Chapter Thirty-One: The State of Life and Death

  Most people understood this time, and when they looked at Zhou Minghua again, their eyes seemed to be looking at a monster.

  This matter was originally an unforgettable nightmare in Zhou Minghua's heart. He had thought that after coming to the Yin Ye Sect, he could thoroughly bid farewell to his own past. But unexpectedly, his greatest secret was exposed alive by these three hateful guys under the gaze of everyone. His face turned into a purple color, but he didn't dare to make a poisonous oath like Wei Hua, and his face was filled with ferocity: "I want to kill you, ah~~Tú Líng Zhǐ!"

  Zhou Minghua's finger shot out again, and a dark blue light burst forth. Chen Ge sneered, summoning the Black Aegis shield, which suddenly appeared in front of him with a loud "clap". The shield blocked Zhou Minghua's vengeful strike. The Soul-Butchering Finger had extremely strong penetration power; if it were an ordinary defensive artifact, it would have been shattered or at least severely damaged by that one finger.

  However, the shield in front of Chen Gong only trembled slightly, and the surrounding black air dissipated a bit. After all, it was a mid-grade defensive artifact, how could it be destroyed so easily.

  At that time, the old ancestor's reward was very fair. Each of the three people received a mid-grade magic weapon and an additional 100 spirit stones, all tailored to their individual cultivation methods. Leidong obtained the Cloud-ascending Boots that increased speed, Chen Ge got the Evil Ghost Shield, and Wei Hua, who excelled at defense, was delighted to receive the Fire Cloud Sword. It can be seen that the old ancestor also put some thought into the rewards.

  "Haha, the Soul Slayer's power is nothing to be trifled with. Let me show you my Underworld Fireball!" Chen Ge's current mastery of the Underworld Fireball was not yet at the level of "炉火纯青" (perfect mastery), but it was already extremely skilled. With a single gesture, an Underworld Fireball emitting a faint, eerie glow and trailing a long tail of flames shot out rapidly. Zhou Minghua, who was unfamiliar with the Xuan Yin Shield, didn't even have time to cast a spell and could only rely on a low-grade defensive shield to barely withstand the attack.

  ~ A direct hit on the defensive magic shield with a dark fireball, after a fierce explosion, the dark green flames splashed in all directions. The onlookers were shocked and immediately jumped outwards, fearing that they would be affected by some of the dark fire and suffer greatly. In fact, the dark fire also has another name, which is ghostly fire. If it gets on your body, it will directly burn and scorch a person's soul, and if not extinguished in time, it will torture them to death. After suffering that direct explosion from the dark fireball, the low-grade defensive magic shield was actually slightly cracked.

  Lei Dong's heart was secretly comparing the three different aggressive techniques he had seen, and from a purely powerful perspective, Gui Sha Palm was probably the strongest, with an imposing momentum that could overturn mountains and seas. However, the consumption was also the largest. Wu Qianqiu, a cultivator of the third layer of Lianqi, couldn't even use it for the second time after using it once.

  As for the Netherfire Blast, its power is slightly inferior to that of the Ghostly Palm. However, in essence, the Netherfire Blast is actually a group attack spell that relies on the shockwave generated by the explosion to injure enemies, and also comes with splashing netherflames that ignite and can blast a large area at higher levels.

  The Slaughter Finger is the weakest of the three, but it has extremely strong penetration power and speed, making it impossible to defend against. Moreover, the cultivation of the Slaughter Finger is also the simplest, without the need to absorb evil energy or absorb dark fire, completely utilizing pure Xuan Yin true energy. Especially importantly, the consumption of the Slaughter Finger is also the smallest among the three, as seen from Zhou Minghua's consecutive two times effortlessly bursting out the Slaughter Finger just now, it can be known that the true energy consumption must not be large.

  Whether it's Gui Sha Zhang, Tu Ling Zhi, or Ming Huo Dan, they all belong to excellent spells, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

  Just as Zhou Minghua's inferior shield showed signs of cracking, Wei Hua let out a cold laugh and with a flick of his finger, a flying sword filled with spiritual flames shot towards Zhou Minghua like an arrow. Fortunately, Zhou Minghua had anticipated this after being attacked by the dark fireball and had already cast the Xuan Yin Shield beforehand. The dark, semi-transparent Xuan Yin Shield instantly enveloped him, condensing around his body.

  Boom! First to suffer was Zhou Minghua's low-grade small shield, which was already in a cracked state. How could it withstand the attack of the mid-grade sword Huoyun? At the same time that the low-grade small shield exploded, Huoyun Sword's momentum still didn't stop, and it clashed with Xuan Yin Shield once again.

