Chapter 10: Methods
As the resource struggle began, a massive golden countdown appeared in the sky. When it reached zero, a whistling sound came from above as a metal supply pod descended like a falling meteor, crashing to the ground with a boom. The exhaust vents on top opened, and steam hissed out in all directions, converting the kinetic impact energy into steam to prevent damage to the contents inside.
Not only were contractors hiding on both sides of the great canyon, waiting for the resource struggle, but some native powerhouses had also come to participate. The Void Tree would not interfere with this; during the World War, natives were also part of the risk.
As for who had tipped off these native powerhouses, it was most likely that old bastard Shenfu.
The fierce struggle that was expected did not occur, which was normal. With Su Xiao, Hao Tao, Kane, Shenfu, and Demon Scythe·Tailed De — these five pairs of eyes watching — no contractor would be foolish enough to make the first move and endure the combined fire of these five.
The metal supply pod, flowing with mysterious purple light, opened to reveal 50 Soul Crystals embedded inside. Each Soul Crystal was larger than a fist, emitting a captivating soul radiance under the morning sun. The powerhouses present all suppressed their urge to seize them.
A few minutes later, three more metal supply pods landed and opened. In less than half an hour, all six metal supply pods had landed, totaling 300 Soul Crystals. Their radiance made the natural atmosphere within the great canyon even more vibrant.
For Su Xiao to obtain over 100 Soul Crystals from one world was already a great harvest. However, the problem was that after reaching Lv.95 in technique abilities, each subsequent level required 100 Soul Crystals. As a Triple Technique Grandmaster, he needed at least 3,000 Soul Crystals.
Opportunities to obtain 300 Soul Crystals at once were extremely rare. Not to mention, after half an hour of silence in the great canyon, two more golden supply pods descended. When they opened, they revealed two Primordial Cores.
Meanwhile, at the location of the Zeli team, Captain Zeli Na, Assassin Guy, Glasses Girl·Shuifu, Soul Master, and Tank·Hamdi were lying behind a slope. Ahead of them was a real-time holographic projection of the scene on the Ceremonial Road.
"I feel like we're a bit far from the resource drop point," Glasses Girl·Shuifu said in a deep voice. It was clear she was nearing her limit, her expression barely under control.
"This struggle is too dangerous. We need to be steady," the formally dressed, smiling Soul Master said, his tone as infuriatingly gentle as ever.
"Being steady is fine," Glasses Girl·Shuifu said, then couldn't hold it in any longer. She shouted in complaint, "But even if we're being steady! There's no need to be over a hundred kilometers away from the drop point! We have to use holographic projections just to see what's happening there. This is too ridiculous!!"
Glasses Girl·Shuifu's shout echoed far and wide, but the other team members weren't panicking. After all, they were over 130 kilometers away from the resource drop point.
At the resource drop point on the Ceremonial Road, with the appearance of the two Primordial Cores, a powerful Giant Tree clan powerhouse hiding in the shadows could no longer hold back. Not only was it unaware of the contractors' lineup, but it also only needed a Primordial Core to charge toward the Supreme Peak.
The upper half of a mountain shattered as the Giant Tree clan member leaped high into the air. This was the Sacred Oak branch of the Giant Tree clan, known for its towering stature. With two right tree arms, one left tree arm, a height of over 120 meters, and over a dozen eyes on its head, it was a truly imposing sight.
With a thunderous crash, the Giant Tree clan member landed on the Ceremonial Road. As it rolled forward, its massive hand reached out to grab the two Primordial Cores.
With a thud, the Giant Tree clan member clutched the two Primordial Cores in its hand. Uncontrollable ecstasy filled its eyes. It had been stuck at the Absolute Strength rank for far too long — at least several thousand years.
