by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
“Hopefully, they don’t whine and wail when the time comes. As fellow inner sect disciples, it’d be an insult to us.” Yan Mochen followed along.
“They caused their own destruction. When they exchanged their points for spirit stones, they wasted the best opportunity to raise their power. The leader is an idiot, implicating all the others. Can such a person even be called a commander?” Wei Changhai spat on the ground contemptuously.
The Dragonblood warriors were infuriated. They could tolerate it if others wanted to insult them, but as soon as someone insulted Long Chen, their killing intent soared.
Even the icy Wang Zhen frowned slightly upon hearing this. These words were going too far.
“Kill him!”
The Dragonmark warriors weren’t able to stay as cool-headed as the Dragonblood warriors. Their fury instantly erupted and they had to be stopped by Guo Ran.
Long Chen had already slowly walked forward to Wei Changhai. Seeing Long Chen approach him, Wei Changhai could feel his heart pounding, and he involuntarily retreated a few steps.
But then he quickly realized he was no longer his old self. He was also a heavenly genius who had merged with heaven and earth. Why did he have to be afraid of him?
Then thinking of how he had been involuntarily retreating in front of everyone, he felt embarrassed. Therefore, he advanced forward with a disdainful expression.
Fan Song, Hu Guishan, and Que Xinyan simply watched, waiting to see Long Chen being humiliated. This was their mission, as well as something they were happy to do.
“What? Did you want to say something? Are you not precisely garbage?” sneered Wei Changhai.
But what startled people was that Long Chen had no intention of opening his mouth. He merely raised a single hand.
Pow!
In front of everyone’s flabbergasted eyes, Long Chen’s palm struck Wei Changhai’s face with great power. As for Wei Changhai, he seemed like an idiot. He didn’t even try to dodge or resist, and simply allowed Long Chen’s slap to send him flying.
It wasn’t that Wei Changhai hadn’t wanted to dodge. The truth was that as soon as he had wanted to dodge, he suddenly realized this slap sealed off all possible paths of retreat.
Long Chen’s slap had reached such a realm that it caused a misperception. It looked slow, but it actually was as quick as lightning. By the time he reacted, he had been cleanly struck.
Just as Wei Changhai had been mocking Long Chen, he was sent flying, his teeth sparkling through the air as they tumbled to the ground.
“Do you see? Learn from our boss. If you can move your fists, don’t move your mouths. You’re men who can stand while pissing, not- cough, cough.” Guo ran had just been in the midst of lecturing the Dragonmark warriors when he suddenly felt an icy gaze like two blades. He immediately became covered in sweat.
“Not… not… Not everything is worth worrying about. All you have to do is listen to boss and everything will be fine.” Guo Ran hastily changed what he was about to say, and only then did the feeling of two blades pressing against his back fade.
Only now did he dare to turn around and stealthily glance at the distant Hua Shiyu. She was glaring at him, the warning in her eyes clear.
“Long Chen, you’re asking for it!”
Long Chen’s slap was like poking the hornet’s nest. Hu Guishan, Fan Song, and Que Xinyan immediately roared and charged over, surrounding him.
Blooddrinker was already resting on Long Chen’s shoulder, and his divine ring appeared. Killing intent overflowed from his eyes. “You should go cultivate for a few more lifetimes if you want to humiliate me. I don’t care what illness you have, if you don’t submit, let’s fight!”
“Submit, or fight! Kill them!” The Dragonblood Legion also charged over, all the disciples taking out their weapons. Everyone else became flabbergasted. Was this the inner sect competition, or the inner sect war?
“I really admire you all. You’re still so bored as to fight.”
A cold shout suddenly rang out, startling everyone. Looking up, they saw a long-haired man standing in the air.
He was wearing battle robes covered in blood. He had dozens of cuts on his body where blood still continued to drip from.
“Senior apprentice-brother Su Mo?”
