This person was wearing the uniform and mask of a candidate, but a strong sense of concern and even a bit of worry flashed through their eyes.
This person had been searching the Valley of Destruction for a few days at this point. But no matter how far they searched, they never found a sign of the freak with the boulderâs heart.
Although this person kept telling themselves not to think wild thoughts, they couldnât help but consider a few pessimistic ideas as time passed.
The personâs eyes suddenly gleamed as they looked incredulously ahead of them.
A figure had dashed out of the charred land and destruction ahead!
It was as shocking as seeing a survivor after Armageddon.
âItâs him, the freak genius with the boulderâs heart!â The large stone hovering over the personâs heart was abruptly laid to rest when he saw the figure dash out of the burnt area. âThank goodness heâs not dead. I knew that he wouldnât die that easily...â
The person standing on the slope felt waves of emotion upon seeing this figure dash out from the rubble. An uncommon light shone out of his eyes; he was both gratified and proud that this freak genius had escaped from sure death.
This person only tamped down his emotions when he saw the outline of the freak genius approach. He sprang back and vanished quickly into the thick growth of the forest.
âA happy journey and great success to you, Jiang Chen.â The person said silently in his heart.
It was obvious that this person was treating Jiang Chen and the freak genius of the boulderâs heart as the same.
......
The figure whoâd run out from the rubble was indeed Jiang Chen, the only survivor within a hundred li. However, he didnât know that another person on the outskirts of the destruction had already realized his identity.
He stopped outside of the zone of destruction and detected the unique fragrance from the flowers and trees in his surroundings. He suddenly felt like heâd been reborn again.
His nose had been wrecked by the charred smell that had pervaded the air over the past couple of days.
When he took an estimation, he realized that only half of the allotted time had passed since heâd set foot into the valley.
With the rewards heâd reaped, Jiang Chen no longer took great risks and instead decided to proceed slowly and surely.
The strength of the Firelizard and the Fire Ravens had given Jiang Chen a thorough lesson, letting him know that he couldnât run about at will within the Valley of Destruction.
One could easily be swamped by calamity.
Standing at the top of the slope, Jiang Chenâs gaze suddenly cooled slightly as he snorted softly. âThese bastards. Theyâre charging over here with such aggressive momentum, do they think to make a target of me? Reckless and blind!â
More than dozens of figures had already appeared around the slope. Their auras were imposing and it was obvious that they were headed straight for Jiang Chen.
He was rather surprised at first. Where had all these people come from?
However, he immediately understood afterwards. This immense blaze must have alarmed many, and the nearby candidates mustâve gathered to either watch the show or observe the happenings.
However, with his emergence from this patch of rubble, heâd immediately become a walking target.
These people all acted in marvelous accord, charging for the top of the slope without discussing it beforehand. It looked like they all wanted to do something as despicable as robbing an owner when his house was on fire.
It was several dozens at first, but it became apparent as more and more candidates surged in from all directions that all the practitioners in the surrounding area had come over when they received the news.
A hint of a cold smile appeared on Jiang Chenâs lips.
Although there were no rules in the Valley of Destruction, and it wasnât forbidden to fight each other, these candidates shouldâve first weighed up their own abilities before wanting to so blatantly take advantage of the situation.
âIdiots who donât know the meaning of death.â
Jiang Chenâs expression remained fearless as he gazed at the continuously growing crowd of candidates in front of him. When one was at his level of cultivation, strength in numbers meant absolutely nothing.
Jiang Chen sat down cross legged on a high piece of rock. As if a deity, he exuded a stern aura even without flying into a rage.
The candidates all stopped when they reached a distance of several hundreds of meters from Jiang Chen.
However, the candidates all started forming concentric circles around Jiang Chen, subtly wanting to encircle him with rings of restraint.
Jiang Chenâs closed eyes suddenly opened as they shot out a stunning, stern light. He laughed coldly, âWhat? Are all of you coming here to beg for food?â
Although no one knew the identity of the one beneath the mask, everyone was quite clear that this was the genius freak of the boulderâs heart that had swept the first four trials.
If theyâd been in ones or twos, they wouldnât have dared to approach.
However, courage grows in numbers and this group had miraculously lost a bit of their fear and gained a bit of ambition instead.
âSir, letâs speak frankly here. You mustâve gained quite a bit in walking out of that ocean of fire. Weâve all dithered around here for so many days, worrying and fretting. You should show us your sincerity, hmm?â
A candidate who had likely been chosen as the de facto leader smiled coldly.
There were two others by his side, forming a triangle of power with the leader.
Jiang Chen could tell that their strength was likely the strongest amongst the group. This was why theyâd been nominated as the leaders.
