Chapter 996: Xu Qing! Zuo Yue!
"The test at the fourth level of Qing Feng Palace is called the Bumpy Road... The one who manages to clear the Bumpy Road in the shortest time will stand a chance of obtaining the golden key! As long as you make it through the Bumpy Road, you'll still have a chance to obtain the other rewards I left behind even if you don't get the golden key." TheseThis werewas the original words of Martial Emperor Qing Feng in the message he left behind using the Polyphony Formation.
Due to this reason, what Duan Ling Tian had to do now was to go through the Bumpy Road to reach the other side and get his hands on the golden key as well as the other rewards.
"Judging from the message left behind by Martial Emperor Qing Feng, it looks like this time, somebody else is also competing with me this time. It's similar to when I was in the first, second and third levels of Qing Feng Palace!" The moment Duan Ling Tian thought of this, his hands' movements immediately sped up and extended at lightning speedcharged out as fast as lightning.
The pPunches and palms that contained all his energy swept out and opened the path ahead, smashing away all the obstacles without any reservations.
When Duan Ling Tian used thismade his move, apart from igniting a series of ear-piercing wind-whistling sounds, it was also accompanied by a deafening burst of adeafening thunder-like sound.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
...
The sound of explosions continued to be heardset off in succession, and they it generated fluctuations in theof airwaves that swept out in everyall directionsto and to createdseverl flurries countless pervasive and tyrannical of hurricanes that were pervasive and tyrannical.
The wind continued to blow as punches were thrown out!
Bam!
Duan Ling Tian's punches were overwhelming. Although the stormy waves that were rushing toward him contained the strength of 1,000 ancient horned dragons, his punch was so hard that it sailed upstream against the current and set off a series of loud noises.
The stormy waves were the Water Energy transformed by the Water Concept through the Inscription Formation. As Duan Ling Tian punched the waves upstream, he began to fly out nimbly.
Whirlwind!
Within seconds, Duan Ling Tian passed through this stormy wave and was making his way toward the other end of this long corridor.
Whoosh!
This time around, a tyrannical soaring flame was charging toward him. When the flame enveloped Duan Ling Tian, it was similar to a gigantic fiery behemoth that opened its mouth wide to swallow Duan Ling Tian up whole.
Faced with the overbearing flame that encompassed the entire sky and earth, Duan Ling Tian's eyes turned cold. Once again, he punched out and temporarily suppressed the encompassing flame, making it difficult for it to surge again for the time being.
Whoosh!
A purple figure that was as swift as a lightning once again charged out to the front just in time to face the next wave of rolling Earth Energy.
As the Earth Energy charged toward Duan Ling Tian and enveloped him, it perfectly merged and became one with the entire Earth. There was no distinction between one and the other.
"Damn it!" At the same time, Duan Ling Tian's keen Spiritual Energy immediately noticed this subtle change, and horror dawned on his face instantly.
"It's not only able to solidify the Earth Energy, the Ninth Level Earth Concept Fragment in the Inscription Formation can also communicate with the Earth and borrow another wave of Earth Energy?!" Duan Ling Tian was taken aback. When the soaring Earth Energy was shrouding him, he could clearly see the Heaven and Earth Energy above the sky whirling and gathering into the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon with the strength of 1,500 ancient horned dragons in an overbearing manner. It was as though it was about to crush him completely!
"Hurmph!" When Duan Ling Tian saw this, his gaze turned cold, and the Quasi Royal Grade Spirit Sword appeared in his hand out of thin air. His sword slashed out as he pounced forward.
Whoosh!
At the place where the sword ray briefly pierced through, the Heaven and Earth Energy was cut into halves. Duan Ling Tian seized this opportunity to charge out and fly through the Earth Energy.
Whirlwind!
Duan Ling Tian continued rushing through his journey. When he came across any form of Earth Energy, he would use the Quasi Royal Grade Spirit Sword in his hands to clear his path.
Sometimes, he used his punches and palms so it was faster and easier!
After all, not every Nature Energy were like the Earth Energy that could easily be cleared by cutting them into halves, particularly the Water and Fire Energy. Although they were slashed apart by the sword ray, the cracks that were made by the slash did not allow Duan Ling Tian to pass through it entirely. This was because the Water and Fire Energy would merge into one immediately after if were slashed by the sword ray.
As for the Earth Energy that he slashed open, it was similar to a heavy boulder that was slashed apart. For this reason, it would be sliced into halves and fall to the sides when Duan Ling Tian slashed it, opening a path for him instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
...
Throughout his journey, Duan Ling Tian dashed around madly and charged toward the other side of the long corridor.
The place where he passed by was filled with his fist and palm prints. At the same time, a series of thunderous explosions were set off in succession as well.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
...
When Duan Ling Tian encountered the Earth Energy, he immediately took out his Quasi Royal Grade Spirit Sword to open up the pathway. Whenever the sword ray was pointed forward, the Earth Energy would instantly be slashed into halves.
"Just a little bit more!" Eventually, Duan Ling Tian who forcefully charged forward could clearly see the end of the long corridor.
As long as he could reach it, he would be considered to have successfully cleared the Bumpy Road and passed the test of the fourth level in Qing Feng Palace. He would then be able to get his hands on the golden key.
"With my current speed, I'm sure nobody else competing with me can be faster than I am!" Duan Ling Tian was very confident in his own strength.
