252 Death to Those Who Enter! (1/2)

The ten mosquitoes had been dispersed throughout the area earlier. When Zhou Fei had first appeared, Wang Baole had immediately assessed the considerable disparity in their power. It was possible to kill Zhou Fei, but the probability of that happening was too low.

He had planned accordingly. He would kill the man if possible. If not, he had to at least frighten him off!

It was due to those considerations that he hadn't sent out the mosquitoes and had decided to first use his many Numinous Treasures as a distraction before executing a surprise attack with his Dharmic Armament. He had even uttered the beginning of the scripture inwardly, as both a scare tactic and a means to temporarily augment his abilities and complete the final strike!

At the same time, he had thought of a backup plan in case he had failed, and that was… the mosquitoes!

After his experiences in the Pond Cloud Rainforest, during the Beast Tide, as well as in the Coulomb Basin, Wang Baole had become more ruthless and calculated in his attacks and strategies. In order to let the mosquitoes succeed, he gritted his teeth and retreated swiftly to distract Zhou Fei.

The instant Zhou Fei lifted his head and looked towards Wang Baole's direction the ten mosquitoes swarmed in. A howl of pain rang out from Zhou Fei's lips suddenly. His body swelled up, and agonizing pain and an indescribable itch drove him mad. His body hummed and let loose a sudden burst of Foundation Establishment realm energy that rippled outwards.

It shattered the nine mosquitoes. The gray mosquito, strangely, remained and continued racing forward. It bit Zhou Fei on his arm viciously, and a patch of blue spread across his body abruptly. Zhou Fei was immediately alarmed. He retreated hurriedly, spat out a mouthful of blood, and attempted to crush the gray mosquito that was trying its best to burrow into his body!

Wang Baole narrowed his eyes at the rapidly retreating Zhou Fei. He didn't pursue the latter. He could sense the immediate regeneration of the mosquitoes, excluding the gray one, in the scabbard inside his body. The gray mosquito didn't immediately regenerate but was clearly forming inside the scabbard. After a while, it was ready to be deployed again.

He released a sigh of relief, turned, and sped away, deeper into the forest.

The battle made him realize the rift separating him and a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment realm. Even though it wasn't his first fight with a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, it was the most significant one. After all, the last time he had fought against one was when he battled alongside Zhao Yameng and Zhuo Yifan against the giant tree, which was at the perfected Foundation Establishment realm.

There hadn't been such an intense and direct battle then, like what had taken place between him and Zhou Fei.

He knew that he had a chance to win the fight. However, the Dharmic Armament he had wasn't something a True Breath realm cultivator could fully wield and control. Even though he had used his wits and uttered the scripture, frightening Zhou Fei and destabilizing both his spell and Numinous Treasure, he himself had been relying on his Foundation Establishment realm physical form to wield the Dharmic Armament forcibly. His strategy had worked, but it wasn't perfect. He failed to kill Zhou Fei. The backlash on his body was also considerable.

If he employed the method more than three times, the enemy wouldn't have to dirty their hands to take him out, as he himself would collapse.

I'll have to risk great injury and almost dying to kill him… Wang Baole thought seriously and weighed his options. He retrieved a pill swiftly and swallowed it. Then, with great regret, he vanished into the depths of the forest.

In the forest, behind him, was the hastily retreating, pale-faced Zhou Fei. He realized Wang Baole hadn't continued his pursuit and started grinding his teeth. In reality, despite his grievous injuries, his earlier retreat had been a trap. He had intended to lure Wang Baole into pursuing him and use that as an opportunity to relaunch an attack on Wang Baole.

He had even rehearsed in his head how he would strike back as he retreated. However, Wang Baole hadn't followed.

The sly bastard! Zhou Fei wiped the blood from his mouth. He regulated his breathing and lifted his hand to touch the cut on his forehead. His heart pumped rapidly as he stared at the blue patch on his right arm.

It was like a terrible poison that he could only use his cultivation to suppress but not fully dispel. His arm was numb and ice cold to the touch—that terrified Zhou Fei.

To think that he, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, had suffered so terribly at the hands of a perfected True Breath realm cultivator. He didn't even manage to kill the latter. He couldn't quench the raging fury in his heart. However, an unprecedented hunger soon appeared in his eyes, and his breathing grew uneven.

He actually has a Dharmic Armament! Zhou Fei grew more and more excited as he recalled the earlier battle. He knew too well the rarity and value of a Dharmic Armament. Even he only had a sixth-grade Numinous Treasure. He had hungered for a Dharmic Armament for years; however, a Dharmic Armament was too costly. He simply couldn't afford one and hence, couldn't own one.

However… a Dharmic Armament had appeared in the hands of a perfected True Breath realm cultivator. After the initial alarm and fear, the surprise and excitement that overtook him was indescribable.