Chapter 78 – Foundation Establishment Aberration, Shattered by One Sword

Boom!

As Lu Chen swung his sword, a silver-white Flood Dragon condensed from Sword Qi descended from the sky, directly striking the half of the Giant Armored Worm’s body exposed above ground.

The next second, the Giant Armored Worm, which had been continuously burrowing into the ground, abruptly halted as if someone had pressed pause.

Simultaneously, Lu Chen’s figure drifted lightly down from the air.

After landing, he immediately turned and walked toward Zheng Liu and the other two, not even glancing at the now motionless Giant Armored Worm.

Just a few steps after he began walking away, countless blood lines appeared on the exposed half of the Giant Armored Worm’s body, spraying out endless streams of black blood.

That Giant Armored Worm, which had seemed incredibly powerful in the eyes of Zheng Liu and the others, had been so easily… slain with a single sword strike by Lu Chen.

[You have slain a Nine Hells·Giant Armored Worm (Qi Training Stage Eight), gained 100 experience points…]

[Current experience: 4325]

Looking at the panel notification that appeared before his eyes, Lu Chen silently sheathed his Magic Sword.

He returned to Zheng Liu and the other two, and seeing their stunned expressions, he calmly said, “Head east. The west is the lair of the evil creatures. Don’t go the wrong way.”

After this kind reminder, without waiting for their response, Lu Chen headed west alone.

As Zheng Liu watched Lu Chen walk away, she was about to say something when Xu Jianliang immediately pulled her back.

Seeing Zheng Liu’s confused expression, Xu Jianliang shook his head, signaling her not to speak.

Only after Lu Chen disappeared into the night did Zheng Liu finally speak up: “Jianliang, why did you stop me just now? We could have tried to team up with Lu Chen. You saw his strength—if…”

“Naive.”

Before Zheng Liu could finish, Chai Xi interrupted her directly.

Gazing in the direction Lu Chen had left, Chai Xi calmly explained, “Zheng Liu, you want to team up with him, but he has to be willing, doesn’t he?”

“Given our situation, bringing us along would not only bring him no benefits but also force him to split his attention to protect us. Do you think he’d be willing to carry three burdens?”

“Saving us and telling us which direction is safer is already more than kind enough from Lu Chen. And you actually expect him to protect us? Zheng Liu, how can you be so naive? Do you think everyone is as… kind-hearted as Xu Jianliang here?”

After hearing Chai Xi’s words, Zheng Liu finally realized how foolish her earlier idea had been.

But people are like this—even when they know they’ve made a mistake, they tend to stubbornly refuse to admit it. So Zheng Liu snorted softly, unwilling to acknowledge her error.

Seeing Chai Xi leave Zheng Liu speechless again, Xu Jianliang, in an effort to maintain team harmony, stepped in once more as the peacemaker.

“Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing. There was a lot of commotion here just now. We should leave this place as soon as possible.”

“See, Jianliang has a brain, unlike someone who’s just foolish and only knows how to cry.”

“You…”

“Enough, enough, stop arguing…”

Watching Zheng Liu and Chai Xi on the verge of another argument, Xu Jianliang felt a headache coming on.

Ah, this team… is not easy to lead.

Meanwhile, in a plaza in the West City District.”Ahhh! D-don’t come any closer!”

A student from Third High sat paralyzed on the ground, staring in terror at the monstrous creature steadily approaching him.

The humanoid creature stood five meters tall, resembling a mantis in appearance.

Facing this Third High student who had lost all will to fight and could only weep and beg for mercy,

the monster actually revealed a human-like smile on its face.

“Tell me where you all suddenly appeared from, and I might spare you.”

Hearing the monster suddenly speak in human language, the Third High student froze.

But the next moment, he abruptly realized –

This wasn’t speaking human language at all! The monster was clearly using ‘Divine Sense Communication’, a technique only Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators could master.

The essence of Divine Sense Communication was a form of spiritual exchange.

The greatest feature of this communication method was that it allowed barrier-free communication between different species.

That this monster could use Divine Sense Communication undoubtedly told the Third High student before it that this was a Foundation Establishment Stage existence.

Thinking this, the already terrified Third High student fell into complete despair.