Finally, with the aid of his powerful strength, Duan Ling Tian managed to successfully clear the Bumpy Road and pass the test at the fourth level of Qing Feng Palace after he arrived at the end of the long corridor.
Whoosh!
After Duan Ling Tian had passed through the long corridor, he suddenly came to a halt without warning as the purple robe on his body gracefully fluttered in the wind.
Almost exactly at the same time when Duan Ling Tian came to a halt, another two swift whistling sounds resonated in the wind. Two figures stood in the distance and revealed their true identities.
"Oh?" Duan Ling Tian was extremely surprised by the fact that somebody else arrived here as fast as he did. He could not suppress his curiosity as he narrowed his eyes at them.
In just a glance, he immediately recognized the two people.
Xu Qing and Zuo Yue!
The two of them were the second-rate forces' young powerhouses from the northern desert.
Xu Qing was the strongest person among the current younger generation in North Nether Sect, and Zuo Yue was the strongest person among the current younger generation in Anicca Sect.
The moment Duan Ling Tian identified the two of them, a light immediately flashed across his eyes. "I can't believe I encountered them here. And here I thought I'll only encounter them at the fifth level."
Whether it was Xu Qing or Zuo Yue, they were both no match for him if they did not use their spirit weapons. However, once they used their spirit weapons, it did not matter if it was Xu Qing or Zuo Yue, both of their strengths would surpass his.
If he was not mistaken, their strengths were almost twenty ancient horned dragons stronger than his!
Among the current young generation in the northern desert, Xu Qing and Zuo Yue shared the same fame as Lei Zhong, the Izumo Sect's disciple whom he had killed previously.
Both of their strengths had to be more or less on par with Lei Zhong's.
Fourth Level Void Transformation with a comprehension of the Fourth Level Void Transformation Concept.
Without any spirit weapon, they could unleash the strength of 1100 ancient horned dragons! Once they used their grade one spirit weapon, they would have a 87-88% boost based on their Fourth Level Void Transformations' Origin Energies that was equivalent to the strength of over 520 ancient horned dragons. The two of them added together would equal to the strength of over 1620 ancient horned dragons!
"Duan Ling Tian!" When Duan Ling Tian saw Xu Qing and Zuo Yue, the two of them noticed him as well.
A look of astonishment crept up on their faces. It did not cross their minds that they would encounter him here.
Hints of dread could be seen in their eyes when they looked at him.
They had both witnessed Duan Ling Tian's strength previously. He had killed Lei Zhong who was as well-known as they were at the northern desert and possessed strength that was more or less on par with them.
At this moment, they were not sure if the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon Duan Ling Tian displayed previously — without his spirit weapon — after the mobilization of his Heaven and Earth Energy was cast unreservedly or not.
If there was still some reservations, Duan Ling Tian's strength was definitely better than theirs.
However, Duan Ling Tian's strength was no match for theirs if that was the extent of his power.
Faced with the dreadful gazes from the two people, Duan Ling Tian remained unruffled. He could guess what they were thinking.
Although his face remained calm, he could not help but feel slightly nervous inside.
"My current strength is only about 1,600 ancient horned dragons even if I use all my strength and the Quasi Royal Grade Spirit Sword. Previously, it was entirely pure luck that I was able to kill Lei Zhong. It was all thanks to Lei Zhong for underestimating me too much and attacked me without using any spirit weapon. Due to this reason, I was able to take the lead and inflict great injuries on him! Even if he had used his grade one spirit weapon, it would still be hard for him to exert the full power he had at his peak due to his injuries. In the end, it's precisely because of his injuries that he died in my hands. If he was not injured in the first place, his strength would be over 20 ancient horned dragons stronger than mine. Although I was not afraid of him, it would still be extremely difficult for me to win against him." Duan Ling Tian's eyes shone brilliantly as he recalled his fight with Lei Zhong. He could not help but feel lucky.
It was mostly due to pure luck that he was able to annihilate Lei Zhong so swiftly and efficiently. Otherwise, the battle between him and Lei Zhong would most likely end in a draw. This was because he was not entirely confident in winning against Lei Zhong with his grade one spirit weapon at his peak.
"Whether it's Xu Qing or Zuo Yue, both have a strength that's on par with Lei Zhong. I'm not afraid if there's only one of them. However, I'll definitely lose if the two of them attack at the same time." Duan Ling Tian returned to his senses and gasped inwardly, a hint of dread filled his eyes.
At this moment, he could only hope Xu Qing and Zuo Yue would not join forces with each other. Otherwise, he would definitely be in deep trouble!
"As the saying goes, it's always wiser to play it safe. I must think of a way to deal with this situation! It's very likely the two of them would join forces with each other." Duan Ling Tian inhaled deeply. His mind whirred quickly as he began to find a way.
However, he could not think of anything at all even after a while.
"What should I do?" Duan Ling Tian muttered and frowned. At the same time, his eyes began to dart and look around. He immediately noticed the other five long corridors by the side.
"There are a total of six long corridors in the fourth level of Qing Feng Palace, including the one I took. In other words, apart from Xu Qing, Zuo Yue, and I, another three people will arrive at the fourth level as well? However, they must not have cleared the test at the fourth level, the Bumpy Road. That Earth Energy contained the strength of 1,500 ancient horned dragons! Among the young powerhouses who entered the Martial Emperor's secret treasure, only Xu Qing, Zuo Yue, and I are able to deal with this test."