Chapter 4089 — Battle Against a Golden Core

The purpose of this outing had been twofold: to find the Life-Form Mushroom, and to temper himself through trials until he broke through. If he simply rode a flying spirit beast back, that second goal would come to nothing.

"Then... very well, Senior. We shall take our leave now. If ever you have need of us in the future, come find us at the Azure Cloud Pavilion—the two of us will gladly go through fire and water for you." [Huang Xiaotao] immediately gave a shrill whistle skyward, summoning down the spirit bird that had been circling overhead, and helped [Cong Zhima] up to leave.

But just then, [Wei Zhao] suddenly reached out and barred their way, his expression grave. "Wait!"

[Huang Xiaotao] and his companion started in alarm, a flicker of dread rising in their hearts. They thought [Wei Zhao] had changed his mind and meant to take back the Myriad Crossing Golden Core Fruit in their possession.

Yet the very next moment they heard [Wei Zhao] say, "Someone's coming. Don't take off yet—run in that direction for a ways first, then go. I'll hold them off here for you."

The jade pendant was already giving warning, and within [Wei Zhao]'s own perception he could indeed sense an exceedingly powerful aura rapidly approaching. If [Huang Xiaotao] took flight now, they would be far too conspicuous and would easily draw unwanted attention.

Only then did the two realize they had misjudged [Wei Zhao], and shame flooded through them. But seeing how grave his expression was, they knew the situation was urgent, and so they said nothing further. After a word of caution to the senior, they hurried off with the spirit bird.

Watching the two of them recede into the distance, [Wei Zhao] remained where he was and kept waiting. Judging by the way the other party was closing in with such obvious intent, he had a premonition that they too had come for the Myriad Crossing Golden Core Fruit.

Soon a middle-aged man, his appearance that of a man in his forties, appeared overhead astride a flying spirit beast. After surveying the scene below, he descended from the sky and landed before [Wei Zhao].

The middle-aged man gave [Wei Zhao] a cold glance and said with a teasing lilt, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—but who'd have thought a little sparrow like you would beat me to it. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and hand it over!"

"Hand what over?" [Wei Zhao] feigned bewilderment.

"Heh heh, a mere peak late-stage Foundation Establishment, and you dare play games with me? Fine, then you needn't bother handing it over—once you're dead, I'll search your corpse myself!" With that, the middle-aged man's aura surged violently, his already formidable presence turning in an instant even more terrifying and savage.

[Wei Zhao] was greatly shaken. Judging by that aura, this middle-aged man's strength was likely at least that of a mid-stage Golden Core expert!

[Wei Zhao] had assumed that those who came to Mount Hucai Tianwu for trial missions would at most be cultivators at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, and that he was unlikely to encounter a Golden Core expert. After all, what Golden Core expert would lower himself to gather spirit herbs in a place like this?

Yet who would have thought that not only had he run into a Golden Core expert, but one at the mid-stage—an opponent of unprecedented ferocity!

Even as [Wei Zhao] reeled in shock, the middle-aged man had already made his move. With a casual wave of his hand, a hideous giant claw condensed from true qi appeared without warning above [Wei Zhao]'s head.

Had [Wei Zhao]'s reflexes been any slower—had he not driven the Butterfly Microstep to its utmost and escaped in that split second when there was barely a hair's breadth to spare—that single claw alone would have gravely wounded him, and might even have killed him outright!

A mid-stage Golden Core expert was truly not to be trifled with! [Wei Zhao]'s heart went cold, but before he could draw a breath of relief, two more hideous giant claws came sweeping toward him head-on, accompanied by the middle-aged man's sneer: "A mere peak late-stage Foundation Establishment, and you escaped one of my claws—you're hardly ordinary. What a pity you still won't escape death today!"

The two giant claws closed in from left and right, giving [Wei Zhao] no chance to react and dodge again. Even the Butterfly Microstep could not wholly evade them this time; to keep fleeing was simply to die. With no way out, [Wei Zhao] steeled himself and chose to meet them head-on.

Wildfire Eight-Trigram Palm, Form Twenty-Eight! Fixing on one of the hideous giant claws, [Wei Zhao] gritted his teeth and struck with all his might, his body following close behind the blow as he readied himself to seize a chance to break through. This was the strongest martial technique he currently commanded—if even this could not break the other's giant claw, then today his prospects were truly grim.

Boom! The Wildfire Eight-Trigram Palm struck the giant claw dead-on, as expected, and the incomparably savage true qi collided in a frenzy, instantly whipping up a horrifying storm. Every plant and tree within a hundred zhang was leveled, torn into the sky by the gale of surging true qi until it blotted out the sun and the sky, as though the end of days had come.

"Hm? Power no less than the early Golden Core stage—just what sort of background do you have, boy?" The middle-aged man frowned at the sight.

An ordinary peak late-stage Foundation Establishment expert—let alone trading blows with his giant claw—would not even leave a whole corpse after a single strike. This boy before him was a thorough anomaly.

Yet even with power comparable to the early Golden Core stage, compared to him—a genuine mid-stage Golden Core expert—the gap was still a full order of magnitude. They were simply not on the same level.

Bang! Amid the chaos, [Wei Zhao]'s body shot backward like an arrow, spitting out a mouthful of glaring crimson blood in midair. In a single exchange, he had already suffered no light internal injury.

In the end, the Wildfire Eight-Trigram Palm, Form Twenty-Eight, could not hold off the other's hideous giant claw, and merely canceled out a portion of its power. [Wei Zhao] was not killed outright, but his internal organs had been shaken entirely out of place, his belly churning as if a river had been turned over—a dire situation indeed.

"Oh? Still not dead? You really are a sight to behold, boy. For a mere peak late-stage Foundation Establishment to hold out this far, you're a genius the likes of which is rarely seen. What a pity—I've never known how to cherish talent. And I'm rather ashamed to say my greatest hobby is snuffing out so-called geniuses like you!" The middle-aged man laughed with a harsh, grating cackle.

As he spoke, the middle-aged man's expression abruptly turned utterly grim and cruel, and two more hideous giant claws materialized out of thin air. This time, [Wei Zhao] even faintly heard what seemed the roar of some ancient savage beast!

[Wei Zhao]'s face changed drastically. Paying no heed to the searing pain from his organs, he gritted his teeth and drove the Butterfly Microstep with all his strength.

Boom! Plants and earth sprayed outward as [Wei Zhao] was grazed by the giant claw once more, his whole body sent flying again by the true qi, and his already serious internal injuries worsened further.

"At this rate, I'm dead for certain today!" [Wei Zhao] knew his situation had reached a matter of life and death. If he could not produce some effective countermeasure, the next moment might well see him die a miserable death here.

"Hmph, still unwilling to give up? Truly tenacious! But I do so love watching geniuses like you squirm in your death throes—it's simply delightful! Hahahaha!" The middle-aged man laughed exultantly, and at once made ready to strike again and snuff [Wei Zhao] out in one blow. R1152