The fifth floor of the empty Spirit Master Tower was quiet, and Lin Dong stood calmly looking at Liu Long and Cao Zhu who were sitting cross-legged at the entrance to the sixth floor. He had already anticipated that these two wouldn't let go so easily.
"Kid, since you refuse our peaceful offer, don't blame us!" Cao Zhu sneered as he looked at Lin Dong, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. Today, they would finally settle the score.
Lin Dong glanced at Cao Zhu and Liu Long. Among the two, Liu Long was obviously the strongest, but he hadn't yet reached the level of a Three-Seal Spirit Master. Come to think of it, this situation wasn't impossible to handle.
"Ho ho, Brother Lin Dong, we don't wish to overly trouble you. If you return the 'Ice玄Sword' to Junior Brother Cao Zhu and compensate him with twenty thousand Yang Yuan Stones, then leave the Spirit Master Tower, we will ensure your safe departure," Liu Long said with a smile.
Upon hearing Liu Long's conditions, Lin Dong smiled faintly and asked, "What a greedy lion's mouth! And if I don't comply, what then?"
"Ah, then we'll have no choice but to cripple you here," Liu Long sighed.
"Is it possible to take someone's life here?" Lin Dong asked, seemingly surprised.
"Though according to the rules, we can't kill you, breaking arms and legs is still within the allowed limits," Liu Long chuckled lightly.
"Thank you for letting me know."
Lin Dong’s expression turned solemn, and he said, "Since that's the case, please come and break my arms and legs."
"You damn brat, since you're seeking death, then I'll grant it to you!"
Seeing Lin Dong's attitude, Cao Zhu realized that this guy was mocking them again. Enraged, he roared and shot out several beams of cold light from his sleeves, which sped toward Lin Dong like lightning.
"Clang clang!"
Without moving, Lin Dong wielded three Ice玄Swords that danced around like silver snakes, deflecting the sharp beams away.
"Since you insist on resisting, don't blame us for being ruthless!" Liu Long's gaze darkened as he summoned a fiery red sword shadow from his bag.
As soon as this fiery red sword appeared, a scorching heat spread through the air, its brilliance indicating something quite extraordinary.
Lin Dong gave a curious look at the fiery red longsword. The blade was inscribed with peculiar runes, making it clear at a glance that it was forged by a master-level craftsman.
"These guys, coming from Tianhuo City, are indeed rich." Lin Dong envied inwardly. His previous weapon was merely a Shattered Yuan Steel Dart, which paled in comparison to their weapons.
During Lin Dong's silent thoughts, Liu Long and Cao Zhu had already risen to their feet. A powerful spiritual fluctuation surged from within their bodies. Both had the potential to reach the Three-Seal Spirit Master level, and now working together, their combined might was even stronger than the eight Tianhuo City Spirit Masters before.
"Woo!"
Cao Zhu gathered a massive amount of spirit energy into his palms, forming two rapidly spinning spirit discs. Their sharp edges emitted a whistling sound as they rotated.
"Go!"
Clearly well-coordinated, after exchanging a glance, the fiery red longsword and the sharp spirit discs streaked through the air, attacking Lin Dong like lightning.
"Clang!"
Watching their attack, Lin Dong flicked his finger, sending the three Ice玄Swords flying out. Two of them tangled with the fiery red sword, creating a flurry of sword shadows and sparks in mid-air.
The other Ice玄Sword intercepted Cao Zhu's spirit discs. For a moment, sparks flew in the air, accompanied by crisp clanging sounds.
This kind of object manipulation mainly relied on each person's spirit power. It was akin to two people wielding large swords against each other, disregarding any intricate techniques and relying solely on brute strength.
"Clang clang!"
As the battle unfolded, a serious look crossed Liu Long's face. He could feel that every time his spirit power on the Li Fire Sword clashed with the Ice玄Sword, it was scattered by the immense force transmitted back. Clearly, Lin Dong's spirit power was slightly stronger than theirs.
Most importantly, Lin Dong was fighting both of them simultaneously, yet he still managed to gain the upper hand against Liu Long despite having his spirit power divided.
"No wonder even Cao Zhu fell to this person; he truly has some skills."
By this point, Liu Long began to feel somewhat troubled. However, since they had already started the fight, there was no point in regretting it. His eyes flashed with a cold glint.
"Cao Zhu, combine spirits!"
Liu Long didn't plan on engaging in a prolonged battle. With a thought, the fiery sword broke free from the two Ice玄Swords' entrapment and hovered in front of him once more.
