Not only were Zheng Rui and Pan Tao Ling Bao Court disciples, but their seniors were high ranking officials in the Ling Bao Court. 

Merely just the status of a Ling Bao Court disciple was enough to let them show off their strength amongst the trial takers, let alone the powerful patrons supporting them. 

Nie Tian, on the other hand, was an outsider, and wasn’t even a disciple of the Ling Bao Court’s subordinate families.

There really was an excessive disparity in the status and rank of both parties to the extent that Zheng Rui and Pan Tao hadn’t even placed Nie Tian in their eyes from the start. 

Hence, they dared to berate and spur Nie Tian on. 

“If you want to talk, then do so. Don’t strike with your hands and feet as you please!”

However, when they had raised their legs and stomped on Nie Tian’s feet, Nie Tian, who had been content with his own lot the whole way through and hadn’t revealed any indication of being in pain, had actually immediately given them a response, while his face darkened. 

Nie Tian, who was standing three meters behind An Ying and was extremely close to Zheng Rui and Pan Tao, suddenly lifted his legs as fast as lightning. 

- Bang! Bang! -

Both of Nie Tian’s feet collided with the soles of Zheng Rui and Pan Tao’s feet in succession. When the centers of their feet came in contact, a dull echo rang out. 

Zheng Rui and Pan Tao suddenly felt a tremendous force burst forth from beneath the soles of their feet. 

- Deng, deng, deng! -

The two of them unexpectedly retreated backwards and they even fell head first into the Spirit Beasts that had come around to attack them. 

On the contrary, Nie Tian’s body had only violently shuddered, before he immediately stood firmly on the ground. 

Zheng Rui and Pan Tao, on the other hand, were fl.u.s.teredly battling with the two Spirit Beasts that had pounced on them. After they had forced those two Spirit Beasts to retreat, the two immediately glowered at Nie Tian with reddened eyes. 

“You actually dare to retaliate?!”

Zheng Rui exploded and shouted out in a stern voice, while furious intentions surged violently and lingered within his eyes. He had a malevolent stance that seemed as though he wanted to swallow Nie Tian whole.

After Pan Tao made his move, he glared at Nie Tian with a look of disbelief on his face. “d.a.m.n you, you dare to oppose us?”

As for the remaining trial takers, who were battling with the Spirit Beasts, they were distractedly paying heed to the activity going on between the three of them. 

When they saw Nie Tian confronting Zheng Rui and Pan Tao and that he had actually responded immediately, all of them were shocked and repeatedly looked towards Nie Tian in the same way that they looked at the monsters. 

As disciples from the Ling Bao Court’s subordinate families, even they didn’t dare to go against Zheng Rui and Pan Tao’s command. They took care to attend to both of their needs the whole way, as they feared that these two people would pick a fight with them. 

Nie Tian was only a clansman from Black Cloud City’s Nie Family and the decline of the Nie Family in the recent years… they had already heard about it since long ago.

Even they greatly disapproved of Nie Tian in their hearts and also wanted to find an opportunity to play tricks on him. 

They felt that Nie Tian would not even dare to rebel against them.

They had never thought that Nie Tian had the audacity to not give face to Pan Tao and Zheng Rui on such a dangerous occasion, and had even directly responded to the two with brute force. 

“So what if I retaliate?” Nie Tian slanted his eyes at the both of them and spoke relentlessly without caring about their feelings. “It’s all thanks to Sister An’s help that I am able to enter the Green Illusion Realm. I’m only in her debt. Second Miss An had said a few words to me, but I’ll give face to Second Miss An and not bicker with her.”

“Yet, who are the both of you? What face do I have to give to the both of you?”

Nie Tian waved his hand, as he spoke in this manner, with a reckless look on his face. “I came to the Green Illusion Realm only to gain knowledge and experience about the world. What about the Grade Two Spirit Beasts and Heaven Comprehending Pill? I’m completely indifferent about them. Come, since you guys want to make matters bigger, go ahead and give me all that you’ve got! Are you not warriors of the ninth Lianqi level? I actually do want to test how powerful you guys are!”

This wasn’t his first time battling with people who were on a higher level as compared to him. 

In reality, he had always been using his comparatively low level to cross swords with opponents of higher levels since he was young. 

Regardless of whether it was Nie Hong or Nie Yuan from the Nie Family, or even Yun Song from the Yun Family, eventually he was always the victor who beat up his opponent painfully. 

Now, after having experienced that baptism from the rich spiritual Qi of the mine, he had already risen to the sixth Lianqi level. Moreover, he firmly believed in the st.u.r.diness of his body from the start. 

He had also comprehended a style of vigorous boxing in that mysterious place. This filled him with confidence, even if the opponent that he was facing was of the ninth Lianqi level. 

Zheng Rui and Pan Tao were also only at the ninth Lianqi level. He was calm and unafraid!

“How arrogant!”

“This fellow is really part of the Nie Family?”

“He dares to provoke Ling Bao Court’s Zheng Rui and Pan Tao in the Green Illusion Realm. Does he really not know how to write the word ‘die’?”

Each and every one of the surrounding trial takers couldn’t help but to argue nosily. 

These fellows were relying on the precious Spirit Weapons in their hands to battle with these Spirit Beasts and had already obtained a huge advantage. 

It was also in this way that they were able to distractedly watch Nie Tian’s battle with Pan Tao and Zheng Rui from the sidelines. Meanwhile, they continued to battle the Spirit Beasts and created a big fuss out of it, for fear that the land under the heavens wouldn’t be in a frenzy.