Everyone jumped in shock. This was the senior disciple Su Mo who had led them to the inner sect trial in the first place.
Although he was covered in blood, his aura was still steady and his expression was as cold as ever. But looking at their current state, a slightly helpless expression appeared on his face.
“I’m pressed for time. After I take you to your trial, I still have to return to the battlefield. Don’t waste my time and prepare yourselves,” ordered Su Mo coldly.
“Senior apprentice-brother Su Mo, it was Long Chen who went too far. He beat an innocent person, breaking the sect’s rules. He should lose his qualifications to participate in the competition!” said Hu Guishan.
Seeing Su Mo look at him, Long Chen indifferently said, “There was someone who dirtied the plaza with their shit. What I was doing was protecting the sect’s cleanliness.”
“Bullshit, who was taking a shit?!” roared Wei Changhai furiously.
But after saying this, he suddenly saw many people looking oddly at him. It seemed that when he had provoked Long Chen before, he had spat on the ground.
“I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense. This kind of trivial matter can be left to the law enforcers. Return to your factions. I’m going to explain the rules, and if anyone dares to interrupt again, they can fuck off,” said Su Mo slightly angrily.
Only then did everyone return to their factions. Although Su Mo was just a disciple from the senior generation, and his cultivation base was only one realm higher than theirs, his killing intent was too frightening.
He seemed like a murderous devil. It was unknown when he would start taking people’s lives. Facing Su Mo gave them more pressure than facing Elders.
Su Mo announced, “Listen closely. The competition is basically the same as your previous trial, but the number of devil beasts has doubled. I don’t need to explain what you need to do. However, this time, there is no finish line, but a time limit.
“What you are competing in is the number of devil beasts you kill. That will determine the ranking of your faction.
“First place will obtain five million points. The commander will be allowed to use a top grade training room for ten days, while the faction members will be allowed to use a high grade training room for ten days free of charge.
“Second place will obtain three million points. The commander will be allowed to use a top grade training room for five days, while the faction members will be allowed to use a high grade training room for five days free of charge.
“Third place will obtain two million points. The commander will be allowed to use a top grade training room for three days, while the faction members will be allowed to use a high grade training room for three days free of charge.
“Fourth place will obtain one million points. The commander will be allowed to use a top grade training room for two days, while the faction members will be allowed to use a high grade training room for two days free of charge.
“Fifth place will obtain five hundred thousand points. The commander will be allowed to use a top grade training room for one day, while the faction members will be allowed to use a high grade training room for one day free of charge. Last place does not get any reward.”
Everyone’s heart shook. The difference between first and second place was so immense. Was that intentional? Did they want them to go all-out fighting for it?
As for last place, there was no reward. This competition would determine life and death. Once the results of this competition were out. The difference between first and last place would be as great as heaven and earth.
“Distribute these bracelets. While you wear them, the devil beasts you kill will be recorded, and it will be easy to calcula
te your total points.” Su Mo tossed a spatial ring at Long Chen and the others. They were refined bracelets similar to arm guards inside. Currently, they all had one number on them: zero. It was clear it would only change once they killed a devil beast.
Once everyone put them on, Su Mo waved his hand. Runes lit up on the bricks beneath everyone’s feet, and they felt the space twist. They were transported to a dark and gloomy world.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, an ear-splitting roar rang out and countless devil beasts charged toward them like a flood.
Chapter 1057 Drilling Formations
The three-meter-tall devil beasts flooded over them. The disciples were in a barren land that stretched as far as they could see. An aura of decay filled the air, and this barren land was covered in innumerable devil beasts.
“Eight-point flying star!”
Guo Ran shouted, and all the Dragonblood Legion’s disciples quickly formed an eight-sided formation. On each point was a powerful Dragonblood warrior.
This was one of the most important formations they had been drilling during this time. It was also one of the most foundational formations for a large-scale chaotic battle.
