Chapter 329 Very Arrogant and Overbearing
A warm feeling suddenly came from the girl's shoulder. Xiao Rou was startled and turned around to see Ling Yun with his arm around her shoulder. He smiled and asked in a low voice, "Wife, what are you looking at? Is that statue prettier than me?" As he spoke, Ling Yun deliberately waved his palm in front of Xiao Rou.
Xiao Rou grabbed his hand and spat lightly, "Go away, who's your wife? When did you become so talkative?" Although she said that, she couldn't help but smile happily.
Ling Yun rarely joked with her, especially inside this strange and unpredictable barrier. When they were together, their relationship was more about unspoken understanding and natural expression of their feelings. Given Ling Yun's introverted nature, he couldn't even manage sweet words, let alone daily passion. Xiao Rou was perfectly at ease with this. Although she wasn't the kind of woman who could be easily pleased, she still felt an involuntary surge of joy at her beloved's sudden, intimate jokes.
"I think I know what the test of the third hall is?" Ling Yun smiled, gently shaking his girlfriend's rounded shoulders with both hands, his eyes shining with excitement. He had a vague feeling that the first hall tested wisdom, the second hall tested courage, so what would the third hall test? Judging from the attack he suffered as soon as he entered the barrier, Ling Yun had roughly guessed one possibility.
"What is it?" Xiaorou asked curiously. She still had no clue. At least the first and second halls were full of clear clues to the trials, but the third hall only had this plaza and a huge bronze statue of some unknown creature. The hall gave no hints, which meant that she had to find everything herself. But the most crucial thing was that the first and second halls had time limits, but the third hall had not yet shown any such limit. This could not be because the third trial had removed the time limit. It could only mean that the time standard had been hidden. Whether the two of them knew it or not, as soon as the time was up, the sea of lava would immediately engulf this place.
"Guess what, my wife?" Ling Yun seemed very interested and playfully pinched Xiao Rou's small nose. "Even if it's a series of parallel structures, you should be able to guess what the test is. What are the words that are usually ranked with wisdom and courage? Think about it. And what does it prove that we were attacked as soon as we entered the barrier?"
Xiao Rou's eyes showed a thoughtful expression, and she suddenly nodded as if she had realized something: "Is it power?" she asked tentatively, her tone still somewhat uncertain.
“Very clever, wife. My answer was also power. Looks like my IQ is a little higher than yours.” Ling Yun smiled and flicked her nose again. Xiao Rou frowned, gave him a charmingly disdainful look, and then slapped his arm. “You’re so annoying. How did you sense it was power? Is this what the third level’s test is all about?” She pointed to the hundreds of wolf-like creature corpses on the ground.
Ling Yun smiled faintly: "How could that be? These coyote-like creatures are not even a threat to us. Moreover, I feel that the information energy in this bronze statue has just changed. If I'm not mistaken, these things were all summoned by it. The first wave was just cannon fodder, used to probe our strength. Soon, more powerful creatures will come out."
"Is it this?" Xiaorou stared intently at the bronze statue. "Then why don't we just destroy it?"
"How do we destroy it? Just knock it down with our mental energy field?" Ling Yun said with a wry smile. "Do you think we have that much power? That we can destroy a statue weighing tens of thousands of tons? Don't forget that it is controlled by information energy. Our attacks can't even break through its outer defenses."
"Silly husband, you're usually so smart, but you've made a mistake this time. Didn't you say that information energy can't break through the statue's constraints? That means it can't attack us through the statue. Although our strength isn't enough to shake something this big, there are many ways to cause destruction in supernatural arts, not just brute force," Xiaorou said with a smile.
"Oh? You mean..." Ling Yun's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something. Indeed, there are many ways in supernatural abilities to carry out sabotage silently, rather than simply resorting to violent destruction. Even a building can be turned into a pile of construction waste in a short time by supernatural beings.
“Since the statue is made of bronze, we’ll use the simplest method for dealing with metal: first, heat it with high temperatures on its lower limbs that support its weight, and then freeze it with ice magic. Under the combined effects of extreme cold and heat, the lower limbs of the statue will definitely explode, and then the force supporting the upper part of the statue will not be enough. As long as it falls, such a huge weight, even if it’s solid, will definitely shatter into pieces,” Xiaorou explained.
