I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 151 Demon's Roar
In a secluded, dense forest, ancient trees reach for the sky, their branches and leaves intertwining, allowing dappled sunlight to filter through.

Xue Xiang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing silently ahead.

In a clearing in the woods, the mangled corpses of two enormous beasts lay scattered.

The Fiery Lion, a fearsome black-level monster, was now silent, with blood flowing and scorch marks everywhere.

A burnt, acrid smell filled the air, the lingering scent of flames still present.

Xue Xiang's gaze was fixed on the demon egg in his hand.

The demon egg was black and lustrous like jade, with a thick, rich sheen on its surface, yet it was still vibrating gently.

His brows were furrowed, and his expression was solemn.

Just moments before, as the auras of the two Suanni collapsed, the demonic egg trembled violently in his palm, almost flying out on its own.

Therefore, he dared not be careless and dragged the remains of the two Suanni into the forest to investigate them carefully.

"What exactly is this thing trying to do?"

Xue Xiang slowly touched the surface of the demon egg with his fingertips and could feel a faint restlessness.

With a thought, he slowly gathered his literary energy and sent it into the vessel.

The next instant, the demon egg trembled violently, as if it had received a summons.

Immediately, it leaped out of its palm and pounced on the two corpses of the Suanni.

Xue Xiang's pupils contracted, and his heart tightened, but he did not stop him.

He stared silently, his expression revealing a sense of solemnity and calmness.

The demon egg rolled to the front of the Suanni's remains, then suddenly stopped, its entire body emitting streaks of black light.

The next moment, the black light clung to the remains of the two Suanni beasts.

call,
A visible black mist suddenly surged from the corpse of the Suanni and was swallowed by the demon egg.

A chilling atmosphere permeated the forest, the wind suddenly picked up, and withered leaves rustled down.

Xue Xiang held his breath.

As the black mist dissipated, the enormous body of the Suanni visibly collapsed and dried up.

In no time, the once towering, mountain-like corpse turned into a pile of black ash, which scattered in the wind.

The demon egg shimmered with light, revealing patterns of red and black intertwined, as if it were absorbing some kind of energy.

It trembled for a moment, then slowly calmed down, returning to its original dark and silent state, lying quietly on the ground.

Xue Xiang slowly reached out, picked it up, and examined it closely.

There was both doubt and a strange sense of joy.

He then probed his mind into the document ring.

After acquiring two black crystal cores, his score suddenly reached two hundred, ranking him thirty-fifth.

The leaderboard did not allow viewing other players' scores, but a ranking of 35th was clearly not satisfactory to Xue Xiang.

He pulled his thoughts back, looked up at the sky, and the light and shadow filtering through the leaves shone on his face, half bright and half dark.

He began to recall his battle with the two Fire Hell Lions.

The combined effect of the Gale Talisman and the Breath of the Wind Step was indeed beyond expectations.

The combination of these two elements allowed him to constantly maneuver and dodge amidst the flames and claws.

That's why he was able to fight back even when surrounded and attacked by two black-level monsters.

The sword's sharpness and versatility have a unique effect in attack, but the monster's intelligence is limited. Although it is good at both offense and defense, it has many weaknesses.

He couldn't help but wonder, if it were a true late-stage Foundation Establishment expert, what were his chances of winning without using a Gatling gun?

Unable to reach a conclusion, Xue Xiang took out a bucket of water and gulped it down.

No sooner had he finished drinking than a new message appeared in his document ring: the second round of the knockout stage had begun.

Xue Xiang extracted the core information as follows:

First, the trial area will unleash a demonic roar.

The so-called Demonic Roar refers to the rampage of all monsters below the Purple Rank, who attack all the trial participants.

Only those who can endure the Demon's Roar and rank among the top fifty in points can enter the final trial.

Second, during the Demonic Roar, the trial participants must not use the protective array, nor hide underground, in caves, underwater, or in the sky.

Third, the Demon's Roar officially began half an hour later.

Just as he absorbed the core information, someone else requested communication. He opened the barrier, and Ling Xueyi's voice came again, inviting him to team up and fight against the demonic roar.

Xue Xiang declined Ling Xueyi's kind offer.

Besides not wanting to cause trouble for Ling Xueyi, he had carefully considered that the more people gathered together, the more concentrated the attacking monsters would be, which might not be a good thing.