Hearing Liu Long's fierce shout, Cao Zhu's expression darkened slightly. He nodded heavily, changed his hand seals, and released waves of spirit energy, which flowed continuously into the Li Fire Sword before him.
While Cao Zhu infused the sword with spirit energy, Liu Long also wasted no time, pouring wave after wave of spirit energy into the Li Fire Sword.
"Buzz buzz!"
With the two men's intense infusion of spirit energy, the Li Fire Sword erupted with a dazzling red glow. Sharp sword winds dispersed violently in the air.
"Li Fire Sword, Slash!"
Liu Long's face turned icy cold. With a fierce roar, the Li Fire Sword transformed into a fire-red sword shadow nearly ten feet in size. It tore through the air, bringing with it a fierce and scorching sword aura, chopping down fiercely towards Lin Dong below.
Lin Dong was startled by the unusually sharp sword wind. He hadn’t expected such perfect coordination between the two. Immediately summoning the three Ice玄Swords, they intertwined like three white snakes, rotating rapidly and generating dense cold energy, colliding heavily with the fiery red sword shadow.
"Sizzle!"
Heat and cold interwove, producing a series of sizzling sounds. However, it was evident that this attack was a full effort from Liu Long and the others. Consequently, the luster of the three Ice玄Swords quickly dimmed under the impact.
"Slash!"
Seeing this, Liu Long and Cao Zhu rejoiced. They swung their arms forcefully, and the fiery red sword shadow pierced through the defenses of the three Ice玄Swords, heading straight for Lin Dong!
Lin Dong tilted his head upward, reflecting the increasingly larger fiery red sword shadow in his pupils. Surprisingly, instead of dodging, he extended his right palm, layer upon layer of powerful spirit energy covering it.
"Looking for death!"
Seeing Lin Dong's action, Liu Long and the others burst out laughing coldly. This single slash could shatter even a huge rock. How dare Lin Dong try to block it with his bare hands?
"Sizzle!"
In an instant, the fiery red sword shadow slashed down onto Lin Dong's palm. The layers of spirit energy covering it melted away under the intense and sharp sword aura. Just when it seemed all the spirit energy was about to dissipate, Lin Dong's palm suddenly emitted a strange suction force.
"Buzz buzz!"
Under this suction force, the spirit energy covering the Li Fire Sword belonging to Liu Long and the others actually left the sword and flowed continuously into Lin Dong's palm.
As the spirit energy was absorbed by Lin Dong, the fiery red glow on the Li Fire Sword faded instantly, and its sharp sword aura disappeared completely...
"How could this be?!"
Seeing their seemingly certain victory dissolve so inexplicably, shock and fear filled Liu Long and the others' faces.
Lin Dong gave a slight smile to the shocked pair, extending his hand and grabbing the Li Fire Sword amidst Liu Long's furious glare. Waves of powerful energy surged from within him, and with a light tap on the ground, he darted toward Liu Long and the others.
"Hurry, retreat!"
Seeing Lin Dong rushing forward with the Li Fire Sword, Liu Long and Cao Zhu felt their scalps tingle. They hadn't expected that even their strongest move failed to harm Lin Dong, so they hastily retreated in panic.
Their spirit energy could still hold some mentionable value, but compared to Lin Dong, who was at the Small Yuan Dan realm, they were no match in terms of raw energy. As soon as they moved, Lin Dong's figure had already appeared before them. Without hesitation, he thrust the Li Fire Sword, emitting two sharp sword lights that streaked toward them like lightning.
Faced with the sharp and scorching sword lights, Liu Long and the others were terrified. Their previous move had already consumed much of their spirit energy, and they had to withstand the mental pressure on the fifth floor. Thus, they could only gather their internal energy to form a defense in front of them.
However, for Lin Dong, this defense was as fragile as thin paper. The sword lights sliced through, breaking the seemingly robust energy defenses effortlessly. The remaining sword lights swept past, directly severing several fingers from each of them!
"Ahh!"
Piercing screams rang out as their severed fingers flew up.
Pale-faced, Liu Long and Cao Zhu clutched their blood-soaked hands. At this moment, they could no longer endure the mental pressure and collapsed on the ground. But before they could cry out in pain, a fiery red longsword stopped at their throats.
"Lin Dong, if you kill us, will the Spirit Masters of Tianhuo City let you off?"
Their cries abruptly ceased as Liu Long and the others stared in terror at the sharp sword before them, trying to bluff.
Lin Dong smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill you..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Long and the others secretly sighed in relief. However, Lin Dong's next words made their faces turn pale again.
"But if you want to buy your lives, you need to pay for them. Here's a fair price: fifty thousand Yang Yuan Stones each. How does that sound?"