Damn it, damn it, damn it! In such a large examination area, why did I have to be so unlucky to encounter a Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend!

Seeing the Third High student too frightened to speak, the humanoid Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend shook its head with some regret.

“Not going to talk? What a pity…”

The Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend swung its saber, cleanly severing the Third High student’s head.

Looking at the headless corpse, it licked the blood staining the blade on its right arm, its face full of boredom.

“Weak, too weak.”

“Why won’t the King let me hunt those Foundation Establishment Stage Human Race cultivators? This place is so boring…”

As it spoke, the Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend waved its hand, signaling the other Nether Fiends nearby to go share the Third High student’s corpse.

Then the wings on its back flapped, lifting it into the air.

Hovering in the sky, the Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend looked down at the urban ruins below and murmured to itself: “Sigh, I hope some valuable prey comes along…”

After saying this, it suddenly flew toward a certain location in the ruins, resuming its patrol.

[Name: Jade-Faced Mantis]

[Race: Nine Hells]

[Strength: Foundation Establishment Stage Second Layer]

[Characteristics: A special humanoid creature evolved from a jade-faced mantis, possessing extremely refined saber techniques]

4:00 AM, in a shopping mall in West City District

Bang!

After Lu Chen beheaded the Spider-faced Humanoid before him with one sword strike,

the Azure Lotus Pupils in his eyes continuously rotated as he scanned the surroundings for any other active Nether Fiends.

Thanks to his exceptional movement techniques and swordsmanship,

he had already slain countless Nether Fiends, accumulating over two thousand experience points.

This rate of experience gain was even faster than what he achieved in Instances.

If not for his fear of being surrounded by Nether Fiends, he might have already gone on a killing spree to further accelerate his experience acquisition.

After all, individual Foundation Establishment Stage Nether Fiends didn’t pose much threat to him.

Even without using special methods like the Heretical Sword, his current strength was sufficient to defeat ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage Nether Fiends in one-on-one combat.

But the battlefield was no playground.

If a Foundation Establishment Stage Nether Fiend led numerous Qi Condensation Stage fiends to surround him, he would have no choice but to flee.

After all, his current advantage lay in offensive power far exceeding his actual Rank.In contrast, his means of self-preservation and defensive capabilities were rather mediocre.

Once caught in a siege, unless he could break through the encirclement swiftly,

his fragile Physical Body would be vulnerable to fatal harm even from an ordinary Qi Condensation Stage Fiend.

“I need to pay more attention to cultivating in this area later, since I can’t infinitely revive like in an Instance in reality.”

“Fortunately, I’ve realized this in time and can still make amends.”

“Among the metal and earth attribute Divine Abilities, there should be many that meet my requirements. I’ll just keep an eye out for them.”

“As long as I improve my survival skills and physical resilience, I’ll truly have no more weaknesses…”

With this thought, Lu Chen turned and headed toward the mall’s underground parking garage.

Lu Chen had a particular fondness for underground parking garages because, although the Divine Sense perception at the Foundation Establishment Stage was powerful,

it couldn’t penetrate over ten meters of underground structure to detect what was inside the garage.

Thus, by hiding underground, he wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered by the Foundation Establishment Stage Fiends in the sky.

But just as Lu Chen reached the first floor of the mall and was about to head to the underground garage,

a dark shadow suddenly shot through the hollowed-out central area of the mall, charging fiercely toward him.

Almost by instinct, Lu Chen instinctively swung his Magic Sword at the shadow.

Bang!

With a spark flying, Lu Chen felt a tremendous force transmitted through the Magic Sword, causing him to slide back a considerable distance before finally stopping.

He looked up, the green Lotus Mark in his pupils spinning continuously, his expression grave as he stared at the sudden formidable foe.

Observing the sparse Lotus Marks on the opponent’s body and the dense energy reaction within it,

Lu Chen quickly grasped the level of its strength.

That’s right, it’s at the Foundation Establishment Stage…

Jade-Faced Mantis looked at Lu Chen, a curious expression appearing on its triangular mantis head.

“My luck is good—I’ve actually encountered a valuable prey.”

