Chapter 867: A Battle Between Geniuses?!

Mo Yuchen sneered. "It’s true that we have no personal grudge, but your cultivation is the lowest of the five people standing here."

His gaze turned contemptuous. "Li Yun, I know you beat Han Juefeng, but don’t let that go to your head. Every one of us is stronger than Han Juefeng, and there are four of us. You don’t stand a chance."

"Exactly," Duan Tieshan said, resting the emerald war lance across his shoulder. "I’ll admit your talent is terrifying, and nobody can deny that. But talent only shows what you might become in the future."

Killing intent slowly filled his eyes. "Right now, you’re still only at the 6th level of Heavenly Core Realm, so this Frostmane Lion has nothing to do with you. If you know what’s good for you, leave right now, and you might still walk away unharmed. But if the four of us attack together," he added with a cold smile, "you might not leave this place alive."

The killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. If he got a chance to finish Li Yun off here, Duan Tieshan would not mind taking it. Someone who grew as fast as Li Yun was bound to become a terrifying competitor later, and killing him now would remove a powerful future rival.

"Why waste time talking?"

Lan Qingfeng and Bin Zhaoyang were far more direct, and the two of them attacked at the same time. Lan Qingfeng drew a long saber and slashed, while Bin Zhaoyang raised a spear and thrust.

Saber light and spear light burst out at almost the same instant and wound together in midair, each strengthening the other. By the time the combined attack reached Li Yun, it was as strong as a full-force strike from a cultivator at the 4th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm.

"Attack!"

Now that the pair had made the first move, Duan Tieshan and Mo Yuchen hesitated no longer. Duan Tieshan gripped his emerald war lance with both hands, lifted the enormous weapon over his head, and smashed it down violently. The blow came with such overwhelming momentum that it felt as if an entire mountain were falling on Li Yun.

Meanwhile, Mo Yuchen flicked his wrist and sent a long black whip shooting out. The whip instantly split into countless overlapping shadows that filled the air and closed in on Li Yun from every direction.

With four powerful geniuses attacking at once, the waves of energy they produced were terrifying. Nearby snow-covered hills cracked apart under the pressure, large chunks of frozen earth shattered with a series of booms, and countless fragments of ice flew through the air. Even those ordinary-looking shards now carried enough force to seriously injure a weaker cultivator.

Yet Li Yun stayed calm in the middle of it all, and a cold light appeared in his eyes.

"Do the four of you really think I’m the easiest one here to deal with?"

Each of these four geniuses had strength comparable to a cultivator at the minor accomplishment stage of the 4th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm, which was certainly impressive.

Unfortunately for them, Li Yun’s current combat strength had already reached a level comparable to the major accomplishment stage of the 4th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm. The gap might not look very large on paper, but in a real fight it was enough.

"Slow Sword."

Li Yun raised his sword in a way that looked oddly relaxed, and the blade moved neither especially fast nor especially slowly. Yet the instant it moved, four streaks of Sword Qi burst out at once.

The first streak struck Duan Tieshan’s emerald war lance with a clang and knocked the enormous weapon violently aside. The second crashed into Mo Yuchen’s black whip, and the countless whip shadows vanished as the real whip was blasted backward.

The remaining two slammed straight into the combined saber and spear attack from Lan Qingfeng and Bin Zhaoyang, and the intertwined saber light and spear light shattered with a boom.

Even then, Li Yun’s attacks had not run out of power, and the four streaks of Sword Qi kept flying forward.

"Not good!"

Duan Tieshan’s expression changed, and Mo Yuchen’s eyes went wide. Lan Qingfeng and Bin Zhaoyang both felt a strong sense of danger at the same moment.

"What kind of strength is this?"

The Sword Qi looked ordinary, yet it carried so much power that all four of them felt a chill in their hearts. They tried to defend themselves right away, but it was already too late.

Four explosions went off almost at once. Duan Tieshan was sent flying backward, while Lan Qingfeng and Bin Zhaoyang were thrown several dozen meters away. Mo Yuchen had it the worst, and he let out a muffled groan as his face turned pale.

Ironically, Mo Yuchen was the highest ranked of the four. His fighting style, however, relied on concealment, sudden attacks, and assassination, so a head-on clash like this was exactly the kind of fight he was least suited for.

The four of them finally steadied themselves, and their faces had turned very grim.

"This guy..." Duan Tieshan said, staring at Li Yun. "How is he already this strong?"

None of them had expected this result. They had picked Li Yun because they believed he was the weakest of the five competitors.

Their plan had been simple: they would get rid of the weakest opponent first, and then the remaining four could fight among themselves for the Frostmane Lion. Instead, they had found out the exact opposite. The person they had taken for the weakest was actually the strongest one there.

Before anyone could decide what to do next, another roar shook the snowy valley.

"ROAR!"

Everyone turned toward the sound at once. The Frostmane Lion had been watching the five humans fight over it, and it had apparently realized that staying here was a terrible idea.

The enormous beast turned around without hesitation and ran. Its massive paws pounded the frozen ground as it fled deeper into the Frostbound Heavenly Range.

For a brief moment, all five geniuses could only stare. The Monarch-class Frost Beast they had been fighting over was getting away.