When they drilled it normally, they did it very well. But now that they were facing countless devil beasts, it was impossible that they wouldn’t be worried. As a result, one person’s panic led to another’s panic, and the entire formation was in chaos. Guo Ran’s expression darkened, and he was just about to scold them when he was held back by Long Chen.
“Don’t scold them. This is something they have to go through. You also had to go through countless life and death battles to temper your current will. They’re still lacking in that regard, so don’t make your requirements so demanding.” Long Chen shook his head and beckoned to Tang Wan-er.
Tang Wan-er had been waiting, and she formed hand seals. A sea of wind blades formed around the Dragonblood Legion, and any devil beasts that touched her barrier were instantly blown to bits.
“Brothers, don’t panic. There’s still time. If you’re thirsty, you can have a drink first,” said Long Chen.
Hearing Long Chen’s voice, those panicking Dragonmark warriors all felt ashamed. But the joking tone made some of their nervousness fade.
“Beauty Wan-er is mighty!” Long Chen gave Tang Wan-er a thumbs-up. Her wind blades were incredibly powerful now. Each one of them was comparable to a Treasure item, and for there to be millions and millions of them was truly powerful.
“Who asked for your praise?” snorted Tang Wan-er. But the pleased expression in her eyes proved that Long Chen really did need to have praised her.
Although the formation was chaotic below, after putting down their nervousness and fear, they quickly found their places.
“Brothers, are you ready?” asked Long Chen.
“Boss, we’re ready!” cried the Dragonmark warriors, their morale soaring. They didn’t know why, but just hearing Long Chen’s voice made their fighting spirit soar.
“Wan-er, release the defenses. The festival of carnage starts now!”
“Kill!”
When Tang Wan-er slowly released her wind blades, the devil beasts she had been holding back immediately crashed down upon them.
The Dragonmark warriors attacked, slaughtering them. The devil beasts were cut to pieces, their black blood dyeing the ground.
“Fools, if you were going to fight like this, what would be the point of the formation? Have you forgotten how to cushion the formation? You’ll save the most energy that way and be able to fight longer!” cried Guo Ran. He directed them to make adjustments, while Long Chen and Tang Wan-er didn’t say anything.
The mission Long Chen had given Tang Wan-er was to protect everyone. If someone was accidentally injured and looked like they were in danger, she would go save them.
“7-3-5-6, you’ve already gone out of the formation! If you keep running, you’ll reach the Martial Heaven Sea-Ring!”
“8-6-9-1, as you attack, you have to take note of the others. Don’t fight over the enemies, as there’s nothing to fight about.”
“1-2-3-5-7, pay attention to how far you are from the people on your left and right. Stay close to maintain equilibrium…”
Guo Ran was constantly sending out orders from the air. Because the number of Dragonmark warriors who had joined all at once was too great, there was no way for them to remember so many names. Long Chen had suddenly thought to give everyone a belt with a number on it. That would make commanding them easier.
“Long Chen, how about I go out and kill some on my own? Otherwise, we’ll definitely be last place.” Tang Wan-er looked toward the other factions and saw that they had already charged into the distance.
There were countless high-level devil beasts there. She had noticed that the numbers on their bracelets were crazily leaping by twos.
When she killed devil beasts, she had seen that these ordinary devil beasts were only worth one kill point, and the more powerful ones were worth more. The devil beasts the other factions were killing were worth two points each.
“Don’t compete with them. For this competition, the only goal is drilling the troops. We aren’t truly fighting over rankings. The Dragonmark warriors need more tempering, and we can’t be too impatient. Furthermore, don’t you see that as they greedily charge forward, their people are constantly being killed?” Long Chen shook his head.
“I can go out on my own. We can get more kill points like that,” said Tang Wan-er eagerly.
Long Chen didn’t say anything. He just looked at the Dragonmark warriors that were constantly fighting down below.
“Long Chen, are you angry?” Tang Wan-er felt like something was wrong.
