Chapter 177: The Great Battle Begins

Under the watchful gaze of many hidden eyes, the two pillars of light representing Li Luo's team and Wang Wang Hejiu's team moved rapidly, finally approaching and colliding together as expected.

The collision point was located at the intersection of two steep mountains, a long mountain stream separating them, forming the only passage.

In the mountain stream, waterfalls cascaded down, the greenery lush and verdant.

"The environment here isn't bad. If you taste your first defeat here, it should ease your hearts a bit, right?"

Wang Wang Hejiu surveyed the surroundings, then looked toward the pebbled beach with flowing water opposite, where the figures of Li Luo and Bai Bai Mengmeng stood, while Student Xin Fu had clearly hidden himself in the surrounding shadows at the first opportunity.

"Generally speaking, once the villain opens his mouth with lines like that, the probability of capsizing is very high," Li Luo said with a smile.

"Villain?"

Wang Wang Hejiu smiled: "You really think you're the protagonist, Young House Master Li Luo?"

"At least in terms of looks, the captain still qualifies," Bai Bai Mengmeng said softly from the side.

Wang Wang Hejiu felt a tightness in his chest. Are all these girls this shallow? What does being good-looking count for in a man? One punch and his nose would still cave in, wouldn't it?

"Enough with the nonsense."

Duze Duze Beixuan spoke coldly, his gaze darkly fixed on Li Luo: "This time, the debt from the Master Selection Competition, it's time you paid it back."

He stepped forward, and suddenly a violent surge of Xiangli erupted. The intensity of that Xiangli caused Li Luo's eyes to narrow.

"Vein Awakening Stage?"

This was somewhat unexpected. He had originally thought Duze Duze Beixuan would still need some time before stepping into the Vein Awakening Stage. It seemed the failure at the Master Selection Competition had made him quite angry, so his cultivation had been extremely diligent.

"You exposed yourself way too quickly. I was hoping to let you hide a bit longer so I could ambush him," Wang Wang Hejiu said, seeing Duze Duze Beixuan eagerly reveal his full strength, and gave a helpless smile. Then dark green Xiangli rose from his body, its intensity clearly indicating he had also stepped into the Vein Awakening Stage.

"Li Luo, we have two at the First Vein of Vein Awakening Stage on our side. On yours, the strongest by surface strength is actually only Student Xin Fu at the Upper Heavy Flower Seed, while you yourself are only at the Lower Heavy Flower Seed..."

Wang Wang Hejiu smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Tell me, what possible chance do you have in this duel?"

"So I suggest you don't waste our time. Just hand over the badge to us directly, wouldn't that be more straightforward?"

Clang.

Responding to him was Li Luo slowly drawing twin blades from his waist. Water-light flowed rapidly across the blade surfaces, light and darkness hidden within, a hum revealing an exceptionally sharp power.

"Bai Mengmeng, fall back." His voice was notably more solemn than usual. Clearly, facing opponents like Wang Wang Hejiu and Duze Duze Beixuan at the Vein Awakening Stage, he was under considerable pressure.

And at this moment, Student Xin Fu could only wait for an opportunity in the shadows, not daring to reveal his position. Bai Bai Mengmeng certainly couldn't expose herself at the front either—with her strength, she would be instantly killed by Wang Wang Hejiu and Duze Duze Beixuan.

So Li Luo could only become the wall standing before his teammates.

This was also his position within this team.

"Captain, be careful!" Bai Bai Mengmeng's little face also looked especially solemn. She understood how much pressure Li Luo was bearing at this moment. Any other person who was merely at the Upper Heavy Flower Seed would likely not have the courage to stand opposite two Vein Awakening Stage enemies.

Li Luo nodded, then without further words, his figure shot out directly. As his feet skimmed the water surface of the pebbled beach, ripples splashed outward.

And facing Li Luo's proactive attack, Wang Wang Hejiu and Duze Duze Beixuan didn't bother with lines like "let me test him alone first." As their Xiangli erupted, they both shot out at the same time.

Three figures with ferocious momentum collided violently at the center of the mountain stream after a few breaths.

Boom!

Xiangli surged, blasting the nearby stream water skyward, turning it into a shower of droplets.

At the moment of collision, Wang Wang Hejiu and Duze Duze Beixuan's figures remained unmoved, while Li Luo's figure was directly sent flying backward, his feet skidding across the water surface.

In this first collision, Li Luo was nearly crushed.

