Chapter 60 Robbery

At the eastern entrance of the Stone Forest, Chu Wen is facing unprecedented pressure.

Zhou Yang and Chen Yuan were both peak fourth-level experts, and they also had three third-level martial artists under their command. The five of them joined forces, launching a relentless offensive.

Chu Wen fought and retreated, relying on the complex terrain of the stone forest. He had many wounds on his body, and his flying fish robe was torn in several places, with blood staining the hem.

"Chu Wen, give up." Zhou Yang pointed his long sword diagonally and sneered, "Shen Lian and the others can't even protect themselves, no one will come to save you."

Chu Wen leaned against a stone pillar, panting, "Zhou Yang, you actually colluded with Beichuan County to deal with us, you're shameless."

"The victors are kings, the losers are villains; history is written by the victors," Chen Yuan said calmly. "Chu Wen, hand over the jade token, and we can let you leave."

Chu Wen gritted his teeth and took out a talisman from his pocket. This was a 'Blazing Flame Talisman' that he had purchased from the Wan Dan Pavilion. Its power was equivalent to a full-force attack from the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm, but it was expensive and he had been reluctant to use it.

"Since you've forced me..." Chu Wen was about to activate the talisman when a whooshing sound suddenly came from afar.

Three figures flashed like lightning and landed steadily in front of Chu Wen.

"Sorry I'm late." Shen Lian turned around and smiled slightly at Chu Wen.

Chu Wen's eyes lit up, but then he asked worriedly, "How did you end up here? On the north and west sides..."

"That's all taken care of," Lin Feng said coldly. "Now, it's their turn."

Zhou Yang's pupils contracted as he looked at Shen Lian and the other two: "Where are Old Zhao and Junior Brother Wang from the north side?"

Shen Lian calmly said, "Don't worry, I didn't kill them, I just took their points. Now it's your turn."

Chen Yuan said with a gloomy face, "Well done, feinting to the east while attacking in the west, defeating them one by one. Shen Lian, I underestimated you."

Shen Lian drew his longsword: "It's not too late to know now."

Zhou Yang laughed angrily, "So what if all four of you are together? There are five of us on our side, how can you possibly win?"

"You'll know once you try it," Shen Lian chuckled.

Shen Lian then strode forward, heading straight for the weakest among them.

Pick the soft persimmons first.

Seeing Shen Lian charging towards him, the man hurriedly raised his sword to defend himself. But he was only at the third level of the Heavenly Realm; how could he possibly be a match for Shen Lian?

clang!

Shen Lian slashed down with his sword, and the man screamed as he flew backward, crashing into a stone pillar and losing consciousness.

"First one." Shen Lian sheathed his sword and looked at Zhou Yang. "Your turn."

Zhou Yang flew into a rage: "You're asking for it!"

His blood and qi surged, and the aura of the peak of the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm was fully unleashed, with a crimson light emanating from his longsword.

"Crimson Flame Blade Technique!" Chu Wen exclaimed, "Zhou Yang's signature move! Brother Shen, be careful!"

Zhou Yang strode forward, each step leaving deep footprints on the ground. His long sword transformed into a red light and slashed towards Shen Lian, while a wave of heat rushed towards him.

Shen Lian's eyes turned serious. He then activated the "Tiger Subduing Stance" footwork at full power, instantly disappearing from his original spot to dodge Zhou Yang's attack.

Seeing this, Zhou Yang swung his long sword and unleashed several slashes, giving Shen Lian no chance to catch his breath.

On the other side, Lin Feng faced off against Chen Yuan, both of whom possessed the strength of the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm.

Chu Wen and Chen Yun then joined forces to deal with the remaining two third-level martial artists.

The battle erupted instantly amidst the stone forest.

clang!clang!clang!

After exchanging more than thirty blows with Zhou Yang, Shen Lian gradually figured out his opponent's sword techniques.

The "Crimson Flame Blade Technique" follows a fierce and powerful approach, requiring a large amount of energy and blood to be consumed with each strike. Zhou Yang cannot fight in this way for a long time.

After fifty moves of intense fighting, Zhou Yang's sword strikes noticeably weakened.

It's now!

A glint flashed in Shen Lian's eyes, and the instant Zhou Yang's slash missed, he swiftly closed in on Zhou Yang.

