Chapter 182: Absolute Predicament

Yun Che's words seemed to hit a nerve with Jasmine; she didn't speak again.

The fifth wave of Rock Dragon warriors arrived shortly after, with thirty-six of them forming an impenetrable circle around Yun Che.

"Don't... mind me..." The Little Fairy had been conscious the entire time, fully aware of their current predicament. Pressed against Yun Che's shoulder, she struggled slightly.

Yun Che ignored her, raising his sword with one hand to face the encircling Rock Dragon warriors. Wielding the 3,900-pound heavy sword with a single hand naturally reduced his swinging speed, but it remained swift and powerful. Each strike was wide and sweeping, the sword wind howling as Rock Dragon warriors fell one after another before they could even get close.

The sound of exploding rock was continuous and relentless. Despite wielding his sword with one hand and cradling someone with his left arm, these thirty-two Rock Dragon warriors posed no threat to Yun Che. In less than two minutes, dozens of uninterrupted swings of his heavy sword reduced them all to a pile of rubble.

The fifth wave, however, was not the end. Immediately after, the sixth wave of Rock Dragon warriors appeared before Yun Che. This time, there were sixty-four of them!

Yun Che took a deep breath, his grip on the heavy sword tightening unconsciously as he surveyed the sixty-four Rock Dragon warriors surrounding him. While the Heavenly Wolf Hell God's Manual allowed him to master the heavy sword, it certainly didn't mean he could ignore its weight. Wielding it with one hand was inherently unwise, and after eliminating the fifth wave of Rock Dragon warriors, his right arm had already begun to ache.

Boom... Boom...

The sixty-four Rock Dragon warriors charged forward in unison, their footsteps shaking the ground. Yun Che let out a low roar, swinging his sword and plunging headfirst into the now doubled multitude of warriors. He weaved left and right, his heavy sword sweeping horizontally from side to side. Enemies were sent flying in swathes, one after another, smashed to pieces. At this moment, holding the Little Fairy in his arms, he was immensely grateful he had chosen the heavy sword as his weapon. Because when deeply surrounded, only the heavy sword could sweep in all directions with such fearless dominance! Only the heavy sword could allow him to hold someone and protect her from the slightest harm! And only the heavy sword could shatter these Rock Dragon warriors, whose hardened bodies were nearly impenetrable to other weapons!

The heavy sword's advantages were displayed to their fullest in this battle. Yun Che was certain that if he had been wielding a light sword at this moment, he wouldn't have been able to move so freely amidst so many encircling Rock Dragon warriors, nor could he have protected the Little Fairy so perfectly.

However, as these advantages were demonstrated, the heavy sword's drawbacks also subtly began to emerge.

Boom...Bang...Boom... Boom...

With another powerful swing of his heavy sword, the entire sixth wave of Rock Dragon warriors also turned to rubble. The time taken was four times longer than it had been for the fifth wave.

Yun Che propped his heavy sword on the ground, finally beginning to gasp for breath. Under Jasmine's "orders," Yun Che never stored the heavy sword in the Sky Poison Pearl, instead carrying it on his back at all times to adapt to its weight. However, even further adaptation didn't mean he could completely ignore it, as the 3,900-pound weight was always there; it wouldn't lessen or disappear.

The sixth wave was still not the end.

Clang... Clang...

A large expanse of yellow light shimmered around Yun Che, revealing the silhouettes of a full one hundred and twenty-eight Rock Dragon warriors. These warriors had also changed; their weapons were no longer just long spears. In the back, Rock Dragon warriors who had discarded their shields and were wielding two-handed longswords and sabers appeared.

Over a hundred... facing over a hundred enemies of his own level simultaneously, and after immense exertion—this wasn't a trial; it was outright torture! This had to be the final wave, right?

As Yun Che thought this, his already heavy breathing gradually steadied under his regulation. He popped a Mid-grade Profound Recovery Pellet into his mouth, then tightened his left arm, holding the Little Fairy a little closer. He then pulled the heavy sword, which was stuck in the ground, out with one hand and pointed it forward.

The fierce battle against a hundred enemies with a single hand began.

