"Fine! Let the results speak the truth! Since you claim that that you have brought your master's Sumukhwa, show it to us! I believe the crowd will then know who the amateur here is!" said Tao Qianli in a confident manner.
If Chen Xiaobei took out an ordinary Sumukhwa, Tao Qianli would definitely criticize it as much as possible. And that would slap Chen Xiaobei's face tightly in front of everyone. However, if Chen Xiaobei did manage to take out something that was as good as his Sumukhwa, Tao Qianli would then have the intention to scrutinize it. By doing that, he would not feel so embarrassed by it even if he lost the bet later. No matter what, Tao Qianli would never allow others to call him an amateur.
"Lady Fei Xuan, could you kindly ask two people to come up and help me?" asked Chen Xiaobei.
"Of… Of course…"
Clearly, Fei Xuan had not yet recovered from the shock that she experienced earlier. Considering that Fei Xuan had worked as an auctioneer for years, she had seen all kinds of people at an auction. However, she had never encountered someone as crazy and as wild as Chen XIaobei.
Soon, two young ladies walked to the front stage.
Chen Xiaobei then took out a scroll from his Infinite Space Ring and passed it to the ladies.
"You must open the scroll slowly! The length of this scroll is rather long. Please be really careful! Do not damage it!"
Knowing that it was an extremely valuable item, the two ladies followed Chen Xiaobei's orders and proceeded to open the scroll gently. At the same time, everyone in the room had their attention glued on it.
"Hey kid! Don't you know that you are displaying your poorest skill in front of a master? How dare you show off your broken drawing in front of Master Tao Qianli?! I have to say, you are indeed quite the brave one!" said Lu Changwei.
"I thought this kid was supposed to be an expert at healing? How come he has a master that teaches him drawing? That doesn't make sense at all… How am I supposed to explain to Muyue if he was beaten by Lu Changwei to his death later?!"
"Ruiling! Let's make a bet! We'll bet on whether the young man will live or die after he opens up the scroll!" said Qin Luo with a smile.
"You want me to walk into your trap, right? Judging by Lu Changwei's personality, I'm pretty sure that he will kill that young man if he managed to find a single flaw on his drawing!" said Wei Ruilong.
"Damn… What a waste! The hero that has the guts to go against Lu Changwei is about to die soon! I will definitely buy him a drink if he manages to stay alive!"
"Count me in as well!" said Wei Ruiling, while shrugging.
"Idiots! Retarded! Morons! Luckily, I'm smart enough to walk away from him! I will be in big trouble if anyone else thought that I'm with him!" said the beautiful woman seated at the second row while sharply glaring at Chen Xiaobei.
"Wow! Such an awe-inspiring artwork!"
The boyfriend of the beautiful woman could not help but suddenly compliment the artwork that Chen Xiaobei just showed them. The width of the painting was around one meter but its length was an astounding ten meters! It was almost long enough to cover the entire stage! That was why the first impression that the drawing brought to the crowd was an impressive one. Compared to Tao Qianli's A Ride That Carried Victory, its size was only one fifth of Chen Xiaobei's.
The content of Chen Xiaobei's drawing was exactly the same as Tao Qianli's. In the drawing, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were standing in the same line. The drawing was so good that it made the crowd feel like they were looking at real soldiers. In the middle of the drawing stood a general on a prancing white horse with a long spear, facing hundreds of thousands of enemies.
"Top-tier Sumukhwa! This is definitely one of the best that I have ever seen! Look at the size of it! I get goose bumps just by staring at it! This would require years of drawing experience in order to come up something as good as this!"
"The skills that the person displayed whilst drawing this Sumukhwa is pretty pronounced as well! Though it's a Sumukhwa, I couldn't help but notice the many layers of details!"
"It's true that this is a good piece of artwork but I think it's too similar to Master Tao Qianli's."
"I think Master Tao's artwork is more detailed! Just look at the fur of the war horse and the parts of the armor! It looks so surreal! I think it's a lot harder to draw something like that!"
"You are right! Undeniable, that young man's artwork is good. Even so, I'm still not pleased that he called Master Tao an amateur!"
…..
A lot of people started commenting about it but none of them were willing to support Chen Xiaobei.
"Kid! Just tell me! How do you plan to die? I will grant you your wish!" said Lu Changwei with an evil smile on him.
"Everyone here are amateurs except for Master Tao and two of the governors. I'm not trying to offend anyone here." said Chen Xiaobei.
"Master Tao? Governors?"
Upon hearing that, the crowd suddenly realized that Tao Qianli and Dong Xiaowu were standing in front of Chen Xiaobei's artwork carefully examining it. It would seem that the two of them were extremely attracted to the drawing – like they were being petrified by the magical power that came out from the Sumukhwa. It was not hard to guess that the two of them had already figured out the essence of the art piece.
"What… What the hell is going on?" asked Lu Changwei in shock.
The crowd echoed his reaction.
"Master Tao! Governor! Can you hear me?" shouted Lu Changwei in a dissatisfied manner.
Siii…
Immediately, Tao Qianli and Dong Xiaowu regained their consciousness. One could see that the two of them had a fearful look. Beads of sweat were dripping from their forehead and their breathing was irregular. Clearly, they were too shocked by what they had just seen.
"Master Tao! Governor! What's wrong with you guys? Why are the two of you in shock?" asked Lu Changwei in concern.
No one amongst the crowd could figure out what was going on as well.
"This art piece is beyond godlike! I have never seen anything like this in my entire life before!"
Tao Qianli and Dong Xiaowu were completely in awe, their bodies both shaking involuntarily.
"What's going on? Stop messing with me! You both look like you just saw ghosts!" said Lu Changwei.
"Look at this Sumukhwa from two different angles. From this angle, it is as if all these soldiers are going to crush us into minced meat!" said Tao Qianli.
"Next, come to the middle. Try to look from the back of the general. His presence is so powerful that he helps you to eliminate all the fear that you had earlier on while facing those hundreds of thousands of enemies!" said Dong Xiaowu.
"How could that be even possible? I think the two of you are out of your minds!"
Clearly, Lu Changwei did not believe in a single word that they said.
"Quieten down now… And look at it carefully!"
Dong Xiaowu pulled Lu Changwei over to look at the Sumukhwa.
Seconds later, even Lu Changwei was drenched in fear.
Upon witnessing all of their reactions, the crowd was left in awe.
"It really is like that! If you look at it from both sides, the horses and the soldiers are charging forward from the ledges, as if they were going to swallow the earth! But the scenery behind them remained completely tranquil, serene and placid even if the skies were to fall! How magical… It's only a painting yet it stirs up fear in me… This is a masterpiece… An absolute masterpiece…"
Lu Changwei exhaled in awe.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Changwei would have never admitted that this painting was a work of art.
But right now, his mind was so violently shaken by the illustration that he broke down and revealed to them his deepest thoughts.
"My god… How is this possible… Even the Ethereal Cultivation Lu Changwei looks subdued… This painting is magical…"
"Did Lu Changwei just admit that this painting was a masterpiece? Doesn't that mean that he too admits to the fact that he's a foolish moneybag? Now that's a refreshing change!"
The crowd gasped.
"This guy really is incredible." Miao Yiyue too was stunned. "Not only were his medical skills amazing, he had also a master artist as his teacher… This is truly unbelievable… I better go ask Muyue how she managed to find this living gem."
Qin Luo and Wei Ruilong could not believe their ears.
"It seems that we were wrong! Even Lu Changwei himself admits that this painting is magical! This guy will live after all!"
"Everyone! Master Tao!" shouted the materialistic bitch sitting next to Chen Xiaobei, "This young man is my friend! We came together!"
"Save it! The people are not dumb enough to believe you!"
Her noble boyfriend rolled his eyes at her, having decided to rid himself of her when they get home.
Meanwhile, on the stage.
Chen Xiaobei rolled the painting up and said, "I've already showed all of you the painting. If there's nothing else, I'll leave now!"
"Sir, please wait!" Fei Xuan ran up to him, looking anxious.
"What's the hurry? Don't you care about looking like a lady anymore?" chuckled Chen Xiaobei.
Fei Xuan shook her head and asked, "Mister, do you plan to auction this painting off? I guarantee that I can fetch you a very good price for it!"
"Auction?" Chen Xiaobei shrugged. "I'll think about it. If I do want to sell it, I'll consult Gu Congwen."
"You know our manager?"
"I don't."
Chen Xiaobei shrugged again.
Gu Congwen, who had been listening in in a corner by the backstage nearly lost his footing. He was about to go greet Chen Xiaobei but Chen Xiaobei just denied knowing him.
This was unfortunate for him and he had no one else to blame but himself!
When everyone else doubted Chen Xiaobei and even threatened to kill him, Gu Congwen had quietly hidden behind the stage.
Now that Chen Xiaobei resolved the situation and had become the focus, he would not allow the old man to be a freeloader.
"No! I can't let this happen again! The next time, no matter what happens, I will not pretend that I don't know Mr. Chen! I must be firm, and not falter. I will stand by him inevitably!"
Gu Congwen made that promise to himself.
The last time Gu Congwen pretended not to be acquainted with Chen Xiaobei, he missed out on the chance to get up close and personal with Dong Zhuo and Wenren Jinghao. That included dining with them.
This time, however, he missed the chance to blow his own trumpet. Just thinking about it caused old Gu's insides to churn in disgust for himself.
At the front of the stage, Fei Xuan earnestly said , "Anytime you decide that you want to sell this painting, you can come to Northern Wilderness Starfield. Manager and I will serve you the best we can!" Fei Xuan then cut her sentence and said, "Why don't I give you my phone number? So, even if it is inconvenient for you to come do business, you can just give me a ring and I will come to you instead!"
"Since you have expressed yourself so sincerely, it would be rude of me to reject you." Chen Xiaobei smiled as he exchanged numbers with her.
The materialistic woman who was watching from the audience smacked her forehead in regret.
"I'm such a brainless pig! Why didn't I ask for his number earlier?"
