Chapter 601: Hidden Strengths on Both Sides!

Clang! Clang!

Feather-blades shot forth and struck the dense barrage of hammer shadows. In the clash of both forces, the sword shadows gradually dissipated into nothingness.

The elder from the Mercenary Guild had guessed correctly—Yan Luotian’s attack speed was so fast that its power was slightly diminished. In this state, he could barely manage to hold off the onslaught.

However, though he was holding his ground for now, the consumption was enormous. Every second, vast amounts of Dou Qi were being drained from him.

As the fierce battle raged here, a deep, beastly roar imbued with a savage aura suddenly echoed from another stretch of sky.

Then, a fierce fist wind, tearing through the air with a sharp screech, came crashing toward a Mercenary Guild elder at the Three-Star Dou Ancestor level.

Facing the assault from the Mu Lan Three Elders, the elder remained calm. With a casual wave, he sent out a palm-shaped energy imprint that instantly shattered the oncoming punch wind.

In terms of raw strength, he was a mid-level Three-Star Dou Ancestor. Even if the Mu Lan Three Elders joined forces, he wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

Boom!

A sharp explosion of energy echoed through the sky, drawing countless gazes upward. Everyone watching felt their hearts quake.

On Xiao Jin’s side, there had been no movement while the two elders beside him took to the sky to fight. Up above, the newly arrived Granny Xuanhua and the three One-Star Dou Ancestor elders had yet to act.

“This technique... it’s quite strange.”

Xiao Jin’s gaze remained fixed on the Mu Lan Three Elders. A technique that allowed them to enhance their strength through teamwork caught his interest. His current thought was to obtain this technique and present it to Gu He for collection.

While Xiao Jin focused on the Mu Lan Three Elders, high in the sky, Granny Xuanhua’s aged eyes were locked onto him with deep gravity.

“This young one… so young, yet his aura is hidden so well. He’s probably a transformed magical beast at the Five-Star Dou Ancestor level.”

“For the Mercenary Guild to rise so fast, they must have real strength… but this time, we have no choice but to stand against them.”

As she murmured inwardly, Granny Xuanhua’s aura erupted without warning—breaking through the Four-Star Dou Ancestor peak and stepping into the Five-Star Dou Ancestor realm!

With her full strength unleashed, the soldiers and Mercenary Guild members below all looked on in shock. Even the six currently locked in battle paused briefly.

“Haha! So Granny Xuanhua is actually a Five-Star Dou Ancestor expert. With her on our side, the Mercenary Guild is as good as finished!”

Yan Luotian was overjoyed. The intelligence he had received indicated that the Mercenary Guild’s Vice President was either at the Four-Star Dou Ancestor peak or just barely a Five-Star Dou Ancestor.

Originally, Yan Luotian wasn’t fully confident, which was why he had arranged for the three One-Star Dou Ancestor elders to assist Granny Xuanhua in handling Xiao Jin.

But now that she had revealed her Five-Star cultivation, those three could be freed up to help Yan Luotian and the Mu Lan Three Elders eliminate the Mercenary Guild’s other two elders.

Plus, with nearly two hundred thousand elite troops from the Three Great Empires within the fortress, their side held overwhelming advantage.

At this moment, Yan Luotian believed victory over Xiao Jin was already in the bag.

“She was hiding her cultivation? This just got a little more troublesome.”

Xiao Jin narrowed his eyes as he sensed Granny Xuanhua’s Five-Star Dou Ancestor aura. The relaxed attitude he held earlier had vanished.

Above, the battlefields that had temporarily paused due to her revelation burst into chaos again, terrifying energy flooding the skies once more.

“It’s time to act.”

Sensing that the Mercenary Guild elder clashing with Yan Luotian was gradually falling into a disadvantage, Xiao Jin decided not to delay.

In the next moment, a black longsword suddenly appeared in his hand.

The sword was a full foot long—twice as tall as Xiao Jin himself. Its blade was etched with savage, explosive markings, rough in texture. At first glance, it looked like a charred piece of wood.

Xiao Jin gripped the enormous black sword tightly.

It looked comical at first—such a small figure holding such an oversized weapon—but none of the onlookers found it funny.

This terrifying black sword radiated a ferocious, violent energy that made the heart tremble.

“What… what is that sword? Why does it emit such overwhelming pressure?!”

Granny Xuanhua’s pupils shrank violently as she stared at the weapon in Xiao Jin’s hand, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The sword in Xiao Jin’s hand was the very one Gu He had gifted him during their time in Stone Desert City.

This black sword was a ninth-rank demon core weapon, forged with the demon core of a fire-type ninth-rank demonic beast, along with its life-bound beast flame. The pressure it released naturally left those who were only at the Dou Ancestor level shaken and fearful.

Weighing several thousand jin, it had once been so heavy that even Liu Ling, back when he was merely at the Dou Spirit realm, had struggled greatly to lift it.

The sword’s body was engraved with peculiar patterns that, once infused with Dou Qi, would greatly enhance its strength. Most fearsome of all, when this sword was used to attack, it could unleash the beast flame stored in the ninth-rank demon core.

That kind of power allowed Xiao Jin to dominate peers at his level, and even cross-rank battles were effortless for him.

“If you can withstand three strikes from me, the Mercenary Guild will never again set foot in your Three Great Empires.”

Xiao Jin's eyes fell upon the old woman in the sky as he spoke, his gaze steady as he looked at the dim-black blade.

Hearing the youthful yet arrogant declaration, Granny Xuanhua’s heart skipped a beat.

Almost instinctively, she surged her Dou Qi. A sea of crimson energy converged around her, slowly forming a massive spinning red flower that hovered protectively in the air.

On Xiao Jin’s side, golden Dou Qi began pouring into the black sword. Under the flow of energy, the once-dim blade began to shine. The savage markings on its surface turned golden, and moments later, the entire sword glowed with a brilliant golden light.

“First strike!”

Xiao Jin suddenly raised the longsword high above his head, then swung it down with force toward the part of the sky where Granny Xuanhua stood.

In an instant, a colossal golden sword beam—dozens of zhang long—erupted from the tip of the blade.

Wherever the golden light passed, it left behind streaks of pitch-black tears in space, its sharpness utterly terrifying.

The sword beam was unimaginably fast. The others had only just seen the flash of golden light, and the enormous sword beam had already crashed into the giant red flower of energy.

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