Taking a deep breath, Ban Jie silently began to operate the Mysterious Techniques to replenish the thoughts in his Upper Dantian.
Xuan Armor Cave.
Strong winds howled, the clash of gold and iron was deafening.
Ban Ji and Rust Disaster Craftsman were already wounded in many places, retreating step by step under the dazzling dance of bronze weapons.
Ban Ji gritted his teeth and shouted at Ning Zhuo: "Ning Zhuo, even if you win after stirring the crowd to attack me with your clever words, what of it?"
"If you have guts, face me one on one!"
Ning Zhuo sneered coldly: "Why didn’t you say that when you all attacked me together just now?"
"Ban Ji, though you hail from the Righteous Path, you’ve willingly fallen to become a Demon Cultivator. You’ve seized personal benefits and harmed your peers. Today, I seek revenge for the innocent cultivators wronged and killed by you!"
Ban Ji sneered, continuing to provoke: "Ha ha, Ning Zhuo, you’re afraid!"
Ning Zhuo interrupted straightforwardly, shouting: "Uphold the righteous path, execute the evil! Everyone, follow me to defeat the enemy!"
Ning Zhuo’s voice was like a great bell, filled with righteous power, constantly urging the bronze weapons to launch an attack.
Ban Ji’s face was dark enough to drip water, blocking left and right without noticing, allowing one of Ning Zhuo’s bronze weapons to pierce the defense and rush towards him.
It was precisely an empty Green Flowing Copper refined by Ning Zhuo, turned into an Old Cold Leg by him.
What martial arts is he best at?
It would certainly be the Bitter Cold Scripture he unexpectedly obtained at the Ten Thousand Medicine Sect.
Old Cold Leg is one of the martial arts in it. Ning Zhuo once used a Mechanical Leg to perform this technique. Now replaced with Mysterious Armor, its power is only stronger.
Old Cold Leg stomped on Ban Ji’s chest, kicking him directly down, with strong force causing Ban Ji to bounce off the stone ground.
Rust Disaster Craftsman saw Ban Ji kicked down and hurriedly came over to shield him.
Innate Talent——Golden Fiend!
He activated his talent, swinging both hands, spraying dark golden fiend energy everywhere, the air thick with the smell of metallic rust where it passed.
Many bronze weapons were contaminated by Golden Fiend, their surfaces visibly dulling, starting to rust severely, becoming thin and fragile.
Rust Disaster Craftsman’s weapons collided, all mysterious armor affected by Golden Fiend was destroyed, then swiftly transmitted out of the battlefield by the Great Array.
In an instant, the cultivators besieging them suffered heavy losses.
Ning Zhuo’s pupils slightly contracted: "Golden Fiend Talent, this is suppressive to any metal! Mysterious Armor, within this range, is restrained severely."
Rust Disaster Craftsman gained an advantage, successfully buying time for Ban Ji. Ban Ji stood up and rejoined the battle.
Ban Ji’s face was full of hatred: "Ning Zhuo is the core, let’s join forces to directly take him down! At critical moments, use every method, do not hold back!"
After saying, Ban Ji rushed out, crying wildly, raising the Bronze Wolf Fang Club.
He came fiercely, truly fighting desperately, like a trapped beast driven to the brink!
The cultivators besieging them had just been hit hard by Golden Fiend, with most of their mysterious armor reaching a damaged standard, taken away by the Array.
The cultivators were heartbroken, seeing Ban Ji’s desperate charge naturally shook their spirits, causing them to retreat.
Their mindset was different from Ban Ji and Rust Disaster Craftsman.
They were stirred by Ning Zhuo, on one hand feeling pressured by Ban Ji, thinking their situation dangerous, on the other hand eyeing Ning Zhuo’s reward, seeking advantage.
Now, Ban Ji and Rust Disaster Craftsman were beaten bloody, some wounds were mangled, causing the group’s pressure to drop sharply. More crucially, they just suffered under the Golden Fiend Talent.
Thus, the cultivators’ belief in fighting forcefully weakened significantly, unwilling to charge at the forefront.
Rust Disaster Craftsman followed Ban Ji’s counter-attack, hardly receiving any resistance, smoothly rushing to Ning Zhuo’s face.
Clang clang clang...
Ning Zhuo raised his shield, firmly blocking Ban Ji’s almost frenzied Wolf Fang Club.
Rust Disaster Craftsman sneered: "Relying on the shield, huh? I’ll destroy it for you then!"
Before his words fell, he slapped out a large amount of Gold Element Fiend Energy.
Ning Zhuo wanted to retreat, but Ban Ji attacked wildly from the side, temporarily holding Ning Zhuo’s steps.
The surrounding cultivators could have come to the rescue but hesitated slightly.
Their hearts were not united!
In the entire scene, only Ning Zhuo had the unique shield, an advantage visible to the naked eye.
