Chapter 26: The Struggle for the Heavenly Dao, Trapped in a Death Game

Jiang Qin raised his hand and condensed a Slash.

Although the Slash's power wouldn't grow stronger the longer it was condensed, he could unleash several Slashes at once. Don't think a single Slash couldn't break through a Fierce Beast's defense—but what if a dozen Slashes struck the exact same spot?

Against a Spirit Sea Peak, the effect might be negligible.

But these Fierce Beasts that had just stepped into Linghai Chuji absolutely couldn't withstand it!

Yuan Ying and the others standing behind couldn't sense the Slash. They only saw Jiang Qin raise his head and point at the Fierce Beasts, and then those Fierce Beasts seemed to be struck by something, letting out a wail before turning into mangled corpses.

In the span of a few breaths, ten Third-tier Fierce Beasts at the initial stage died with unclosed eyes.

"This combat power… so, so strong!"

"Holy shit, if I'm not mistaken, that senior is also at the Spirit Attraction Realm, right? What move was that just now?"

"I remember now! He's Jiang Qin from Zhenling Academy! I saw his photo on the Academy forum before—he's a freshman just like us!"

"Now that you mention it, I remember too! Ghost Slash Jiang Qin! Before even reaching Modu, he single-handedly wiped out six Spirit Sea Peak experts from the Gods Assembly Sect. It's said that among those who died at his hands, not a single intact organ can be found—he truly hates evil!"

Everyone was stunned speechless.

It was hard to imagine that the person before them, casually slaughtering Third-tier Fierce Beasts, was a freshman just like them.

"Not good!" Yuan Ying felt a piercing wind sweep past and looked up: "It's that Third-tier Peak Thunder Spirit Bird!"

A large sharp-beaked bird with a wingspan of several dozen meters and purple feathers all over its body was charging toward them at extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, it seemed to traverse Space and appeared right before their eyes.

Although the Thunder Spirit Bird's attack and physique weren't on par with Fierce Beasts of the same tier, its speed was in a league of its own among Third-tier Fierce Beasts. Moreover, it could fly, making it rarely matched by peers of the same tier.

During this period, Jiang Qin had crammed a lot of knowledge, so he naturally knew this beast's characteristics.

Seeing the Thunder Spirit Bird charging straight at him, he raised his hand and formed a fist. He didn't use the Slash Domain again, but gathered his pure Spirit Energy at the edge of his fist, and then… threw a punch!

The fist collided with the Thunder Spirit Bird's sharp beak, and the beak, hard as metal, cracked inch by inch!

Carrying boundless might, this punch drove straight home, blasting the great bird's skull apart on the spot! White brain matter splattered everywhere, not only showcasing Jiang Qin's strength but also intimidating the other Fierce Beasts that wanted to approach.

They no longer attacked, but stopped in place in fear, not daring to advance a single step.

Once Fierce Beasts reached the Third-tier, they possessed basic spiritual intelligence. Seeing an existence far stronger than themselves killed by a single punch, how would they dare step forward?

"While we can, let's go!"

Jiang Qin charged out of the encirclement first, with the students closely following behind. Only after they had moved far away from this area did those Fierce Beasts dare approach and devour the corpses of the Ten Thousand Poison Python and the Thunder Spirit Bird.

……

One hour later, by a stream somewhere in these mountains.

Having recovered, Jiang Hanhan woke from unconsciousness. She looked at the unfamiliar surroundings in confusion, and a familiar voice rang in her ears, filled with pleasant surprise:

"Hanhan, you're awake! That's wonderful!"

It was Yuan Ying. She had been keeping watch over Jiang Hanhan's condition, and seeing her finally revive, she felt a wave of relief.

Jiang Hanhan sat up, her eyes filled with confusion. "Xiaoying? Have we escaped the Rift?"

"No." Yuan Ying shook her head and pointed at a black-clothed young man meditating on a rock not far away. "He saved us. He seems to have rushed into the Rift specifically to rescue you. Is he from your Jiang Family?"