"Oh, have you forgotten? Earlier on, you were looking down on him!"
Her noble soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend chuckled. He finally saw this woman for who she really was!
"I…" The woman's face turned a red hot in shame.
"Aright, now that that's done. I shall take my leave." Chen Xiaobei turned away to walk down the stage.
"Hold on! What makes you think you can just walk away like that?"
Lu Changwei snapped out of his dazed state; his hatred and rage towards Chen Xiaobei came rushing back.
"What do you want? Do you want to be proven wrong again in front of all these people? Don't you want your face anymore?" Chen Xiaobei asked with a raised brow.
"I… I want a reason!" Lu Changwei was pissed. "That painting of yours is a masterpiece! But it doesn't grant you the right to slander Master Tao! He is an honored guest of mine! By humiliating him, you are humiliating me – and that means humiliating our entire South Town Lu Family!"
"I was just stating a fact. How was that demeaning to you?"
Chen Xiaobei was smiling now.
"Your painting is good but so is Master Tao's! You called him an amateur! How is that not demeaning?"
Lu Changwei refused to let the topic go to rest.
"The flaws of Master Tao's painting are painfully obvious. I didn't want to talk about it because I wanted to save the old man some face! If you keep this up, you're the one who is going to cause him to lose face. Is this how you treat an honored guest?"
"Stop straddling the fence and tell me the reason! If you can't, it would mean that you are humiliating Master Tao and we the Lu's will not let you get away with it!"
Chen Xiaobei did not know what to do, so he looked at Tao Qianli for an answer.
Unlike Lu Changwei, he was surprisingly optimistic and sincere, saying, "Little Mister, if there are flaws in my painting, I ask that you give me the appropriate advice! I'm not one to conceal my flaws for fear of criticism. Only by knowing what my mistakes are, could I further improve my skills!"
"Master Tao really is the paragon of a master! I will give you my feedback. If you change that on your painting, your skills will progress greatly!"
Chen Xiaobei stood next to the Sumukhwa and said, "First things first, your painting is, without a doubt, almost perfect. The general in this artwork looks very detailed and realistic! The problem however, lies on the soldiers and horses! The general is the hero of the painting. But he looks very small amongst the thousands of men! For the sake of offsetting the general's power, you weakened the enemies, causing it to look less like a battle and more like a scene in the movies where the main character simply watches the wave of actors in front of him. There's no sense of danger, or urgency! It doesn't feel like a war at all! At first glance, the painting is decent but taking a closer look, there is not much emotion in it! The quintessence of this artwork should show that the general is powerful enough to stay calm in front of a horde of enemies! These two values are indispensable! Your painting can only be called General that was Facing Fake War! In the world of arts , the likes of you are considered amateur!"
The general that was Facing a Fake War!
When the crowd heard this, a wave of discussion arose.
"This dude's criticism is really blunt. Now that I've seen at Master Tao's painting, it really does have an obvious flaw!"
"Yeah! If he had not said it, none of us would have seen it! Master Tao's general in this painting is drawn very well, but without the real enemies, the whole painting lacks substance, leaving it without grace or charm!"
"I know, right? It's just like how Xi Yang-Yang must be paired with Hui Tailang; Ultraman against the beasts! Without one, the other is nothing! Without the enemy in it, the painting looks a little lackluster!"
…
Almost everyone agreed with Chen Xiaobei's criticisms.
But Lu Changwei refused to admit defeat, and hardened his heart. "So what if you're right? Everyone knows master Tao's skills! You keep talking about how Master Tao is an amateur! You're basically slandering him with every chance you get!"
A deafening silence fell in the room. It was apparent now that Lu Changwei refused to let Chen Xiaobei off the hook!
"First of all, I was criticizing this painting! Not Master Tao himself! This painting is drawn with a layman's level. It doesn't mean that every painting of Master Tao's is!" Chen Xiaobei retorted. "I believe that all these years, Master Tao's successes are due to his many excellent works along the way! It might be difficult to say that this painting is elegant but this alone does not represent all of Master Tao's lifetime's work! You are just putting words in my mouth! Are you in any way attempting to tarnish my name or Master Tao's?"
"I…" that very moment, Lu Changwei's tongue failed him.
"Wow! This kid has a sharp tongue!" laughed Qin Luoshu, sounding delighted. "He basically killed two birds with one stone!"
"What two birds-one stone? What are you talking about? Didn't he just refute Lu Changwei? What else did he do?" Wei Ruilong asked.
"That's one! But he also said that this painting is not worthy to be displayed up here!" Qin Luoshu laughed, "Think about it! Everyone knows that this painting is not worthy! How can Lu Changwei have the nerve to give this to the grand elder?"
"Oh! No wonder!" It finally dawned on Wei Ruilong. "This kid really is quite incredible! Not only did he shut Lu Changwei up, he even crushed him! Now that this painting can't be given away, the title 'rich fool' will surely stick to him like glue! Haha…"
"6,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones down the drain. What an idiot! Haha…" laughed Qin Luoshu.
The two of them had been victims of Lu Changwei's bullying, but seeing the tables turn put them in a good mood.
On the other side, Miao Yiyue looked at Chen Xiaobei thoughtfully. "This guy really is quite something! I won't be able to see him anymore, unfortunately!"
Meanwhile, on the stage.
Chen Xiaobei cracked Lu Changwei a smile and asked, "Do you have anything to say? If not, then bye bye!"
"Stand there!" Lu Changwei now turned an ugly shade of purple. "Master Tao… Say something! This idiot is slandering your good name! Are you not going to defend yourself?"
Tao Qianli shook his head, and looked up quickly as if he had just been pried from his deepest thoughts. "No, I don't. This young man is right… In fact, I need to thank him for his correcting me!"
"What?!"
Lu Changwei's expression was that of shock and horror.
Tao Qianli was supposed to be exasperated, asking to challenge Chen Xiaobei. Instead, he was thankful to Chen Xiaobei?!
Lu Changwei felt as if he was on the verge breaking down.
Tao Qianli himself did not mind the critic, what about him? Even if he had a thick face, he could not afford to lose so much skin!
"Alright. Since everything is settled, let's not bother ourselves with it anymore! The auction must go on! Everybody, settle down!" spoke Dong Xiaowu putting an end to the squabble!"
"Please, let's not fight anymore! Young Master Dong rarely makes a trip here so let us not rain on his parade!"
Lu Changwei knew that there was no way he could put Chen Xiaobei in his place today. It would be better to get off the boat before it sank.
"Then I…"
Chen Xiaobei was done showing off and was about to leave when someone called out, "Bro Bei! Don't go!"
Xiao'er crawled out of Chen Xiaobei's collar.
Because he was speaking in an insect's language, the audience could only hear unintelligible chirps.
"Huh?"
It was then inconvenient for Chen Xiaobei to say anything.
Xiao'er quickly exaplined, "I smell some amazing delicacies! It smells really amazing! That would be at the very least a Nine-Star Spiritual Item! It could be even a Half-Step Divine Item!"
"Where?"
Chen Xiaobei's swept his gaze across the crowd, but he did not see anyone with anything that valuable.
"It's behind the stage! It's drawing closer and closer! It has to be the next item on auction!"
"Alright! Then I won't leave. I'll stay and find out what it is!"
Chen Xiaobei had already decided, and walked to his seat.
"Idiot! Why aren't you leaving?" Lu Changwei barked.
"These legs are mine. I'll leave whenever I like, and I'll stay if I want to. What does that have anything to do with you?" Chen Xiaobei replied; his tone filled with spite and ridicule.
"Hmph! You're only an outsider. What can you even buy? Even if you decide to stay, you'll just be helping us warm the seats! Utterly useless!"
Lu Changwei glared at Chen Xiaobei from the corner of his eyes, as he sat down on his chair.
Chen Xiaobei continued to walk towards his seat when Qin Luoshu and Wei Ruilong called out to Chen Xiaobei, eyes pleading. "Mister! If you don't mind, sit among us please!"
Miao Yiyue looked torn. He wanted to invite Chen Xiaobei to sit next to him but now, he felt that it might be awkward since he did not even greet him earlier.
"Don't fight against me, the two of you!". Dong Xiaowu stood up and said earnestly, "Sir, please grant me the pleasure of seating yo next to me! I enjoy the arts and have lots of questions I'd like to ask you!"
"Alright! Since Young Master Dong has expressed such kind hospitality, I shall oblige!"
Chen Xiaobei smiled.
The last thing he wanted was to go to the back and sit next to that disgusting gold-digger of woman.
"I will have to decline your kind invite. But thank you!"
Chen Xiaobei remembered to acknowledge Qin Luoshu and Wei Ruilong and he also expressed affability.
"Please sit, sir! Please!"
Dong Xiaowu stood up and gave the center seat to Chen Xiaobei!
What's more, Chen Xiaobei did not attempt to refuse it. He sat down without the least bit of hesitation and said, "If you want me to teach you, then I do indeed deserve this seat!"
Subsequently, a short break ensued.
What seemed like a break was actually an interval for Lu Changwei to complete the first transaction.
Fei Xuan was escorted by two maidservants to deliver the Sumukhwa.
Lu Changwei was unenthusiastic but in front of a beautiful woman and so many prominent people, he was forced to hold his tongue, grind his teeth and oblige!
If he refused to pay, him, and the entire Lu Family's reputation would suffer indefinitely!
To make things worse, the Northern Wilderness Chamber of Commerce was a very important institution of the Northern Wilderness Temple. Historically, those who owed money and defaulted on a debt were blacklisted and severely punished, thus prohibited from making any sort of transaction in the whole of Starfield.
Lu Changwei wouln't dare to take such a risk. Instead, he paid up all 6,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones, making him feel as if his blood had been sucked dry.
As he accepted the painting, Lu Changwei felt like screaming on the top of his lungs.
The was 6,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones for a painting of a layman's quality which he could not give as a gift to the grand elder. Hanging it on the wall in his house would be no different from hanging up a medal of shame and humiliation.
