Chapter 181: Desperate Situation
Yun Che's words seemed to have touched some nerve in Mo Li, as she fell silent.
The fifth wave of Rock Dragon Warriors arrived as well—thirty-six of them in total, surrounding Yun Che in an iron-bucket formation.
"Don't... worry about me..." Xiao Xiannü had been conscious the entire time, fully aware of their predicament. She struggled weakly, pressed against Yun Che's shoulder.
Yun Che ignored her completely. Raising his sword with one hand, he charged toward the encircling Rock Dragon Warriors. Gripping a three-thousand-nine-hundred-jin heavy sword with one hand naturally slowed his swinging speed, but his strikes remained swift and ferocious. Every slash was wide and powerful, the blade whistling through the air, cutting down one Rock Dragon Warrior after another before they could even get close.
The sounds of rock shattering merged into an unending chorus. Though wielding his sword with one hand and cradling someone with his left arm, these thirty-six Rock Dragon Warriors still posed no real threat. In less than two minutes, under dozens of uninterrupted swings of Yun Che's heavy blade, they were reduced to a pile of rubble.
But the fifth wave was still not the end. Immediately afterward, the sixth wave of Rock Dragon Warriors appeared before Yun Che—this time, sixty-four of them!
Staring at the sixty-four Rock Dragon Warriors surrounding him, Yun Che took a deep breath. His hand unconsciously tightened around the heavy sword. The Celestial Wolf Prison God Scripture allowed him to master the heavy blade with seamless control, but that by no means let him ignore its weight. Wielding such a sword with one hand was inherently unwise. After annihilating the fifth wave, his right arm had already begun to feel sore.
Boom... boom...
The sixty-four Rock Dragon Warriors charged in unison, shaking the ground beneath them. Yun Che let out a low roar and swung his sword, plunging headlong into the ranks of the enemy—now doubled in size. He charged left and right, his heavy blade sweeping horizontally and vertically. Wave after wave of foes were sent flying; one by one, they were shattered into pieces... At this moment, holding Xiao Xiannü in his arms, he felt immense gratitude for having chosen a heavy sword as his weapon. Because when trapped in such encirclement, the only weapon that could sweep in all directions without fear—the only one that could hold a person and protect them from any harm—was the heavy sword. And the only weapon that could smash these Rock Dragon Warriors, whose sturdy bodies were nearly impervious to other arms, was also the heavy sword!
The advantages of a heavy sword were displayed to their fullest in such a battle. Yun Che was certain that if he were wielding a light sword instead, he would not be able to maneuver so freely amidst so many Rock Dragon Warriors, nor could he protect Xiao Xiannü so perfectly.
But as these advantages manifested, so too did the disadvantages, creeping in silently.
Boom...
Bang...
Boom... Boom...
With another fierce swing of the heavy sword, the sixth wave of Rock Dragon Warriors was reduced to rubble. But the time taken was four times longer than it had been for the fifth wave.
Yun Che planted his heavy sword into the ground, finally beginning to pant heavily. Under Mo Li's "orders," Yun Che never stored the heavy sword in the Heavenly Poison Pearl but carried it on his back at all times to get used to its weight. But no amount of adaptation could completely nullify the fact that three thousand nine hundred jin of weight was always there, never diminishing, never disappearing.
The sixth wave was still not the end.
Clang... clang...
A massive expanse of yellow light flickered around Yun Che, revealing the silhouettes of a full one hundred and twenty-eight Rock Dragon Warriors. These warriors had also undergone changes—their weapons were no longer just spears. In the rear appeared Rock Dragon Warriors who had discarded their shields, wielding two-handed longswords and two-handed longblades.
Over a hundred... facing over a hundred enemies at the same cultivation level, after immense exhaustion—this was no trial; it was torture! This should be the last wave, right?
Yun Che thought so. His breathing, which had grown heavy, gradually steadied under his control. He tossed a Mid-level Return Xuan Pill into his mouth, tightened his left arm to hold Xiao Xiannü even closer, and pulled the heavy sword from the ground with one hand, pointing it forward.
