He Jinfan found himself in a difficult position, unable to back down.
The brief exchange of blows had left his back drenched in cold sweat. Now that they were actually fighting, it seemed that even in his near-death state, Zhulong wasn't going to die easily.
It looked like his meager skills were no match for the beast. He was at risk of exposing his true strength at any moment.
Should he run?
He Jinfan could certainly run; his greatest reliance in coming here in the first place was his ability to escape.
But the question was, what would he do after running?
Sinking Black had only just left, and he was going to slip away right after? What kind of man would that make him?
Would that black-armored god come to settle scores with him later? And would he even be able to run from someone of that caliber?
Besides, with so many people watching, did he not care about his reputation at all?
His face contorted with tension as He Jinfan cursed inwardly.
Damn it, if you're going to test me, at least make it reasonable! Sinking Black, couldn't you have stabbed him a couple more times before leaving?
No, the best solution right now was for everyone to attack together.
But if he asked for help now, how could he face anyone? He would rather die than suffer such embarrassment.
If he couldn't maintain the elite prestige of the Masked Hermit Society, they probably wouldn't accept him anyway, right?
Just then, He Jinfan's mind raced, and his posturing instincts suddenly kicked into overdrive. He let out a loud shout, "Wait, something's wrong!"
Jumping backward, he yelled, "There's a problem with the blood vessels!"
By his actions, it seemed as if his mind was entirely focused on the Evil God's blood vessels, and he simply couldn't be bothered to deal with Zhulong.
Zhulong whipped his heads around to look at him, both heads and all four eyes locking onto him instantly. In the next second, the massive body pounced forward, four arms swinging down furiously with a gust of foul wind.
He Jinfan's face went rigid, his mind completely blank. Just as he was about to grit his teeth and take the hit, a muffled explosion erupted beside his ear.
Boom!
Flames exploded in front of him as Aries Hong Jiu's granite-like body blocked the path.
Hong Jiu glanced sideways at him. "If you're needed over there, go ahead."
"We'll handle things here."
He Jinfan thought to himself that his savior had arrived. Nodding, he said, "Everyone, the organization has urgent matters to attend to. Be careful."
With that, he retreated swiftly, without a single moment of hesitation.
Meanwhile, seeing Hong Jiu make a move, Xiao Xinghan didn't idle either.
The ground ruptured as countless earthen spikes shot up from beneath Zhulong's feet, pinning his four legs in place.
At the same time, instead of retreating, Xiao Xinghan charged forward directly at Zhulong.
This man, who had been watching coldly from a distance like a long-range mage, had actually chosen close-quarters combat!
Boom! An earthy-yellow fist collided with Zhulong's giant palm, the resulting shockwave sending shattered rocks flying in all directions.
Zhulong lowered his two heads. Looking at these two, who were clearly much weaker than Sinking Black, he mocked in a raspy voice:
"Just... the two of you?"
Zhulong roared, his four arms thrashing wildly. Xiao Xinghan took two hard blows, and blood immediately began to seep from the corner of his mouth.
Hong Jiu abandoned all defense, throwing wild punches with both hands. Before long, his right arm hung at a bizarre angle, a broken bone protruding from his elbow.
Yet he didn't even glance at his arm. Grabbing his wrist with his left hand, he gave it a violent twist, snapping the bone back into place with a loud crack!
"Keep going!"
In the midst of the brutal melee, half of Xiao Xinghan's shoulder armor was shattered, his flesh torn open to reveal the white bone beneath.
But he showed no reaction, maintaining a near-chilling focus.
These two Rangers fought as if their own lives meant absolutely nothing to them.
“Hehehehe...” Suddenly, Zhulong laughed.
The laughter was raspy and grating, as if his vocal cords had dried up completely.
"Are you... looking for death?"
Xiao Xinghan's expression didn't change in the slightest. He said calmly, "Thank you for your help. You've provided us with our trial of life and death."
"Haha! I've been waiting for this day for a long time!" Hong Jiu threw his head back and laughed wildly as well.
There was no fear in his eyes, only a desperate, back-to-the-wall frenzy.
At their level, the only thing standing between them and the Prophet Rank was this trial of life and death. They needed a battle on the brink of death to sublimate their power.
Had Zhulong been in his peak state—the one Sinking Black had faced—they probably would have been stomped to death instantly. There would have been no talk of passing any trial.
But the current Zhulong was just right for them!
There was no need to wait for a better opportunity. Today was the day! They had long been prepared!
They would either walk the line between life and death, passing their trial to touch the threshold of the Prophet Rank,
or they would die right here!
There were no cowards like Tian Guannan in the Rangers. If you feared death, you shouldn't be a Scavenger. How could they pass up a chance to become a Prophet?
In the next second, a bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down.
Xie Jin transformed into a streak of silver lightning, descending from the sky to plant a heavy kick on the agonizing head on Zhulong's shoulder.
Zhulong had been distracted, and this strike immediately brought a look of agony to both of his faces.
"You Rangers aren't bad," Xie Jin said with a grin, looking at Hong Jiu and Xiao Xinghan.
"I haven't reached my trial of life and death yet, but..."
"Count me in!"
Forming a three-pronged formation, the three launched a coordinated assault on Zhulong.
Flames, earth, and lightning—three violent forces crashed into Zhulong simultaneously.
They did not fear death, and Zhulong, knowing he was doomed, had no intention of backing down either.
They roared as they clashed. Rocks flew, and blood mingled with electrical sparks, culminating in a life-and-death battle where no one gave an inch.
While the three fought Zhulong, Dahei wasn't idle either.
The iron-grey mechanical hound darted back and forth beneath Zhulong's feet, occasionally lunging forward to clamp its sharp teeth onto his ankles and thrash wildly.
It added a touch of comedy to this otherwise brutal, life-and-death struggle.
...
Meanwhile, the brutality wasn't limited to the high-level battlefield.
The tide of aberrations had grown active again, beginning to charge once more toward the scattered crowd.
Because the crowd had already begun to evacuate earlier, they were unable to regroup and remained highly dispersed.
This made the situation even more chaotic than before.
Wan Qianhong knelt on one knee. She had now realized a harsh reality.
The leftovers Sinking Black had so casually tossed aside was a life-and-death struggle for the rest of them!
She watched helplessly as panicked students, cornered by the aberrations, pulled syringes from their coats.
Then, they violently plunged the needles into their own necks!
"Don't... don't inject that!" Wan Qianhong stared, utterly dumbfounded.
This was something developed by the enemy, and they actually dared to use it?
But the students had no other choice. If they didn't use it now, they would likely die immediately. Who could care about the consequences at a time like this?
Wan Qianhong felt her vision swim. She was likely the one who had expended the most energy in this battle so far, having used her Word Soul to help everyone resist the frenzy of their blood and hearts.
Without her, the lower-ranking Scavengers would have been dead long ago.
Just then, Zhulong's laughter echoed from behind.
"Hahaha! Why not use the medicine? It's good stuff!"
"Perfect! Let everyone experience its true effects! Hehe... there's enough for everyone!"
Rate on N.U.