The Rock Dragon warriors wielding longswords and sabers not only had different weapons but also moved noticeably faster than the spear-wielding ones. They charged at the forefront, blades and swords flashing towards Yun Che. So far, Yun Che's greatest comfort was that none of these Rock Dragon warriors possessed profound skills for long-range attacks. With his heavy sword swinging, they couldn't get close enough to harm him or the Little Fairy at all. Otherwise, his situation would undoubtedly be several times more difficult.

However, this favorable situation depended on his ability to maintain a sufficient sword-swinging frequency. As his exertion intensified and fatigue set into his arm, the speed and ferocity of his heavy sword swings were clearly diminishing. This directly led to larger and larger openings and vulnerabilities after each heavy sword swing.

Bang, bang, bang...

With a series of loud impacts, five Rock Dragon warriors attacking in unison were sent flying by a crescent swing of the heavy sword. However, due to his strength gradually waning, Yun Che's body momentarily lost balance as he retracted his sword. A Rock Dragon warrior from the side abruptly thrust its spear, piercing fiercely into Yun Che's ribs.

A spray of blood erupted, and the Rock Dragon warrior's spearhead snapped instantly. Protected by his profound energy defense and the formidable "Great Way of the Buddha" technique, the spear strike, though drawing blood, didn't inflict severe damage. However, it was enough to make Yun Che feel an increasingly heavy sense of crisis.

"Hah!!"

The nearby Rock Dragon warrior was smashed to pieces by Yun Che's sword. He suddenly flung his right arm, tossing the heavy sword skyward. Then, swiftly and lightly, he shifted the Little Fairy to his right side, cradling her securely with his right arm. His left arm caught the falling heavy sword, and he unleashed a swing that roared like a furious dragon.

With the arm switch, the soreness in his right arm finally subsided somewhat. While his left arm wasn't as agile as his right, its swinging frequency and power subtly increased, though its rate of fatigue was clearly faster than his right arm.

Rock Dragon warriors swarmed forward, only to be shattered one after another. If these weren't Rock Dragon warriors but living people, Yun Che's entire body would have long been soaked in blood.

His left arm grew heavier and heavier, gradually becoming unbearable. He once again transferred the heavy sword back to his slightly relieved right arm and continued the relentless fight.

This wave lasted much, much longer for him than the previous one—so long that he himself didn't know how much time had passed. When the last Rock Dragon warrior was shattered, he was panting like an ox. When the heavy sword finally plunged into the ground, leaving his arm, the sense of relief was like ascending into heaven.

"Gasp... gasp... gasp..."

Yun Che's face was flushed crimson, and he gasped violently, hot sweat beading on his forehead like raindrops. The Little Fairy, clutched against his chest, could clearly feel the tremor in the arm holding her.

In less than three breaths after Yun Che released his heavy sword, a larger expanse of yellow light shimmered around him. These lights made Yun Che's ragged breathing suddenly stop. He abruptly looked up, his right arm rigidly ceasing its tremor, gripping the heavy sword's hilt firmly.

The eighth wave... two hundred and fifty-six Rock Dragon warriors!

This trial could no longer be simply described as "difficult"; it was utterly brutal, a hellish cruelty. Its brutality lay not just in every enemy possessing the same profound energy level as him, nor just in facing double the number of enemies after significant exertion each time. What was even more terrifying was that there were less than five breaths of time between the complete annihilation of one wave and the doubling of the next...

Giving the trial participant absolutely no time to breathe, recover, or even heal!

As these Rock Dragon warriors appeared, Yun Che's hand re-gripped the heavy sword's hilt. His face was calm, but his pupils noticeably constricted.

Unbelievable... there was another wave!

The newly appeared group of Rock Dragon warriors immediately began to march in unison, rushing towards him. Yun Che's gaze penetrated the ranks, and at the back of the formation, he clearly saw Rock Dragon warriors with long chains wrapped around their bodies, each end of the chain dangling a spherical stone hammer.

Those were... meteor hammers!!

The Rock Dragon warriors surged forward like an overwhelming tide, engulfing Yun Che. His heavy sword swept left and right through the mass of warriors, but at this point, the sword felt exceptionally heavy. Each swing required nearly his maximum strength. The Rock Dragon warriors in front fell in swathes, while those in the back wielding meteor hammers were rapidly approaching.

Swish, swish, swish...

Five or six meteor hammers came hurtling from different directions towards Yun Che and the Little Fairy in his arms.

