PCJ – Chapter 693 Fierce Battle

Armando was a light-type esper who could manipulate the refraction of light, making certain objects invisible to others. With the help of spatial esper Gillis, he kept their team hidden. However, they had no idea what kind of opponents they were truly facing.

Qi Xia, Nie Tong, Zhang Yuanbao, and Mute stood guard at the entrance to the Xiyun Secret Realm. Upon seeing the American esper team, they nearly burst out laughing. The Americans thought they were well hidden, but to cultivators with spiritual perception, their presence was as obvious as daylight. It was laughable—like covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.

Zhang Yuanbao couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yuanbao, quiet down. Don’t let them hear us,” Mute quickly said.

“Relax. The formation here isolates sound,” Zhang Yuanbao replied with a grin.

“Still, better to be cautious. These people aren’t ordinary. They’d be trouble for regular folks, and we still don’t know what else they’re capable of,” Mute warned.

“Why don’t we test them out?” Qi Xia suggested eagerly.

“Agreed,” Nie Tong nodded.

“Then let’s give it a try. Worst case, we retreat back into the formation,” Zhang Yuanbao said.

Mute was more conservative and didn’t favor taking the initiative, preferring to rely on the defensive formation. But with the other three in agreement, he didn’t object.

“How are we going to test them?” Zhang Yuanbao asked.

“Each of us picks a target. I’ll take the one that keeps flickering in and out—he seems to have some spatial ability. If we don’t deal with him quickly, he might escape once we act,” Qi Xia said.

“Fine, I’ll go after the big guy,” Zhang Yuanbao said.

Nie Tong added, “I’ll take the woman. If she’s the only female in a male-dominated squad, she must be special.”

Zhang Yuanbao snorted. “Of course women have special abilities. You sure know how to pick your opponents. What about you, Mute?”

“I’ll go for the one who can fly,” Mute said after a glance.

“Alright, probing attacks only. Regardless of whether we hit or not, follow up with full-force attacks. Don’t let them escape.”

“Are we really going to attack without informing Jiaohua?” Mute asked, concerned.

“Inform what? Jiaohua’s not here. We can’t always wait and react. Sometimes you have to strike first,” Zhang Yuanbao said.

All four of them summoned identical magical swords—standard-issue weapons forged by the Meishan Sect’s Armory Hall. Due to material and time constraints, this was all they had available, even for Zhang Jiaohua. Not everyone had one, as the sect was still newly established and lacking resources.

Despite being standardized, the swords were powerful in capable hands. Under their control, the swords shot forward like streaks of white light toward their respective targets.

Qi Xia’s target was Gillis, the spatial esper. His ability allowed him to distort space to hide his movements and avoid attacks, though he hadn’t yet accessed a personal subspace. If his power developed further, he might eventually create a pocket dimension.

Qi Xia’s sword flew without warning toward Gillis. Sensing the deadly intent, Gillis quickly shifted space to narrowly avoid the lethal strike.

At the same time, Zhang Yuanbao’s sword struck a large man named Sam—a defense-type esper. Though slow to react, Sam was extremely tough and confident enough to face the sword head-on.

“Watch out—!” Armando yelled, sensing danger. But it was too late.

Sam underestimated the weapon. It wasn’t a normal blade—it was a cultivator’s magic sword. With a flash, it sliced through his proud defenses, cleanly severing his fist and even his body in one stroke.

Julia, the lightning esper, launched a bolt of electricity just as Nie Tong’s sword neared her. The lightning struck Nie Tong’s sword, sending a surge of electricity through his body, paralyzing him momentarily. Only the protective charm he wore saved him from serious harm.

Mute, although hesitant to attack, was ruthless in action. His sword struck Dave, the wind esper, who narrowly dodged a fatal hit but still lost an arm. Blood spurted from the wound.

“They can see us!” Armando shouted in alarm.

Julia attempted to counterattack, but two magic swords were already flying back toward her.

The espers suffered heavy losses from the first exchange—Sam, their defense expert, was killed instantly. It shocked them.

“Retreat!” shouted Tony, the team leader. This mission was clearly a failure. The cultivators had the upper hand from the very first blow.

Qi Xia turned his sights on Julia, while Zhang Yuanbao followed suit to aid Nie Tong. Gillis tried to intervene, launching a spatial blade, forcing Qi Xia to dodge and give chase.

Metal-type esper Matt rushed to defend Julia, creating a huge metal shield. Mute also pursued the wounded Dave relentlessly, though Dave’s wind ability made him hard to catch. Just as Mute was about to finish him off, the others blocked his path.

Nie Tong rejoined the fight and went after Tony, the team’s leader and a strength-type esper. Tony wielded a metal bat resembling a heavy baseball bat. When Nie Tong struck with his sword, Tony managed to parry, but not without the sword leaving a deep notch in the weapon. He now understood why Sam fell so quickly—these weapons were no joke.

“Be careful! Their weapons cut through iron like butter!” Tony shouted, but it was already too late.

Zhang Yuanbao cleaved through Matt’s metal walls with ease. Matt’s ability required nearby metal, and they had brought some on their ship, but it also cost him mental energy each time. Zhang Yuanbao pressed in, ignoring Julia’s lightning attacks thanks to his protective talismans and armor. Eventually, he overwhelmed Matt and decapitated him with a single slash.

Matt’s head flew through the air, and Zhang Yuanbao, now bloodthirsty, charged toward Julia again. She panicked—her lightning was useless against him.

The espers had already lost two top members and another was seriously wounded. Out of ten, they were now fighting for survival against just four cultivators.

“Let’s fight to the end!” roared Damien, another strength-type esper and friend of Matt. He charged Zhang Yuanbao with a giant hammer.

Meanwhile, Gale-type espers Galahad and Dave began shooting at the cultivators with custom firearms.

Zhang Yuanbao ignored their attacks and engaged Damien. Damien’s hammer was heavy, and though Zhang’s sword was sharp, it couldn’t slice the weapon cleanly. The clash of steel and magical blade resulted in a fierce, balanced fight.

Qi Xia grew irritated at being stalled by Gillis. Seeing others making kills, he activated several talismans and charged at Gillis with boosted speed. In a flash, he closed the distance and slashed. Gillis barely blocked with his gun, which was sliced in two, and a long gash opened on his body.

Gillis tried to escape, but Qi Xia was relentless. He struck again, leaving a deep, bone-exposing wound on Gillis’s back.

Nie Tong, frustrated by Tony’s defense, kept up the pressure. Though Tony managed to block, his metal bat was falling apart. He knew that if this continued, his weapon wouldn’t last long.

He didn’t want to retreat, but they were being overwhelmed.

“Julia, go!” Tony shouted.

Julia hesitated, then turned and ran.

“Qi Xia! Don’t let her get away!” Zhang Yuanbao shouted.

Zhang was still entangled with Damien. Mute was held off by Armando and Dave. Only Qi Xia could intervene.

Qi Xia shifted targets. Seeing this, Gillis circled back to stop him. Enraged, Qi Xia attacked Gillis with a flurry of blows. Gillis, now drenched in blood, was on the verge of collapse.

Zhang Yuanbao launched a barrage of talismans at Damien, forcing him back, and took the chance to pursue Julia.

The espers were now being decimated—outmatched in skill, power, and tactics. The cultivators’ magic swords, artifacts, and talismans had turned the tide completely.