Others had to use bronze weapons to attack and defend, but Ning Zhuo could rely on the shield to defend himself without flaw.
Everyone was here to participate in the Xingyun Trial, and now that Ban Ji appeared weak while Ning Zhuo was strong, their minds began to stir with different thoughts.
As Ning Zhuo’s shield was about to be tainted by the Golden Fiend, the people from the Xuan Armor Cave watching the battle showed not the slightest worry.
In the next moment, Ning Zhuo flicked his long sleeve, releasing a piece of Mysterious Armor. It transformed above his head into a bronze fan.
This was Ning Zhuo’s sixth Mysterious Armor!
The fan waved continuously, sending out a dozen Wind Blades to whisk away the Golden Fiend.
It then shook violently, unleashing a surging Fire Wave, forcing Ban Ji to retreat.
Ban Ji unwillingly shouted, his eyes filled with red veins from the agitation.
Ning Zhuo regrouped and shouted, "Fellow cultivators, let’s first take down this powder-thrower together!"
If it were other weapons, close-range attacks might fall prey to the Golden Fiend’s restraint. But Ning Zhuo’s bronze fan excelled in long-range attacks, avoiding contact and greatly reducing the Rust Disaster Craftsman’s threat.
Seeing Ning Zhuo once again taking the lead, rushing headlong into battle, the cultivators immediately became active and motivated.
The Hao-surnamed cultivator stood with arms crossed, observing with bright eyes, continually raising his assessment of Ning Zhuo: "This young Ning Zhuo is truly formidable. His comprehension isn’t just high, but his skills from the Righteous Path are exceedingly seasoned."
Ning Zhuo keenly sensed the change in people’s sentiments and wisely abandoned Ban Ji, choosing to deal with the Rust Disaster Craftsman instead.
In everyone’s eyes, Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji were both descendants of major clans, geniuses with high stakes if offended. But the Rust Disaster Craftsman was different; he was a Demon Cultivator, a lone figure.
Moreover, the Rust Disaster Craftsman’s Innate Golden Fiend was indeed highly restraining against Mysterious Armor. In the outside world, cultivators might have other means to supplement and alleviate this suppression. But in the cave trial, everyone relied heavily on Mysterious Armor.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman’s golden powder could cause most bronze weapons to rust and be eliminated.
This threat was too great!
When dealing with Ban Ji, others might hesitate, fearing that Ning Zhuo would become the final threat too big to handle. But against the Rust Disaster Craftsman, everyone wanted to act!
Whish! Whish!
Two Wind Blades pierced the defenses while the Rust Disaster Craftsman was distracted, hitting his arm and severing one on the spot.
No blood emerged; the wound was not flesh, but a metallic surface.
But this was enough!
"No!" Ban Ji roared angrily, but was in a perilous position himself, unable to help but watch as the Rust Disaster Craftsman was overwhelmed by a surge of attacks.
The Rust Disaster Craftsman endured a few moments before being judged eliminated and transported out by the Great Array.
"It’s your turn!" Ning Zhuo’s eyes were bright and righteous as he glared at Ban Ji.
Ban Ji’s face turned ashen.
Lu Zeng was meanwhile retreating step by step.
His weapons had been exhausted, leaving only two, placing him at a great disadvantage.
"Though I am reluctant, this time there’s no way to reverse the situation," Lu Zeng sighed hopelessly in his heart.
Just as he was about to concede, a mysterious voice reached out to him, informing him about his own matters and performance in the second stage.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Lu Zeng instantly regained hope, acutely sensing the presence of conspiracy and chaos. And amid the change lay his long-awaited chance.
The mysterious voice quickly responded, "I must first prove to you that I have the ability to perceive all information in the second stage."
"Now, I’ll tell you a crucial piece of information—among you three Golden Core cultivators, Tie Zheng is the strongest, surpassing you by a margin. This is because he possesses a Blade Beast, modified using Mysterious Armor!"
Lu Zeng replied with a bitter smile, "Telling me how strong Tie Zheng is, what good does that do? Quickly tell me his weakness! I’m about to be overwhelmed here!"
The mysterious voice merely chuckled.
Lu Zeng quickly reacted, "Wait a moment..."
He suddenly understood the mysterious disrupter’s intentions!
At this moment, he saw hope to break the stalemate!
He immediately secretly transmitted thoughts to Ao Pan.
Ao Pan’s expression remained unchanged, though his heart was disturbed. Just moments ago, he too had been knowledgeable of his own performance in the second stage, and of the major card that Tie Zheng held—his Blade Beast.
This gave Ao Pan a brand new perspective on the situation.
He hesitated only slightly before agreeing to Lu Zeng’s proposal to join forces.
Pa.
The bronze whip struck Tie Zheng, while Lu Zeng seized the opportunity to slash, breaking open Tie Zheng’s chest, causing blood to fly.
Tie Zheng retreated explosively, fiercely glaring at Ao Pan: "You’re betraying me too?!"