They were all youngsters and as far as they were concerned with this kind of conflict, not only did they not contradict what was going on, they even hoped that there would be even more trouble. 

That was because those Spirit Beasts were incapable of threatening them. 

As the leader of the group, An Ying had already taken note of the conflict between the three people since earlier on, but she didn’t say a single word to stop them from the start. 

She had originally thought that under Zheng Rui and Pan Tao’s coercion, Nie Tian would obediently do as he was told to and deal with those Spirit Beasts together with everyone. 

She also didn’t antic.i.p.ate that not only did Nie Tian dare to rebel, he had also used such an intense way to do so. 

“Zheng Rui and Pan Tao shouldn’t be utilising the spiritual energy in their bodies. It’s just that I don’t know whether Nie Tian is using it or not. If he isn’t either…” She looked towards Nie Tian as though she had thought of something. She was curious about Nie Tian’s strength and wanted to know what would happen next. 

She hadn’t placed those Low Grade Spirit Beasts around her in her eyes. From her point of view, even if Nie Tian and the other two didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the battle, the remaining people were more than enough to get rid of all the Spirit Beasts. 

Having such confidence, she didn’t say a word to stop them as the leader of the troop and left the situation be, as it continued to grow worse. 

“Brother Tao, go and help them kill and behead those Spirit Beasts that are an eyesore! I cannot tolerate this joker for a moment longer!” Zheng Rui let out a low roar and gave up the bothersome battle with a Spirit Beast and walked step by step as towards Nie Tian. 

“The Green Illusion Realm has rules, and we cannot seize a human’s life.” At this moment, seeing as Zheng Rui was angered, An Ying timely reminded him of this rule. 

This warning seemed to be a reminder, but it would be better to say that it was encouragement. 

“Of course, I know the rules! Relax, I won’t take his life!” Zheng Rui drew back the corners of his mouth. “However, from today onwards, this Green Illusion Realm trial is considered to have ended!”

It was obvious that Zheng Rui was planning to take things seriously.

“Then it is all up to your abilities.” Nie Tian had a calm expression on his face. 

He actually didn’t think that a mere Zheng Rui was capable of doing anything to him. 

It was in this moment that a huge bun had suddenly protruded out of the ground beneath the feet of the young man who was holding the dark-green coloured metal ball in his hands!

He felt the ground beneath him shake, and when he subconsciously dropped his head to look at the ground, he immediately shrieked involuntarily. 

An ash-brown lizard had actually scuttled out from the ground beneath his feet in a flash!

Not waiting for him to utilise the metal ball in his hands and putting his lightning power to use, the lizard had already bitten in both his legs. 

- Kacha! -

An extremely loud shattering sound clearly rang out from the bones of both his legs. 

In the moment that he was mournfully howling, that lizard’s huge mouth continued upwards and ferociously bit him at the waist.

Fresh blood burst forth from his waist in a flash and the gaze that he used to look at that lizard gradually lost its vigour. 

That dark-green coloured metal ball that he held tightly in his hands, fell to the icy ground beside him following as he weakly loosened his grip.

“Qin Shun!”

The eye sockets of the youngsters beside him were completely scarlet and they all brandished the Spirit Weapons in their hands. They were madly howling as they attempted to bombard that lizard that had suddenly emerged from the ground. 

The lizard that had emerged from the depths of the earth unexpectedly shrunk its head back after it had bitten that young man to death and had actually disappeared back underground once more. 

“An Earth Lizard! It is the Grade Two Earth Lizard! Why has it appeared here?”

As the leader of the troop, An Ying’s eyes went red in a flash and she madly beheaded the two Grade One Spirit Beasts closest to her with her saber.

She knew very clearly that there were only four Grade Two Spirit Beasts in the whole of the Green Illusion Realm today and that Earth Lizard was one of them!

However, this glacier region was the Black Ice Python’s territory from the start. The Earth Lizard’s territory should be the barren land after the glacier region. 

Her original plan was to first kill and behead the Black Ice Python in this glacier region, and after resting and reorganising, they would then proceed to the barren land to hunt and kill the Earth Lizard. 

She didn’t make any preparations to confront the Earth Lizard in the glacier region. 

“Zheng Rui! Pan Tao! Set aside your personal grudges for the time being and help me get rid of that Earth Lizard first!” An Ying was panicking. 

She was very worried that the Black Ice Python, which was also a Grade Two Spirit Beast, was now also close by.

The strength of the Green Illusion Realm’s four Grade Two Spirit Beasts could be compared to a Lianqi Warrior that had just entered the Houtian Realm. If they were only facing one of them, she believed that they would be able to behead and kill it successfully with her power added on with Zheng Rui and Pan Tao’s power. 

However, she didn’t even have a shred of a.s.surance that they were able to deal with the Black Ice Python and the Earth Lizard at the same time. 

At this moment, she was unable to deal with Zheng Rui testing Nie Tian anymore. She only wished to dispose of the Earth Lizard at the quickest possible speed so as to not have to deal with the Black Ice Python appearing soon after. 

However, her worst fears had come true and unfortunately, what she was afraid of had arrived. 

- Sss, sss! -

The python’s hissing sound resounded from behind a strange tree cl.u.s.tered with icicles. 

The python’s whole body was silvery-white in colour and was more than ten metres long with a thickness that was like a human’s waist. Following its hissing sound, it very quickly appeared in everyone’s line of sight. 

“Oh no!” An Ying’s complexion greatly changed. 

……

Translator: The Most Awesome Nata
Editors: Zach and Sietse
Translated by XianXiaWorld