Chapter 465: Chaos Begins

When the numerous phase powers erupted in the nearby mountains and forests, the defense of the Spirit Gathering Altar officially began.

Li Luo's expression remained calm, undisturbed by the enemy's numerical advantage—he had expected this all along.

His gaze fixed ahead as three figures swiftly surged toward Lin Hai, their phase powers already reaching the Second Transformation of the Phase Transformation stage.

Zhao Zhao Xingying was among them.

Clearly, these three were the team leaders of the three Sacred Academies launching the assault.

Their strength was indeed formidable.

But it was no surprise—they were the pillars of their respective Sacred Academies' First Star Courts, naturally gifted and bolstered by their academies' cultivation resources; to call any of them mediocre would be to vastly underestimate the Sacred Academies standing across the nations.

Now, with these three united, they were not to be underestimated.

Under Li Luo's watch, the three figures leapt forward rapidly, finally appearing over ten meters away.

Zhao Zhao Xingying smiled at Li Luo, then pointed to the burly youth beside him: "Team Leader Li Luo, this is Zheng Zheng Fuxing, team leader of the Sacred Longyu Academy."

"This is Ding Chi, team leader of the Tian Tong Sacred Academy."

Li Luo nodded calmly—he knew Zhao Zhao Xingying was deliberately trying to pressure him.

All three team leaders were strong.

"Team Leader Li Luo, I won't waste words—just one question: do you truly intend to monopolize this Spirit Gathering Altar?" said the burly Zheng Zheng Fuxing in a low voice.

Li Luo nodded.

"Team Leader Li Luo, the commotion here will draw more academies' attention. They may not strike first, but if your defenses falter, they'll surely move in—then the situation will grow far more chaotic. Are you certain you can hold the ground?" said Ding Chi of the Tian Tong Sacred Academy.

Li Luo smiled: "That's why I need some progress to establish my authority."

Zhao Zhao Xingying laughed: "Team Leader Li Luo, you don't mean to use the three of us to establish your dominance and intimidate the other academies, do you?"

"Why not?" Li Luo retorted.

Ding Chi sneered: "Does Team Leader Li Luo think he's Jing Tai Xu or Sun Da Sheng—or Lu Ming? If you were truly this strong, why aren't you among the top three favorites for the championship?"

"Perhaps starting today, I will be." Li Luo replied seriously.

The three fell silent, then their powerful phase powers surged upward—rolling, dense phase energies like smoke rising from war beacons.

Zhao Zhao Xingying's phase power glowed dark gold, within which faint golden vine-like shadows writhed like giant serpents, their metallic sheen radiating unyielding hardness—the Golden Vine Phase.

Zheng Zheng Fuxing's phase power was black, with the low roar of a bull demon echoing, releasing piercing sonic waves—the Mighty Ox Demon Phase.

Ding Chi's phase power burned crimson, radiating oppressive heat; the trees beneath his feet ignited instantly—the Fire Phase.

The three team leaders unleashed their full phase powers at once, then shot forward simultaneously.

They didn't foolishly send one to test Li Luo's strength—it was unnecessary. Whether he was truly powerful or merely bluffing, their goal was singular: crush him and seize the Spirit Gathering Altar!

And since Li Luo was the team leader of the Sacred Zhu Xuan Star Academy, his defeat would shatter the morale of his entire team.

Swoosh!

Zhao Zhao Xingying struck first—dark gold phase power erupted from his palm, transforming into countless golden vines like giant serpents, lashing toward Li Luo with lightning speed.

A sharp whistling pierced the air.

Seeing this, Li Luo stomped his foot, activating his Wood Phase power.

"Ten Thousand Trees' Binding!"

The trees beneath his feet seemed to awaken—vines shot out rapidly, colliding head-on with the golden vines.

Instantly, golden light and wood chips flew everywhere, a dazzling spectacle.

At that moment, a black glow surged forward, laden with malevolence—Zheng Zheng Fuxing's massive hand produced a black great axe, his roar deafening as he brought it down with staggering force, even distorting the air slightly.

