Reincarnation Paradise: The Crucible.

Chapter 497 Bait
With Cangjia's roar that signaled the start of the battle, the seven wolf guards surrounding the giant pit immediately separated.

Facing a tank-type opponent with almost maxed-out defense and firepower, they must guard against the possibility of being wiped out in one wave due to over-concentration. Only by splitting up and holding them off can they have a slim chance of winning.

As a result, from the giant crater on the scorched earth, various strange phenomena such as lightning, fire lines, and wind shadows suddenly burst forth.

Among them, the Wolf Guards of the A and B classes, who control wind and thunder, are undoubtedly the fastest, but Cangwu, who is not known for speed and consumes a lot of energy, is particularly slow to react.

After a powerful leap, his heavy body landed heavily, but as soon as he stood still, a bone-chilling cold, as if his heart had been squeezed, instantly made the hairs on Cangwu's body stand on end.

He didn't even have time to determine the exact direction of this deadly sense of crisis before his strong will to survive drove him to frantically release the last of his spiritual energy.

"Shan Yu!"

With a deafening roar, the ground beneath his feet suddenly rose up, and in the blink of an eye, a small mountain that completely enveloped him was erected.

The thick rock layer, several meters wide, blocked Cangwu's view, but it still couldn't block the increasingly icy and bone-chilling cold.

Outside, at the very moment the mountain range was fully formed, a sharp halberd tip, wreathed in dark, malevolent energy, struck the very center of the mountain range like a fang protruding from the depths of the underworld.

The next moment!
As the mountain peaks met the halberd tip, hundreds of fine cracks began to spread wildly along the entire mountain, starting from the halberd tip. Then, it was as if a high-yield explosive had suddenly burst from the inside of the mountain.

A deafening roar echoed across the scorched earth, and the newly risen mountain instantly turned into countless fragments of earth and stone that scattered in all directions, while the sharp halberd tip, shrouded in malevolent energy, continued its relentless advance without hindrance.

The mountains crumbled, and the dense darkness before Cang Wu's eyes was instantly torn apart. The moonlight in the sky was chilling, and at this moment, in his bloodshot, horrified pupils, only a sharp black and red light was rapidly expanding.

"No!"

puff-

The sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh is quite faint, but it is deadly enough.

Cang Wu's last mournful cry before his death came to an abrupt end. Bright red blood foam spilled from his mouth and nose. Before he could speak again, the halberd that had pierced his chest simply turned lightly, and his entire body collapsed like the mountains before him.

Flesh and blood mingled with bones, transforming into a desolate rain of blood that scattered across the scorched earth. Outside this rain of blood, Xu Yue, unmoved, slowly withdrew his halberd, his eyes filled with an increasingly viscous, chilling killing intent.

"First."

The sound wasn't loud, but it swept across the entire battlefield like a biting winter wind, causing the scattered wolf guards to freeze in place.

"E!"

In the distance, Cangjia's eyes were bloodshot, and the lightning around him fluctuated violently due to anger and a hint of hidden fear.

He knew, of course, that scattering the wolf guards could lead to them being defeated one by one, but he never expected that Wu, whose defense was second only to Cang Geng, would be blown up on the spot in a single encounter. Not only him, but all the wolf guards who saw this scene changed their expressions at the same moment.

This is not just about the rabbit mourning the fox's death; more realistically, if Cang Wu were replaced by them, no one could guarantee that their fate would not be just as tragic.

Noticing the atmosphere that suddenly froze over the entire battlefield, Cangjia reacted quickly without hesitation and immediately rushed towards Xu Yue's location.

"Geng! Bing! Follow me to hold them off, the rest of the wolf guards will attack from a distance!"

The stagnant battlefield was broken by Cang Jia's fierce shout. As soon as he finished speaking, Cang Geng, who was holding a heavy hammer, and Cang Bing, who was surrounded by flames, followed closely behind. The three of them formed a triangular formation and attempted to encircle the target. However, before they could get close to their target, the silver figure tightly wrapped in thick baleful energy disappeared again.

