Chapter 13 From Behind
As Qi Guanzhi's voice announced, "The trial begins," the entire barrier platform fell into a deathly silence.
All the Yellow Bone Disciples were on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.
They were all around ten years old; though they harbored Killing Intent, most were encountering life and death for the first time.
For a moment, no one dared to make a move.
They scattered and fled, yet dared not go too far, choosing instead to huddle in their respective corners, nervously on guard, observing each other.
The air was so heavy it seemed to solidify; everyone held their breath, waiting only for the first drop of blood to be shed.
Lu Li remained silently at the edge of the arena, gripping the long sword in his hand.
Behind him, the small, thin girl stayed within three paces of him, cautiously speaking:
"Brother, my name is Wang Meng… What's your name?"
Lu Li responded in a low voice:
"Lu Li."
After speaking, he said no more, his gaze sweeping the entire arena like a knife.
He wasn't being cold; he simply understood—now was not the time for words.
The silence lasted for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Finally, a startled cry erupted from somewhere in the arena.
Immediately following—screams exploded!
Several larger youths directly pounced on a lone, weaker child; weapons sliced through the air, long swords cut throats, iron whips smashed backs, blood splattered, and the screams abruptly ceased.
The first corpse fell, blood flowing onto the stone ground.
The extremely tense atmosphere finally shattered completely!
Just like a large stone thrown into still water, the entire trial ground instantly descended into chaos.
More strong youths no longer hesitated, beginning to hunt down the weaker ones.
In just a moment, screams echoed continuously, and cries never ceased.
"Please, I give up, I don't want to fight anymore!"
A small, thin youth knelt on the ground, his voice tearing as he cried, kowtowing towards the high platform to beg for mercy.
But no one around paid him any attention.
Those Yellow-Clad Disciples stood coldly outside the barrier, completely still.
Qi Guanzhi stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.
—The trial had begun; life and death were irrelevant.
Before the youth could even stand up, a shadow suddenly flashed behind him.
"Pfft."
A short blade pierced his back, blood splattering.
His eyes were filled with unwillingness and fear as he fell straight down, dying with his eyes wide open.
The attacker quickly withdrew the blade, turned, and fled, his movements swift and decisive, clearly well-prepared.
Killing Intent intensified in the arena, and the smell of blood permeated the air.
Stone Wasteland still stood in the very center, his long spear in hand, unmoving.
But within three zhang around him, no one dared to step half a pace.
Suddenly—
From a certain battle, a dazzling golden light erupted!
"Whoosh!"
A short sword struck a youth's shoulder, actually producing the sound of metal clashing, sparks flying, unable to harm him in the slightest!
"There's a talisman!"
"He's using a protective talisman!"
Amidst the crowd's exclamations, the youth, stepping on golden radiance, turned and struck, knocking his opponent to the ground instead. Someone recognized it as a body-protecting talisman, capable of temporarily immunizing against physical attacks.
Lu Li's pupils contracted slightly.
Only the rich or powerful could entrust such talismans to children. They must be descendants of immortal cultivation families!
The battle continued, and so did the chaos.
More and more children began to flee in panic, and people constantly activated the protective talismans they carried.
Shields of light and Qi barriers shimmered around them, some even deflecting enemies' weapons.
Defensive spell talismans, as expected, played their part.
Someone was shouting: "This isn't fair! They have immortal talismans!"
Others desperately tried to get close to those noble children who could protect themselves, attempting to beg for an alliance, but were coldly pushed away.
—All of this, Qi Guanzhi outside the arena ignored.
—Not a single Yellow-Clad Disciple in the air made a move.
They watched coldly, like observing a sand sifting, neither participating nor pitying.
Until—
Finally, someone broke that invisible boundary.
A youth was forced into a corner, and in his panic, he suddenly pulled out a crimson talisman from his bosom, shouting urgently:
"Exploding Flame Art, unleash—!"
"Boom!"
A scorching fireball flew out from the talisman paper, like a collapsing mountain, directly smashing into the child who was chasing him!
The latter had no time to dodge, didn't even make a sound, and was swallowed by the fireball, dying on the spot, his flesh charred black, a horrifying sight.
In an instant, the arena fell silent.
Everyone around stopped their movements, staring blankly at the rising smoke.
And the youth who used the fire talisman had not yet fully breathed a sigh of relief—
"Swish!"
A cold light suddenly descended from the sky!
A sword shadow fell from above, piercing through the heart like a ghost!
The youth's eyes widened; he didn't even have time to struggle, directly pierced through the forehead by a sword, dying on the spot.
"Thud."
The corpse hit the ground, and a pool of blood slowly stained the broken stone surface.
At this moment, Qi Guanzhi's voice slowly sounded:
"—Shield-type talismans are permitted."
"Lethal-type talismans are forbidden."
"Violators will be executed without mercy."
As his words fell, like a cold wind cutting a throat, no one in the arena dared to use any more spells.
The rules, finally, became truly clear.
Lu Li's heart sank.
This Illusion Immortal Sect—never lacked a bottom line. And never showed mercy.
They gave the rich children a chance to save their lives, but not the power to slaughter indiscriminately.
Not for justice, but for rules.
And at this moment, he could only understand one thing more clearly:
"The weak here don't even have the right to scream."
He looked down at Wang Meng beside him; she was biting her lip tightly, her face pale, but she said nothing.