What a waste of Spiritual Stones!
'Rich fool'– this name was now stuck as Lu Changwei's signature. He could now never rid himself of it. Ever.
On the other side, Chen Xiaobei was discussing the finer points of the Sumukhwa with Dong Xiaowu and Tao Qianli. Their conversation was rich and in-depth, and as there was nothing that Chen Xiaobei did not know, he was ready with answers for whatever questions they might throw his way.
In their eyes, Chen Xiaobei was an expert in art.
No question was too difficult for Chen Xiaobei. He could even split his attention, both playing with his phone while answering their questions at the same time!
What they did not know was that Chen Xiaobei knew nothing about Sumukhwa at all.
The only reason he was able to answer all their questions was because on the other end of his phone were the real masters of art!
Whenever a question was asked, Chen Xiaobei would send it over and the person on the other end would answer. All he had to do was read it out!
That's right!
The people who had actually answered all their questions were Gu Kaizhi, Wu Daozi, and other famous artists!
Since Chen Xiaobei had contacted Zhao Yun, he had been chatting with them in the Little Apple Playground. A long time ago, this club was established by Grandma Rong after Chen Xiaobei taught them how to dance. After that, the dance became really famous and almost all the spirits joined the club to learn this curious dance. The godlike artwords that Chen Xiaobei received were from Zhao Yun!
Even his critique of the Sumukhwa were made up of thebart-experts' opinion. Chen Xiaobei was just going along with what he learnt at that moment.
While Chen Xiaobei talked to Tao Qianli and Dong Xiaowu, Chen Xiaobei prattled with the group as they were thinking up more questions to ask him.
Chen Xiaobei: You guys are all awesome!!!! I finally got to witness the quintessence of Chinese culture! 
Wu Daozi: What is there to like about? That picture is just a draft! The final piece must be even better!
Gu Kaizhi: Yeah, God Chen. You are so easily pleased, getting so excited about a simple draft.
Chen Xiaobei: And because it's a draft, I'm so excited! You may not know this but, according to where I am now, this draft did stun a few hundred people! They praised it fervently, even calling it a masterpiece! If I tell them that this is just a draft, they would surely all faint!
Wu Daozi: This only proves that our descendants did not inherit the passion for our national art. All their artistic skills are lost! How sad…
Gu Kaizhi: You don't have to worry about that. They must have have a lot of things that we don't! Every generation will have their own inheritance. This is the natural order of development!
Wu Daozi: You know what, you're right! I won't lament anymore! Let's finish the real Sumukhwa and give it to God Chen!
Gu Kaizhi: Mm, let's go! God Chen, do enjoy yourself! We'll leave first!
With the two legends now gone, Chen Xiaobei had no way of answering Dong Xiaowu and Tao Qianli's questions.
Lucky for him, the auction resumed as the curtains drew open.
Fei Xuan returned to the stage and started announcing in that sweet voice of hers, "After the short break, I believe that everyone has had the chance to gather their thoughts! Next up, we'll present the second item up for auction!"
Two maidservants carried a tray onto the stage.
"Huh? What is that?"
The audience asked each other in curiosity.
On the tray was a piece of smooth rock the size of an egg. A mild Spiritual Aura was emanating from it. It seems, this was a rare item.
Obviously, this was the item that excited Xiao'er, a Nine-Star Spiritual Item! It could even possibly be a Halfstep Divine Item!
"Everybody, please settle down!" Fei Xuan had to control the crowd's excitement. "This item is called the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade. It's a very rare Nine-Star Spiritual Item! It was discovered in the heart of a meteorite, which was worn away by the elements. We believe that it has travelled though the universe for thousands of years! And throughout its travels within the universe, this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade absorbed a large amount of natural essence! In time, the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade gave birth to Wind Ability! This could now be considered a Halfstep Divine Item!"
The crowd gasped.
"Halfstep Spiritual Item? What does that mean?" wondered Chen Xiaobei. "Perhaps some of my honorable guests here still don't understand what a Halfstep Spiritual Item is." Fei Xuan then explained. "Halfstep Spiritual Items are Spiritual Jade that do not require crafting to turn them into a Spiritual Item. And they are still able to unleash its ability!"
Chen Xiaobei immediately thought of the Soul Consuming Enigmatic Jade.
The Enigmatic Jade was a One-Star Divine Item; a gift by Taiyin True Deity,
Chen Xiaobei had only used his Spiritual Qi to activate the Soul Consuming Enigmatic Jade. He did not need to craft it into another Spiritual Item when it could already be used to absorb spirits.
That was what a Halfstep Spiritual Item was!
Someone from the crowd hten asked, "Since it already has a special ability, why isn't it just called a Spiritual Item? Why add the word 'halfstep' into it? Isn't that overdoing it?"
"It seems that our honorable guest does not understand!". Fei Xuan explained further, "The word was added because it is not used as a Spiritual Item! Its actual usage is to enhance other Spiritual Items! It could add a Wind Ability to your Spiritual Item's original Special Ability!"
Doubled in power!
That was exactly like the Soul Consuming Enigmatic Jade!
The Chaos Blood Sword's Special Ability was to absorb blood, but combined with the Soul Consuming Enigmatic Jade, it was also able to absorb souls! Because of that, its energy absorption rate had also increased – and without the addition of the jade, it would be extremely difficult for the sword to absorb energy!
In other words, as long as the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade on auction was paired with a Spiritual Item and with Special Abilities that complemented it, its destructive power would multiply by leaps and bounds!
To put it simply, without any sort of pairing, the two would just be separate Spiritual Items. Combining the two would make them into one extremely powerful Spiritual Item! If there was a fight involving both, the latter would definitely crush the former!
That was why the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was put under the category of a half-Spiritual Item. It basically meant that it could be used on its own as a Spiritual Item or used to fortify another Spiritual Item – which was obviously the preferable option.
In essence, it was actually a refining material!
"Ms. Fei Xuan! What is the Special Ability of the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade? You'll need to tell us so we know what Spiritual Item can be paired with it!"
Someone from the crowd pointed out.
Since the principles of cultivation was that: the higher your cultivation, the more difficult it would be to increase it, there were a lot people who were stuck in the same cultivation realm. They made very little progress. So, under these circumstances, a person's resources (Spiritual Items, Spiritual Medicine, Spiritual Beasts, Formation etc) were used to compete with another's.
To a large extent, these external factors had become the most important factor in determining the outcome of a batlle between people of the same level.
With sufficient, or better yet, abundant resources, winning a battle against an opponent with a higher combat power was not impossible.
A good example would be that time when Chen Xiaobei used the Chaos Blood Sword to kill the Emperor God. That had proven that in the cultivators' world, owning a powerful Spiritual Item was pertinent!
The participants of the auction wanted to know if any of their current Spiritual Items could be paired up with the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade. If it could, it would then be worth fighting for!
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't worry. I will demonstrate for you!" said Fei Xuan, as she picked up the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade.
Two muscular men carried a metal cylinder as thick as a person's thigh onto the stage and placed it upright for the audience to see.
"Please take a look, ladies and gentlemen. This ingot is made with Silver Plume Black Steel!" pointed Fei Xuan towards the cylinder. "We are all no strangers to this material. This is our Silver Plume's special product, a One-Star Spiritual Item, its hardness and tenacity are 100 times that of normal steel!"
The audience nodded at this common knowledge. Only Chen Xiaobei was surprised by this information.
100 times harder and more tenacious than regular steel meant that if this cylinder were made of ordinary iron, it would have to be enlarged 100 times to match this single black-steeled cylinder. It would not even be able to fit the stage.
That was mind-blowing for Chen Xiaobei.
"Ms. Fei Xuan! What's the use of this Silver Plume Black Steel cylinder? Does it have anything to do with the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade's ability?" asked someone in the audience who was getting impatient.
"Of course! Just watch closely! The Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade's Special Ability will mesmerize you!"
With the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade in her hand, Fei Xuan established a line of communication with its Spiritual Attribute.
Swoosh!
Fei Xuan swung her arm forcefully and a black blade appeared in the Spiritual Jade! It was not solid but was made up of wind elements. And because it was moving so rapidly, it looked like a harmless body of light.
Zing!
The black blade was swiftly swung at the cylinder.
What happened next came completely unexpected.
It sliced through the bulky cylinder sliding off the top half and tumbled down the floor of the stage with a loud thud.
The cross-section of the cut was as smooth as glass. It had been obviously cut with a single motion, with no hesitation marks.
The audience were struck dumb. Even Chen Xiaobei was taken aback.
That was like cutting through tens of meters of thick regular steel!
Tens of meters thick!
Even if Chen Xiaobei, who was already at Celestial Cultivation held the Dragon's Edge, he would never be able to make such a precise, clean cut!
To Chen Xiaobei, being able to cut about one third of the way into the Silver Plume Black Steel cylinder was already good enough.
The Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade really was powerful!
Zing! Zing! Zing!
Fei Xuan swung her the blade in her hand a few more times at the cylinder, slicing it into a few pieces that slid to ground as if it was fashioned out of tofu.
The cross section was just as flat and as even!
The black wind blade could not be stopped by the metal that that was 100 times stronger than regular metal!
It was phenomenal!
"Wow! That's incredible! The wind Special Ability added so much to the sharpness of the wind blade! It could even possibly smash a Celestial Cultivator's True Kang!"
"It's so impressive, it's almost absurd! I've never heard of any Nine-Star Spiritual Items having such stupendous Special Ability!"
"Ms. Fei Xuan said that this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was embedded in a meteor. Who knows, it could have fallen from an even higher-ranked Starfield! That's could be why it possesses such an imposing Special Ability!"
The crowd was abuzz with excitement. But not everyone shared the enthusiasm. Disappointed sighs could be heard amongst the excited gasps.