“Human Race, I hope you can provide me with at least a bit of enjoyment in battle…”

Jade-Faced Mantis’s condescending tone suggested it regarded Lu Chen merely as a pastime toy, not taking him seriously at all.

However, at that moment, someone else felt just as fortunate—

Lu Chen, whom it viewed as a toy.

After all, upon seeing Jade-Faced Mantis appear, Lu Chen immediately surveyed the surroundings.

He found that Jade-Faced Mantis had found him alone, with no other Nether Fiends within a hundred-meter radius.

And a lone Foundation Establishment Stage Nether Fiend was, to him… nothing less than an experience pack delivered right to his doorstep?

His luck really was quite good!

Meanwhile, in the Second High conference room.

The moment Jade-Faced Mantis found Lu Chen, the previously inconspicuous Lu Chen immediately drew the attention of many teachers.

After all, there were only ten Foundation Establishment Stage Nether Fiends in the entire examination ground.

Thus, every move they made was naturally closely monitored by the teachers in the conference room.

A teacher from Third High, watching Lu Chen being intercepted by Jade-Faced Mantis, remarked with some regret, “This student from No. 1 High is a bit unlucky. To encounter a Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend alone in less than a day, and one known for its speed like Jade-Faced Mantis at that. It seems he’ll be eliminated soon.”A teacher from Second High nearby immediately chimed in, “Isn’t that just the truth? In past joint exams, Jade-Faced Mantis has eliminated the most students.”

“After all, this Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend, with its incredible speed and masterful saber techniques, is nearly impossible for most examinees to defeat.”

“If I recall correctly, the last student who managed to defeat Jade-Faced Mantis one-on-one was that genius from ten years ago who got directly admitted to Supreme Purity Dao Palace’s No. 1 High, right?”

“But even a genius like him only encountered Jade-Faced Mantis in a severely wounded state back then, barely managing to secure victory.”

Chen Fugui listened to the two teachers’ discussion, his face equally tense as he watched Lu Chen on the screen.

Although he was one of the few who knew Lu Chen relatively well among them,

his understanding was limited to their previous mock exams.

Based on Lu Chen’s performance back then, there was absolutely no way he could defeat this so-called “examinee killer,” Jade-Faced Mantis.

The thought that Lu Chen, whom he had such high hopes for, might fall on the very first day of the Three-School Joint Exam

made Chen Fugui feel inexplicably frustrated.

Really now, young Lu, what’s going on with you?

Out of such a huge examination venue, how did you end up alone facing this Jade-Faced Mantis? You’re wasting your luck by not buying lottery tickets.

And another thing—when others encounter fellow students, they try their best to cooperate with them.

But you, with your boundless arrogance, stubbornly insist on acting alone even after meeting students from your own school.

What exactly is wrong with you? You don’t actually think you’re such a genius that you can run wild in the examination venue, do you?

No, once you get out of that examination venue later, I’m definitely going to give you a proper lecture.

A cultivator can have pride, but must never be arrogant.

With this attitude of yours, you’ll suffer greatly when you enter the Dao Academy in the future!

After all, the Dao Academy lacks many things, but it never lacks monsters who surpass geniuses!

Inside the abandoned mall, Jade-Faced Mantis watched Lu Chen, who had remained motionless since its appearance,

thinking he was just like the other human cultivators it had encountered—completely terrified out of their wits.

This left Jade-Faced Mantis somewhat disappointed.

After all, it had rushed over immediately after sensing the deaths of so many of its subordinates.

And when it discovered that the one who had killed so many of its underlings was just a single person,

it immediately developed a strong interest in Lu Chen, feeling it had found an excellent toy.

This interest peaked when Lu Chen blocked its first saber strike.

Since arriving in Jade City, it hadn’t encountered any decent opponents—

even those capable of blocking a single attack from it were few and far between.

Therefore, seeing Lu Chen appearing to “give up resistance” left Jade-Faced Mantis rather disappointed.

What fun is there in killing prey that doesn’t fight back?

With this thought, Jade-Faced Mantis spoke again, intending to stimulate some fighting spirit in this toy of his.

“Hey, human kid, care to guess how many of your kind I’ve killed from the beginning until now?”

Hearing the telepathic voice in his ear, Lu Chen didn’t respond, merely watching it calmly.

