Run! Faster! Keep running, brother!
On the scorched ridge, Jasper Xiao was sprinting for his life.
For a moment, he felt like he was back in the Marvel universe, sprinting side by side with Captain America across a battlefield thick with smoke. Back then, fighting Hydra and even greater empires, explosions thundered from every direction, and bullets whizzed by, high and low, crossing in every possible angle.
Don’t let the Superman upgrades fool you—he’d grown up pampered in peacetime, so the first time he faced that kind of chaos, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Only after smashing Red Skull in the face did he truly transform, becoming a real warrior. He’d survived countless deadly battles since, but never felt that same gut-wrenching tension again.
But now, that old tension was back.
Because—the thing chasing him was just too damn strong!!
Whoooosh! Like a World War II bomber skimming low, the Great Winged Demon swooped from the sky, its terrifying roar echoing. True to its name, its wings rivaled a dragon’s. The wind it stirred up was laced with strange magic, and with a single flap, it shot forward like a fighter jet. Its massive dark sword slashed like a phantom, launching volley after volley of black-red energy blasts that rained down, bombing the path around Jasper Xiao.
Boom! It was like a cluster bomb going off—volcanic rock exploded, dust shot sky-high. Jasper Xiao gritted his teeth and dove, barely escaping the blast zone. But as soon as he looked up, a giant sword was coming right at him. Black-red sword light ripped through the air, energy surging like a tsunami—the Great Winged Demon was already in front of him in a flash.
At the last split second, a streak of blue-white light shot in—Teacher Yang arrived at lightning speed. But instead of attacking the demon, he slid in like a soccer player and, without hesitation, kicked Jasper Xiao square in the rear. Thud! Like two billiard balls, Jasper Xiao went tumbling away.
Boom! The black-red sword’s arc blasted out a pillar of light like a starship’s energy cannon, gouging a deep trench in the ground far away. The shockwave sliced right past Jasper Xiao’s head, singeing his hair black and making it smoke.
Jasper Xiao didn’t waste the chance—he spun in midair and swung his right arm, sending a Holy Hammer phantom whirling straight at the Great Winged Demon’s head. The soul-piercing Holy Light attack made the demon pause for a moment, but it quickly recovered and kept chasing him, wings beating furiously.
“Damn it! Why’s it always after me?” Jasper Xiao yelled as he ran, shouting to Teacher Yang in the distance. “If we just keep running and let it do whatever it wants, this is way too terrifying! I feel like I’m playing Temple Run—one hit and I’m half-dead! We’re way too passive!”
“Passive or not, we have to deal. Attacking it now is pointless.” Teacher Yang kept a careful distance, running alongside Jasper Xiao. Their spacing meant they wouldn’t both get hit by the demon’s wide-range attacks, and with his speed, Teacher Yang could jump in to help at any moment—the perfect spot.
“I just tried some internal martial arts moves on it, but its armor is weird. It’s not forged metal—it’s part of its body, probably some kind of supernatural element from when it was alive. With my current power, I can’t even scratch it.” Teacher Yang sounded calm as ever, but his eyes flashed; suddenly, he leapt into the air and hurled an ice dart at full force.
Vrrrm! Energy surged down from the sky—the Great Winged Demon had locked onto the Paladin, determined to take him out first. The ground shattered, the sky seemed to collapse; the attack was insanely powerful, aimed right at Jasper Xiao with nowhere to dodge. But the ice dart seemed to predict the future, slicing through the air and carrying the Paladin just a meter out of harm’s way.
Boom! A violent explosion erupted nearby, shockwaves sweeping in every direction. Before he had Dragonblood, Jasper Xiao would’ve been coughing up blood from the aftershock unless he used a skill. Now, thanks to the ice dart’s momentum, he rolled away in the nick of time—dizzy, but unharmed. He was filthy and covered in dust after crawling all over volcanic rock; no trace of his former rich-kid image.
The Great Winged Demon’s fiery black eyes swiveled, turning to Teacher Yang. After a few rounds, it realized that while the Paladin’s Holy Light was a natural counter, this not-too-close, not-too-far guy was even harder to deal with.
The Great Winged Demon raised its sword, black-red runes flashing on the blade as waves of demonic energy surged. With a flap of its wings, it spun and shot away.
“I mean, even if you can’t break its armor, can’t you go for the wings? Its flying is seriously annoying—if we don’t drag it down, we don’t stand a chance!” Jasper Xiao rolled on the ground like a gourd, pushed himself up, and sprang to his feet.
