Chapter 549 522: Holding the Rear

Zhaang Ye was slightly taken aback. "The Thunder Realm?"

The Fire Spirit said excitedly, "Exactly! The Thunder Realm! Master, your Comprehension is simply heaven-defying! Not only did you successfully fuse the Wind Realm and Water Realm, but you also comprehended the Thunder Realm. With this, your combat power will soar. You'll be invincible among your peers!"

Sensing the thunder and lightning within the dark clouds, Zhaang Ye shook his head and said, "Fire Spirit, I only fused two Realms to create lightning. I haven't actually comprehended the Thunder Realm."

The Fire Spirit said with certainty, "You have comprehended it! If you didn't have an extremely deep understanding of the power of thunder and lightning, you absolutely wouldn't be able to generate it! The power of thunder and lightning is ethereal and elusive, and it contains immense, wild energy, making it an incredibly difficult force to master. The fact that you can use it proves you understand its principles!"

Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. In his previous life, he had lived in a world of electricity, where it was an indispensable part of everything. He had even received a relevant education and knew a thing or two about the science of lightning, which was why he could produce it in such a short time.

However, Zhaang Ye wouldn't be explaining any of this to the Fire Spirit. He just smiled, then continued to summon clouds, turn them into dark thunderclouds, and make them produce lightning and rain.

Through endless repetition, Zhaang Ye's comprehension of the Wind Realm and the Water Realm grew increasingly profound. His understanding of lightning also deepened, and the time it took him to produce a bolt grew shorter and shorter. By the fifteenth day, with a mere thought from Zhaang Ye, dark clouds would gather instantly and begin to crackle with bolts of lightning.

Producing lightning was just an unexpected bonus. The greatest benefit after fusing the Wind Realm and Water Realm was the massive boost to his combat power.

After fusing the Wind and Water Realms, a casual slash from Zhaang Ye's saber would carry a Saber Gang infused with the power of both wind and water. His Celestial River Righteous Qi was originally an extremely masculine saber technique, but with the integration of the two Realms, it became a perfect balance of hard and soft, full of unpredictable transformations. Its power increased by thirty to forty percent.

His Attack Power increased dramatically, and so did his Defense Power. Water is the softest thing in the world, able to overcome the hard with softness, the strong with weakness. Wind is formless and traceless, strange and unpredictable, ever-changing. With the two Realms fused, Zhaang Ye's defensive options multiplied, and he no longer had to engage in desperate, life-or-death clashes with his enemies.

On the twentieth day of their flight, the nine young experts arrived at the edge of a vast, dark forest.

Qi Qingle landed on the ground and said slowly, "This forest is home to large flocks of Vampire Birds. These birds are as small as a finger, but their speed is like lightning. Their beak is a sharp spike that can easily pierce a human body and drain its blood.

To avoid their attacks, we must travel on foot from here until we reach the Black Death Sea. The forest is teeming with Barbaric Beasts, so everyone be careful. If we encounter a powerful Barbaric Beast, you must all follow my lead."

Having given this instruction, Qi Qingle led the way. The young experts formed a small defensive formation, vigilantly watching their surroundings, ready to act at a moment's notice.

ROAR!

The nine had just stepped into the forest when a tremendous roar echoed out. A herd of massive Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts suddenly burst from the trees, charging toward the young experts with bared, bone-white teeth.

Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts were enormous Low-Grade Barbaric Beasts, with combat power equivalent to a True Dao Third Layer expert. The young experts present were all above the True Dao Fifth Layer. Seeing the beasts charge, they remained calm and unhurried, each one preparing their techniques.

Qi Qingle was the first to act. He took a step forward, abruptly raised his fists, and then thrust them into the empty air.

BOOM!

With Qi Qingle's push, two immense forces surged from his fists. They looked like two columns of water, shimmering with a gorgeous, rippling light. The moment this light fell upon the Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts, it exploded, instantly blasting every beast within a half-li radius to pieces.

Almost at the same moment Qi Qingle attacked, Pingcang Mountain also made his move. His ten fingers became a blur of shadows, nearly invisible to the naked eye, as he jabbed them into the air.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

As Pingcang Mountain's fingers jabbed, dozens of Sword Gangs, like sharp swords, shot out from his fingertips, instantly piercing through the bodies of dozens of Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts.

At the same time, Taishu Gang revealed his astonishing combat power. He calmly pushed his palms forward, and two terrifying streams of Gang Qi, like a pair of great mountains, pressed down on the Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts. Under Taishu Gang's Gang Qi, the massive beasts were as fragile as paper.

With everyone attacking together, the herd of Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts was quickly annihilated. The young experts glanced at the carcasses, each collected a few materials, sighed, and then continued on their way.

The Golden-eyed Long-horned Beast was a Low-Grade Barbaric Beast, and its most valuable parts were its eyes and long horns. Outside, these two items could be exchanged for twenty to thirty Low-grade Essence Stones. But the young experts had limited Storage Space and simply couldn't carry so much. They could only pick the most valuable materials and leave the rest behind.

