All the known rune arrays in the world, whether low-level or high-level, whether large or small, wouldn’t explode if successfully arranged.
This was common knowledge to all cultivators.
However, there was a special situation in which almost all defective rune arrays would self-destruct.
The explosion power of a defective rune array was terrifying!
Due to this, ordinary rune masters would pay extra attention when creating rune arrays or even prepare careful defensive measures.
The higher level the rune array, the more terrifying was its self-explosion power. In the history of the Ziyao Empire, it had been recorded that a few rune masters had suffered a rune array explosion accident before.
However, the Little Five Elements Purgatory Array that Lin Xun made was very unique.
It was a successful defective rune array.
It was successful because it possessed all the powers of the Little Five Elements Purgatory Array.
It was defective because almost all the rune materials and rune inks that Lin Xun had used to make it were damaged.There was nothing he could do about it. He had collected the rune materials and inks from enemies’ corpses. He had also found all kinds of materials, some useful and some useless. It could be imagined how difficult it was to use them to create a rune array.
Even rune masters wouldn’t believe that anyone could create a rune array from incomplete and damaged rune materials.
There was only one reason for this: every rune array encompassed different rune patterns and so required different rune materials and inks. Not all rune materials and inks could be used.
For example, the Little Five Elements Purgatory Array required more than one hundred and thirty kinds of rune materials and dozens of rune ink.
The rune materials were all specific to that rune array. It was easy to imagine how unbelievable it was for Lin Xun to create a rune array with incomplete and defective rune materials.
The most astonishing aspect was that he succeeded!
It was no doubt a miracle that he succeeded. At least, other rune masters in the world would drop their jaws in shock if they learned about it.
However, Lin Xun thought it was normal because he had seen Mister Lu do it before. To be fair, he was a little surprised that he succeeded since it was his first time creating such a rune array.
However, although Lin Xun had succeeded, the Little Five Elements Purgatory Array was indeed flawed. Its power was limited because the core of the formation lacked the most important aeth power source.
Shui Ying had noticed the flaw right away.
However, Shui Ying didn’t know that the rune array had an even more fatal flaw: its structure was extremely unstable because the rune materials used were defective. Once the structure was damaged, it would trigger a chain reaction and had a terrifying risk of self-explosion!
Lin Xun had taken advantage of this.
Previously, Shui Ying had been trying to buy time to wait for the rune ray to weaken and then escape the array.
However, Lin Xun was also buying time. He was also waiting for the power of the rune array to gradually disappear. Then, he launched a powerful surprise attack, thereby destroying the structure of the rune array and triggering a self-explosion.
Lin Xun had succeeded in the end. He didn’t activate the Stars Gathering move to kill Shui Ying but instead acted to make the rune array explode!
Caught off guard, Shui Ying was drowned by the power of the self-exploded rune array.
……
Rumble—
The power of the self-destructed rune array was extremely terrifying. It produced waves of qi and rune light that drowned the entire area like a landslide.
With the explosion radius, rocks were crumbled to powder, trees were incinerated to ashes, and terrifying cracks had split the ground. The blast created a tremendous mushroom cloud in the sky.
Standing afar, Lin Xun constantly scanned the center of the explosion. He found it a little abnormal that he still hadn’t heard a single scream.
Unless Shui Ying had been instantly killed. But there was only a very slim chance of that happening to a top expert like Shui Ying.
Screee!
Suddenly, a beam of black light shot out from the exploding waves of flames. It streaked across the air like a lightning bolt and arrived in a split second.
So fast!
Unbelievably fast!
If Lin Xun had lowered his guard, he wouldn’t have been able to evade that attack.
However, even though he hadn’t relaxed, the sudden attack still caught him by surprise.
Too quick!
Too sudden!
Boom—
Lin Xun barely had time to bring his blade in front to shield his body when he felt a terrifying power slamming into him.
His arms trembled violently, his bones almost shattered and his body was uncontrollably blasted more than a dozen yards into the distance.
The agonizing pain drained the color from his face and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The power contained in that attack was so terrifying that Lin Xun’s countenance uncontrollably changed and a heavy feeling weighed on his heart.
Only then did he clearly see that the beam of black light was from a strange jet-black beast tooth. Thumb-sized with a smooth and shiny surface, it resembled a pure black gemstone. It glowed with the most heart-chilling luster.
Lin Xun lifted his head, stared at the rune array explosion and saw a figure staggering out from the flames.
