Page 184

Ten minutes doesn't sound like a long time.

The battles between Awakened have already been going on for quite some time.

Not to mention that this was a premeditated assassination specifically targeting Wen Jing.

During the three months Wen Jing spent in Azure Jade, with Dean Fu overseeing things, the other side did not take any action.

He only launched his attack when the exchange period with Azure Jade ended and he thought the other party had given up.

After all, if Wen Jing went to Mystic Radiance Star, the defense level would be on a completely different level, and Dean Bai would definitely be back by then.

Looking back now, the fake Lei Yuan who was fair in the professor's evaluation was more like testing Wen Jing's strength.

Since a large amount of intelligence resources and Shapeshifter were mobilized to achieve this goal, how could the crucial assassination phase not have been thoroughly prepared?

*

The instant he realized he had fallen into a trap, Wen Jing immediately prepared to teleport away.

For ordinary Awakened, entering the Ancient Wilderness at night is something they dare not do lightly, but for her, who is exploring the Chess Game World, it is no problem at all.

However, things obviously won't go that smoothly.

The next moment, Wen Jing felt a sensation similar to, yet not Ancient Wilderness Traversal Ancient Wilderness Traversal; the depth of the surrounding world had changed.

"... This is the Out-of-Control Zone!"

The space connected by the Door Handle turned out to be a Out-of-Control Zone Awakened.

If traversing the Ancient Wilderness is like actively throwing oneself into water, then falling into the Out-of-Control Zone is like being submerged by the surrounding water.

Both have one thing in common.

That means that in order to move from one pool to another, you must first 'get out of the water'.

Aside from the special passive travel that occurs during the alternation of day and night, Awakened in one Ancient Wilderness world cannot directly travel to another Ancient Wilderness world during normal day or night; they must return to the material universe to travel again.

The Out-of-Control Zone has the same effect; Awakened cannot directly enter the Ancient Wilderness within it.

However, the Out-of-Control Zone has a definite spatial range; once you leave that range, it becomes part of the normal material universe.

But clearly, the enemy wouldn't give her that chance.

Since it was an assassination, the goal was to create conditions that would prevent Wen Jing from traversing the Ancient Wilderness, especially considering her experience of returning two days late.

"Whoosh!"

The Wen Jing appeared in this Out-of-Control Zone, the long-awaited attack found its target.

This is a desolate place filled with gray mist and whose ground is covered with dark red cracks of flesh and blood.

Countless sharp spikes, gleaming with a cold metallic light, surged towards Wen Jing's position like a tidal wave, completely covering all angles from which he could dodge.

"Sizzle--"

The Prism Shield had just been erected when it collided with the nearest metal spike, producing a screeching sound.

The metal spike collided with Wen Jing's Prism Shield, which was currently being upgraded to the Perfect level, and a stalemate was formed. Even though the sharpest part was worn down, its kinetic energy remained undiminished.

Just one of them possessed the power of the seventh or eighth Crescent Slash during the assessment.

But the Crescent Slash is a single strike, and these spikes number in the thousands!

Holding up the shield, Wen Jing now looked like a porcupine ball, constantly on the verge of breaking.

While she was shocked by the assassin's strength, little did she know that the Awakened unleashed the attack was even more shocked than she was.

"It actually blocked it!"

The Awakened control metal are of medium height, with unusual skin that gleams with a faint silver metallic sheen.

"Otherwise, why would they send the two of us? This is the champion of the Federation Freshman League, Bai Xiao's only student."

Another voice rang out, Shapeshifter suddenly appeared in the sky.

His face, which had been half-dissolved, quickly recovered, no longer disguised as Lei Yuan, and became another unfamiliar face.

With the appearance of the Shapeshifter, Wen Jing's keen sense of gravity detected that space was being cut apart by a supernatural force, extending like a chain across the entire surrounding area.

Let's finish this quickly.

The arrival of the Shapeshifter's foot added another layer of control—spatial lockdown.

If one were to use abilities like Phase Jump directly here, they would be blocked by these invisible 'chains' and would be unable to succeed.

More importantly, without breaking through this blockade, it is impossible to leave the out -Out-of-Control Zone.

The next moment, the Awakened controlled the metal roared, and energy erupted, causing the spikes that attacked Wen Jing to spin in place, transforming into a whirlwind composed of countless extraordinary metal spikes.

Wen Jing's Prism Shield transformed into a sixteen-sided shape, barely managing to hold on for a moment.

Just as the shield was about to give way, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and Frost Vein Silk were released into the whirlwind.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

The metal spikes in the whirlwind froze rapidly in the extreme cold, solidifying into a tunnel-like icicle that extinguished the Metal Frenzy.

The Shapeshifter's eyes lit up at the sight, and he used it.

If the intention was to assassinate Wen Jing, how could there not have been an investigation into her?

