Chapter 77

Lu Yuling's mechanical puppet drew everyone's attention. On all fours, this bear-shaped mechanical puppet ran at an incredibly fast speed. Its massive size and the tremendous impact force it generated sent two disciples of the Body Tempering Realm flying. The mechanical puppet, made of refined steel, was incredibly durable. When it stood on its hind legs, the sharp claws on its bear paws were like sharp daggers, slicing through the air with a tearing sound.

In terms of overall combat power, this bear-shaped mechanical puppet, whether in terms of attack or defense, was comparable to a cultivator at the fourth or fifth layer of the Body Tempering Realm. With Lu Yuling's Clear Wave Palm assisting, it was like a fish in water. Although several Body Tempering Realm disciples targeted her, in her state of mental clarity, Lu Yuling's Lingbo Microstep allowed her to easily dodge. Additionally, she could use the mechanical puppet as a shield in critical moments, making the situation manageable despite the danger.

Hua Nongying moved like a ghost, her figure appearing and disappearing. Although she had not yet reached the Body Tempering Realm, with the Ghost Shadow Step, she could easily protect herself. Moreover, she often appeared at critical moments to harass opponents, forcing the eleven disciples to divert part of their attention to guard against her potential attacks.

Hua Nongying had fully grasped the essence of an assassin. On the battlefield, the primary role of an assassin is to create a sense of intimidation.

Niu Geng's hands trembled continuously, and various暗器 (dark weapons) were launched from his hands: Heart-seeking nails, willow leaf knives, flying needles, and throwing arrows. Some of these dark weapons flew in straight lines at high speed, while others followed curved trajectories. The technique of scattering them like celestial maidens was aimed at quantity and precision. Combined with the Five Poison Palm, these flying weapons carried toxins, making them even more dangerous and leaving no room for relaxation.

Niu Geng's poisoned dark weapons and Hua Nongying's ambush tactics reduced the eleven Body Tempering Realm disciples' combat effectiveness to about seventy percent.

"Kill!!!", Zhang Kuang, with his red hair flying, wielded his long spear, facing the strongest disciple, who was at the fourth layer of the Body Tempering Realm. Although this disciple was slightly stronger than Zhang Kuang, Zhang Kuang's fierce combat awareness, combined with Niu Geng's harassment and Hua Nongying's threats, allowed him to suppress his opponent with his fierce and aggressive attacks.

Zi Xiang's attacks were methodical, but she was still at the Body Tempering Realm, and with most of her body covered in magical equipment, she could easily entangle one or two Body Tempering Realm disciples. In particular, when they were caught off guard, some disciples were cut by her short knives, and their blood turned black, prompting cries of "poisoned."

If one were to ask who performed the best among the group, it would undoubtedly be Zhuge Xiang. With the Body Guarding Qi and the Bloodlust Technique, Zhuge Xiang took two Qi Recovery Pills and swallowed them. His offensive sword, like a tiger among sheep, had nearly a thousand points of terrifying defense, leaving his opponents feeling hopeless.

What kind of battle is the most satisfying? One where you don't have to worry about defense and can focus solely on attacking. Clearly, this was the case for Zhuge Xiang. With the Bloodlust Technique, all his attributes were increased by 75%, and he became a terrifying blood-colored shadow. His offensive sword continuously swung, and with the deceptive nature of the Ghost Flash, seven disciples at the first and second layers of the Body Tempering Realm were quickly defeated, either dead or injured.

With over a dozen Body Tempering Realm disciples and the betrayal of Dugu Ming, the numerical disparity was significant. It wasn't that these Body Tempering Realm disciples were weak, but rather that Zhuge Xiang and his team were too formidable. The battle had barely lasted half a minute, and most of the disciples were already down, leaving only five to struggle on.

Zhuge Xiang's fierce and terrifying attacks completely broke the will of these five remaining disciples, who began to think of retreating.

"Want to run? Can you escape?" Sensing that these five disciples were retreating and looking around for an escape route, Zhuge Xiang's eyes turned cold.

"Run! Everyone, scatter and run!" The leading disciple, exerting all his strength, pushed back Zhang Kuang and shouted. The five disciples, who had already lost their will to fight, immediately scattered in all directions.

"Run? Such a cowardly opponent! I can't accept it!" Seeing his opponent turn and flee, Zhang Kuang's red hair flew as he roared in anger. With his long spear in hand, he twisted his waist, and the spear spun at high speed, shooting out like a powerful arrow. Martial Skill — Poison Dragon Drill!

In a desperate move, he threw his long spear, which for a cultivator was clearly a last resort. However, this all-or-nothing momentum made the attack even more terrifying. The high-speed spinning spear pierced through the opponent's three-star protective leather armor and pinned him to the ground, killing him.