In terms of speed and agility alone, Xu Yue may not be as fast as Cang Jia, who can transform into lightning. However, thanks to the burst of power brought by his comprehensive attributes, his short-range dash is enough to make him stand out from anyone else on the field.

The terrifying lethality that crumbles at the slightest touch, coupled with the extreme burst of power that is almost impossible to lock onto, brings with it a death-defying fear that lingers in the hearts of all the wolf guards.

"He's too fast, we can't predict his attack trajectory at all, we have to stop him, A!"

"Yi, pinpoint the location of the aura, quick!"

"Southwest direction, Xin, you're there, get out of there!"

.........

A series of urgent shouts rang out on the battlefield. On the other side, Cang Xin's expression changed drastically when he heard his name called. But before he could make any dodging movements, a raging gust of wind descended from above with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.

His gaze snapped upwards as the shadow of death loomed over him. A moment of barely suppressed panic flashed in Cang Xin's eyes, but this helpless emotion was instantly replaced by a fierce and resolute determination to perish together with his opponent.

As one of only two women among the Ten Wolf Guards, she knew very well that with her focus on support and control, she had no chance of withstanding this attack head-on. So rather than struggling in vain, she decided to risk her life for the attack.

"Let's die together!"

Without attempting to dodge, Cang Xin leaped into the air amidst a shriek, his entire body instantly transforming into a surging torrent of metal, and actively facing the halberd that was fiercely cleaving down from above.

"Hundred Streams Bind!"

The halberd that cleaved down met the surging torrent in mid-air. There was no stalemate or confrontation; the moment they touched, the latter, as if alive, split into large chains that began to spread wildly and entwine along the entire halberd.

Countless twisted streams of metallic silver roared past the halberd, until they tightly bound the tall figure further behind it in the blink of an eye.

He stumbled and landed, and the moment he stood still, the silver chains that wrapped around Xu Yue's body changed again. A large number of sharp chains that shot downwards began to scatter and pierce the ground, tightly constricting his joints and seemingly trying to fix him in place so that he could not escape.

"Ok?"

Feeling the tightness and pulling sensation coming from all parts of his body, Xu Yue frowned slightly, exerted force with both arms, and soon the more than ten chains on his body were broken one after another under this terrifying brute force.

The crisp sound of chains breaking echoed continuously. However, as soon as one side collapsed, more chains wrapped around it again, even more tightly than before!

Clearly, this liquid metal, created at the cost of Cang Xin's life, seems to possess some strange, relentless nature; at least by brute force alone, he would find it difficult to break free completely in a short period of time.

This brief but deadly restraint created a precious and crucial opportunity for the other wolf guards on the battlefield.

"Chance!"

Not far away, several wolf guards who were galloping towards them suddenly had a glint in their eyes, and then they frantically poured out all the spiritual power in their bodies in an almost exhaustive manner.

A thunderous roar suddenly sounded overhead, and a dazzling red and white lightning spear, accompanied by a deafening explosion, pierced straight down.

A surge of heat rose from the side, and within the distorted air, a crimson firebird, no larger than a fist but radiating an intense aura of burning, rapidly approached.

The commotion directly in front was the most immense. The ground was shattered one after another by the charging Cang Geng, and the continuous roar was like war drums. A pair of scarlet wolf eyes were filled with hatred, and the muscles on his arms were bulging.

With each step forward, Cang Geng's swinging hammer grew larger, until it had completely transformed into a massive metal mountain, blotting out the sky and crashing down on the figure still tightly bound before him.

"Die!" A lightning spear pierces the top of his head! A fireball engulfs his body! A heavy hammer crushes him!