A hum filled the air as brilliant spatial radiance shimmered. The Giant Tree clan member prepared to teleport away. But in the next instant, a figure that seemed slow yet was actually fast lightly landed on its head. The newcomer wore a black dress made of smoke, with a metal ring tied to the end of her fishbone braid. In her hand was a demon scythe, from which faint black smoke rose. Her pitch-black eyes gave her a dark, aesthetic beauty. Without a doubt, it was Demon Scythe·Tailed De.
The spatial radiance froze and dimmed, falling away like layers of sea salt. The excitement in the Giant Tree clan member's eyes vanished. Suddenly, branches covered in thorns sprouted from both sides of its head. At the same time, a murmuring sound that made one's mind wander appeared.
These did not disturb Demon Scythe·Tailed De. With a whoosh, black flames ignited on the Giant Tree clan member. These flames, which burned both flesh and soul, caused no pain to the Giant Tree clan member. It fell to its knees with a thud, raising its three arms as high as possible. With Tailed De standing on its head, scythe in hand, the scene had a certain dark, aesthetic beauty.
The next second, the black flames covering the Giant Tree clan member's body erupted violently. These were flames that could burn sin. The greater the sin, the more intense the flames, the longer they burned, and the more terrifying the pain. The Giant Tree clan member had clearly committed many evil deeds. As its eyes regained clarity, a scream that shook the entire great canyon burst from its mouth.
This scream chilled the blood of the native powerhouses who knew this Giant Tree clan member. They couldn't imagine what kind of pain could make the ruthless and cruel Giant Tree clan member wail like this.
The black flames burned even more fiercely. The Giant Tree clan member turned into residual embers. Demon Scythe·Tailed De landed, swinging her scythe to scatter the floating embers before her.
The two Primordial Cores flew up. Just as Tailed De was about to grab them, a sound of space being torn apart came. Tailed De immediately met it with her scythe.
Clang!
A dragon-scale greatsword clashed with the demon scythe. The attacker was a man over two and a half meters tall. Though tall, his proportions were well-balanced. His gray-white hair was combed back, and he had dark golden vertical pupils. He was clad in full metal armor — it was Kane.
Crack, crack, crack~
The sword blade and scythe edge pressed against each other. Suddenly, the dragon-scale greatsword exploded, transforming into a massive dragon claw that lunged at Tailed De.
Tailed De vanished instantly, reappearing behind Kane. Her demon scythe hooked toward his throat, locking onto his space, flesh, soul, fate, and causality. This scythe strike was unavoidable, no matter how Kane tried to evade.
Fine dragon scales appeared on Kane's neck. It was clear that the calm and dignified Kane now had his vertical pupils constricted. He wasn't afraid; rather, the dragon blood within him was nearly boiling.
Imagine struggling from the first rank all the way to the peak of Absolute Strength, finally achieving success later in life. Now, facing representatives of other Paradise's Absolute Strength peak, even someone as steady as Kane couldn't help but feel excited.
"Roar~"
The dragon roar was about to spread when a man over three meters tall appeared. He was bare-chested, with a lion-like mane of wild hair flowing behind him. His forearms and fists were slightly glowing hot. His clenched right fist slammed toward Tailed De.
Boom!
Layers of spatial ripples surged. Tailed De flew sideways. Mid-air, she adjusted her posture, landing in a half-crouch and skidding a long distance before stopping. The light spirit, Vivi, hanging behind her, said in a low voice:
"Be careful. That single attack had over thirty attack judgments. The Golden Protection was shattered in an instant."
The so-called Golden Protection was an ability that defended against enemy attacks a set number of times. As long as the attack's intensity didn't exceed a certain limit, Golden Protection could block three enemy attacks before breaking.
Tailed De being sent flying by a single punch happened in an instant. Kane, who had not conspired with Hao Tao, was somewhat puzzled, wondering if this was a setup by the violators to frame him. But the fist coming straight at him dispelled any such concerns.
The heavy fist slammed into the dragon-scale shield. A sonic boom spread, and Kane was also sent flying backward. Now, looking at Hao Tao, his fists and forearms had turned fiery red, like crystal, semi-transparent and glowing hot. Inside, the meridians and blood vessels flowed with golden-red blood.
