Chapter 10: Rebellion (Part 2)

Countless virtual spear tips detached from the Flame Spear struck the tentacles with sharp sounds. Each tentacle blocked one spear tip, emitting bursts of noise before being annihilated. Once shattered, the tentacles quickly reformed, and any stray virtual spear tips were blocked by the Umbrella Tower’s sacrificial artifact.

The force of this assault forced Guo Shier to retreat repeatedly, yet he managed to defend himself without even using the Soul Calming Cauldron. Lei Zhenhuo was shocked—he knew his opponent’s strongest sacrificial artifact was the Soul Calming Cauldron, and he never expected so many other strange artifacts to counter his attacks. He cast a spell and shouted, “Take this move too!”

The flames of the Flame Spear ignited the flames around it, turning them into a torrent of fire that rushed forward.

Guo Shier retracted his Moon Blade, knowing it couldn’t withstand such a torrent of fire. The Soul Calming Cauldron suddenly tilted sideways; its lid vanished, and a swirl of colored light rose from its mouth, aiming straight at the incoming flame torrent.

A humming vibration filled the air as the Soul Calming Cauldron seemed to transform into a giant beast devouring flames. With an open maw, the flame torrent rushed into its mouth in an instant.

Lei Zhenhuo was horrified—he had never seen such an unusual combat tactic before. He cast several spells in quick succession and swiftly recalled the Flame Spear. By intuition, if the Soul Calming Cauldron continued to swallow everything, his Flame Spear sacrificial artifact might be forcibly taken by the opponent. This move was too bizarre.

With two consecutive attempts failing, Lei Zhenhuo grew anxious. Guo Shier was like a hedgehog, making it hard for him to find an opening. He recalled his sacrificial artifact and said, “Kid, let me show you… this…” Countless refined symbol flames rose from his altar. With another spell, those flames turned into countless spears that rose from the altar, forming a forest of spears—flames blazing among them.

He slammed his hand on the altar, causing the forest of flaming spears to soar into the air in an arc, targeting Guo Shier’s altar. With a cold laugh, he said, “Try this move… Random Stab!”

A howling sound erupted, as if stars were falling. Countless spears stabbed wildly, leaving trails in the air with a terrifying whistling noise.

As the battle progressed, Guo Shier’s fear gradually faded, and he became more composed. Having advanced too quickly, he had struggled to control his strength, but after these battles, he had gradually gained proficiency. His defense consisted of three layers: first, the tentacles of Guxi Bi; second, the Umbrella Tower’s sacrificial artifact; and finally, the Soul Calming Cauldron.

Those spear-like flames were blocked in part by the tentacles, in part by the sacred treasures on the altar, and the rest were swallowed by the Soul-Calming Cauldron. Having been tempered by golden flames, it feared no magical flames at all and silently devoured the attacking spear-flames.

Lei Zhenhuo remained calm, continuously casting spells, with more and more spear-like flames emerging and launching waves of attacks. Guo Shieru was like a rock in a raging current, blocking countless attacks while hovering steadily in the air. He was secretly proud—unexpectingly, he had managed to withstand the attacks of a master from the ninth-tier altar.

Just as Guo Shieru was feeling triumphant, there was a loud explosion. A spear suddenly struck the Soul-Calming Cauldron, causing it to shake violently. An unimaginable force surged forth, knocking him off the altar as well. Wang Keer screamed, “Be careful!” She couldn’t even sit still—the force sent her tumbling across the altar.

Lei Zhenhuo launched another attack. The spear transformed into a giant pillar. Instead of stabbing, he used forceful swings and blows, attacking recklessly. This brute-force approach, devoid of skill, dealt Guo Shieru a severe beating.

Clang! Clang! Boom…

Guo Shieru let out continuous screams as he was overwhelmed. Lei Zhenhuo laughed heartily. He now realized that competing in the mysticism of sacred treasures was less effective than competing in raw strength. Relying on his higher-tier altar, brute force proved more effective than skill.

Not only was Guo Shieru in a mess, but Halechi was also retreating continuously. Only Zhen Wuji and Si Debing were evenly matched. Their strengths were similar, with Zhen Wuji having a slight edge.

Halechi was extremely frustrated. Being beaten by Qi Wuzhen was one thing, but that woman was a madman—a super master beyond the ninth-tier altar. It was normal to be beaten by her. But now, this old woman was chasing after him as well, which infuriated him. Since he was weaker, he could only keep dodging. Out of annoyance, he resorted to verbal insults.

“Hey, old witch… I’m not interested in you. Why are you chasing me?”

Lei Yuan’s face turned pale green. She didn’t say a word either; she just kept chasing after him, attacking fiercely with a mad intensity, as if determined to turn Halechi into meat paste.

Halechi screamed, “That’s enough already, old witch… Can you ever stop… Ugh…”

Boom!

Halechi flew out like a meteor—not on his own will, but forced by the impact. Though he lacked many other skills, his resistance to attacks was extraordinary. Even when Qi Wuzhen attacked him half-seriously, he managed to withstand it. Lei Yuan’s assaults left him in a mess, but they couldn’t break through his altar defense.