"Hmm, that's indeed a good idea." Ling Yun nodded thoughtfully. Xiao Rou was simply using the simplest principle of explosion caused by the encounter of extreme cold and extreme heat to destroy the statue's support and cause it to collapse under its own weight. Theoretically, this was correct, but he didn't know what obstacles he would encounter in its execution. Of course, Ling Yun had many other methods. Even without high temperatures and extreme cold, he could use corrosive techniques to destroy it. The venom that had just killed most of the wolf creatures was one such method. The corrosiveness of the venom was not only effective against living things, but also had great power over metals.
He glanced at the bronze statue again, but this time, Ling Yun didn't release his microscopic perception. He was still shaken by the counterattack of the information energy, even though his mental field had promptly severed the sensory channel and connection. The information energy could no longer find the coordinates of the direction it had sensed through the infinite void, but that didn't mean its defenses would remain unaffected if microscopic perception re-entered. Having been tricked once, the information energy would inevitably react in some way, perhaps even setting a trap for its prey—this was highly probable.
Moreover, even if it were impossible, Ling Yun would not go through that vast sea of information again. Although the copying ability did not copy all the information, it copied most of the information structure into data. Only a few scrap information models were missing, which was actually insignificant to the copying ability. As long as he studied and understood all the data in the future, Ling Yun would be able to deduce the missing model data based on the data set.
Could destroying the bronze statue really pass the test of the third hall? Ling Yun was still somewhat uncertain, and it wasn't entirely certain whether the test of the third hall was indeed about strength. Although their guesses seemed plausible, they were only plausible on the surface. For the mysterious and unpredictable hall, anything could happen.
Under Ling Yun's gaze, the bronze statue's eyes suddenly shifted eerily, and a red symbol flashed briefly in the statue's pupil-less eyes. Ling Yun was startled. Although it was only for a moment, he clearly saw what the red symbol was: a four-digit number that suddenly decreased by one digit after flashing for a brief instant.
What does this mean? Ling Yun seemed to have a premonition. He suddenly recalled the countdown super clock he experienced in the fifth simulation. The countdown there was so similar to the scene before him. It seemed that from the beginning, he had overlooked the changes in the eyes of the bronze statue. There couldn't be no time limit in the third hall, otherwise the sea of lava would not have stopped rising. Although the square seemed boundless, it was still just a virtual scene, similar to the illusion of the Dream Magic. Once broken, it would still look like the real hall.
Knock knock knock!
A sudden, tremendous tremor came from the ground, as if a colossal, incredibly heavy creature was stomping its way through the earth. Ling Yun immediately stopped his thoughts and, along with Xiao Rou, turned to look in the direction of the sound. The sheer weight of the creatures wasn't enough; the sheer power of the wolf-like beings was comparable, and they outnumbered the wolf, but they were still no match for Ling Yun and Xiao Rou.
Purely physical attacks rely solely on strength and speed. For those with superpowers based on their mental energy fields, strength and speed are merely fundamental aspects of movement; simply enhancing their mental energy fields naturally increases their speed and strength without conscious training. The emergence of special abilities, however, makes purely physical attacks simplistic and lacking in complexity. Only those with strength and speed many times greater, even capable of breaking through the control of telekinesis, can pose a threat to superpowered individuals.
This time, the source of the sound was completely different from that of the wolf creature. A golden light flashed in Ling Yun's eyes. The Eye of Illusion could easily capture a silent connection at a certain straight-line coordinate in the void. This connection was not transmitted through energy, but was completed by a different kind of perception. Although it did not have any protective properties, its greatest feature was that it was transmitted instantly. By the time the Eye of Illusion detected it, the connection had already been completed, and there was no time to destroy it. Or, only by disturbing the owner a moment before the silent connection was sent could it be possible to destroy this connection.
The instantaneous connection originated from within the bronze statue, while the connection was completed in the direction of the sound's source. Ling Yun suddenly understood that the silent connection he had just experienced was a summons, a mysterious, point-to-point summons.
Twelve black figures appeared in the distance, each riding a colossal beast as large as an elephant. The heavy footsteps they had just heard were coming from these riding creatures. Ling Yun activated the panoramic view and instantly saw the entirety of the colossal beasts and the black figures.