He was complaining as he looked back, only to see the Great Winged Demon had ditched him, now streaking toward Teacher Yang like a meteor, radiating black-red energy waves.
Teacher Yang suddenly stomped his feet, planting himself firmly in place. His eyes narrowed, face solemn. He silently sent out a thought to his "opponent," then dropped his left hand from his brow, switching to a vertical palm guarding his center line.
[Temporarily offline]
Zap! Blue-white light burst from his brow, cold lunar energy flooding his body—Jack Young switched into his Ice Man mode in an instant. The Great Winged Demon barreled in like a supercar, energy swirling and winds howling. But Jack’s stance was balanced and composed, stillness countering motion, eyes locked on his enemy without flinching.
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more awesome action!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Black-red slashes cut through the air like energy cannons, crisscrossing everywhere. Jack Young’s steps seemed ordinary but always let him dodge just in time. He’d blended Lingbo Weibu into Bagua Stealth Step, creating a brand-new lightfoot fighting style.
No matter how he shifted side to side, his upper body stayed steady. Until the Great Winged Demon got close enough for a full-power attack, sword raised but not yet swung—then Jack lunged forward. Boom—ice dust exploded underfoot, his aura cut for a split second, and he dashed into the demon’s open guard.
Dragon Force surged, wind howled, and he struck the temple—KingJester’s Dominating Elbow!
At the same time, a Holy Hammer came whirling in from afar, smashing into the back of the Great Winged Demon’s head with crushing force.
But let’s leave the Great Winged Demon’s battlefield for a moment and check out the other side. Beneath Sauron's Tower, there’s a complex, mysterious underground palace. When the Alliance of Light first garrisoned here, it took them ages to map out this labyrinth. The place is huge—it used to be Mordor’s barracks and Sauron’s biotech factory for making special monsters. While exploring, they uncovered all sorts of horrific facilities.
But that’s about it—the troops torched those evil labs, leaving nothing behind. After several rounds of exploration, they didn’t find any more hidden secrets.
But now, at the very bottom of the old underground palace, a massive cavern had opened up. It spiraled downward like a staircase in a European castle—and racing down that tunnel was Jill Young.
Whoosh! Like a streak of light, she spiraled down the tunnel, feet never touching the ground but sprinting along the cave wall. She didn’t even need any special skills—the speed and centrifugal force alone made it look like a movie stunt. Behind her, hellish red fire spread through the endless spiral, painting the cave with a demonic glow.
The wind blasting her face grew hotter, the stench of sulfur overwhelming. In a blink, Jill Young reached the end of the spiral tunnel, where more dim red light glimmered ahead.
Boom! A furious roar erupted behind her, a wave of magic crashing like an explosion. Jill Young kicked off, flipping out of the tunnel in a flash. She landed with style, the magic blast and flying rocks whooshing past her feet without even touching a hair. She landed gracefully, took a look around, and found herself in an even bigger cavern.
"Looks like the Giant Worm chewed this out, but you can see traces of magma in the stone. With its fire resistance, the worm probably burrowed a path, then hell magic reshaped it. All in all, I’m on the right track." Jill Young tapped her brow with a sword finger. "Hey, Big Log, which way now?"
Vmmm—a wave of thought came through: [Temporarily offline].
"Offline? Fine, I’ll go without GPS." Jill Young had just dropped her hand when a huge figure burst from the spiral tunnel behind her. The Balrog, wreathed in flames, charged with open arms for a bear hug attack.
Trying to ambush me? Way too loud!
"Wada!" In a split second, Jill Young ducked forward, dodging the Balrog’s massive arms perfectly. At the same time, her left leg whipped up and back like an iron rod, smacking the demon right in the face.
Crack! With its spine as the axis, the Balrog spun through the air from the kick. But a moment later, it swung its arm, punching with thunderous force straight at Jill Young’s center.
Jill Young blocked with her elbow—bang! A gust of wind and a boom echoed as she was blasted backward, landing steady after two steps. She shook her arm, the dark gold sheen fading. Looking up, she saw the Balrog casually wipe fiery blood from its mouth and crack its jaw back into place, totally unfazed by the kick.
"Running here was a death wish!" The Balrog thumped its chest like a drum, roaring, "Here, where the energy is overflowing, I’m immortal!"