Chapter Thirty-Three: Life and Death
The underground metal corridors were repeatedly breached by the Abyss Blade Demons, who launched fierce assaults again and again on the small squad. Blood sprayed through the air. At that moment, Desly acted as a healer. Whenever Olivia, Tuli Lei, or others sustained severe injuries, Desly would immediately rush to heal them.
Occasionally, Desly would also launch mental attacks.
The battle was brutal!
*Swoosh—*
The air seemed to tear apart. The blood-red long blade transformed into a blood-red blade flash that streaked across the void, instantly appearing before Lin Lei.
The Dragon Blood Warrior 'Lin Lei,' wielding the Heavy Black Jade Sword in one hand and the Purple Blood Soft Sword in the other, let out a furious grunt. The Heavy Black Jade Sword swung seemingly slow but actually swift, light as a feather, to meet the incoming blood-red long blade. *Clang!* Lin Lei felt as if a massive mountain had slammed into his body.
*Pfft!* He couldn't suppress the blood, and it sprayed directly from his mouth.
The dragon scales on his right hand gripping the Heavy Black Jade Sword cracked open from the impact, and blood flowed. But immediately after, Lin Lei's injuries healed at an astonishing speed. Lin Lei himself paid little attention to such wounds.
"Hmm?" Lin Lei kept his attention fixed on the reaction of the red Abyss Blade Demon leader.
His strike just now was the strongest blow of the 'Earth's Profound Meaning,' the same one that had slain the Flame King.
The red Abyss Blade Demon leader trembled slightly, like a vibrating steel wire, and a thread of golden blood seeped from the corner of its mouth.
"You really are powerful," the red Abyss Blade Demon leader said, staring coldly at Lin Lei.
Lin Lei was inwardly alarmed. *As expected of the Abyss Blade Demon leader. His body is much tougher than ordinary Abyss Blade Demons. Taking my full-powered strike and not being shattered to pieces—he, as a metallic creature, indeed possesses physical qualities far superior to humans.*
"Roar~~" The red Abyss Blade Demon leader's eyes blazed like flames. He gripped the blood-red long blade with both hands.
The two figures flew at extreme speed through the underground corridor, facing off against each other.
"Regardless, I must kill him this time," Lin Lei resolved inwardly.
The air emitted a piercing shriek as Lin Lei and the red Abyss Blade Demon leader charged at each other once more. This time, Lin Lei attacked primarily with the 'Purple Blood Soft Sword.' In an instant, countless eerie purple sword shadows spun into the air, like countless roots shooting from a queen mother insect.
Space froze for a moment, and the red Abyss Blade Demon leader felt his flight speed suddenly plummet.
"Hmph." A hint of blood-red appeared in Lin Lei's eyes.
The extremely refined mental power directly activated the killing intent within the 'Purple Blood Soft Sword.' This was the first time Lin Lei had activated the killing intent within the Purple Blood Soft Sword since reaching the Saint-Magister realm. This burst of killing intent was even more violent and fierce than before! Visible, almost solid, blood-red killing intent surged directly toward the red Abyss Blade Demon leader.
"Ahhh!"
The red Abyss Blade Demon leader felt as if he were suddenly facing a supreme demon from the Abyss Plane. That soul-deep trembling made his originally resolute strike falter.
"But..." Unfortunately, this killing intent was merely residual within the Purple Blood Soft Sword, not the original owner manifesting in person. The red Abyss Blade Demon leader snapped back to his senses instantly. But by the time he recovered, all he saw were a pair of crimson eyes and a streak of purple sword light.
"Die!"
At this moment, the countless sword shadows had coalesced into a single streak of purple sword light. The Abyss Blade Demon leader, affected by the killing intent, had already raised his long blade to block, because this streak of sword light was already upon him.
*Pfft!*
The sword light sliced directly across the red Abyss Blade Demon leader's neck. A metallic head flew into the air, its eyes still filled with disbelief and horror. Immediately after, the lifeless body of the red Abyss Blade Demon leader plummeted downwards.
No matter how powerful the red Abyss Blade Demon was, he hadn't reached the god level, and he didn't possess a Life Source Pearl. Once beheaded, he died within seconds.
The offensive of the surrounding Abyss Blade Demons instantly stalled.
Every Abyss Blade Demon stared in disbelief at the scene. Meanwhile, the disheveled Fa En, Desly, and Olivia were surprised by the sudden cessation of the attacks. They then realized... Lin Lei had killed the red Abyss Blade Demon leader.
"Quick, go!" Lin Lei's voice boomed in their minds like thunder.
Fa En, Desly, and the others immediately snapped out of their shock and fled at high speed through the underground passages.
High in the sky, countless Abyss Blade Demons flew, led by two slender red Abyss Blade Demon leaders. They had already received reports from their subordinates.
"Shuler is actually dead," said the red Abyss Blade Demon leader on the left, his tone filled with disbelief.
"It's that dragonman," said the red Abyss Blade Demon leader on the right, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Back in the canyon, that dragonman was the most conspicuous. He likely has a Life Source Pearl within his body. Our children have grievously wounded him multiple times, yet he recovers instantly."
"The main problem is that they're underground, which complicates things," the left Abyss Blade Demon leader said, shaking his head.
"Down there, our line of sight is completely blocked, and our children's mental power can only detect a distance of a few meters at most. In such fierce combat, that's useless," the right Abyss Blade Demon leader said. "The underground corridors are only so wide. The number of our children who can engage them simultaneously is limited to about a dozen."
Although many Abyss Blade Demons could advance underground...
Visibility was obstructed, and Lin Lei's group was fleeing at maximum speed. The number of Abyss Blade Demons that could besiege them at any one time was limited.
"Send one tribe's children to harass them. We must maintain constant awareness of their location," the left Abyss Blade Demon leader said coldly. "Whether they want to retrieve the divine spark or return to the tenth layer, they must eventually surface. Once they do..."
The right Abyss Blade Demon leader's eyes also held a glint of cold intent.
"Quick, quick!" Lin Lei and the other experts were extremely anxious.
In the underground corridors, the walls beside them were repeatedly pierced, and swarms of Abyss Blade Demons burst through.
"Fortunately, we're underground. If this were on the surface..."
From every direction, countless Abyss Blade Demons would surge in. Just imagining that terrifying scene made Lin Lei's heart tremble. Back at the canyon entrance, just a dozen or so Abyss Blade Demons attacking together had sent him flying. Without the Life Source Pearl, he would likely have died long ago.
Although Lin Lei and his group's mental power coverage was limited...
Having reached the Saint Realm, their ability to mentally simulate scenarios was exceptionally strong. For example, Lin Lei could deduce the 'Earth's Profound Meaning.' And in the mind of every expert in their group, the location of the passage leading back to the tenth layer was clearly mapped out. They could also calculate their current position based on their flight speed.
In this way, navigating back to that passage entrance underground wasn't difficult. Even with deviations, they would be within a kilometer.
"Hold on a little longer, everyone. We're almost at the passage entrance," the voice of the giant black-armored scorpion resonated through everyone's minds.