One Blade Through the Body

Garfield dove down from the sky, charging at Huang Jintian, who was retreating continuously.

Garfield and Huang Jintian, both possessing comparable agility, still stood in stark contrast. Even though Huang Jintian relied on the Blade Mantis's agility, it was evident that his speed was no match for Garfield.

While both had the same level, Garfield's tier far surpassed Huang Jintian's, giving him a significant advantage in attributes.

Generally, a Tier 4 high-grade creature could easily defeat two Tier 4 mid-grade creatures, five low-grade Tier 4 creatures, or ten Tier 3 high-grade creatures, all without controversy.

Thus, ten Blade Mantis creatures could never defeat a Flying Cat King, as Garfield's agility far outstripped that of the Blade Mantis, due to their inherent differences in life traits.

When Huang Jintian saw Garfield charging with unstoppable force, he instantly severed the connection with the Blade Mantis and instead linked with the Immortal Stone Beast, feeling his body grow significantly tougher, as if he had turned into a stone giant—rough-skinned, resilient, and able to endure substantial damage.

However, this also made his body much heavier and his movements cumbersome, almost clumsy.

Still, Huang Jintian wasn't afraid. The Immortal Stone Beast was on its way, and with its Tier 4 high-grade body, Garfield's sharp claws couldn't possibly break his defenses. If he could survive Garfield's first wave of attacks, the immediate danger would be averted.

But this was still a trap, one that Kent had already predicted.

"Garfield, block the Immortal Stone Beast."

Kent, already behind Huang Jintian, raised his A-grade war blade and charged toward Huang Jintian at lightning speed.

Garfield didn't even waste energy attacking Huang Jintian. It immediately turned to deal with the incoming Immortal Stone Beast, knowing it could easily restrain the beast with its agility.

Just as Huang Jintian thought he was safe, he felt a gust of wind behind him and turned to see Kent already within ten meters, his war blade raised high.

At this range, calling for the Blade Mantis was futile.

Moreover, with Garfield's abilities shared with Kent, his combat power had been greatly enhanced, and the Blade Mantis was no match for him.

"Huang Jintian, you have no chance now."

Kent closed in instantly, his war blade slashing down decisively at Huang Jintian. Like Kent, Huang Jintian only wielded a war blade and wasn't wearing armor, so Kent was confident that his strike could break through.

Crafted from Demon Steel, Kent's A-grade war blade could just about pierce the defensive layer provided by the Immortal Stone Beast. Moreover, Kent had a trump card—the deadly critical hit.

Once activated, the deadly critical hit boosted his attack by five times, and Huang Jintian wouldn't be able to block it.

"First, try breaking my defense."

Despite Kent's overwhelming momentum, Huang Jintian wasn't afraid. Instead, he was filled with a sense of competitive spirit.

"Are you this confident?"

As soon as Kent's words left his mouth, his war blade crashed down, striking Huang Jintian's defenses. It was like striking an iron wall, sparking off showers of sparks. While Kent's blade remained undamaged, Huang Jintian's defense showed a small crack.

"I told you, you can't break my defense," Huang Jintian smirked, laughing triumphantly. The Blade Mantis had already arrived, and with a two-on-one advantage, Kent was at a clear disadvantage.

"Is that so?" Kent's figure surged again, ignoring the defensive strength of Huang Jintian and charging straight toward the Blade Mantis.

Bang, bang, bang!

Kent unleashed his Dragon Breath Blade technique at full strength, striking out with six blows in an instant. His strikes clashed with the Blade Mantis's six blades in a dramatic contest of strength.

A chilling shriek echoed from the Blade Mantis, reverberating throughout the grand hall. Everyone present couldn't help but flinch at the eerie sound.

"Is that the terrifying sound wave of the Blade Mantis? It feels different from what I remember," someone in the audience remarked.

Huang Jintian had attended many martial arts tournaments, so he was well familiar with the Blade Mantis's terrifying sound wave. However, when he heard the shriek, he felt something was off.

"Wait, this isn't the usual sound wave—it seems like a cry of pain," another spectator commented.

As everyone focused their attention on the Blade Mantis, they were shocked to see its blade limbs, which were covered in serrated armor, shatter at the point of impact. Green blood poured from the cracks, and the sight was gruesome.

"How could this happen? Your war blade is A-grade, but even so, you couldn't possibly unleash its full power!" Huang Jintian's face turned pale as he realized the Blade Mantis was in serious pain. If he didn't retreat now, the creature might lose its limbs, nearly crippling it.

Huang Jintian wasn't willing to let that happen. At that moment, he couldn't take the Blade Mantis into his Beast Hand Bracelet, so he ordered it to retreat to the edge of the arena.

Kent wasn't a ruthless person; once he neutralized the Blade Mantis's fighting power, he chose not to pursue further, as destroying someone's beast was a serious offense.

"Now, do you have anything left to say?"

Kent's confidence surged, and he stood tall, looking down on Huang Jintian with a sense of superiority.

Huang Jintian's expression darkened, and he snorted disdainfully, "Stop talking nonsense. Wait until you've really won."

His words still held a tone of doubt toward Kent's strength.

Seeing this, Kent stopped wasting time. If Huang Jintian refused to believe, then Kent would teach him a hard lesson.

With a swift movement, Kent activated his deadly critical hit. His A-grade war blade became as swift as lightning, slashing toward Huang Jintian's left shoulder and elbow.

The strike was so fast, it seemed to carry the force of thunder, splitting the air with a deafening crack.

Huang Jintian, already close, was caught off guard. His earlier defiance dissipated in the face of the overwhelming attack.

Crack!

The sound of shattered defenses rang out. The tough, energy-infused stone skin on Huang Jintian's body cracked as the energy shield broke. Kent's blade then sank into Huang Jintian's flesh.

But this wasn't the end. Since Kent had used the deadly critical hit, the power was five times stronger. Breaking through the stone skin energy shield consumed some of the force, but the blade struggled against Huang Jintian's flesh.

"You underestimated me. Even your flesh is empowered by the Immortal Stone Beast's special trait," Kent remarked casually. "But that's all."

Kent's blade continued its momentum, cutting through the flesh, severing the shoulder blade, and spilling blood in a gruesome display.

Huang Jintian looked at the wound in disbelief, feeling the sudden dizziness as his body was overwhelmed with pain.

"How did the power of your strike increase so much?" Huang Jintian thought in confusion, but the pain on his face betrayed his distress. Anyone struck this badly couldn't remain unmoved.