Those are the Kunlun League's strongest SSS-class super fiends, each one at the sixth layer of Heaven-Tribulation.
Heaven-Tribulation comes in levels. From the first to the fifth layer, you're just laying the groundwork—the real leap starts at the fifth. The fifth layer is a sharp dividing line, and after that, your power skyrockets like crazy.
So yeah, sixth-layer Heaven-Tribulation is absolutely nothing to sneeze at. Just being able to hurt them already makes Ryan Ling pretty damn satisfied!
But right at the instant Ryan Ling unleashed that earth-shattering strike, he kinda sensed a weird barrier between heaven and earth. It was super thin and light—normal people wouldn't even notice it. Only when your strength hits a certain level and your aura goes nuts bumping into it does it react, and when it does, it's intense.
"What the hell is that?" Ryan Ling froze, clearly not believing it. At the Heaven-Tribulation stage, you've already got a touch of real immortal power, so your eyes can see way more mysterious stuff. But for now, he still couldn't figure it out.
And just then, three thunderous booms exploded overhead. Three monsters appeared in front of everyone—faces twisted and ferocious, bodies covered in scales, and with long tails trailing behind them.
These three monsters were bleeding all over, wounded in plenty of places, but thanks to their thick scale armor, their cores weren't damaged. Obviously, these guys were the Kunlun League's scariest SSS-class fiends.
"Ryan Ling, these guys are no joke—watch out!" The Ghost Elder froze. And not just him—Marshal Zhong Kui's face went pale too. All the ghost generals and ghost soldiers instantly lined up, forming defensive battle lines.
With a hit that strong, the fact that none of these monsters went down was wild—even Ryan Ling was shaken. This was just insane.
No matter how strong sixth-layer Heaven-Tribulation is, it shouldn't be THIS ridiculous!
They must have some insanely powerful treasures or something else—otherwise there's no way their defense would be this ridiculous.
"Impressive, you actually noticed. A little third-layer Heaven-Tribulation like you can pull off such a strong blow, but against us, you're still weak!" One of the monsters spoke up, voice so deep and creepy it sounded like the Grim Reaper himself.
"Ryan Ling, they've got some freaky death-qi on them. That stuff is nasty—just a touch and you'll get dragged straight to Hell, never reincarnate!" Marshal Zhong Kui quickly warned. He was at least fifth-layer Heaven-Tribulation, pretty much sixth himself, so he moved to stand beside Ryan.
Right now, only Ryan Ling and Marshal Zhong Kui could hold them off!
"Got it!" Ryan steadied himself, clenched his fist, and his Heaven-Tribulation aura went wild again—blasting several thousand meters into the sky.
"Not bad, worthy of being Lord Yama's son. But today, you ran into us—you're doomed!" Another monster chimed in.
"All together—crush them!" The third monster waved, and the three of them instantly charged at Ryan Ling and Marshal Zhong Kui.
"Heaven and earth, ghosts and gods—block their path!" At that moment, Marshal Zhong Kui stepped in front of Ryan Ling, not hesitating for a second. With a roar, waves of ghost-god power howled out, chilling the air and sealing off every inch of the battlefield.
Marshal Zhong Kui's strength was no joke—just that one move could've shredded the Ghost Retainer hundreds of times over!
But right as Marshal Zhong Kui unleashed his ultimate move, a cold laugh sliced in from the edge of the battlefield like a flying arrow.
"You think that little trick can stop us? Ghost-catcher scum like you are just trash. Get lost!" One of the fiends spat, sounding every bit like their boss. As soon as he finished, a tidal wave of death-qi crashed in, instantly shattering Marshal Zhong Kui's hard-won icy defense!
"No way!" Zhong Kui reeled in shock, but before he could even react, his whole body was blasted several steps back. His supposedly mighty sixth-layer Heaven-Tribulation couldn't even last a single round.
"Holy crap, they're actually that strong!" Ryan Ling felt a chill—he hadn't expected these three monsters to be this damn skilled.
"Hell no, I don't buy it!" Zhong Kui grumbled, clearly pissed off.
But before he could make a move, Ryan blocked him. "Hold up! These guys aren't normal—there's definitely something weird powering them. Let me handle it!"
Zhong Kui steadied himself. Right now, Ryan Ling's Heaven-Tribulation aura had completely outclassed his own. After screwing up that first strike, he couldn't help but step behind Ryan.
"You can't run anywhere. Today, you're all going up in smoke!" another fiend growled, voice so low it was downright creepy.
In a flash, endless death-qi swept in like a tidal wave, surrounding Ryan Ling with a deadly formation. It felt like they wanted to shred him on the spot—their attack was at least a hundred times stronger than the one that hit Zhong Kui.
"Creation of heaven and earth, Heaven-Tribulation surges—seal!" Everyone around looked terrified, but Ryan didn't flinch. He chanted the incantation, and his aura exploded, swirling out to wrap everything up tight. The power he unleashed was endless, like he'd summoned all the energy in the world!
For a moment, he actually managed to block the combined kill-shot from all three monsters!
The key was, at the four cardinal points around Ryan Ling, four Thunder Giants stood guard—making the scene look totally divine!
"Damn, just third-layer Heaven-Tribulation and his momentum's already stronger than ours!" The fiends couldn't hide their shock at the sight.
Right now, both sides were locked in a total stalemate!
"Ryan, you called it—they've gotta have some rare treasure on them, or they wouldn't be this tough. Their aura's already stronger than yours!" Ghost Elder chimed in from inside.
Ryan Ling was burning all his Heaven-Tribulation power and pouring in Primeval Heavenwood's strength. The Heavenwood could control the world's spiritual energy, but even with all that backup, Ryan couldn't gain any ground. His momentum was fading, and his defensive seals were starting to fray.
Ryan didn't rush to attack—he just watched quietly, trying to figure out what trump card the enemy was hiding. Once he knew, he'd know exactly how to handle it.
"Kid, looks like you're running out of steam, huh? Already tapped out?" one fiend sneered, seeing right through him. Their crushing aura pressed in tight, and the four Thunder Giants guarding Ryan started to peel away. At this rate, his defense was about to totally collapse!
Ryan gritted his teeth. This kind of head-to-head power clash was the stuff of legends—right now, the sky over America was black with tribulation clouds, like the end of the world. Most of the fight was raging in the air, but even so, the leftover shockwaves had already turned the KL League HQ to ashes in a blink.
If these two monstrous forces really cut loose across America—
—the whole country would be wiped off the map in an instant!
This wasn't some mortal scuffle anymore—it was a full-on war between gods!
"Ryan can't hold out much longer—their combined force is just too much! We've gotta do something!" Ghost Elder yelled from inside, sounding desperate. Meanwhile, Chen Zhenzhen, tucked away in Ryan's inner space, was screaming her head off—she couldn't take it either.
Ryan could feel something was off with his body—like he was being roasted alive. No normal person could stand this. But with both sides locked in a showdown, he couldn't even think about escaping.
"Hang in there!" Ryan gritted his teeth. Even though this round was brutal, he believed if he just toughed it out, there'd be a way through!
Just then, the Primeval Heavenwood inside the Demon-Snaring Bowl suddenly shuddered, like it was about to crack apart.
Don't tell me even the Heavenwood can't hold out!
Ryan's heart lurched. Primeval Heavenwood was his treasure—no way could he let anything happen to it. For the first time, he seriously thought about running away.
But right as cracks started to show on the Heavenwood, the whole tree suddenly began to shake like crazy.
"Wait, could those three monsters be carrying fragments of Primeval Heavenwood too?" Ryan froze, the realization hitting him all at once...