling finally had a moment to glance at the Rank 8 battlefield. He was astonished to see that Zhang Tao and the others had held their ground—and might even turn the tide. But when he looked at the Rank 7 battlefield, his expression darkened. Many Rank 7 fighters had already self-destructed, using their lives to hold off their opponents.

Li Xianling knew they had to end the battle quickly. Otherwise, the Rank 7 side would surely collapse. He roared and once again gave it everything he had.

The Rank 9 battlefield descended into chaos once more. Li Xianling shouted, "Everyone, rally to me! Today, we'll slaughter every last one of these Forbidden Zone beasts!"

That was right: every Rank 9 fighter who'd come this time was from a Forbidden Zone. No Outer Region city lords had joined the battle. Perhaps they hadn't reached an agreement with King Huai, or perhaps they'd fallen out outright. In any case, the Rank 9 city lords of the Forbidden City Catacombs were all holed up in their own cities.

Of course, they were watching the Rank 9 battlefield. Seeing five men force the fifteen Forbidden Zone experts into a steady retreat left them utterly shocked.

"Outer Region city lords, come help us!" One of the Rank 9 fighters could no longer hold out and shouted at once. If the Outer Region city lords arrived, Li Xianling and the others would be no threat.

Unfortunately, the Outer Region city lords acted as if they hadn't heard him. Li Xianling was delighted. He hadn't expected the Outer Region and the Forbidden Zones to fall out. Otherwise, at least some of the Outer Region city lords would have joined the fight.

"Outer Region city lords, join the battle!" King Huai's voice drifted over calmly. At once, the Outer Region city lords released their auras, and those nearby began rushing over.

Li Xianling's expression changed dramatically. He hadn't expected King Huai to give the order at a time like this.