Chapter 328: Heaven And Earth Reversed?
“One move to kill?”
“How is that possible!”
Can Dao Ru Xue stared at the Blood Pattern Clan old man who had been instantly killed, her eyes full of disbelief.
There was no doubt about the Blood Pattern Clan old man’s strength. As a big boss of this plot battle, his strength far surpassed those Blood Condensation Realm Advanced Martial Artists. He could finish off a Blood Condensation Realm Advanced Martial Artist in two or three moves, and his strength was not much weaker than the big bosses of the other three strongholds.
Ye Qinglu, Luo Wu Shang, and the others had only been able to fight those big bosses evenly, and that was while in the Transcendent State. Once the Transcendent State ended, they could be instantly killed by those big bosses at any moment.
Yet Lu Fanchen, who was also at the Bone Forging Realm Advanced Level Limit, had taken down the big boss with just one move. His strength was so great it was completely beyond understanding.
“This Lu Fanchen is this strong, and the only difference between him and the others should be that Transcendent State,” Qian Ren E Gui analyzed. “That Transcendent State is too special. The thickness of his energy is nothing like an ordinary Transcendent State. He should have mastered some special application of the Transcendent State, which is why his strength improved so much.”
“At our current level, it is hard to catch up to those top tier players. If we can also master some special way of applying the Transcendent State, we should be able to narrow the gap quite a bit. By then, even as Martial Artists, we can go to the New Map for pioneering and gain more cultivation resources.”
As he said this, Qian Ren E Gui’s eyes grew more and more excited.
Before he came into contact with it, he only regarded High Martial Arts Descend as a good place to improve spirit, since spirit is very important in Immortal Road Eternal.
But as he spent time with it, he discovered that the value of High Martial Arts Descend was far more than simply speeding up spiritual improvement. The martial skills and combat techniques it contained could also be perfectly applied in reality.
It was only because their bodies were not as strong as in the game, and there was no free-floating energy in the air to strengthen their bodies, that they could not become superhuman in reality as they did in the game.
If the problem of body strengthening could be solved, the value of High Martial Arts Descend would become unimaginable.
However, even without considering that, the various martial skills and combat techniques in High Martial Arts Descend were extremely valuable.
Whether it was the martial arts hall skills that could be learned as level and status rose, the hidden martial skills discovered outside the hall, or the vast combat experience gained from fighting monsters and NPCs, all of it was crucial technique for improving starry sky mecha piloting.
In other words, the more you mastered in High Martial Arts Descend, the stronger you became, and the better the guarantee for future exploration in starry sky mecha.
“Master a special application of the Transcendent State? Then we can be as strong as him?” Can Dao Ru Xue looked at the energy wrapping him in the image, burning like flames, and felt the gap between the two sides’ energy was not just a little. It was clearly more than a single special application.
Seeing Can Dao Ru Xue’s skepticism, Qian Ren E Gui smiled and said, “In total energy, we definitely can’t compare. But if we concentrate all the energy in our bodies, we might be able to make part of the body reach a similar effect. That is not impossible. You should know, this is exactly what I am best at. I have already had a super quantum computer run simulations on this and study feasible plans. If it works, our strength may not reach Lu Fanchen’s level, but it probably will not be much worse than Qing Lu and the others.”
“Then I will help too!” Can Dao Ru Xue’s eyes lit up at this.
No one in Azure Travelers knew Qian Ren E Gui’s abilities better than they did. He was best at strength application, and he had even created the Thousand Sword Diagram to unify the power of a thousand swords.
If they could really make part of their own wrapping energy reach Lu Fanchen’s level, then the boost to their strength would definitely be more than just a little.
While the two studied Lu Fanchen’s Transcendent State, the Mythical Paradise stronghold began the final clean-up.
Within dozens of kilometers around the entire stronghold, the terrain had been turned upside down, and corpses lay everywhere in sight. Most of these belonged to members of the Red Moon Merchant Guild, Smiling Skull, and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals; a smaller part were players who pursued the enemy to the last moment and died together with them.
“Vice President, those NPCs have already fled over a hundred kilometers away. Should our people continue the pursuit?” Li Tianxing asked excitedly.
The Mythical Paradise stronghold had earned an absolute fortune in this battle.
The martial arts hall offered merit rewards for killing members of hostile forces: fifty merit points for each Bone Forging Realm Beginner Level Martial Artist killed, one hundred and fifty points for each Advanced Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist. The merit jumped sharply at the Blood Condensation Realm: five hundred points for each Initial Stage Blood Coagulation Martial Artist, one thousand points for each Blood Condensation Realm Intermediate Level Martial Artist, one thousand five hundred points for each High-level Blood Condensation Realm Martial Artist, and three thousand points for a Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm opponent.
According to the game’s merit system, one hundred thousand merit points allowed one to become an officer, that is, a lieutenant junior grade, able to establish a garrison and have a garrison station in town.
At three hundred thousand merit points one could become a lieutenant, at five hundred thousand an captain. After becoming a lieutenant, one could apply to construct up to two intermediate gravity rooms and two advanced training rooms at their station. A captain could build up to five intermediate gravity rooms and five advanced training rooms there.
