Die, Replay, Repeat

SPLASH, SPLASH...

The dark, cold waters of the lake surged from all directions. They were filled with countless pale corpses, all rushing toward Lu Ziming.

"What! The Corpse Lake?" Lu Ziming's face instantly changed.

He wasn't afraid when facing a few fourth-tier Domains, but the appearance of the Corpse Lake made him panic.

The fourth tier was still just the fourth tier, but the Corpse Lake was something beyond that.

Even though he was a fifth-tier powerhouse, falling into the Corpse Lake could still mean death.

Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but the Corpse Lake's range was too vast. It quickly surrounded him, leaving no escape.

Lu Ziming desperately activated his Mindflare, fighting back against the invasion of the Corpse Lake.

When the two forces clashed, he froze for a moment, then sighed in relief. He realized the water wasn't the actual Corpse Lake, but only a projection.

If it had been the real Corpse Lake, his Spiritual Energy would have been suppressed.

Still, the situation wasn't ideal. Even though the water wasn't the true Corpse Lake, it carried a similar suppressive force, though weaker.

As the lake water advanced, the Mindflare around Lu Ziming dimmed considerably.

This made him uneasy. He hadn't expected that Fang Xiu, a mere third-tier, could summon such high-level power.

Both were forms of suppression, but if it had been Xiao Zhenhua's All Equal, it would have been useless against the Mindflare's defense.

However, the Corpse Lake was of a very high rank. Even with its weakened power, it still had an effect on the Mindflare.

Taking advantage of Lu Ziming's suppression, the others' attacks immediately overwhelmed him.

Yet, no matter how intense the Domain powers were, they couldn't break through his Mindflare, let alone harm him.

The sight reminded them of Joker.

Back then, when facing Joker, they had felt just as powerless, unable to break his Mindflare even with everything they had.

The fifth-tier truly marked a qualitative difference from the fourth tier.

It was as if the fifth-tier was naturally invincible—no matter how unique your powers were, you couldn't break the defense unless you used even higher-tier forces.

Still, the others weren't afraid. They had faced fifth-tier powerhouses before.

Lu Ziming's angry voice emerged from the chaotic storm of Domain powers. "Face my wrath!"

BOOM!

A sword energy beyond imagination soared into the sky. With one strike, it cleared all the attacks.

Even Yang Ming, who had been fighting up close, was sent flying.

Lu Ziming slowly walked out of the violent energy storm. His eyes glowed with fierce sword light, and an overwhelming aura began rising from him, filling the entire area.

The long sword in his hand emitted a sound like a dragon's roar. In that moment, he seemed like a god of swords.

The heavy, sharp sword energy spread through the area, making everyone feel a sharp sting on their skin.

Luo Qingxin exclaimed, "Years of slaughter... I didn't expect his swordsmanship to reach this level!"

"Xiu, his ability is swordsmanship. When he was lower-tier, he was like a top swordsman from a Wuxia novel. Now, at higher tiers, he's like a Sword God. He was once Fang Moli's master!

"He inspired Fang Moli's awakening of Sword Infinity," Li Xiaoru explained seriously.

Fang Xiu's gaze flickered. He had always seen Lu Ziming use a sword but hadn't connected it to his abilities before.

It was like how Yang Ming always used a blade, even though his ability wasn't related to it.

Fang Xiu didn't expect Lu Ziming to be so true to himself. Not only did he wield a sword, but his power also centered around it.

Such an ability might have been weak at first, especially when others had diverse powers like ice and fire, while he was just swinging a sword.

But often, these seemingly weak abilities at first would become incredibly strong later on.

"I didn't want to waste too much Spiritual Energy on you, but since you insist on forcing my hand, I have no choice but to send you to your deaths," Lu Ziming's voice was cold and filled with murderous intent. It was clear that he had fully decided to kill them.

He was already furious about not getting any money, and now, being forced into a fight with no reward, his anger only grew.

As the terrifying energy filled the air, Yang Ming couldn't help smiling.

This was exactly what he wanted. He knew full well that, in terms of strength, he was no match for Lu Ziming. His only chance was to enrage him, delay the battle, and try to wear him down.

The sun was about to set. Once Specters arrived, the situation would quickly spiral into chaos. That would be their chance to win—taking advantage of the confusion to emerge victorious!

Though Yang Ming wasn't particularly known for his strategy, his battle instincts were sharp. He had an almost instinctive understanding of combat, allowing him to make quick, effective judgments on the ever-changing battlefield.

Lu Ziming stepped forward, sword in hand.

BOOM!

The air in the arena suddenly shattered, and a shockwave rippled outward.

He advanced step by step, his presence as heavy as a mountain, with a suffocating energy that seemed to press down on everything around him.

The others' faces grew serious, but their fighting spirit surged.

"Kill!" At the sound of the thunderous command, both sides launched their attacks simultaneously.

Several violent Domain forces swept through the air.

Lu Ziming swung his sword. The blade moved like a dragon swimming through the sky.

The Mindflare on his sword remained dormant, but the air around him was filled with sharp, chilling sword energy.

SWISH!

With a single slash, the Mindflare on his sword transformed into a wave of biting sword energy that swept across the entire battlefield.

A crescent-shaped, dazzling sword energy shot into the sky.

Luo Qingxin and the others' Domains were instantly shattered.

The remaining sword energy continued forward, undiminished, charging directly toward the group.

Everyone's expressions shifted in shock.

They hadn't expected Lu Ziming to be even stronger than Joker had been.

Lu Ziming had broken through to the fifth tier in the Land Between long ago. Moreover, he had fought relentlessly within it, giving him far superior battle experience and foundation compared to Joker.

At that critical moment, a golden light suddenly appeared—it was Yang Ming.

Yang Ming appeared before the sword energy in an instant, his short dagger raised high. Endless golden light gathered around it, and the dagger erupted with dazzling brilliance.

Just as the sword energy was about to strike, Yang Ming swung his dagger to meet it. The impact was as powerful as a heavy hammer smashing into the violent sword energy.

The sound of the clash reverberated like a giant bell, and the furious sword energy exploded in all directions, scattering into fine gusts of air.

To everyone's astonishment, Lu Ziming's sword energy was actually shattered piece by piece under Yang Ming's strike.

"What!? How is this possible? He's just a mere fourth-tier!" Lu Ziming's face was full of disbelief. He had never imagined that a fourth-tier weakling could block his most serious strike.

What was even more shocking was that it seemed the opponent hadn't even activated his Domain.

What Lu Ziming didn't know was that Yang Ming had condensed his Domain power into himself. He sacrificed large-scale destructive abilities in favor of high-intensity single-target attacks. It was akin to a low-tier version of Mindflare.