Rushing, the bear-shaped puppet, on all fours, ran at high speed. Standing four meters tall, the puppet, made of refined steel and weighing thousands of pounds, caused the ground to tremble as it ran. One of the disciples at the third layer of the Body Tempering Realm felt a shadow overhead, looked up, and was horrified. In a panic, he was crushed by the leaping puppet, which broke his bones.

"Stun Strike!" A figure flashed, and Hua Nongying suddenly appeared behind another disciple. She thrust her short knife, aiming for the back of his head. Strangely, she used the hilt rather than the blade.

Stun Strike was the second martial skill Hua Nongying had chosen from the Martial Arts Pavilion. Like Blood Thunder Slash, it had only one move but was quite effective. Hitting the opponent's head with the hilt caused a short-term dizziness. Since her attack was not strong enough to break through the opponent's defense, Hua Nongying chose Stun Strike to prevent the opponent from escaping.

As Hua Nongying stunned the opponent, Zi Xiang rushed over. With her short knife, she transformed into a brilliant blade of light and stabbed directly into the opponent's eye. Although Body Tempering Realm cultivators had strong physical defenses, their eyes were a weak point. Hitting them in a dazed state was much easier, and the short knife pierced the eye, entering the brain.

Burst Step!!!

Three of the five fleeing disciples were killed, and Zhuge Xiang used Burst Step to instantly appear behind another disciple. With his offensive sword, he activated Blood Thunder Slash. Despite the third-layer Body Tempering Realm disciple's strong physical defense, the combination of Blood Thunder Slash and the Bloodlust Technique allowed Zhuge Xiang to split the opponent in half.

With the offensive sword planted in the ground, Zhuge Xiang watched the last disciple, who had run far away. He took out his Hundred Refinements Bow again. The Bloodlust Technique, combined with the Piercing Arrow's ability to ignore defenses, instantly pierced the last disciple's chest.

Thus, the twelve Body Tempering Realm disciples, along with Dugu Ming's betrayal, were all defeated by Zhuge Xiang and his team, with only Hua Nongying and the others sustaining minor injuries.

Zhuge Xiang was very satisfied with the outcome of this battle. Lu Yuling's mechanical puppet, Zhang Kuang's Poison Dragon Drill, Hua Nongying's Ghost Shadow Step and Stun Strike were all very powerful, making Zhuge Xiang's eyes light up. It seemed that not only had he hidden his true strength, but they had also done the same. If he had known their strength was this high, they could have saved time and acted directly.

"Ha ha, what a great fight!" Zhang Kuang pulled his long spear back and laughed loudly.

After deactivating the Bloodlust Technique, a feeling of weakness washed over him, and a system prompt sounded in Zhuge Xiang's mind: "Ding, entered a weakened state, all attributes decreased by 50%, lasting 1 day."

"Alright, Hua Nongying, go and strip these guys of their belongings." Although the Bloodlust Technique was powerful, the weakened state left Zhuge Xiang helpless. He instructed Hua Nongying to collect the spoils of war. Zhuge Xiang and the others then approached Dugu Ming.

Dugu Ming's face was lifeless, and his blood had turned black. Although he had not yet died from the poison, it was clear he was beyond saving.

"Now, can you tell me why you did this?" Zhuge Xiang asked Dugu Ming seriously.

"Do you want to kill me? My brother is a core disciple of the Inner Gate. When we gathered at the gate, many people saw me leave with you. If I die, you will face my brother's wrath. Today, I, Dugu Ming, admit defeat. If you let me go, I will pretend nothing happened, okay?" Dugu Ming said, trying to remain calm.

A core disciple of the Inner Gate had at least the power of the Air Splitting Realm, far beyond what Zhuge Xiang and his team could handle. However, Zhuge Xiang did not show any signs of compromise. Shaking his head, he said, "You don't need to waste your breath. Say your last words quickly. We don't have the antidote for this mixed poison, and we can't save you."

"You... you will all die a terrible death!" Zhuge Xiang's words extinguished Dugu Ming's last hope of survival. His eyes filled with endless resentment, and he glared at Zhuge Xiang. "Especially you, Zhuge Xiang, you are doomed. The Ghost Flash requires a Yin Spirit Jade to cultivate successfully. You have already mastered it, and the news of your possession of the Yin Spirit Jade will spread. That is not a treasure you are qualified to possess. I will wait for you in the underworld, ha ha..."

His resentful gaze fixed on Zhuge Xiang, Dugu Ming died from the poison.

"Zhuge Xiang, the items are all collected," Hua Nongying said, approaching Zhuge Xiang and the others. She held twelve storage rings and dozens of pieces of magical equipment taken from the disciples, piled together.

"Ha ha, let's divide the spoils," Zhuge Xiang said, seemingly unconcerned about the threat from the Inner Gate disciple, Dugu Jue. He laughed loudly at the spoils of the battle.

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End of the chapter.