Chapter 4: Bypassing the Hurdles (Part 2)

Guo Shier cursed and immediately teleported away. He wouldn’t engage head-on until he understood the situation better. This wasn’t about colliding altars—it was about using a sacred artifact to attack an altar. He didn’t think his altar was hard enough to withstand such an attack, so he teleported away right away.

Jin Daya was immediately energized. There was indeed a matter of taking the initiative versus being forced into a passive position; once suppressed, one would be at a huge disadvantage. So Guo Shier could only dodge for now, avoiding the onslaught before finding a way to fight back.

When the old man Shuai saw Guo Shier teleport away, he couldn’t help but curse loudly, “Idiot… Stupid! Couldn’t you use the Moon Blade to block? Why run away…?”

Guo Shier jumped in annoyance at the insults. He said, “You’re the idiot! You old fool! Didn’t you see those two dragon heads appearing on that sacred artifact…?”

The old man Shuai snapped, “Two dragon heads? Those are just spirits sealed inside the artifact. What are you afraid of…?”

There was no point in reasoning with the old man Shuai—he just loved to curse. Whenever he insulted Guo Shier, his face would show delight. Guo Shier was helpless and said, “Old man Shuai… help me!”

The old man Shuai replied firmly, “No! This is a rare opportunity. You handle it yourself. I’ll just watch.”

Guo Shier exclaimed, “Damn it! You old bastard!” He too couldn’t resist cursing.

The old man Shuai laughed heartily, looking very pleased. He said, “I’m not an old bastard—I’m the handsome old man! Heh, don’t you think I’m handsome and graceful? Sigh, what a shame you can’t appreciate it.”

Fortunately, with the tentacles of Gu Xi Bi blocking things, Guo Shier wasn’t in too much trouble. He kept dodging while cursing from time to time.

Jin Daya also kept cursing. He found it extremely difficult to catch Guo Shier—this guy was extremely slippery. Even when the Dual Dragon Halberd seized an opportunity, it was ruined by the tentacles extending from Guo Shier’s altar. Those layers of tentacles were countless, and even if a few were cut off, it made no difference. More would grow back in the blink of an eye.

Jin Daya roared, “What the hell is that thing!” He couldn’t see Gu Xi Bi’s true form, and since its tentacles had been reforged and strengthened by the old man Shuai, they were no longer what they used to be. So he had no idea that this was the famous Gu Xi Bi, the renowned Spirit Devouring Beast.

As the two struggled endlessly, Nan Ming and Jin Yishou also fought together. Nan Zhichun, however, quietly withdrew to the side. The moment Guo Shier flew past him and Jin Daya roared as he chased after him, Nan Zhichun suddenly launched a sneak attack, casting a talisman at Jin Daya. It was a one-time-use attack talisman with limited power, easily destroyed by the Twin Dragon Halberd, but it did cause Jin Daya to pause for a moment.

Nan Zhichun quickly teleported away. He didn’t dare confront Jin Daya directly—the gap in their strength was too great, and he might be killed in an instant if careless.

Guo Shier was very shrewd; how could he miss such a fleeting opportunity? Finally, he had a chance to control the Moon Blade to launch an attack. He cast a hundred spells in succession, and the Moon Blade slashed forward with a howling sound.

The old hero sighed, “Not bad, not bad. Someone’s helping you—finally, we’ve regained the advantage. Be careful, don’t lose the initiative again and end up being chased helplessly. Haha.”

Boom!

Roar! Roar!

The two spirits on the Twin Dragon Halberd suddenly emerged, launching two instinctive attacks at Guo Shier.

There were also spirits within the Moon Blade, but their usage was different from that of the Twin Dragon Halberd. As the spirits of the Twin Dragon Halberd spat out two streams of cold flames, the Moon Blade immediately covered itself in flames, followed by countless flashes of lightning and crackling arcs. The two streams of cold flames hit the Moon Blade, producing a hissing sound, like red-hot tongs dropped into water.

Immediately afterward, the spirits of two mutated flying dragons rushed out. Guo Shier was overjoyed. He slapped the altar with his hand and stepped forward head-on. He wondered in his heart: How dare this guy release his spirits? Isn’t that seeking death?

Jin Daya had no idea that the tentacles on Guo Shier’s altar were ancient Xi Bi. So he sent his spirits ahead, with the Twin Dragon Halberd following closely behind to strike. This was his secret technique—if he couldn’t defeat the spirits, he would likely be pierced by the Twin Dragon Halberd. He clenched his fists in determination: Let’s see how you can resist!