The one-armed battle against a hundred foes thus began.
The Rock Dragon Warriors wielding longswords and longblades were not only different in weaponry but also noticeably faster in movement than those with spears. They charged at the front, their blades and shadows enveloping Yun Che... So far, the most comforting thing for Yun Che was that none of these Rock Dragon Warriors possessed long-range profound arts. As long as he kept swinging his heavy sword, they couldn't get close enough to harm him or Xiao Xiannü. Otherwise, his situation would be exponentially more difficult.
But this state was contingent on him maintaining a sufficient frequency of swings. However, as his stamina depleted and fatigue crept into his arms, the speed and ferocity of his heavy sword swings were clearly declining. This directly led to larger gaps and openings after each swing.
Bang, bang, bang...
A series of explosions. Five Rock Dragon Warriors attacking together were sent flying by a crescent-shaped swing of the heavy sword. But due to diminishing strength, Yun Che's body momentarily lost balance as he withdrew his sword. A spear from a Rock Dragon Warrior on his flank suddenly stabbed forward, striking him violently in the ribs.
A spray of blood erupted. The Rock Dragon Warrior's spear tip snapped off. With his profound energy defense and the tough physique granted by the Great Dao Pagoda Art, the wound drew blood but was not severe. Still, it made Yun Che keenly aware of the growing danger.
"Haah!!"
The Rock Dragon Warrior in close range was smashed to pieces by Yun Che's sword. He suddenly flung his right arm, tossing the heavy sword into the air, then quickly and gently shifted Xiao Xiannü to his right side, securing her firmly with his right arm. His left hand caught the falling heavy sword and swung it, producing a sword howl like an enraged dragon...
Switching arms alleviated some of the soreness in his right arm. Though his left arm was not as nimble as his right, the frequency and force of its swings were slightly higher, though it also tired noticeably faster.
Wave after wave of Rock Dragon Warriors surged forward, wave after wave was shattered. If these were living beings instead of rock constructs, Yun Che's entire body would have long been drenched in blood.
His left arm grew heavier and heavier, until it could barely sustain the effort. He passed the heavy sword back to his slightly relieved right arm and continued the slaughter.
This wave lasted far longer for him than the previous one—so long he lost track of the time. When the last Rock Dragon Warrior was destroyed, he was panting like an ox. When the heavy sword finally pierced the ground and left his arm, the feeling of relief was like ascending to heaven.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Yun Che's face was flushed crimson. He gasped violently, fine sweat beading on his forehead like raindrops. The Xiao Xiannü pressed against his chest could clearly feel the trembling of the arm holding her.
Clang~~~~
Less than three breaths after the heavy sword left his hand, an even larger expanse of yellow light flickered around him. The light made Yun Che's heavy breathing stop abruptly. He jerked his head up, forcing his right arm to stop trembling and firmly grip the sword's hilt.
Eighth wave... two hundred and fifty-six Rock Dragon Warriors!
This trial could no longer be simply described as "difficult." It was brutally cruel—cruel as hell. The cruelty lay not only in every enemy being equal in profound strength, nor only in facing double the enemies after massive depletion. What was most terrifying was that between the complete annihilation of one wave and the appearance of the next, doubled, there were fewer than five breaths of time...
It gave the trial-taker absolutely no chance to catch their breath, recover, or even heal!
As these Rock Dragon Warriors appeared, Yun Che's hand returned to the heavy sword's hilt. His face was calm, but his pupils contracted visibly.
There's... another wave?!
The Rock Dragon Warriors began to march in unison, charging toward him. Yun Che's gaze pierced through the formation, and at the rear, he spotted warriors wrapped in long iron chains, with round stone hammers hanging from both ends of the chains.
Those are... meteor hammers!!
The horde of Rock Dragon Warriors surged like a tidal wave, engulfing Yun Che. His heavy sword swept left and right among them, but now the blade felt extraordinarily heavy. Each swing required almost all his strength. Rock Dragon Warriors in front fell in droves, while those with meteor hammers in the back quickly closed in.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Five or six meteor hammers flew in from different directions, smashing toward Yun Che and the Xiao Xiannü in his arms.