"Sigh… It's might not be such a good thing that it is so powerful… A thing with such caliber must be very expensive… We can never afford that…"
"Yeah… Needless to say, only top-tier nobles could afford the cost of the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade! We can only dream of buying it…"
"Duh! Just look at the young masters in the first row! They're all fired up! Once Ms. Fei Xuan announces the opening bid, they will all jump in with everything they got!"
…
"Everybody, please try to keep your voices down. Next, I'm going to announce that the opening bid for this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade is 3,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones! Any increase in bidding prices must not be lower than medium-grade Spiritual Stones! Ladies and gentlemen, you may begin to place your bids!"
Fei Xuan's gaze was on the top-tier nobles sitting in the first row. Clearly, they were the only ones who could afford this bid.
Lu Changwei could not hold it back any longer. He turned to his side and asked in a hushed voice, "Young master, can you lend me some Spiritual Stones? I really want to buy this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade!"
Before Dong Xiaowu could even reply, Chen Xiaobei turned to him and said, "There's no point in borrowing money. That piece of Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade is mine!"
"What? The Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade is yours? Are you running a fever?" Lu Changwei rolled his eyes at Chen Xiaobei. "Even if I don't bid for it, the other three Star Temple people won't pass up the chance of owning this rare Spiritual Item! Who are you to say that you are definitely going to win this bid?"
"That's right!" Qin Luoshu nodded. "Mister, even though you are an expert in Sumukhwa, I must fight to get my hands on this unusual and powerful Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade!"
Wei Ruilong smiled and said, "Mister, I'm sorry but I can't sit back and hand it over to you just like that! I will surely do my best to get it!"
Miao Yiyue said nothing. His gaze was glued to the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade. Watching it intently, that could only mean that he too wanted to get his hands on this unique half-Spiritual Item!"Changwei…" Even Dong Xiaowei was eager to acquire the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade himself . He lowered his voice and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to lend you any, I want this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade too!"
"…"
Lu Changwei was devastated. He had spent all of his medium-grade Spiritual Stone on a worthless piece of painting. Without Dong Xiaowei to lend him Spiritual Stones, he would be automatically kicked out of the game.
Not only was the nickname 'rich fool' permanently attached to him, he was going to miss the opportunity to own the formidable Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade. A bitter taste filled his mouth and his heart was heavy.
"Mr. Chen." Dong Xiaowu turned towards Chen Xiaobei and said, "Now that we know each other, we can be considered friends. So, let me be straightforward with you: I must get this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade no matter what. I won't back off!"
Chen Xiaobei did not react but Lu Changwei was practically jumping in his seat.
"Good! Good job young master! This kid will never be able have what I can't have!"
Seeing that Chen Xiaobei was stuck in a predicament made the gloomy Lu Changwei cheer right up.
"Heh, I already said that this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade is mine. Whatever I say is certain!"
Chen Xiaobei was filled with so much confidence as if everything was under his control. As if his words were final.
"Oh please!" Lu Changwei asked Chen Xiaobei, his voice deep with scorn, "Do you have any money at all? If you do, can it be compared to the young master?"
Chen Xiaobei shrugged. "I don't have money. I don't even have a son who would give me allowance. So, what I have cannot be compared to what the young master has!"
"Motherf*cker!" Lu Changwei swore. "If that is so, how dare you act so arrogantly?! Don't you have any shame?"
When the audience heard this, they all frowned. They thought that Chen Xiaobei dared compete for the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade because he was a deep-pocketed wealthy man.
Alas! He was actually a penniless pauper! How dare he claim that the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was his to take?! That was just absurd! This guy's skin really was thick!
But under the judgmental glare of the people, Chen Xiaobei managed to remain completely unfazed and even smiled as he calmly announced, "I may not have money, but I do have a painting!"
Painting?
The audience sat upright; their necks stretched far out like meerkats, especially the young masters in the first row. Their glares were molesting Chen Xiaobei like sex predators.
"Mr. Chen, what do you mean by that?" Dong Xiaowu asked with an unmistakable urgency in his voice.
"Well, it's simple," Chen Xiaobei answered. "Whoever buys the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade can exchange it for the masterpiece that I presented just now. It's a one-time offer only. The decision is yours to make!"
The young masters all lit up like it was Christmas.
The starting price for the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was 3,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones, the exchange price should certainly not exceed 6,000!
Earlier that evening, Lu Changwei had spent 6,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones on a piece of crap painting! Now, for the same price, one could get their hands on a masterpiece!
Even a fool would know that such a trade-off was worthwhile!
"I'll do it! I'm willing to make an exchange!" said Qin Luoshu, who was the first to speak up. "Ms. Fei Xuan! I offer 3,500 medium-grade Spiritual Stones!"
Wei Ruilong followed suit. "I bid 3,800 medium-grade Spiritual Stones! I want to trade with Mr. Chen!"
"4,000! I bid 4,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones! Mr. Chen! You must make the exchange with me!" barged in Miao Yiyue who immediately raised the bid.
It must be pointed out that today, all four young masters of the four Star Temples have gathered here today for a sole purpose: to purchase a painting worthy to be presented as a gift to the grand elder.
That was the plan of each of their families.
In comparison, the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was just a coincidental find, not a compulsory purchase, and it is definitely nowhere nearly as important as a masterpiece of a traditional Chinese brush painting!
For this sole reason, the young masters were willing to forgo the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade for the painting.
Those who can afford to buy the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade were all desperate to exchange it for Chen Xiaobei's masterpiece. Which meant that whoever bought the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade, would have to eventually give it Chen Xiaobei.
This auction was no longer about the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade, but it was more like a bid for the painting in the very hands of Chen Xiaobei!
Even though Chen Xiaobei was a nobody, the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade would be eventually his to pocket.
That was why Chen Xiaobei had claimed earlier on that the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was his. He was not being pompous – it was just because he knew that it would happen!
Lu Changwei felt a dent to his pride. His mockery of Chen Xiaobei had come back to bite him.
"I'm sorry, everyone! I must have Mr. Chen's painting!"
Dong Xiaowu raised his hands and said, "I'm bidding 6,000 medium-grade Spiritual Stones! I believe no one else is going top that, right?"
That was the exact price Lu Changwei offered to take out his competition.
The other young masters wanted to raise the price little by little but Dong Xiaowu beat them all with the highest price and that undoubtedly ended the auction.
No one said anything because in terms of monetary means, for there was no one in Silver Plume who could compete with the Dong Family.
After that, Fei Xuan walked down the stage to complete the transaction.
Dong Xiaowu paid for the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade with Spiritual Stones and immediately traded it with Chen Xiaobei for the Sumukhwa!
"Mr. Chen, your painting can actually be sold for a lot more…" lamented Fei Xuan sounding a little disappointed.
"No!" Chen Xiaobei's expression pointed to the fact that he did not care at all for the money. "I don't care for selling it at a higher price. I simply hope that this painting falls into the hands of people who appreciate art as much as the young master."
When Dong Xiaowu heard this, he was thoroughly moved. "Mr. Chen! I will always remember your kindness! Let's be good friends from now on! Whenever you encounter difficulties, you can always come to me!"
"With pleasure! With pleasure!"
Chen Xiaobei smiled, trying to hide the laughter welling inside him as he pictured the interesting expressions the crowd would display if he told them that the painting was nothing but a draft.
"Sweet! I got the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade!"
A draft for a formidable Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade! Chen Xiaobei was overjoyed.
"Mr. Chen, forgive me for being straightforward…" Instead of walking away, Fei Xuan asked, "Why are you so willing to give up that piece of painting for this Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade? Could it be that you already have a Spiritual Item that could be paired with it?"
Chen Xiaobei blinked and said, "That's a private matter. I cannot disclose it!"
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Chen. I was not trying to pry into your personal matters!" Fei Xuan immediately explained. "I just want to remind you that the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade is a very rare Nine-Star Spiritual Item! You have to pair it with another Nine-Star Spiritual Item! Anything lower than that would just be a reckless waste!"
She believed that Chen Xiaobei could not possibly own a Nine-Star Spiritual Item. That was why she was kind enough to give him a heads up, so that the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade would not go to waste.
"Thank you, Ms Fei Xuan for reminding me! I knew that already!"
Chen Xiaobei smiled, knowing that she was all but sincerely concerned.
"Alright. That's a relief!"
Fei Xuan then returned to the stage to begin the next auction.
…
As the auction continued, Chen Xiaobei's heart and mind drifted elsewhere.
He was preoccupied on planning how he was going to use the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade.
Chen Xiaobei was not the kind of person who hoardes for things without a reason. Whatever he had acquired, he had to use it to its fullest and to the best of its ability!
The answer to the question that Fei Xuan presented earlier was that if he already had a compatible Spiritual Item, then the answer was yes, of course!
Chen Xiaobei owned a lot of Spiritual Items, all of which were stored inside his treasure chest. He even had Divine Items like the Thunder Pool Tesseract. Amidst his collection, there were two Spiritual Items that were compatible with the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade!
It was not the Thunder Pool Tesseract, of course. Although wind and lightning elements were compatible with each other, pairing a Spiritual Item to a Divine Item was like a horse pulling a car – it could only upgrade the Thunder Pool Tesseract by so much.
The other item that could be used with the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was his Chaos Blood Sword.
This sword had undergone two powerful upgrades to become what it is today – a Chaos Blood Sword! With its powerful Special Ability, it was Chen Xiaobei's trump card of choice to defeat his enemies!
The sword itself was a lethal weapon, and when complemented with the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade, it would become a weapon of doubled power!
For now, the Chaos Blood Sword had yet to reach a Nine-Star level. But at the very least, it was a Divine-Item tier weapon! Sooner or later, it would eventually become one!
Pairing it with the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade at such an infant stage was not a bad idea at all!
After careful consideration however, Chen Xiaobei crossed out this option.