Zhen Wujie frowned, inwardly sighing with bitterness. Halechi and Guo Shier could barely hold their own against their opponents, and it was a stalemate. Over time, they definitely wouldn’t be able to sustain this, as there was a significant difference in strength between the two sides. It now came down to their accumulated experience—he felt that Guo Shier and Halechi weren’t up to par with their opponents, so defeat was only a matter of time.

While suppressing Si Debing, Zhen Wujie also occasionally stepped in to help Guo Shier and Halechi. That was about as much help he could offer—being able to hold back the strongest of the three opponents was already the greatest assistance for Guo Shier.

Halechi fled everywhere, soaring through the sky and diving underground, while Lei Yuan pursued him relentlessly, attacking without pause. He was trying to buy time at all costs.

Guo Shier had stabilized his altar and was now fighting with all his might, using the Soul-Calming Cauldron to strike back. This was no longer a contest of skill or strength, but rather a battle to see which altar artifact was more durable. The two clashed loudly, like blacksmiths at work.

Wang Keer complained nonstop. The thunderous noises made her dizzy, and even with layers of protection, it was unbearable. She covered her ears, lying on top of the altar, moving with its fluctuations, muttering complaints: “Sigh, why am I so unlucky… Sigh, you two are crazy! How can you fight like this? Even street thugs don’t fight like this… Sigh, no skill at all. Are these really experts with eighth or ninth-tier altars? Shameful…”

Three against three, the battle was chaotic—flames flying, howls, crashes, and curses—truly a mess.

At first, Lei Zhenhuo attacked cheerfully, but gradually, he realized something was wrong. Guo Shier didn’t use any other altar artifacts; he just used the Soul-Calming Cauldron to fight back. The cauldron grew larger or smaller—huge like a mountain when big, small like a stone when small—and each collision was delivered with full force.

Lei Zhenhuo noticed damage to his flaming spear and then realized that the quality of his own altar artifact might not be superior to the other’s.

The fastest way to repair a sacrificial artifact is by using offerings; if one has a large amount of spiritual energy, the artifact is hard to damage. In this regard, Lei Zhenhuo is far inferior to Guo Shier. Although he kept using offerings for repairs, seeing Guo Shier’s Soul-Stabilizing Cauldron filled him with a sense of powerlessness. He couldn’t understand how that Cauldron could be so sturdy—so far, he had never seen Guo Shier use offerings for repairs.

Si Debing despairedly realized that despite having three experts, they were powerless against their opponents. The opponents, though in a difficult situation, managed to hold on, while he was held back by Zhen Wuji and unable to take them down one by one. Anxious, he snapped, “Zhen Wuji, do you want to offend two ancient clans?”

Zhen Wuji replied coldly, “So what if I do?”

Si Debing shouted, “Why! Why do you have to help them? Don’t tell me nonsense like you’re friends—why!” He simply couldn’t understand. Didn’t Zhen Wuji know the consequences of offending two major ancient clans? Those three guys were just wandering professionals, like rootless duckweed—killing them was nothing at all. So why did Zhen Wuji help them?

Zhen Wuji said, “I don’t need to explain to you.”

Si Debing roared frantically, “You’re a fucking idiot! You’re sick in the head…”

Zhen Wuji replied calmly, “The idiot is you, and the sick one is you too. You’re the real idiots—none of you know what you’re doing. It’s only fitting you suffer.” Though his expression remained cold, his attack intensity surged suddenly. Being called an idiot angered him greatly.

Boom! Boom!

Two terrifying spiritual pressures appeared abruptly, and a huge crack appeared in the sky. Two people stepped out from it.

Zhen Wuji was shocked to find that besides Li Ran, there was another equally unfathomable expert beside him—a stunningly beautiful woman. A thought flashed through his mind: “There are two professionals who surpass the Ninth-Level Altar? How is that possible?”

Si Debing, Lei Zhenhuo, and Lei Yuan quickly retreated a distance, staring in shock at the two people walking down from the sky.

Guo Shier and Halechi were overjoyed. Wang Keer lay on the altar, her eyes sparkling, and sighed deeply, “Oh my god, they’ve finally arrived…”

Si Debing, though fierce on the surface, was inwardly terrified. “The Gu Bing Clan, the Gu Lei Clan… are here…” Before he could finish, Qi Wu Zhen’s overwhelming spiritual pressure crushed him, preventing him from speaking further.

Guo Shier shouted, “Sister Zhen, Brother Li Ran… you’re finally back…” Li Ran asked, “Who are they?”
Si Debing, Lei Zhenhuo, and Lei Yuan’s faces turned deathly pale. The power of this spiritual pressure was beyond anything they had ever seen. The only possibility was that these two people were beings at the ninth-level altar, even more powerful than themselves. It was only then that they understood why Guo Shier and the others refused to surrender no matter what, and why Zhen Wuji would help them without hesitation. Wang Keer cried out, “If you don’t come soon, we’ll be killed!”
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen immediately activated their altars. Qi Wu Zhen cast a few spells, instantly sealing off the entire space.
After seeing Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen’s altars, Si Debing and the others were speechless, their mouths wide open in shock. Seriously? There were two experts who surpassed the ninth-level altar right away? Wasn’t that terrifying?
Book 39: The Ninth-Level Altar