Hao Tao grinned, revealing a mouthful of white, flat teeth. Seeing this, Blood Count, who was nearby, warned coldly, "Hao Tao, don't forget the plan. Control yourself..."
Slap!
A backhanded slap shattered Blood Count's upper body. His remaining lower half fell backward with a thud. His proud blood rebirth was utterly useless now because Hao Tao, this beast, had devoured his existence.
"Pfft, tastes bad."
Hao Tao spat out a gelatinous substance that looked like it had been chewed. He said it tasted bad because this Blood Count, who thought he had a chance to be the final winner, had already had his fate devoured by the Platinum Apostle.
The other three members of the Gentleman team stared at Hao Tao with wary eyes. But the problem was that the violator faction always relied on individual skill. The three of them couldn't say much now.
Just then, a rat-like half-beast, who had been sneaking toward the Primordial Core, quietly grabbed one. Just as it was about to disappear with the Primordial Core, gray-white tentacles began to grow on its body. These tentacles, as thick as a pinky finger, writhed wildly after sprouting.
The rat-like half-beast let out a piercing scream that shot into the sky. When the others looked at it, they saw it frozen in a posture of looking up and wailing, with tears of blood streaming from its eyes. Its body had turned gray-white, like a statue made of ash.
Needless to say, the 300 Soul Crystals and two Primordial Cores had been tampered with by Shenfu. Apart from him and Hao Tao, anyone who touched these resources would meet a bad end.
Hao Tao tossed one of the Primordial Cores in his hand, then opened his mouth wide, stuffed it in, and swallowed it with a gulp. He let out a satisfied burp.
"That's... awesome! Hahaha!"
Hao Tao's pupils began to dilate. This was a sign that he was getting excited after encountering a powerful opponent.
"Hao Tao, calm down."
Moon Witch, whose alluring temperament made one's imagination run wild just by looking at her, spoke. Hearing this, Hao Tao glared at her. When he saw it was Moon Witch who spoke, he suppressed the urge to crush her head. It wasn't that he had any personal relationship with her; in this violator team, only Shenfu, the Platinum Apostle, Moon Witch, and Bandage Man were considered his teammates.
"I just swallowed a Primordial Core. I'm... trying my best to stay calm."
Hao Tao looked at the other Primordial Core. Behind it stood Kane, his dragon lance pressed against it.
A hundred meters was nothing in an instant. A fist slammed into the dragon lance. Kane had indeed been sent flying earlier, but not now. He was a Demon Dragon.
Like a steel dragon swinging its tail, Kane swept his lance horizontally, shattering a large area of space ahead. Hao Tao, with several blood wounds on his body, blocked the incoming demon scythe with one arm with a clang.
The Primordial Core on the ground flew up. Dragon scales wrapped around it as Kane's manifested phantom dragon tail sent it flying with full force. It was estimated to fly several thousand kilometers away. Since the dragon scales were attached, Kane could sense the location of this Primordial Core.
Everyone's gaze turned to the 300 Soul Crystals. They weren't here to fight to the death; they were here to struggle for resources. So Hao Tao, Kane, and Tailed De simultaneously rushed toward the Soul Crystals. Among them were a Demon Scythe Technique Type, a Dragon Type, and a Strength Type — all in desperate need of Soul Crystals. But they didn't forget that there was also a Triple Technique Grandmaster and an Ancient God Type present.
"Roar!!"
A massive Blood Beast pounced down from the mountain peak, targeting the center of the six supply pods. Blood Qi exploded violently. Amidst the surging Blood Qi, Hao Tao, Kane, and Tailed De all leaped backward. Though all three were extremely powerful, they would not engage Su Xiao within the Blood Qi.
All the supply pods were affected. The Soul Crystals inside scattered into four large clusters. Three of these clusters contained the most Soul Crystals. Naturally, Hao Tao, Kane, and Tailed De each went to seize a portion.
