Chapter 409: Chapter 403: The Fierce Battle in the Cave

"So it turns out he reached enlightenment through avian transformation, no wonder he’s so fast," Garuda thought as he recalled the speed of the gray-robed, emaciated elder when he fled during the treasure snatch.

Nevertheless, Garuda swiftly reconsidered: "You may be fast, but I am no slouch either!"

"And deciding the victor isn’t just about speed."

The Life and Death Trial Arena, fortified by many Tier Two powerhouses, only permits entry to those of Tier Four strength and below.

Undoubtedly, the gray-robed, emaciated elder’s strength is at best on par with Garuda’s, also Tier Four.

Among Tier Fours, Garuda confidently feels unmatched by most.

Except, of course, for the abnormal Lin Yuan.

To Garuda, Lin Yuan is a freak; even when faced with an assault from ten equally skilled opponents, he still managed to escape.

Admittedly, with Kong Aotian’s assistance.

However, the fact remains that despite their prolonged assault, they couldn’t capture Lin Yuan—it was they who lost.

Garuda doesn’t believe this gray-robed, emaciated elder could be another abnormal like Lin Yuan.

Thinking along these lines, Garuda scoffed, "Spare my life? Such arrogance?"

"If you want the Human Seed Bag, then try taking it yourself!"

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed, emaciated elder’s once calm expression changed suddenly, and in the next moment, his entire demeanor turned violent.

"Refusing the toast only to drink the penalty!"

"Since you wish to die, I’ll grant you that wish!" the gray-robed, emaciated elder rebuked solemnly.

As the elder’s expression shifted, Garuda sensed an impending crisis, even a threat of death.

Bear in mind, Garuda is considered the strongest fighter among the ten from Zengzhang Heaven.

Even Zengzhang Heaven, Guangmu Heaven, and others pale in comparison to Garuda in combat prowess.

Garuda’s strength is among the best within Tier Four.

Yet, the gray-robed elder hadn’t even attacked, and solely by his aura, Garuda felt the threat of death.

"Tier Three?"

Suddenly, a terrifying thought sprang into Garuda’s mind.

Quickly dismissing it right after.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

The external restrictions of the Life and Death Trial Arena weren’t set by merely one Tier Two Peak powerhouses but were jointly devised by all Tier Two powerhouses of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Powerhouses exceeding Tier Four cannot silently and effortlessly bypass the restrictions set by over a dozen Tier Two Peak powerhouses.

Even the World Honored couldn’t stealthily infiltrate here.

Hence, this individual is undoubtedly no more than a Tier Four.

This aura?

This murderous intent?

Could it all be deceptive?

With this thought, Garuda snorted coldly, "Trying to scare me?"

With that in mind, Garuda was the first to make a move against the gray-robed, emaciated elder; he intended to teach the elder a lesson.

Garuda’s speed was astonishing; with one step, he appeared before the gray-robed, emaciated elder.

Soon after, Garuda’s hands transformed into eagle talons, striking at the elder’s temples.

Garuda didn’t use weapons; his eagle talons were his sharpest weapons.

Should Garuda’s strike land, the gray-robed elder’s head would be split by Garuda.

Garuda’s prowess had been previously displayed during the melee.

He himself had taken down several equally skilled opponents.

The gray-robed elder, knowing Garuda’s power, dared to pursue him, proving one thing.

That he held absolute confidence in his strength, believing he could take Garuda down.

As Garuda’s talons were about to crush the elder’s head, the gray-robed elder refused Garuda’s lethal strike.

"Dang!"

"Dang! Dang!"

In that critical moment, the elder swiftly produced a dimly lit short spear.

The short spear blocked Garuda’s talons, countering repeatedly.

The short spear clashed against the eagle talons, resonating with the intense sound of metal.

Within the cave, with its confined space, the two constantly parried each other’s attacks.

Despite this, neither chose to leave the cave to fight more openly outside.

Both understood that fighting inside the cave meant their battle was solely amongst themselves.

No matter who wins, the Human Seed Bag would belong to one of them.

If they fought outside, drawing attention, it would likely turn into an intense melee.

The odds of obtaining the Human Seed Bag are fifty percent inside the cave.

But outside, they could diminish to a fraction—just a chance among many.

The cave’s tight space made close-quarters combat more perilous.

All their strength focused on each other’s body, one careless move could lead to severe injury or death.

To put it plainly, this battle style had a low margin for error.

After exchanging hundreds of moves, Garuda began to fall behind.

Pushed back significantly, frustration surged within him.

Blood oozed from a hole on Garuda’s eagle talon.

A careless moment had him struck by the elder’s short spear, causing a quick blood flow.

"What a sharp short spear!" Garuda marveled.

This blow shocked Garuda.

His eagle talons were no match for the elder’s spear; he could be nearing defeat if this continued.

Interestingly, Garuda showed rare cleverness this time.

Perhaps by fate, amid mortal peril, Garuda had a sudden insight.

He pulled out the Human Seed Bag, wrapping it around his eagle talon, using it as a glove.

Understand, the Human Seed Bag was crafted from the hide of Tier Two powerhouses, and not just one.

Using it as a glove, it was arguably the toughest glove imaginable.

"Die!"

Garuda roared, his punch like thunder, striking at the gray-robed elder.

"A bit clever!"

"But it’s far from enough!" The elder seemed unfazed, maintaining total confidence.

"Wind of Annihilation."

As Garuda threw his punch, he suddenly released a sinister wind from his mouth.

The wind enveloped the elder swiftly upon approach, beginning its erosion.

The punch was a mere cover—the true killing move was this exhaled wind.

The sinister wind, brewed by Garuda for centuries, wasn’t used unless at the brink of life and death.

The gray-robed elder could only return to his original form to fend off the wind.

Seeing the elder’s true form, Garuda was utterly shocked.

"It’s you?"