Three attacks, each with distinct attributes yet equally deadly, seized the fleeting opportunity of confinement and arrived in an instant, completely sealing off all of Xu Yue's escape routes.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment. Within the lightning, Cang Jia's eyes were dark, Cang Bing, nearly exhausted, had limp limbs, and Cang Ding's eyes flickered further away. Cang Yi focused his senses. Although their expressions were different, their eyes were all fixed on the silver figure that was about to be completely submerged under the chains.

However, just as the fastest lightning spear was about to strike the target's skull first.

"Roar!!"

A deep, resonant roar erupted from Xu Yue's body. Then, a phantom of Baxia, with a dragon's head and a tortoise's body, appeared out of thin air. It stood on its four feet, carrying a giant stele on its back, and roared as it headed straight at the blazing white lightning spear that was piercing down from above.

The next instant, three powerful attacks finally arrived one after another!

First came a series of deafening explosions, followed by dazzling white lightning and surging waves of fire that shot straight into the sky, their blinding brilliance illuminating almost half of the scorched earth. Finally, with a clang of metal striking metal, a death knell was tolled, and large swaths of smoke and dust, mixed with the thunder and fire, began to spread and sweep outwards, until the entire central area was completely enveloped.

A moment later, after the rising dust had settled, the phantom of Baxia was still standing on the shattered ground, but it looked much more disheveled than before.

The once-powerful four legs are now reduced to only three, barely providing support. Cracks are rampant on the right side of the tortoise shell, and even the massive monument above has been more than half shattered. Yet, despite all this, the phantom appears increasingly solid.

Resisting, transforming, and then turning into one's own power—this is the most important ability of the Baxia weapon spirit. As long as it cannot be broken in one blow, then the attack is also food.

Within the illusory image, unlike the battered Baxia, Xu Yue, completely unharmed, slowly swallowed the last mouthful of liquid gold before him. Then, his icy gaze pierced through the illusion, landing on Cang Geng, whose giant hammer was being tightly gripped by the dragon's head, his face flushed red from the struggle. He scoffed:

"Hit me with a hammer?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the illusory image of Baxia, which had been frozen in place, suddenly released its giant hammer. With a roar, it raised its two massive, pillar-like forelegs high and then slammed them down on Cang Geng, who was unable to dodge in time.

With just one strike, the wolf guard, already near exhaustion, didn't even put up any decent resistance. A dull thud accompanied by the crisp sound of bones shattering echoed as his feet landed. The rolling waves of earth spread out like tidal waves. When the phantom lifted its feet again, all that remained on the spot was a pool of dark brown flesh that was impossible to discern, along with a twisted and deformed metal hammer embedded in the center of the flesh.

[You have killed the wolf demon Cang Geng, one of the Ten Wolf Guards of Canglang. You have gained 3.3% of the World Source, bringing your total World Source to 86.4%.]

The reputation of the Azure Wolf Clan has now reached the "Unending Resistance" level!

You have obtained a treasure chest (purple)

.........

In the distance, after witnessing yet another wolf guard being easily slaughtered in such a crushing manner, Cang Ding, who was furthest away, no longer hesitated and turned to flee for his life in the dense forest on the other side. In less than half an hour of the battle, half of the entire Wolf King Guard had been wiped out, while the opponent remained calm and composed.

This was no longer a battle, but a one-sided massacre. The disparity between the two sides was so vast that Cang Ding felt only despair. Since fighting meant certain death...
Retreat means certain death, so the only way to survive is to escape.

Escape that human, and escape this barbaric forest!

"Man?!"

Cang Ding's escape could not be hidden from Cang Yi, who had the strongest senses in the entire field. She quickly turned her head when she realized that her teammate was moving away rapidly. But just as she was about to say something, a scarlet knife tip suddenly pierced out from her heart without her noticing.

The excruciating pain in his heart made Cang Yi tremble. Behind him, a hideous armor that seemed to be cast from blood was slowly taking shape. To deal with an opponent who relied too much on his senses, the Crimson Prison, which had no life force and could freely switch between liquid and solid, was the most deadly assassin.

