Chapter 149: The Elite Battlefield

At the East City gate, some peered anxiously while others hurried over upon hearing the news. Wei Cheng stood firm, indifferent to profession or strength—anyone willing to follow was welcome without exception.

By the time Duan Jianghai arrived with his group, their numbers nearly reached a hundred, mostly new trial participants. After all, seasoned trialists were either secluded in meditation or busy grinding maps; who cared to take on mundane professions?

Wei Cheng wasted no time. Five minutes after the signal, he drew out the talisman map, placing it prominently. With a single golden dragon coin, he activated it, allowing anyone to enter within three minutes.

Likewise, Wei Cheng could return by the same means, each use costing one golden dragon coin.

This method was crudely etched into the ground by his barbaric short sword, hoping that once Zhou Wu and the others finished their seclusion, elite squads would be sent.

Li Ying had said that regardless of Wei Cheng’s return, the talisman map would self-destruct after twenty days. Without it, the teleportation array would vanish.

“Everyone, follow me!” Wei Cheng shouted, leading the way. Close behind were Tang Xiaojun, Lü Dongxin, and Duan Jianghai’s group.

In the next instant, the scene of the underground demon lair reappeared before him. Bai Han, Liu Sui, Chen Ce, Tang Yuanshan—all were present, unchanged.

However, the protective shield concealing their presence outside could not hold much longer.

According to Li Ying, the shield’s duration was only the length of an incense stick; ten minutes had already passed.

“Brother Wei, what’s going on?” Bai Han approached quietly, puzzled why only new trialists had come, and where were Qin Douzi and Zhou Wu? Why was Tang Xiaojun the only experienced trialist?

“No more questions. Prepare for battle. We’ll secure this place as a foothold,” Wei Cheng raised his hand to silence them, then turned to the newcomers: “This is the battlefield. My words are orders. Be aware.”

“Now, regroup. Ten per team. Priority for professions: five Mountain Movers, three Spirit Swallows, two Purple Dusk.”

As he spoke, Wei Cheng swiftly tapped his fingers, selecting four Mountain Movers, three Spirit Swallows, and two Purple Dusk from the newcomers.

“Old Tang, you lead this team.”

“Yu Liang, Lao Mei, Tang Xiaojun, each of you lead one.”

In mere moments, Wei Cheng had formed four teams—among the finest and most malleable, mostly at six Jiazi cultivation, with a few at seven, none yet fully fine-tuned.

Indeed, this reorganization demanded all teams be fine-tuned with no compromise.

The remaining trialists were sorted by profession but without strict adherence, as there weren’t enough Mountain Movers left.

The leftover squads often consisted of two Mountain Movers, four Spirit Swallows, and four Purple Dusk—or even one Mountain Mover with five Spirit Swallows and four Purple Dusk.

“Old Bai, after the battle begins, you command. Each team must remember its number. You may be afraid, but don’t panic, don’t scatter, don’t flee. Although newcomers, you’ve faced multiple battles. Basic battlefield knowledge is a must.”

“Now, beginning a five-second countdown.”

Wei Cheng raised five fingers calmly. Not only he, but Bai Han, Tang Yuanshan, Liu Sui, Chen Ce, Xu Shan, Yu Liang, and Lao Mei all maintained a composed demeanor.

What was this small skirmish? They had faced far greater challenges.

Meanwhile, Duan Jianghai, who had been carefree and joking with Wei Cheng before in the northern city of Cangwu, nervously stared at the sky. Over four hundred blazing firebirds circled incessantly above, and regret gnawed at him.

He had once battled alongside Qin Douzi against the mist demon boss and considered himself strong, but now he realized how insignificant he truly was.

One by one, Wei Cheng’s fingers fell—the countdown was also their agreed-upon deployment order.

Outside, over ten thousand antlered demon beasts showed no sign of retreat, prowling everywhere. Some held advantageous positions, gathering massive fireballs, ready for long-range bombardment, showing no mercy even to their own kind.

In the sky, the blazing firebirds divided into five or six waves, constantly circling and adjusting to strike in a swift dive.

This was a death trap for those stepping out.

At least, that was how the new trialists saw it.

“Go!”

As Wei Cheng’s fifth finger dropped, Liu Sui, who had seemed ordinary moments before, suddenly radiated intense purple energy. A Purple Dusk illusion spread rapidly, and a shield erupted. What others saw was not a man but a purple dragon soaring to sea.

Without hesitation, a massive dragon claw descended from the sky, extinguishing all in its path.