The enormous creature being ridden was several meters tall, with a huge head resembling that of a rhinoceros. Its rugged face had eyes almost the size of a human's, and thick breaths constantly came out of its nostrils. On its head grew a black horn that stood upright, a meter long. The horn was curved, with its sharp point pointing upwards, like a huge black dagger.
Each colossal creature carried a knight fully clad in armor on its broad back. They appeared much smaller than the creatures, but Ling Yun knew this was only due to the contrast. Each knight was actually over two meters tall. The knights were completely encased in armor, with only their faces, which were obscured by darkness, visible. Their armor was shimmering black and covered in countless exquisite patterns and designs.
Ling Yun noticed that the knights' armor was not simply made of black steel; the patterns on it must have some unknown special function. This meant that the visitors this time were far beyond the reach of the wolf creatures' simple physical attacks. Moreover, each knight held a rein tied to a black horn in one hand and carried an equally heavy black steel spear in his free right hand, the sharp spearheads even emitting one or more black flames.
Upon seeing Ling Yun and Xiao Rou in the distance, one of the black-clad knights in the middle suddenly let out a loud shout, followed by a string of incomprehensible, complex syllables, seemingly issuing a command. As he uttered each word in a language from an unknown world, the other eleven black-clad knights straightened their bodies, assuming a charging stance, their black flame spears pointing straight forward. They all pulled hard on the reins, and the massive beasts reared up, raising their two thick forelegs into the air, and then began to run forward.
In an instant, the sky was filled with dust and smoke, and the ground trembled like a drum. The charge of just twelve knights had the momentum of a thousand troops charging. The dark knights unleashed a tremendous and awe-inspiring power, as if any resistance in the face of this unparalleled impact was futile and would be easily crushed, creating a huge opening.
A moment later, the twelve dark knights suddenly let out a long howl in unison. Each howl was deep and powerful, and when combined, they echoed like thunderclaps from a thousand armies, their boundless majesty and imposing aura fully revealed. As the howls continued, the twelve black spears pointed at Ling Yun and Xiao Rou. The black flames on the spearheads suddenly burst into flames, forming a huge black cloud of fire that loomed over the knights' heads, like dark clouds suddenly appearing in a clear sky.
A hint of anger flashed across Xiao Rou's face. "You're asking for death!" Two words escaped from her slightly parted rosy lips. Clearly, the extremely arrogant attitude of these black-clad knights had deeply enraged the girl. After witnessing their extreme hostility and arrogant dominance, Xiao Rou's first thought was to extinguish their arrogance. No one had ever dared to display such deliberate and blatant power in front of Xiao Rou.
Chapter 330 The Dark Knight (1)
With a slender, delicate hand, a dazzlingly bright telekinetic spear appeared in the girl's fair palm. The instant the spear appeared, a sound as powerful as a mountain, like a dragon's roar, instantly pierced the sky above the entire plaza, suppressing the thunderous howl. To the astonishment of the twelve dark knights, Xiao Rou, who had been standing weakly in place, suddenly erupted with a tangible silver pillar of light, like a blazing silver flame, generating an aura that subtly rivaled the black fire clouds.
A delicate young girl stood proudly facing a group of menacing knights in black armor riding on massive beasts. Far from showing fear, she seemed to possess the upper hand in terms of imposing presence. A beam of silver light condensed on her slender figure, enveloping her like a giant silver searchlight, revealing her stunning beauty and unparalleled power.
The Dark Knight's howl ceased involuntarily. Its almost boundless majesty and imposing aura seemed to have been shattered by something, vanishing without warning, like a powerful monster encountering an even more powerful one. Although it continued to roar angrily, it no longer possessed that indomitable, resolute strength. Clearly, in the face of overwhelming power, Xiao Rou had gained the upper hand.
The distance of several thousand meters was covered in an instant. Before the Dark Knight could even reach them, a violent gale swept over them, like a strong mountain wind sweeping across a towering peak. However, neither Xiao Rou nor Ling Yun were out of place, not even a hair on their head. Seeing the approaching figure, Xiao Rou suddenly pushed off with her feet, and her figure, accompanied by a huge pillar of light, soared into the sky.
The telekinetic spear suddenly emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the sky like a silver sun tens of meters above the ground. Accompanied by a huge silver pillar of light, it created a suffocating feeling. Countless silver rays shone down, and one could feel the unparalleled energy contained within the light.