Those who are good swimmers often drown; this is true for humans, and it is also true for fairies.

"Uh..." She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Apart from the indescribable pain, she felt as if countless leeches were greedily sucking everything in her body along her blood vessels, until her entire body turned into a pale, dried corpse wrapped in clothes.

In the last second of her vision, she seemed to see Cang Jia rushing frantically from above with bloodshot eyes, but he paused just before arriving, then suddenly turned and sped away in the direction Cang Ding had fled.

.........

On the other side, Xu Yue, inside the phantom, paid no attention to the commotion in the distance. He glanced indifferently at the large mass of minced meat in front of him. As he took a step, the phantom of Baxia that enveloped him immediately dispersed with the wind, turning into countless tiny golden and red light spots scattered all around, adding a touch of haziness to this scorched earth covered in rubble.

Soon, the slow, despairing footsteps stopped in front of Cang Bing, who was standing not far away. Looking up at the tall figure towering above him, Cang Bing, already exhausted, did not try to resist. Instead, he resolutely knelt down and shouted from the bottom of his heart:

"Spare me, I surrender! I know how to get you out of the Savage Forest and the Wolf Clan..."

The plea for mercy abruptly stopped. Before he could finish speaking, Cang Bing, who was kneeling and kowtowing before him, suddenly attacked with a ferocious speed far exceeding that of the past. There were no familiar crimson flames, only a fleeting, blurry black shadow. The speed was so fast that he completely ignored the halberd that was being swung at him.

A deadly sense of crisis exploded in Xu Yue's heart. Caught off guard, he only had time to turn slightly to the side before the sharp pain from his chest pushed him backward.

Finally, he regained his footing, and drops of thick, silvery blood fell to his feet, each drop producing a dull thud. For the first time since the start of the battle, Xu Yue's almost invincible physical defenses had been breached head-on.

The bright moonlight shone on the scorched earth and also illuminated two figures below that were almost overlapping. One was Xu Yue, who was carrying a long halberd, while the other was not Cang Bing, but the wolf king Cang Yue, who was carrying a jade wheel.

Both were assassinations, but this Wolf King was clearly more patient and ruthless than his wolf guards!

He tacitly accepted the annihilation of the wolf pack and watched as the ten wolf guards were mercilessly slaughtered one after another. Only at the last moment did he use spatial displacement to replace the now harmless Cang Bing when his opponent was most relaxed, and then launched this deadly attack that was almost impossible to avoid.

The sharp wolf claws pierced deep into his chest, just a hair's breadth away from penetrating not his lungs, but his fiercely beating heart.

The dark golden wolf eyes swept across his chest, finally landing on Xu Yue's gradually fading black eyes. Cang Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of unexpected surprise showing in his calm expression.

"Based on my estimation, with your speed and reaction time, it would have been impossible for you to avoid that attack. So, what kind of ability was that just now?"

"...Never mind, it's irrelevant. This is your last chance. Hand over Qiongqi, or die now!"

Faced with the choice Cang Yue offered, Xu Yue, whose mouth was bleeding, did not reply. Instead, he quickly raised his hand and grabbed the thick arm that pierced through his chest, then grinned with a cold, blood-stained smile.

"Finally... I caught you..."

"what?"

Cang Yue, whose forearm was tightly bound, was stunned when he heard this. He then realized that the area around them had been filled with a large number of crimson light spots. In the instant he turned his head, each light spot burst out with a terrifyingly hot wave.

"red lotus!"

"boom--!!!"

In an instant, the world fell silent, and a giant fire lotus with a diameter of over twenty meters bloomed brilliantly from the center of the battlefield.

Terrifying light and heat instantly engulfed everything. Centered on the fire lotus, a hemispherical destructive energy field rapidly expanded, vaporizing the scorched earth and igniting the air. The intense light emitted even briefly overshadowed the moonlight on the horizon, illuminating the entire battlefield as if it were daytime.

(End of this chapter)