"So it's this lightning kid? He is the most impressive here for sure but he doesn't have the unique element a heavenly genius should have. Maybe he hasn't completely awakened yet?" The youth on top of the cliff stood up and unsheathed his sword. The sword looked to be an ordinary, albeit sharp sword.

"Fate Severing" The youth pronounced the words at barely a whisper but they seemed to carry an otherworldly power. He lightly swung his sword in the air.

It came to a stop as if something was touching it, blocking its way. The vegetation near the youth shook slightly as a trace of the level 9 Qi Gathering aura was released. The sword then effortlessly passed through the obstruction as if it didn't exist in the first place. The youth calmly put his sword away and sat down, observing the battle once more.

At the battle occurring below, Huo Long just broke through and the odds looked good for his side. If he could take out the hammer wielding youth, the fight would be a breeze.

"Air Splitter" Suddenly he heard a loud sound behind him. A figure dashed out of the cover of the trees and into the clearing. He was moving at an incredible speed. He left gusts of wind in his wake, it was as if he was one with the wind and he was actually riding it. Before Huo Long could even react, the youth with the single dagger unleashed a fearsome attack.

Before he could even properly turn around, a dagger neared his back. The sharp tip of the dagger shone like a gem which expanded and condensed occasionally.

"F*ck"

BOOM

A fearsome explosion shook the battleground and wind buffeted the faces of everyone tens of meters away. Huo Long didn't recover from his previous injuries just because he suddenly had more qi. His heavily armored body clanked as he flew away and struck the ground, bouncing off multiple times before coming to a stop.

"Brother Long!" Zhao Fan yelled and quickly came over. He flipped the unconscious Huo Long over and discovered a large hole in his back. Miraculously, the attack didn't manage to injure his heart or vital organs. Zhao Fan heaved a sigh of relief as he dunked a recovery potion into Huo Long's mouth. Even if they previously ran out of Qi Recovery potions, basic healing potions weren't an issue.

"The heavens are so kind they even give trash a way out. No matter, no one is invincible no matter how fortunate they are!" The youth with the dagger sneered and his body was carried by the wind back into the woods. The hammer wielding youth panted heavily and downed a potion. If his teammate did not intervene, it would be very difficult for him to survive.

A smile broke out on his face. Even if he was humiliated and almost beaten, now that the number advantage of their enemy was reduced, the battle was definitely in their grasp. Once they killed and looted everyone's equipment as well as finished the tier 6 wolf, his gains would far outweigh any humiliation the hammer youth suffered.

"F*ck I have to hurry back to Zhou Da!" Zhao Fan realized that she would likely be the wind assassin's next target. She was currently locking down the sword wielding youth who was fighting Gong Yu and Liu Zhong. The sword youth was also injured and exhausted but if Zhou Da got taken out and the hammer youth joined him, it would be easy to beat back the two.

Zhao Fan slung Huo Long's heavy body over his shoulders and raced back. His speed increased to the max powered by his strong body. Since he was closer to Zhou Da than his enemy, he managed to make it to her side the moment he saw a figure protrude out of the forest.

"Even if you are fast, do you think you can stop me?" A dagger with a shining tip rapidly closed in on Zhao Fan who was blocking the way to Zhou Da. Zhao Fan extended the water claw and swung at the dagger.

Gales shook the clearing once more and Zhou Da screamed out in fear. Zhao Fan couldn't hold his ground and was blasted off his feet tumbling on the ground. The other youth fell back stably and merged with the wind once more.

"A strong body eh? Pity you can only watch as she dies!" The dagger youth licked his lips as if he was enjoying Zhou Da's fear. She trembled and tried to run away but the enemy closed in too fast. A ranged attacker like her couldn't possibly retaliate or defend herself in close range.

Zhao Fan realized that there was no way he could reach her in time. The only solution was to reveal the power of his dark core.

"Wait, don't" Hei Long’s voice sounded in his head.

"She will die otherwise, even if I have to reveal my power I can't let someone die in front of me without doing anything!" Zhao Fan shouted in his mind.

"Did you see how Huo Long barely survived?"

"You're saying it wasn't a fluke?" Zhao Fan stopped and considered what had happened previously.

"Yes, it very likely wasn't. The spectating guy used a special energy right before Huo Long was attacked and he did it a few seconds ago too." Hei Long detailed what he observed.

"So he can manipulate people's fortune?" Hei Long didn't reply but Zhao Fan could infer the answer. If he revealed his power now while the true enemy was lying in wait, his chances of surviving would be much lower. Furthermore he didn’t even need to act as the spectator decided to save people on Zhao Fan’s side as well.

Zhao Fan deescalated his attitude and silently apologized to Zhou Da for not taking action.

"AAH!" A shriek was heard and Zhou Da was blasted away similarly to Huo Long. A hole appeared in her back from the stab but Hei Long explained that she was still breathing, just unconscious. Zhao Fan sighed in relief and looked at the scene of the other battle.

Gong Yu and Liu Zhong were facing the hammer youth and the sword youth. The two previously relied on Gong Yu to block the searing flames and Liu Zhong to attack which put the sword youth into a pathetic state.

Since fighting two on one was already difficult, now that the hammer youth joined in, it quickly became a one-sided battle.

The hammer youth swung his hammer at Gong Yu while the other youth used his ace fire serpent skill on Liu Zhong. Liu Zhong couldn't evade and was struck, leaving long burns on his body.

Gong Yu managed to block the first move but once the hammer youth and the sword youth striked in unison, he was forced to use his two signature abilities.

His skin turned dark red and his semi-spherical shield activated but he was still struggling to take attacks from two people at a higher realm than him.

Liu Zhong couldn't help out at all and could only watch as Gong Yu was beaten down. Gong Yu could only bitterly reach in his pocket and take out a bright white pearl.

"Sphere of Protection!" Gong Yu raised the pearl above him which shone brightly and formed a white sphere around him. The hammer struck it and rebounded forcing the youth to step a couple of steps back.

"Wow, turns out you are a rich brat! Your family must have forked out thousands for a pearl like this. But do you think it will change anything? When it wears off, you will die anyway! As for your teammates..." The hammer youth smiled and looked at Liu Zhong. The latter tried to escape but the hammer youth comprehended the element of wind and had far more qi since he was at higher level.

"Darkwind Severing!" Liu Zhong gritted his teeth and attacked the hammer youth who was getting closer and closer.

"Wind Hammer Annihilation" The hammer slightly swelled in size as wind converged to it.

Darkwind severing couldn't hope to negate the attack and the hammer youth was too fast for Liu Zhong to be able to dodge. The attack mercilessly slammed him against a nearby tree which snapped in half. He flew a little bit more after that and finally hit another tree before coming to a stop. The hammer youth smiled viciously seeing his opponent slide down the tree, unconscious.

"Is the spectator using the energy to save Liu Zhong?" Zhao Fan's heart was beating like a wild horse. If the spectator did not act, he would jump in at a moment's notice and save his friend.

Zhao Fan didn't hear a reply and grew more and more worried.

"No, he isn't. He just jumped down"