Chapter 0342: Surrounded

As Li Luo's words hung in the air, Lu Qing'er and Qin Zhulu both looked at him, flabbergasted.

Ji Sun narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Li Luo blinked. "Just a feeling."

"And why would I tell you such a thing?"

"Ah, such uncooperative behavior," Li Luo said regretfully. "The beatings will continue."

Ji Sun sneered at him. "Do your worst, kid. What do you think you can do? You and that weak bunch? Two Third Patterns and one First Pattern!" Although Guo Xiang and Xu Ling had been finished off a lot quicker than he had expected, he was not too worried, since he knew how much weaker they were.

He himself was a third-tier Resonant Master. Li Luo and Qin Zhulu might be big fish in their small ponds, but he was in a different class from them.

He couldn't help but laugh at them.

He simply could not understand. Why would a bunch of scrubs charge him so recklessly?

“Roar!”

Qin Zhulu could no longer hold back his battle will. The invisible dam of control within him burst, orange-gold tiger stripes bursting forth on his skin. His hefty spear led the way like a battering ram charging at Ji Sun.

"I was just toying with you before," Ji Sun sneered. "You really think you can take me on?"

He took half a step back, his lancet flashing in his hand. Green wind gusted around his weapon, then it flew out in a deadly slash that furrowed through the soil as it went.

Dang!

Slash against spear, the resonant powers clashed in a mad spiral that sent the nearby snow flying.

Ting, ting! Tang, tang!

As they fought, currents of wind were building up around Ji Sun, little green swirls that hovered protectively around him like layer upon layer of armor. After a while, it grew dense enough that it hummed around him with the power of a sonic wave. And then, when he clashed against Qin Zhulu, he suddenly shot it all forward. The deadly armor of wind sloughed off him and slashed through Qin Zhulu as quick as lightning.

Deep, bloody wounds riddled his flesh, and the tiger warrior howled. He retreated frantically.

Ji Sun pressed his advantage, matching his opponent's every step. He was relentless, a hurricane bearing down on Qin Zhulu.

But a new person had entered the fray, leaping out from behind Qin Zhulu. Li Luo.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Hmph. Show me what you've got!" Ji Sun jeered. His wind-power lancet weaved intimidating patterns in the air. Ji Sun charged.

Li Luo's swords glittered with Water Edge. Water on wind.

Tang, tang!

Ji Sun's confidence faded a little from their first clash. He could sense how crisp and pure Li Luo's resonant power was. It was not at all weaker than Qin Zhulu's Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance.

"This guy has an eighth-grade water resonance?!" Ji Sun was taken aback. This was a strange squad. Their cultivation levels were weak as hell, yet all of them had high-level resonances. If these two guys were not Third Pattern but Fifth, he probably wouldn't even be able to beat a single one.

As shaken as he was, Ji Sun's hand did not hesitate at all. A flip of his palm sent another attack scything out, again with that deadly hum of sonic-charged power.

But the attack that had left Qin Zhulu wounded was not effective at all. Li Luo's body was covered in a layer of wooden armor that tanked the attacks easily.

"Wood resonant power?!" If he had been surprised before, this time Ji Sun was floored. He stared at the wooden armor on Li Luo's body and wondered if he was dreaming. Why would this guy have two resonant powers?!

Wasn't that the mark of a Duke?

Ji Sun felt befuddled.

BOOM!

His befuddlement was soon knocked right out of his skull by a berserk Qin Zhulu. He fought as if he were demon-possessed, his spear twisting and striking with precision and power. An agile dragon baring its fangs, wielded by an equally supple tiger.

Dang!

Ji Sun parried furiously, almost deafened by the loud and repeated ringing of metal. He was starting to look worried now, as he was forced back step after step.

But before he could say a word, he felt cold frost pooling under his feet.

Lu Qing'er, not far away, was on the move.

She was only a First Pattern, and she was well aware of the gap between herself and Ji Sun. That was why she did not attack directly, instead choosing to reduce Ji Sun's speed through her long-range power.

Ji Sun hurriedly banished her negative buffs, but they took just a moment longer than he had planned for. Another eighth-grade resonance that was just that much harder to deal with.

"What the hell is going on?! Three eighth-grade resonances?!" Ji Sun yelled, outraged. Did it rain ninth-grade spirit liquids in the Xia Kingdom, by any chance?!

By the time he had shrugged free of the frost, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu were upon him again, unleashing a coordinated attack that he did not dare ignore. He tore his eyes away from Lu Qing'er and focused on the two guys in his face.

This two-pronged attack was especially vicious. Two Third Patterns as strong as they were could negate most of the advantage that Ji Sun had. The three were locked in a hair-raising battle.

It was a stalemate full of action, and Ji Sun's heart sank even as he attacked and parried. He knew that the situation was already starting to turn against him.

Although his two opponents were weaker than him in resonant power, they had other tricks up their sleeves. Qin Zhulu's Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance enhanced his physical strength, and he had an iron will that made him fight like a freaking robot. Li Luo was even worse. His water resonant power was incredibly pure, and he also had a wood resonance to complement it.

All he had was a cultivation level advantage.

But from the way they were dealing with his attacks, the situation was already clearly out of hand.

Moreover, there was an eighth-grade ice resonance girl running interference at every turn, negating the speed advantage that his wind resonance should have gifted him.

His legs were on the verge of giving out, and so was he. Ji Sun despaired. He had looked at this sitting-duck team as heaven's gift to him. But now he saw that they were actually elite ducks.

Well, when the going got tough!

With a ferocious swing of his weapon, Ji Sun sent both Li Luo and Qin Zhulu flying back, then he disengaged and ran away.

Shoop!

A tree root snaked out like a python, coiling itself around both his feet. He tripped and went down.

As he struggled fruitlessly, two short swords and a spear tip ended up at his neck.

Ji Sun was completely trussed up, and he could barely cock his head to look at Li Luo and Qin Zhulu.

Li Luo squatted down and patted him kindly on the head.

"And now, friend, can we have a good chat?"