Furthermore, hunting monsters means obtaining crystal cores.

With more people involved, it becomes difficult to balance effort and reward, making it harder to distribute the crystal cores.

Moreover, the crystal cores obtained this time can not only be used to calculate results, but can also be stored in the official treasury and used gradually.

Xue Xiang always felt it wasn't enough, never too much.

In addition, he was being targeted by aristocratic families, and he didn't want Ling Xueyi to take unnecessary damage.

After ending his call with Ling Xueyi, Xue Xiang quickly turned southeast.

Thirty miles away, there is a large stone forest, which is perfect as a barrier to resist the attacks of monsters.

He arrived at his destination shortly afterward.

The area was open and spacious, with thick stone pillars rising abruptly from the ground, standing in a staggered pattern, resembling a desolate stone forest.

Some of the stone pillars are as tall as three zhang (approximately 10 meters), with a rugged surface as if cleaved by an axe;

Some are only as tall as a person, yet they stand sharp and upright, like swords piercing the earth.

The wind blows, casting heavy shadows on the stones, making them appear as if a group of ghosts stand in the wilderness.

Xue Xiang stood there, looked around, and was very satisfied.

With a flick of his sleeve, one Yuan Burst Bead after another fell into his palm.

Only by using this item could they ambush and kill the Fire Hell Suanni.

A good method should naturally be consistently applied.

Xue Xiang swiftly launched one Yuan Burst Bead after another, with varying density, into the stone pillars.
The beads had a dull appearance and were nestled among the rugged stone patterns, almost blending into the gray-black rock color. They were extremely difficult to spot without close inspection.

After doing all that, he leaned against a stone pillar and ate some cooked meat.

Soon, the talisman ring trembled again. Xue Xiang's thoughts sank in, and he received the information: the Demon's Roar had been activated.

Instantly, a faint fragrance seemed to fill the air.

The next instant, a terrifying roar came to his ears, the sound echoing for miles around.

Xue Xiang looked at the virtual map in the document ring.

The four-colored light spots, which were originally scattered like stars, started moving almost at the same time, their target being the group of trial participants.

Xue Xiang zoomed in and out of the virtual map with his mind, and soon he saw more than ten monsters approaching him.

Among them were two white-level monsters and more than ten blue-level monsters.

With this lineup, Xue Xiang didn't bother using the stone forest at all. He simply stood in front of the stone forest and waited for the enemy to come.

A dozen breaths later, the earth trembled, a cold wind howled, and a murderous aura swept over them.

The vanguard consisted of ten Azure-level Crimson Flame Demon Wolves, each over ten feet tall at the shoulder, with eyes like burning lamps, swift steps, and drool dripping from their teeth, emitting a pungent stench.

They spread out in a fan shape, attempting to pounce and engulf Xue Xiang in their bloody maws.

Then, two Azure-level Armored Demon Apes came treading through the forest, their backs covered with black bone spikes. With a swing of their arms, boulders were shattered and the earth shook.

Further away, a white-level three-eyed Soul-Devouring Spider, its entire body crystal clear like jade, its eight legs opening and closing, sharp and chilling.

The third vertical eye gleamed with blood-red light, seemingly capable of piercing through one's soul.

Finally, bringing up the rear was a ferocious white-level black-maned tiger.

Its body was covered in scales as hard as iron, and with a roar it scattered fierce winds, blowing the rocks in front of the stone forest flying in the instant it rushed over.

Xue Xiang stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering, showing no sign of panic. He simply raised his eyes, his gaze cold, and said softly, "Well done!"

Before he finished speaking, the sword spirit suddenly materialized, transforming into a hundred-foot-long sharp spike that struck the chest of the Crimson Flame Demon Wolf charging at the forefront.

The Crimson Flame Wolf collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

Xue Xiang's fatal blow not only failed to frighten the monsters, but instead ignited their ferocity, causing them to roar and charge forward at an accelerated pace.

"cut!"

Xue Xiang shouted sharply, and his literary energy manifested, forming a huge longsword in mid-air, which slashed down against the wind.

With a single sword strike, a streak of azure light flashed across the sky, causing all four demonic wolves to freeze in mid-air.

The next instant, blood bloomed from his throat, and wolf heads flew off. A stench swept over him, but before it could even touch his clothes, it was dispersed by the sword energy.