Each swing of Yun Che's heavy sword could powerfully blast away surrounding enemies, making it difficult for them to get close. However, meteor hammer attacks didn't require proximity at all; these Rock Dragon warriors could throw their hammers from two zhang away, sufficient to strike Yun Che. Moreover, these meteor hammers were thrown from above and at an angle. When attacking the Rock Dragon warriors, he simply couldn't sweep away the meteor hammers. But if he swept away the meteor hammers, he couldn't attack the surrounding Rock Dragon warriors, allowing them to swarm him...

The addition of these meteor hammer warriors was undoubtedly a nightmare within a nightmare for Yun Che. He was forced to constantly shift and shuttle through the Rock Dragon warrior horde using Star God's Broken Shadow. However, doing so drastically increased his stamina consumption, reduced his attack efficiency, and raised his risk factor.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish...

More and more Rock Dragon hammer wielders charged in, and the meteor hammers flying towards Yun Che became increasingly dense. Eventually, at any given moment, at least a dozen meteor hammers were striking at him from various directions. He continuously shifted and dodged, shifted and dodged, leaving him with almost no opportunity to attack.

Several meteor hammers collided, striking out dazzling sparks. Yun Che leaped high. As he reached his apex, over a dozen meteor hammers flew towards him in unison. Yun Che took a deep breath, instantly dropping down with Star God's Broken Shadow. But upon landing, his right foot stepped on a fist-sized rock. Under normal circumstances, this would have no effect on Yun Che, but for the currently exhausted and mentally strained Yun Che, it was enough to disrupt his balance, causing his body to lean left upon landing and stumble two paces. This momentary flaw was easily seized by several Rock Dragon warriors to his left, and three long blades fiercely slashed towards the Little Fairy's position.

The approaching blade winds made Yun Che snap his head up. But at this moment, he had no time to dodge, much less use his heavy sword to block. Watching the trajectory of the three stone blades, Yun Che's left arm, which was holding the Little Fairy, shot up like lightning, meeting the three rock blades.

Chink...

Three rock blades simultaneously struck Yun Che's left arm. The impact sound told Yun Che that these three blades had not only cut into his flesh but also into his bone. Yun Che's eyes widened, and he roared, his profound energy surging outwards to shake off the rock blades embedded in his bone. He swung his heavy sword wildly, blasting away all the Rock Dragon warriors who had seized the opportunity to get close. This particular sweep was exceptionally ferocious; while it cleared all the nearby Rock Dragon warriors, it also left Yun Che with a sufficiently large opening. A meteor hammer suddenly flew in, striking Yun Che's head with a heavy thud.

Yun Che's mind instantly roared, and his vision turned pale. He immediately bit his tongue, regaining his cold composure. However, that momentary dizziness, amidst such heavy encirclement, had been enough to be fatal.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish...

The moment his vision cleared, he heard the whooshing sound of incoming objects, now close at hand: seven meteor hammers were about to strike. Without a second thought, Yun Che instantly lowered his upper body, simultaneously pulling the Little Fairy securely beneath him with both hands.

Bang, bang, bang...

Seven meteor hammers simultaneously struck Yun Che's back, knocking him directly to the ground. Yun Che's face turned pale, and a large mouthful of blood surged up and gushed out. He didn't get up, instead letting out a beast-like roar. On his body, a mass of crimson flames ignited wildly, instantly leaping several meters high.

"Burning Heaven Devil Lotus!!"

Layers of fire waves bloomed like an unfolding lotus, spreading out to thirty zhang in the blink of an eye. All two hundred-plus Rock Dragon warriors, densely surrounding Yun Che, were swept into the Burning Heaven Devil Lotus. Under the scorching flames, infused with Phoenix's Flame, all the Rock Dragon warriors rapidly burned to a dark crisp.

He had deliberately refrained from using the Burning Heaven Devil Lotus, which could incinerate a large area, because the move consumed too much energy. He only had the capacity to unleash it once in a short period, and once unleashed, he would be close to utter exhaustion. This was his last trump card. Given his situation just now, he had no choice but to unleash it. Now, he could only pray that this eighth wave was indeed the final one.

And with the eighth wave already terrifying to this extent, a ninth wave was surely impossible, right?

Unless that Primordial Azure Dragon was fundamentally a madman who enjoyed toying with and deliberately slaughtering trial participants!