Here on the edge of the magma lake, a gathering of top experts stood poised, each waiting for another to break cover first, draw attention, and then make their own move. This mutual hesitation left them all watching each other, yet no one dared to fly out first.
"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan suddenly snapped his head around.
"Whoosh!"
From the direction of Qinghu Island’s contingent, a gray figure streaked toward the center of the magma lake.
"Die!" No one held back; a barrage of hidden weapons instantly tore through the sky.
"Hahaha..." A booming laugh echoed, and a flash of blade light erupted in front of the gray figure, accompanied by the sound of clashing metal. The multitude of hidden weapons fell into the molten stream, swiftly dissolving to become a part of the lava flow.
"Du Jiu!" Teng Qingshan’s gaze sharpened; he instantly identified the figure. That gray-robed man was 'Du Jiu,' the foremost expert brought by Qinghu Island this time. "Hmm, on his back?" Du Jiu's blade work was clearly a shade inferior to the Thunder God Blade master, 'Wu Yue.' He couldn't completely ward off the hidden weapons coming from all directions.
On his back, his robes were pierced with holes, but behind the rents, there was a dark gold sheen.
"Could that be an inner armor made of Dark Gold Divine Iron?" Teng Qingshan was inwardly astonished. This Dark Gold Divine Iron was certainly no less valuable than 'Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.' Although the Cold Iron was slightly inferior to Purple Light Cold Iron in terms of sharpness, it possessed superior resilience, making it more suitable for crafting defensive battle armor.
But the price was prohibitively expensive, and most people couldn't afford it. Moreover, acquiring enough Dark Gold Divine Iron was exceptionally difficult.
That Du Jiu also tossed out a book, stamped his foot, used the momentum, and leaped toward the center of the magma lake!
"Old Du Jiu!" Ji Hong's expression changed drastically.
"Go!" Ji Hong roared sharply.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Teng Qingshan and Ji Hong leaped almost simultaneously, kicking up a gust of sharp wind as they flew toward the large black stone in the middle of the lake.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
They weren't the only ones seizing this instant. Over a dozen strong practitioners, including the 'Black and White' Elders, leaped up almost synchronously. Almost without exception, as they took flight, they hurled the hidden weapons in their hands. Their target was singular: Du Jiu, who was leading the charge!
If Du Jiu was dealt with in front, the others would have a chance.
"Swish!" A pebble shot out from Teng Qingshan’s hand as well.
"Haha, none of you can..." Du Jiu was utterly confident. The twin short blades in his hands swiftly deflected one incoming projectile after another. In Du Jiu's mind, being at the forefront meant he would surely be the first to claim the Black Fire Spirit Fruit. When the time came, even if he violently hurled the fruit toward his own side, the Black Fire Spirit Fruit would still be securely in their grasp.
Just as Du Jiu was savoring his victory, "Clang!" A pebble struck one of the short blades held by the bald old man, 'Du Jiu.' Du Jiu’s smile froze abruptly.
The terrifying force contained within that pebble instantly cracked the webbing between Du Jiu's thumb and forefinger, drawing blood. The sheer impact of the stone also knocked his entire body sideways. This slight deviation turned Du Jiu’s back toward the lava below.
His belly faced upward!
This tilt proved fatal!
Understand this: by leaning over, first, his flight trajectory shifted. He was now destined to land right in the scalding magma flow.
And worse!
With his belly facing up, he had no way to throw anything or use leverage to escape!
"No!" Du Jiu’s triangular eyes filled with terror. He violently twisted his waist, relying on his profound internal energy to finally rotate himself, bringing his belly down. He had a chance to flee! But as he turned, he saw the searing magma flow rushing up to meet him!
His entire face plunged into the molten stream!
He had no time to react!
From being knocked sideways by the pebble to managing to flip over just as he hit the surface of the magma flow took less than the time it takes to draw a breath.
"Ah!" Du Jiu only managed half a scream before the sound abruptly cut off!
Hissing sounds...
The experts gathered by the magma lake clearly witnessed the scene. They clearly saw the 'Earth Ranking' master, 'Du Jiu'—the master of the Qinghu Island Lord—flat on the surface of the magma stream, his head buried in the molten current. Instantly, he became a raging fireball, burning fiercely until, in the blink of an eye, flesh and bone dissolved into nothingness.
Only his battle boots slowly sank, along with the dark gold inner armor, drifting down into the lava.
A master, instantly reduced to just boots and armor, his physical remains utterly gone!
"Grandmaster!" 'Gu Shiyou,' standing nearby, cried out.
"Who—who killed Grandmaster!" The Qinghu Island group was consumed by fury and panic. But... there had been far too many people throwing hidden weapons in that brief moment. It wasn't just the flying experts; a large crowd of surrounding masters had launched projectiles too. Amidst the dense flurry of weapons, identifying who threw what was impossible!
Furthermore, few people could even track the trajectory of that single pebble with their eyes!
The stone had been too fast!
A renowned master, Du Jiu, who had dominated for a century, died just like that!
The experts by the magma lake offered only a brief moment of internal reflection before their gazes locked onto the black stone in the center of the lake. Because at that very instant, nearly a dozen strong practitioners landed on that dark stone simultaneously. There were so many masters, yet only one Black Fire Spirit Fruit!