There was no need to explain the intermediate gravity room: it was key for cultivating the body strengthening secret technique, and it also helped with daily cultivation method training. Although there were many intermediate gravity rooms in the martial arts hall, there were far too many players qualified to use them, and it was impossible to grab enough access. Not to mention the game was extremely realistic, even NPCs used them in their daily routine. Wanting an intermediate gravity room available at any time was nearly impossible.
In this battle alone, Lu Fanchen had killed over fifty Blood Condensation Realm opponents. Although most were at the initial stage, the total still amounted to more than eighty thousand merit points, just under twelve thousand short of lieutenant, which would allow Mythical Paradise to have its own intermediate gravity rooms and advanced training rooms.
“Forget those who ran. Gather the flying transport vehicles, we are going to the other strongholds,” Lu Fanchen said, glancing at the more than three Blood Condensation Realm masters who had already hidden deep in the mountains and shaking his head.
This battle came too suddenly. Originally, he and Li Tianxing’s group had gone to the Mountain of the Dead to find a catastrophe grade boss to test their strength. They had not expected the stronghold to issue an offline request for aid, forcing him to rush back immediately.
Facing the big boss, under the outbreak of his Transcendent State, he had not expected the boss to be so vulnerable: all attack and no defense, taken out in one move.
Because it ended too quickly, he had scared the other NPCs into bolting in all directions without a word. Their intelligence was absurdly high. If they had given him a bit more time, he would not have only managed to kill just over fifty Blood Condensation Realm NPCs.
“I will prepare right away.” Li Tianxing nodded, then arranged the flying transport vehicles.
Mountain of the Dead, Azure Fortress.
The battle between the two sides had dyed the land red. The brutality made many offline cloud players watching the videos feel terrified.
Though the fighting had lasted less than half an hour, casualties on both sides already exceeded ten thousand, nearly half of them players. Many Martial Artist level players had died twice. If not for the beginner mental secret tower halving player death timers, and if not for Martial Artist level players returning mid-battle to support, the entire Azure Fortress would already have been destroyed.
In the sky above the stronghold it was like a missile barrage. The continuous collisions and shockwaves made even Blood Condensation Realm Beginner Level Martial Artists too afraid to get close, lest they be caught and killed.
“You are at your limit too. I know this kind of transformation of yours cannot last long,” Lexa said in human language, smiling as he looked at Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang and Yi Ye Fu Yun.
While he tangled with the two of them, he had already seen more than one grey-robed disciple revert from transformation to normal form in the midst of fierce combat, then use a handgun that fired blazing beams to conduct aerial guerrilla warfare against Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists who could not fly. But Organ Refining Realm Martial Artists were still Organ Refining Realm Martial Artists.
Within a few minutes of fighting, the Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists seized an opportunity and killed them.
Now, whether it was Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang or Yi Ye Fu Yun, the time they could maintain their state was almost exhausted. Those Martial Artist level disciples could only hold for six or seven minutes. Some Bone Forging Realm disciples lasted less than twenty minutes. Although Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang and Yi Ye Fu Yun were stronger, they were also Bone Forging Realm; their duration could not be that much higher.
“Damn! He noticed!” Yi Ye Fu Yun glanced at the worsening situation around them and at Lexa, who had started stalling, and grew anxious.
Their situation was indeed as Lexa had guessed. With body strengthening secret technique second level at 100% proficiency and Bone Forging Realm advanced level, their Transcendent State lasted somewhat longer than other Bone Forging Realm players, but at most around thirty-five minutes, and that was in their best condition.
If they did not have several Bone Forging Realm intermediate level experts in their team with body strengthening secret technique second level at 100% proficiency, and several Bone Forging Realm free players with the same achievement who had killed quite a few Blood Condensation Realm initial and intermediate NPCs at the start, Azure Fortress would have fallen already under the siege of six or seven Blood Condensation Realm NPCs.
Once his and Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang’s Transcendent States ended, Lexa could likely kill them in a single move. Even the fact that they could still entangle him now was thanks to body strengthening secret technique second level at 100% proficiency. Even if hit head-on by a phantom, they would only suffer a non-fatal serious injury and could recover to a minor injury in one or two minutes.
If Lexa broke free, he could slaughter the other Bone Forging Realm players with ease, killing one with each blow. In no time, every Bone Forging Realm player in the stronghold would be wiped out, with no chance to even wait out their resurrection timers.
As the seconds ticked by and the battle crossed the half-hour mark, many Bone Forging Realm players with body strengthening secret technique second level at 100% proficiency began to fall out of Transcendent State. The entire battlefield fell into a sudden hush.
“It’s over! Those big shots lost their Transcendent State!”
“Damn it! Azure Fortress is doomed this time.”
“Crap! I just resurrected! These big shots are really letting us down…”
Seeing the dozen-plus Bone Forging Realm players drop out of Transcendent State, all the players fell into despair.
