Chapter 378
For Adam, first, second, and even third-tier martial artists hardly counted as enemies. They were opponents he could settle with a single hammer strike. The only ones who posed any threat were the few dozen fourth-tier martial artists.
Within the overlapping pull of his gravitational and magnetic fields, enemies below the fourth tier either burst apart or were incinerated to husks by heavenly fire. All that remained was more than two thousand martial cores raining down like falling stars.
The experts who had descended from the Martial Realm froze in shock. They had heard rumors of the panda’s savagery, but never imagined that more than four hundred so-called experts could not withstand even a single move.
Before they could recover, Adam, still hovering in mid-air, raised his great hammer a second time. A shudder ran through the experts. Cold sweat trickled down their backs as they scrambled to strike first, hoping to stop Adam.
Their methods were crude, yet compared to the trash of the Mortal Realm, at least more refined.
The martial heritage of the Martial Realm finally showed a trace of character — their manipulation of vital energy was no longer the most primitive kind of release, but bore personal marks of refinement.
Most notably, their vital energy was more condensed, more lethal.
Garfield instantly transformed into a small shield and vanished from sight. Every strand of vital energy aimed at Adam — no matter how wide the range or how precise the strike — was mysteriously intercepted by the shield’s sudden, ghostlike appearance.
Adam asked inwardly, “How is it?”
Without strain, Garfield replied evenly, “If we speak in terms of energy level, the vital energy of Mortal Realm martial artists doesn’t even match that of an ordinary energy stone. But these Martial Realm martial artists… their energy level is significantly higher. Clearly, the Martial Realm possesses cultivation methods that refine vital energy to a superior degree.”
Adam nodded. This was indeed a major difference between martial artists and mages.
From the very beginning, mages had the ability to wield magic power. In the Fourth Epoch’s Aether Void, magic power was the highest-level energy known beneath Aether itself. In other words, mages started off commanding forces that ordinary beings could never touch even at their end.
But martial artists were different. Their starting point was pitifully low, yet they possessed secret methods to elevate the quality of their own energy. Adam guessed that if the God Realm’s ruler had not withheld knowledge in this area, then by the time martial artists reached the Saint Realm or Celestial Realm, the quality of their vital energy should be equal to magic power.
That was only logical — if martial artists couldn’t at least achieve that, they would never be worthy to be regarded as a mage’s true rival.
The dozens of fourth-tier martial artists saw that even their long-range strikes could not touch Adam. Exchanging glances, they charged together, unleashing their signature advanced martial skills in an attempt to bring him down in close combat.
It was useless. Individually, these techniques were exquisite — certain attack angles and strike trajectories even earned Adam’s approval. But martial artists were the sort of profession where one man was a dragon, yet many together became worms. When they tried to surround Adam, they could not handle the clashes between their own techniques.
Garfield vanished.
Under Adam’s perception, under his personal chip’s scanning, under the sweep of his field domain, every flaw stood out in microscopic detail. Each time his bare palm struck at an unexpected angle — sometimes seemingly pointless — several experts were forced to break off their attacks and retreat.
For even a millimeter forward would wound themselves instead.
The sensation was unbearable. Each time they drove their vital energy toward a critical point, such a flaw appeared, forcing them to halt circulation abruptly. Over time, their martial cores and bodily systems suffered more strain than in high-intensity battle. Pain spread through their bodies. Some had even sustained internal injuries already.
Ten minutes later, Adam had gathered enough data. Regret tinged his voice: “So this is all you’ve got.”
Vital energy flickered erratically around the experts’ bodies as they panted and roared in fury: “Arrogant bastard, you—”
Adam ignored them. Turning instead, he asked Sandy, who was casually watching the spectacle, “Is the First Mortal Realm the same as this?”
Sandy replied, “About the same. The First Mortal Realm also has a Realm Alliance. Their vital energy’s strength and usage are similar. But… them, them—” Sandy pointed at four people. “Their cultivation methods don’t exist in the First Mortal Realm.”
Adam nodded. He gave his command: “Aside from these four, kill all the rest.”
The Realm Lord laughed in rage: “Delusional! Even if you are strong, how much energy do you have left? Surrender quietly or don’t blame us when—”
“Quack-quack-quack! Yes, master!” Garfield’s voice erupted from within the experts’ bodies. The nano-robot squads, inhaled with the very air, suddenly activated, shattering their martial cores from within. The explosions of energy blew their bodies apart. In an instant, the ambush force of over five hundred dwindled to just four survivors.
The nanobots had invaded them by bizarre means, cutting off their energy channels. Now they had nothing left but raw physical strength — no different from ordinary mortals.
Adam inhaled deeply, drawing in all the rampaging vital energy. The battle had drained him heavily since he could not draw on external energy in this realm. If the numbers had been doubled, perhaps he would have truly needed the frighteningly ruthless Sandy to intervene.
When the clash ended, silence blanketed heaven and earth. Below, the vast Central City was deathly still. No one dared make the slightest sound, lest it attract disaster. Their guardians were dead. Such enemies were far beyond their reach.
Adam turned to the experienced Sandy. “What next?”
“At the city’s heart lies an energy-filtering array and an ascension passage. Secure those two formations first. As for the people in the city… kill them all. Central City cannot have outsiders.”
Adam frowned. “That’s troublesome. My martial skills would destroy the city. Unless…” He thought of Sandy’s ultimate technique — surely it was a wide-range attack?
Sandy eyed him warily. “Don’t even think about it. I’m very fierce!”
Just then, the column of vital energy stirred again. The two expected reinforcements from the Martial Realm — but instead, a tiny snake slithered quietly out, flying toward them.
The two exchanged a glance. Adam asked tentatively, “Are you… Maggie?”
The snake shot forward at blinding speed, like a white ribbon of silk. Defying inertia, it stopped in front of them, its little head nodding hundreds of times in excitement: “Yes, yes! You must be Adam! And you, Sandy? Wow, you two are so cute!”
Sandy stiffened at the sight of the small serpent — less than a meter long, its body glowed with a luster like polished white jade. Her tail shot upright before collapsing limp. Listlessly, she bowed her head. “Greetings, Lady Maggie.”
She was close enough with Adam to use his name, but to other transcendent beings, proper respect was necessary.
“Hello, hello! Just call me Maggie. I’ve already slain all the martial artists at the other end of the passage. Don’t worry — for the time being, no one can descend into Mortal Realm No. 5 through my poisonous web.”