Chapter 159 - Second phase of qualifiers
“Get ready. Go!”
With the shout, Lan Xuanyu unleashed another amplification on Liu Feng while at the same time pulling Qian Lei. The three immediately charged past the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon’s left leg. With a flash, the three were outside.
Lan Xuanyu had chosen to leave while the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon was moving ahead and readying itself to pounce onto the Ground Fire Lizards on the ground. Upon charging out, they were immediately a distance away from the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon.
“Qian Lei, get ready to summon,” Lan Xuanyu ordered Qian Lei quickly.
“Alright!” Qian Lei immediately unleashed his summoning coin martial soul.
Ever since they entered the qualifier, he had constantly been protected by Lan Xuanyu and Liu Feng, without being of any help himself. It was finally time to use his summoning, how could he not put effort into it?
The land around the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon was empty, not a single Ground Fire Lizard in sight; none of the Ground Fire Lizards were able to avoid the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon and, naturally, did not dare to even approach it. This placed the trio in the safest location.
But in the next instant, another ground-shaking rumble resounded. Lan Xuanyu turned to look at the mountain where they previously stood. Large boulders and rocks suddenly dropped from a large crack that had formed as a large head suddenly poked through. It was another Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon.
And it had appeared so close to where Lu Qianxun’s team of three were struggling.
The appearance of the gigantic head instantly shocked Lu Qianxun’s team; it was as though their souls had flown out of their bodies. They were completely unaware of what had transpired on the other side!
One Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon was terrifying enough. For there to be another one, how dreadful was that?
The gigantic Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon was actually able to climb a mountain?
Right when the head of the second Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon appeared, a golden halo of light swept through the entire valley.
The enormous bodies trembled, and in the next instant, their eyes immediately locked onto Lu Qianxun, Chang Jianyi, and Ye Lingtong.
The qualifier test had entered its second phase!
The second phase’s main change was that regardless of the number of humans, the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon would prioritize them.
Two large fireballs from above and below shot straight towards Lu Qianxun’s team.
Lu Qianxun’s eyes almost popped open as he shouted, “JUMP!” He grabbed onto Chang Jianyi and Ye Lingtong, and instantly jumped. He unleashed the Golden Lion Roar when he jumped, sending the large number of Ground Fire Lizards away.
A violent rumble came out again. Countless rocks started falling from above. What scared them even further was that the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon that was scaling the mountain suddenly leaped forward and jumped down. The pair of wings on its back opened and slowed its fall before it charged straight for the three of them.
Lan Xuanyu and Qian Lei had witnessed the entire scene while Liu Feng, who was focused on charging, did not discover the change.
Qian Lei inhaled a breath of cold air. He now knew what would have happened had they stayed at the wall.
It had to be said, it was not only Lan Xuanyu’s response that had saved them but in some sense, the luck that was standing on their side as well!
“Quick, summon now!” Lan Xuanyu then patted Liu Feng’s back, to which he responded by stopping and sweeping out the White Dragon Spear. Rays of spear attacks swept toward the Ground Fire Lizards in front of them.
Coin of Summoning release, first soul skill, Gate of Summoning!
The sturdy Gate of Summoning gradually opened. After an encompassing rise in Qian Lei’s Spiritual Power and Soul Power, his current summoning speed was much faster than before.
Lan Xuanyu’s expression was solemn. At the very least, they were very sure that they had obtained first place amongst the elite junior class, despite Lu Qianxun’s team having cleared more Ground Fire Lizards. While the two Ground Fire Scarlet Dragons had their attention elsewhere, they were around a bend and were perfectly hidden. Their current location was also where the first Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon had first appeared, and thus they had sufficient time to prepare.
Lan Xuanyu had also noticed the golden halo of light and faintly guessed that it was related to the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon’s sudden change in target to the teams.
Ling Yiyi had mentioned that the most important task was to survive. The qualifier was testing on survivability, and so long as they could survive longer, especially under the direct attacks of the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon, the number of points they could earn would be high.
But Lan Xuanyu’s ambition was far higher than that; he wanted to see if there were any other opportunities to earn even more points.
As Qian Lei unleashed his summon, Lan Xuanyu moved his right hand and utilized the golden-patterned Blue Silver Grass to coil around the Gate of Summoning as he looked into the distance.
The Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon had moved from their current location, and Lan Xuanyu saw a pool of magma not far from where they were.
That’s right, there was a magma pool. Countless Ground Fire Lizards were crawling out of it and running towards them.
A low growl came from beside him. Lan Xuanyu turned and saw a strong and robust creature crawling out of the Gate of Summoning. It was roughly seven meters long and had a body of iron black scales. On its back were long, sharp thorns that extended all the way to its tail, looking relatively similar to the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon. Its pair of yellow eyes brimmed with ferocity as a powerful aura emitted from its body.
Ironback Dragon, a ground dragon of the Yalong species that they had summoned before. It did not have many capabilities as far as far range attacks go, but it wielded an astonishingly strong defense. It boasted a huge strength as well and was very proficient in close combat battles.
Seeing that they had summoned the Ironback Dragon, Lan Xuanyu heaved a sigh of relief. Summoning a familiar soul beast was far better than summoning a new one in their current predicament. They were extremely clear of the Ironback Dragon’s prowess and specifics, and only needed to exploit its abilities.
“Qian Lei, sit on the Ironback Dragon and charge forward. Liu Feng and I will follow behind you.” Lan Xuanyu grabbed Qian Lei and threw him on top of the Ironback Dragon.
Qian Lei grabbed onto the thorn with both of his hands and sat stably in between the two largest thorns on its thoracic vertebra. The Ironback Dragon was his summoned creature, hence completely obedient to him.
“Head to the magma pool!” Lan Xuanyu bellowed then followed behind the Ironback Dragon alongside Liu Feng.
The seven-meter long Ironback Dragon charged forward. It did not use any tricks, as the meter to two-meter long Ground Fire Lizards’ attacks were useless against it. It was like a bulldozer charging forward. All the Ground Fire Lizards that blocked its path were flung to the side, none of which were capable of stopping the Ironback dragon.
Lan Xuanyu released Blue Silver Grass from his right hand and coiled it on Liu Feng. Even without a word, Liu Feng understood what he planned to do. All the Ground Fire Lizards that had been flung to the side easily exposed their weak bellies. Under Lan Xuanyu’s amplification, the White Dragon Spear unleashed multiple spear auras that took the lives of the overturned Ground Fire Lizards. They were all points! They could not let any go.
Lan Xuanyu followed by his side and would occasionally turn to look behind them.
On the other hand, Lu Qianxun’s team’s luck had run out.
After jumping down the mountain, they had exhausted themselves by putting their all in escaping the giant Ground Fire Scarlet Dragons, as well as the many Ground Fire Lizards that surrounded them.
They did what they could, unleashing all of their soul skills and exhausting their soul power. They killed as many Ground Fire Lizards as they could before the Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon from above descended. Then, they were completely overwhelmed by the large packs of soul beasts.
“Boom—” The Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon from next door brazenly dropped down. The battle here had ended.
The original Ground Fire Scarlet Dragon rushed over while panting with its large mouth. The two Ground Fire Scarlet Dragons looked at each other and roared at the same time.
They then turned at the same time, their noses twitching as they sniffed around. After that, with thunderous footsteps, they started running towards Lan Xuanyu and his team.