Silence ensued, and all that could be heard was the evening breeze blowing through the mountain and making her sleeves flutter.
The slender young man standing on the mountain suddenly straightened his back and confronted the fiends. The key was that he didn’t lose to the fiends in terms of presence.
When the three elders saw this from mid-air, they were shocked.
“I-is this… really my student, Chu Yue?” stammered Elder Wan Zheng while feeling his throat go dry. However, he wanted to give himself a slap on the mouth as soon as he said that. What nonsensical question is that?! Who else can he be but my precious student?! Just look at that face, body, and presence! And that Chi Xiao Sword! That’s my precious student!
“Eighth stage… He really broke through to become a stage-eight warrior!” Elder Bo Yan muttered under his breath, his eyes filled with shock.
It wasn’t an easy feat. Many cultivators did everything they could and even made lots of preparations in advance, but only a few managed to break through successfully. Most importantly, the more talent and potential cultivators had, the harder it would be for them to break through because every step beyond the seventh stage would have a tremendous impact on their subsequent development. Every step was akin to walking on thin ice—no mistakes could be made.
Chu Yue has absolute talent in this aspect, so how did he manage to break through just like that? Elder Bo Yan could still remember the terrifying scene he saw when they arrived here. The commotion proved that Chu Yue had extraordinary talent in the warrior path, but that also made the elders all the more worried.
Elder Bo Yan thought that there was no way Chu Yue could succeed, but the latter actually proved him wrong a while later. Chu Yue even killed a legendary fiend in a single strike. Had it been someone else, they might not be able to do it even if they were a ninth-grade warrior.
Elder Shu Yu was considered the calmest of the three. As he had been here the entire time to witness almost the entire incident, he had mentally prepared himself a long time ago. Thus, his receptivity was much higher than the other two.
After taking a deep breath, he said comfortingly, “Bo Yan, Wan Zheng, you can put your mind at ease now. Usually, times like these are the most dangerous because the cultivator who has just made a successful breakthrough is overflowing with force. This holds a fatal attraction to the fiends. Normally, they would strike by now, but they’re currently feeling a bit apprehensive because Chu Yue made the first move and killed a golden-cloud leopard. If they choose to leave after weighing their pros and cons, that will mark the end of this matter!”
Elder Shu Yu’s words lifted the spirits of the other two elders as they prayed for the matter to resolve in a peaceful manner. A fight between the two parties would ultimately result in casualties. If the fiends were smart and wise enough to give up, it would save everyone a great deal of trouble.
“This is a critical period for both sides. If the fiends spot the slightest bit of cowardice and fear in Chu Yue, they’ll surely attack him! Success or failure—it all depends on Chu Yue now!” said Elder Shu Yu in a grave tone.
…
Not a single fiend stepped forward during the silent confrontation, but they didn’t retreat either. All they did was just keep staring at Chu Liuyue with their aggressive and greedy eyes. Of course, there were also hints of apprehension in them now.
The fiends had only come over because they could sense a great temptation, but they now realized how dangerous this temptation was. That arrogant golden-cloud leopard was an example.
“Those who want to fight, step forward. Those who want to give up, move back!” Chu Liuyue shouted impatiently. “On the count of three, those who don’t move back will be viewed as my opponent!”
She then raised her other hand and pointed a slender finger in the air. “One!”
A small number of fiends began to stir.
“Two!”
The fiends standing in the innermost circle started to look at each other as they tried to figure out each other’s thoughts.
The ones in the outermost circle, however, were quietly starting to leave. Even though the human in front of them was indeed tempting, they needed to make sure that they were alive in order to get what they wanted. With a group of legendary fiends ahead of them, it was unlikely that there would be anything left for them, so they chose to leave.
Chu Liuyue narrowed her eyes and shouted the last number: “Three!”
About half of the fiends in the middle circle began to retreat.
The ones in the innermost circle didn’t move though—oh, not exactly. One of them took a step forward; it was a wolf with shiny black fur and a touch of gold on its forehead. It had a pair of wings on its back. Its eyes were very special—they were all white with no pupils in them, and they emitted an eerie white light. It looked very bizarre at a glance.
“A black-gold werewolf?” Chu Liuyue raised her eyebrows slightly.
It was also a legendary fiend, and it had tremendous force and combat power. It was a notch stronger than the golden-cloud leopard. Of course, it wouldn’t have dared to step forward if it weren’t capable.
Upon hearing what Chu Liuyue said, the black-gold werewolf crouched down slightly and bared its sharp fangs while growling. It was clear that it was preparing to attack.
“Good, it seems to me that you want to fight,” said Chu Liuyue with a laugh. She then shifted her gaze to the other fiends around her before looking back at her opponent. With a flick of her wrist, the Chi Xiao Sword—which was as light as a feather—cut an arc in mid-air and was aimed at the black-gold werewolf. “Bring it on!”
With that, Chu Liuyue leaped into the air on pointed toes.
At the same time, the black-gold werewolf spread its wings and flew straight toward Chu Liuyue.
…
A hint of worry appeared on the three elders’ faces as they watched this fight from a short distance away.
“A black-gold werewolf? That’s one of the strongest fiends in Fiend Park. It’s incredibly hard to deal with because of its cunning nature! Will Chu Yue be able to deal with it… alone?” Elder Wan Zheng asked.
Elder Shu Yu let out a wry laugh. “It’s hard to say… Seeing how she unexpectedly managed to kill the golden-cloud leopard in one strike, I say that she’s probably much stronger than the average beginner stage-eight warrior. I really can’t tell who will emerge as the winner of this fight…”
