nownovels Chapter 109 The Battle for the Cave Dwelling
Chapter 109 The Battle for the Cave Dwelling
Wang Teng's gaze swept over Lin Chen and his group of five, finally settling on the cave dwelling behind them. Light streamed through the open stone door, revealing a stone table, ancient books, a jade box, and the abandoned alchemy furnace. Undisguised greed gleamed in his eyes, like a hungry wolf eyeing fresh meat.
"Lin Chen, if you know what's good for you, hand over the treasures in the cave." His voice wasn't loud, but the threat in his tone was overwhelming. "Otherwise, I'll make sure you all die here today. If a few people die in the secret realm, the school won't be able to find out—and even if they do, they'll just say it's an 'accident'."
"You?"
Lin Chen's voice was very soft. So soft that it was almost as if he were talking to himself.
But as soon as he uttered those three words, his figure vanished from the spot.
Wang Teng's eyes widened suddenly. In his pupils, Lin Chen's figure multiplied from one to two, from two to four, until finally only a single silver-white ray of light remained, shooting towards him.
He tried to dodge, but his body couldn't keep up with his eyes' reaction time.
After breaking through to the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, Lin Chen's speed increased several times over. When he unleashed his full power, even a Meridian Opening Realm martial artist's dynamic vision could barely track his trajectory. Wang Teng only had time to see a flash of silver light before he was punched in the chest.
It's not a sword, it's a fist.
Lin Chen didn't even bother using a sword.
The fist slammed into Wang Teng's chest with a dull thud, like a heavy hammer striking a cowhide drum. Wang Teng's protective inner energy shattered the moment of contact, and his defensive jade pendant cracked in two. He felt as if his sternum had been struck by a speeding carriage; his internal organs churned, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"puff--"
Wang Teng was sent flying backward, his body tracing an arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground. He slid several meters further, carving a deep furrow in the mud. Lying there, his eyes wide open, mouth agape, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, he stared at Lin Chen in disbelief.
"You...you've broken through to the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm? How is this possible!" His voice trembled, filled with fear and disbelief. "You were just...it hasn't been that long..."
Lin Chen walked towards him step by step.
His steps were slow and steady, each footstep firm, the soles of his shoes rustling softly over the fallen leaves. Silvery-white starlight flowed around him, condensing into a thin film of light, like a silver armor draped over him. Sunlight shone on him, reflecting a dazzling light that blinded the Wang family members.
"Wang Hu colluded with the evil race and betrayed the human race. He has already been killed by me." Lin Chen's voice was not loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the ears of everyone present. "If you continue to be stubborn today, your fate will be the same as his."
Wang Teng's face turned from pale to ashen.
He recalled his cousin Wang Hu's fate—his meridians were severed, his cultivation completely destroyed, he was expelled from the family, and now he eked out a living on the streets of Qingyang City. He didn't want to end up like that.
The remaining seven members of the Wang family turned ashen-faced upon seeing their leader defeated in a single move. Some took a step back, some felt their legs go weak, and others had already begun to move towards the valley exit.
"Anyone else want to come up and try?"
Lin Chen's gaze swept over the seven people, and none dared to meet his eyes. The young masters from those aristocratic families lowered their heads one by one, some staring at their toes, some pretending to look at the trees beside them, and some simply turning away, unable to face that silver gaze.
Wang Teng lay on the ground, gritting his teeth and enduring the excruciating pain in his chest, squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Lin Chen, don't be so smug! Young Master Qin Hao is already on his way here with his men. He has a Grade-Earth magic weapon given to him by Vice Principal Qin Cang. You're no match for him!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a burst of arrogant laughter came from afar.
"Lin Chen, you really are here!"
Qin Hao's voice came from the entrance of the valley, filled with barely suppressed smugness and madness. He was leading a dozen or so young masters from prominent families, rushing rapidly towards the cave. There were at least fifteen of them, more than before, all of them menacing and blocking the entrance to the valley completely.
Qin Hao walked at the front, holding a black longsword in his hand.
The sword was entirely black, devoid of any reflection, like a solidified darkness. A faint black light flowed along the blade, not the luster of metal, but the fluctuation of malevolent energy—cold, decaying, and aggressive. A dark red gem was inlaid at the hilt, within which black mist surged, as if imprisoning a trapped demon.
Earth-level magic weapon.
The entire Xingwu University possesses no more than thirty Earth-level magic treasures, each a prized possession of the university. These treasures are usually locked in the deepest part of the secret storage room, with the keys jointly kept by the vice-principal and the director of the academic affairs office.
Qin Cang, however, entrusted this deadly weapon to his grandson, who then took it into the secret realm.
"Hand over the treasures of your cave and the core of your Star Martial Artifact, and I might grant you a complete corpse!"
Qin Hao's voice echoed through the valley, extremely arrogant. The young masters behind him also drew their weapons, their true energy flashing in waves, red, blue, and yellow intertwined, illuminating the entrance to the valley as if it were daytime.
Lin Chen gripped the Star Sword tightly, shielding Su Muyue behind him. His eyes were calm and resolute, devoid of fear, hesitation, or even anger—only an extreme calmness in his fighting spirit, like a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for many years, who would not flinch no matter how many enemies he faced.
"Qin Hao, it seems you haven't learned your lesson from the last sparring session."
Lin Chen's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone present to hear.
Qin Hao's face instantly turned ashen.
"Still being stubborn even when death is imminent!" He suddenly drew the Evil Shadow Sword, and black sword energy soared into the sky, forcing the surrounding spiritual energy back several feet. The black light on the sword writhed like a snake, emitting a hissing sound that made one's teeth ache.
Lin Chen held the Star Sword horizontally in front of him, the silvery-white star power contrasting sharply with the black sword energy. One black, one white; one evil, one righteous; the two forces confronted each other in the valley, tearing the air in two.
An ultimate battle for the ancient cave dwelling is about to erupt in the valley. Lin Chen's five-man team and Qin Hao's fifteen-man allied forces from powerful families, the two strongest forces of the new generation, will clash head-on in the western valley.
In the shadows of the valley, on a higher cliff, several figures dressed in black robes coldly watched all of this.
Their robes stood motionless in the wind, as if nailed to the spot. Hoods covered most of their faces, revealing only pale chins and chapped lips. There was no greed or anger in their eyes, only an eerie calm—like a hunter waiting for its prey to fall into a trap, or a vulture waiting for a dying person to breathe their last.
One of the figures slowly raised his hand, his withered fingers pointing to the silvery-white light in the valley.
"The Star Weapon Core... has finally appeared."
The voice was hoarse and deep, like the creaking of a rusty iron gate in the wind, or a whisper from the depths of a tomb. Each word carried a heavy aura of malevolence, making the surrounding air grow colder.
"After waiting for so long, it's finally here."
Another figure let out a low laugh, a cold and eerie laugh that echoed through the valley like the hooting of an owl or the sigh of a dead soul, before finally dissipating into the depths of the dense forest, unnoticed by anyone.