Chapter 174

Wang Yu's face showed no expression, but he was furious inside.

He had carefully selected this cave, satisfied with both its location and concealment.

Moreover, carving out such a large cave had taken considerable time—he only intended to hide here until the trial ended.

And just now, had he not moved fast enough, he might have been injured by that strike.

Now not only had his hiding place been destroyed, but from the voices above, it seemed the enemy had a way to lock onto those from the Four Sects hiding nearby—this stirred a hint of killing intent in him.

At this moment, the demonic disciples above had clearly seen Wang Yu below, and Wang Yu had also clearly seen the few people above.

Fortunately, their number was not large—only four people—but three of them clustered around a thirty-year-old man with a fox-like face.

The man wore a silver robe, had peach-blossom eyes, willow-browed eyebrows, and a pointed chin; had it not been for his prominent Adam's apple, Wang Yu might have mistaken him for a woman disguised as a man.

But what concerned him more was that the silver-robed man held in his hand a white crystal ball, within which a small cluster of bloodlight flickered faintly.

The moment Wang Yu saw the crystal ball, his eyes narrowed slightly.

At that moment, the silver-robed man above raised his hand and summoned it—the massive iron-brick-like artifact, which had smashed into the ground, immediately flew back into the air, shrinking rapidly as it rose until it became a black brick half a foot long, landing back in his palm.

"From the blood-mark on your body, at least two inner-disciples or four or five outer-disciples must have died by your hand. Which of the Four Sects of Great Ming do you belong to?" The silver-robed man glanced at the crystal ball, then at Wang Yu below, and asked coldly.

"Blood-mark? When was I marked? I didn't even know. Are you disciples of the Demon Luo Sect?" Wang Yu replied with a counter-question.

"Correct. I, Yun, am indeed a disciple of the Demon Luo Sect. Heh, you Four Sects of Great Ming truly believe we the Three Demon Sects opened the Jialan Secret Realm casually? Every time one of your disciples kills one of ours, you think you can escape our pursuit?" The silver-robed man sneered.

"Escape pursuit? Your words are full of water. Doesn't matter—I'll kill you soon enough, and then I'll get the truth from others." Wang Yu replied calmly.

"Kill me? After seeing my previous strike, you still dare say that? You must have great confidence in your strength." The silver-robed man, upon hearing this, did not grow angry; instead, after frowning slightly, he turned to the three beside him and asked:

"Do any of you recognize this man's face? Is there anyone in the Four Sects' true disciples' records who matches him?"

"Yun Shixiong, this man's face is ordinary—tall, nothing else distinctive. Even if he is one of the Four Sects' true disciples, he's surely the most inconspicuous one." A disciple of the Demon Luo Sect, his face covered in freckles, replied immediately.

"Yes, Yun Shixiong. I recall no record of this man among the Four Sects' true disciples. Could he be a new true disciple from the past two years? But his cultivation level seems only Qi Condensation late stage." Another disciple, short and slender, said doubtfully.

"Qi Condensation late stage? So what? Yun Shixiong could crush him with one hand." The last disciple, stocky and carrying an iron rod on his back, nodded vigorously.

"Such low cultivation and still bold enough to speak like this? That's suspicious. Forget it—whether he's a true disciple of the Four Sects or not, since I've found him, he's dead."

"All three of you go down. Test his abilities. When an opening appears, I'll strike and end his life in one blow." The silver-robed man thought for a moment, then gave a grim order to his three companions.

Hearing this, the three hesitated slightly, but seeing their "Yun Shixiong's" dark expression, they could only grit their teeth and agree.

Immediately, the three descended from the air, forming a triangular formation that surrounded Wang Yu.

The freckled disciple pulled out a green long spear from his waist.

The short disciple first slapped his waist pouch, releasing several green bats the size of fists, then drew a black iron shield and held it before himself.

The stocky disciple ripped the iron rod from his back and slapped multiple talismans onto his body, instantly causing multicolored rune-glow to flare across his skin.

At the same moment, Wang Yu twisted his neck, took a deep breath, and his body swelled noticeably; he exhaled, and a white mist surged out, causing his upper body to swell again, tearing his shirt and revealing a vivid, lifelike tiger head on his back. Then, with a single hand motion, a crimson-and-green long blade materialized.

"Breathing Art: Guardian Giant!"

The three Demon Luo disciples surrounding Wang Yu all changed expression upon seeing this.

The Yun Shixiong above had already tucked away the crystal ball and now held the black iron brick; seeing Wang Yu's transformation, he also frowned slightly.

At that moment, the short disciple blew a sharp whistle without hesitation—above his head, the green bats simultaneously opened their mouths, yet no sound emerged.

But Wang Yu suddenly heard a piercing screech in his ears, accompanied by a faint dizziness; the other two Demon Luo disciples moved in perfect sync.

The freckled disciple flicked his spear once, and a segment of green spear-light shadow shot through the air.

The stocky disciple stomped hard, leaping lightly into the air like a swallow, swinging his rod with both hands and smashing down toward Wang Yu.

Before the rod even struck, its front half swelled several times in size, and green spiritual runes surfaced across its surface.

Wang Yu felt a gale sweep down—enveloped in green light, the massive rod-shadow appeared above his head and came crashing down, faster than the green spear-light by a third.

But Wang Yu merely grunted, his arm blurring—his palm seized the falling rod-shadow, his five fingers shattering the green light on its surface, halting the rod completely above his head, unable to descend an inch.

Simultaneously, his crimson-and-green blade flashed, slicing the oncoming green spear-light into fragments.

The stocky disciple above was stunned, frantically swinging his rod, causing its surface runes to flicker wildly—but the other end remained utterly still, as if rooted in Wang Yu's grip.

At that moment, Wang Yu drew another deep breath; the arm gripping the rod suddenly bulged with veins, and strands of golden mist coalesced along its surface. Then he swung his arm with force.

A thunderous boom.

The ground near where the rod had landed cracked apart again in a large patch.

Had the stocky disciple not been quick enough to endure the pain and immediately discard his artifact, he would have been crushed into pulp.

The freckled disciple's face turned pale—he thrust his spear violently through the air, releasing a dense barrage of green spear-light shadows.

On the other side, the short Demon Luo disciple hastily shook his sleeve, releasing a jet of black light that surged toward Wang Yu.