These dozen people had been holding back dozens of Blood Condensation Realm bosses. If they fell, it would be a disaster for the other Martial Artist level players. Any one Blood Condensation Realm boss could wipe out a swath of them in minutes.
“You are finished.”
Lexa glanced at the players who had fallen out of Transcendent State, then at Yi Ye Fu Yun and Xiao Yuan Ye Feng Kuang, and raised the corners of his mouth as he pronounced the final sentence.
Although the strength of this Obsidian Martial Arts Hall stronghold exceeded expectations, and even facing their two Half-Step Heavenly Humans and so many Blood Condensation Realm experts they had held out this long, which did not quite put them on par with a top tier major power in the Four Regions, it at least made them a considerable threat.
If the power of Obsidian Martial Arts Hall’s four strongholds was combined, destroying a top tier major power without a Heavenly Human Realm expert’s intervention would not be hard.
But now this Obsidian Martial Arts Hall stronghold was finished. Together with over a hundred disciples at Blood Condensation Realm combat power and disciples capable of contending with their two Half-Step Heavenly Human Realm experts, they would be completely wiped out, dealing Obsidian Martial Arts Hall an unimaginable blow.
Just as the Blood Condensation Realm experts of the three forces were killing the Bone Forging Realm players one after another, two flying transport vehicles suddenly hovered above the stronghold in the blink of an eye.
As the hatches opened, Bone Forging Realm disciples in silver-gray clothing stepped out one by one. The whole battlefield abruptly fell silent. Both players and members of the three forces could not help but look over, each showing shock.
One… two… three…
From the two flying transport vehicles, more than sixty grey-robed Bone Forging Realm disciples emerged. One side was led by three Bone Forging Realm Advanced Level Limit experts; on the other, the leading man was also Bone Forging Realm Advanced Level Limit, with six Advanced Bone Forging Realm disciples at his side, making the members of the three forces feel crushing pressure.
“How do they have so many Bone Forging Realm disciples as support?”
“Just how much hidden strength does this Obsidian Martial Arts Hall have?”
Looking at the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall Bone Forging Realm disciples floating in the air, the members of the three forces felt like they were dreaming.
Before they had fought these Bone Forging Realm disciples, with over a hundred Blood Condensation Realm Martial Artists on their side, they had felt no concern.
But after clashing with the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall Bone Forging Realm disciples, they understood how terrifying these sixty-plus Bone Forging Realm disciples really were.
Purely in terms of combat power, these sixty-plus Bone Forging Realm disciples might be far stronger than the more than one hundred Bone Forging Realm disciples Azure Fortress had earlier.
“Why are you here?” Yi Ye Fu Yun was stunned to see the people stepping down from the two flying transport vehicles.
Because those disembarking were none other than the members of Lu Fanchen’s and Fang Zhen’s teams. According to what resurrected players had said earlier, all four strongholds in the Mountain of the Dead had faced the same kind of attack. Logically, Lu Fanchen and Fang Zhen could barely manage their own fronts, let alone send so many people here.
“Nothing much. We just finished things on our side, so we came to see if there was any oil left to skim,” Fang Zhen said with a smile.
Lu Fanchen and the others did not comment, their eyes fixed on the Blood Condensation Realm experts of the three forces.
“You have already taken care of them?” Yi Ye Fu Yun was dumbfounded, wondering if he had misheard.
All their strongholds had been hit in the same way; his side was on the brink of collapse, yet the other two had already finished their fights? Was there really that big a gap between their strongholds?
“Taken care of? What do you mean?”
“Could the other strongholds have run into trouble?”
Hearing Lu Fanchen and Fang Zhen, Lexa had a guess in his heart but still could not believe it.
According to the Red Moon Merchant Guild, the four strongholds they had besieged did not differ much overall in combat power. At most, there were differences in the number of Half-Step Heavenly Humans. But Rhine Mans, leader of the Dragon Hunting Corps, had hidden his strength for years, and among Half-Step Heavenly Humans he was no weaker than Lexa. Dealing with a stronghold with not even a hundred Bone Forging Realm members should have been a sure thing.
Not to mention the other two strongholds: one was led by experts ranked third and tenth among Half-Step Heavenly Humans, the other by Half-Step Heavenly Humans from Smiling Skull and Earth Star Pharmaceuticals with long-established reputations, plus many peak High-level Blood Condensation Realm experts with them. It should have been impossible for anything to go wrong.
While Lexa’s mind wavered, the butler contacted him.
“Young master Lexa, I have just received word that the armies of two strongholds have been routed and are now fleeing in all directions. The people on those two flying transport vehicles should be the experts from those two strongholds. We cannot stay here any longer, young master Lexa, we must retreat,” the Half-Beast Race old man said, voice shaking with agitation and undisguised fear.
“The armies of two strongholds have been defeated? How is that possible!” Lexa stared in disbelief and could not help asking, “What about Rhine, Seeker Melk, and Wulun of the three heads?”
The Half-Beast Race old man hesitated for a moment, clearly reluctant to answer. “The three of them… are all dead…”
