Chapter 44: The Boss Room
Lin Xu ran as fast as he could without looking back to see if his opponent was following him. As the adrenaline wore off, pain and exhaustion overtook him, forcing him to stop and recover. Suddenly, he felt an immense pressure that made him feel as if he were trapped in a swamp, with a heavy body that turned each step into a burdensome task.
Glancing towards the entrance, Lin Xu saw a silhouette slowly approaching him. To his dismay, he realized it was another unknown monster. With each step the monster took, Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he began to sweat profusely.
Realizing he had to fight, Lin Xu forced himself to stand up, tightly clenching his fists. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down, but the monster continued its slow approach, as if taunting him.
Desperate to survive, Lin Xu attacked the monster, but he was abruptly interrupted when a fiery fist hurtled towards him. He had no time to react, and that was the last thing he saw before his life came to an end.
Argon, who had used the Death Pact on Lin Xu, was not surprised by his immediate demise. Examining the remaining lower half of Lin Xu's body (as his upper body had been obliterated), Argon felt nothing for his first kill. He quickly teleported back to the throne room, where he could see that the battle was over.
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On the battlefield, all eyes were fixed on Xenos, who was experiencing a breakthrough. After slaying the hobgoblin, the barrier that had hindered his progress shattered, allowing a surge of energy to flow into him.
To attain a breakthrough in the Opening Qi realm, one must open one of the nine main meridians. These meridians obstructed the absorption of qi into the body, hence the name. Cultivators open them one by one, gradually absorbing and storing qi in the dantian. The more meridians opened, the greater the amount of qi that could be stored, leading to increased strength.
Xenos had already opened one meridian, officially stepping into the Opening Qi realm. Currently, he was consolidating his newfound realm.
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Patriarch Song gazed at Elder San with admiration.
"Elder San, I, Song Hu, thank you for saving my life," Song Hu said respectfully, clasping his hands together.
"Don't mention it. We are all from Waydale City; it's only natural for us to help each other."
"Yes, you're right..." Patriarch Song could only smile wryly.
Just moments ago, when he was about to be minced by the hobgoblin, Elder San appeared out of nowhere and swiftly dispatched the monster.
Patriarch Song felt a sense of gratitude towards Elder San, but at the same time, he felt ashamed of his own weakness. Despite being a cultivator in the peak stage of the Building Base realm, he couldn't handle a monster of the same realm on his own.
He glanced enviously at Xenos, realizing that if he had slain the hobgoblin alone, he might have been on the verge of a breakthrough as well. It's not that he gained nothing; it's just that since he wasn't the one who dealt the killing blow, his rewards were meager compared to Xenos, who had slain it single-handedly. The cultivation qi he acquired wasn't enough for him to break through.
He wasn't inexperienced in battling monsters of the same realm. Although monsters were inherently stronger than humans, they weren't as formidable as the green monsters they had just faced.
Furthermore, he commended himself for not making an enemy out of Xenos.
"That's right. Although Xenos was exiled, he
still comes from the royal family, and royal families never lack loyal subordinates," he pondered.
"My Lord, shall we continue?" Commander Anakin inquired of Xenos.
Xenos surveyed the demoralized survivors. Out of the initial group of over five thousand, only a little over a thousand remained. The situation was disheartening, even for him. His once two-thousand-strong army had been reduced to a mere three hundred soldiers.
"Announce that anyone who wishes to leave may do so. Those who wish to continue may stay and join us," Xenos declared.
"Yes, My Lord."
"Listen, everyone!! My Lord has given permission for anyone to leave. We won't force you. Those who wish to continue, stay and join us!!!"
Half of the remaining people chose not to continue, leaving behind Xenos's soldiers, members of Patriarch Song's clan, and the Blue Wind Sect's members led by Elder Tan Zong.
Once Xenos had stabilized his cultivation, the remaining survivors resumed their journey. A few minutes later, they came across a colossal door blocking their path. It was the entrance to the boss room, where Ghorm awaited them.