Chapter 60

In the desolate dense forest, the light was dim, and the ground was covered with withered yellow leaves.

Perhaps due to the lack of sufficient sunlight for a long time, the forest was filled with a musty smell, carrying a hint of dampness!

The leaves had accumulated for many years, and one step down could bury the ankles, leaving a deep footprint.

At this moment, under a large tree, Wang Chen slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and weighed the Star Bead in his arms. The harvest of the morning was quite substantial.

Having learned from yesterday's lesson, Wang Chen chose a different strategy today. He set out before dawn, taking advantage of everyone's rest time, specifically choosing places where people rarely went to avoid and hunt for prey. This approach was much better than yesterday, at least without the crazy pursuit and plundering he experienced!

With Ling Zhan's help, he plundered four Star Beads in the morning, and most of these people were at the Eighth Stage of Body Tempering! With only one day left, to quickly gain points, Wang Chen tried to avoid Ninth Stage Body Tempering and True Martial practitioners, only targeting those with similar strength.

With the points from the four Star Beads from yesterday, his total reached 182 points, ranking him 92nd. He was just a bit short of breaking into the top 90, and Wang Chen naturally wouldn't give up this opportunity!

In the last day, the atmosphere became even more tense. In the morning, Wang Chen witnessed at least dozens of places where plundering battles broke out. It seemed that the demon beasts had been ignored these few days, and the real battles had shifted to the plundering wars!

Especially today, everyone was making a final push for the points ranking!

This was the last few days of the monthly assessment, the so-called "Devil Three Days"!

With his true essence recovered, Wang Chen walked out of the forest, leaving a row of deep footprints clearly visible.

Stepping on the withered leaves, the crisp sound of breaking twigs was particularly piercing in the silent environment.

Walking out of the dark dense forest, he finally saw the midday sun, and the warmth brought by the sunlight made Wang Chen exhale a long breath.

"Someone ahead!" Suddenly, Ling Zhan's voice in his mind made Wang Chen alert. He quickly looked around but saw no one, and a hint of confusion appeared on his face!

"It's a True Martial practitioner, hurry up and leave, you're no match for him!" Ling Zhan continued, his voice carrying a hint of seriousness.

However, before he could finish speaking, a sound of breaking air rapidly approached, and a figure, moving at an extreme speed like lightning, quickly rushed toward Wang Chen, appearing in front of him in an instant.

"Wang Chen, 92nd on the Star Ranking! Hehe, I didn't expect to run into you! You've been quite good at hiding these few days!" Seeing Wang Chen, the person revealed a cold smile and spoke in a hoarse voice!

This person was about twenty years old, thin and bony, with a sharp mouth and a monkey-like face, and a pair of hawk-like eyes, exuding a cold aura.

Seeing this person, Wang Chen's brows furrowed. Indeed, it was a True Martial practitioner!

"Kong Jie, 27th on the ranking!" Taking a deep breath, Wang Chen said in a deep voice. If his judgment was correct, this person should be Kong Jie, ranked 27th, a First Stage True Martial practitioner!

Thinking about this, Wang Chen drew a cold breath. A True Martial practitioner, he had indeed encountered such a strong opponent. Especially this Kong Jie, known for his ruthless and fierce methods. Once engaged in battle, one would inevitably be injured. What truly made him notorious was his killing intent. It was said that many people in the Star Sect who had already admitted defeat still suffered at his hands, yet he had never been punished!

"Will you fight or hand over the Star Bead?" Kong Jie asked, his voice hoarse, a cruel smile on his lips, his gaze sharp!

Looking around, Wang Chen's brows furrowed, his mind racing. Entering the True Martial realm brought a significant boost in strength, far surpassing the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering. Now, he might have a chance against a Ninth Stage Body Tempering practitioner, but against a True Martial practitioner, there was no chance.

"Hehe, kid, you're in trouble now! I think you should just give him a Star Bead to avoid injury. There's no point in doing something that will only cause you harm!" Seeing the situation, Ling Zhan said with a sly smile!

Should he really hand over the Star Bead? Wang Chen was truly reluctant! More importantly, his indomitable heart would not allow him to admit defeat without a fight.

"Since you're looking for death, don't blame me for acting!" Seeing Wang Chen remain silent, Kong Jie's face darkened, and he prepared to attack.

"Mountain-Crushing Fist!" Determined not to give up the Star Bead easily, Wang Chen made his decision in an instant!