Zzzt~
The Spirit Shadow Threads tightened. All the scattered Soul Crystals were pulled back, gathering around Su Xiao. This made Hao Tao, Kane, and Tailed De stop in their tracks, their gazes focusing on Su Xiao.
With a whoosh, like a dark breeze blowing, the ethereal black smoke dress swept past. The demon scythe gently hooked around Su Xiao's neck, then erupted with fierce sharpness in the next instant.
A head was severed by the demon scythe. The headless corpse in front of Tailed De turned into crystal. Her perception began to sting. The person she had just tried to kill was now behind her, his blade silently slashing toward her neck.
'Dark.'
Tailed De's head was severed in an instant. The slash was too fast to dodge, so she could only create a substitute → swap herself with the substitute → the substitute was slashed, costing her 10% of her current health. It was clear that the Demon Scythe Type had also made some achievements in substitution.
Clang!!
A heavy fist came crashing in. Although Su Xiao successfully executed a perfect block, the Dragon-Slaying Flash immediately turned red-hot from the high temperature after being hit by the heavy fist. The immense force transmitted to his right arm.
The punch pushed Su Xiao back two steps. Hao Tao pressed forward, his second punch aimed directly at Su Xiao's head. Facing this punch, which brought a terrifying wind pressure and shattered space, Su Xiao did not dodge. Instead, he slashed his blade toward Hao Tao's neck.
Pfft~
The long blade cut through the curved forearm, leaving a wound that reached the bone. Hao Tao had chosen to retreat in the clash. It wasn't that he was scared; he couldn't ignore the Blade Demon Spirit that had just been released.
As Hao Tao retreated, a dragon-scale greatsword came slashing, accompanied by a dragon roar. With a boom, the Soul Crystals bound by Spirit Shadow Threads around Su Xiao scattered. Kane grabbed one that flew toward him. Hao Tao lunged forward, his terrifying power compressing a large area of space ahead, gathering the Soul Crystals in that area into his arms.
With a clatter, a Soul Crystal fell onto the soil at Tailed De's feet, sinking halfway in. Tailed De didn't pick it up. Instead, she took a step back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Su Xiao.
"Ugh~!"
As a Steel Demon Dragon, Kane spat out a large mouthful of black blood. He immediately dropped the Soul Crystal in his hand and manifested a dragon's mouth, biting off his own right arm. Not feeling reassured, he had the dragon's mouth bite off the newly regenerated right arm again. This eased the intense pain in his chest somewhat.
"Just some alchemical poison... ugh!"
Hao Tao spat out a large mouthful of black blood. He decisively dropped all the Soul Crystals in his arms. He took out a black fruit, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole, finally catching his breath.
Zzzt~
The Spirit Shadow Threads tightened. All the Soul Crystals were pulled back, hovering beside Su Xiao. After a 5-second countdown, he stored 206 Soul Crystals into the team storage space. Under these circumstances, it was unrealistic to take all 300.
Holding for 5 seconds was the rule for resource drops. Soul Crystals could be stored after holding them for 5 seconds. Primordial Cores required holding them for 30 seconds.
All the resources on the field now had owners. The five members of the Zeli team, hiding behind a distant slope, saw this and felt eager to join in. After all, the combat power displayed by Su Xiao and the other three at this stage was merely strong, not insurmountable.
"Let's prepare to make our move," Glasses Girl·Shuifu said, her eyes eager.
"Agreed," Assassin Guy stated.
"Alright. I can block their attacks," Tank·Hamdi also spoke.
Captain·Zeli Na was deep in thought. She was the one to make the final decision, and her team members trusted her.
"I think we should be steady and observe a bit longer," the gently smiling Soul Master said. This infuriated Glasses Girl·Shuifu beside him.
"What's there to be steady about? The resource drops have already gone through two rounds. Look, the third round is here. There are only four rounds total."
Glasses Girl·Shuifu pointed to the distant sky, where a white supply pod was falling.
