Getting Stronger By Fighting

In the blink of an eye, Wang Zhan had already taken the lead, charging straight toward Xiang Tian. If they wanted to deal with the Spirit Devouring Beast in front of them, they had to first handle Xiang Tian’s situation, otherwise trouble was bound to follow.

After all, Xiang Tian’s strength was much weaker, and now he was already under the Spirit Devouring Beast’s control. If they struck rashly right now, a normal person would definitely retreat from the battlefield, but Xiang Tian wouldn’t. He’d already fallen into being a mere puppet of the Spirit Devouring Beast; of course he would be the first to help it deal with them. That was what made Wang Zhan feel that everything had become so tricky.

The people beside him also moved at high speed, rushing toward Xiang Tian from all directions. Their goal was simple: they had to subdue Xiang Tian as fast as possible. As for what happened afterward, that no longer mattered. As long as they could temporarily keep Xiang Tian alive, everything else was just bubbles. As long as they had some time, Wang Zhan believed they’d be able to get Xiang Tian completely back to normal.

The Hexagonal Golden Snake, who had been standing off to the side the whole time, still hadn’t moved. It wasn’t that he wanted to hold back his strength at this moment—he was mainly searching for an opening. He could clearly feel that the Spirit Devouring Beast seemed to care a lot about Xiang Tian. After all, Xiang Tian was the battle machine in its hands; it must also want to see just how strong Xiang Tian could get. But precisely because of that, the Hexagonal Golden Snake saw a sliver of hope. If he could suppress the Spirit Devouring Beast at this timing, then all of them might be able to leave here safe and sound.

But trying to sneak attack the Spirit Devouring Beast—how could that be such a simple thing?

Wang Zhan slightly narrowed his eyes and spoke again, "Everyone, remember what I said. Don’t hurt Xiang Tian in front of you. He’s also one of us, and he has to follow us back Inside Tian Pavilion. We came here together, and we have to go back together!"

Everyone nodded along with him. Even Zhao Feiyu, who had always been selfish and self-serving, did the same. His attack speed had even slowed down a lot, all so he could protect Xiang Tian as much as possible, not letting him suffer even the slightest threat.

The next second, the Fire Qilin and the Sword Spirit had already taken up positions at Xiang Tian’s left and right sides. Each grabbed one of Xiang Tian’s arms and directly held him in place. At the same time, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Wang Zhan’s mouth—he hadn’t expected them to get Xiang Tian under control so fast. For them, this really was a good thing.

Just as Wang Zhan was about to knock Xiang Tian out, he suddenly saw a cold smile appear at the corner of the Spirit Devouring Beast’s mouth. Xiang Tian also twisted his face into a vicious grin, as if he were coordinating with the Spirit Devouring Beast. The next instant, his whole body moved, his aura surging straight to its peak. He clenched his fist and suddenly swung it hard toward the Fire Qilin beside him.

Although the Fire Qilin’s reaction speed was extremely fast, what Wang Zhan had never expected was that even so, that punch still landed squarely on the Fire Qilin. Maybe it was because the Fire Qilin had been holding back the whole time, leaving Xiang Tian an opening; maybe it was because the Fire Qilin truly didn’t want to hurt Xiang Tian in front of him. In any case, no matter the reason, what none of them had expected was that the Fire Qilin would instinctively take a few steps back, his expression turning far uglier.

Seeing him like that, Wang Zhan frowned slightly. He hurriedly dashed to the Fire Qilin’s side and asked anxiously, "What’s going on? With your strength, even if you can’t subdue Xiang Tian instantly, you still shouldn’t be getting hurt by him, right? So what happened?"

The Fire Qilin’s face was a bit grim. After taking a few heavy breaths, he turned his gaze back into the battlefield. Right now, the Sword Spirit and Xiang Tian had already started trading blows, with Zhao Feiyu and Li Du assisting from the side. But even with the three of them working together, they still couldn’t suppress Xiang Tian. And even after taking hits, Xiang Tian’s face didn’t show the slightest change in expression. It was like the stimulation of blood was pushing his strength even further upward, far beyond anything Wang Zhan and the others had imagined.

Could it be that all of this was because of the Spirit Devouring Beast?

Just because that thing had poured new power into Xiang Tian, Xiang Tian’s combat strength had skyrocketed, to the point he could now stand toe-to-toe with Wang Zhan’s group? But how was that possible? Even if this was forced, seedling-pulling-style enhancement, there was no way he could become this strong in such a short time.

