Chapter 148

Guan Shanhai's face instantly turned ashen; he snapped his head up, his gaze like a venomous snake sweeping across the surroundings, finally locking tightly onto Li Chenghao, who had just sheathed his sword and was now regulating his breath.

Chen Mu and the other three were a hundred meters away, with no chance to get close to Nie Renchou.

The closest ones, besides Zhou Tong, were Li Chenghao!

Zhou Tong also rose to his feet, his expression grim; standing to Guan Shanhai's left and right, they subtly encircled Li Chenghao, his voice icy, "Li Chenghao! It was you! You must have stolen the Holy Spirit Pearl during the chaos of our earlier clash! Hand it over!"

Li Chenghao frowned deeply; facing the pressure of two Earth Altar experts, though his breath was still unsteady, his posture remained as upright as a pine, his voice clear and loud, "Why would you say such a thing, Elder? I, Li, am locked in mortal combat with this demon solely to eradicate evil and defend the Dao—I have never seen the Holy Spirit Pearl, nor have I committed such a despicable act!"

"Bullshit! Who else could it be? Did the pearl grow legs and run off?"

Guan Shanhai refused to believe him, pressing closer step by step, "Stop lying—let us search you, and you'll see!"

Li Chenghao's face darkened, "I respect you both as elders, but this baseless accusation and the humiliation of a body search—I cannot accept it!"

"You don't get to choose!" Zhou Tong had long lost patience; he roared and lunged straight for Li Chenghao's shoulder.

"Hand over the Spirit Pearl!"

Guan Shanhai struck at the same moment, his aura surging as he slammed a palm toward Li Chenghao's ribs.

Li Chenghao was stunned and furious—he never expected these two to be so brutal and unreasonable!

His bright longsword flashed out instantly, golden blade-light bursting forth as he was forced into battle.

In an instant, the three clashed once more.

Boom~

Boom!

Boom-boom-boom~

Sword qi and palm winds crisscrossed, explosions roaring without end; the terrifying force plowed through the ground, shattered trees, and nearly leveled the peak of the nearby hill!

This sudden turn of events left Pang Yunrui, Shen Ge, and Qin Liangjing staring in stunned silence.

"This… they're already fighting?" Pang Yunrui gasped.

"Where did the Holy Spirit Pearl go?" Shen Ge was equally baffled.

Qin Liangjing frowned in thought, "This is strange—could Nie Renchou have hidden the pearl elsewhere beforehand?"

Only Chen Mu remained calm as still water, arms crossed behind his back, as if merely watching the distant battle.

This kind of card-picking ability—even if it's right in front of you—can't be detected.

…

Boom-boom-boom~

Boom!

Explosions and tremors echoed through the mountains and woods.

Though Li Chenghao ranked thirty-first on the Hidden Dragon List, his strength was formidable; fighting two Earth Altar experts alone, he was ultimately at a disadvantage.

Moreover, though Guan Shanhai and Zhou Tong had exhausted much of their true qi, their battle experience was seasoned and ruthless.

After nearly a hundred rounds of fierce combat, Li Chenghao spotted an opening, took Zhou Tong's palm strike head-on, used the force to spit blood and fly backward, then transformed into a blade of light, fleeing without a backward glance—his speed astonishing.

Guan Shanhai and Zhou Tong were both spent, their true qi nearly depleted, their bodies newly wounded; they could only watch helplessly as Li Chenghao escaped, fuming with rage but too weak to pursue.

"It's definitely that hypocrite who took it!"

Zhou Tong clutched his chest, cursing bitterly—he'd been wounded by Li Chenghao's sword qi, and his breath was now even more feeble.

Guan Shanhai's face was dark as if dripping water; he said nothing, only stared coldly at the direction where Li Chenghao had vanished, then turned and left with a sharp command.

"Brothers!"

Pang Yunrui, watching Zhou Tong's unsteady breath and obvious severe injuries, suddenly lit up, lowering his voice to Chen Mu and the others, "Brothers, the opportunity's here. Brother Qin, this old bastard is in terrible shape—perfect chance for revenge! He injured you in Shi Lin and stole the Stone Soul—can we just let it go?"

Qin Liangjing froze, quickly waving his hands, "No, no! Zhou Tong is still an Earth Altar expert—even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. Why risk ourselves for my sake? Besides, Guan Shanhai is still nearby…"

Shen Ge cut in, "Brother Qin, don't worry—times have changed. Guan Shanhai and Zhou Tong have no bond; they just fought each other over the Holy Spirit Pearl. Zhou Tong is a lone wolf, cruel and erratic—he stole my brother's treasure, how can we let him walk away?"

Chen Mu spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the retreating Zhou Tong, whispering, "Opportunity is rare. Since we've made an enemy, settle it now."

Seeing all three agreed, Qin Liangjing was moved—he knew this was the best moment—and finally gave a firm nod, "Fine! If so, Qin owes you all a great debt! But we must plan carefully—strike with one decisive blow!"

The four quickly whispered a simple strategy.

Moments later, they suppressed their auras and sprinted forward, locating Zhou Tong.

Then, as Zhou Tong paused, fully engrossed in healing—

"Strike!"

Chen Mu whispered sharply; the four erupted like hidden cheetahs.

Shhh~ Shhh!

Chen Mu led the charge, his Lone Star Sword unsheathed; the flawless Boundless Sword transformed into a freezing streak, slicing through the sky toward Zhou Tong's spine!

Speed beyond measure.

Shhh-shhh-shhh~

Shen Ge's longsword swept in from the left, unleashing a storm of sword qi to seal off all escape routes.

Boom~

Pang Yunrui roared as he charged from the right, twin halberds crashing down with the force of ten thousand jin.

Hu-xiu~

Qin Liangjing's spear shot forth like a venomous dragon emerging from its den, piercing straight for Zhou Tong's dantian.

The four moved in perfect sync—their attacks arrived simultaneously, granting Zhou Tong no chance to react or breathe.

Zhou Tong's soul nearly fled; he never expected such a precise, lethal ambush at this moment.

He forcibly interrupted his healing; his true qi was already chaotic, now surging backward in his blood—he spat a jet of black blood, rolled desperately on the ground, and barely managed to slap out two palms in defense.

Boom!

Boom~

Qi energy exploded; although Zhou Tong deflected part of the attack, he was still struck by the halberd's wind on his shoulder, the sound of shattering bones clearly audible, and he was slashed by Chen Mu's sharp sword qi and Qin Liangjing's spear radiance, leaving multiple deep wounds exposing bone!

"It's you little bastards!!"

Zhou Tong recognized the newcomers, shocked and furious, but mostly terrified.

His condition was dire—his true energy was nearly depleted, and with new wounds, he had no strength left to resist the four assaulters, all in peak condition and among the Dragon Potential prodigies!

"Run!"

Without hesitation, Zhou Tong gritted his teeth against the agony, burned his remaining true energy, and transformed into a streak of light, fleeing desperately into the depths of the mountains and forest.

"Chase!"

Chen Mu and the other three would not let him escape—they immediately gave chase without pause.

Five figures sped through the forest, one ahead, four behind, startling countless birds into flight.

Zhou Tong fled blindly, his wounds worsening, his speed gradually slowing.

Just as they were about to catch him—suddenly—

"Shhh!"

A brilliant, righteous, and piercing golden sword qi, like a celestial immortal descending from beyond the heavens, suddenly shot forth from the dense forest ahead, striking with pinpoint accuracy at the fleeing Zhou Tong!