pertwk Chapter 68 The Arena
Chapter 68 The Arena
The sky darkened very quickly.
The wind stopped.
There are very few times when there is no wind in the Gobi Desert.
Su Nian stood in front of the house, her backpack on her shoulder and her hands hanging at her sides.
Her detection abilities had spread to their maximum range, but the feedback she received made her increasingly uneasy.
Life signals in the surrounding area are increasing rapidly.
Hundreds.
The first shadow emerged from the shadows on the west side of the house.
The shadow was originally lying on the ground, on all fours, but when it stood up, its body began to change, its limbs lengthened and its torso stood upright.
The shadow stood upright.
Su Nian saw its appearance clearly.
zero.
Su Nian didn't have time to think anymore.
The first zero was already rushing towards her, moving at a speed that seemed out of place for its size.
Su Nian dodged to the side, and her primordial energy had already condensed into a form.
Fire departs, the wilderness is burned.
Flames erupted from his palm and struck Zero in the chest.
Zero's body twisted in the flames.
A few seconds later, it collapsed, its body turning into black mist and being blown away by the wind.
Su Nian took a breath.
Then she saw the second one.
The third.
The tenth one.
The thirtieth.
The shadows surged out from all directions, each undergoing the same transformation.
Su Nian's breath caught in her throat for a moment.
They didn't rush in aimlessly, but rather formed an orderly semicircle.
She is at the center of the semicircle.
At the edge of the semicircle, in the distance, on a slightly higher ground, stood a person.
The river is also secluded.
He changed his clothes.
He didn't look at Su Nian, but at the zeros. He slightly raised his right hand and moved his fingers slightly.
The zeros in the front row have moved.
Su Nian didn't have time to visit Jiang Yiyou.
She must focus and use the least amount of vital energy to defeat the most enemies.
Burning Wilderness consumes too much energy and cannot be used continuously. She needs to engage in close combat, using her Yuan Qi to enhance her fists and feet, ensuring that each strike precisely hits Zero's weak points.
Zero hidden.
The first Zero rushed in front of her. Su Nian turned to the side and slammed her right elbow into its temple. The Yuan Qi exploded the moment they made contact, and the Zero's head exploded like a watermelon, its body going limp.
The second one pounced from the left. Su Nian didn't dodge. She swept her left leg and kicked its knee, breaking the joint in the opposite direction. Zero lost its balance and fell to the ground. Su Nian shattered its aura with one foot.
Three. Five. Eight.
Su Nian's movements became faster and faster.
Her right leg wound was still hurting, but the pain actually made her more alert.
She knows how to cause the greatest damage with the least amount of force, and the power of the Xia Lan turns these skills into deadly weapons.
Twelve. Fifteen. Twenty.
But the number of zeros did not decrease.
For every one that falls, two more rise.
Su Nian's vital energy was being rapidly depleted, and the flames within her body dropped from 50% to 40%, 30%, and 20%.
Her breathing became rapid, and sweat mixed with dust from her forehead flowed into her eyes, stinging them and causing her to blink incessantly.
The twenty-third.
Su Nian's fist struck Zero's Zero, Zero's body stiffened for a second, and then began to disintegrate.
But she didn't pull her fist back; another zero grabbed her wrist with surprising force.
Su Nian struggled, but couldn't break free.
The third zero pounced on her from behind, his arm choking her neck.
Su Nian's vision began to darken.
She stomped hard on Zero's instep from behind, then lashed out with her elbow, striking his ribs, causing Zero's arm to momentarily loosen.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Su Nian gathered her primordial energy in her left hand and slapped the face of the Zero who was grabbing her wrist.
"Snapped!"
The primordial energy erupted, and the two zeros were simultaneously shattered.
Su Nian staggered two steps, knelt on one knee, and gasped for breath.
Less than 10% of the original Qi remained.
The surrounding zeros ceased their attack; they stood still, motionless.
applause.
The sound came from a slightly higher location in the distance.
Jiang Yiyou clapped.
"Not bad," he said. "At the Four Symbols level, with less than 50% of his primordial energy, he's dealing with over twenty level zero cultivators."
"If you put this in Jiugongling, it would be considered an excellent student."
Su Nian raised her head and looked at him.
Sweat dripped from her forehead into her eyes, but she didn't wipe it away.
"What exactly do you want?" Her voice was a little hoarse.
Jiang Yiyou did not answer.
He raised his right hand, drew a circle in the air with his fingers, and then gently pressed down.
Those zeros moved.
They are retreating.
Like the receding tide, they retreated from Su Nian's side, moving dozens of meters away, and then formed a semicircle again.
But this time, an empty space was left in the middle of the semicircle.