But that was normal. Even though Li Luo possessed dual phases, which of the two before him was a pushover? Their Xiangli levels now exceeded Li Luo's, and combined with their numbers, Li Luo resisting them under normal circumstances would undoubtedly be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Gaining the upper hand, Wang Wang Hejiu and Duze Duze Beixuan didn't pause, their figures pursuing rapidly, wave after wave of fierce attacks enveloping Li Luo.

Li Luo gripped his twin blades, executing the "Twin Fish Spirit Blades," his concentration extremely focused, fighting the two with everything he had. The battle instantly escalated to white-hot intensity.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal reverberated through the mountain stream.

Clang!

Li Luo's blade caught the long spear Duze Duze Beixuan thrust violently at him. As the two streams of Xiangli clashed, a folding fan thrust viciously from his right side, dark green Xiangli surging on it, carrying a pungent fishy stench.

The attack came fierce and cunning.

But just then, the shadow behind Wang Wang Hejiu suddenly moved. A flash of black light shot out—a short blade flowing with Shadow Xiangli—in an extremely vicious posture, stabbing directly toward the back of Wang Wang Hejiu's head.

The sudden attack caused Wang Wang Hejiu's brow to twitch, but he wasn't surprised. After all, Student Xin Fu hiding in the shadows had always been someone he and Duze Duze Beixuan were wary of.

The folding fan in his hand suddenly closed, the fan surface acting like a barrier, colliding with the incoming black-light short blade.

Xiangli erupted, dark green Xiangli surging forth, continuously eroding the Shadow Xiangli, and finally counterattacking toward Student Xin Fu's body.

But Student Xin Fu's figure twisted, transforming into black light and continuing to sink into the shadows, disappearing.

"Annoying."

Wang Wang Hejiu felt somewhat helpless. Although Student Xin Fu couldn't pose too great a threat, he would strike from time to time, keeping your mind constantly on edge, not daring to relax for even a moment, while also interrupting your prepared attacks. Truly annoying to the extreme.

But there was no time to think too much. Wang Wang Hejiu immediately disengaged to assist Duze Duze Beixuan, attacking Li Luo.

Now all the pressure was on Li Luo. As long as he and Duze Duze Beixuan joined forces to quickly break through Li Luo, the battle could end directly.

While they were locked in fierce battle here, Qi Qi Luozi's body flowed with dark cyan Xiangli. She watched the field, then suddenly clasped her hands together. Dark cyan Xiangli burrowed into the pebbled beach, transforming into vines that rapidly crept forward.

But just then, fluorescent Xiangli suddenly swept in from the front, so the battlefield Qi Qi Luozi was watching instantly became somewhat blurred. Some overlapping shadows made her unable to discern where the battlefield was.

"Bai Bai Mengmeng..."

This sudden change caused Qi Qi Luozi's brow to furrow. She looked to the side and saw Bai Bai Mengmeng standing there, holding a slender long sword, its tip pointed at her.

"The captain is already under a lot of pressure. Don't go adding to his troubles," Bai Bai Mengmeng said softly.

Qi Qi Luozi smiled: "You want to stop me? But you're only an Upper Heavy White Seed, while I have the strength of a Lower Heavy Flower Seed."

Bai Bai Mengmeng met her gaze and revealed a pure, charming smile: "It doesn't matter. If you hit me, I'll have my sister hit you back later."

Qi Qi Luozi: "......"

"In that case..."

Qi Qi Luozi sighed, then her gaze turned cold. She saw dark cyan Xiangli suddenly erupt from the pebbled beach beneath Bai Bai Mengmeng's feet, directly wrapping around her ankles.

"Then I'd like to try."

However, the instant her voice fell, they saw Bai Bai Mengmeng's figure, wrapped in dark cyan phase force, gradually turn illusory, and finally vanish into thin air.

"An illusion?" Qi Qi Luozi frowned.

"Although I may not necessarily be able to beat you, being able to hold you off counts as completing the mission."

Bai Bai Mengmeng's faint voice seemed to come from all directions.

Qi Qi Luozi gave a cold laugh and said, "Then let's see whether you can drag this out longer, or whether Li Luo can hold out longer."

"The captain did say his advantage is endurance."

Qi Qi Luozi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then her cheeks flushed red, she grit her teeth, and a curse rang out.

"That hooligan Li Luo!"

Within the concealing illusion, Bai Bai Mengmeng's big eyes were filled with rising confusion and astonishment.