Chapter 335: When The Aberrant Army Meets The Demon Army?
“Dead?”
Mond and Xie Feina, who were fleeing, saw Tania, the Son of Storm, crushed directly in midair, and froze on the spot, their eyes almost popping out.
Although Tania, the Son of Storm, had now fallen from tenth to eleventh place among the Half-Step Heavenly Humans, his strength had not weakened. With his trump cards revealed, he could exchange several moves even with a Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster, not to mention after his aberration, where his strength had surged dramatically.
Even if he had not yet reached the Early Heavenly Human Realm, he was likely not far off.
Yet now, he had been crushed to death by a grey-robed disciple of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall with a casual raise of the hand, as easily as squeezing an orange, bursting directly. It was simply beyond comprehension.
Mond and the others were shocked by this scene, but the people of Heavenly Might present were indifferent.
Back when Luo Wu Shang had not yet reached the Blood Condensation Realm, by relying on the Second Level Perfection of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique and the Limitless Level Martial Skill she had mastered, she had been able to fight Tania, the Son of Storm. Now that she had advanced to the Blood Condensation Realm, learned the Body Strengthening Secret Technique Third Level, and even reached a proficient level in the third level, her physical defense had become astonishingly strong.
Under normal circumstances, even Catastrophe Level Monsters could not break through her defense, let alone when she activated the Transcendent State and Energy Burst while fighting Tania, the Son of Storm.
Now, when Luo Wu Shang entered the Transcendent State, her strength panel alone had already reached more than 480 tons. With two matching advanced Extraordinary Martial Skills at First Level Perfection, their strength bonus alone was 30%, plus the 50% from the Second Level Perfection of the Body Strengthening Secret Technique, her actual strength exceeded 864 tons.
After activating Energy Burst, her basic physical panel directly doubled to more than 960 tons, and her actual strength exceeded 1,728 tons. This figure was already far above the minimum standard of 1,200 tons for the Heavenly Human Realm Middle Stage.
Even a casually unleashed Qi and Blood Phantom was not something attack-focused but defense-weak Blood Condensation Realm NPCs could brush against lightly.
Luo Wu Shang’s astonishing performance also left the Abnormals present stunned for a moment, especially Titan Vajra Fendi, who had been chasing Mond and the others. His originally smiling face now carried a hint of solemnity. He had clearly not expected that among these humans in silver-gray clothing who had suddenly appeared, there would be such an expert.
“Not good! Hurry! Quickly! Kill them all!”
“If we don’t kill them quickly, they will summon all their nearby companions. By then, we won’t be able to run even if we want to!”
Seeing the shock on the faces of Fendi and the others, Mond grew extremely nervous and shouted a warning to Luo Wu Shang in the human language.
There was no need to say that the people of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall were entering the Forbidden Zone for the first time. One could say they knew nothing of how terrifying the Abnormals were, nor did they know of the many methods the Abnormals possessed.
Within the Forbidden Zone, the Abnormals had two particularly deadly methods.
One was the eerie corrosion that unknowingly turned people into Abnormals. To this day, none of the scholars of the Major Powers of the Four Regions had figured out how it worked. The only thing known was that those who transformed into Abnormals thought only of killing everyone who was not an Abnormal, or of turning them into Abnormals, while outwardly remaining no different from ordinary people, making them extremely difficult to guard against.
The other was the ability to summon all Abnormals within a vast range. The Forbidden Zone had existed for a long time. Setting aside the large number of people of various races transformed when the Forbidden Zone first descended, no one knew how many who had entered to explore over the years had been transformed into Abnormals, and many of them were powerful.
Fortunately, under normal circumstances, Abnormals preferred to act alone. But once they faced an enemy they absolutely could not resist and could not escape from, they would use this method.
Once this method was used, even a Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster at the outermost edge of the Forbidden Zone could only run. If it was in a slightly deeper area of the Forbidden Zone, it would be certain death.
Although Mond’s words reached Luo Wu Shang and the others, Luo Wu Shang had no intention of acting. She only looked at the Abnormals before her, a trace of excitement in her eyes.
“Do these Abnormals really have such a method?” Zhang Qing Wei licked her lips slightly as her eyes lit up. “As expected of a limited-time event, this really is a great place to earn points and contribution.”
“I was wondering why we couldn’t find any monsters for so long. So it turns out we were using the wrong approach.” Zhao Hu was also eager to act.
All the way into the Forbidden Zone, they had thought it would be desolate and dangerous, but they had not expected the cultivation environment inside to be quite good. Combined with the high-gravity environment, in terms of cultivation improvement, it was probably second only to the training rooms on the third floor of the Cultivation Tower and the Beginner Training Rooms.