Every swing of Yun Che's heavy sword could domineeringly blast away nearby enemies, keeping them at bay. But the meteor hammers didn't need to get close. From over two zhang away, the Rock Dragon Warriors could hurl their hammers and hit Yun Che. Moreover, these hammers came from diagonal angles above, making it impossible to sweep them away while attacking the Rock Dragon Warriors. If he deflected the hammers, he couldn't fend off the surrounding warriors, letting them swarm in...
The addition of these meteor hammer warriors was a nightmare piled upon a nightmare. Yun Che had to use Star God Remnant Shadow to teleport and dodge among the Rock Dragon Warriors. But this sharply increased his consumption, attack inefficiency, and danger level.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
More and more Rock Dragon Hammer Warriors charged forward, and the meteor hammers flying toward Yun Che grew increasingly dense. Eventually, at any given moment, at least a dozen hammers were smashing at him from different directions. He kept shifting and dodging, shifting and dodging, almost losing any chance to attack...
Bang!
Several meteor hammers collided in midair, sparking brilliantly. Yun Che leaped high, and at the peak of his jump, a dozen hammers flew toward him simultaneously. He took a deep breath, using Star God Remnant Shadow to instantly descend. But as he landed, his right foot stepped on a fist-sized rock... Under normal circumstances, this would have been trivial for Yun Che. But now, with massive exhaustion and strained nerves, it was enough to throw off his balance—tilting his body to the left and staggering two steps. This opening was easily seized by several Rock Dragon Warriors on his left, who swung three longblades at Xiao Xiannü's position.
The approaching blade wind made Yun Che jerk his head up, but he had no time to dodge or block with his heavy sword. Watching the trajectory of the three stone blades, Yun Che's left arm, still holding Xiao Xiannü, shot out like lightning to meet them...
Shwing...
The three stone blades simultaneously hacked into Yun Che's left arm. The impact sound told him they had cut not only into flesh but also into bone. His eyes bulging, Yun Che roared. Surging profound energy forced the blades embedded in his bone away, and his heavy sword swung wildly, blasting back all the Rock Dragon Warriors that had closed in. This swing was exceptionally fierce, sending every nearby enemy flying, but it also left a huge opening. A meteor hammer suddenly flew in, striking Yun Che's head with a heavy thud.
His mind went blank. His vision turned pale white. He immediately bit his tongue to regain clarity... But that fleeting moment of dizziness, amid this dense encirclement, was already fatal.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
When his vision cleared, he heard the sound of air splitting right next to him. Seven meteor hammers were about to strike... Without thinking, Yun Che ducked low, at the same time wrapping both arms tightly around Xiao Xiannü beneath him.
Bang, bang, bang...
Seven meteor hammers simultaneously smashed into Yun Che's back, slamming him to the ground. His face went pale, and a huge mouthful of blood surged up, spraying out. He didn't get up. Instead, a beast-like roar escaped his throat. A blaze of crimson flame erupted from his body, shooting up several meters high...
"Burning Star Demon Lotus!!"
Layers of fire waves bloomed like a lotus in full flower, spreading instantly over thirty zhang. The two hundred-plus Rock Dragon Warriors, densely packed around Yun Che, were all engulfed by the Burning Star Demon Lotus. Under the scorching flames mixed with Phoenix Flame, every Rock Dragon Warrior was rapidly incinerated into dark ash.
He had refrained from using the wide-area Burning Star Demon Lotus because it consumed too much—he could only release it once in a short period. Once used, he would be near total depletion. This was his final trump card. Given his situation, he had no choice but to use it now... He could only pray that this eighth wave was the last.
If the eighth wave was already this terrifying, there couldn't possibly be a ninth wave, right?
Unless that Primordial Azure Dragon was simply a madman who delighted in toying with and torturing trial-takers!