Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Fierce Battle (Part One)

Sinclair and Meng Qi left decisively, without a trace of hesitation.
Ye Ran stretched out his hand to stop them, but let it fall again.

“Yunmeng, why are they leaving with such… determination?”
Originally, Ye Ran thought he understood these two, for their pasts were much like his own.
But now he realized similarity was only that—similarity. They were, in truth, wholly different kinds of people.
Ye Ran had risked his life before, but only when pushed to desperation.
Yet Sinclair and Meng Qi clearly had loftier reasons for their actions.

“Ye Ran, don’t you think their backs resemble yours?” Yunmeng asked.
Ye Ran nodded slightly. “Only in appearance.”

Yunmeng continued, “Sinclair and Meng Qi come from humble origins. At Shali Academy, they might as well be from impoverished backgrounds.”
She glanced at Ye Ran. “You must know what it feels like—being out of place among those around you, unable to gain recognition no matter how hard you try.”
Ye Ran nodded again, for he knew that feeling all too well.

“So, they want to prove themselves,” said Yunmeng.

That was the difference between them and Ye Ran.
Ye Ran fought for survival; they fought to achieve their worth.
There are always things that make one willing to risk their life without regret.

“Let’s go in as well,” Ye Ran decided after some thought. Without Sinclair and Meng Qi, their strength was diminished, but many of the giant monsters on this level had already been eliminated, and remaining here was pointless.

Ye Ran looked back at Yunmeng, wanting to say something, but the words never left his lips. He turned and ran toward the passage on the right, with Alisa and Yunmeng close behind.

Thunderous sounds and constant roaring echoed from within the passage. As they reached the entrance, a tongue of flame shot out. Yunmeng loosed an arrow; a stream of water streaked through the air like a meteor, colliding with the fire. A hissing erupted overhead, and though the flames did not vanish, their intensity abated considerably.

Ye Ran swept his hand, summoning gusts to draw the remaining flames aside, then hurried to the mouth of the cave.
He peered inside—things had changed. Where sand once teemed with metal-eating ants, patches of soil now emerged, and spider webs clung to stone walls and corners. Giant ants and monstrous spiders crowded together.

The spiders here were all enormous, each as tall as a knee, their eight legs barbed, their bodies vivid and multicolored.
The sight of a single such spider would chill most people's hearts.
Now, Ye Ran and the others saw thousands—colorful, writhing, hissing spiders mingled with the ants, forming a terrifying tableau.

Waves of scorching fire swept through the air. The flames on the fire mouse were now a blazing red, and the Hidden Dragon battled it with water magic. Wherever they fought, monsters and students alike suffered; the fire mouse’s flames could reduce them to ash with ease.

Zhang Mu of the Palace of Strength and the Green Giant Lizard fought head-to-head, force against force. Zhang Mu, though seemingly at a disadvantage in size, managed to pin the Green Giant Lizard in the eastern corner.

The team from Redleaf Academy had retreated to the southwest corner, keeping far from Hidden Dragon and Zhang Mu, wary of being caught in the crossfire.
They pressed against the stone walls, advancing and defending in turn.

By contrast, Meng Qi and Sinclair were much worse off. Their abilities weren’t outstanding, they couldn’t form a solid formation, and they refused to approach the Redleaf Academy group. As soon as they entered, they looked awkward and vulnerable. Even after withdrawing to the northwest corner, they struggled to defend themselves.

A mutated spider had appeared earlier, but they failed to defeat it. They could only watch as Du Yu, under cover of his teammates, slew the spider and claimed a black dagger, feeling envious but powerless.

Just then, Ye Ran and his companions leapt into action. Four streams of water shot out in all directions, southeast, northwest, northeast, southwest. The pressure on Sinclair and Meng Qi eased at once.

“Brother Ye, Sister Yun…”
Their arrival was a timely relief, warming Sinclair and Meng Qi’s hearts.

Ye Ran waved his hand. “Sinclair, Alisa, let's form a wedge first. The rest can wait.”
He dispatched a spider and an ant with a swift strike, then surveyed the field, suspicion rising in his mind.

This level should have belonged to the giant rat monsters, but not a single rat was present.
There were passages to the left and right; Ye Ran knew the left led to the third level, but now a giant blue barrier sealed it.

The barrier emitted thunderous impacts, as if some tremendous force was crashing against it.
A terrifying sonic wave emanated faintly from within, sharp and piercing.

The Green Giant Lizard howled skyward, responding to the sonic wave, and Ye Ran and his companions felt dizzy and disoriented.

“Damn humans, what tricks are you playing?”
The Green Giant Lizard was clearly enraged, its massive claws thundered down upon Zhang Mu, sending a gust of wind, but Zhang Mu stood his ground. His fist, barely a fifth the size of the lizard’s claw, met it head-on.

With a thunderous crash, two powerful energies clashed—first compressed, then exploded. The stone walls cracked. Zhang Mu forced the Green Giant Lizard back again; his fists and waist blade formed an impassable barrier.

A splash of water rang out as Hidden Dragon formed hand seals, transforming water columns into two water dragons that imprisoned the fire mouse in midair.

Hissing sounds rose from the fire mouse as white vapor streamed above the water dragons.
Fire and water clashed fiercely. The fire mouse’s flames burned hot, but water’s restraint was its fatal weakness. No matter how much water it evaporated, Hidden Dragon replenished it instantly, his inner strength seemingly inexhaustible.

With a smack, Hidden Dragon pressed his hands together, merging the two water dragons into one, blasting the fire mouse across the chamber. Its body crashed into the stone wall, and when it leapt out again, its flames had weakened considerably.

It gritted its teeth, its face even more ferocious.

Clinging to the stone wall, the fire mouse said, “Seventh Brother, another millennial blood battle awaits.”
Its voice was shrill and piercing, unpleasant to the ear.

Hidden Dragon raised his palm, summoning four water columns from below, reaching the ceiling of the second level. A lazy smile hung on his face.

“Mouse, there are no more millennial battles. Your brothers face enemies stronger than us. You have no hope; they can only meet their end as well.”

Within the barrier, a golden glow flickered, and the sonic waves were no longer as intense as before.

The fire mouse’s blood-red eyes grew more savage. Five words hissed from between its grinding teeth.

“Palace of the Golden Warriors.”