High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 281: Chapter 169: The Might of the Shocking God Stab

The Cloud Dragon King did not answer his question. His eyes held nothing but icy killing intent.

Against a pawn of the Demon Race and a traitor to the Human Race, he would show no mercy. More importantly, he couldn’t allow the man to escape and leak any information about Li Wen’s value.

In the instant the Snake Division leader’s mind reeled from shock and despair, the Cloud Dragon King’s long-awaited, fatal spear strike descended.

This spear strike was like a dragon bursting from the sea, mobilizing the majestic energy amplified by the Four Symbols Celestial Sealing Disc.

Wherever the silver spear tip pointed, time itself seemed to freeze, only to accelerate in the next instant!

PFFT!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a soft yet clean and decisive sound of something being pierced.

The Cloud Dragon King’s figure appeared behind the Snake Division leader.

The Snake Division leader’s body froze in mid-air. He slowly looked down to see a bowl-sized hole where his heart should have been, its edges as smooth as a mirror.

No blood gushed out. The destructive power contained within the spear’s force had utterly annihilated his life force, and even his Primordial Spirit, in an instant.

The last thing he saw was the majestic gaze of the four divine beast phantoms. Then, his consciousness sank into endless darkness.

The leader of the Shadow Organization’s Snake Division, a newly ascended, borderline King-level expert, had completely fallen under the combined assault of the Cloud Dragon King’s absolute power and the Fire Hall’s great treasure, the Four Symbols Celestial Sealing Disc. Not even his bones remained.

The Cloud Dragon King retracted his spear. The intimidating phantoms of the four symbols contracted along with it, their light dimming until the Four Symbols Celestial Sealing Disc reverted to its original, unadorned form and flew back into his hand.

Without so much as a glance at the spot where the Snake Division leader had dissipated, he turned his gaze toward Antai County.

’He’s unharmed, as expected... I wonder what kind of trump card the headmaster gave the kid,’ the Cloud Dragon King muttered to himself. With a faint flicker, his figure melted into the void and shot toward the Stargate fortress battlefield in Antai County.

...

「Enlightenment Peak, rear mountain, in a pavilion.」

News of the Cloud Dragon King’s slaying of the Snake Division leader had just arrived through a special channel, still carrying a trace of the battle’s grim atmosphere.

The Cloud Dragon King also mentioned what had happened before he arrived—the assassin at the Peak of Great Sun Realm who had ambushed Li Wen and had even stepped into the ”State of Dao,” his aura had already vanished.

This was completely beyond the headmaster’s expectations.

The minuscule, sword-shaped mark he had buried deep in the back of Li Wen’s neck had yet to show the slightest ripple of activation.

The Cloud Dragon King’s message wouldn’t be wrong.

This meant that when faced with a life-threatening ambush, Li Wen had not only avoided a truly desperate situation but... he hadn’t even used the life-saving measure prepared for him.

”He actually relied on his own strength...” the headmaster repeated in a low voice, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the polished ebony tabletop.

He knew Li Wen cultivated the Shocking God Stab; he himself had recommended this profound and difficult Primordial Spirit Secret Skill to the young man.

A genuine Godfiend at the Peak of Great Sun Realm who had entered the State of Dao posed a threat that approached the threshold of a ”borderline Marquis-level” expert.

And such an existence was killed... by someone in the Bright Moon Realm?

The only logical explanation was that he had mastered the 6th Layer of the Shocking God Stab.

Only the 6th Layer’s incredibly condensed and devastatingly powerful Primordial Spirit attack could penetrate the more fortified Primordial Spirit defenses of an opponent who had stepped into the ”State of Dao,” inflicting a fatal wound despite the vast difference in realms.

A sense of profound absurdity, like a stone cast into a calm lake, sent strange ripples spreading through the headmaster’s heart.

A physical cultivation at the Late-stage Bright Moon Realm, yet his Primordial Spirit... was already approaching the 4th Layer!

”The Fourth Layer of the Primordial Spirit...” The headmaster lifted his teacup, the clear liquid trembling slightly, reflecting his furrowed brow.

How many King-level Godfiends had spent countless years and endured endless hardships, yet still failed to reach such a height?

One had to understand that one of the basic requirements to step into the legendary Venerable realm was merely the Fifth Layer of Primordial Spirit.

A young man barely in his twenties, a mere kid at the Late-stage Bright Moon Realm, had made such rapid progress in his Primordial Spirit attainment that he was approaching a threshold that many top-tier King-level experts could only dream of.

This could no longer be described as being a simple Primordial Spirit Awakened.

This practically shattered some kind of established cognitive barrier regarding cultivation.

’His Primordial Spirit is improving so quickly...’ the headmaster murmured, a sharp light flickering in his deep-set eyes.

’Could it be? That path, proven to be a dead end by countless sages of the past, a path where even the Godfiend who created it ultimately perished... the path of ’Primordial Spirit Ascension’... could there truly be a viable opportunity for it? In him?’

Once this thought arose, it was like a spark on a dry prairie, instantly igniting the parched grasslands.

The long-dormant expectation in the headmaster’s heart, an expectation concerning the future top-tier combat power of the Human Race, was ignited as never before, becoming scorching and distinct.

For the first time, he felt a vague sense of hope for a young disciple’s future that surpassed even the Venerable and Saint Realms.

This hope was not baseless; it was a plausible inference born naturally from the shock of the unbelievable reality before him.

The headmaster set down his teacup and gazed out the window at the deep night sky.

In the direction of Bluestone County, he could almost see the young man’s calm yet world-shakingly sharp figure.

He decided that when Li Wen returned, it would be time for a much deeper conversation.

...

「The scene cuts back to the Stargate fortress in Antai County, where the fires of war had just begun to die down.」

The Cloud Dragon King’s figure already stood like a javelin above the scorched battlefield before Li Wen even arrived.

His speed was far beyond imagination; for a King-level existence, traversing space was nearly instantaneous, taking but a single thought.

The scene at the fortress below was exceptionally tragic.

The Human Race’s defensive forces were almost completely depleted. Only two blood-soaked Bright Moon Realm Godfiends remained, leading five equally wounded and exhausted Flying Star Realm team members. They leaned on each other in a broken formation, being frantically assaulted by a tide-like wave of Demon Race experts.

The defensive line was teetering on the verge of collapse, looking as if it would be completely shattered in the next second.

”Hmph!” A cold snort—not loud, but it rolled across the battlefield like muffled thunder from the high heavens. The clear sound pierced the ears of every tense defensive Godfiend, bringing with it a strange, calming power.