Several people were standing in the open space.
Su Nian was stunned.
She recognized those people's figures.
The university's martial arts club trains three times a week, for two hours each time.
She remembers everyone's name, everyone's personality, everyone's strengths and weaknesses.
The one standing at the very front is Zhao Mengfu.
She's over 1.8 meters tall, excels in both basketball and track and field, and is the only person in the martial arts club who can rival her in strength.
His face was expressionless, and his eyes were half-open and half-closed.
The person next to him is Lin Xiaoxi.
She wasn't very tall, but she was the most lively member of the entire club.
There's also Sun Li, Chen Yutong, and Zhang Zhiyuan.
There were seven people in total.
Seven people she knew best in college.
Su Nian's lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.
They all have a halo on their foreheads.
Zero possession.
The word flashed through Su Nian's mind.
Zero possession is the lowest level of zero control, zero intrusion into the human body, taking over consciousness, and manipulating behavior.
The possessed person will lose their sense of self and become a puppet of Zero.
Traditional possession by Zero is almost irreversible; the possessed person either loses consciousness forever or becomes a vegetable after Zero is eliminated.
But lightning can bring you back to your senses.
Lightning Strike is a special technique used by Xia Lan to remove the presence of a Zero Possession.
It will not harm the possessed person; it will only expel Zero from the body.
Su Nian had learned this Xia Lan technique at Jiu Gong Ling. Although she didn't use it often, she remembered every detail clearly.
She had less than 10% of her vital energy left.
At least 20% is needed for a comeback lightning strike.
She's not enough.
But maybe that's enough.
Su Nian took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She focused all her attention on the faint flame in her dantian, feeling its temperature.
One-tenth. One and a half percent. Two-tenths.
enough.
Su Nian opened her eyes and clasped her hands together.
The light spread out from her palm, rippling outwards in all directions.
A flash of lightning brought me back to my senses.
A white light swept across the bodies of the seven people.
Their bodies jolted violently, as if struck from the inside by something.
The halo on his forehead began to flicker, its light changing intermittently, accompanied by a buzzing sound of electricity.
The moment the aperture shattered, seven wisps of black mist emerged from the heads of the seven people and then dissipated into the dark red sky.
The bodies of the seven people went limp at the same time, like puppets with broken strings, and they fell to the ground one after another.
Su Nian's hand fell down.
The vital energy in his body was exhausted again, and the flame in his dantian had been extinguished, leaving only a little residual heat.
Her legs were trembling; her body had reached its limit.
But she did not collapse.
She stood there, looking at the seven people on the ground, waiting for them to wake up.
The applause rang out again.
This time it was louder and harder.
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
Jiang Yiyou's voice came from afar.
"Lightning Flash, instantly eliminating seven possessing entities, even with only 20% of my vital energy remaining."
"The training intensity of your Xia Lan is indeed well-deserved."
Su Nian ignored him.
Her gaze remained fixed on Zhao Meng, who was lying on the ground.
Zhao Meng's fingers twitched, and then he slowly, very slowly, propped himself up.
He raised his head and looked at Su Nian, the light in his eyes gradually returning.
"President...?" His voice was hoarse.
Su Nian felt half relieved.
Then she saw Zhao Meng's expression.
A smile appeared on his face, his eyes widened, and the corners of his mouth stretched to an unnatural angle.
He smiled.
As he laughed, he turned to Lin Xiaoxi beside him.
Lin Xiaoxi also woke up. She sat on the ground, rubbing her temples, her expression still dazed.
Zhao Meng looked at her, and his smile widened.
Then he pounced on him.
Su Nian didn't have time to react.
Zhao Meng straddled Lin Xiaoxi, his hands gripping her neck.
Lin Xiaoxi's eyes widened suddenly, and her mouth opened, but she couldn't make a sound.
Her hands slapped Zhao Meng's arm wildly, her fingernails leaving bloody marks on his skin.
"Zhao Meng!"
Su Nian rushed forward, trying to pull him away.
But as soon as her hand touched Zhao Meng's shoulder, she sensed something was wrong.
Zhao Meng's body was burning hot.
His grip tightened, and Lin Xiaoxi's face turned from red to purple, her struggles becoming weaker and weaker.
Su Nian gritted her teeth and used the last bit of strength to slap Zhao Meng on the back of the neck.
Zhao Meng's body stiffened for a moment, then he slumped down, landing on top of Lin Xiaoxi.
Lin Xiaoxi coughed violently, gasping for breath, tears and snot streaming down her face.
But she smiled too.
When Su Nian saw the smile on Lin Xiaoxi's face, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
A smile just like Zhao Mengfu's.