âWorry?â Jiang Chen could help but break out in laughter. âI have no relationship with any of you and thus I have no need for your worry. Speak fast if youâve something to say, and let it out if you have to fart. Donât approach things obliquely and bullshit with me. I havenât the slightest interest in listening to your drivel.â
Worry?
How could Jiang Chen believe utter tripe like this?
All of those present were strangers, and who would worry about a stranger in the world of martial dao?
These self righteous excuses were both fake and disgusting.
If theyâd come out forthrightly and said they were going to rob Jiang Chen, he wouldâve at least acknowledged them as petty criminals who were willing to stand by what theyâd said. He only felt complete repulsion when they tried to engineer these crude reasons.
âHahaha, looks like youâre a direct person!â The person in charge laughed heartily. âSince this is the case, we wonât conceal our thoughts. You have two choices.â
âOne, leave behind all that youâve gained and get the hell out!â
âTwo, stubbornly resist and make enemies out of all of us.â
The leader waved and indicated the nearly one hundred strong group around them, putting on a âIâve got you in the palm of my handâ expression.
The candidates all assented when they heard these words. They all shouted in high spirits, applying psychological pressure to Jiang Chen.
Their postures were absolutely one of taking advantage of their numbers to bully the few and engage in open robbery.
âI can also give you two choices.â Jiang Chenâs tone was faint as he completely ignored the crowd. He extended two fingers, âOne, get the hell out now! Two, die!â
âWhat?!â The leader actually thought heâd misheard. He was both angry and entertained. âKid, are you crazy? Itâs one against a hundred of us spirit realm practitioners here. Do you think you can really defy the heavens? What a clueless idiot!â
âYeah kid! Youâre not going to give up until failure stares at you in the face, huh?â
âStop wasting time with him. Heâs refusing our good natured toast and wants to drink a forfeit instead. This kidâs asking for a beating!â
âYeah, this fellow hogged the limelight in the previous trials. Itâs about time that we destroy some of his arrogance in the Valley of Destruction. Otherwise, wonât we be continuously trodden underfoot by him?â
Those assembled finally voiced their real thoughts.
They werenât here to just rob things, but to publicly suppress Jiang Chen.
An unsurpassed genius whose scores were far in excess of everyone else to the point of being a crane amongst a flock of chickens. How would these mundane geniuses be able to accept that?
Therefore, everyone had unconsciously formed an accord that they had to defeat this freak genius and not let him take away everyoneâs glory, making it so that no one could make a name for themselves.
âSo noisy.â
A shrewd light suddenly shot out of Jiang Chenâs Godâs Eye as he spat out two words, roiling up waves of qi that rippled outwards with the sound of thunder.
The one hundred candidates suddenly felt it difficult to breathe. Their ear drums kept reverberating as if thunder was crashing right in front of them. Their blood thrummed through their veins as dizzy spells caused them to waver and feel nauseous.
âUseless trash!â
Jiang Chen laughed coldly and pushed off on both feet, shooting towards the outside as if an eagle taking to the skies.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
It wasnât that he wouldnât be killing anyone, but that it was meaningless to kill the group assembled here in one go. Although they were greedy, not all of them deserved to die.
Therefore, Jiang Chen planned on ignoring them.
However, everyoneâs thoughts when he dashed out was that Jiang Chen was afraid and didnât dare meet them all in battle. He was running away!
No one detected his sliver of kindness.
âHeâs getting away, kill him!â
âStop him, kill!â
Crazed roars and yells sounded behind him.
The three designated leaders all had levels of cultivation between third and fourth level spirit realm. They were quite remarkable amidst this yearâs candidates.
It was because they were stronger that their courage was correspondingly greater.
When they saw Jiang Chen make for the outside and expose his back to them, they all felt that this was a perfect chance.
The three of them all wielded their weapons at the same time as they blasted their auras, bringing all their strength to bear in attacking Jiang Chenâs back.
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.
A hint of a chill travelled down their necks in the next moment. Their bodies all seemed to freeze in the air.
Crack!
Crisp breaking sounds rang out at almost the same time.
Three large heads, still wearing their masks, separated from their necks and shot into the sky.
In the next moment, three headless bodies crashed into the ground, emitting dull thuds.
Bam, bam, bam.
Dust, sprays of fresh blood from their necks, and a strong sense of bloodshed flew and permeated everywhere on the slope.
The three heads landed afterwards, with their eyes still open. Wide open with despair, their final expression was one of shock and deep fear.
Everyone was shocked senseless by this scene.
They hadnât seen how Jiang Chen had made his move at all. Theyâve only seen a flash of light and the three strongest amongst them lose their heads.
This kind of strength, this speed, and these devastating moves made the hundred or so assembled here shiver with cold, as if theyâd fallen into an icy cavern.
How... how was this a fight? This was pure slaughter!