“Yes, a bit.”
“Sorry.” Tang Wan-er apologized. She knew that as the commander of the Dragonblood Legion, Long Chen didn’t like others ruining his plans and deployments.
“Wan-er, you’re a good girl. Now you’re powerful, and when you see a heroine like Hua Shiyu leading her people, you want to compete with her,” said Long Chen.
Tang Wan-er immediately blushed with shame. His words had gotten right to the bottom of her heart. In truth, she was a very competitive woman. That was related to her wind attribute. She had a toughness that refused to admit defeat.
She wouldn’t compete with Long Chen, nor would she compete with Meng Qi, Chu Yao, Yue Xiaoqian, or Ye Zhiqiu. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t competitive. It was simply that her competitiveness had always been suppressed. Now Hua Shiyu’s appearance had given her a fierce desire to compete to prove herself.
“Wan-er, I can excuse your toughness. If you want to be deliberately provocative, I can forgive that too because I like you. But sometimes, you should be clear on things. Since I’ve admitted the Dragonmark warriors, that means I treat each one of them as a brother. The loss of any one of them would pain me. And if they fell because of your willfulness, then I don’t know how I would face you,” said Long Chen solemnly.
“Sorry, Long Chen. I was wrong. I’ll listen to you, so don’t get angry,” said Tang Wan-er with a trembling voice.
That was because Long Chen had always allowed her to be willful or petty. No matter what she did, he would just smile and laugh it off. He had never said such solemn words to her.
Thinking of that possibility, she felt a burst of fear. She scolded herself for not being thoughtful enough. In order to fight for ranking, she had been willing to place the Dragonmark warriors’ lives in danger.
Long Chen rubbed her head and smiled. “Foolish girl, I wouldn’t get angry with you. I’m just afraid. I’m afraid of losing you.”
“Long Chen…” Tang Wan-er teared up. In truth, it wasn’t that she wasn’t thoughtful enough, but that her wind attribute had decided this part of her character.
“Alright, foolish girl, focus on looking after everyone. Once they get familiar with the formation, we’ll advance.”
Seeing that Long Chen really wasn’t angry, Tang Wan-er smiled and wiped
away her tears. She focused on looking after the entire Dragonblood Legion.
Long Chen was right to be worried. With so many new people, there would definitely be flaws in their cooperation. And the bigger the formation, the more flaws there would be.
Just this simple eight-point flying star formation was difficult for them. Learning to take advantage of the formation’s power and being able to switch from offense to defense without showing openings took a long time for them.
The battlefield could change instantly, and just one formation was not enough to deal with all situations. When Guo Ran gave the order to switch to a second formation, one that they had drilled tirelessly before, confusion once more appeared, but it was much better than the first time.
There were only a few dozen mistakes this time, and with Tang Wan-er’s assistance, those mistakes were quickly made up for. Then they began to constantly switch formations. After two hours, their formations were no longer so stiff. They became flexible, capable of advancing or retreating, attacking or defending.
During this time, Tang Wan-er played a critical role. Her wind blades were in the air, and as soon as someone was in danger of dying, she would instantly go save them. There was no need for Long Chen or Guo Ran to interfere.
At the same time, Gu Yang, Song Mingyuan, and Li Qi were the pillars at the center of the formation. They controlled the direction of the formation. Right now, there was no other way as they had to help organize everyone. Only once everyone was accustomed to this could they continue being the sharp blades of the Dragonblood Legion. Right now, they had to stay in their sheaths.
As for Guo Ran, he was constantly giving out directions and orders. As he rapidly changed the formations, it revealed the growth of the Dragonblood Legion. With a goddess like Tang Wan-er guarding them, Long Chen ordered everyone to begin pushing forward.
The other five factions had already begun crazily slaughtering the devil beasts. At one point, Long Chen saw a flame beast running rampant through the devil beasts. There was a familiar person standing on its head.
