Chapter 53

Jining held a Northern Mystic Sword in each hand and walked directly down the center of this ancient corridor. Suddenly, dark green seeds appeared simultaneously a few hundred feet ahead and behind him. There were four seeds in front and five behind. These nine seeds appeared along with nine sets of armor and weapons. The armor was uniformly black, and the weapons were identical, long staffs made of a material resembling rock.

Nine seeds, nine sets of armor and weapons.

"Whoosh~" The dark green seeds instantly turned into liquid and flowed into the armor, transforming into a giant with dark green skin. This giant was about ten feet tall, with a pair of sharp horns on his forehead, an ugly face, and a pair of fangs. He wore the armor and picked up the staff, which was also over ten feet long.

The nine ugly giants looked at each other, their eyes filled with savagery and excitement.

"It's been a long time, we're finally out again!"

"This time, we're dealing with this human youth. Such a tender human, I could crush him with one hand. With all nine of us together, and with divine armor and divine weapons, hahaha, it's too easy."

"Set up the formation first."

The nine ugly giants began to speak in a foreign language, which Jining couldn't understand, but his face changed because he realized these giants, formed from seeds, were intelligent and could communicate with each other!

Dense fog rose from both ends of the corridor.

"Human, prepare to die." The nine ugly giants roared, and the ancient armor they wore emitted a dazzling black light, which quickly intertwined, forming a huge centipede illusion in the air.

Jining was shocked: "Divine Soldier Armor?"

Divine Soldiers were a common type of soldier in the Great Xia Dynasty. The strongest soldiers of the Ji Clan, the 'Red Armor Guards,' were the lowest level of Divine Soldiers. Each Divine Soldier's armor was covered in numerous runes, allowing them to combine their strength, attack, and defense as one.

The Red Armor Guards of the Ji Clan, when combined, could even match a powerful innate spirit in the early stage. And the Ji Clan had a total of fifty thousand Red Armor Guards!

This was the true foundation of the Ji Clan.

Ordinary actions were carried out by the Black Armor Guards, while the Red Armor Guards were only dispatched after a unified decision by the five mansions of the Ji Clan, involving major events concerning the entire clan.

"Divine Soldier Armor is supposed to be used by innate spirits, and it should be covered in numerous runes, which can be seen at a glance." Jining stared, "But the Divine Soldier Armor worn by these nine foreign giants has no runes on the surface, and each of them is no weaker than an innate spirit."

"This is going to be troublesome." Jining held his breath.

Divine Soldier Armor for innate spirits was something the six major powers on Yan Mountain could never obtain. Jining had never even heard of it; it was probably only in the Great Xia Dynasty's army!

"Kill!" The nine ugly giants, each holding a thick stone staff, roared and charged at Jining from both sides, with a huge centipede illusion hovering above them.

Jining immediately transformed into a hazy mist and swiftly moved toward one side, where there were only four foreign ugly giants, and they were several yards apart, charging forward with their massive stone staffs.

"Die!" One of the ugly giants swung his massive stone staff high with both hands.

"Come on." Jining also unleashed his full strength, infusing the Northern Mystic Sword with divine power, and clashed with the giant head-on to test the strength of these ugly creatures.

Bang!

A staff as thick as a human thigh and about ten feet long swept through the air, striking Jining's Northern Mystic Sword. Jining was immediately sent flying backward. The foreign giant took a step back and roared in his native language: "This human has great strength, but it's still not as strong as me, let alone all nine of us together."

Although Jining only clashed with one, due to the Divine Soldier Armor... that strike was actually the combined strength of the nine foreign giants.

In the air, Jining felt numb all over, with his right hand's tiger's mouth torn, and the Northern Mystic Sword almost slipping from his grasp.

"Can't clash head-on!" In the air, Jining did a somersault, and his divine physique allowed him to recover quickly. He stepped on the corridor wall, like a large bird, and darted out, quickly passing the four charging foreign ugly giants.

"Don't run!"

"Running is no skill."

"Humans only run."

The nine foreign giants roared with their fanged mouths, realizing that this human was faster than they were.

Jining pointed remotely: "Water and Fire Lotus!"

Swish, swish, swish~~

Each pair of Water and Fire Lotus consisted of a water lotus leaf and a fire lotus leaf. Six pairs of Water and Fire Lotus appeared out of nowhere, completely enveloping the nine ugly giants. The lotus leaves slowly rotated in opposite directions, creating a terrifying crushing force.