The Chaos Blood Sword's Special Ability operated on an 'element of surprise'. That being said, it was supposed to kill his enemies with one a single slash! Most of the time, the Chaos Blood Sword would only be left in his treasure chest. Only at a crucial point in time would it be used to kill the enemy in one strike! If the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade was to pair with it, then the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade would also be left in treasure chest. That would be like casting pearls to swine! Not worth its salt at all!
With the Thunder Pool Tesseract and the Chaos Blood Sword eliminated, there was only one option left, the Dragon's Edge!
This knife was made from the bones of a Black Demonic Dragon, and molded by the very hands of the Prime of Tongtian.
The only thing was, because time was scant, the Prime of Tongtian only managed to mold it into its form without any Spiritual Ability.
So, this was a half-finished product. Without the Spiritual Ability, it could not match any Spiritual Items.
Even so, from the combat power the Dragon's Edge exerted, it was apparent that this was a natural killing machine!
Sharp! Keen! Honed! Its blade invincible!
What's more, the Dragon's Edge was a Divine Item itself. Even if there was a nuclear explosion, it would not have sustained any damage!
In the near future, the Dragon's Edge, like the Chaos Blood Sword, would evolve into a Divine Item!
More important was that the Dragon's Edge did not have to be saved for the right time to use it. When fighting against an enemy, Chen Xiaobie could draw it anytime without fuss and kill his enemies freely!
With the Reverse Blade Spiritual Jade's Special Ability, the blade would be faster! Sharper! Even more invincible!
"It's decided then!"
Chen Xiaobei reached a conclusion.
He later find the time to ask the Prime of Tongtian. If he had no objections, Chen Xiaobei would begin the first phase of advancement for Dragon's Edge!
Ding
Chen Xiaobei received a message.
[Congratulations! You received a red envelope from Zhao Yun. One unit of 'True Ride that Carries Victory' painting has been deposited into your treasure chest!]
When he saw the message, Chen Xiaobei was over the moon and quickly clicked on the Little Apple Club chat group.
Chen Xiaobei: Bro Zhilong! I've received the red envelope! Master Wu Daozi! Master Gu Kai Zi! To all the masters… Thank you so much for your hard work! 
Wu Daozi: It's nothing, God Chen! Zhao Yun has already thanked us earlier!
Gu Kaizhi: Yeah! Zhao Zhilong was so terrific he even sent us a thank you gift!
Zhao Yun: I was the one who lost the bet, so I should be the one to do the thanking!
Chen Xiaobei: Oh, right. Should I send you guys a merit point? … in case Shen Gongpao come looking for trouble!
Zhao Yun: There's no need. I was the one who lost the bet. This is just a painting. It doesn't affect humans so Shen Gongpao wouldn't care.
Chen Xiaobei: That's a relief. That bugger always has it in for me. It would be terrible if it did affect you guys.
Zhao Yun: Don't you worry about these things. All that matters is that you are pleased with it!
Chen Xiaobei: I am! I'm very pleased indeed! It's phenomenal! I got the real finished product! How could I not be pleased? 
Zhao Yun: What's with the 'hehe'? Is there something you're not telling us?
Chen Xiaobei: I used that draft to exchange for a great treasure. I'm so happy 
Zhao Yun: A piece of treasure from the earthly realm is enough to make you happy? Heh, the Duanwu festival is coming! It's the day after tomorrow! Our Heavenly Realm treasures are waiting for you to come grab them! 
Chen Xiaobei: Whoa! It's the day after tomorrow?! If you hadn't told me, I would have already forgotten about it!
Zhao Yun: You surely deserve to have this Heavenly Realm Duanwu Festival party!
Chen Xiaobei: Haha! I will be definitely be there! And I will bring lots of delicious goodies!
Zhao Yun: I'll see you there! 
Chen Xiaobei: See you!
As Chen Xiaobei put down his phone, it suddenly dawned on him that time had passed very quickly and he had already been in the Northern Wilderness Starfield for a few days.
Since he had decided earlier, he had to return to earth to spend Duanwu festival with his family. He hurried to get ready.
…
The auction came to an end. After Chen Xiaobei bid Dong Xiaowu bid the others goodbye, he returned to the 2nd Regiment base camp.
Seeing that it was still early, Chen Xiaobei gave Ning Yuchen a ring.
"Bro Ning, are you sleeping?" Chen Xiaobei asked.
"Sleep? Who has time to sleep? Something terrible happened here!" Ning Yuchen replied.
"What happened?"
Chen Xiaobei straightened himself up instinctively.
"There's massive ground activity in Zachara Grand Canyon. The heads suspect that there may be a wave of beasts coming. All the units have been deployed! I can't talk now…"
Ning Yuchen hung up.
The situation was obviously very critical, to the point where a war might break out.
Ning Yuchen had mentioned that their operation was in the west of Silver Plume Forest, Zachara Grand Canyon.
That place was thick with vegetation and abundant with water, and thus, Demonic Beasts were often found residing there.
That was the 8th Regiment's territory. But if a stampede of beasts were to barge in, the 8th Regiment would not be able to defend themselves.
That was why the management sent the entire 5th Regiment to assist them.
Once war breaks out, tens of thousands of people would be using fire to fight fire with the tens of thousands of Demonic Beasts, battling to the death!
Most people would normally run as far as they could from a situation like that, but instead, Chen Xiaobei had been waiting for this day to come!
In his eyes, tens of thousands of Demonic Beasts meant tens of thousands of Beast Cores. Combined with the Ginseng Fruit he had just recently acquired, his cultivation would skyrocket.
"Go!"
Chen Xiaobei qucikly made a decision within that second, stepped onto the Somersault Cloud and rushed west into the Silver Plume Forest.
…
other than the Capital City, all other areas on Silver Plume Planet were undeveloped and uninhabited.
So, as long as an area had a continuation of forestry, it was called Silver Plume Forest!
That was why this unique forest was about half the surface area of earth, and it had always been inhabited by a myriad of Demonic Beasts. There was even word of a Demonic Beast Kingdom.
If the Silver Plume City was made the midpoint of the eastern half of the planet, then the Demonic Beast Kingdom's capital would be in the center of the western half of the planet. The beasts themselves also had a strict hierarchy, and they too had Beast Emperor, Beast King, Beast Commander, and Beast Soldier.
The closer the beasts were to the Silver Plume City, the weaker their cultivation. The stronger Demonic Beasts lived in the vicinity of the Demonic Beast Capital City!
This time, Ning Yuchen and the others had crossed over half the width of the planet; and even though they had not reached the Demonic Beast Capital City yet, they had already entered the Demonic Beasts' domain – a powerful beast may appear at any time!
"Move it! Move it! 7th Regiment! Occupy the slope over there! 3rd Regiment! Stop dilly-dallying and find cover! Reconnaissance patrol, standby! I will be leaving with you…"
The 2nd Regiment Commanding Officer Hao Yue was issuing orders at the mouth of the Zachara Grand Canyon.
The 3,000 men in each Regiment were not unlike chess pieces, divided into smaller units, each with their own assignments.
Hao Yue himself was like that person playing chess – the formation of the troops required his fastest, most precise decisions.
"Captain, why must we keep watch here? Wouldn't it be better for us to confront the beasts and force them to retreat?"
Liu Chen was squatting behind a rock.
"Are you crazy?" Ning Yuchen said, "I've already told you many times! The Beast Horde is really frightening! Tens of thousands of Demonic Beasts charging towards you like flood! If we can't force them to retreat, then we would be crushed in turn! Just look at this canyon. Can you see how it resembles a pocket? We just have to seal off this pocket so that beasts can't move forward. We have to choose the option that requires the least sacrifice to keep this disaster at bay! The best situation would be where not a single person has to die!"
Li Chen's eyes widened at this information.
"Oh, that's why… But why is officer Hao Yue bringing the reconnaissance patrol to infiltrate the place? Isn't that dangerous?"
"In order to win a battle, we must not only know ourselves, but we must also know our enemies! The Demonic Beasts are just as smart as us. If we don't do that, we might just fall into their trap!" Ning Yuchen said, without a smile. "Don't forget that this is not the only exit in Zachara Grand Canyon! If the Demonic Beasts use a diversion to overpower us, we would surely be in terrible danger!"
Hu Ben nodded and said, "That's right! I know there's a narrow path somewhere here. If the Demonic Beast uses that path, they would then have a chance to attack us from the back! It's all very unpredictable!"
"How dangerous! Would the officer Hao Yue and the others go take a look?" Lu Chen asked, eyes still enlarged.
"Of course!" Ning Yuchen said, "Officer Hao Yue had been a Northern Wilderness soldier for eight years. He would not allow for something so critical to slip from his mind!"
"That's good…"
Lu Chen exhaled, relieved.
…
What followed was a long, extended stake out.
The 18,000 soldiers from 6 regiments scattered all across the mouth of the Grand Canyon, patrolling.
The Demonic Beasts were like a hidden ticking time-bomb that could go off anytime, posing a lethal threat that did not allow them to rest their eyes.
The night was long, and every second felt like a year.
At the beginning, everyone was in high spirits. But after a few hours, late into the night, they began to feel agitated and pessimistic.
"Where the hell is the Beast Horde? I think we got the wrong intel! Let's head back! I'm so sleepy!"
"What are we even doing here? We're just waiting time! Let's split…"
"I will sleep for a while! Wake me up if anything happens!"
Several soldiers began to let their guard down, especially the new, inexperienced recruits, and they lay on the ground.
This was only natural. In fact, it was so quiet inside the canyon that the veterans said nothing.
Gradually, more and more people began to succumb to their weariness.
Even Ning Yuchen and Liu Chen could not resist the weariness, leaning on a boulder and drifting into deep sleep.
Only Hu Ben buckled himself to remain awake, his eyes watching his surroundings with vigilance, like a watchful tiger.
Suddenly, a ray of light flashed at the mouth of the canyon!
"What is that?"
Hu Ben rubbed his eyes and looked again.
"We are under attack! Everyone wake up! Our enemy's here!" Hu Ben roared.
Inside the canyon, silver lights like stars slowly radiated out.