With a boom, the supply pod landed on the Ceremonial Road, right in the middle of Su Xiao, Hao Tao, Kane, and Tailed De. The four of them stood in a square formation, mutually restraining each other. As for their conflicts, this was about struggling for resources. The real clash would come in the next phase, the Legion War.
The supply pod opened, revealing a Broken Origin. The Demon Spirit, which had already attached itself to the pod, grabbed the Broken Origin. In turn, the Broken Origin appeared in Su Xiao's hand.
Kane was about to charge. Su Xiao tossed the Broken Origin in his hand. It landed at Kane's feet, causing the corner of Kane's eye to twitch. It wasn't that he didn't want to take it; he was worried it was also laced with alchemical poison. Hesitating for that brief moment, he suddenly sensed a sweet smell around him. He immediately kicked the Broken Origin toward Tailed De.
Clang~
Tailed De slashed the Broken Origin toward Hao Tao. Hao Tao flicked his hand, sending the Broken Origin flying back to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao picked up the Broken Origin. From several dozen meters diagonally opposite, Kane asked, "White Night, what poison did you use this time? Let me broaden my horizons."
"Orange-flavored air freshener."
When it came to messing with his opponents' minds, Su Xiao never hesitated to say a word or two.
Hearing this, Hao Tao, Kane, and Tailed De were all struck by a silence skill. Recalling the faint, sweet scent from earlier... it really did smell like oranges. This old yinbi couldn't even be bothered to use a bottle of alchemical poison.
This was the first round. Except for Su Xiao, who had the "Perfectionist" bounty on him, the other teams were not in a hurry to obtain the Broken Origin. The most intense struggle for the Broken Origin would come in the final round.
A whistling sound came from above. An upgraded supply pod flew in. This pod was thicker and heavier. As it was about to land, its bottom engines activated, allowing it to land slowly while opening. Dark golden radiance bloomed. A portion of Primordial Source Matter, stored in an absolutely sealed container, was presented before them.
There was a saying: if you encounter a portion of Primordial Source Matter, fight for it with your life. This might be the last Primordial Source Matter you ever encounter in your life. This item couldn't be bought; it could only be obtained through opportunity.
It needed to be held for 60 seconds before it could be stored in the storage space. None of the four present made a rash move. Su Xiao crouched down, placing one hand on the ground. A crystal layer spread to the supply pod, with the highest-strength crystal attaching to the surface of the Primordial Source Matter container. That wasn't all. Kane raised his hand, and fine dragon scales attached themselves outside the crystal layer. Finally, Tailed De controlled black mist to cover it.
The four were quite tacit on this point. If the Primordial Source Matter container was damaged, the subsequent struggle would be meaningless.
Drip, drip.
Water droplets dripped from the tip of the Dragon-Slaying Flash. It was from the violator who had attacked last night. Su Xiao ignored him. If such a low-level opponent dared to show himself, it would be a mistake if he couldn't kill him in one slash.
Rocks slid down the mountain slope on the side. Looking toward the sound, a Giant Tree clan member was running over. Flanking it were multiple powerhouses from the Soul Host clan, Thorn Vine clan, Poison Arrow clan, Half-Beast clan, and others. Originally hiding in the shadows, waiting to reap the benefits, they now actively appeared. Their running postures were all bizarre, like strange walkers.
Not only that, but these native powerhouses were also emitting low growls from their throats. Observing them closely, one could see that their eyes were hollow, their outer skin showed signs of gray-white peeling, and the black tentacles growing on their bodies made their strange walker movements even more grotesque.
It must have been Shenfu who had corrupted these native powerhouses. Ignoring Su Xiao, Hao Tao, and the others, they rushed onto the Ceremonial Road and lunged directly at the Primordial Source Matter container. With this, the true battle began.
'Demon Scythe: Sin Atonement.'
Clang!