Who would claim it?
The answer was clear: they must fight!
"Whoosh!" A long saber slashed toward Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan sidestepped, sheltering behind another martial artist, while simultaneously kicking the one in front of him. That front martial artist deftly dodged, twisting his long sword to stab toward a middle-aged man with graying temples.
The black stone was roughly ten feet wide and long—about three meters across.
Imagine the scene: over a dozen people crowded onto a stone barely three meters wide.
Teng Qingshan wielded a nine-foot-six-inch long spear. A single sweep could cover the entire surface of that black stone. This meant the ensuing melee was incredibly brutal and intensely localized.
"Second Brother, let's go!" An elder executed a sharp Iron Bridge maneuver, evading a saber strike, then violently pushing off the ground, spinning as he flew toward the edge of the magma lake. In those few short breaths, this elder had already sustained a blade wound. He was considered lucky; those less fortunate fared much worse.
...
Whoosh!
A heavy broadsword chopped ferociously toward Teng Qingshan.
"Seeking death!" Fire flared in Teng Qingshan’s chest. This bald, burly man wielding the broadsword had repeatedly targeted him. Teng Qingshan's spear vibrated, resembling a surging long dragon, and smashed heavily against the broadsword on the man's back.
Boom!
Energy radiated outwards! A direct clash!
"What!" The moment Teng Qingshan’s Reincarnation Spear shaft slammed down, the bald man's face contorted in shock!
In this confined space of just over ten feet wide, with so many people fighting, few dared to engage in direct force-on-force confrontation. After all, a single collision between these experts carried the impact of tens of thousands of pounds. The resulting recoil would inevitably force one backward. Those with superior strength would recoil less.
Those with weaker power would be pushed back further.
In such a small area, taking one step back could mean tumbling into the magma flow.
The bald man, caught off guard, was thrown backward off his feet. Teng Qingshan, however, only retreated a single step. In truth, given his strength, Teng Qingshan wouldn't have needed to retreat at all, but a subtle feint was necessary. Teng Qingshan dodged a sword thrust from another expert and sent his spear straight toward the bald man—
The Reincarnation Spear was a full nine feet, six inches long!
The bald man’s face darkened instantly. Mid-air, he tried to spin around, but just as he turned, he saw an illusion shooting toward him.
"No!" The bald man couldn't help but cry out. He frantically tried to use his broadsword to parry.
"Thwack!"
The moment the Reincarnation Spear thrust forward, the spearhead vibrated, changing the strike from a stab to a smash!
It slammed squarely onto the bald man’s chest, sending him hurtling like a meteorite. With a deafening "Boom!", he was smashed directly into the magma flow. "Boom!" A plume of fire erupted, signifying the demise of yet another formidable master.
"Go!"
Three more injured experts flew away from the central black stone area, including Iron Robe Gate’s 'Wei Canglong'! From the start of the fight until now, in just a moment, nearly ten masters had either perished or fled.
In mere moments, only six experts remained on the stone.
Two from the Guiyuan Sect: Teng Qingshan and Ji Hong.
Two from the Carefree Palace: the Black and White Elders.
One was a silver-haired, gray-robed old man who used a saber. Teng Qingshan had never heard of this person.
The sixth was an old woman with a scar across her face, wielding a crescent blade with unpredictable maneuvers.
...
"Old Bai!" The Black Elder and White Elder exchanged a look, instantly understanding each other's thoughts. They knew that among the six on the black stone, the Guiyuan Sect duo posed the greatest threat, as they too had two powerful figures. The other two were lone wolves.
"Swish!"
A black longsword stabbed toward Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan retracted his spear slightly and forcefully batted the black sword aside, only for the white longsword to immediately stab from behind.
Clearly, the Black and White Elders intended to combine forces to eliminate Teng Qingshan first.
An inch longer is an inch stronger, but in such tight quarters, where proximity was key, using long weapons presented a disadvantage. In small, densely packed areas, the power of spear techniques often diminished.
"Whoosh!"
At that moment, a cold glint also swept toward Teng Qingshan—it was the scarred old woman. Teng Qingshan’s expression shifted dramatically: "These three want to take me down first!" Having killed Meng Tian, Teng Qingshan was already notorious, so it was natural that the Earth Ranking experts would target him first.
"Qingshan, watch out!" Ji Hong swiftly swept his long saber, hacking toward the old woman.
Teng Qingshan’s eyes turned icy. The Reincarnation Spear in his hands moved with the swiftness of a swimming dragon; both the spearhead and the shaft were utilized for defense. The two black and white sword shadows seemed like frost, while Teng Qingshan’s spear remained agile and swift. Even with multiple opponents attacking simultaneously, he was able to deftly parry every strike.
"Look how strong that Teng Qingshan is! A single spear manages to hold off the Carefree Palace's 'Black and White' Elders!"
"The Black and White Elders are both Earth Ranking masters! Ganging up on him, and they still can't kill Teng Qingshan in a short time. This Teng Qingshan’s spear defense is truly formidable."
Everyone present was utterly shocked.
"The Black and White Elders and Teng Qingshan are all famous, but that silver-haired old man—who is he that he can fight them to a standstill?"