Surviving a time-traveling adventure in a school, I can synthesize everything!

Chapter 136: Head-on confrontation with a Commander-level expert? Just run away!

"I don't think we're here to risk our lives," one of the guards muttered. "We're here for a picnic, and Mr. Jiang can fix the road while we're at it."

Marlow had completely lost the ability to speak. Looking at Jiang Ming's back, which was not particularly burly but exuded an invincible aura, he had only one thought in his mind: With this epic greatsword and this monstrous man, this underground ruin would probably be destroyed by him.

And so, with Jiang Ming's almost bulldozing-like clearing, the group quickly reached the end of the passage.

At the end of the passageway was a spacious circular hall.

In the center of the hall stood an extremely complex metal platform.

Eight thick energy pillars surrounded the high platform, and the ground was covered with densely packed magic array patterns.

Interdimensional teleportation array.

However, the teleportation array now appears lifeless.

The eight energy pillars were dim and lifeless, while a glaring red light flashed on the control panel in the center.

Marlowe strode to the control panel and expertly pressed several buttons.

tick-

tick-

A virtual screen popped up in the console, displaying rows of incomprehensible symbols.

"Damn it!" Marlowe's expression changed drastically. "The main energy core of the teleportation array has been completely corroded by the abyssal aura! The backup energy won't last much longer either."

"What do you need?" Jiang Ming asked.

"High-purity magic crystals! We need at least ten!" Marlowe was jumping up and down in panic. "We didn't bring that many with us this time!"

Jiang Ming didn't speak, but took out the [Damaged Abyss Magic Core] that he had just looted from the corpse from his storage card.

"Will this thing even work?"

Marlowe turned his head and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"This...this is the heart of the Destroyer! Of course it works! And the energy is definitely enough!" Marlowe snatched the core and frantically stuffed it into the slot on the control panel.

Click.

Core embedded card slot.

Om-!

The entire hall lit up instantly.

The eight energy pillars simultaneously erupted with dazzling blue light, and the magic circle patterns on the ground began to flow as if they had come to life.

"It's started! It's calibrating the coordinates!" Marlowe shouted excitedly.

Just then.

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps echoed from the passageway outside the hall.

It was accompanied by the clanging of metal and harsh shouts.

"Quick! It's just ahead! The energy fluctuations are coming from here!"

"Block the road! Don't let a single fly out!"

Marlowe's smile froze instantly.

"Faster! Faster!"

Marlowe was covered in sweat, his hands frantically pounding on the dusty control panel.

The damaged abyssal magic core emitted a faint purple light, and energy flowed through conduits into the eight stone pillars, causing the entire hall to tremble slightly.

The air in the center of the teleportation array began to distort, like a turbulent lake, with the desolate landscape on the other side faintly visible.

"Coordinate calibration in progress... 82%... 85%..."

Marlowe's voice was trembling with tears; he had never done anything so thrilling in his life.

"Master Marlowe, you better pray that this thing is dealt with before those guys outside burst in."

Jiang Ming carried the [Fire and Thunder Prison] on his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the passage.

Chen Qi led the special operations team to quickly disperse and establish a defensive line using the metal base below the high platform.

The rifle was already loaded, and all safety was engaged.

"Brother Jiang, judging from the footsteps, there are at least a hundred people, and their breathing is very heavy. They're all tough guys," Chen Qi reported in a low voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of synchronized metallic clanging sounds came from the end of the corridor.

A large group of soldiers dressed in dark gold full-body heavy armor came into view.

They wielded steel shields as tall as a person, with spears protruding from the gaps in the shields, resembling steel hedgehogs.

"It's the City Lord's Golden Armor Guard!" Marlowe glanced back and nearly fell off the control panel in shock. "We're doomed, that madman Augustus has definitely come in person!"

"The Golden Armor Guard?" Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow. "What's their rank?"

【Golden Armor Guard (Lv.18 Elite)】

【Golden Armor Guard Captain (Lv.24, Warrior Level)】

A series of data appeared on Jiang Ming's retina.

With hundreds of Lv.18 elites and several warrior-level captains, this force was enough to sweep away any merchant guild in Ash Fortress.

"Anyone who trespasses on this forbidden area will be killed without mercy!"

A thunderous roar echoed down the corridor.

A general, over two meters tall and wearing a blood-red cloak, stepped forward from the crowd.

He was carrying a huge two-handed broadsword, its blade wreathed in visible cyan battle aura.

The golden-armored guards accelerated instantly, the sound of their shields hitting the ground was deafening.

"Chen Qi, fire freely! Don't let them get close to the high ground!" Jiang Ming gave the order decisively.