The armored demon ape roared as it charged forward, its fists as solid as mountains, bringing with them a powerful gust of wind.

Xue Xiang shifted his feet slightly and changed his posture.

The sword's spirit transforms into its power; when the wind subsides, the sword emerges as swift as frost and snow.

With a series of cracking sounds, the demonic ape's thick, pillar-like arms were instantly shredded by the sword light.

Blood mist filled the air, and the giant ape's agonizing howl hadn't even ended when its entire body was cleaved open by the sharp sword, shattering into countless fragments that crashed to the ground.

Xue Xiang's robes fluttered, and he was spotless.

The three-eyed Soul-Devouring Spider, which was rushing towards him, suddenly opened its eyes wide, and a blood-red beam of light pierced through the air, shooting straight at Xue Xiang's brow.

Xue Xiang's eyes suddenly turned cold, and his brows furrowed slightly. "You think a mere evil light can disturb my mind?"

"town!"

The literary energy manifested as a talisman, which was affixed in mid-air. With a crisp crack, the evil light shattered.

At the same time, the sword spirit manifested and shot out like an arrow. Before the three-eyed soul-devouring spider could dodge, its entire head was pierced by the sword light.

Its massive spider body stiffened for a moment, then split open, splattering black blood onto the ground and intensifying the stench in the forest.

The black-maned tiger finally roared and pounced.

Its wings suddenly spread, and its black mane, as sharp as needles, trembled violently, sending countless hairs flying like iron arrows, covering the sky and the earth, as if a thousand arrows were piercing through the forest.

Xue Xiang recognized the danger and used a Swift Wind Talisman to instantly retreat a hundred feet, avoiding the fatal blow.

Immediately afterwards, he shouted sharply, "Light!"

Suddenly, it was as if a sun had exploded in the sky.

The intense light caused all the monsters, including the Demon Tiger, to temporarily lose their sight.

"cut!"

The giant sword manifested from literary energy and the long sword evolved from Wen Dan both fell simultaneously.

The demonic tiger roared, its blood-red maw trying to swallow the sword's edge. In the next instant, its giant head was cleaved in two by the sword light, and half of its body was torn apart.

The remaining few monsters were also instantly killed.

Before the stone forest, blood rain fell like a waterfall, cascading down upon the stone forest.

The wind howled, the stench of blood mingled with the crisp air, and Xue Xiang stood alone between heaven and earth.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Without Xue Xiang making any move, all ten-plus crystal cores disappeared into the document ring.

"Buzzing..."

The demon egg began to tremble violently again.

Xue Xiang once again sent his literary energy into the demon egg, which burst out of the air, emitting black light amidst a pile of demons, and made contact with the remains of the monsters.

The monster corpses he touched all turned into black mist and were absorbed into his body.

The entire surface of the demon egg was once again surrounded by chaotic light, and it took a long time for it to return to normal.

Xue Xiang had only rested for a little over a hundred breaths when a thunderous roar once again echoed from the depths of the forest.

Xue Xiang glanced at the virtual map in the document ring.

This time, the number of monsters attacking doubled.

Before long, more than twenty blue-level Crimson Flame Demon Wolves, five armored demon apes, and four white-level long-armed demon baboons arrived like a raging tide.

Xue Xiang remained calm, merely flicking his sleeve.

With courage transformed into a sword and literary energy into a blade, they charged into the formation. Amidst the crisscrossing light and the interplay of sword and blade, trees were shattered and demons rained down blood.

In less than fifty breaths, blood rained down and corpses piled up like mountains.

He released the demon eggs and continued to harvest the remaining corpses.

No sooner had these corpses been swallowed up than a large number of monsters attacked.

Xue Xiang keenly realized that as long as he killed fiercely and quickly enough, the number of monsters arriving would only continue to increase.

Xue Xiang dared not be presumptuous and cast a Swift Wind Talisman.

With the power of the talisman, he transformed into a whirlwind and charged into the formation once more.

With a horizontal slash, more than ten white-level giant spiders were all pierced through their bodies. Before the poisonous mist could spread, it was annihilated by the literary energy.

With a breath, he also slew the last monster.

While letting the demonic eggs clean up the battlefield, Xue Xiang quickly sat down cross-legged and swallowed a Rejuvenation Pill.

