Chapter 99 - Entrance Test [3]

Another two hours passed, and although Cale had the option to enter the mindscape, but then what? If these people got even a little bit interested in it, he would be a goner.

’Hmm, even something like Dash can’t help me here.’

Then suddenly a message came, which made him a bit relieved.

[Your Chaos Flames Intent has leveled up to Lvl.2]

[Your Flames Grow stronger...]

[Human: 59% → 62% (Awakened)]

[Elf: 66% → 70% (Awakened)]

[Kunpeng [Divine]: 18% → 19% (Perfected)]

[Dragon [Ancestor]: 3% → 4% (Progenitor)]

[Rewarded New technique Air Slash]

A smile crept on Cale’s face, even when he was running from danger.

’Hehe, good! Good! Intent itself can be leveled up too? I guess it’s not something that will stay as is. And I still have that inheritance ticket left from the system rewards from the time with Rexa. I’ll use it inside while the hundred years pass.’

The phoenix took a high position, way above all of them, charging a huge fireball in front of its open beak, but it wasn’t just orange flames. The fireball was literally made of white flames.

’A stronger attack!’

The ball shot forward, burning even the air itself on its path. Fortunately, it wasn’t aimed at Cale. It was aimed at Liushen! Looking around, Liushen pulled out a talisman and threw it at Black Sire! Yes, it turned out to be a substitution type talisman. Such were so rare to create, and only Tier 4 or Tier 5 specialists could hope for a successful one out of tens of them.

"Sorry for this senior, but I want to live long and marry."

"H-How dare you! Conniving child, if I get out of here alive!"

Shocked, Black Sire was swapped with Liushen. He would now have to take on the brunt of the attack. Liushen’s guard was actually quite swift to run away by that time.

Cale quickly ran ahead, positioning himself beside Liushen, although this position alongside this guy was dangerous. The attack was near Black Sire. He pulled out an artifact of high tier, which looked like a big bowl—something like a shield of copper. The shield spun, parrying the fireball as Black Sire put his all into maintaining it, using nearly all his qi reserves.

Just as he diverged the ball of fire to another direction after so much enduring, his shield, which was slightly damaged due to a true creature’s attack, tossed in the air and back toward Cale and the others who were running ahead.

"Ah! Noooo!"

Suddenly, right at that moment, a bottle-like gourd made of gold fumed with green energy flew out of Morton’s hand, and it sucked in the shield! Morton had stolen it from Black Sire, now that Black Sire was weakened.

’They’re crazy! All of them.’

It wasn’t that hard to guess—they would all think about their own benefit and survival first and foremost.

"Run! Run!" screamed Song Chenxi.

And the phoenix gobbled up Black Sire in one go. It didn’t even stop after eating him for a single second and continued to chase them.

"Is it not happy just eating one guy!" Cale said.

Liushen laughed, "Keke, maybe the old bag of bones didn’t taste that good."

Another few kilometers passed, and as if the phoenix had digested Black Sire, it sped up. With a single shrill of its roar, it flapped its wings, creating something like a wall of flames ahead of all of them. And not just ahead of them, but behind too was a wall of fire.

"We’re trapped." Liushen’s bodyguard said.

’Now that I’ve got its flames, I can’t think of defeating it. I’m still not that strong. Even these guys are struggling against it this much.’

The phoenix flew in front of them, fear burst within each of their hearts. All their thoughts vanished, every single one of them thought just one thing—to escape from here. Inheritance cave? Who wanted that! They would rather choose to live more and try later on. But Cale was different in this aspect. He would rather die than not gain any strength and stay weak.

Being weak was a sin in this kind of world. He had seen it all in his past life. You like a woman, travel with her, but then she leaves you for a stronger person who she met a few days ago. You decide to go for one of the simplest and weaker inheritances to get some artifacts, but some random guy who is the son of a strong person takes away your chance. He couldn’t even recall how many times he had to bow his head just to get out of the situation. Although he didn’t feel much of the humiliation, but the act itself of trying to get out by choosing the ’safer’ option was disgusting.

But still, it’s not like he was dumb. If it felt like he had a chance to get out of here by sacrificing something, he would do it.

The phoenix roared again, and then shot a huge beam of flames in all their directions. It wasn’t a small one which could be avoided by one and only hit another—it covered them all.

Morton tsked, "Tsk, I have to use it, I guess."

He pulled out another artifact—it was four flags with some patterns on each of them. The four flags flew to four sides, forming a square-like shield of energy in front of them, blocking the beam of fire.

"Pour all your energy in it if you want to survive!" he shouted.

And they did just that—Cale, Liushen, Liushen’s guard, Song Chenxi, Morton. One minute, two minutes, five minutes passed, and then... Crack!

A crack appeared on the barrier.

’Hell no!’

Although Cale wasn’t exactly pouring all his qi in it, it should still be strong enough to hold on, right? The crack widened, and Song Chenxi’s face paled too. He hurriedly took out a bell-like artifact.

"Argh! It’s only a one-time use! Can’t believe I have to use it here!"

Throwing it above, the bell enlarged, and right as the barrier collapsed, the bell covered all their bodies inside it, protecting them. Right as the barrier broke fully, the bell took the whole brunt of the phoenix’s beam of fire. So immense that even Cale could feel the heat of it even with all his abilities and the kind of body he had.

The pressure from the phoenix’s will fell onto each of them, so immense and terrifying that their bones creaked, with a headache intensifying with each second passing. It continued for a few minutes, and then the beam stopped.

’I-it stopped? Is that ray of fire over? Phew...’

And... he jinxed himself.