The Fire Qilin spoke again: "Xiang Tian is a lot more bizarre than we thought. If we keep holding back, I bet even we will get injured. Right now, neither I nor the Sword Spirit may be his match. Our best bet is to have the Hexagonal Golden Snake strike fast and subdue Xiang Tian. That’s the only real solution!"

But Wang Zhan knew very well that if the Hexagonal Golden Snake made a move now, Xiang Tian would most likely lose his life. That would make things much more troublesome.

Wang Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly and stayed silent for the moment. Clearly, he was also waiting for an opening.

As seconds ticked by, Wang Zhan clenched his fist and said in a low voice, "Here’s what we’ll do—we stall him for now, then all of us think of a countermeasure together. I believe that with our combined strength, we should be able to rein him in. Things haven’t reached the point of being completely out of control. If we really have to kill him outright, I just... can’t bring myself to do it..."

Looking at Xiang Tian’s familiar face, countless memories flashed through Wang Zhan’s mind. Over this whole period, he had always been with Xiang Tian and Luo Xue. Every time he went missing, the only ones who truly worried were those two. Only Wang Zhan understood what the bond between the three of them meant. Back when they’d first walked out of that tiny fifth war zone, that had never been easy for them.

What Wang Zhan had never imagined was that eventually they’d come to this point, and all of their strengths had risen to a certain level. They’d even become peak experts now. Xiang Tian and the others were the same. Even though there was still a gap between them and Wang Zhan, he had always seen their effort, and he understood what they’d put in all this time.

Since Wang Zhan had already spoken, even though everyone didn’t really want to keep fighting Xiang Tian and just wanted to end this quickly, they exchanged glances and ultimately chose to hold back. None of them had any intention of making things harder for Xiang Tian.

Up in midair, the Spirit Devouring Beast gave a contemptuous little laugh. He narrowed his eyes, watching them for a long moment before shaking his head and saying, "You really are a bunch of ignorant fools. I’ve already told you that this guy’s strength is far beyond anything you can imagine. If you don’t deal with him fast, then if you drag it out any longer, even without me lifting a finger, you’ll end up dying here."

"Kid." The Spirit Devouring Beast’s gaze had already locked onto Wang Zhan as he spoke blandly, "You have Poseidon’s Trident and Crystal Armor in your hands. That’s a pretty decent temptation for me. I’m tempted to keep you by my side as well, let your strength skyrocket just like your friend’s. But you can relax—I’ll say it again. In the future, I’ll take you all back onto the Star War Battlefield. As long as your loyalty is firm enough, I’ll grant you supreme honor and let you enjoy everyone’s respect!"

It was obvious that the Spirit Devouring Beast had great confidence in his own means. He kept waiting for Wang Zhan’s response, clearly valuing him a lot.

But even so, Wang Zhan’s fists were still clenched tight. How could he possibly sell his soul for glory?

Besides, Xiang Tian had already become like this, and all of it was because of the Spirit Devouring Beast. No matter the reason, Wang Zhan would never let this thing off easy.

With that thought, Wang Zhan tightened his grip again. Poseidon’s Trident in his hand rose high as he charged at full speed toward the Spirit Devouring Beast in the sky. If he didn’t want to keep suffering, then he might as well go all out against the Spirit Devouring Beast. Even if he wasn’t its match, at worst, he’d just die.

To Wang Zhan, that wasn’t much. He still had so many comrades beside him; even on the road to the Netherworld, he wouldn’t be alone.

The Spirit Devouring Beast had already noticed Wang Zhan’s move. He shook his head with utter disdain and spoke blandly, "You really are an ignorant fool. Your strength is what it is, and the gap between you and me is far more than just a little. What you’re doing now is no different from playing with fire and burning yourself. But since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t waste any more time on you. Next, it’s time for you to face judgment!"

Just as Poseidon’s Trident in Wang Zhan’s hand was about to clash with the Spirit Devouring Beast, a figure suddenly flashed to the front of Wang Zhan, blocking his path completely. In a cold voice, that figure said, "You’re not his match at all. In his hands you don’t even have the chance to fight back. So let me handle things here. I’ve already made up my mind, and I believe that with my strength, I can at least block him for a while. I don’t know what the final outcome will be, but as long as you hurry and get out of here, I’ll be at peace."

It was clear the Hexagonal Golden Snake had re-set his resolve. He was clearly prepared to use his own life to escort Wang Zhan and the others out.

Wang Zhan frowned and said, "How could that be okay? We’re all one unit. I absolutely cannot just watch you facing danger here alone!"