186: Hall of Inheritance

Thud!

The fist slammed solidly into the agent's chest. There was no world-shaking explosion, only a dull thud, like the sound of leather tearing.

The agent's body jerked violently, his eyes bulging as a fist-shaped hole tore through the back of his clothes with a sharp rip. He staggered back three steps and looked down at his chest—there was no external wound, but inside his chest cavity, his five viscera and six bowels had been pulverized by the spiraling, penetrating force.

"Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of black blood mixed with organ fragments, fell backward, and breathed his last.

The other agent paled in horror, no longer daring to step forward. He retreated rapidly, fading back into the shadows of the battlefield, but his cold, sinister eyes remained locked onto Chen Linsheng.

All of this happened in the span of a few breaths.

By now, Chen Linsheng had disrupted five nodes.

The flame giant was clearly becoming agitated. Its attacks were no longer as frenzied yet orderly as before, and the white light at the core of its chest began to pulse erratically.

Xiao Zhan's pressure eased. Seizing the Opportunity, he delivered thirteen consecutive saber strikes to the same joint. Finally, with a crack, he severed the giant's left wrist! The molten rock hammer crashed to the ground, causing the platform to shake.

"A fine Opportunity!" the Student of Tingtao Academy shouted. He wrote rapidly with his jade brush, and a massive character for "Suppress" manifested in the air. A vast, pure Qi bore down upon the giant's head.

The swordswoman from the Qiushui Sword Sect unleashed a burst of sword light that transformed into a rainbow of cold ice, piercing directly toward the giant's right eye.

The Northern Desert Shaman also bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the red fire crystal before him. The crystal's light flared brilliantly, and the crimson chains suddenly tightened, temporarily pinning the giant in place!

The giant roared toward the heavens, the white light in its chest core flickering wildly, clearly preparing a desperate counterattack.

Now was the time!

Chen Linsheng's figure suddenly retreated, pulling thirty yards away from the giant.

The "Skyfire" bow was already in his hand, the string drawn back like a full moon.

What he pulled out was no ordinary arrow, but a specialized "Armor-Piercing Arrow." It was pitch-black with a spiraling triangular arrowhead and its surface was etched with fine armor-breaking runes. This was one of three life-saving arrows he had commissioned an old craftsman in Iron Rock City to forge from meteoric iron, and he had yet to use them.

With the bowstring tensioned to its limit, Chen Linsheng narrowed his eyes, fully activating the extraordinary perception granted by his Tracking Perfection.

Wind, gravity, light, the pulse frequency of the giant's core, the fleeting moments of weakness in the energy flow... all data converged and was calculated within his mind.

Inside his body, the Five Viscera Absorbing Essence Art operated frantically. The Qi of Heart-Fire and Lung-Metal were particularly active, flowing along special routes into his arms and finally into the arrow.

Layered Waves Archery (Minor Achievement)—True Qi flowed like waves, layer upon layer. Three waves overlapped, granting unparalleled penetration!

Twang—Whoosh!!!

The moment the bowstring thrummed, the arrow left the string!

The first wave: the arrow pierced the air, tearing through the viscous atmosphere under tenfold gravity, its speed increasing instead of slowing!

The second wave: the arrowhead spiraled rapidly, the armor-breaking runes glowing faintly as they ground against the air with a piercing screech!

The third wave: the Heart-Fire and Lung-Metal Qi collided and erupted inside the arrow, granting it incomparable piercing and explosive power!

The arrow became a black line almost invisible to the naked eye. With absolute precision, it passed through the gap under the giant's flailing right arm, bypassed the wreckage of its blocking left arm, and struck in the thousandth of a second when the white light of its chest core was at its brightest and its defense at its lowest—

Puchi!

A slight but clear sound of penetration.

The black arrow sank entirely into the giant's chest, leaving only the fletching quivering on the outside.

Time seemed to stand still for an instant.

The next moment—

Rumble!!!

The flame giant's massive body suddenly froze. The white light in its chest flickered frantically and expanded before finally exploding! Countless streaks of blazing white fire burst from the cracks in its torso, as if a miniature sun were hidden within!