"Unbelievable!" Seeing Wang Chen actually resist, Kong Jie sneered, his speed suddenly increasing several times. In a few quick movements, he appeared in front of Wang Chen before he could react, delivering a powerful punch, the momentum overwhelming. At this moment, Wang Chen truly felt Kong Jie's ferocity.

His attack was like lightning, with a relentless forward momentum. The moves were grand and sweeping, accompanied by a fierce wind, each move filled with killing intent!

Bang...

The two forces collided, producing a dull impact sound.

A powerful force surged through Wang Chen's arm, and he was thrown back into the air, landing on a tree behind him and then falling to the ground!

Before he could get up, Kong Jie pounced again, his fists whistling through the air, leaving a trail of shadows, not giving Wang Chen any chance to catch his breath. The attacks were relentless, like a roaring sea, unceasing!

Wang Chen quickly rolled on the ground, using his arms to leap up and fight back!

Feeling the terrifying impact, Wang Chen inwardly groaned. True Martial practitioners were indeed formidable, their strength far beyond his own. Each punch, aided by true essence, could exert a force of three thousand pounds. Each time he resisted, he could feel his arms screaming in pain, as if they were about to break at any moment.

Pain spread throughout his body. Even with the help of Ghost Steps, Wang Chen's speed was no match for his opponent, and he was forced into a disadvantageous position, retreating step by step, in a dire situation, looking extremely disheveled.

Kong Jie was fully engaged, his fierce and ruthless moves flowing smoothly, each one potentially lethal! His thin body exuded a terrifying burst of power!

His face was twisted, and a strong killing intent radiated from his body, as if he intended to kill Wang Chen!

The sounds of their attacks echoed, their fists and feet colliding, creating a blur in the air, making it difficult to follow.

"Elementary Rank: Mountain-Cleaving Chop!" Seeing Wang Chen retreating, showing signs of weakness, Kong Jie smiled cruelly, using a low blow to force Wang Chen to defend while revealing his killing intent, and using his ultimate move!

Kong Jie transformed his fist into a palm, and in an instant, his hand seemed to grow several times in size, like a bright, long knife, slashing horizontally toward Wang Chen's head.

An Elementary Rank martial technique. Seeing this, Wang Chen's heart sank, realizing the gravity of the situation. This indicated that the guy had been in the top thirty of the Star Ranking for at least ten months, otherwise, he wouldn't possess such a technique.

"Earth-Cleaving!" With no other choice, Wang Chen could only resist!

Bang...

Another intense impact, and Wang Chen was thrown back like a broken kite, crashing through three trees before landing on the ground.

His chest felt constricted, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling. The tearing pain made Wang Chen feel dizzy, and his vision went black.

Gritting his teeth, enduring the unbearable pain, Wang Chen's eyes filled with determination. He focused his remaining true essence in his palm, the green light bursting, this being his last move. He hoped it would work!

"Seventh Stage of Body Tempering? Not bad, much better than those trash, but you're still no match for me. I can spare your life today! Hand over the Star Bead, and I'll let you live!" Seeing that Wang Chen hadn't died from his attack, Kong Jie was surprised. He then slowly walked to the injured Wang Chen and said in a condescending tone!

However, a hint of undetectable killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Wang Chen frowned at his tone, his eyes filled with defiance. He looked at Kong Jie with determination, his heart racing as the green light burst rapidly condensed, forming a layer, then two, and in a moment, it had reached three layers of power! A small, egg-sized green energy ball was forming in his palm behind his back!

It wasn't enough. The previous battle had given Wang Chen a deeper understanding of the strength of True Martial practitioners. Although only a First Stage True Martial practitioner, Wang Chen knew he had underestimated their power.

The three-layer Green Light Burst had been used against the Ninth Stage Body Tempering Luo Lin, and at the time, he thought it would be enough to injure a True Martial practitioner. Now, it was clear that it wouldn't be a significant threat, and at least a four-layer Green Light Burst was needed.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he was anxious as Kong Jie approached.

True essence flowed like a surging river into his palm.

"Looks like you're not going to hand it over?" In a moment, Kong Jie was less than a meter away from Wang Chen, asking coldly.

"Since that's the case, you can die!" Suddenly, he burst forward, his palm, already charged with true essence, aimed at Wang Chen's head, a mocking smile on his lips.