But in such an environment, they had not encountered any monsters. There had only been some enormous insects and a few gigantic animals.
These insects and animals were very strong, generally stronger than Catastrophe Level Monsters outside, but they lacked the heaven-defying Recovery Power of Catastrophe Level Monsters. They only had strong defense and attack. Even a Bone Forging Realm advanced extreme cultivator would need to activate the Transcendent State and use a Tier 3 Weapon, and still spend a long time to kill one.
But the insects they killed had no value at all. Even the animals they killed had no value. When a monster died, its whole body was treasure, its flesh and blood filled with rich energy, and the meat would soften after death.
But after these animals died, their meat was still harder than grade C alloy. Apart from Blood Condensation Realm cultivators like Luo Wu Shang, who could bite into it after activating the Transcendent State, anyone else who dared eat it would shatter their teeth.
As for the animals’ blood, it was completely unusable. As soon as the animal died, the energy in its blood would rapidly dissipate. In just a few minutes, the energy remaining in the blood would not even match that of a Low-level Monster.
One could say that the animals in the Forbidden Zone had no value beyond their fur for armor and their bones barely usable for weapons. They were far inferior to directly hunting Catastrophe Level Monsters.
But the Abnormals in the Forbidden Zone were different. As mortal enemies of all races transformed from NPCs, they might carry good items on them. The stronger the NPC was before transformation, the higher the possibility of dropping good items, just like in plot battles where Blood Condensation Realm NPCs dropped Energy Blood Essence and severely damaged weapons and battle armor, all of which could be recycled for money.
Especially Energy Blood Essence: that was something monsters would never drop. Only Blood Condensation Realm NPCs dropped it, and Blood Condensation Realm NPCs in the Four Regions were not common cabbages that could be killed at will.
If a large number of Blood Condensation Realm Abnormals came over, it would be no different from delivering Energy Blood Essence. Even if only one Energy Blood Essence dropped from killing a hundred Blood Condensation Realm Abnormals, it would still be pure profit.
“Are they insane? Why are they still not making a move?”
Mond looked at the completely unperturbed, even excited crowd of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall and was dumbfounded.
Everyone else avoided Abnormals like the plague. Leaving aside the fact that Abnormals were powerful and difficult to deal with, just not knowing how one would be corroded and turned into an Abnormal was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
Yet these grey-robed disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, upon hearing that the Abnormals would summon more Abnormals, were not afraid at all. One by one, they looked as if they were seeing treasure. Their mentality was simply abnormal.
Deputy leader Emilia quickly spoke up as she took in the situation. “Senior Brother Mond, these people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall are crazy. We should retreat quickly!”
At this moment, all of Titan Vajra Fendi and the other Abnormals’ attention was fixed on Luo Wu Shang. They did not even dare to move recklessly. This was the best chance for her group to escape.
“It is too late.” Mond shook his head, his expression grim. “The Abnormals’ intelligence is the same as their original selves before aberration, and their communication is different from ours. They have probably already called others just now. Now they are all acting calm and only stalling for time. If we try to retreat, we will only run into the encircling Abnormal army.”
Abnormals in the Forbidden Zone were not like cabbages that could be encountered anywhere at any time. That was only because they liked to act alone and lurk everywhere, making them hard to detect even for Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters.
If all Abnormals within a range were summoned, their numbers would be terrifying.
He had only encountered such a thing once in his life, when he had been following his teacher from a great distance away, using a cloak that concealed life energy. They had narrowly avoided being discovered and watched helplessly as, in another domain city, an elite team of dozens led by a Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster was completely wiped out by an Abnormal army of thousands, full of resentment even at death.
In the end, that Heavenly Human Realm Grandmaster was also corroded and turned into an Abnormal. Mond would never forget it for the rest of his life.
And all of it had started because a member of the team had been corroded and aberrated. When they were trying to determine which people were Abnormals, one of the hidden Abnormals called out to its companions before dying…
“What do we do now?” Deputy leader Emilia was a little desperate.
Though she had never personally seen an Abnormal army, she had watched many video records on Forbidden Zone intel collected in Mist Mountain Domain City.
A thousand-person exploration team in the Forbidden Zone had been surrounded and attacked by an Abnormal army of tens of thousands. Only a few dozen had barely escaped in the end. Not to mention her own team of only a few dozen; even if they were all Blood Condensing Realm masters, they meant nothing against Abnormals whose strength was generally close to the Blood Condensation Realm.
“We can only go with these lunatics.” Mond could not help looking toward the people of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall.
Although he did not want to admit it, their only chance of survival now lay with these grey-robed disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, who wanted to fight the Abnormal army.
He had not carefully sensed them while fleeing earlier, but now that he focused, he realized this team from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was anything but simple.
