A head of long hair, a weathered face, holding a long sword, gazing into the distance.
Jian Ku stood as if atop a solitary peak, a lonely swordsman facing the wind. His eyes were a somber gray, and upon closer inspection, they seemed to hold boundless solitude.
His hair, a mixture of black and white strands, danced in the wind, a testament to the passage of time.
He appeared somewhat aloof, yet offered a steadfast hope. Beneath the surface of his desolation, a faint glimmer of life's glory could be perceived.
Suddenly, he gently raised his head, his gaze falling upon the gathered異族 (Yi Zu - foreign races) and 異獸 (Yi Shou - exotic beasts).
His previous sword strike had been a mere display, yet the Frost Dog tribe and others now felt as if facing a formidable enemy.
The various foreign races, in particular, grew increasingly tense.
The chieftain of the Frost Dog tribe, recalling the heart-stopping sword strike, asked, "Who is he?"
The leader of the Thousand Feather tribe quickly replied, "My lord, he is known as Jian Ku, the dean of the second greatest academy of the human race, the Dean of the Soldier Academy. He is skilled in swordsmanship and is rumored to possess three great sword techniques: the Ku Ji Sword, the Ku Gao Sword, and the Ku Rong Sword. Each technique is incredibly powerful. I urge you to be cautious."
The Frost Dog chieftain nodded, acknowledging the information.
While the foreign races and exotic beasts faced their formidable foe with bated breath, ready to unleash their skills, the human side displayed a striking casualness.
A young man, clad in a jacket and wearing sunglasses, lounged on a large rock, legs crossed, engrossed in a game on his wrist-worn device, as if the scene were a playground rather than a battlefield.
His seemingly oblivious demeanor subtly wounded the pride of the beasts.
The humans, however, were accustomed to this. The dean of the first academy's Divine Offspring Academy was notoriously irreverent, and they had long since grown used to it.
Nonetheless, his formidable strength, combined with Jian Ku's presence, made victory in this battle almost a certainty.
At this moment, the御者 (Yu Zhe - tamer/controller) approached and asked, "Hey, are you going to make a move?"
Chi Yu glanced at him and replied with a smile, "Isn't Jian Ku enough?"
The Yu Zhe paused, considering Jian Ku's prowess, and fell silent.
"But I fear we won't be able to keep them!"
The Yu Zhe wished to capture these dozens of ninth-tier enemies, and Chi Yu's involvement would significantly increase their chances.
Chi Yu heard this and, after a moment of thought, said, "Alright, I'll block their escape route. How does that sound?"
The Yu Zhe rejoiced, clapping him on the shoulder and saying, "That's great! Don't mess this up!"
Chi Yu adjusted his sunglasses and chuckled, "Unlike you, I'm absolutely reliable! Just wait for the good news."
With that, he channeled a slight force into his feet and flew off into the distance.
The onlookers felt a faint flash of light, and when they looked again, the light was gone, leading them to believe they had mistaken their vision.
At this moment, Jian Ku, leading dozens of ninth-tier humans, unleashed his sword once more.
"Ku Gao Sword: Annihilation!"
Boom!
He raised his sword and swung it down, the sword energy rampaging across the sky.
A withered yellow sword energy descended from the heavens, its color deeper than the previous strike and its aura of desolation even more profound.
It not only carried the essence of desolation but also of decay, a dying semblance, imbued with the aura of death.
Before the sword energy even reached them, the beasts felt a pang of despair.
They envisioned a tree gradually withering and failing, ultimately reduced to a dead log.
A few crows flew across the sky, their caws adding to the desolate scene.
Suddenly, the sword energy descended. The Frost Dog chieftain shivered again, jolted back to reality. He looked up, and his face contorted in horror.
"Ice Extreme Shield!"
With a mighty roar, a colossal ice shield materialized, vast enough to obscure a portion of the sky, positioning itself beneath the descending sword energy.
"Wake up!"
With its commanding shout, the other beasts stirred, their faces etched with lingering fear.
Moments ago, they had been consumed by a profound sense of decay, as if certain of their imminent demise and the end of their lifespan, thus losing any will to resist.
Had they not been roused, the consequences would have been dire.
Boom!
The sword energy struck the ice shield.
*Crack!*
The ice shield shattered instantly, ice fragments scattering in all directions.
Seeing this, the beasts quickly unleashed their skills to defend themselves, managing to dissipate the Ku Gao sword energy. However, their resolve began to waver.
"Celestial Dog Devours Moon!" The Frost Dog chieftain suddenly unleashed its ultimate skill, its massive maw opening wide, devouring everything in its vicinity.
The human side erupted in shock. "What astonishing devouring power! Fellow humans, how shall we break this?"
Yan Jun (Flame Lord) smiled and declared, "My Hearth Fire can break this formation!"
Jian Ku nodded, stepping back to yield his position to Yan Jun. Yan Jun stepped forward and hurled another Hearth Fire.
Upon seeing the approaching Hearth Fire, the Frost Dog chieftain's pupils contracted, and it hastily ceased its Celestial Dog Devours Moon technique.
This Hearth Fire contained a trace of the people's collective will. To devour it would risk contaminating its soul, and thus it held great apprehension.
Jian Ku's expression remained impassive as he bellowed, "Everyone, attack!"
As his words fell, Jian Ku unleashed another sword strike.
"Ku Gao Sword: Futu Annihilation!"
The sword energy surged through the air, transforming into a pagoda. Lights illuminated the pagoda.
A Futu is a place where a great monk's relics are stored after their death. The appearance of the Futu here also signified the presence of death energy.
Indeed, as the Futu appeared, waves of gray sword energy, tinged with gold, swept outwards.
Following closely behind, Yan Jun charged forward with his flames. The Divine Monk stomped on the ground and struck out with a palm. The Yu Zhe commanded three of his spirit beasts to charge forward.
The remaining dozens of ninth-tier humans, unwilling to be outdone, also unleashed their techniques to attack their formidable foes.
Streaks of light illuminated the entire sky.
Rumble!!
The battle raging here far surpassed that in other areas. The combined might of dozens of ninth-tier powerhouses swept away the surrounding trees.
Not only that, but the ground caved in by dozens of meters, forming massive craters resembling impact sites from meteorites.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
"Attack!" the human side surged forward.
"Roar!" The beasts, equally fierce, charged into the fray.
In the distance.
Lin Yu picked up a few skill crystals from the ground and gazed towards the intense battle, his heart filled with a complex mixture of emotions.
"When will I be able to participate in these high-level battles?" Lin Yu murmured with a hint of envy.
"Never mind that for now. Once I return to base, I can relax. With safety assured, I can truly let loose and hunt monsters. This place is still too dangerous; I can't fight without holding back!"
"Hmm, what is this?" Lin Yu looked down and saw a small, seemingly wicked-looking grass, its leaves adorned with blood-red patterns, growing robustly from the soil.
What caught his attention was not its appearance, but its rapid growth, changing almost by the moment.
Lin Yu waited for a while; the grass had already grown over three meters tall.
Lin Yu was astonished, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"No, this isn't just a plant. It's a ferocious beast: the Blood Pattern Grass Head Mang!"