As a good friend, Yuan Ying was also from Dijing, so she naturally knew the Jiang Family's strength.

Jiang Hanhan shook her head after just one glance, feeling the person was a complete stranger. However… the clothes he wore seemed somewhat familiar.

Seeing her revive, Jiang Qin stopped cultivating and stood up, frowning as he spoke:

"I need to understand the situation now."

"The information I received said there should only be a small number of Third-tier Fierce Beasts inside the Rift. Why is it now that Third-tier Fierce Beasts are everywhere?"

"After entering this place, why does the Rift block my return to Lanxing?"

"And… why has the number of Fierce Beasts increased?"

From the moment he entered the Rift, Jiang Qin had noticed that the auras of Third-tier Fierce Beasts around him were gradually increasing, as if someone had suddenly released them into this world.

Three questions. The group looked at each other, and not a single person knew the answer.

Only Jiang Hanhan showed a thoughtful expression. "I have a guess."

"I heard my grandfather say before that Otherworld Rifts are the mutual erosion of the Heavenly Dao rules of two worlds. All this Time, our Lanxing Heavenly Dao has been suppressing this world's Heavenly Dao. But as over a hundred years have passed, this world's Heavenly Dao has stopped declining and begun to counterattack."

"The Rift's rules are the constraints of the superiority or inferiority between both sides' Heavenly Dao."

"If our Heavenly Dao holds the advantage, our Martial Artists can hunt Fierce Beasts through the Rift, while Fierce Beasts cannot actively invade Lanxing through the Rift."

"But if this world's Heavenly Dao gains the upper hand, the Rift's rules will change accordingly. These Fierce Beasts' bizarre speed of breaking through realms might be because the rules have changed."

"The Rift's entrance and exit might also be affected by this."

The Fierce Beasts inside this Rift could not only break through to the Third-tier, but also allow other Fierce Beasts to pour into this area endlessly.

Jiang Qin's brow furrowed even deeper. "Is there really no way to leave the Rift, or to contact the outside world?"

Jiang Hanhan shook her head, a flash of dejection crossing her eyes. "The Rift has 'rules' in place, which we simply cannot change. The only way to get out is… to kill all the Fierce Beasts in this area."

Humanity and the Fierce Beasts use the Rift area as a battlefield. Once the Fierce Beasts are gone, the opposing Heavenly Dao will naturally retract its laws.

Everyone fell silent. They had fallen into a death trap.

To get out, they had to kill all the Fierce Beasts, yet every Fierce Beast was a major realm above them. Even if they were prodigies, they could only gain an advantage in one-on-one combat. This was the enemy's home turf now.

Although they didn't know exactly how many Fierce Beasts were in this area, the conservative estimate was no less than ten thousand.

Over ten thousand Third-tier Fierce Beasts, including Third-tier Peak ones—what could they possibly use to fight?

Not to mention they were only at the Spirit Attraction Realm. Even if a Divine Image Realm Realm Martial Artist came, without pills to replenish Spirit Power, they would be worn down to death!

However, for Jiang Qin, this was not the case.

As long as he broke through to the Spirit Sea Realm, with his Slash Domain, he could move through this area as if it were uninhabited land.

But he didn't want to break through right now.

This could serve as a trump card.

Moreover, he had a very crazy idea he could test out…

Thinking of this, Jiang Qin looked at the students present and asked:

"I have a plan, but I'll need your cooperation..."

Hearing Jiang Qin finish explaining his plan, someone couldn't help exclaiming: "Are you crazy! Causing two beast tides to collide would indeed leave the Fierce Beasts severely weakened, but you'd die too!"

Indeed, standing at the center of two beast tides, Jiang Qin's body wouldn't be able to endure it.

So his gaze fell on the Spirit Clothing he was wearing.

An S-grade Spirit Clothing, fully driven with his current Spirit Energy, was enough to withstand attacks at the Divine Image Realm Realm level, and as long as the Spirit Energy held out, this state could be maintained indefinitely.

Therefore, this plan was feasible!