The beam of light slowly contracted, gradually merging with the intense light of the telekinetic spear. The silver radiance resembled the luster of pure silver mercury, or molten silver refined at high temperatures, emitting a captivating yet terrifying ball of light. Against the round background of the ball of light, a slender and perfect figure stood gracefully. She was also draped in a silver spiritual force field battle suit. The exquisitely designed women's battle suit made Xiao Rou appear like a goddess, sacred and inviolable.
Ling Yun glanced at Xiao Rou before lowering his head. Although his cultivation level allowed him to withstand the erosion of Xiao Rou's power, the sheer force of her aura caused even Ling Yun's eyes a slight sting. From the way he observed Xiao Rou's fighting style, he realized that her special technique seemed to have changed again. It was no longer a single, incredibly powerful aura attack, but rather a variation incorporating other, more forceful techniques. However, Ling Yun couldn't immediately pinpoint which particular technique had been incorporated into Xiao Rou's style.
In terms of the uniqueness and understanding of supernatural abilities, Ling Yun is clearly far superior to Xiao Rou. Whether it's his understanding of the laws or his thorough comprehension of power, Ling Yun is ahead of most people; otherwise, his power wouldn't have grown so rapidly. However, when it comes to the art of combat and the application of supernatural abilities, Ling Yun is still far behind Xiao Rou. Most of his offensive supernatural abilities were learned through his interactions with Xiao Rou. Whether it's offense or defense, in normal combat, Xiao Rou's experience is clearly more important.
The Dark Knights' speed seemed to slow down suddenly, as if an invisible and heavy force was constantly disrupting their momentum. The black fire clouds in the sky also shrank, no longer as vast and boundless as before, filled with astonishing power. However, Ling Yun knew that the knights' speed had not actually decreased. In fact, with the continuous increase in acceleration, the Dark Knights' speed would only increase, reaching its peak charging power when they were close to the two, maximizing its destructive force. The reason it appeared to slow down was because Xiao Rou's aura was constantly adding a strong influence, which would maximally hinder the destructive force of the Dark Knights' charge.
The sense of authority and imposing presence is merely an abstract concept. In reality, in the world of superpowered individuals, pressure is no longer just a simple adjective, but rather carries a greater element of power. The stronger the superpower, the closer the pressure becomes to a tangible form, exerting a significant influence on others and even on oneself.
Upon witnessing Xiaorou's dramatic transformation, the twelve Dark Knights let out a unified shout. Their twelve black lances, as if guided by the most precise and unified strategy, were all aimed at the silver sun in the sky. Although the charge did not stop, it was now pointless to continue the ground assault, as the enemy was already in the air, posing a significant threat from above.
Soon, the Dark Knight controlled the enormous creature beneath him, turning around swiftly as if unaffected by inertia. In the blink of an eye, the twelve knights formed a tightly connected circle, and the twelve black spears suddenly formed a perfect circle. The black fire clouds at the spearheads flashed and slowly transformed into a huge circle of black flames. Then, the circle abruptly shrank, and countless flickering dark halos gathered continuously within the fire circle, instantly forming a pure black sphere of fire. With a gentle push from the twelve black spears, it flew towards the silver sun where Xiao Rou was, like a hydrogen balloon.
Sensing an immense threat, a destructive aura instantly emanated from the silver orb of light. Each wisp of this aura contained enormous energy fluctuations, distorting the air and creating ripples like water as it swept through space. Where the orb of light faced the Dark Knight, the light suddenly darkened, becoming pitch black, as if a miniature black hole had swallowed all the surrounding light. Layers of pure white flames rose and faded endlessly at the edge of the darkness.
The silver light flashed briefly, then suddenly streaked across a negligible distance of tens of meters, crashing heavily into the black flame sphere like a comet. At the moment of impact, countless abstract runes flashed in the electrically charged void. These were the essential phenomena arising from the ultimate manifestation of pure power; the stronger the impact, the longer the manifestation lasted.
The contact of power is often silent, but if an ordinary person were to stand here, they would die without a doubt the moment they witnessed the contact. Even the aftershocks or the image of power can destroy some fragile life forms. This has nothing to do with good or evil; it is simply a change brought about by the attributes of power.