His twelve-petaled pupils kept rotating, as if recording something.

Jade-Faced Mantis didn’t notice this at all.

Or perhaps it did notice, but simply didn’t care.Facing the silent Lu Chen, Jade-Faced Mantis spoke to himself: “One hundred and twenty-three, a full one hundred and twenty-three.”

“I must say, the physical bodies of you Human Race are truly too weak.”

“Even the cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage among your Human Race can be easily killed with a single saber strike once I get close enough.”

“Speaking of which, I truly miss the first Human Race Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator I encountered. That was indeed an exhilarating battle.”

“Originally, I was actually no match for that guy. Many times when I tried to get close to him, he would force me back with his Magic Treasure.”

“But guess what? That guy, in order to protect the ordinary people behind him and buy time for those weaklings to escape, actually took the initiative to withstand several of my attacks multiple times, giving up many opportunities to severely injure me.”

“I really don’t understand what goes through the minds of you Human Race strong ones. Why would they have such strange thoughts?”

“Such actions would be considered the stupidest behavior imaginable in our Nine Abyss Clan.”

“Where else would you find a strong one willingly giving up chances to escape in order to protect the weak?”

“But you know what? It was precisely because of your foolish notions that I found the opportunity to turn defeat into victory.”

“After discovering this, I directly gave up attacking that Foundation Establishment Human Race cultivator and turned to chase down that group of ordinary people.”

“As expected, not only did that guy become enraged, but he even became distracted and used his Magic Treasure to protect these ordinary people.”

“But this way, he couldn’t focus on protecting himself anymore!”

“I immediately seized the opportunity, cutting off this guy’s arm with one saber strike, and then within a few exchanges, severed all four of his limbs.”

“Would you like to guess why I didn’t kill him directly?”

Facing the waves of triumphant words transmitted through Jade-Faced Mantis’s ‘divine sense communication,’

Lu Chen maintained his calm expression throughout, seemingly completely unmoved.

The more he remained like this, the more inexplicably angry Jade-Faced Mantis became, wanting to provoke some emotional reaction from Lu Chen.

So while walking toward Lu Chen, it mocked: “I wanted him to personally watch the weaklings he protected being devoured one by one by my subordinates.”

“Not only that, I kept him by my side to watch how I hunted down those defenseless ordinary people.”

“Hehehe… I truly miss the look of fury, resentment, and despair in his eyes at that time. It was so amusing to me.”

As it said this, Jade-Faced Mantis came within five steps of Lu Chen.

At this moment, Lu Chen finally spoke.

“Finished talking?”

“Huh?”

Jade-Faced Mantis looked at Lu Chen in surprise, not understanding where this Qi Condensation Stage toy found the confidence to say such words.

But the next second, it suddenly felt an inexplicable aura locking onto it.

The sensation was as if countless sharp swords were pressed against its neck, making it experience an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Jade-Faced Mantis looked at Lu Chen in disbelief, seemingly not expecting to feel such pressure from a Qi Condensation Stage Human Race cultivator.

Wh-what’s going on?!

“Since you’re finished… then you can die.”

Clang!

Accompanied by a heavy sound of a sword being drawn, Jade-Faced Mantis suddenly saw a terrifying sword shadow rushing toward its face.This sword strike was so swift that it even rivaled the speed of its own saber techniques.

Faced with this sudden life-or-death crisis, Jade-Faced Mantis could only hastily raise his arms in a frantic attempt to block.

The arrogance he had shown while mocking Lu Chen earlier was now matched only by his current flustered and disheveled state.

Bang!

As the cold gleam of the sword clashed with his sharp blade-like arms, Jade-Faced Mantis felt an intense pain shoot through his limbs.

His blade-arms, which were comparable to the Magical Artifacts of the Human Race, were now riddled with deep cracks from Lu Chen’s single sword strike.

How did this human Cultivator know that this exact spot on his blade-arms had been injured before?!

Could it be…

With a sidelong glance at Lu Chen’s eerie Lotus Pupils, Jade-Faced Mantis finally understood why the man had remained silent earlier, calmly observing him.

So he had been studying my weaknesses all along!

(End of Chapter)