She pushed Zhao Meng off her, slowly stood up, and glanced around before finally settling on Sun Li.
Sun Li also woke up.
Seven people, seven people who had just been rescued from Zero's possession, seven familiar faces, seven identical smiles.
They stood together, looking at each other and sizing each other up.
Then they moved.
It's not about facing Su Nian, but about facing each other.
Su Nian stood there, watching all of this.
Their faces wore a frenzied, inhuman expression.
They had no weapons, no skills, and none of the fighting qualities that a member of a martial arts club should possess.
They attacked each other in the most primitive and instinctive way, with their hands, feet, nails, and teeth.
Something was buzzing in Su Nian's head.
It wasn't a sound, but a vibration, like a needle gently and continuously stirring in her temple.
Her consciousness began to blur, and black spots appeared at the edges of her vision, which slowly expanded.
She bit her tongue hard, and the pain brought her back to her senses for a moment.
Something was invading her consciousness.
Su Nian immediately understood.
It's not zero possession.
Zero's possession requires Zero to directly contact the target, but there are no Zeros around her.
irritable.
An inexplicable sense of unease rose from the bottom of my heart.
Su Nian's breathing became rapid, her heart raced, and her palms began to sweat.
She had an urge to rush up and separate those seven people, no matter what method she used.
Knock them out and break their arms and legs.
Even if... I kill them.
Just make them stop.
Su Nian clenched her fists tightly, the pain pulling her out of that emotion.
She immediately gathered the last of her vital energy around her dantian, forming a thin protective layer to isolate the invisible influence from the outside world.
The vital energy was almost completely depleted, and the protective layer was as thin as a sheet of paper, which could break at any moment.
But it's enough.
That should be enough for now, at least for the time being.
Su Nian raised her head and looked at the seven people again.
Her gaze had changed.
It's no longer the dazed and hesitant feeling one has when seeing an acquaintance, but a gaze devoid of any emotion.
She was watching their movements, their rhythm, their weaknesses.
Zhao Meng had injured his right shoulder, and he would unconsciously pull back every time he swung his fist.
Lin Xiaoxi's lower body is unstable and her center of gravity is too high, making her prone to falling.
Sun Li is fast but weak; you can control him by grabbing his wrist.
Su Nian was moved.
She rushed in front of Zhao Meng, dodged his straight punch by sidestepping, grabbed his wrist with her right hand, pressed down on his elbow with her left hand, spun around, and used centrifugal force to throw him away.
Zhao Mengfei flew three or four meters before crashing heavily to the ground, hitting the back of his head on a rock with a dull thud.
He twitched once, then remained still.
Su Nian didn't look at him.
She turned around and slammed her knee into Lin Xiaoxi's abdomen. Lin Xiaoxi's body bent like a shrimp. Su Nian then struck her on the back of the neck with a palm strike, and she collapsed limply.
Sun Li charged in from the side. Su Nian didn't dodge; instead, she went straight to meet him, grabbed his wrists with both hands, and twisted them forcefully. Sun Li's body spun involuntarily, and Su Nian kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to kneel on the ground.
Su Nian chopped him down with a chop to the temple.
One. Two. Three.
Su Nian's movements became faster and more ruthless.
It's no longer a matter of stopping short of a fight, but a fatal attack.
Every punch she threw hit vital points.
The sounds of bones breaking, teeth falling out, and bodies hitting the ground mingled together, echoing in her ears.
In less than two minutes, all seven people collapsed.
Su Nian stood between them, panting heavily.
Her hands were covered in blood, she didn't know if it was her own or someone else's.
Her clothes were torn in several places, and there was a scratch on her left cheek, with drops of blood dripping down her jawline.
She looked down at the seven people on the ground.
No... it shouldn't be like this...
Su Nian's stomach churned violently.
Has she killed anyone? No.
She had killed zeros and wild beasts, but she had never been so ruthless to a human.
The rule of the Xia Lan is to protect humans, not harm them.
Even during training, she never attacked any opponent with her full strength.
But just now, she used all her strength.
No, not with all my might.
It is something that transcends all effort.
An out-of-control, violent force that she herself did not recognize.
That feeling of irritation was still there. Although it was partially blocked by the protection of Yuan Qi, it was still like a needle pricking deep into her consciousness, constantly and continuously stimulating her.
Su Nian took a step back.
Then they took another step back.
She raised her head and looked at Jiang Yiyou.
He was still standing in that slightly higher position, his posture unchanged, and his expression unchanged.
That ambiguous smile was still lingering on his lips, but for the first time, something different appeared in his eyes.
curious.
Pure curiosity.
Su Nian took another step back.
She suddenly realized something.
This is not a battle.
This is an experiment.
And she was that experiment.