The night was cool as water.
The cold wind howled through the deep of night. The escort team that had originally been on Suttler's side had already been killed in the brief time that had just passed, and now on his side, only Suttler himself remained.
On Lin Lei's side, there were Lin Lei, Bei Bei, Hei Lu, Cesar, and the five Burch brothers.
On the other side, there was only Suttler alone.
Yet at this moment, Lin Lei and his group were unquestionably the weaker side, and even fleeing would be extremely difficult.
"Gravity Technique acts on the ground surface. The farther from the ground, the weaker the gravitational pull." Lin Lei knew this clearly. When a Saint Realm powerhouse flew dozens of meters high, they would probably barely feel the gravitational force at all.
At this moment, Suttler hovered in midair, roughly ten meters above the ground.
"Even if he's still affected by gravity, it's probably only about twice normal." Lin Lei's mind raced, trying to figure out how to save their lives.
Cesar whispered, "Lin Lei, a Saint Realm powerhouse can fly, and like flying-type magical beasts, their straight-line speed is extremely fast. But their speed when maneuvering and shifting within a small area is only about one or two times faster than a ninth-level powerhouse."
The reasoning was simple.
It was like a person running. Running in a straight line was naturally fast. But if you were made to dart left, then suddenly right, then reverse direction again, your speed would be lucky to reach a third of your straight-line speed.
Lin Lei understood this reasoning but hadn't paid attention to it at first. Now that he thought about it, inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.
"What? Thinking of putting up a fight?" Suttler held his longsword, its blade smeared with green blood.
"Bei Bei, Hei Lu, don't step outside the range of the Gravity Technique." Lin Lei's dark golden pupils coldly fixed on Suttler in the air. "A Saint Realm powerhouse is powerful, but he's a warrior — he can't cancel out the effects of the Gravity Technique. He can stay airborne if he wants, but once he comes to the ground, his speed will definitely drop by two or three times. Then he won't be faster than me, and he won't be faster than any of you."
Bei Bei and Hei Lu both let out low growls upon hearing this.
But Cesar's brows furrowed — his speed was nothing impressive.
"Let us fight. We five brothers won't hold you back, benefactor." The five Burch brothers shouted out one after another, their muscles bulging across their entire bodies, emanating an aura almost as terrifying as that of monstrous beasts.
Lin Lei gripped the Blackjade Heavy Sword and looked up at Suttler in the air. "Don't be reckless."
Above, Suttler was in no hurry to strike, watching the scene with cold indifference. As a peak Saint Realm powerhouse, how could he possibly have no way to deal with people below the Saint Realm?
"Speed?"
Suttler's piercing gaze swept coldly over Lin Lei. "Your trick might work against someone who just entered the Saint Realm, but unfortunately… I've been in the Saint Realm for several hundred years. Boy, the Saint Realm isn't as simple as you imagine. The Saint Realm isn't merely about raw power — it's a realm of comprehension."
Lin Lei stood before everyone with his sword, coldly facing Suttler.
He had no other option. Before a Saint Realm powerhouse's speed, there was nowhere to run. He could only stand within the range of the Gravity Technique to have even a sliver of hope.
"Whoosh!"
Suttler shot toward Lin Lei like an arrow released from a bow. His black robe billowed in the wind, and at the same time, his longsword — gleaming with a metallic sheen — slashed diagonally toward Lin Lei at an ordinary speed.
As the sword struck, cold qi pervaded the entire courtyard.
Lin Lei felt as though he had instantly been transported into a world of ice and snow. The frigid aura completely engulfed him, while the surrounding space was instantly locked and frozen solid. The longsword moved at an ordinary speed, yet carried an unstoppable momentum as it cleaved toward Lin Lei.
The realm of Force!
"Hmph." Lin Lei's Blackjade Heavy Sword moved with agonizing slowness, yet at a constant speed.
A gleam flashed in Suttler's eyes.
"Whoosh." His frigid longsword suddenly tore through space, its speed instantly increasing tenfold, reaching Lin Lei's face in the blink of an eye.
Lin Lei's Blackjade Heavy Sword moved like a fish in water, softly intercepting the freezing blade.
One fast, one slow.
Yet they collided in a bizarre, inevitable manner.
"Hummm~" There was no other sound. The collision between the Blackjade Heavy Sword and the frigid longsword merely caused a vibration in the air, while Lin Lei's dark golden pupils remained locked on his opponent.
The Profound Truth of Earth — Triple Wave!
Suttler felt only a bizarre wave of force ripple through him, as if three devastating strikes had hammered directly into his heart.
"Boom!"
A terrifying sound erupted outward with Suttler at its epicenter. The silver-white Battle Qi seemed to go berserk, exploding from Suttler's body in every direction without any pattern. Each strand of silver-white Battle Qi shot through the surrounding courtyard like a piercing arrow.
"Watch out!" Lin Lei roared. The Dragon Blood Battle Qi within his body erupted immediately as he desperately tried to block the scattering silver-white Battle Qi, protecting the five Burch brothers behind him. But even so, he couldn't shield all five completely — several strands of silver-white Battle Qi still pierced into them. "Whoosh!" Dozens of bloody cuts appeared across their bodies, yet the five brothers endured it.
"Remarkable defense." Lin Lei marveled inwardly.
Fortunately, Suttler's Battle Qi explosion had been unintentional and had dispersed in every direction, which was why the five Burch brothers hadn't been killed — though they were still covered in wounds and streaked with blood.
As for Cesar, a knight in black armor wielding a long spear now stood before him. This was none other than the Black Knight Captain — one of the three peak ninth-level undead under Cesar's command.
"Boom!"
The courtyard walls crumbled and collapsed around them. Even some nearby residences were affected, and several people were killed outright by the scattered Saint Realm Battle Qi.
"Ah!"
"Help!"
Panicked cries from the surrounding residents erupted immediately. The explosive sounds had also awakened many people throughout Deko County's city. Neighbors scrambled to flee their homes.
Lin Lei and his group, however, watched Suttler in the air with grave expressions.
A thin trace of blood appeared at the corner of Suttler's lips. He wiped it away, then looked at Lin Lei with shock, and finally exclaimed, "Lin Lei, I didn't expect your level of comprehension to have surpassed the level of communing with heaven and earth. Impressive, truly impressive."
Communing with heaven and earth — the realm of Force — was the level at which ordinary Saint Realm powerhouses operated.
"To take my blow without any defense and come away without serious injury." Lin Lei's heart went cold.
Suttler looked straight at Lin Lei and sighed. "Lin Lei, I feel sorry for you. The level of comprehension you've now attained is not much different from that of an ordinary peak Saint Realm powerhouse. Most people are stuck at the peak of the ninth level, unable to break into the Saint Realm, precisely because their comprehension isn't sufficient. But you're the opposite… Your comprehension is remarkably high, yet your Battle Qi is far from enough."