Da da da!

The automatic rifle unleashed a torrent of fire instantly.

The bullets struck the steel shields, sending up bursts of sparks.

The golden-armored guard paused slightly, but the enchanted patterns on his shield lit up, managing to block most of the impact.

"These shields are magically enhanced; bullets can't penetrate them!" Chen Qi shouted.

"Change to grenades!"

Several dark grenades flew in parabolic arcs and landed precisely in the middle of the shield formation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent explosion sent shockwaves through the narrow corridor.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The violent explosion sent shockwaves through the narrow corridor.

Several guards were overturned, revealing a gap in the shield formation.

"court death!"

The Lv.24 captain of the guard roared, his legs suddenly exerting force, and he transformed into a blur, rushing out through the smoke.

The broadsword in his hand unleashed a streak of cyan sword energy several meters long, heading straight for Chen Qi's head.

when!

A dark red greatsword appeared out of nowhere, steadily blocking the powerful blow.

Jiang Ming held the sword in one hand, his body completely still.

"Your opponent is me."

Jiang Ming grinned, his arm muscles instantly bulged, and his 35 points of strength exploded.

The captain of the guard's expression changed drastically; he felt as if he had struck an iron mountain.

Before he could react, Jiang Ming twisted his wrist, and [Calamity Fire Thunder Prison] slid along the opponent's sword.

It's sizzling!

The electromagnetic field of lightning instantly expanded, and the dark blue arcs of electricity spread directly from the broadsword to the captain of the guard's entire body.

"Ugh!"

The captain of the guard convulsed violently, his battle aura defense instantly crumbling in the face of the lightning.

Jiang Ming made no fancy moves, but delivered a powerful side kick that slammed into the opponent's chest armor.

Click!

The thick armor was dented into a large crater.

The captain of the guard was sent flying backward like a cannonball, smashing into several guards behind him.

"Coordinate calibration...92%!" Marlowe screamed. "Damn it, why another minute?!"

Just then, all the golden-armored guards suddenly stopped their attack and retreated neatly to both sides, making way for a wide passage.

The once noisy hall instantly fell into an eerie silence.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the corridor.

With each step, the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

A man dressed in heavy black armor and wearing a fully enclosed helmet slowly walked into the hall.

He came empty-handed without any weapons, but the oppressive aura he exuded made Chen Qi and the others breathe rapidly.

[Augustus, Lord of Ash Fortress (Lv.30, Commander-level)]

[Danger Level: Extremely Deadly!]

【Characteristics: Aura Armor, Gravity Field, Killing Will.】

"Lv.30..." Jiang Ming narrowed his eyes, and his grip on the sword hilt tightened unconsciously.

This is the highest-level opponent he has ever encountered.

Augustus stopped ten meters away from Jiang Ming, a deep, magnetic voice emanating from behind his helmet: "An alchemist? Or a stowaway from another world?"

"Is there a difference?" Jiang Ming asked back.

"If you're willing to hand over the secret of that synthetic talent, I might consider letting you die with some dignity." Augustus raised his hand and pointed to the teleportation array behind Jiang Ming. "As for this antique, it belongs to the City Lord's Mansion."

"Want it? Come and get it yourself."

As soon as Jiang Ming finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet suddenly collapsed.

Gravity Spell, activated!

The gravity around Augustus instantly increased fivefold.

The golden-armored guards who approached him were caught off guard and were forced to the ground, their bones creaking under the weight.

However, Augustus only swayed his body slightly.

"Gravity magic? Interesting, but too weak."

He snorted coldly, and a layer of dark golden light appeared around his body.

That terrifying gravity was actually forcibly neutralized by this layer of flowing light.

The next second, Augustus vanished from his spot.

So fast!

Jiang Ming's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively held the greatsword horizontally in front of his chest.

boom!

Augustus's iron fist slammed heavily onto the sword of [Fire and Thunder Prison].

The violent power was transmitted through the sword.

Jiang Ming felt as if he had been hit by a speeding train. His silver armor let out a mournful cry, and he slid backward for more than ten meters, leaving two charred marks on the metal ground where the soles of his shoes had been worn.

"Brother Jiang!" Chen Qi panicked and raised his gun to fire.

"Don't shoot! Back off!" Jiang Ming shouted, stopping his retreat.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a frenzied fighting spirit.

"A level 30 Commander-class weapon, that's impressive."

Jiang Ming gripped the sword with both hands, and his spiritual power poured into the [Hellfire and Thunder Prison] like a flood bursting its banks.