Her known invisibility abilities were easy to counter; a spatial blockade left her nowhere to hide. What the assassins were concerned about were the ice-based abilities she later displayed in Azure Jade, and the possible unknown Wilderness Weapon abilities she might possess.

Just as Wen Jing was about to emerge from the icicle.

Suddenly, the shadow behind her moved as if it were alive.

A slender, winding figure appeared silently, its two long fangs, gleaming with a purple light, resembling two daggers, moving with extreme speed, aiming straight for Wen Jing's vitals.

From this angle, it was simply unavoidable.

That's right, the assassination was carried out by not just two Awakened, but a total of three! One B-rank and two C-ranks, all of whom were fully Awakened.

When the Shapeshifter arrived earlier, they deliberately said there were only two of them, specifically to lull Wen Jing into a false sense of security.

In fact, besides the Shapeshifter controls space and the metal manipulator who delivers heavy blows, there is also an assassin skilled in stealth and poison!

The goal is to ensure victory and prevent any mishaps.

At this critical moment, Wen Jing's figure suddenly changed course, defying the laws of physics, and was propelled diagonally upwards.

"Puff puff puff!"

As the metal spikes grazed her feet, she also avoided being fatally struck in the back by the long fangs.

However, the long tooth still grazed past Wen Jing's side.

A C-level Awakened, skilled in toxins, can exert their venom without needing to be injected into muscles or blood; mere contact with the molecules is enough for it to take effect.

Wen Jing let out a muffled groan, his movements visibly faltering. As he passed through the ice pillar, his body swayed uncontrollably, and his breathing became erratic.

In the short span of a breath, cold sweat was already streaming down his forehead.

She gritted her teeth, but couldn't help but show a look of despair on her face.

"It's over."

The assassin flashed and gave chase again.

Seeing this, the metal manipulator quickly controlled some of the metal fragments capable of breaking the ice to attack.

Wen Jing's teacher is Bai Xiao, and there has been much speculation that she would definitely leave behind Wilderness Weapon artifact for her only student.

She didn't use it during the battle, so this Wilderness Weapon is likely a support type, or perhaps ice-based abilities are Wilderness Weapon effects.

This is quite normal. Just like the Door Handle of Shapeshifter, it's a kind of auxiliary Wilderness Weapon without any offensive function, but it's very useful for both assassination and escaping.

Knowing this, the two naturally wanted to take the opportunity to seize the Wilderness Weapon.

Only the Shapeshifter was the most cautious, compressing the spatial chains not only to help his two teammates maintain the best siege formation, but also to guard against any other tricks Wen Jing might have up his sleeve.

The assassin, being closest, struck first.

She was very confident in the strength of her toxin; it was a multi-biological toxin that could dissolve flesh and blood of Awakened of her level with just a touch. Even if Wen Jing had some kind of Wilderness Weapon at this moment, he wouldn't be able to activate it.

However, at that moment, Wen Jing, who had been looking utterly desperate, suddenly lost his expression.

Her eyes were completely filled with black, leaving only a cold, icy light; all the previous signs of poisoning had vanished.

The assassin felt as if she had been doused with cold water. Realizing something was wrong, she immediately tried to use her ability to slip into the shadows— the Shapeshifter's spatial blockade only targeted Wen Jing; for her teammates, it would actually provide support.

But it was too late.

The next moment, blue Frost Vein Silk spread out from the surroundings and underfoot.

Just as the assassin's fangs had just touched Wen Jing, Frost Vein Silk now brushed past the assassin's feet.

"Click..."

Before he could even use his teleportation and defensive techniques, the assassin was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture by the extreme cold.

During the battle between Azure Jade and Zou Jie, Wen Jing used ordinary Frost Vein Silk and was careful to hold back. But at this moment, she wouldn't hold back.

Wen Jing's poison resistance was honed on the giant tree, and he later acquired the ability to store toxins.

Even if she encounters a toxin she cannot currently withstand, she can use her special ability to store it directly without affecting her actions.

Everything that just happened was merely to lull the enemy into a false sense of security and create an opportunity for a close-range counterattack.

Even before the Shapeshifter appeared, she had silently put on her Tactical Glasses and seen that, in addition to the frontal attacker with the modifier [Metal Frenzy], there was also an assassin with the modifiers [Shadow Traversal]/[Dissolving Poison].

To be precise, once Wen Jing realized that he was in Out-of-Control Zone and unable to travel to the Ancient Wilderness, he no longer considered using escape as a way to deal with the assassination attempt.

Trying to escape will only lead to death.

To survive, you must find a way to fight back!

"Bang!"

The frozen assassin was shattered by Wen Jing's attack, scattering into bloody powder.

The other two were still reeling from the shocking turn of events.

Wen Jing's figure emerged from the scattered dust, heading towards the metal controller who had just arrived.

The situation reversed instantly.