"Such a powerful human." The nine ugly giants stopped and looked at each other, "Without this divine armor, we would have been injured."

Jining saw the nine ugly giants stop and chatter to each other, but his Water and Fire Lotus, which had always been effective, failed to harm them at all.

"Indeed, it's no use." Jining was startled. When dealing with Tumu Zhan, Tumu Zhan could withstand for a long time with the help of an array and a Vajra talisman. Jining realized that his Water and Fire Lotus was not invincible, "I created this Water and Fire Lotus to protect myself, and it is indeed weaker in terms of attack."

...

The nine foreign giants, holding their stone staffs, charged over again.

"Lotus for protection." Three water lotus leaves and three fire lotus leaves appeared around Jining, circling him. When the nine foreign giants charged in, the rotation of the Water and Fire Lotus affected their movements, preventing them from attacking Jining together.

Jining, holding the Northern Mystic Sword, focused on one target.

"Die."

The sword light was like fire, incredibly fast. He used the killing move 'Electric Spark' from the 'Thunderfire Sword Technique.'

Swish, swish, swish!

Sword light rained down on the giant, who roared and swung his heavy stone staff. Jining, having been sent flying and numbed by the last clash, now dared not clash head-on, relying instead on more intricate sword techniques to torment the giant.

The armor only protected most of the body, leaving the head and other areas exposed.

Jining aimed his sword at the giant's head with each strike!

However, each strike was hindered by the dense black light, and even when he managed to break through, he could only leave a scratch on the giant's face, which quickly healed, leaving no damage.

"Kill, kill, kill." Jining fought desperately.

"I want to live, so I must kill you!" Jining exerted all his strength, even pouring innate true essence into the Northern Mystic Sword, but he could only inflict minor flesh wounds, which had no significant impact on the giants' strength.

They fought for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Due to continuously controlling the Water and Fire Lotus and fighting fiercely, Jining's divine power was rapidly depleted.

"Their strength hasn't decreased at all, and I can't even seriously injure one of them." Jining noticed his divine power was less than half, and he dared not clash head-on anymore, quickly dodging out of the encirclement.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Jining used the Wind Wing Escape Technique, darting left and right, evading the pursuit of the foreign giants.

"Human, stop running."

"You can't escape."

"Humans only run." The nine ugly giants roared and chased after him, but Jining didn't clash head-on, relying on the Wind Wing Escape Technique to repeatedly shake them off.

Jining also sighed.

After practicing sword techniques for so long, his last resort for survival was still the Wind Wing Escape Technique!

...

After a long time.

"What to do?" Jining thought anxiously while fleeing, glancing at the nine ugly giants who were still chasing him without tiring, "They've been chasing me for half a day and show no signs of fatigue. But my divine power is down to less than twenty percent."

The Wind Wing Escape Technique also consumed Chi Ming divine power! Although not as quickly as in intense combat, it still consumed a lot after half a day.

"My full-strength sword can only give them minor flesh wounds." Jining thought, "But these nine foreign giants are actually those nine seeds transformed. Just like when I killed the eighty-one golden-armored soldiers, even if I completely shattered them, they could re-form."

Jining knew...

Even if he pierced their heads, he might not be able to kill them.

More importantly, his full-strength sword could only give them minor flesh wounds.

"What to do?"

"What to do?" Jining kept thinking.

There was no solution.

Despair!

"In the distant past, those divine body cultivators who were transported here probably felt the same despair as their divine power was drained, and they were then killed." Jining understood his weakness, which was that his Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart had only reached the fourth level.

This corridor was designed for divine body cultivators to charge through.

When the Immortal Juhua took on disciples, those divine body cultivators who came to challenge were likely all at the peak of the innate spirit stage! But Jining? He needed to reach the sixth level of the Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart to be at the peak of the innate spirit stage. He was only at the fourth level! His divine power, both in purity and strength, was far from his peak in the innate spirit stage.

Failing to pass the three trials was to be expected.

"My divine power is still weak compared to those innate spirit cultivators who challenged Immortal Juhua." Jining understood, "Fortunately, I comprehended the Dao's true meaning and created the 'Water and Fire Lotus' technique, which allowed me to barely pass the first trial! Otherwise, I might not have even passed the first trial."

"But, the three trials."

"Let's not talk about the third trial, even this second trial..." Jining felt the divine power in his body had dropped to less than ten percent, and he was both anxious and desperate.