The dark red patterns on the sword instantly burst forth with dazzling light, lightning and fire intertwining, illuminating the dim hall.

"Again!"

Jiang Ming took the initiative and unleashed a storm of lightning and fire with his greatsword, slashing down at Augustus.

boom!

Thunderfire sword energy and dark golden battle energy collided violently in the air, and the shock wave generated by the explosion sent surrounding metal parts flying everywhere.

Augustus still did not use his weapon. His hands were covered with thick battle aura, and he actually used his bare hands to block Jiang Ming's epic greatsword.

With each collision, several cracks would appear in the floor of the hall.

"96%! 97%!" Marlowe, hiding under the control panel, shouted until his voice was hoarse, "Hurry! The teleportation array is about to overload!"

Jiang Ming had already entered a state of complete absorption.

With his "Iron Will" fully activated, Augustus forcefully ignored the terrifying pressure emanating from him.

He discovered that although his opponent was nearly twenty levels higher than him, he was not completely overwhelmed in terms of strength attribute, thanks to the enhancement of his synthesized weapon and his abnormal initial attributes.

The accumulated lightning energy inside the giant sword instantly exploded.

Sizzle—!

A dense network of dark blue electric arcs enveloped Augustus like a spider web.

Augustus's movements finally slowed down by a beat.

Under the continuous impact of lightning, cracks appeared on the dark golden battle aura armor.

"You lowly crawler, you have angered me."

Augustus's voice turned icy and chilling.

He made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand, and a long spear formed from dark golden battle qi appeared in his hand.

The spear suddenly trembled, creating a myriad of afterimages.

Jiang Ming swung his sword to defend, but the spear was as heavy as Mount Tai, and each strike caused his tiger's mouth to crack.

puff!

A gunshot grazed Jiang Ming's shoulder.

The shoulder guards of the Silver Knight's armor were torn apart as if they were made of paper, taking away a large piece of flesh.

"The level suppression is still too obvious," Jiang Ming calmly assessed in his mind.

The opponent's strength and fighting skills far surpass his own. If he were to fight to the death, he would be riddled with holes in a minute at most.

But he never intended to fight this city lord to the death here.

"Chen Qi! You guys go first!" Jiang Ming shouted without turning his head.

"Brother Jiang, what about you?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Get inside!"

Chen Qi gritted his teeth, grabbed the still-dazed Ellie, and called to his companions beside him, rushing swiftly towards the vortex in the center of the teleportation array, which had turned completely blue.

Before leaving, Marlowe slammed his hand on the control panel: "Started! Ten seconds countdown!"

Augustus had obviously also noticed the changes to the teleportation array.

"Trying to run? No one is leaving this place without my permission!"

He held his spear horizontally, his battle aura swirling wildly around him, and he transformed into a golden meteor, hurtling straight towards the teleportation array.

"Your opponent is me!"

Jiang Ming's eyes were bloodshot as he pulled out the last three [Overloaded Thunderstorm Cores] from his storage card.

This was a treasured item he had previously synthesized in bulk at the Black Gold Merchant Guild.

"Go to hell!"

Jiang Ming didn't throw them, but instead pressed the three cores directly onto the blade of the [Fire and Thunder Prison] sword, and then charged towards Augustus.

"Madman!" Augustus's pupils contracted.

He saw through Jiang Ming's intentions.

This kid is going to detonate those three terrifying alchemical bombs at close range!

Rumble—!!!

The entire underground ruins experienced the most violent explosion since its construction.

The two blue-grade rare thunderstorm cores, amplified by the [Hellfire Thunder Prison], have their power increased exponentially.

The raging lightning and flames instantly filled the entire core hall.

The golden-armored guards didn't even have time to scream before they were vaporized by the intense heat.

Augustus had no choice but to retract his spear and concentrate all his fighting spirit in front of him to form a shield against the destructive energy that was so close at hand.

Amidst the intense light, Jiang Ming's bones creaked from the force of the explosion.

But using this recoil, he flew precisely into the blue vortex of the teleportation array, like a kite with a broken string.

"Goodbye, Lord City Lord."

Just before Jiang Ming was swallowed by the vortex, he gave Augustus a provocative smile.

He casually flung the last [Overloaded Thunderstorm Core] in his hand into the energy slot at the bottom of the teleportation array.

"burst!"

Another muffled sound.

The magic circle patterns at the bottom of the teleportation array instantly broke, and the entire stone platform began to collapse.

This is to completely cut off any escape route.

"You bastard!!!"

Augustus's furious roar echoed through the collapsing hall, but the blue light had already completely engulfed Jiang Ming.

……