97: Chapter 97 Yue Zhenhe in a daze

As Su Wan walked forward while dragging that Black Seed teacher, the man in her hand remained as stiff as a piece of wood the entire time.

He had just witnessed his companion being taken down by Su Wan in a few sword strikes, and now that he was being led away by her alone, he was almost scared to the point of developing psychological trauma.

Lu Cheng, walking alongside them, glanced at him and chuckled.

"Why are you shaking? Neither of us eats people."

The voice from beneath the Black Seed's mask was trembling.

"I... I'm not shaking."

"Look at the teacher I'm carrying in my hand; he's doing much better."

The Black Seed looked at his accomplice being carried by Lu Cheng. It wasn't that he had no reaction; he had been scared unconscious...

Su Wan turned her head to look at Lu Cheng, her tone cold.

"Say less."

Lu Cheng clicked his tongue.

"I'm just soothing the examiner's emotions. Look at his state; if he gets scared a bit longer, he'll have to write a psychological report when he gets back."

The four of them sped along for a distance, putting some space between them and the campsite. All that remained around them were the sounds of mountain winds and loose gravel.

Su Wan casually tossed the Black Seed to the side. The man stumbled twice, hurriedly steadied himself, and stood honestly against the stone wall, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Lu Cheng was just about to try and build a rapport with the teacher.

The next second.

The hairs on his back stood up abruptly.

An intense feeling of crisis bore down on him without warning. Almost instinctively, Lu Cheng sidestepped, his internal blood and energy instantly tightening, and his gaze swept sharply toward his rear side.

Two figures were already standing right where he had been just a moment ago.

Black clothing, masks, their presence as deep and heavy as a dark pool.

Hua Hai Realm!

And there were two of them!

Su Wan's expression changed instantly, and her palm pressed directly onto her sword hilt.

That 'teacher's' eyes instantly lit up. My lords, you've finally arrived! Do you know how much I've suffered??

One of the Black Seeds raised his head, his gaze falling on Lu Cheng from behind his mask, his voice hoarse and low.

"You are Lu Cheng?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the air seemed to grow heavier.

Lu Cheng cursed inwardly.

This is bad.

The real deal has arrived!

Lu Cheng turned his head, his voice very low but his speech extremely fast.

"Su Wan, take the teacher and leave."

Su Wan was startled and turned to look at him.

"You're staying alone?"

Lu Cheng stared at the two Hua Hai Realm experts in front of him.

"No kidding, or would you rather stay behind to cheer me on?"

Su Wan furrowed her brows.

This guy... can he really fight against the Hua Hai Realm?

If she were to forcefully activate her Holy Soul, she could potentially clash with a Hua Hai Realm expert for a short time, but the cost would be too high, and her body would suffer severe backlash.

Lu Cheng had no time to explain to her; without even turning his head, he urged her again.

"Hurry up, take these two teachers and get far away. If you stay here, I'll have to be distracted protecting you."

Although the 'teacher' who was called out wanted to return to his team, he was at the mercy of others and didn't dare to refute a single word.

Su Wan stared at Lu Cheng's back for half a second before finally making a decision.

"Okay."

Su Wan grabbed the teacher next to her and the one at Lu Cheng's feet, tapped her feet, and quickly retreated to the other side.

When the teacher was dragged away, he couldn't help but look back at Lu Cheng, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

The person on the left sneered.

"Interesting."

The person on the right slowly stretched his neck, his joints cracking audibly.

"The High Priest was right; we should take you down first."

As soon as the words fell.

Both of them moved at the same time!

The speed of the Hua Hai Realm was far superior to that of the Meridian Opening Realm. With a single step, they shattered the gravel around them, and the two black shadows flanked him from left and right, the fluctuations of their Source Power making the surrounding air feel stifling.

Golden-white holy radiance suddenly exploded from within Lu Cheng!

Plates of dragon scale armor rapidly covered his entire body; pauldrons, bracers, and a breastplate formed in succession. Blazing holy runes flowed across the armor's surface, and behind him, a massive phantom of the Radiant Dragon Soul rose with a roar!

Complete · Dragon Scale Holy Armor!

Dragon might swept in all directions, causing the surrounding rocks to tremble, and a low dragon roar echoed through the air.

The expressions of the two Hua Hai Realm Black Seeds changed simultaneously.

But before they could react, the aura on Lu Cheng's body surged again.

Black-red flames gushed crazily from the gaps in his armor, winding up his limbs.

Flame horns sprouted from his forehead, and his pupils instantly turned into molten gold.

Flame Demon Transformation!

Holy radiance and demonic flames intertwined on his body, one gold and one black-red, their combined aura causing sand and stones to fly across the hillside.

Lu Cheng raised his head, looking at the two Hua Hai Realm experts, his voice much deeper.

"Let's see how much stronger you are than those previous guys!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already charged out!

Bang!!!

The ground exploded, creating a crater.

Dragging a stream of light intertwined with golden-white and black-red, Lu Cheng instantly reached the Black Seed on the left and threw a punch!