"Not good!" Zhou Yang exclaimed in alarm, trying to retaliate with his sword, but it was too late.

Shen Lian slammed his left hand into a palm and struck Zhou Yang's chest hard.

Bang!

Zhou Yang was struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering back seven or eight steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He looked down at his chest, where a charred handprint was clearly imprinted on his flying fish robe.

"You...when did you..." Zhou Yang looked at Shen Lian in disbelief.

Shen Lian offered no explanation and thrust his longsword forward again.

Zhou Yang gritted his teeth and tried to block, but his chest injury hampered his blood circulation, greatly reducing his sword's power. After another ten moves, Shen Lian knocked his longsword away with a single strike, the tip of the blade pressed against his throat.

You lost.

Zhou Yang's face turned pale, and he finally bowed his head in dejection: "I admit defeat."

Meanwhile, the battle between Lin Feng and Chen Yuan also came to a conclusion.

Chen Yuan's swordsmanship was expansive and powerful, but Lin Feng's "Demon Subduing Saber Technique" was even more cunning and ruthless, with each strike aimed directly at a vital point.

After a hundred moves, Chen Yuan was stabbed in the left shoulder, and his longsword fell from his hand.

"You flatter me." Lin Feng sheathed his sword, his expression still indifferent.

Chu Wen and Chen Yun also defeated their opponents. Although they both suffered minor injuries, they were not seriously hurt.

Shen Lian took Zhou Yang and Chen Yuan's jade tokens, and the two of them indeed had a lot of points.

Zhou Yang: 98 points

Chen Yuan: 86 points

Adding the points he had previously earned, Shen Lian's points instantly surged to 354, successfully breaking through the 300-point mark.

Chen Yun, Lin Feng, and Chu Wen also saw a significant increase in their scores, reaching 135, 152, and 118 points respectively.

"Now, you have two choices," Shen Lian said, looking at Zhou Yang and Chen Yuan. "One is to crush the jade talisman yourself to exit the trial, and the other is for us to crush it for you."

Zhou Yang gritted his teeth and said, "Shen Lian, leave yourself some leeway in your actions, so you can meet again in the future."

"When you surrounded us, did you ever think of leaving us a way out?" Shen Lian asked Zhou Yang in return.

Zhou Yang was speechless.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath: "We'll withdraw ourselves."

He forcefully crushed the jade talisman from his bosom.

Click!

The jade talisman shattered, turning into specks of firefly light that dissipated. Almost simultaneously, Chen Yuan's figure began to blur. This was a teleportation array set up by the Demon Suppression Division within the jade talisman; once the talisman broke, it would automatically teleport the holder back to the starting point.

Seeing this, Zhou Yang knew that the situation was hopeless and could only crush the jade talisman.

After the two figures disappeared, the remaining three martial artists from Heishan County and two martial artists from Beichuan County also crushed their jade talismans and withdrew.

The Stone Forest has returned to silence.

"It's over." Chu Wen breathed a sigh of relief and sat down heavily on the ground, only then feeling the pain all over his body.

Chen Yun quickly took out healing pills and distributed them to everyone: "Take these quickly to heal your injuries."

The four of them took their medicine and regulated their breathing. Half an hour later, their injuries were basically stable.

"What's next?" Chu Wen asked. "We have enough points now. As long as we play steadily, we should have no problem getting into the top ten."

Shen Lian shook his head: "It's not enough. Although Zhou Yang and Chen Yuan have withdrawn, we've already taken their points. Once the other participants know this, they'll hunt monsters like crazy, and their points will increase rapidly. We must maintain our lead."

Lin Feng agreed: "Continue hunting monsters, especially second-tier monsters."

"I agree," Chen Yun nodded. "Besides, the Stone Forest has been exposed and it's not safe to stay here any longer. We need to find a new base."

Shen Lian unfolded the map and pointed to a marker: "Go to 'Soul-Severing Cliff'. The terrain there is treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there are packs of second-tier demonic beasts called 'Wind Wolves' living nearby. Wind Wolves are fast but weak in defense, making them perfect for us to hunt."

"Wind Wolf?" Chu Wen's eyes lit up. "Wind Wolf fur and claws are very valuable, and a second-tier Wind Wolf is worth five points, which is very efficient."

"Then it's settled." Shen Lian put away the map. "We'll rest for an hour and then set off for 'Soul-Severing Cliff'."