"Thats… Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves! My goodness! There's so many… There are almost thousands of them… Wake up! Everyone wake up… Stop sleeping! We'll all die…"
Shouts echoed in the canyon. A small portion of those who were still awake cried out desperately.
Obviously, the Demonic Beasts had made the first move!
Thousands of gigantic wolves appeared from the darkness of the canyon.
Their giant bodies kicked up the dust under their feet, their silver eyes filled with a thirst for blood!
The number of wolves were nowhere near a tenth of the number of Northern Wilderness soldiers. But those who were awake were few and scattered!
The Demonic Wolves ripped the hearts of those who were asleep with their dagger-like claws.
This was only the beginning of a terrifying massacre!
…
At the same time, Chen Xiaobei arrived from the skies of the Zachara Grand Canyon.
From there he saw everything that was happening in the mouth of the canyon but instead of approaching the battle, he flew off to the other side!
A bigger plot was indeed brewing!
"AH!!!"
Blood-curdling screams filled the canyon.
The Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves charged mercilessly at the people. Those who let their guard down suffered the painful consequence of their decisions!
Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves were actually only about Five-Star Black Steel, not very strong as beasts but with their good night-vision, it was easy for them to take down the soldiers in the darkness! With their speed and their knack for hunting in packs, they were able to overpower the scattered soldiers at their most vulnerable!
Time! Location! People!
These three factors were exactly why the wolves managed to kill all those soldiers.
The Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves attacked the fuzzy troopers who were still recovering from their slumber. Razor sharp canines tore into their soft, breakable necks while powerful claws tore into the delicate flesh!
The soldiers were like sacrificial lambs, unable to escape their cruel fate.
In less than a minute, Northern Wilderness lost over a thousand men in the first wave of attack!
As quickly as the terror fall upon them, the soldiers, many of them still wet behind the ears, finally made acquaintance with the savagery of war!
This was no child's play, unlike the nugatory fights they had where a few soldiers surrounded a single Demonic Beast!
This… This was the real war!
"Ahh… Argh…"
The cries continued and the pack of wolves had no intention to stop.
Lives lost and hot blood spilled.
This bitter lesson roused the remaining soldiers to fight harder against their enemies.
"Follow closely behind me! Don't split up! Turn on all the lights! Throw your flash bombs at them! Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves are afraid of bright lights! Let's kill them while they run amok in panic!" instructed Ning Yuchen.
This battle was different from the previous ones. Apart from Liu Chen and Hu Ben, there were 30 other men in Ning Yuchen's troop.
Because he was Patinated-bronze rank, he ran ahead of the others, to buy his troops time.
Bright lights illuminated the whole place, so much so that even Ning Yuchen could barely open his eyes. Needless to say, the Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves who were used to the darkness were temporarily blinded and became confused!
"Let's go!"
Hu Ben gestured the rest of the team to charge, striking the nearest Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves using their fastest ability.
Li Chen ran to Ning Yuchen to protect the Ning Yuchen whose vision was briefly overwhelmed by the light.
Because the Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves were rather weak, and Ning Yuchen's strategy was on the mark, the fight went smoothly – the dozens of Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves were killed at the double.
On top of that, because Hu Ben had realized their enemies' attack early on, the battle went well and none in Ning Yuchen's team were injured or killed. They were considered pretty lucky!
"Get ready your flashlights and flash bombs! Let's go help the others!"
Ning Yuchen's vision gradually came back to him as he led his team to another fight.
…
The Northern Wilderness soldiers suffered a great loss because they had underestimated their enemies.
Right now, everyone on their toes and Ning Yuchen's battle plan was quickly spread to others. Soon, all the Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves fell to the ground, with not a single one left.
"Phew… It finally ended…"
The soldiers exhaled with relief.
The battle was over but there was not a trace of joy on their faces.
The 1,000 Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves killed over 2,000 of the 18,000 men!
In a manner of speaking, the Northern Wilderness appeared to have won a small battle.
But the overall picture of the battle told of the Demonic Beasts' triumph!
'Everybody! Stay alert! Let's do as the commanding officer had told us and return to our positions!" Just when everyone thought that the fight had ended, Ning Yuchen warned them. "We may have won but our defensive formation is gone! If the next group comes, we can only do our best to fight them off!"
Clearly, Ning Yuchen had managed to see the bigger picture!
Apart than the 2,000 casualties, the Ghastly Eyed Zephyr Wolves also succeeded in causing chaos.
The favorable terrain they occupied was lost and they could no longer defend the road as they planned earlier on. So, if there were a second wave of beasts, the soldiers would have to fight them head on!
That would only result in even more casualties for Northern Wilderness!
"Ning Yuchen is right! Everybody head back to your posts! Stay alert!"
The other veteran soldiers who understood the gravity of the situation lead their own teams back to their positions.
But before they could make it back, shrieks could be heard from the mouth of the canyon.
"Abandon your posts! Retreat! All troops retreat!"
The voice belonged to the reconnaissance patrol made up of the six commanding officers of each regiment who were sprinting from the mouth of the canyon.
All six commanding officers were Silver level Elites. But their faces were all as white as paper, as if something terrifying had happed.
"What happened? Why are we retreating? What happened inside?"
The Northern Wilderness Students, seeing their commanding officers running, were puzzled.
"The Demonic Beast have split up into two roads! One group is heading here and the other group is in the hidden canyon behind us! With two hordes of beasts charging towards us, we would be flattened like pancake! We'll all die indefinitely!" Hao Yue shouted.
"What? They're closing in on both ends?! Wow, these beasts are really cunning! They sure do know how to play dirty!"
The soldiers were shocked, especially the new recruits. They had never expected the beasts to possess such high intelligence.
"This Beast Horde is being led by a Beast Commander! They are very quick-witted, making them difficult to defeat! There's no way we can fight this battle! Retreat now!" Hao Yue shouted.
"Re… Retreat…"
The panic spread like wildfire, and the soldiers abandoned everything to run for their lives.
They had just experienced the wrath of the beasts. If they were cornered-in, they would not be able to get out of the canyon alive!
…
The throngs of soldiers began to ran amok.
"See that? That's the opening!" Hao Yu, who was running ahead, pointed to the front. "The Demonic Beast will be coming from that opening! We have to get out of here before they come!"
The group ran as fast as their legs could carry them.
"Huh? There are no beasts… Nothing… What happened? Could the patrol have been wrong?"
The soldiers made their way out of the opening but there was not a single beast to be seen.
All six commanding officers were disturbed. They had seen it with their own eyes. They could not be wrong.
But where were the beasts?
This was really awkward!
…
On the other side of the opening, a lone man stood before the flock of beasts, a black blade in his hand.
There were a dozen fallen beasts all around him. All of them killed in one slash.
The powerful strikes brought the beasts to a standstill, consumed by fear.
Now, this was the real one man army!
"That's really frightening… That was so fast! How strong! And that razor-sharp black dagger! We can't fight him! Who can tell me… who this person is?"
There were thousands of beasts, all gathered as one but they had dared not take another step forward!
Cries thickened with fear came from the mouths of the beasts, stricken by the young man wielding the dagger.
"He's not wearing the Northern Wilderness' army uniform and he's not a Silver Plume noble either. Who knows where he came from?!" a brown furred lion said.
"Who he is is not important!" hissed a green giant snake. "What's more important is his strength! We did not even see him strike just now… If we charge forward, we'll all die!"
The lion replied, "But… If we don't charge forward, what are we supposed to tell the Ape King? He had already decreed that we should attack our enemies from both ends, to close them in! If we don't go, our enemies will surely escape!"
The giant snake said, "Why do you ask me? If you want to go, you can go on your own. I'm not doing it…"
"Why don't I tell you what to do?" spoke the young man in their language. "The Northern Wilderness soldiers on the other side of the opening are my good friends. I won't let you get to them! If you don't want to die, then summon the Ape King over here. I will cut off his head and then you can all scram!"
All of us knew that the man that was holding the black saber was none other than Chen Xiaobei himself!
When he was riding the Somersault Cloud, he saw that the Beast Horde had split into two roads, about to attack the soldiers from both ends!
Chen Xiaobei personally made the decision to come down to block this horde so that the exit would be clear.
"You… You can speak Zoolingualism…"
The lion looked surprised.
Behind him, the other beasts gasped incessantly. This was the first human they met that could speak Zoolingualism.
"We won't be discussing such trivial matters!" Chen Xiaobei stabbed the black dagger into the ground and said, "You are all too weak. I really couldn't be bothered to kill you. Send the Ape King here so that you can all vanish from my sight!"
"I…"
The thousands of Demonic Beasts were taken aback.
When the topic of Beast Horde was brought up, most people would start perspiring but this kid had just commented that they were too weak for him to even want to kill them?
Although they were all angry, none of them dared speak up and protest. They already knew how strong Chen Xiaobei was. Even if they were all to charge at once at Chen Xiaobei, there was no way they would survive.
Chen Xiaobei was not bragging. He sincerely felt that these Demonic Beasts were too weak for him. The beasts that he had slain previously were mostly Black Steel level.
One Black Steel Beast Core could only increase combat power and health by a little bit.
A dozen of them would not do much to help increase his cultivation. He really did not want to waste his energy killing these small fries.
If this Ape King is the same rank as the Silver Giant Beasts, then the Silver Beast Core could increase Chen Xiaobei's combat power by 10,000.
Of course, Chen Xiaobei would prefer to battle a Beast King!
Not only would it be fast, but once their king dies, the Beast Horde would disperse indefinitely, and the Northern Wilderness soldiers would be then saved.
For these very reasons, Chen Xiaobei had his eyes locked on the Beast King!
"You… Wait here… I'll go get Ape King…", the lion replied.
He understood that they could not beat Chen Xiaobei anyhow. For him to be able to give Ape King a report, it would require Ape King himself to witness the situation.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a hair-raising roar came from behind the horde.
The lion was in the front. The thousands of beasts inhaled sharply, an obvious fear painted on their faces.