Li Luo stood firm, clenching his hand—the Zhu Xuan Xiang Knife appeared; a flash of blade light met Zheng Zheng Fuxing's axe.

Clang!

The metallic ring echoed as a violent phase shockwave erupted, shattering the surrounding forest.

"Fire Pearl!"

A sudden surge of scorching phase power came from the side—a crimson fireball, wrapped in searing heat, hurtled straight toward Li Luo's face.

Puff!

Li Luo condensed Water Phase power in his mouth, then spat out a water arrow that collided with the fiery ball—both instantly annihilated.

In mere seconds, both sides clashed fiercely, exchanging blows without mercy.

Yet facing the trio's assault, Li Luo showed no retreat—he chose the most brutal path: direct, unyielding confrontation.

Every attack that came his way was shattered with sheer force.

Within his Water Light Phase Palace, the pool of Water Phase essence churned violently; within it, the great sun radiated brilliant light.

In his Wood-Earth Phase Palace, a lush green phase tree stood rooted in brown soil, its glowing leaves detaching and rising into the air.

The roots of both Phase Palaces continuously supplied Li Luo with endless phase power.

Clang!

The Zhu Xuan Xiang Knife's edge blocked another heavy axe strike; Li Luo glanced at Zhao Zhao Xingying and Ding Chi, who attacked from both sides, then gripped the hilt tightly—phase power surged along the blade, forming an extraordinarily sharp water blade.

The two phase powers within him merged.

Dual Phase Power unleashed!

Hum!

A crescent-shaped water blade slashed through the air—the Water Blade Technique, already devastating under Li Luo's Water Light Phase power, now amplified by the Zhu Xuan Xiang Knife's sharpness, left a faint trace in the void as it cut through.

This slash was ferocious.

Zhao Zhao Xingying and the others sensed it instantly—their eyes narrowed, but they were battle-hardened veterans who knew retreat was impossible; with a roar, they unleashed all their phase power and launched a combined assault against the blade.

Clang!

A violent shockwave exploded.

Li Luo's figure trembled, but Zhao Zhao Xingying and the other two were each thrown back ten steps.

The expressions of the three grew utterly solemn.

"Water Phase, Wood Phase... such domineering dual-phase power. It seems Captain Li Luo truly possesses dual phases," Zhao Zhao Xingying said in a low voice.

All four of them were at the second transformation level of the Phase Manifestation stage, yet in the earlier clash, Li Luo's phase power was clearly superior, suppressing all of them; only someone with dual phases could achieve this.

After all, with two phase palaces, the amount of phase power they could contain was greater than theirs.

Had it not been for the three of them fighting together, but rather a one-on-one duel, someone among them would surely have already begun to sustain injuries in the previous exchange.

Hearing Zhao Zhao Xingying's words, Li Luo did not reply; he merely smiled, slowly raising the blade in his hand and giving it a slight shake toward the three of them.

Zhao Zhao Xingying said, "Captain Li Luo, you are indeed strong; in single combat, none of us are your match. But given the current situation, mere strength on your part may not be of much use."

"Our teams are advancing along the other two routes. Once they achieve results, they can still enter the Spirit Gathering Altar. As for you, although defeating you will be difficult, holding you back should not be too hard."

"Moreover, you should be able to feel that other academy teams are beginning to appear nearby. They are all watching us fight. Are you not afraid that after both sides suffer heavy losses, others will reap the benefits?"

"So at this moment, are you still unwilling to yield some advantage?"

Facing Zhao Zhao Xingying's threatening words, Li Luo's gaze remained calm.

"I trust my companions. For you to break through their blockade would be no easier than dealing with me here."

"And... I said, those watching the spectacle are irrelevant. Once I crush the three of you, no one will dare to lay claim to this Spirit Gathering Altar."

Hearing Li Luo's words, the expressions of Zhao Zhao Xingying and the other two grew completely cold.

"Then today we shall see whether your dual-phase power is stronger, or whether your mouth is harder!"