After the sharp sound of the scythe blade cutting, all the running native powerhouses shattered. But the flesh and plant tissue they turned into began to proliferate gray-white at the broken edges. This formed a twisted, ugly giant head. The head's mouth opened as wide as possible, and a nightmare for those with trypophobia arrived. Layers upon layers of twisted heads surged out from within, turning this head monster into a kilometer-tall giant horror in a short time.
"Oww!!"
A piercing, synchronized scream came from countless mouths. The head monster continued to grow, seemingly intent on filling the entire great canyon.
The three violators — Stone Gargoyle, Sea Crocodile, and Giant Food Demon — who were about to enter the fray, saw this from the shadows. Their expressions turned pained or twisted. Although their abilities were also terrifying, they couldn't reach Shenfu's level of horror, where just watching from afar made one feel spiritually contaminated.
The three violators looked at each other. At this moment, they actually had the thought of giving up their violator status and returning to their respective Paradises. After all, if fellow violators were such bizarre monsters, who wouldn't be afraid?
On the Ceremonial Road, facing the surging head monster, Tailed De released her demon scythe. She raised her arms, tilted her face slightly upward, and closed her eyes.
'Darkness.'
Boom!!!
Terrifying black flames spread outward from Demon Scythe·Tailed De as the center. The parts of the head monster that touched the black flames were instantly vaporized.
A booming sound came from beside him. Su Xiao's Blood Qi exploded, then suddenly contracted, compressing and condensing into a circle a few meters in diameter around him. This was a newly developed ability of his, not yet named. The principle was to use massively compressed Blood Qi to form a five-meter-diameter circle, ensuring he wouldn't be affected by the enemy's large-scale ultimate abilities.
The spread of the black flames was far greater than expected. In an instant, black flames filled the surrounding area for dozens of kilometers.
Bathing in the black flames, Tailed De opened her eyes. A tiny, rice-grain-sized white pupil appeared in her eyes.
'Sin: Purification.'
The already violent black flames audaciously formed a black smoke storm dozens of kilometers in diameter, shooting straight into the sky. It swept through the area, and in a very short time, the space within that range was burned full of holes.
Su Xiao's Blood Qi defense continued to shrink, even to less than two meters in diameter. Hao Tao crouched, enduring the flames. Looking closely, one could see that over ninety percent of the black flames burning him were absorbed, turning into energy to restore his lost health.
Crack, crack!
Kane's armor, burned and cracking repeatedly, bent his legs. With a resounding crash on the ground, he leaped high into the sky, until he broke through the height of the black flame storm. His body began to expand. In less than three seconds, he had transformed into a massive Demon Dragon with steel scales.
Since Shenfu and Tailed De were both using their ultimate moves to affect everyone, Kane naturally wouldn't be polite. He flew outside the atmosphere, turned around, and dove toward the ground.
On the ground, Su Xiao felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. Looking up, it seemed like a huge steel meteor was crashing down. It looked far away, but in the blink of an eye, it was right above.
After a brief silence, a loud noise that affected most of the Plant Continent spread. If viewed from a macro perspective, one would see that the central belt of the Plant Continent had a bottomless chasm. If the Plant Continent were a ceramic plate, Kane's attack on the Plant Kingdom·Western Region had cracked this vast land.
The original great canyon had disappeared. In its place was a super-massive meteor crater. The center was relatively flat, surrounded by gentle slopes that extended far into the distance.
"Roar!"
Steel Demon Dragon·Kane let out a roar. The gravity in the surrounding area increased. He soared into the sky again. In the blink of an eye, he was outside the atmosphere, once again turning into a steel meteor, crashing down. This was why Kane hadn't brought his teammates. He wouldn't harm them.
Facing Kane's continuous ultimate moves, Demon Scythe·Tailed De, the weakest in physique among those present, had blood flowing from her mouth and nose. She held her demon scythe with one hand, clearly ready to counterattack. Hao Tao, a few hundred meters away, was also in a similar state. The previous attack had knocked him dizzy, and his head was still buzzing.