After a moment of calming down, he saw four black dots rapidly approaching him on the virtual map.

After more than ten breaths, the forest surged, causing the rocks to tremble.

Four immense auras pressed down almost simultaneously.

Before long, the four monsters appeared simultaneously.

A two-headed demonic tiger roared, its voice like thunder, shaking the stone forest.

A giant, blood-armored python, its body as imposing as a mountain, with blood-red light surging between its scales, and a stench of blood permeating the air as it wriggled.

A skeletal bat with bony wings flapped its wings, creating a whirlwind that whipped up rocks, its shriek sharp as a knife, piercing straight to the soul.

A blazing demon bull, its horns ablaze, charged with a force that seemed poised to incinerate the heavens and earth.

The four monsters attacked simultaneously, seemingly intent on devouring Xue Xiang alive.

Shocked, Xue Xiang quickly slipped into the stone forest.

The four-headed monsters pursued relentlessly, charging through the air to attack.

Xue Xiang stood between the stone pillars, keenly observing the approaching, menacing demonic tiger as he drew near the first explosive point.

His sword trembled slightly, and the blade suddenly thinned, extending to over ten zhang in length. The tip of the sword struck a Yuanbao bead hidden in a stone pillar on the west side.

Under immense force, the Yuanbao Bead exploded violently.

A ball of incandescent flame shot into the air, and waves of fire mixed with rocks roared and scattered in all directions.

The two-headed demonic tiger, bearing the brunt of the attack, was thrown away by the immense force, half of its body mangled and bloodied, its roar turning into a mournful howl that echoed through the stone forest.

The other three monsters were also overturned.

Although Xue Xiang was more than ten feet away, he also had a shield of literary energy for defense.

Even so, the aftershocks of the explosion still made his blood boil, his chest feel hot, and a trace of bloody sweetness spill from the corner of his lips.

Although the monsters were of low intelligence, they knew what was important, their madness diminished, and they dispersed.

Xue Xiang saw the Bone-Winged Demon Bat retreat to the vicinity of a Yuan Explosion Bead's burial site, and its sword essence thinned to over fifty feet, almost transforming into a sword as thin as a cicada's wing.

The sword tip struck another Yuan Explosion Bead, resulting in another earth-shattering explosion, as a whirlwind of fire swept skyward.

The bone-winged demon bat screamed as it plummeted to the ground, half of its wings charred black, its sharp whistling fading into a mournful wail.

Immediately afterwards, the third Yuan Burst Bead was also detonated by Xue Xiang.

In an instant, boulders flew through the air, and flames soared into the sky.

The massive body of the Blood Armored Python was blasted open with a hideous gash, and blood rained down, filling the air with a foul stench.

Xue Xiang staggered slightly, a metallic taste rising in his throat again, but he quickly swallowed it like the wind.

Taking advantage of the three-headed monster's serious injury, he suddenly swung his longsword.

The giant sword swept across the sky, its light transforming into countless cold glints as it slashed down.

The two-headed demon tiger, bone-winged demon bat, and blood-armored giant python, writhing in excruciating pain, had no power to fight back and were instantly beheaded.

Only one Flaming Demon Bull remained, its body engulfed in blazing flames, its horns burning like torches, roaring as it charged forward.

Its limited intelligence also realized that the stone pillar was to its disadvantage, so it roared with wind and thunder, like lightning, and struck the stone pillar.

In an instant, all the stone pillars around him were blasted away, clearing out a space.

Xue Xiang's eyes turned cold. He pinched his fingertips, and the Gale Talisman instantly transformed into a blue whirlwind in his palm, pushing his figure to its limit.

The Wind-Slaying Sword unfolded, instantly striking the demonic bull and precisely avoiding the heavily armored defenses.

The sharp longsword sliced ​​through the tofu as easily as drawing out a long line of blood.

The demonic bull fought desperately, spewing forth waves of frost from its mouth.

However, Xue Xiang's footsteps were as elusive as a ghost, always managing to evade Xuan Shuang at the most perilous moments.

"boom!"

Sword Courage transformed into a scalpel as thin as a cicada's wing, piercing the neck of the Flaming Demon Bull. The demon bull let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Just then, a new message came from the document ring: The Demon's Howl has come to an end.

(End of this chapter)