After absorbing Leo’s blood, the Blue Phantom Sword could now be controlled by Leo’s thoughts.
The first strike failed to hit Master Grant; it suddenly changed direction and attacked again.
Master Grant’s agility was impressive, and he successfully avoided the Blue Phantom Sword several times. But even the most impressive agility relied on stamina, and the Blue Phantom Sword pursued its target relentlessly, wearing Master Grant down.
If this continued, Master Grant knew he would eventually be struck by it. He decided to stop dodging and instead concentrated his internal energy, creating a powerful energy sphere with a single palm strike.
The Blue Phantom Sword clashed with the energy sphere, but it didn’t pierce it. Instead, it caused a partial indentation in the sphere.
Leo channeled his spiritual power and cast a spell to activate the Blue Phantom Sword.
Master Grant’s energy sphere was formidable, and the Blue Phantom Sword struggled to advance. The power from the blood sacrifice was rapidly diminishing.
Bard was hidden in a tall pine tree nearby, and Master Grant was within his attack range. Bard quietly raised his grenade launcher, aiming directly at Master Grant.
“Swish!”
After pulling the trigger, a grenade shot out with a long tail of smoke, heading straight for Master Grant.
Janet had arrived and witnessed Bard’s attempt to ambush Master Grant. Poison mist swirled around her as she gathered her internal energy and slapped the airborne grenade away.
Her powerful internal energy caused the grenade to change direction.
“Boom!”
The grenade exploded not far from Master Grant, creating a powerful shockwave that made him stagger, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Janet’s arrival made Leo realize they couldn’t continue this stalemate. He clenched his teeth and took out three Ice Talismans from his body, then infused them with spiritual power, linking the three together.
“Release!”
Leo waved his right hand, and the three Ice Talismans scattered in three directions, forming a triangle that enclosed Master Grant and Janet.
Master Grant and Janet knew the terror of Leo’s talismans. Their faces changed, and they attempted to escape the talisman’s area by stomping their right feet on the ground.
“Trying to escape? It’s too late!” Leo’s eyes turned cold, and he changed his hand seals. “Triple Frost Formation, activate!”
At Leo’s command, the three Ice Talismans emitted an icy light simultaneously, and the power of frost erupted.
In just the blink of an eye, the area enclosed by the three talismans was covered in frost, and the ground rapidly froze. Master Grant and Janet had lifted their feet from the ground, but they couldn’t escape the freezing power.
Soon, their clothes and hair were covered in a layer of ice, and their movements became stiff and sluggish.
Both of them were horrified and quickly used their internal energy to counter the freezing force.
This was the perfect opportunity, and Curtis and the others were ready. They threw their grenades at Master Grant and Janet.
Grenades flew through the air in a rough arc, totaling over a dozen grenades.
Clark was concerned that the grenades might not finish them off, so he added a rocket bomb to the mix.
“You scum! Even if I become a ghost, I won’t spare any of you!” Master Grant’s mouth uttered a fearful curse. Unable to move his body, his eyes were filled with terror and resentment.
“Boom!”
A massive explosion deafened the senses. In the pine forest, flames soared, creating a small mushroom cloud.
The smoke lingered for a long time before dissipating. When the area where Master Grant and Janet had been standing was examined, it had turned into a deep crater.
As for Master Grant and Janet, they had been annihilated in the enormous explosion.
Even though Master Grant was a grand martial master, under the onslaught of so many grenades and a rocket launcher, he could only meet his demise.
The small Purple Thunder Spirit Alligators near the water’s edge, upon seeing Master Grant’s death, hurriedly retreated into the water and dared not emerge.
“We won!” Clark dropped the rocket launcher in his hand and shouted with joy.
Franklin and Curtis, along with the others, also wore pleased expressions.
This battle had indeed been challenging, but fortunately, they had emerged victorious in the end.
Leo’s mouth curled into a smile, though his face looked pale and weary. This battle had consumed too much of his physical and spiritual energy.
Leo let out a long breath and approached to retrieve the fallen Blue Phantom Sword.
Just as Leo was about to turn away, the corner of his eye caught something in the deep pit created by the explosion.
His gaze sharpened as he carefully examined it. There, a white jade plate lay quietly in the pit.
Part of the jade plate was covered by dirt, and if not for its faint gleam, Leo might have overlooked it.
Walking into the pit, Leo picked up the jade plate.
After infusing a bit of spiritual power into the plate, Leo’s eyes widened.
This was no ordinary jade plate!
The jade plate in his hand was crystal clear and exceptionally smooth. Despite the terrifying explosion earlier, there was not a single trace of damage on its surface.
Jennifer approached, her eyes lighting up when she saw the jade plate in Leo’s hand. She said, “Leo, that’s a Secret Realm Jade Plate.”
“A Secret Realm Jade Plate?” Leo turned to Jennifer, looking puzzled.
Jennifer explained, “The Seven Stars Sword Sect holds a secret realm, and this realm opens once every four years. However, the location where it appears is always different. With the Secret Realm Jade Plate you’re holding, you can precisely locate where the realm will appear.”
In that case, this was quite a valuable find.
Leo pondered for a moment and asked, “Have you been to that realm before?”
Jennifer shook her head. “Four years ago, when the realm opened, my master didn’t let me go. Only Jeff and Janet from the Seven Stars Sword Sect entered.”
Leo nodded and inquired, “In the world of martial cultivation, how many sects like the Seven Stars Sword Sect possess such Jade Plates?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but according to what I know, the Fiery Blaze Sect and the Azure Cloud Sect also have Realm Jade Plates. Those top-tier martial sects might have them too,” Jennifer replied after some thought.
Regardless, this Jade Plate was a valuable treasure. Leo decided to keep it for now and explore the realm that the Seven Stars Sword Sect controlled when it opened next time.
Coming out of the pit, Leo surveyed his surroundings. The pine forest had been mostly destroyed during the battle, and the ground was littered with the mangled bodies of the Purple Thunder Spirit Alligators.
“Mr. Bloomer, do we need to do anything with these alligator corpses?” Curtis asked Leo.
Leo nodded. “Strip their hides.”