Su Xiao, with several blood wounds on his body and internal organs aching faintly, did not retreat. With a loud crash from the ground beneath him, he vanished, charging straight toward the falling steel meteor.
When Su Xiao was directly beneath the steel meteor.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Thud~
The impact spread. The falling Demon Dragon Kane inevitably slowed down slightly just before crashing to the ground. This brief slowness was something he would never forget.
Su Xiao rushed forward and delivered a powerful side kick. This kick accurately hit Kane's head. Although it didn't trigger the five-times side kick damage, his foot and lower leg went numb instantly.
Boom!!!
Kane, who had been falling in a straight line, was now flying in an L-shaped trajectory. After layers of sonic booms rippled through the air, he crashed with a boom into a high slope several kilometers away.
It took at least a dozen seconds for Kane, now back in human form, to stagger to his feet. He held his head, which was gushing blood. At that moment, he seemed to see his long-deceased second uncle's grandfather, with only a few teeth left in his mouth, smiling at him from across the way and beckoning him to come along.
An Immortal Rank recovery potion was injected into his neck. Only then did the vision of his second uncle's grandfather disappear. By then, he spat out a large mouthful of blood. Although his organs were severely damaged, he felt much better after spitting out this blood.
At the center of the meteor crater, Hao Tao, with bloodshot eyes, walked over step by step. He said, "White Night, it's just the two of us now. But I have to say, that outfit... has taste."
A suit of crimson attire had appeared on Su Xiao. This crimson attire had a slight feel of battle armor, but was mostly made of thick fabric. The collar was high, and with a very low hood, his face was not visible. Around the waist was a circle of intricate runes, seemingly used to suppress lightning conduction. Wearing this crimson attire, Su Xiao floated a few meters above the ground.
Just as Hao Tao was about to rush forward with a heavy punch, he suddenly stopped. He looked up at the sky. What he saw was world thunder everywhere. These world thunders formed a lightning pillar over a dozen kilometers thick, crashing down.
This was Su Xiao using his elemental affinity to attract lightning. However, this was not a Transcendent World; the world's scale was small to medium. As a result, the intensity of the world thunder brought down was not as astonishing as in the Witch Realm or Blazing Sun Star.
Boom!!
A golden lightning pillar fell, spreading like a tidal wave to the surrounding area. Layers of ground were vaporized by the world thunder. Within the world thunder, the fierce light in Hao Tao's eyes reached its peak.
"Ah!!!"
Hao Tao let out a roar. An astonishing scene appeared. The falling world thunder began to be rapidly absorbed by him. Just a few seconds later, there was no world thunder left in the vicinity. Having absorbed such a vast amount of natural energy, Hao Tao concentrated it all into his right fist. His right fist and forearm turned translucent gold. As a cost, cracks like those on ceramics appeared on his body.
Hao Tao turned into a blur. When he reappeared, he was in front of Su Xiao. His heavy punch, charged with all the absorbed world thunder, came crashing toward Su Xiao.
'Extreme Blade: White Night.'
Su Xiao's slash seemed ordinary, but it was actually a Supreme-level ultimate move that met the attack. Kane and Tailed De, who had been waiting for an opportunity in the meteor crater, were nowhere to be seen. Even Shenfu's presence had disappeared.
There was no loud noise at first. In the next instant, this area turned into a mix of blood red and dark gold. The two forces clashed, then both subsided.
Inside the meteor crater, filled with sparks, blood dripped from Su Xiao's chin. His body had many cracks. Holding his long blade, with blood dripping from its tip, he looked calmly at Hao Tao.
Hao Tao's right arm, right shoulder, and the small part of his torso connected to his right shoulder were shattered. He grinned even more happily. His heart was as red-hot as a branding iron. He was about to take a step forward when translucent purple threads wrapped around him.
"Hao Tao, calm down."
Moon Witch, who had rushed over, spoke. As a Charm Type, she naturally had the ability to calm others' emotions. Hao Tao's condition was not a weakness. The stronger his anger, bloodlust, and other emotions, the stronger his power became. If necessary, he could urgently self-control.
