THE RULE KING

The trial passage was a pathway carved out of the mountain. At its end was the trial ground, and beyond that lay the location of the Inner Sect. Inside the passage, it was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen. Xu Shan kept taking deep breaths and groped his way forward with one hand along the rock wall. It was impossible to claim that he wasn't afraid. The memories of the original body owner contained very little about real combat. In his previous life, he had been a law-abiding citizen. Although he had been in a few brawls, that bit of combat experience seemed completely useless here. Facing this sole opportunity, he could only grit his teeth and face it bravely! His basic skills were solid, and he had also learned the Fireball Spell... Moreover, he had two strange items at his disposal.

Xu Shan halted his steps, took out a towel and wrapped it around his arm. Then he took out a washing machine, grasped the base of the power cord, and held the washing machine up like a shield. Although he still hadn't figured out how to use the washing machine, given its characteristic of being indestructible, or at least indestructible by his current means, it made for a rather good shield.

After walking dozens of steps forward, there was gradually some light. A hemispherical space, roughly the size of three basketball courts, carved out of the mountain emerged before Xu Shan's eyes. At the top of the rock wall hung a bell, and several glittering Spirit Stones were inlaid around it, illuminating the entire space. A complex formation was engraved on the ground, with a faint glow emanating from the patterns.

Standing at the edge of the formation, Xu Shan paused for a moment. He summoned the washing machine and held it in his left hand like a shield while gripping a sword in his right hand. He took a gentle step and stepped into the formation.

The moment he entered the formation, a sudden change occurred! A drop of bright red blood shot out from the center of the formation. Immediately after, an extremely violent dark blue spiritual energy cascaded down from the top like a waterfall and converged into the blood. Xu Shan had intended to run, but he was suppressed by that spiritual energy and couldn't move an inch. As the spiritual energy swirled into a vortex, a translucent and graceful figure holding a long sword materialized in mid-air, her eyes staring straight at Xu Shan.

Gazing at that figure, Xu Shan, who was still struggling in place, experienced a momentary daze. Was this the Sect Master? Although he had heard of her before, this was the first time he had laid eyes on her. He had never seen a woman with such charm and bearing! She was dressed in a plain white long dress, as ethereal and light as a cloud. Her figure was slender and graceful, with an alluring curve. Her legs were long and straight, her skin as radiant as flowing rosy clouds, exuding an overwhelming beauty. Especially those eyes, as bright as stars, yet... filled with a chilling coldness.

The instant their eyes met, Xu Shan felt the pressure vanish. Without hesitation, he immediately tore off the towel wrapped around his sleeve. At the same time, he lifted the washing machine to shield himself.

At that very moment, the clone also sprang into action! She gently raised her jade-like hand, and a flash of silver light burst forth from it. A two-meter-long arc-shaped sword qi hurtled towards Xu Shan's face!

Boom! This powerful sword qi struck the front of the washing machine squarely. The washing machine door was shaken open, and the sword qi shattered and scattered! However, that incredibly powerful force was transmitted to Xu Shan. The washing machine slipped from his grasp, and Xu Shan spat out a mouthful of blood. His entire body was sent flying backward and crashed into the rock wall with great force.

The moment he landed, Xu Shan rolled sideways and quickly rolled back to the washing machine. He clung to the washing machine tightly, not daring to relax even a bit. He was breathing heavily, still shaken by the shock. The towel had no effect on this clone... And the speed was much faster than he had anticipated, far exceeding his expectations. That seemingly effortless strike just now probably carried the force of ten thousand catties. If every subsequent attack was like this, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold out for half a stick of incense. He had to take the initiative to attack!

The clone advanced to attack again. Xu Shan hid behind the washing machine and wildly flung out fireballs with his right hand. However, the clone wielded her sword to form a shield and continuously sliced and exploded the fireballs. Before Xu Shan could think further, the trial clone had swooped down. In the blink of an eye, the clone's illusory long sword stabbed out, and a sharp sword qi fluctuated at the tip of the sword, rushing straight towards Xu Shan. The sword qi was menacing, as if it would pierce him through with one strike!

Xu Shan instinctively tried to dodge, but as soon as he moved his feet, he found that he couldn't exert any strength. He looked down and saw that his ankle had been slashed by the shattered sword qi from the first attack, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone. Blood was gushing out, and the pain had just kicked in.

He watched helplessly as the long sword stabbed towards him, and a thick wave of despair flooded Xu Shan's heart. Was he really this unlucky? I haven't even shown my skills yet. I've prepared the Fireball Spell for so long, and now I'm going to be defeated because of my movement techniques?

In an instant, the long sword was upon him. There was no way to avoid it. The only thing he could do was to lower his head and curl up behind the washing machine.

Thud! With a dull thud, Xu Shan was sent flying again. Strangely enough, he felt that the force this time was much smaller. When he regained his footing and looked at the washing machine, the scene before his eyes made his breath catch and his body go rigid!

The illusory clone, who was as beautiful as a fairy, had her upper body stuck in the washing machine! The opening of the washing machine was quite wide, but her slender figure just couldn't get out! Her round and perky buttocks were stuck high up, and her two long legs were flailing about... making the washing machine bounce around on the spot. Even with the clone's formidable strength, she couldn't break free.

This scene... Xu Shan was eerily familiar with it. He seemed to have seen something similar in some popular movies. It was the kind of content from the European and American sections. Usually, he only watched content from the Japanese and Korean sections... So this was how the washing machine could be used?! No! This wasn't the time to think about such things!

Without hesitation, Xu Shan endured the intense pain and ran behind the clone's rounded figure. He aimed at the center point and raised the long sword high with both hands! "Sect Master, please forgive my offense!"

...

Boom! The stone gate of the forbidden area on the back mountain of the Xinglan Sect shattered with a deafening crash. Dust billowed up, and rocks flew in all directions. An exquisitely beautiful figure flew out from it...

"Pu!" As soon as she steadied herself, a mouthful of blood spurted from her lips. Her body went limp, and she slowly sank to her knees in an extremely undignified posture.

There was a look of intense fear in Ye Qingbi's eyes. She was breathing rapidly, and the hair by her temples was damp with sweat. The experience just now had been truly terrifying. For no apparent reason... she suddenly felt as if someone had pierced her from the bottom to the top with an iron sword.

"Cough, cough, cough!" A thin layer of sweat broke out on Ye Qingbi's smooth forehead, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Her qi had gone astray during a crucial moment of her cultivation, causing a minor internal injury, but it wasn't a serious problem. However, something about that feeling just now definitely wasn't right... What on earth had happened?

...