Dozens of tentacles suddenly shot out, quickly piercing into the bodies of the spirits. In the blink of an eye, the two spirits were forcibly devoured by the tentacles, and then the Twin Dragon Halberd revealed its ferocious form. Guo Shier was shocked. He cast a spell with his hand, using the Moon Blade to defend hastily.

Clang!

Both the Moon Blade and the Twin Dragon Halberd flew apart simultaneously. Although the Moon Blade suffered some damage, the Twin Dragon Halberd was even more damaged. With its spirits devoured, its strength had dropped by almost half. It was nearly shattered by a single strike from the Moon Blade, losing one of its prongs.

Jin Daya suddenly realized something was wrong—he had a spiritual connection with the sacrificial artifact. He sensed that the most vital essence within the Twin Dragon Halberd had disappeared, leaving him utterly astonished. Just as he recalled the Twin Dragon Halberd, he saw Guo Shier driving his altar toward him. He couldn’t help but curse loudly, “Bastard…”
Jin Daya had no choice but to flee; he didn’t dare risk his own altar. Although crafting a sacrificial artifact required many materials, it was much easier to produce than an altar. Especially once formed, even if damaged, it wasn’t hard to refine it. But if an altar was damaged, things got complicated—it would take years to restore. That’s why he hated Guo Shier’s reckless fighting style so much.
Guo Shier charged forward cheerfully. The old hero supported this tactic. According to him, an altar imbued with natural “Lei” symbols could gradually recover even if shattered, as long as some materials were added and it was reinforced with spells. It would be fully repaired in no time—anyone who collided with it would suffer.
Nan Ming, Nan Zhi Chun, and Jin Yishou all stopped fighting. The three of them stood at the periphery, staring in shock. After a while, Nan Zhi Chun asked, “What kind of fighting style is this? Has the clan elder gone mad?”
Nan Ming smiled bitterly. “I don’t know… Could a solid altar really be fought with by collision?”
Jin Yishou hid in the distance, equally puzzled. He glanced at his own altar and then at Guo Shier’s, wondering silently: Could this guy’s altar be especially sturdy?
Jin Daya was chased relentlessly, with no way out. Worse still, Guo Shier’s altar occasionally extended giant tentacle whips to lash at his altar, driving him mad with fury.
Finally, Jin Daya went berserk. He refused to believe that a three-layer altar couldn’t defeat a two-layer one. He suddenly stopped fleeing and drove his altar toward Guo Shier, roaring, “I’ll crush you to death!”
The two altars collided like two high-speed flying planes.
A blinding light instantly illuminated the sky and earth, turning everything white. Immediately afterward, there was a deafening explosion. A massive gust of wind spread out, causing the grass on the ground to ignite like it had been doused in gasoline. Countless beasts hiding in the grass suffered no injuries but died instantly from bleeding from their mouths and noses.
Nan Ming, Nan Zhi Chun, and Jin Yishou retreated rapidly. The intense spiritual shock caused by the altar collision led to the death of many creatures in the area—only those with sufficiently strong spirits could withstand it.

All three were experts in the Virtual Altar. Though their faces were red and hearts pounding like drums, they could still withstand such levels of soul shock. It was only after retreating a kilometer away that they calmed down. Nan Zhichun said with lingering fear, “That was fucking terrifying…” He patted his chest hard, trying to calm himself.

Guo Shier was forced to charge forward; there was no room for him to retreat now. Attacking and being attacked were two different things—just like punching someone with a fist versus being punched. The force applied was the same, but the effects were completely different. He knew he absolutely couldn’t back down at this moment.

After colliding, both altars were thrown outward simultaneously. The entire altars tumbled in the air. Guo Shier felt dizzy and shouted, “Elder Shuai!”

Elder Shuai realized he had to act. He slapped the altar to stabilize it first, then quickly cast spells to reinforce it.

As for the captives on the altar, though they weren’t killed by the shock, they all had blood flowing from their mouths and noses. They were fixed to the altar by virtual seals and hadn’t suffered any direct impacts, lucky enough to survive. If the altar had been shattered, none of them would have lived.

After finally stabilizing the altar, Guo Shier didn’t bother searching for Jin Daya anymore. Instead, he began examining his own altar, saying, “Damn… so amazing…” In reality, he was cursing Elder Shuai violently in his mind—this thing was too terrifying.