In the ruins.
Zhao Zonghan pushed away the white python pinning him down and staggered to his feet.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he glared through gritted teeth at the crazy woman hovering in midair with a greatsword resting on her shoulder.
He truly hadn't expected this woman to be so utterly unreasonable, skipping the trash-talk phase entirely to strike immediately.
Zhao Zonghan sneered,
“So what if we are?”
“Where else do you think our Beast-Taming Peak gets so many top-grade demon beasts every year?”
Gu Changqing's eyes widened.
They had always assumed that the spirit beasts of Beast-Taming Peak were either part of the peak's ancestral heritage or painstakingly captured by disciples while training abroad.
Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that they had actually made some kind of disgusting, under-the-table deal with the demon race!
Bristling with rage, Gu Changqing glared with eyes that looked ready to burst.
“You... you're actually trading mortals to the demon race!”
“You deserve to die!!!”
Just as swords were about to clash.
Gu Changqing felt a pat on his shoulder.
Then, the young girl's relaxed voice drifted from behind him:
“Senior Brother Gu, this is barely the tip of the iceberg.”
Jiang Ye walked forward with his greatsword on his shoulder, stopping abruptly.
He turned his head and grinned:
“I've seen people do far more monstrous things than this.”
Just look at Paradox gamers.
With that, Jiang Ye ignored the crowd.
He began his tedious routine of “pre-battle prep.”
Whipping out bottle after bottle of pills, Jiang Ye tilted his head back and poured them into his mouth like jellybeans.
【Qi-Replenishing Pills】, 【Berserk Pills】, 【Iron Bone Pills】... Whether they were useful or not, he stacked the buffs first.
Opposite him, Zhao Zonghan's eyelids twitched violently at Jiang Ye's bizarre behavior.
He suddenly recalled that scene from the secret realm.
He whipped his head around and roared at the two giant wolves:
“Go! Tear her to shreds! Don't let her finish!”
The two giant wolves cast a disdainful glance at Zhao Zonghan.
As high-level demon beasts of a Tier Five Bloodline, they were highly displeased at being ordered around by a human at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm.
Still, they also sensed the rapidly rising aura of the young girl.
Growling, the two giant wolves closed in from the left and right.
The suffocating pressure of Tier Three Mid Stage demon beasts washed over the area.
However,
ever since Bai Zhirou's Sword Heart had evolved into the 【Seven-Color Glazed Sword Heart】,
Jiang Ye had discovered a very convenient mechanic.
This pressure and all those random types of intent had absolutely no suppressing effect on this body.
Instead, they were absorbed by the Sword Heart.
It felt amazing.
Jiang Ye ignored their “barking.”
He pulled out a handful of talismans and slapped them onto his body like pain-relief patches.
【Giant Strength Talisman】, 【Vajra Talisman】, 【Divine Speed Talisman】...
Staring at Jiang Ye's increasingly absurd aura, the giant wolves' decent intelligence finally made them realize something was wrong.
They couldn't wait any longer!
“Roar!”
The two giant wolves roared simultaneously, transforming into streaks of white lightning as they lunged ferociously at Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye had no choice but to stop what he was doing.
He muttered in annoyance, “Dammit, the startup animation for this setup is way too long.”
In an instant!
The two giant wolves, comparable to the mid stage of the Golden Core Realm, had already reached him!
Their bloody, gaping maws, carrying a stench of blood, snapped toward his neck!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp, rapid sound of clashing metal echoed through the clearing once more!
Jiang Ye held the Meteorite Greatsword with one hand.
Swinging it left and right, he blocked every single pounce of the two Tier Three Mid Stage giant wolves with sheer force.
Sparks flew in all directions.
...
On the other side.
Zhao Zonghan had already led the Beast-Taming Peak disciples to block the path of the Sword Peak group.
His eyes were venomous, staring at Gu Changqing and the others as if they were already dead.
He mocked, “Gu Changqing, do you have any last words?”
The Sword Peak disciples looked at him with utter disgust, as if looking at garbage.
Gu Changqing unsheathed his sword, pointing it straight at Zhao Zonghan:
“I have nothing to say to a pack of beasts like you!”