It was Shui Ying, but his body was mangled and dripping with blood and his bones were sticking out of his skin. He looked like a rag riddled with holes.
As he teetered, his blue eyes blazed with hatred and bitterness. He glowered at Lin Xun from afar. He hated the fact that he couldn’t swallow Lin Xun alive.
Enduring the pain all over his body, Lin Xun got up and gripped his blade.
“I didn’t think you could set up such a rune array. A rune master like you who can think outside the box will no doubt become a shadow shrouding our Magi Brute Race and cause unimaginable disasters to us. Today…I must kill you!”
Shui Ying’s voice was extremely hoarse and also filled with extreme malice.
However, his body tottered like an oil lamp about to be extinguished. Despite his vicious words, it carried not a trace of threat.
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes, studying Shui Ying as he approached. Suddenly, he raised his brows and took out a short crossbow from his sleeve.
Beng!
Lin Xun pulled the trigger without any hesitation. A rain of arrows shot out, producing piercing soul-stirring whistles.
Shui Ying clearly didn’t expect Lin Xun to be so cautious. He couldn’t help but let out a roar of fury.
Boom!
He suddenly pressed his hands together in the air, summoning a blue light screen to deflect the shower of arrows.
However, that move exhausted the last of his strength. His body swayed and tottered and, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.
“So hateful—!”
This was his last cry before death. It was full of bitterness and reluctance.
Lin Xun stood motionlessly until he had confirmed that Shui Ying was completely dead. Only then could he relax and draw a deep breath.
If he hadn’t fired the crossbow, Shui Ying’s final counterattack before his death likely would have taken his life!
It made Lin Xun truly realize that if he let his guard down before an enemy had fallen, it could lead to an unpredictable disaster!
Without any hesitation, Lin Xun stepped forward with his blade and slashed off the piece of damaged brute totem rune on his dead opponent’s chest.
Then, he firmly stabbed Shui Ying in the chest.
Unfortunately, besides the brute totem rune, there was nothing else valuable on Shui Ying. Lin Xun couldn’t help but smile wryly. He had spent so many days and prepared so many means to kill a terrifying brute soldier but his harvest was only a damaged brute totem rune.
However, just as Lin Xun was about to leave, a thought struck his mind. He remembered the dark beast tooth.
He turned around and picked up the beast tooth on the ground. He was examining it closer when an earthshaking beast roar suddenly rang in his mind and a terrifying power shook his soul. He trembled and a wave of dizziness came over him.
But the horrifying beast roar faded in a second. It made Lin Xun think that it was just an illusion.
He couldn’t help but take another look at the dark beast’s tooth in his palm. He still couldn’t figure out what sort of beast it belonged to.
Lin Xun pondered for a moment and finally stored away the dark beast tooth and left.
……
Only half a month was left until the battlefield assessment ended.
No one knew that Lin Xun had killed a brute soldier with unimaginable strength. He also had no intention of mentioning the matter to anyone.
The matter ended quietly.
A deep worry of Lin Xun had been removed with Shui Ying’s death. Following the incident, he resumed his usual routine: he searched for enemies during the day and restored his strength at night.
Everything in Demon Cloud Ridge seemed the same to Lin Xun.
However, the remaining half a month on Demon Cloud Ridge was a critical period for many Blood Kill Camp students. It determined their scores and consequently who would be eliminated!
The atmosphere was incredibly tense.
All the students no longer held back their strength and fought bloody battles one after another on Demon Cloud Ridge. Wounds and injuries were inevitable in such battles.
……
In the Water Tribe Army north of Demon Cloud Ridge, Shui Xingkong sighed. “Completely defeated…”
The atmosphere in the camp was very depressing and every water brute expert’s face was overcast.
Shui Ying and the others had all died. Furthermore, their movements had alerted the Ziyao Empire to dispatch many more cultivators to Demon Cloud Ridge. Under those circumstances, it was clearly impossible to send out more experts to assassinate Lin Xun.
“Leader, the Blood Kill Camp training is about to end. Do we have to give up on the sacred treasure?” A water brute expert asked bitterly.
“No, it won’t end like this. Even if we fail this time, we will have a chance to capture the youngster called Lin Xun. I guarantee it!”
Shui Xingkong’s voice was resolute and resounding. He drew a deep breath and peered at Demon Cloud Ridge shrouded in night through the camp entrance.