91 Reaping the Rewards
Half an hour had passed since the eruption. The three Magma Beasts that landed halfway up the mountain had already been discovered: a Tier 5 Magma Ape and two Tier 4 Magma Serpents.
The Tier 5 Magma Ape was massive, over ten meters tall, its body formed from rocks, crystals, and magma, with a core at its center. It looked like a golem but was actually an elemental being, possessing strength comparable to a five-star Mystic King.
The two Tier 4 Magma Serpents, one large and one small, resembled King Cobras, their appearance ferocious and intimidating. However, they had already been slain by the top ten societies, their bodies pierced, their eyes dull and lifeless as they lay on the ground.
The leaders of the top ten societies were currently besieging the Tier 5 Magma Ape, while their members surrounded the area, preventing its escape and also keeping other students from the mountain’s base from interfering.
The Inner Academy’s top ten societies: Seven Stars, Broken Mirror, Soaring, Transformation, Black Horn, Water Moon, Killing Life…
Except for Gu Tiange, the leader of Seven Stars, the other nine leaders, also among the top ten on the Rising Star List, were all using their various skills, battling fiercely against the Tier 5 Magma Ape.
The highest cultivation among them was Wen Canglan, a nine-star Mystic General. The second highest was Ling Fei, an eight-star Mystic General. The rest, including Yu Die, were all seven-star Mystic Generals.
Ten high-star Mystic Generals against a five-star Mystic King. They didn’t have much of an advantage. Moreover, this Tier 5 Magma Ape had both high attack and high defense. None of them could withstand a direct hit at full power, so they fought cautiously, exploiting its slow speed and opting for a war of attrition.
Victory was inevitable. After all, Magma Beasts weren’t very intelligent. As long as they were careful and avoided getting hit, they could wear it down with their numbers.
A hundred zhang away, Yan Zhen stood on a boulder, eating pastries while watching the battle below.
Long Ying clung to his back, her chin resting on his shoulder, looking at the fight with boredom.
“Zhenzhen, why don’t you let me join the fight? I can kill that big gorilla with one punch.”
“Why bother fighting when we can reap the rewards without lifting a finger?”
Yan Zhen popped a pastry into his mouth, then offered another to Long Ying behind him. She opened her mouth wide and snatched the pastry, devouring it quickly and licking the crumbs from her lips.
“Then when are we going to ‘reap the rewards’?”
“When they’re almost finished. And we’ll only take the most valuable treasure. Otherwise, we’ll offend too many people, and it will be difficult to escape.”
“I’m not afraid of them. I can just beat them all up.”
“There’s no need for that. It’s better to keep a low profile and bide our time.”
“Fine.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Zhenzhen~”
“Yes?”
“Another one.”
“…”
Yan Zhen silently offered her another pastry, then took one for himself.
They continued eating while watching the show.
Below, the battle reached a critical point. Under the combined assault of the ten Mystic Generals, the Tier 5 Magma Ape was severely injured and began to go berserk.
Wen Canglan, Ling Fei, Yu Die, and the others unleashed their strongest attacks, barely blocking the Magma Ape’s final assault, then counterattacked, ten King-level Mystic Skills slamming into it, finally defeating it.
Its massive body began to crumble, cracks appearing and emitting a dazzling red light, then it exploded like a bomb.
The shockwave swept outwards, sending dust, debris, and smoke flying.
Almost simultaneously, Wen Canglan, Ling Fei, Yu Die, and the others struck out with their palms, dispelling the dust with gusts of wind, then dashed forward, vying for the most valuable treasure—the Magma Beast’s core.
However, a figure was faster than them. Although it was daytime, everyone saw a flash of starlight. In the blink of an eye, Yan Zhen appeared where the Tier 5 Magma Ape had fallen, reached out, and retrieved its core—the Fire Spirit Crystal.
The burning crystal, still coated in lava, was incredibly hot, but Yan Zhen held it as if he couldn’t feel the heat, then he smiled at them and shot into the sky like a streak of starlight.
The ten people who had been about to grab the core were stunned, not expecting anyone to be so audacious as to steal it!
“How dare you!”
A furious roar echoed, snapping everyone back to reality.
Wu Tie, the leader of the Black Horn society, immediately gave chase. The leaders of the Water Moon, Killing Life, and other societies also reacted and followed. Then, the Seven Stars’ second-in-command, Wen Canglan, Ling Fei, and even Yu Die joined the pursuit.
“What is that brat doing?”
Yu Die bit her lip. Even she wouldn’t dare to steal like that. She would have participated in the battle and then competed for the spoils fairly.
Hiding in the shadows and then taking the most valuable treasure, he had offended all ten of the Inner Academy’s top societies, except for her Transformation society. The others probably wanted to skin him alive.
However, just as they took to the sky, they heard a commotion below. They looked down and saw a small figure dashing through the crowd, grabbing a pile of loot with lightning speed, then disappearing.
Those items were supposed to be divided fairly among the participants, yet this small figure had snatched a significant portion.
Yu Die immediately recognized her as the adorable little Dragon Girl, Long Ying!
—He actually used Little Long Ying to do this? You brat, don’t let me catch you!
Long Ying, however, didn’t care what Yu Die thought. Following Yan Zhen’s instructions, she grabbed a pile of scorching hot crystals and ran as fast as she could towards the summit.
They had agreed to meet there.
Long Ying, having awakened her spatial talent, could cover ten zhang with a single step. The pursuers couldn’t catch her. Yan Zhen, however, with his lower cultivation, couldn’t outrun the group of high-star Mystic Generals with just his Starry Sky Dance.
They were only about a hundred zhang behind him, led by Wu Tie of the Black Horn society, their pursuit relentless, unleashing sword Qi and fist force attacks. It was easy to imagine what would happen if they caught him.
—This is terrifying!
Yan Zhen wasn’t sure if he could outrun them like in the script. After a moment’s thought, he decided to use a trump card, taking out “Soaring Wings.” Upon activation, a pair of beautiful wings sprouted from his back.
With a flap of his wings, Yan Zhen’s speed more than doubled, circling around his pursuers, then, seemingly cornered, he flew towards the summit.
After about fifteen minutes, Yan Zhen reached the summit safely. As expected, Long Ying wasn’t there yet.
The summit was the volcano’s crater. Looking down, he could see the bubbling magma.
Numerous Magma Beasts lived within the magma. Jumping down was practically a death sentence.
However, several powerful auras were rapidly approaching from behind. Without hesitation, Yan Zhen leaped into the crater.
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