Though the team had fewer than two hundred people, all were grey-robed disciples above the Bone Forging Realm. That meant nearly two hundred with Blood Condensation Realm-level combat power, plus Luo Wu Shang, who could one-shot Tania, the Son of Storm, and whose strength might approach that of a Heavenly Human Realm Middle Stage Grandmaster.
With such combat power, if they focused solely on fleeing at the very outer edge of the Forbidden Zone, their chances would be quite good.
Mond then introduced himself to Luo Wu Shang and the others, hoping they would agree to act together. To this end, he offered the only two Energy Blood Essences he had on him, and promised three more if they could leave the Forbidden Zone safely.
This delighted Luo Wu Shang and the others. They had not expected to run into a random protection task while exploring the Forbidden Zone, earning five Energy Blood Essences in pure profit.
“All right, you go to the center of the formation. Our people will protect you.” Luo Wu Shang accepted the two Energy Blood Essences, pointed to the team behind her, and instructed, “But once the battle starts, do not leave our formation, or it will be very hard for us to guarantee your safety.”
“Thank you.” Mond let out a sigh of relief and led the people of Mist Mountain Domain City to the center of the formation.
As the people of Mist Mountain Domain City moved into the center of the Heavenly Might team, their feelings were complicated, especially those at the Blood Condensation Realm Intermediate Level and above. One by one, they were displeased.
“No matter what, we are Blood Condensation Realm masters, yet these people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall treat us like burdens. They really underestimate Mist Mountain Domain City!” A Sub-demon Race man at the High-level Blood Condensation Realm looked at the team’s formation and thought of Luo Wu Shang’s words, feeling somewhat angry.
The team’s current formation was clearly a defensive circle. The people of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall were all on the surrounding perimeter. Unless the Abnormal army could break through, those from the domain city would have no chance to act at all. They were being treated like infants under full protection.
Mond only glared at the Sub-demon Race man, signaling him to shut up without saying more.
Because Mond himself was somewhat displeased at the moment.
They had intended to cooperate with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall to fight the Abnormal army together, but now it seemed as if they were so weak that they had to be carefully protected. Since entering Mist Mountain Domain City, this had never happened to them.
While Mond admitted that this team from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was strong, its strength mainly came from their leader Luo Wu Shang. Aside from her, he did not think his own team was inferior to these people.
“Xie Feina, do you think these people from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall are confident they can break through?” Deputy leader Emilia looked at Luo Wu Shang, who was facing Titan Vajra Fendi and the others in midair, and could not help but ask in a low voice.
As a Peerless Genius of Mist Mountain Domain City, Xie Feina would normally have broken through to the Blood Condensation Realm there. But she had chosen to break through at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall instead, which had caused quite a stir in Mist Mountain Domain City. Many people had not understood why she would take such a risk.
But this also showed that Xie Feina had close ties with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall and should know it quite well.
“They should have a fifty percent chance.” Xie Feina thought for a moment and answered.
If Emilia had asked before Luo Wu Shang acted, Xie Feina could have said without hesitation that they absolutely could not do it, because the overall strength of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was what it was.
Although they had gained many more Bone Forging Realm disciples, aside from one grey-robed disciple who was now ranked first among the Half-Step Heavenly Humans, the battle records from the Mountain of the Dead showed that, while the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall indeed had several experts capable of matching Half-Step Heavenly Humans, without that grey-robed disciple changing the war’s outcome, the hall would have lost, and lost badly.
With that kind of strength, they would definitely be finished against an Abnormal army that could kill Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters.
But now, with an expert like Luo Wu Shang present, and with the Bone Forging Realm disciples of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall all being quite strong, just as Mond had said, they had a significant chance of breaking through.
“Fifty percent, that high?” Deputy leader Emilia was slightly surprised. By her estimation, even with Luo Wu Shang holding the line, this team from the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall only had a ten to twenty percent chance of breaking through. After all, there were existences among the Abnormals who had broken through from the Blood Condensation Realm to the Heavenly Human Realm, and this was only the outermost edge of the Forbidden Zone. If they were deeper inside, the odds would probably be zero.
But according to Xie Feina, their chance of breaking through was as high as fifty percent. The strength of the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall was far more terrifying than the rumors suggested.
As Emilia and Xie Feina spoke, Titan Vajra Fendi and the other Abnormals in midair, who had been motionless, suddenly all began to laugh, as if mocking Luo Wu Shang’s stupidity.
“They are here!”
Mond looked solemnly at the figures surging in from all directions in the distance. Even a rough estimate put their number at over three thousand, and each of them had at least near-Blood Condensation Realm strength.
The three strongest among them made Mond feel unprecedented despair.
“Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters!”
“How is this possible! Three Heavenly Human Realm Grandmasters?!”