The giant let out an unwilling, deafening roar. Its lava body cracked inch by inch and eventually collapsed completely, turning into countless burning fragments that piled up across half the platform.

Amidst the pile of rubble, a fist-sized, pure white crystal—with liquid fire seemingly flowing slowly inside—floated quietly three feet off the ground, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

The Core Crystal!

The field fell into a dead silence.

Everyone's gaze focused on that crystal, and on Chen Linsheng, who held his longbow and breathed slightly hard.

The Student of Tingtao Academy and the swordswoman from the Qiushui Sword Sect had complex looks in their eyes, filled with both amazement and wariness.

The rogue Martial Artist coughed blood and silently retreated to the edge.

The young Northern Desert Shaman recalled his red fire crystal. He stared at Chen Linsheng with a dark expression, his eyes flashing with undisguised killing intent—if not for Chen Linsheng's final arrow, he would have had the chance to use a secret technique to seize part of the core's energy.

The surviving White Lotus Sect agent etched Chen Linsheng's face into his memory and crushed a communication jade talisman inside his sleeve.

Chen Linsheng stowed his bow and walked slowly toward the Core Crystal.

Just as he reached out to take it—

Whoosh!

A streak of crimson light shot out, arriving first. It was a Blood-Curse Charm secretly flicked by the Northern Desert Shaman, aimed straight at the crystal! The charm transformed into a hideous wolf's maw, intending to swallow the crystal.

At the same time, the White Lotus Sect agent moved as well. His figure was like smoke as his short spike thrust directly toward the back of Chen Linsheng's neck from a tricky and vicious angle.

A pincer attack from two sides!

Chen Linsheng's eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to turn and respond—

Clang!

A brilliant saber blast descended like a bolt of silk, precisely shattering the blood-red wolf's maw. Its remaining force did not diminish as it slashed directly toward the White Lotus Sect agent!

The agent was horrified and raised his spike to block, but the force of the saber blast split the webbing of his thumb, sending him flying backward.

Xiao Zhan sheathed his saber and stood between Chen Linsheng and the crystal. His gaze swept over the Northern Desert Shaman and the White Lotus Sect agent, his voice cold as iron: "Compete fairly with your own skills. Sneak attacks and underhanded plots are not tolerated by the Army Breaker Manor."

The Northern Desert Shaman's eyes flickered. Finally, he snorted and looked away, though he secretly gripped another bone talisman in his sleeve.

The White Lotus Sect agent scrambled to his feet, gave Xiao Zhan and Chen Linsheng a venomous look, then turned and staggered away, disappearing into the mist at the edge of the platform.

Chen Linsheng cupped his hands to Xiao Zhan: "My thanks."

Xiao Zhan shook his head slightly and looked at the floating Core Crystal: "This item should belong to you." He paused, meeting Chen Linsheng's gaze. "Inside the Inheritance Hall, opportunities are seized by one's own means. At that time, we shall determine who is superior."

The meaning was clear: I am helping you now to uphold the rules; but once inside the Inheritance Hall, we are competitors, and I will show no mercy.

Chen Linsheng nodded: "As it should be."

He no longer hesitated and reached out to take the pure white crystal.

As the crystal touched his hand, it wasn't scalding, but rather a warm and mellow flow of heat that instantly surged into his limbs and bones. The numbers in his mind jumped frantically, finally settling on 'One Hundred and Eight'—this single Core Crystal was actually worth eighty ordinary fire source crystals!

At the same time, in the center of the platform, the pile of giant wreckage slowly sank, revealing a passage entrance bathed in a crimson glow that extended downward.

The entrance to the Inheritance Hall had appeared.

Xiao Zhan said no more. He gave a slight nod to the Student of Tingtao Academy and the swordswoman of the Qiushui Sword Sect, then took the lead and stepped into the passage.

The Northern Desert Shaman gave Chen Linsheng a deep look and, with a trace of resentment, walked into another passage that suddenly emerged, covered in totem patterns—clearly, different climbers might enter the Inheritance Hall through different paths.

Chen Linsheng tucked the Core Crystal close to his body and took one last look at the summit of Bone Forging Peak.

The gravity remained, the heat had not dissipated, and the traces of battle were still vivid.

He turned and stepped into the passage that belonged to him.