140: Chapter 140 Forced Back with a Single Strike

This time, the three of them no longer held anything back.

Zhou Jingyue's sword momentum fully unfolded, the sword light transforming into streaks of intersecting cyan radiance, specifically targeting Duan Qi's joints and blind spots.

Zhao Lingxiao's long spear was like a dragon, its momentum violent, constantly clashing head-on in an attempt to force him to retreat.

Shen Zhihan poured all the spirit seals she could mobilize into the attack; ice, gravity, and containment were layered together, restricting Duan Qi's movements as much as possible.

Yet even so, Duan Qi remained at ease.

He even seemed to be playing around.

When Zhou Jingyue thrust his sword, Duan Qi lightly tilted his head to avoid it, then backhanded a palm onto the blade, the vibration making Zhou Jingyue's arm go numb.

When Zhao Lingxiao swept his spear, Duan Qi raised his foot and stomped down, directly suppressing the spear's momentum, then followed through with a punch to Zhao Lingxiao's shoulder.

Boom!

Zhao Lingxiao groaned as he retreated, his entire right arm trembling.

Just as Shen Zhihan wanted to change the formation, Duan Qi had already stepped across the ice, hooked his fingers, and directly grabbed the core of the spirit seal she was using to set up the array.

"Too slow."

Crack.

The spirit seal shattered on the spot.

Shen Zhihan's face turned pale, and she stumbled back two steps, nearly unable to stand.

"We... are completely outmatched." Her voice was tight.

Veins bulged on Zhou Jingyue's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and refused to retreat.

"We have to hold on!"

"He must have another objective behind this!"

Duan Qi heard this and, as if he had heard something funny, actually stopped.

He slowly turned his head to look at the crack in the stone monument behind him, his tone terrifyingly calm.

"Don't be impatient."

"You will soon know what my objective is."

He raised his hand, black mist condensing in his palm, slowly revealing a twisted bone talisman.

"What Lord Cao Shen truly wants is not the Mimics in this secret realm."

"Nor is it you people."

"But—"

He paused, lowering his voice even further.

"The true Fallen Ones."

At these words, everyone's expression changed.

Zhou Jingyue looked up abruptly.

"The Fallen Ones?"

Shen Zhihan also lost her voice for a moment.

"You want to create Fallen Ones here?!"

Duan Qi did not deny it, simply stating calmly:

"To be precise, it's not about creating them."

"It's that preparations are already underway."

"The sealing array beneath your feet was originally suppressing a semi-awakened Fallen source embryo."

"All Lord Cao Shen needs to do is use a sacrifice to completely catalyze it."

"The Fallen Ones clan are all at least Tier 7 beings."

"If a true Fallen One can be born here, this entire region will become a sacrificial ground."

These words were like ice water poured over their heads.

Zhou Jingyue's face was pale.

"Are you insane?"

"Once that thing comes out, the entire base will be finished!"

Zhao Lingxiao gritted his teeth and cursed: "What on earth are you trying to do?!"

Duan Qi looked at them, his gaze like he was looking at a group of prey about to be thrown into a furnace.

"That is not something you should know."

"You only need to know that you will soon become part of the sacrifice."

Shen Zhihan's heart shook violently, and she suddenly realized something, her expression changing abruptly.

"No..."

"What Cao Shen wants might not just be the Fallen Ones!"

She looked up abruptly, staring at Duan Qi.

"Your true purpose is to use the Fallen Ones to complete some greater ritual?!"

Duan Qi's eyes paused slightly.

In that instant, a cold glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.

Shen Zhihan continued:

"The Fallen Ones are just a vessel!"

"You want to use it to draw out something deeper!"

Duan Qi glanced at her, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

"You are very smart."

"Unfortunately, smart people usually die quickly."

"That's right."

"The Fallen Ones are just the first step."

"What we really need to do is use the lives and spirit energy in this secret realm to completely awaken that thing."

"Once the ritual is complete, everyone here must die."

Hearing this, Gu Changchuan's expression darkened completely.

Lin Mo finally understood.