"See you next time."
Hao Tao tore off the translucent purple threads on his body. After glancing at the Primordial Source Matter in Su Xiao's hand, he turned and left.
Several hundred kilometers away, behind a slope, Zeli Na and her four companions were lying there watching. At this moment, the five of them were somewhat dumbfounded. The black flame storm vortex, the steel meteor, the world thunder pillar, and the final ultimate showdown — each was more outrageous than the last. They had thought that under the matching mechanism, they would be able to compete on equal footing.
When the steel meteor and world thunder pillar fell earlier, the five members of the Zeli team had the same thought: they were terrified. They could accept an Absolute Strength-level struggle, but not a chaotic battle of gods.
Zeli Na, Assassin Guy, Glasses Girl·Shuifu, Soul Master, and Tank·Hamdi looked at each other. Their subsequent action plan was very clear: they must be steady, cherish life, and stay far away from those monsters.
Just then, the surrounding air became humid. Sea Crocodile of the Gentleman team appeared. The Zeli team had three Battle Angels among them, but they all became alert.
"Sea Crocodile, now is not the time for us to settle our grudges," Zeli Na said in a deep voice. Hearing this, Sea Crocodile hesitated, then finally said in a gloomy tone:
"Zeli Na, how many punishment missions do you think I'd have to do, and how many years of mining afterward, to wash away my violator status?"
"?"
Zeli Na was stunned. She really hadn't expected Sea Crocodile to suddenly want to abandon evil and do good.
Was it because Sea Crocodile had a change of heart? No. Before participating in this battle as a member of the Gentleman team, he had always felt that he was somewhat of a figure among violators. But today, witnessing Shenfu's horrifying methods, seeing his two temporary teammates vaporized by the world thunder on the spot, and witnessing the combat strength of the Hunter, Death Ranger, and Executioner...
Thinking about continuing as a violator and eventually encountering these three monsters, he felt that his life had entered a countdown.
"Are you sure?"
Zeli Na asked, not quite believing him.
"I'm very sure."
Sea Crocodile's mood could only be described as relief after a narrow escape. Just last night, he had been preparing to ambush that monster-like Hunter.
...
The Lord's Train traveled across the wilderness. Su Xiao, with bandages on his body, leaned back on a single-seater sofa. A grass-green energy thread was wrapped around his forearm, with the other end extending into Fenny's loosely held hand. This was one of Fenny's unique abilities. Although the recovery effect was slow, it could go beyond ordinary treatment, providing a deeper, slower healing effect, though it was fundamentally different from the deep treatment provided by Paradise.
Su Xiao held the Primordial Source Matter in his hand. This meant he now had five portions of Primordial Source Matter, enough for his promotion to Supreme.
He glanced at the remaining time for the first round. There was still 1 hour and 5 minutes before the second round began, which would take them to the Lord Continent.
Regarding this Legion War, Su Xiao was certain that Shenfu and the others had a way to hinder his summoning of Jila. But this time, he had two backup plans.
Don't forget that the Eternal Light World was not the only insect race faction. The Silver Queen, as an insect race mother queen, had also been in the Eternal Light World before. Faced with Jila, the Silver Queen had been timid, not daring to develop combat-type insect races. But if she went to the Lord Continent, the Silver Queen would have the qualifications to fight back. However, finding a way to bring her here was indeed a problem. Her current location needed to be located through a contract.
Moreover, Su Xiao wasn't relying solely on the Silver Queen. Jila, as a max-level insect race, couldn't leave the Eternal Light World or enter this world. As Jila's "small account," the Silver Queen's insect race didn't have this restriction. Once in the Lord Continent, its development speed would be terrifying.
As for the punishment for summoning external insect races, with Su Xiao's Void Tree Reputation of -???, it seemed there was no room left to pay a cost. This was a classic case of "strength doesn't allow it."