Before his fist even arrived, the dragon might and waves of flames had already pressed down on the opponent.

The Black Seed roared, crossing his arms in front of him to defend, his protective energy barrier bursting open.

The next second.

Boom!!!

A dull, massive sound exploded.

The Hua Hai Realm expert was sent flying by the punch, crashing through three boulders before finally smashing into the stone wall, where cracks instantly spread over a large area.

The other person's expression changed drastically, and he raised his hand to slash with a ribbon of black Source Power.

Lu Cheng didn't even dodge; he raised his arm and took it head-on!

The holy radiance on the Dragon Scale Holy Armor vibrated, shattering the black ribbon on the spot. The scattered Source Power was swept up by the black-red demonic flames and burned away with a hissing sound.

"Is that it?"

Lu Cheng grinned, and the dragon soul phantom behind him suddenly extended a dragon claw, striking out simultaneously with his punch.

Bang!

The Black Seed's protective energy barrier on his chest caved in on the spot, and he sprayed blood as he stumbled backward.

The two Hua Hai Realm experts realized that if they continued like this, they would die here. Their auras climbed continuously, and black Source Power crisscrossed the hillside, causing rocks to fly everywhere.

Lu Cheng, bearing the dual buff states, withstood their damage and kept trading injury for injury!

Every strike carried the tremor of a dragon roar and incinerating demonic flames!

The hillside roared continuously, and gravel and firelight exploded everywhere.

Just as the Black Seed on the left rushed out of the stone wall, Lu Cheng stepped right in front of his face and delivered a knee strike!

Crack!

A layer of his protective energy barrier shattered, his sternum caved in, and blood foam sprayed from his mouth.

The Black Seed on the right attacked from behind, his black blade thrusting directly at Lu Cheng's heart.

Lu Cheng grabbed backhanded; dragon flames and demonic flames exploded in his palm simultaneously, forcibly crushing the black blade until it shattered. He then turned around and unleashed the Three Styles of Crushing Fist!

One punch with triple force, stacking and exploding at a single point!

Boom!!!

Half of the Black Seed's body was twisted by the blast, and he tumbled dozens of meters away.

"Monster!"

One of them roared, his eyes finally filled with fear.

"Thanks for the compliment."

After saying this, he chased after them in one step. The dragon soul's wings expanded behind him, and a massive pressure bore down.

The Black Seed's movements clearly stalled.

Lu Cheng seized the opportunity and smashed a fist into his head.

Holy Dragon Shock Blast!

Boom!

The man's head tilted, and he was smashed directly into the ground, a large crater collapsing around him.

The remaining Hua Hai Realm expert wanted to run.

Lu Cheng's chest heaved violently, but his eyes were even fiercer. He unleashed his Wandering Step, and his figure flickered as he chased after him.

Black-red demonic flames wrapped around his fist, and golden-white holy radiance attached to the dragon scales!

The final punch, aimed directly at his heart!

Bang!!!

The Black Seed's protective energy barrier shattered completely, and he lunged forward a dozen meters, lying on the ground twitching twice before becoming completely still.

The hillside finally grew quiet.

Only the sound of rolling gravel and Lu Cheng's increasingly heavy breathing remained.

He stood in place, the holy radiance and demonic flames on his body beginning to fluctuate violently.

The next second.

Crack.

A seam split open on the edge of his breastplate.

Immediately after, the pauldrons, bracers, and greaves disintegrated one after another.

Holy Dragon Armament deactivated.

Flame Demon Transformation also rapidly faded away.

Lu Cheng's vision went black, his knees went soft, and he almost fell over directly.

This was the second time he had activated the Holy Dragon Armament today.

His body could no longer handle it at all.

That damn uncle, pretending to be a Black Seed to deceive people... Now that the wolf has come, he's dumped the trouble on me, and I don't even know where he's gone.

His muscles hurt as if they were tearing, his bones felt sore, and his internal organs felt like they had been hammered by someone, his throat filled with the taste of blood.

"Pfft...!"

Lu Cheng spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the ground, kneeling halfway down, supporting himself with one hand.

He felt like a broken machine running on overload, ready to smoke and break down at any moment...

But just then, that black-red bloodline power in his body suddenly moved again...

Myriad Calamity Flame Demon Bloodline!

It had carefully recorded the feeling of being on the verge of death again.

The pain, the fracturing, the limit, the feeling of almost dying...

It had memorized it all.

Immediately after, a deeper sense of scorching heat slowly gushed out from the depths of his flesh and blood, spreading along his limbs and bones.

Lu Cheng was startled at first, then his expression gradually became strange.

But he could clearly feel that his adaptability to this high-intensity burning and this state of near-collapse had grown stronger by another notch.

The bloodline seemed to be saying: Oh, so this is how you died so quickly this time; I've learned it, I'll optimize it for you next time.

Lu Cheng's mouth twitched, and he clutched his chest, gasping for cold air.

"Hiss..."

"Why do I feel like I've triggered a bug?"

