Chapter 86

As the scroll of rapid hand speed was torn open, countless mysterious runes appeared, converging on Niu Geng's hands. Niu Geng could feel a warm, mysterious power, and his hand movements became even more rapid.

Originally, the technique of scattering flowers like celestial maidens allowed Niu Geng to launch hidden weapons at an extremely fast speed. With the scroll of rapid hand speed, his attack speed increased by 250%. As Niu Geng's hands moved, they left trails of afterimages, and the dense hidden weapons shot out like a torrential rain...

Blood splattered, and screams echoed. The hungry wolves that had climbed to the top of the mountain and surrounded Niu Geng and his companions were actually suppressed and pushed back. For every one wolf that climbed up, two wolves fell down. The dense wolf pack fell like grass being cut, corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed like a river. With a 250% increase in attack speed, Niu Geng's density of hidden weapons was faster than three of himself combined.

"Amazing... so strong..." Watching Niu Geng's hands turn into a blur, the dense hidden weapons, and the wolves falling in droves, Zixiang's eyes widened, and she drew a sharp breath.

Although Niu Geng's cultivation was only at the seventh level of the Qi Cultivation stage, at this moment, he had transformed into a killing machine. The attack speed and killing ability were so overwhelming that even Zixiang was deeply shocked. Standing behind Niu Geng, Zixiang realized for the first time that Niu Geng's back seemed broader than she had ever imagined. She had never thought that this honest and almost foolish Niu Geng could possess such power.

The scroll of rapid hand speed could only last for a mere half minute. Although during this half minute, Niu Geng slaughtered over a thousand hungry wolves, once the half minute was over, his speed slowed down. More seriously, after the half-minute burst, the limited supply of hidden weapons he had was completely depleted.

Without Niu Geng's hidden weapons, how many wolves could Zixiang kill with just her short knife? Watching the wolf pack, which had just been repelled, climb up again fearlessly, Niu Geng and Zixiang exchanged a glance, both at a loss. After holding out for so long, the two of them had been drained of their poisons by these hungry wolves, and now they were truly out of options.

"I never thought I, Zixiang, would end up dying with you, such a simple and honest big guy," Zixiang shook her head, her tone filled with sighs.

Niu Geng remained silent, just looking down at his palms, closing his eyes, and sighing lightly. He never thought he would die here. Thinking of the Tang Sect in Sichuan, he had wanted to return, but now he was left with endless regret...

Whoosh!!

A brilliant arrow suddenly appeared, directly piercing the ground in front of Niu Geng and Zixiang. The light of this arrow seemed to outshine the sun and moon, and a path of blood and flesh appeared through the dense wolf pack. On the other end, Zhuge Xiang put away his Hundred-Refined Bow...

Hua Nongying's Ghostly Steps were like a phantom, her short knife reaping one wolf after another. Lu Yuling sat on a bear-shaped mechanical puppet, charging forward recklessly, her Long Spear of Frenzy vibrating and creating an impenetrable barrier. The four of them, moving at full speed, quickly arrived in front of Zixiang and Niu Geng.

"Really... you made it back?" Seeing Zhuge Xiang and the others, covered in blood as if they had emerged from a pool of blood, Zixiang was speechless. Niu Geng had been right; Zhuge Xiang and the others had indeed come, charging through the thousands of wolves without hesitation.

The expected rush of wolves did not come. Niu Geng opened his eyes and saw Zhuge Xiang standing in front of him, apologizing, "Sorry, there was an incident at the altar, so we were late."

"Haha, it's good you made it," at the critical moment, Zhuge Xiang finally arrived. A sense of relief after surviving a crisis made Niu Geng laugh out loud.

Lu Yuling's footsteps were light and agile, her movements like a celestial horse, leaving no trace. Niu Geng sat on the bear-shaped puppet, and after they were picked up, Zhuge Xiang and the others charged down the mountain...

Zhuge Xiang's piercing arrow, enhanced by the effect of arrow intent, was unstoppable. Even a two-star lower-grade demon wolf would be directly pierced, let alone the ordinary hungry wolves and mutant demon wolves. With the effect of the piercing arrow clearing the way, the bear-shaped puppet's reckless charge, and the timely use of Zhang Kuang's Poison Dragon Drill, the group quickly descended the mountain and sped away...

After half an hour of fleeing, the ordinary wolf pack had been left behind. Without demonic aura, ordinary wolves could not sustain such a pursuit. However, several hundred demon wolves were still chasing them relentlessly.

Ahead, the demon beasts of the three major clans were in turmoil, and behind, hundreds of demon wolves were in hot pursuit. Zhuge Xiang and the others decided to use the same tactic, crossing the river by the waterway, without entering the forest.

However, a figure emerged from the forest, seemingly casual, as if taking a leisurely stroll, but surprisingly fast, reaching Zhuge Xiang and the others in an instant.