“Today, we fight to the death!”
No sooner had he spoken!
The Sword Peak disciples took a step forward in unison!
Gu Changqing, Qi Linger, Chu Qianfeng, and Qin Zhiwei—the four Foundation Establishment True Disciples—unleashed their surging sword intent!
The Qi Condensation disciples in the rear also gripped their swords tightly, their eyes filled with grim determination.
Gu Changqing glared at the Beast-Taming Peak group, quickly transmitting his voice to Qin Zhiwei:
“Junior Sister Qin! Do not get bogged down in the fight later!”
“Find an opportunity to break out and head back to the sect for help!”
Qin Zhiwei's expression was grave.
She didn't spout any brainless clichés like “I'm not leaving, I want to die with you.”
Only by escaping to deliver the news could they make these monsters hesitate, and only by bringing reinforcements could they turn the tide!
She gripped her spatial ring tightly and nodded silently.
Just as the tension reached its peak.
An untimely voice rang out.
“Um...”
“Amitabha.”
“Might this poor monk ask, patrons, what exactly is going on here?”
The shirtless Monk Du'e, wearing nothing but his red underpants, blinked innocently from the side.
Gu Changqing shook his head and sighed:
“Master, this matter has nothing to do with you. Leave quickly...”
“Until our paths cross again! Farewell!”
Before Gu Changqing could even finish his sentence,
Monk Du'e's voice already drifted from afar as he practicedly cast a 【Golden Bell Shield】 over himself.
His feet stepped frantically on phantom lotuses as he transformed into a golden bowling ball, executing a brutal tackle toward the exit of the village.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The red-haired monsters blocking his path couldn't break his defense at all and were sent flying left and right.
The monk vanished in a flash.
Everyone: “...”
Faced with the monk's behavior,
the Sword Peak disciples weren't too surprised. They were just passing acquaintances; his coming to their rescue last night was already more than enough.
It was just that...
this guy ran way too fucking fast!
The Beast-Taming Peak group sneered as they watched the monk flee, having absolutely no intention of giving chase.
Just as the Sword Peak group pulled their thoughts back, preparing to fight to the death,
Thud, thud, thud...
in the distance,
the golden bald head came sprinting back, stepping on lotuses at an even faster speed than before.
Gu Changqing was full of questions:
“Master, why did you run back?”
With a swoosh, Monk Du'e ducked behind Gu Changqing.
He pressed his palms together, drenched in sweat, yet spoke with an air of righteous determination:
“Amitabha! A Buddhist disciple is compassionate at heart. How could I stand by and watch you die!”
“The Buddha said: Fear is the instinct of living things, but courage is the anthem of humanity!”
Hearing this,
the Sword Peak group looked at the monk. Though he wore nothing but underpants and looked incredibly disheveled, he possessed an upright countenance, looking as if he were ready to meet his end heroically.
A faint Buddhist glow seemed to emanate from behind his head, giving him the look of an eminent monk.
Deeply moved, everyone burst into laughter:
“The master is truly righteous! I am glad to see we are not alone on this path!”
“To walk alongside a fellow cultivator like you, this life has not been in vain!”
“Today, we shall fight these beasts to the bitter end!”
...
Just as the Sword Peak group was passionately firing themselves up,
Rumble...
heavy, thudding footsteps echoed from the direction the monk had just run back from,
kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Three massive grey wolves, radiating a terrifying demonic aura, charged out of the dust.
Three pairs of bloodthirsty eyes locked onto the crowd.
The Sword Peak group: “...”
They turned their heads in unison, staring speechlessly at the “righteous” bald monk.
Monk Du'e's expression stiffened.
Embarrassed, he scratched his bald head and chuckled dryly:
“Ha... haha... Well, isn't that a coincidence.”
“Who would have thought there'd be three more giant wolves...”
The Sword Peak disciples desperately wanted to kick him right now.
What was that about fear being an instinct and courage being an anthem of humanity?
To hell with your “anthem of courage”!
You were clearly chased back here! You're the one who has nothing left but “instinct”!!!