Seeing the young experts abandon a large quantity of materials, Zhaang Ye waved his arm. All the long horns and eyes from the Golden-eyed Long-horned Beasts within a two-li radius flew toward him and into his Storage Pouch.

A mocking sneer appeared on the lips of the other young experts. Yan Ming scoffed, "The Golden-eyed Long-horned Beast is just a Low-Grade Barbaric Beast. Its materials are practically worthless. Zhaang Ye, you're just wasting your time collecting that junk."

Zhaang Ye just smiled faintly, not bothering to reply.

The group used their Body Techniques to move swiftly through the forest. After traveling several hundred li, Qi Qingle, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped. He said in a low voice, "Careful! I think we've run into a Middle-Grade Barbaric Beast!"

Hearing the words "Middle-Grade Barbaric Beast," the young experts immediately grew tense. The combat power of a Middle-Grade Barbaric Beast far surpassed that of a Low-Grade one. Even the most common Middle-Grade Barbaric Beast had the strength of a True Dao Fourth Layer expert. Some of the more formidable ones were equivalent to a True Dao Sixth Layer master and could annihilate their entire team single-handedly.

SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!

They had just come to a halt when a sharp screech came from the distance. The ground beneath them began to tremble, and rat-like Barbaric Beasts started bursting up from the earth.

"Iron-toothed Poison Rats!"

The young experts exclaimed in unison, their faces grim. The Iron-toothed Poison Rat looked similar to an ordinary rat, but it was much larger, reaching three feet in length. Its body was covered in a thick, armored fur that even a True Dao Expert would find difficult to pierce. But the most dangerous parts of an Iron-toothed Poison Rat were its teeth and its blood.

An Iron-toothed Poison Rat's teeth jutted out like two sinister, razor-sharp blades. They were incredibly sharp and hard, capable of not only slicing an enemy in two but also allowing the rat to burrow through the earth with great speed. As for its blood, it was a potent venom. Merely smelling a whiff of it, let alone being touched by it, was enough to poison a person and disrupt the flow of their True Qi.

The Iron-toothed Poison Rat was agile and had outstanding Defense Power, equivalent to a True Dao Fourth Layer Mid Stage expert. To kill one quickly, you had to use a clever technique to shatter its internal organs from a distance. Otherwise, its splattering blood would not only inflict a deadly poison but also attract every other rat of its kind within a thousand-li radius, leading to an endless, unwinnable fight.

Qi Qingle shouted, "Kill them! We fight as we move! Shake them off quickly!"

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

The young experts thrust their palms through the air, and terrifying Palm Power surged forth, rolling toward the Iron-toothed Poison Rats and making them shriek strangely.

The Iron-toothed Poison Rats were equivalent to True Dao Fourth Layer Mid Stage experts. Long-range attacks were not enough to kill them and only served to enrage them. Amid a series of ear-piercing shrieks, hundreds of the rats let out bizarre cries and transformed into streaks of black light, nearly invisible to the naked eye, as they pounced on the young experts.

"Hmph!"

Qi Qingle snorted angrily. He pushed his palms through the air, and transparent spheres of water suddenly materialized, enveloping the nearby Iron-toothed Poison Rats before flinging them into the distance.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Every Iron-toothed Poison Rat thrown by Qi Qingle convulsed and died a strange death, not a single drop of blood spilling from their bodies.

Seeing Qi Qingle's method, the other young experts felt a chill run down their spines. The way he killed the Iron-toothed Poison Rats was simply too bizarre. Even though they were all powerful experts themselves, a wave of cold fear washed over them.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

But the young experts were, after all, battle-hardened veterans. Although they were secretly astonished, their hands did not slow in the slightest. Seeing the Iron-toothed Poison Rats drawing closer, they each unleashed their own techniques to kill them.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The young experts fought as they retreated, quickly covering a distance of over a thousand li. But the Iron-toothed Poison Rats were agile and numerous. The young experts simply couldn't shake them. Instead, more and more rats joined the fight until a tide of over a thousand of them, a black, swarming mass, surged toward them. A foul, bloody wind swept through the forest, enough to make one's scalp crawl.

SCREEE!

A particularly sharp screech echoed from the depths of the forest. The shrill sound was like a sharp blade stabbing viciously into the hearts of the young experts. Hearing it, Taishu Gang cried out in horror, "This is bad! The Mouse King is here! The Mouse King's combat power is equivalent to a True Dao Sixth Layer Middle Stage expert! We need to break through now, or we're all going to die here!"

Qi Qingle shouted sternly, "Charge forward with all your might! Zhaang Ye, you've comprehended the Wind Realm and have the fastest Body Technique. This time, you're on rearguard! Hold back the poison rats from behind!"

Hearing Qi Qingle's command, a cold, mocking smile crept into the eyes of both Yan Ming and Gao Kangzi. They looked at Zhaang Ye as if he were already a dead man.

-(To be continued.