Over a thousand antlered demon beasts were annihilated instantly.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Ce streaked like a demon wind hundreds of meters away, using Liu Sui’s massive attack as cover to strike a high ground five hundred meters distant. There, over five hundred antlered demon beasts had gathered, charging fireballs for long-range strikes.

They had to be eliminated.

Liu Sui’s ultimate move was essentially a diversion for Chen Ce.

It proved highly effective.

As a top-tier Spirit Swallow, Chen Ce charged with tremendous speed. Combining Spirit Swallow internal force, he was like a gust of wind rushing by.

When the dragon’s roar echoed behind and Liu Sui’s ultimate landed, Chen Ce had already crossed the ridge. His red-blood curved blade flashed ten strikes, instantly killing ten antlered demons. Their fireballs lost control, exploding violently, triggering even larger chain reactions.

In the blink of an eye, the greatest threat was neutralized.

But barely a second later, fierce wind whirled high above. Two waves of blazing firebirds locked onto Liu Sui, diving from different angles to kill him at all costs.

Yet this was a tactic Wei Cheng, Bai Han, and their team often used—taunting enemies.

Liu Sui was not a tank, but he was the most dazzling and flashy warrior on the field. After previous battles, they figured out that no one was better than Liu Sui to draw aggro.

Mountain Movers played their roles steadily, maintaining hate value.

Spirit Swallows were low-key, especially the high-tier ones, hardly attracting notice.

Only Purple Dusk overflowed with hate.

So all tactics revolved around Liu Sui.

Chen Ce would strike, covered by Liu Sui’s distraction.

The sky’s blazing firebirds were tough to handle, so Liu Sui was the lure.

Simple.

Amidst swirling sand and roaring winds, no one noticed Wei Cheng had already switched to Spirit Swallow form, landing fifty meters from Liu Sui.

Touching down, he switched back to Mountain Mover. Even as the first wave of blazing firebirds dove less than a hundred meters above ground, he remained composed.

Golden talisman symbols flashed in his eyes as a perfect, ultimate-form immovable golden bell, fifty meters in diameter, materialized, encasing Liu Sui.

This was Wei Cheng’s immovable golden bell—undaunted by over a hundred blazing firebirds diving fiercely.

Next moment, deafening crashes rang continuously. The grand bell’s resonant sound carried for miles.

More than a hundred blazing firebirds collided headlong into the bell, unprepared.

Who expected a golden bell to appear?

As rulers of the sky, even their strong defenses had limits. At such dive speed, impact meant instant shattering.

Over a hundred blazing firebirds perished instantly, while the golden bell cracked but Wei Cheng, nearby, never lowered his hands. With abundant Mountain Mover internal force at his call, he restored it in the blink of an eye.

Inside the bell, Liu Sui pulled out a jar of Wild Sunfire Wine, drinking greedily. In moments, he would again become the battlefield’s brightest star.

—

“Caw! Caw!”

The second wave of blazing firebirds dove from another angle, only seconds behind the first. They quickly adjusted direction to pull up, avoiding the deadly impact.

But escaping was harder than coming.

Wei Cheng’s tactics unfolded flawlessly, each member clear on their role and objective.

So when over a hundred blazing firebirds struggled to ascend, they faced Chen Ce, who had climbed hundreds of meters using the Cloud Ladder talisman, leveraging the Spirit Swallow’s low presence.

This time, he stood above.

He harnessed Spirit Swallow internal force; the giant Spirit Swallow illusion appeared.

Chen Ce’s speed surged, truly like a swallow, chasing and slashing mercilessly.

His entry points and directions were premeditated, so despite the firebirds’ strength, none could attack him from above.

Instead, Chen Ce used their momentum against them, killing precisely.

When the hundred-plus blazing firebirds finally left the area, Chen Ce had slain over a dozen. As they neared escape, he activated his mid-grade artifact, the red-blood curved blade, striking down targets from afar, one cut per bird.

When his Spirit Swallow internal force waned, he dove sharply. Just before landing, a Cloud Ladder talisman sprang beneath his feet, bouncing him horizontally over ten meters, landing easily and unscathed.

Almost simultaneously, another immovable golden bell closed over him.

The team’s second Mountain Mover, Bai Han, had been watching closely.

Within five seconds, the battlefield turned dramatically.

The new trialists gaped in disbelief, barely recovering from terror and despair. Damn, victory was already in sight?

So this was what high-level battle felt like!

But the roars of Tang Yuanshan, Yu Liang, and Lao Mei shattered their awe. The veterans cleared the way; now it was the newcomers’ turn to clean up.

“First team, charge with me!”

“Second team, follow me!”

…

(End of chapter)