"Ape… Ape King is here… Make way! Everybody please make way!" The lion shouted.
Rumble…
The ground behind the hoard shook violently.
Charging forward towards the young man without care for the vegetation under its feet or his beastly comrades, was a muscular Ape King, about 10 meters tall! It was like an armored truck – destroying everything on its path.
Anything that stuck out of the earth was crushed and the beasts that were standing in his way were being tossed away.
Using brute force, the Ape King forged a path amongst the thousands of Demonic Beasts. Seconds later, he was already standing at the front line.
"Crimson Lion!!!"
"I'm asking you to block the exit! Why are you still here?! You just missed out the opportunity! Our enemies are all but gone!"
Earlier, the Ape King was standing nearby Chen Xiaobei, and that was why it could observe everything from where he stood. This Ape King was one of those alien beings on the planet. Its body size was similar to an Earth Ape on its height was definitely something that could only exist in another world.A point of considerable significance was all its body parts were covered in metal-like scales. It looked a modified mechanical battle ape! Undoubtedly, it could battle relentlessly!
"Ape King… Please don't be angry… It's not my intention to stop right here… The kid that blocked my way… It's him!"
The Crimson Lion acted like a rat meeting a cat. Its fear had caused it to push all its own fear to Chen Xiaobei.
"Him? He's just a stupid kid! How is it possible for him to block thousands of Demonic Beasts?! You are pathetic!"
"Ape King, that kid really is powerful… All of us combined would not be able to defeat him!"
"Really powerful? Is that really your excuse for missing the golden opportunity?"
"Yes… Yes… I will be dead if I charge at him with all my force…"
"Do you know why the Demonic Beasts can live so long? Do you know how we went against the humans? Our blood is meant to be bled during a battle! We shouldn't afraid of death! You are not worthy to call yourself Demonic Beast if you are afraid of death!"
BAM!
The Armored Ape King landed its fist on the Crimson Lion. Like a meteor, it smashed the Crimson Lion into a pile of meat. Flesh and blood were strewn all over the place. At that moment, everyone was stunned.
"Us! Demonic Beasts… Are not afraid of death!" shouted the Armored Ape King while thumping its chest.
Sii…
After hearing the loud roar came out from the Armored Ape King, thousands of Demonic Beasts around it kneeled on the ground. None of them dared to move a single muscle. Its fury was so dominating that no other Demonic Beasts had the guts to go against it. As he just killed the Crimson Haired Lion with one single punch, all the Demonic Beasts and even Chen Xiaobei were left in a shocked state.
In order to live longer, one should not be afraid of death. March towards it and one shall survive. The loud roar from the Armored Ape King had brought out the core values of the high-tier Demonic Beasts. To them, the reason why Demonic Beasts got to live so long amongst humans was because they were not afraid of death.
"The Crimson Lion is afraid of death! He missed a golden opportunity to defeat our enemies! That is why I have decided to execute him! Those that dare make the same mistake, I will grant them a death sentence as well!"
Armored Ape King's words pierced though every single Demonic Beasts' hearts like a sharp arrow. From today onwards, none of them would dare to disobey the order anymore. After he had finished dealing with the internal affair, the Armored Ape King turned around and looked at Chen Xiaobei.
"Kid! Do you know that you have messed my plan? In order to execute this plan properly, I have prepared for almost a year! You just made me miss the golden opportunity! All the Northern Wilderness soldiers will definitely be more cautious when we use the same strategy again! In other words, you have just destroyed everything that I have done!" said the Armored Ape King in an angry manner.
"I'm the one that destroyed it! So what?!"
As usual, Chen Xiaobeia cted really calm. In his heart, he was actually feeling really nervous. He had no doubt just encountered a foe that was way more powerful than him.
Ding!
[Cultivation: Middle phase of Celestial Cultivation. Lifespan: 1,300 years. Health: 180,000. Combat power: 100,000!]
Using the Netherspirit Battlescouter, Chen Xiaobei managed to examine the true strength of the Armored Ape King. After examining its combat power, he determined it was slightly lower than his. However, his health was at Ethereal Cultivation level! That was definitely ridiculous. Clearly, this was the talent of the Demonic Beast. They did not have weapons, martial art skills, or Qi skills but they had talents that came with them when they were born to this world.
Seemingly, Armored Ape King's talent had something to do with defence. To Chen Xiaobei's surprise, he had never expected that Armored Ape King had such high health! Initially, he had thought that this Armored Ape King was like the silver-tier Demonic Beast that he encountered earlier. But now, he was worried that he might not be able to defeat it even if he came out with all the items that he had in treasure chest.
"What did you just say? I'm going to tear your skin apart! Eat your flesh and drink your blood!"
It had seemed that the Armored Ape King had poured out a lot of effort to prepare for this Beast Horde. At the same time, he was looking forward to devouring six Silver Plume Regiment Soldiers. With that, he would be awarded with honor and a reward. Now that the honor and reward that he was supposed to receive were all but gone, wrath rushed up his heart when he knew that his dream had just fell from heaven to hell.
Now that it knew Chen Xiaobei was the one that caused its dream to crumble, it would certainly use the most brutal methods to torture and kill Chen Xiaobei.
"Since you want to battle me! I will stay here and do it with you! As for whether you can kill me or not, we will see if you are powerful enough to do so!"
At the most, Chen Xiaobei had a thirty percent chance of defeating it. This was, however, a golden opportunity for him to gather more combat experience. Knowing that its combat power was lower than him, Chen Xiaobei was confident enough that the Armored Ape King would not be able to kill him.
"Kid? Where did you find this courage? How dare you talk to me like that? I have killed tens of thousands of humans so far! I think I'm powerful enough to kill you!"
Immediately, the Armored Ape King charged at Chen Xiaobei.
"That kid is so dead… How dare he taunt our king?! I don't think he knows how to spell the word, death!"
"That's right… The Armored Ape King's talent is usually powerful! Other humans that have the same combat power with him end up being tortured to death! Not even humans that possess an additional 10,000 to 20,000 combat power could defeat it!"
"It do our king good to kill that kid… By doing so, all his anger will be released and he would not make our life more difficult than it already is!"
Clearly, none of the Demonic Beasts thought that Chen Xiaobei could defeat the Armored Ape King. The truth was that Chen Xiaobei did not think that he could defeat it as well. All he wanted to do was to gather more combat experience.
Swoosh!
Armored Ape King's fists were about to land on Chen Xiaobei like a rain or meteors. Such a terrifying attack had amounted to around 40 tonnes destructive force! Just like how Crimson Haired Lion ended, it had the same intention to crush Chen Xiaobei into a meat pile. Before its fists landed on Chen Xiaobei, the shockwave from the fists had caused the leaves and sand around him to fly around.
One could imagine that those that were slightly weaker than Chen Xiaobei would definitely be killed instantly. The reason why Chen Xiaobei could stand there so calmly was because he was powerful enough to defeat the Armored Ape King. His true strength was that he had achieved 80,100 combat power. With Primordial Witch King Combat Enhancement Skill, he could achieve up to 104,030 combat power! Because of his health limitations, he could only achieve 100,500 combat power at his max! It was only slightly higher than Armored Ape King.
Swish!
Seeing that the fists were about to approach him, Chen Xiaobei swung his sword immediately. Considering that his cultivation, consciousness, responsiveness, and speed were quite powerful, he could wield off the attack with ease.
"Eh? How old is the kid? As an outsider, how did he possess such powerful cultivation?" said the Armored Ape King who was taken aback.
It knew that Chen Xiaobei was powerful enough to instill fear in all the other Demonic Beasts, but it never thought that he had achieved such high level of cultivation. Judging by his age and living life without the resources from Silver Plume nobles, he could definitely be considered as one of the rarest prodigies! Of course, the Armored Ape King was shocked by Chen Xiaobei's cultivation but its intenton to battle was resolute.
"I know that you are quite powerful! But! I can easily defeat humans that are powerful than me!" roared Armored Ape King.
Surprisingly, his attack did not become weaker but it actually became even more powerful!
Shinng!
The moment the fists and the sword clashed together, a loud and sharp sound could be heard. The destructive force created by the two attacks caused the ground to shatter and it blew away everything around them. Ironically, they were actually as equally powerful!
However, Chen Xiaobei was forced to take ten steps back while the Armored Ape King had only taken one step back. One could see who was the more powerful one here.
A war was about to break out!
Though their combat powers were similar, it was clear that the Armored Ape King's defense was more powerful than Chen Xiaobei. That was why Chen Xiaobei was forced to take ten steps back compared to the gorilla who had only taken a step back. Of course, there was something more shocking. The true defense of the gorilla lay on the Transformer-liked metal armor on him! If Chen Xiaobei was fighting with ordinary Demonic Beasts, his Dragon Edge would have sliced its fists into halves!
Unfortunately, the powerful Dragon Edge had only left a small dent on the metal armor of the gorilla. It wasn't that the Dragon Edge was not sharp enough. The reason why Chen Xiaobei could not penetrate the armor was simply because he was not powerful enough. It was just like a child holding a Divine Weapon, trying to defeat a Demonic Beast.
"Such sharp weapon!"
Taken aback, the Armored Ape King lifted up his fist and saw a cut there. And that fueled his rage even more.
"Oh my god…That black saber is quite powerful… The Gorilla King is known as the Invincible General! He had been through hundreds of battles but his iron armor remained unharmed! I can't believe that the saber managed to land a small cut on the armor!"
"Well…No doubt, it's really powerful… By doing that, it would only make him angrier!"
"You are right! Usually, the Gorilla King is really proud of his achievement. Though the cut on the armor is not that severe, I believe that it had hurt his pride badly!"
Thousands of Demonic Beasts commented on the battle and they had unconsciously taken a few steps back. This was because they knew that the angered Gorilla King was like a killing machine; and thus, would never have cared if they were his friends or foes.