  Xuanyin Shield is indeed one of the strongest defensive techniques in the Xuanming Sect's Qi Refining stage, and it actually managed to block this attack. The Huoyun Sword stopped just a few inches away from his chest. However, the Xuanyin Shield he conjured up was also rippling with waves at the same time, flickering between light and darkness. It was clear that even if it hadn't shattered on the spot, it wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer after blocking this attack.

  "Stop it!"

  The ghostly figure floated in with his hands behind his back, a pair of cold eyes scanning the crowd. Everyone, including Lei Dong, couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines. Finally, his gaze fell on Zhou Minghua, who looked not only disheveled but also extremely pale. His brow furrowed slightly: "Zhou Minghua, speak."

  Zhou Minghua was clearly intimidated by the old ancestor's ghost slave, his face terrified, but to let himself be humiliated and exposed again in front of so many people, he couldn't bring himself to say it. But in front of the ghost slave, he didn't dare lie either, after all, there were so many witnesses here. For a moment, his face turned red and green, stuttering and unable to speak.

  "Hmmph!" The dissatisfied Ghost Slave let out a disgruntled snort, then turned to look at Lei Dong: "Lei kid, you speak." From the way they addressed each other, it was clear that Ghost Slave was slightly more familiar with Lei Dong.

  "Yes, senior." Lei's face was calm as he bowed and recounted the events from start to finish, without omitting a single word.

  Kui Nu listened, his face calm and unreadable. He glanced around the surroundings: "During the small competition, anyone who dares to fight privately will be flogged with a hundred lashes. The first arena continues to compete."

  That judge in the foundation period was also wary of Gui Nu. He hastily called Zhou Minghua and Lei Dong onto the stage based on the information.

  "When there's a chance to win, we'll take it. When there isn't, we'll admit defeat. That's all we can do." Chen Ge said in a low voice to Lei Dong. It was clear that everything had been planned out long ago. Even if Zhou Minghua hadn't taken the initiative to provoke him, Chen Ge would have found an opportunity to stir up trouble. Firstly, it was to force Zhou Minghua to lose his composure, and secondly, it was to exhaust his true energy and magic tools before even getting on stage.

  It seems the effect is not bad, Zhou Minghua has performed two Soul-Exterminating Fingers and one Xuan-Yin Shield within a short period of time. The true energy inside his body probably hasn't even reached half. As for bursting his low-grade shield, that's an extra delight.

  "Don't worry, you've all taken such great risks for me. If I still can't win, then I might as well just go home and get married and have kids early. What's the point of being a true hero?" Lei's mouth curled up into a confident smile.

  "Come and get killed!" Zhou Minghua had already jumped onto the stage, shouting in a sorrowful and indignant tone.

  "Zhou Minghua, even if you're determined to die, don't be so hasty." Lei Dong walked up onto the stage with his hands behind his back, his expression leisurely as he swept a disdainful gaze over him. He shook his head slowly.

  "Lei Dong, you're just a glib talker. Today, don't admit defeat, let's fight to the end on this stage." Zhou Minghua had already lost his rationality today after being provoked by three people, and now his only thought was to use Lei Dong's blood to wash away his shame. Not just Lei Dong's, but also Chen Ge and Wei Hua, those two small men.

  A thrill ran through his heart, this was your own seeking death, don't blame me. But to be on the safe side, he turned to face the referee of the foundation period and asked respectfully: "Senior, I wonder if there is such a rule?"

  "There is a rule like this, among disciples, if there are irreconcilable contradictions, they can fight to the death on the life and death arena, no matter what. But both parties must agree voluntarily...". The referee looked at the ghost servant floating not far away with some hesitation: "But now it's just a small comparison..."

  "Let them sign." The ghost servant said coldly.

  The judge immediately took out the document, filled in the life and death form, and handed it over to Zhou Minghua. Zhou Minghua signed his name without hesitation, then turned around with a gloomy and ferocious face, staring at Lei Dong: "Lei, you won't be afraid, will you? Do you want to go home and drink milk for a few more years before coming back to compete?"

  "Lei Dong~" Chen Ge slightly furrowed his brow and solemnly said from below the stage, "There will be opportunities in the future."

  Lei handed him a reassuring glance, smiled at the corner of his mouth and signed his name on the death certificate with a pen.

  "Zhou Minghua versus Lei Dongyuan, life and death stakes established. Both sides will fight to the end, no quarter asked or given." The judge finished reading and immediately retreated: "The duel begins."

  "Thunder rumbles, this day next year will be your memorial day!"

  ……