Lu Li quietly tightened his grip on his long sword, his gaze slightly heavy.
At this moment, two blood-stained figures were closing in on him: a boy and a girl.
The boy was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, his face splattered with un-dried blood, his eyes red;
The girl was slightly shorter, but her eyes were dark and sinister, and the dagger in her hand was stained with residual hair, clearly indicating they had both killed before.
Their eyes were burning, like wolves sniffing out a lone rabbit.
The boy grinned, his voice hoarse with a hint of madness:
"Don't blame us, only two hundred people can live."
"Weak and thin ones like you… if we don't kill you, someone else will eventually."
He finished speaking, and without waiting for a response, suddenly let out a strange cry and lunged at Lu Li!
He held a heavy long sword, smashing it down. Though without technique, it was powerful and heavy, the sword wind tearing through the air.
Lu Li raised his sword with both hands to block, feeling a jolt in his tiger's mouth, his body retreating three steps!
His face changed slightly; this sword was too heavy, he couldn't possibly defend himself, only passively parry.
The opponent had clearly trained his strength, and had killed before, striking with genuine Killing Intent from the start.
Wang Meng gasped from behind, wanting to get closer but not daring to step forward.
Lu Li gritted his teeth, forcing himself to hold the sword horizontally to block.
But just then—
In his bosom, that cold bone fragment suddenly became slightly warm again. As if sensing the aura of battle, it began to pulse gently.
"Hiss…"
A faint power, like warm water, spread from his chest to his arms.
It wasn't a drastic enhancement, but a kind of baseline support that allowed him to barely maintain his "overwhelmed situation."
His strength hadn't changed, his sword strikes were still weak, but he was no longer unable to even stand steady.
His eyes also gradually cleared.
This power had also appeared when he climbed down Demon Head Mountain alone; when he was almost exhausted, it didn't give him great strength, but slowly restored his physical energy and enhanced his endurance.
With the help of this warm current, he relied on his agile movements, constantly retreating and dodging.
When the opponent struck with a sword, he would slide a step to the side; with another sword, he would duck and roll to evade.
His movements weren't graceful, but they were extremely precise.
The boy grew more and more agitated, sweat streaming down his face, finally roaring:
"Do you only know how to hide? You stinking rat!"
Lu Li said nothing, only stared at him coldly, his gaze like a knife.
Just then, the boy suddenly shouted loudly:
"Lin Yue! What are you waiting for! Come on together! Kill him!"
The girl heard him and quietly closed in from the other side.
The dagger in her hand gleamed with cold sharpness, and a hint of pleasure appeared in her eyes.
The two, one in front and one behind, with a long sword and a short blade, Killing Intent rose all around, and a true encirclement began.
He only had one long sword, and his body was thin and weak; he simply couldn't withstand the continuous attacks from two people.
This, perhaps, was his first death trap.
Lu Li gritted his teeth and held on, his sword movements already chaotic.
In front, the boy swung his sword like the wind, his body heavy and fierce;
To the side, Lin Yue had already closed in, the cold glint of her short dagger in his sight.
And behind him, Wang Meng stayed tightly pressed against him, retreating step by step, as if avoiding, and also as if hiding.
"Brother Lu Li, be careful!" Her voice was tearful, as weak as ever.
Lu Li had no time to pay attention to her.
He knew that in this situation, he could only fight head-on.
His knuckles gripping the sword were white, cold sweat poured down his body, yet he showed no hesitation.
Just then—
"Swish!"
A sharp, cold sensation, but it didn't come from in front of him.
—It came from behind him.
Lu Li's eyes suddenly widened.
His abdomen felt cold, and a burning pain instantly surged out.
He looked down—
A short sword was piercing into his side, through flesh and blood, almost severing his internal organs.
The hand holding the blade—
Small, pale, trembling, yet extremely forceful.
Wang Meng.
Her eyes were still timid, but within that timidity, there was a viciousness born of utter desperation.
"…Wang Meng?" Lu Li's voice was low and hoarse, his pupils constricted, filled with disbelief.
He hadn't thought about death, but he had never imagined being stabbed by the person behind him.
Wang Meng said in a trembling voice:
"I'm sorry, Brother Lu Li…"
"Lin Yue promised me that if I killed one person, she would let me join her team."
"I don't want to die… I… I really don't want to die…"
Tears glittered in her eyes, yet she pulled out the short sword with ruthless force.
"You can rest in peace."
"I… I will live well."
Lu Li staggered back two steps, his face pale, his fingers stained with blood as he pressed them to the wound.
He finally understood.
This trial, from the very beginning, was not a "humanity forging ground," but a living creature's poison testing pool.
—All emotions, pity, kindness, were just a piece of cloth before death.
And Wang Meng's blade was the "thank you gift" that taught him his first lesson.
At the edge of the arena, Lin Yue walked over with a sneer: "Not bad, little girl, you really have guts."
She stepped closer, and the two completely surrounded Lu Li.
At this moment, Qiu Yue's voice finally sounded in his Sea of Consciousness—
Lazy, with mockery and playfulness:
"Did you think that 'little weakling' you protected was truly harmless?"
"Heh. Immortal Sects, after all, have few clean ones."
Lu Li slowly raised his head, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
In his eyes, that trace of innocent belief quietly shattered.