"Shrinking the Earth to an Inch, a step technique only available at the fourth level of the Martial Arts Pavilion," Lu Yuling's eyes flickered slightly as she whispered.

The fourth level of the Martial Arts Pavilion? That was a level only accessible to disciples at the Sky-Cleaving stage. This figure was actually at the Sky-Cleaving stage? An inner core disciple?

"Are you Zhuge Xiang's group?" The man, who had arrived as if taking a leisurely stroll, spoke calmly, but his tone gave a sense of superiority.

Looking at the man, his magical equipment gleamed, a long sword on his back, not yet unsheathed, but the cold sword qi and the thick qi force were already overwhelming, giving a sense of being under a mountain's pressure, making it hard to breathe. He was about twenty years old, with a face that bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Dugu Ming. Having passed through the forest, he must have encountered the demon beasts of the three major clans, yet not even the hem of his clothes was wrinkled.

"So what if we are?" Seeing the man's appearance, his identity was clear. Zhuge Xiang stepped forward and answered, while Zhang Kuang and the others focused their minds, ready to act at any moment.

At this moment, the demon wolves had caught up. Although most were one-star, quantity could lead to quality.

With a metallic sound, no one saw how Dugu Jue unsheathed his sword. A brilliant sword light flashed, followed by nine sharp sword qi beams shooting out. The cold sword qi seemed to cut through the eyes.

Amidst the screams, the nine sharp sword qi beams cut nine cracks about a hundred meters long on the ground. Over a hundred demon wolves rushing forward were all cut in half by these nine sword qi beams. In one strike, over a hundred demon wolves were killed. The power of a Sky-Cleaving stage inner core disciple was truly terrifying.

Sky-Cleaving stage! This was the fourth stage of Qi Cultivation, where the tendons and meridians were fully connected, and qi force could be released externally, capable of killing targets from a distance. Despite the ferocity of the demon wolves, one strike killed over a hundred, and the remaining wolves hesitated, not daring to advance.

Killing over a hundred demon wolves in one strike seemed like a casual matter to him. Dugu Jue didn't even look at the wolves that dared not advance, turning to Zhuge Xiang and saying calmly, "Dugu Ming was with you. Why did he die, but you didn't? You should die too."

Was Dugu Ming killed by them? He didn't ask. In Dugu Jue's view, Dugu Ming was dead, and they were still alive, which was unacceptable. Even if Dugu Ming wasn't killed by them, they should still die. As for the cause of Dugu Ming's death? Keeping a live captive, there would always be a way to find out.

The brilliant sword qi appeared again, pointing directly at Zhuge Xiang. The sharp sword qi seemed unstoppable, giving a sense of invincibility.

Sky-Cleaving stage versus Body Tempering stage, a difference of two full stages, was like the difference between heaven and earth. Dugu Jue's attack was too fast, and Zhuge Xiang didn't even have time to draw his blocking blade, being directly struck by the sword qi and thrown into the wolf pack.

"Zhuge Xiang!!!" Seeing Zhuge Xiang struck by the sword qi, Niu Geng was shocked and called out in alarm. The others' faces were also extremely grave. With the power of the Sky-Cleaving stage, even if Zhuge Xiang was strong, he was surely dead.

"No need to call out, I'll send you to join him," with the sword in hand, Dugu Jue said calmly. With only Body Tempering stage cultivation, Dugu Jue didn't believe Zhuge Xiang could survive, and there was no need to confirm.

Was Zhuge Xiang dead? Indeed, with only Body Tempering stage cultivation, how could he withstand a strike from a Sky-Cleaving stage expert? He didn't even have time to draw his blocking blade. However, Dugu Jue clearly didn't expect that Zhuge Xiang would have a powerful magical item, even though it was only a two-star item.

Substitute Cloak (Two-star Magical Item): Defense 10-13, Unique Active: Can completely transfer any attack to the cloak. After use, the cloak is destroyed. Durability 10/26, Weight 4.

The Substitute Cloak's defense wasn't high, but its effect was very powerful. The damage from the sword qi, which threw him into the wolf pack, was completely transferred to the cloak. The cloak turned into fragments and was destroyed, but fortunately, Zhuge Xiang was unharmed.

Surrounded by the wolf pack, Zhuge Xiang was clear-headed. Although he had survived this strike by chance, facing the power of the Sky-Cleaving stage, he still had no chance of turning the tide. The Phantom Body Scroll might save his life, but Niu Geng, Lu Yuling, and Zhang Kuang would all be killed.

What to do? The power gap of the Sky-Cleaving stage was so great that even the most ingenious battle plan would be ineffective.

"It seems I have no choice but to take a gamble..." The more dangerous the situation, the calmer Zhuge Xiang became. Landing on the ground, he didn't wait for the surrounding wolf pack to attack. He already had a plan in mind.