Chapter 539: Chapter 538: Endurance

Gu Lan relied solely on his reflective abilities to contend with Big Cat, but the Lion Tiger Golden Gang was not just about repulsion, but also devouring. The devouring ability to some extent counters the Liuli Stone Clan's reflective talents. "I don't attack you; I devour the energy of your bloodline instead and then strike the empty air, constantly depleting your bloodline. What will you do then?"However, the problem was that Gu Lan, with the advantage of his equipment, suppressed Big Cat so it couldn't apply its devouring effect on itself.

The current patriarch of the Golden Lion Clan was in the VIP seats, watching the scene unfold, his gaze flickering uncertainly as his broad lion paws opened and closed repeatedly.

"Bang!" Big Cat was once again sent flying, coughing up more blood. The Heavy Sword in its hand bore numerous scars from the continuous clashes. The Lightning Long Spear wasn't only powerful in its paralyzing lightning ability, but its offensive power was also extremely sharp, which was a significant reason why Big Cat dared not be pierced by it.

This time, Gu Lan didn't pursue, realizing his own problems. After a series of attacks, he seemed to have the upper hand, but he was acutely aware that although his opponent was gradually retreating, there was no panic. Additionally, the Lion Tiger Golden Gang's resilience was immense; the opponent seemed to cough up blood several times, but it surely hadn't suffered fundamental damage.

At this rate, the energy expenditure of his bloodline power to activate his weapon and armor was not insignificant.

Anyone reaching the final round had solid strength and battle experience. In the group matches, he had wielded his armor with incredible skill. The Lightning Long Spear in his hand, named Eye of the Lightning God, was indeed at an Artifact level.

Of course, artifacts came in various ranks, and the Eye of the Lightning God fell short compared to Pretty Girl's Heavenly Mechanism Feather, but it was still an artifact! Its paralyzing lightning effects could ignore defenses to some extent. Though not an absolute disregard for defense, it rendered most defenses ineffective.

He had brought out this divine tool only today for the finals, aiming to quickly advance to the top eight. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

When he drew Big Cat as his opponent, Gu Lan was actually very excited; among the sixteen finalists, Big Cat was rare in having no powerful backing. Although it had shown considerable strength in previous battles, what of it? Lacking large-range attack abilities and without an artifact augmenting its power, it was clearly one of the easiest opponents to deal with in the finals.

What he hadn't expected was that Big Cat's defense and resilience were so strong. Even as Gu Lan held an absolute advantage, the opponent continuously took light injuries as a trade-off, effectively draining Gu Lan's bloodline power.

This could not continue; otherwise, a counterattack from the opponent would mean all his efforts were in vain, right?

Having realized his current state, Gu Lan didn't hesitate to pause, gripping the Eye of the Lightning God in his right hand. The gemstones on his armor lit up one after another, as the massive bloodline power within him continued to amplify and converge into the Eye of the Lightning God, enhancing it. Golden lightning seemed to coil around the Eye of the Lightning God.

There was a gemstone located in the middle of the Eye of the Lightning God, which was the core of the artifact. True to its name, conversing about the Eye of the Lightning God actually referred to this gemstone. It was said to be an extremely divine lightning gem which was later sealed by an Emperor Level powerhouse, thereby creating this artifact.

As energy poured into the gemstone of the Eye of the Lightning God, the spear's stored power grew increasingly strong, with blinding flashes of lightning illuminating his translucent armor, making it gleam even more brilliantly.

The flung Big Cat had somewhat recovered from the paralyzing effect and, thanks to Gu Lan's pause, found a chance to catch its breath.

Instead of counterattacking while Gu Lan was charging his power, Big Cat took a deep breath, stabilizing the Lion Tiger Golden Gang within itself.

Yet, in its eyes, there was now a hint of red, a red filled with murderous intent.