"Kid! Did you hear what they just said? You have just landed a small cut on my invincible armor! You should know that this small cut is already equivalent to hurting my pride and honor! Let us fight till one of us dies here today!" said the Gorilla King while glaring at Chen Xiaobei in an angry manner.
"Just cut the crap already! Stop talking and start the fight!"
"Eh? What makes you think you can defeat me?"
"Why not?"
"Are you really that dumb? There's no way you can penetrate my defense! That means I'm invincible to you! I can continue to make you waste all your True Qi! It would only be a matter of time before you fall to the floor, knocked out cold!"
"Is that right?"
Immediately, Chen Xiaobei took out a silver metal ball from his Infinite Space Ring. This silver ball was clearly a Spiritual Item. The moment it came in contact with Chen Xiaobei, a Spiritual Connection was immediately built between them.
"What the hell is that?" asked the Gorilla King in a cautious manner.
On the surface, the Gorilla King might have looked an angry and violent Demonic Beast. It was actually the smartest one amongst the thousands of Demonic Beasts around it. It was the one that came up with a plan to eliminate all the Northern Wilderness soldiers. If it was not for Chen Xiaobei, all six regiments, 18,000 soldiers would have all died in vain!
"Dragon! Ascend!"
Chen Xiaobei did not bother to answer it. All he did was shout two words.
Seconds later, the silver ball expanded into a really cool looking suit of armor. All the armor parts flew to Chen Xiaobei like how Ironman got into his suit.
Dragon Head Helm!
Dragon Claw Boots!
Dragon Scale Gloves!
Dragon Wings Shoulder!
Dragon Heart Scale!
At that moment, Chen Xiaobei transformed into a completely different person. With the full set of Dragon Armor on him, he looked like a Divine General. The dominating presence that he had on him was not unlike Zhao Zilong!
"Withdraw again!"
This time, Chen Xiaobei took out the Sunslaying Divine Bow! Though it was just a replica, its design was actually pretty cool. It was shining with a golden aura and the both ends of the bow were shaped like a feather. The bow in its entirety looked like a bird with golden wings!
"Is that what you are going to use to defeat me?! How much combat power have you gained from equipping yourself with these two Spiritual Items?" asked the Gorilla King.
This was not the first time he had battled a human. That was why he knew that a good Spiritual Item could always easily turn the tide around. Seeing that Chen Xiaobei had just equipped himself with new armor and long bow, the Gorilla King realized his combat power and defense had also just received a good boosting.
"Why do you have to ask so many questions? Come and try it out yourself!"
Chen Xiaobei then planted his Dragon Edge on the ground and lifted up the bow with another hand. Rays of crimson light could be seen illuminating from Chen Xiaobei's hand. Seconds later, a crimson long sword came out from his palm and was loaded on the bow. Clearly, Chen Xiaobei was going to transform the Chaos Blood Sword into an arrow.
With full force, Chen Xiaobei aimed the arrow at the Gorilla King's eyes. Knowing that the Gorilla King's entire body was covered in armor, Chen Xiaobei figured out that its eyes would be its most vulnerable part!
Swish!
The Chaos Blood Sword was fired at the Gorilla King. The Sunslaying Divine Bow allowed the owner to receive a good boost of combat power. Initially, Chen Xiaobei's combat power was 100,500. After he was equipped with the bow, his combat power was then boosted to 103,500!
Like a crimson rainbow, the Chaos Blood Sword was about to penetrate the Gorilla King's eyes.
"What kind of garbage attack is this? Such weak combat power! I have to say that you scared me good! There's no way that you can hurt me with this stupid attack!" said the Gorilla King not realizing it was letting down its guard.
Immediately, it charged forward trying to deflect the attack with its fist. Honestly speaking, this attack would have only left another small cut on the Gorilla King's metal armor. Hurting its flesh was nearly impossible!
Suddenly, Chen Xiaobei put on an evil smile. He had just did something in secret to modify his attack. At the brief moment when the Gorilla King wasn't paying attention to him, his plan was then officially activated.
Swoosh!
The Chaos Blood Sword took a turn and bypassed Gorilla King's fist.
"What… What the hell is going on?"
It had never thought that the Chaos Blood Sword would make a turn before reaching him. The moment the Chaos Blood Sword took a turn, 113,500 combat power was unleashed from it! It was too late to do anything about it.
Swish!
All the 113,500 combat power that the Chaos Blood Sword had just unleashed came from the Emperor God and Silver-tier Demonic Beast's Blood Essence and souls.
"How is that even possible… How did he increase the power of that sword so much?!"
A great bout of fear had creeped its way into the Ape King's mind. Though his defence was really high, he had no way to dodge the attack because one's speed had everything to do with combat power.
Phissh!
Seconds later, the Chaos Blood Sword had penetrated Ape King's right eye. One could not have denied that the Ape King's health was incredibly strong! If it was an ordinary Demonic Beast, its head would have already exploded into tiny pieces. However, the Chaos Blood Sword was stuck in its eye! Seemingly, it was not going to penetrate its head. In other words, this attack was not powerful enough to kill the Ape King!
Phissh!
Suddenly, Chen Xiaobei moved the Chaos Blood Sword with his willpower to grind its eyeball. Immediately, blood and flesh splurted out from his eyes. Its face was covered in blood. The scene had terrified all the Demonic Beasts around it.
"Ouch! Ah!!! My eyes! My eyes!!!"
The Ape King let out a desolating scream and covered its right eye with its hands.
"Oh my god… The Invincible General's right eye is destroyed by a human… Am I dreaming?!"
"Is the Ape King going to die here? The kid did not manage to kill him but I think he will not be able to continue to battle like he used to since he just lost his right eye! In the end, all battle advantages will go to that kid!"
"Now that would explain why the kid over there did not even bother to kill us in the beginning! He was not trying to act tough in front of us! His target has always been the Ape King!"
"Oh god… Silver Mane Lizard King was murdered not too long ago… If the Invincible Ape King is dead as well, I'm afraid the Beast King himself would unleash a full blown war at Silver Plume City!"
"That's totally possible! Let's see if Ape King can survive this battle! If war breaks out, I'm afraid humans and us will suffer a great loss!"
Thousands of Demonic Beasts exclaimed at the same time. Half a minute ago, they all thought that Chen Xiaobei would surely be defeated by the Ape King. Now, they were all worried that Ape King would be the one that dies on this battlefield!
"Ah… Son of a bitch… I'm going to kill you! I will personally send you to hell!"
The Ape King let out a loud roar and was ready to pluck out the Chaos Blood Sword that was stuck in his right eye.
Swish!
Chen Xiaobei was afraid that he would not be able to retrieve his Chaos Blood Sword later. So, he took the initiative to summon it back to him. He still could not defeat the Ape King as of now. If he could figure a way out to destroy Ape King's other eye, he would be able to dominate this battle with ease.
Upon thinking about that, Chen Xiaobei figured out that he had now a 70% chance to defeat it.
Right!
Not even Chen Xiaobei thought that he could defeat it for sure. After all, all the power that Chaos Blood Sword had gathered earler was all spent! And he figured out that he would not be able to use the same skill to injure the Ape King anymore. That very moment, Chen Xiaobei had still not figured out an effective way to defeat it. Though the missing right eye would affect its combat effectiveness, it would not affect its defence. As long as the Ape King planned its moves carefully, Chen Xiaobei would never be able to shatter its defence. His last hope would now lie on the Wardragon Battle Armor on him! Under normal circumstances, this set of armor did not possess any special abilities. The moment it received impact, its special ability – Dragon's Wrath would be triggered and this force would be added to Chen Xiaobei to temporarily increase his combat power.
At max, the Dragon's Wrath could be accumulated for nine times! Chen Xiaobei would then be able to trigger the ultimate skill, Naga Strike! It could increase Chen Xiaobei's combat power tremendously but it still would not be enough to reach 180,000 combat power! The most important thing was if Chen Xiaobei kept allowing it to attack him, the Ape King might get suspicious.
If Chen Xiaobei could not land a surprise attack on it, it would really be pointless. Though he was not confident enough that he would be able to defeat it, he did not need to worry that he would lose in this battle anymore.
"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to f*cking kill you!!!"
The Ape King let out a loud roar the moment it failed to take hold on the Chaos Blood Sword! It then raised its fist and wanted to charge at Chen Xiaobei.
However!
To the surprise of Chen Xiaobei and the thousands of Demonic Beasts, the Ape King turned around and fled from Chen Xiaobei. Seemingly, it had no intention to battle anymore. Considering that the Ape King was quite smart, it was normal that he actually ran away as he knew that he could not combat effectively anymore. After all, it could try to come up with a plan to kill Chen Xiaobei once it had fully recovered. Running away did not seem like a wrong move anymore.
When Chen Xiaobei saw the Ape King running away from him, he decided that he would pursue it any further. This was because he would be then stepping into Demonic Beasts territory if he had gone any deeper into the canyon. Chen Xiaobei swore that he would not let it run away from him the next time he was fully prepared.
"The… Ape King… Had just ran away… What should we do now?"
The thousands of Demonic Beasts knelt down before Chen Xiaobei. They did not dare step forward nor run from Chen Xiaobei.
"I have said that I will not kill you guys! Just get lost!" said Chen Xiaobei while waving his hand.
Rumble…
Immediately, all the Demonic Beasts rose up with all their strength and ran away from Chen Xiaobei as fast as possible.
"Eh? Why aren't you running away?"
After the Beast Horde had gone, Chen Xiaobei spotted a white fox standing there. Seemingly, it had no intention to run away. The size of the white fox was rather huge and it had three tails as well. A sense of purity could be felt emanating from its presence. Alhough it had mingled with all those Demonic Beasts, it did not possess the foul presence that they carried with them.
"I have something that I want to talk to you…" said the white fox in a scared manner.
"Just say what you want to say. Don't be afraid."
At the same time, Chen Xiaobei kept away all his armor and weapons. Because of Demonic Fox, Chen Xiaobei decided that he was going to show this white fox his friendly side.