Outside the mountain range.

Instructor Yue Zhenhe had been fighting the real Black Seed High Priest for several hours.

A large area on the outskirts of the forest had been beaten to a pulp; the ground had cracked, trees had fallen one after another, and the air was filled with residual Source Power fluctuations.

The Black Seed High Priest's expression was extremely gloomy; fighting until now, he had already sensed that something was wrong.

It was too quiet inside... If he dragged it out any longer, once the follow-up forces from the military and the academy arrived, he would have to account for himself here.

Thinking of this, he took a blow from Instructor Yue Zhenhe head-on, used the force to retreat violently, turned around, and left.

"Instructor Yue Zhenhe, I'll kill you next time!"

Instructor Yue Zhenhe swung his blade at empty air and cursed.

"Bullshit!"

But the opponent ran too fast, and he didn't bother to chase deeper; he immediately turned and rushed into the mountain range.

He was now more worried about the students inside.

The mountain wind whistled past his ears.

Instructor Yue Zhenhe followed the traces of battle forward. Broken mountain rocks, scorched ground, frozen gravel, and the corpses of exotic beasts left along the way—the more he saw, the more his eyelids twitched.

"These little brats... what kind of battle did they get into?"

Soon, his figure came to an abrupt halt.

By a collapsed hillside ahead, Lu Cheng was kneeling halfway on the ground, supporting himself on a rock with one hand, blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth, his face deathly pale...

Instructor Yue Zhenhe's pupils shrank, and he rushed over instantly.

"Lu Cheng!"

Lu Cheng looked up and saw who it was. He first breathed a sigh of relief, but then his whole body relaxed, and he almost collapsed onto the ground.

"Uncle... you've finally arrived."

Instructor Yue Zhenhe grabbed him to steady him, pressed his palm onto his shoulder, and scanned him with his Source Power. His expression changed on the spot.

Blood and energy exhausted, muscles significantly torn, internal organs slightly fractured... but fortunately, his foundation was not lost...

Instructor Yue Zhenhe's brows were tightly locked, and his voice deepened.

"What happened?"

Lu Cheng coughed, his throat full of the taste of blood, and he raised his hand to point to the side.

"Two real Black Seeds arrived, Hua Hai Realm."

"I killed them."

Instructor Yue Zhenhe looked in the direction he was pointing.

The next second, he was completely stunned.

In the pile of gravel nearby, two black-clad corpses were lying there, their masks shattered, chests caved in, and traces of burning and heavy impact remaining on their bodies.

Judging by the residual aura, they were indeed genuine Hua Hai Realm experts.

Instructor Yue Zhenhe stood there, his mind momentarily blank.

They really died?

Two Hua Hai Realm Black Seeds... were killed by Lu Cheng alone?

Although he had witnessed Lu Cheng's roar technique, seeing these two corpses laid out in front of him was still too shocking.

Instructor Yue Zhenhe lowered his head and looked at the half-dead Lu Cheng, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Lu Cheng gasped for breath, his voice weak, but he still kept that same tone.

"Just lucky."

"They were just average."

Instructor Yue Zhenhe looked at him, almost dying yet still trying to act cool, and the veins on his forehead twitched.

"Stop talking nonsense to me."

Lu Cheng grinned, just wanting to laugh, but it affected his injuries, and his face twisted in pain.

He really wasn't making it up this time. If it weren't for them insisting on acting, he wouldn't have been injured so severely; his injuries were basically all backlash from the armament...

He paused for two seconds and said seriously.

"Instructor Yue, I absolutely did not expose the matter of this selection."

Instructor Yue Zhenhe: "..."

He looked down at Lu Cheng, his eyes dazed.

Selection?

Oh, that thing on the boat earlier; he didn't expect this kid to still remember it now.

"Don't worry, your points and credits won't be shortchanged..."

"Where are the other students?"

Lu Cheng raised his hand and pointed into the mountains.

"They are all inside."

"Su Wan is there too, and the rest of the people... should all still be alive."

"And six teachers..."

Instructor Yue Zhenhe was startled.

"Teachers?"

Instructor Yue Zhenhe really had a headache now.

He couldn't be bothered to stand here guessing, so he grabbed Lu Cheng, half-supporting and half-dragging him toward the campsite.

"Let's get there first."

Lu Cheng winced in pain as he was dragged.

"Easy, easy... I'm very fragile right now."

Not long after the two of them walked along the mountain path, the temporary campsite appeared in their field of vision ahead.

Then, Instructor Yue Zhenhe's footsteps stopped again.

In the center of the campsite, six Black Seeds were lying around in disarray.

Some were leaning against the stone wall, some were clutching their chests, some had legs that were shaking, their masks were half-shattered, their auras were extremely weak, and at a glance, they were all in a half-crippled state.

And the group of students around them were each holding their weapons, standing in a circle, their expressions tense, their eyes vigilant.

Both sides were stuck in a deadlock.

Neither side moved.

Only Su Wan stood calmly in the middle of the two groups.

The scene was eerily quiet...