Gu Lan kept his gaze intently fixed on Big Cat, not worried that Big Cat might attack at this moment. If it did, he would have a better chance, as his innate reflective ability would suppress the opponent. With a full-powered burst from the Eye of the Lightning God, he could finish the match.

But Big Cat did not attack and, surprisingly, started to gather power just like Gu Lan.

Gu Lan knew that the situation could not be dragged out any longer when she saw that flash of blood in her opponent's eyes, a twinge of unease settled in her heart.

The Eye of the Lightning God had become akin to a bolt of lightning, its entire form bursting with blinding golden electrical radiance.

Gu Lan shouted fiercely, "Die!" The moment her hand moved, the Eye of the Lightning God vanished, and in the next instant, a massive spear-shaped bolt of electricity had already appeared before Big Cat.

And it was at this moment that she saw an explosive burst of blood-red light emerge from the eyes of Big Cat.

When she saw that ascending blood-red hue, Gu Lan felt as though her heartbeat had skipped a beat, and under the other's threatening aura, her mind momentarily wandered, causing the lock that the Eye of the Lightning God previously had on Big Cat to be interrupted.

Just as Big Cat raised its head, it also made its move, its figure flickered strangely. The Eye of the Lightning God almost instantly penetrated Big Cat's silhouette, but that shape also dissipated immediately. Meanwhile, Big Cat had already pounced towards Gu Lan as fast as lightning.

Dodging! It had actually avoided the attack.

Throughout the prolonged combat, Gu Lan had attacked Big Cat time and time again with the Lightning Long Spear, and although it had tried its best to defend, it had never once attempted to dodge; it seemed as though it simply wasn't fast enough to avoid the Eye of the Lightning God.

But now, as Gu Lan unleashed her strongest strike, Big Cat completed a dodge. Even before the red light flared in its eyes, its body had already instinctively begun moving. The eerie steps it took even created multiple lingering afterimages; what was pierced was just a remnant shadow. The Eye of the Lightning God, having lost its lock, failed to follow through with the attack.

A dazzling red light burst forth from Big Cat in an instant, and in the next moment, it was already in front of Gu Lan.

Gu Lan quickly raised her hand and pressed the silver gemstone on her armor, ready to teleport to evade and reclaim her Eye of the Lightning God.

But Big Cat had been waiting for this chance far too long to let her escape now.

"Roar—" The enormous shadow of a Lion Tiger Beast emerged behind Big Cat, and as the furious roar erupted, a terrifying red light enveloped the entire battlefield, along with Gu Lan.

Gu Lan felt an overwhelming wave of cold murderous intent crash into her heart in an instant, causing her movements to naturally slow by half a beat, while Big Cat's speed surged yet again. The Heavy Sword in its hand, carrying the unstoppable might of the Lion Tiger Golden Gang, descended ferociously without hesitation.

In that critical moment, Gu Lan instantly activated her innate ability, and layers of Liuli luster burst forth from within her.

The innate ability of the Liuli Stone Clan to reflect was what earned it the rank of a First Level Bloodline; any attack, no matter how strong, would be reflected with equal force. Even if one was injured, the opponent would have to weigh whether they could withstand the same recoil.

"Boom—" Gu Lan was sent flying by the sword strike, and the silver gemstone on her armor was directly cleaved off.

Big Cat, having been rebounded, was also sent flying backward, blood spraying wildly from its mouth.

Gu Lan had withstood its attack and used the armor to mitigate most of the damage, but Big Cat had no such protection, relying on its bloodline power to Devour only a small part of the recoil, while the rest of the impact still struck it.

Gu Lan also coughed up a bit of blood, now she was both shocked and enraged, mainly because her silver gemstone that enabled her teleporting ability had been slashed away, and she knew that repairing the armor would be no small expense upon returning. Moreover, she had been injured; Big Cat's sword strike had been immensely heavy, and even with the protection of the armor, the significant explosive power of the Lion Tiger Golden Gang had seeped through. While experiencing recoil, a part of it had also affected her.