Cao Shen's apparent goal was to create a true Fallen One.

But the real killing blow was to use the Fallen One as a medium, combined with the sacrificial ritual in the secret realm, to create an even more terrifying disaster.

And all of this was clearly just the beginning.

Just as everyone's minds were shaken, Duan Qi suddenly looked up and locked his gaze on Lin Mo.

"Alright."

"The nonsense is over."

"Now, it's your turn."

The moment Duan Qi's voice fell, the three of them—Zhou Jingyue, Zhao Lingxiao, and Shen Zhihan—tensed up almost simultaneously.

But in the next second, they truly felt what a gap in strength meant.

Duan Qi's figure flickered, his black robes leaving an afterimage in mid-air; the speed was fast enough to make one's scalp tingle.

But even faster than him was the terrifying sense of oppression when he attacked.

Before even being touched, Zhou Jingyue felt a tightness in his chest, as if gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, making it difficult to even breathe.

"Back away!"

Zhao Lingxiao shouted, his long spear sweeping horizontally in an attempt to block Duan Qi's path.

But Duan Qi didn't even look at him, just casually swatted.

Bang!

Zhao Lingxiao was sent flying backward by the impact, his feet plowing two deep furrows in the ground, finally slamming hard against a stone pillar, his face turning white instantly.

"Zhao Lingxiao!"

Zhou Jingyue's eyes darkened, and just as his sword momentum rose, Duan Qi had already closed in.

He slashed out with his sword, the cold light piercing the air, striking directly at Duan Qi's throat.

But Duan Qi just slightly tilted his head, the blade grazing past his mask without even drawing a drop of blood.

Immediately after, Duan Qi formed his fingers into a claw and slammed toward Zhou Jingyue's wrist.

Zhou Jingyue's pupils constricted, and he immediately changed his move.

But he was still a fraction of a second too slow.

Crack!

A crisp sound.

The wrist holding his sword was forced into numbness by the impact, and he stumbled back several steps, nearly dropping his sword.

"How is it possible..." Zhou Jingyue's expression was extremely ugly.

He had already given his all, yet in front of Duan Qi, he couldn't even steady his stance.

Shen Zhihan's face was even paler; the cold-seal spirit array she had just set up had barely formed before being torn apart by Duan Qi with one hand.

"He is too strong..." Her voice trembled.

"This is simply not something we can block!"

Duan Qi just gave a cold laugh, raising his hand as black mist condensed into a sharp bone spike in his palm.

"You aren't even worthy of making me serious."

Before the words had faded, he was about to attack—

Lin Mo moved.

Without any buildup.

He took a step, directly crossing from his original spot to the center of the battlefield.

Everyone only saw a blurred cyan-gold afterimage flash by.

The next instant, the bone spike Duan Qi had just condensed actually split neatly down the middle.

Crack.

It broke.

Duan Qi's eyes narrowed, showing obvious surprise for the first time.

And Lin Mo had already raised his blade.

With Longyuan in hand, the thunder intent on the blade seemed to be completely ignited, exploding with a roar.

"You talk too much."

Lin Mo's voice was not loud, but it was cold enough to send chills down one's spine.

The next second, he slashed down with his blade.

Boom!!!

Thunderlight exploded, as if the entire circular clearing had been forcibly cleaved open like a layer of the sky.

Duan Qi raised his arm to block.

But that seemingly casual block was actually forced back three steps by the slash!

Zhou Jingyue froze completely.

Zhao Lingxiao looked up from the stone pillar, his eyes full of disbelief.

Shen Zhihan stared blankly at Lin Mo, even forgetting to breathe.

Who was Duan Qi?

He was a Perfect Mimic.

Even though he was suppressed to the early Fourth Tier by the secret realm, his combat power far exceeded that of a King-level ferocious beast of the same level.

Just now, the three of them working together couldn't even force him back half a step.

Yet Lin Mo had only struck a single blow, and he had forced the powerful Duan Qi back three steps.

Duan Qi slowly looked up, his eyes finally turning completely cold.

"It seems you are indeed somewhat interesting."