Chapter 1361: Joy Turns to Sorrow

Fantasy Magic

Readers are currently reading: , , , , , , , , ,

It's important to understand that this kind of battle royale-style free-for-all preliminary round not only tests the individual strength of the contestants but also the networking skills of their respective races. Success depends on whether alliances were forged with other races beforehand, enabling them to unite against common foes.

Furthermore, once on the field, it profoundly tests a contestant's psychological resilience and ability to assess the situation and adapt. Consequently, while the participants in these preliminary rounds may not possess the same high cultivation levels as those in the knockout stage, the brutality and intricate schemes involved are truly unparalleled.

As a result, each preliminary group often battles for a long time before the final victors emerge.

Yet, Zu'an's group concluded so swiftly, and in such a dramatic manner.

From a distance, Lionheart Rong, who had been sporadically observing the situation, couldn't help but curse, "This guy is unbelievably lucky! He actually managed to advance by sheer chance, relying on that Giant Maggot Tribe's move."

Lionheart Min's expression was also somewhat troubled, but he eventually said, "Don't underestimate him. That contestant from the Giant Maggot Tribe is not simple. That last move was their clan's unique skill, 'Mountain of Feces, Sea of Excrement.' Both the gas and the liquid are highly toxic. While not fatal, they will cause you to become weak and faint. And as long as you can breathe, you practically can't escape it; it's virtually impossible to guard against."

"Damn, there's actually such a disgusting move!" Lionheart Rong couldn't help but curse, finding it utterly repulsive.

Lionheart Gong said with relief, "Thankfully, the draw was fixed beforehand, so we won't have to go up against the Giant Maggot Tribe. Otherwise, even if we won, we'd be sickened to death by him."

Seeing the yellow liquid in the distance, Lionheart Min's face twitched. "Indeed," he said, "but that Yan Zu managing to evade this ultimate skill clearly means he's not simple either. Don't let your guard down later."

The other two nodded dismissively, their attention more focused on the Giant Maggot Warrior.

Contestants from other races evidently shared similar thoughts:

"How lucky we'd be if we were in that group! You could advance without even fighting, just by dodging at the right moment."

"Go ahead and secretly enjoy that thought. If you were really in that group, you'd be lying in that yellow liquid, eating your fill of excrement by now."

"Ugh, can you stop being so disgusting? Maybe I would have been lucky enough to avoid it."

On Zu'an's side, Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen both turned their backs, unwilling to glance at the situation in the arena for another second.

Simultaneously, they maintained a qi barrier around themselves, preventing the foul odor from reaching them.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but give Zu'an a resentful glare. "Why did you hit his stomach?" she asked.

Zu'an looked wronged. "I had no idea he possessed such a repulsive skill," he replied.

Yun Jianyue also couldn't help but grumble, "Nothing good ever happens when I'm with you."

Normally, if someone made her feel this uncomfortable, she would have physically annihilated them. However, the thought of his disgusting skill made it impossible for her to even muster a killing intent; she genuinely didn't want to engage him.

At this moment, the Giant Maggot Tribe contestant scratched his head and said innocently, "I apologize for causing trouble for everyone. I'll clean all of this up right now."

As he spoke, his stomach deflated, and then with a powerful gulp, he sucked the entire yellow expanse from the ground back into his mouth. The area returned to its original state, leaving only a faint foul odor and the sprawled, unconscious contestants from his group.

After swallowing everything back down, he let out a long, remarkably loud burp.

Everyone was speechless.

At this point, even those with the strongest stomachs couldn't help but bend over and vomit.

Even those watching from the most prestigious seats at the top lost their composure.

Chiwen cursed loudly, "How can there be such a disgusting fellow, actually eating excrement!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he remembered how Zu'an had recently tricked him into drinking water infused with excrement daily. Unable to hold it in any longer, he began to retch violently nearby.

Shang Liuyu, who always preferred cleanliness, instantly floated far away, acting as if she didn't know him.

Women like Solon Poetry couldn't endure such a scene. They swept their sleeves and left, not even wanting to watch the subsequent matches.

Peacock Mingwang, being experienced and composed, still tried to explain, "This is an innate ability of the Giant Maggot Tribe. They also made significant contributions during the war with the human race, ugh..."

Contestants from other races, seemingly unable to bear the disgusting odor, all sped up their efforts. The top ten in each group were quickly decided, with the overall pace being much faster than in previous tournaments.

As for the contestants who had 'eaten their fill' in the yellow liquid, they were all carried out for treatment. Whether they would commit suicide out of shame and indignation upon waking or be left with lifelong trauma would be up to them to endure.

The demon imperial court was not without its capable individuals. Soon, an official with a grim expression emerged, first directly manipulating water elemental power to thoroughly rinse the entire venue. Then, another official controlled fire to 'disinfect' every inch of the place. Finally, a wind-element official conjured a furious gale to blow away all remaining unpleasant odors from the air.

If this weren't the royal altar, given their fiery tempers, they probably would have long since conjured a few powerful fireballs to blow this area to smithereens, rather than going through all this trouble.

Nevertheless, no one was willing to compete in that venue afterward. The officials, considering the public's mood, temporarily abandoned it, and the subsequent matches were held in several smaller venues located farther away.

Next came the knockout round draw, and as expected, the Snake Tribe's opponents were precisely the three princes of the Lion Tribe.

Yun Jianyue was matched against Lionheart Min, Yan Xuehen against Lionheart Gong, and Zu'an against Lionheart Rong.

Seeing Lionheart Rong's smug smile as he clenched his fist, Zu'an was momentarily speechless. 'This guy must have deliberately chosen me, wanting to torment me thoroughly. Too bad he's in for a big surprise later,' he thought.

Because the group stage preliminaries ended earlier than in previous years, and the Golden Crow Prince on the high platform was eager to witness the Snake Tribe's misfortune, he announced that the knockout rounds would commence earlier than scheduled.

This immediately sparked widespread complaints. Apart from the ten contestants who advanced from Zu'an's group with no significant losses, many in other groups had endured fierce battles and were, to varying degrees, injured.

Unfortunately, the Golden Crow Prince's decision was final. "Everyone has injuries," he declared. "Relatively speaking, it's still fair..."

Many people were displeased, but since he would soon be the new Demon Emperor, no one dared to offend him. So, they all quickly consumed medicinal pills to heal their injuries.

Soon, the knockout rounds began. These rounds were not held one by one; for the sake of speed, all groups basically started simultaneously.

Before departing, Zu'an still felt a bit worried about Yan and Yun. "Lionheart Min and Lionheart Gong are both Grandmasters," he said. "You two are injured and have only recovered to roughly ninth-grade strength. It's too disadvantageous to face them. If you see the situation turning against you, just concede. Anyway, you're wearing masks, so no one will know who you are."

Yu Yanluo also offered words of comfort: "Anyway, for so many years, the Snake Tribe has been accustomed to having only one representative slot. Please don't put yourselves in danger over this."

"Concede?" Yun Jianyue scoffed. "Back when Zhao Hao severely wounded me with one blow, I didn't concede. Do these two little lions even qualify?"

Zu'an was speechless.

He felt a strange sense of déjà vu, recalling Zhou Dian's antics.

Yan Xuehen, however, explained, "Don't worry, sheer strength and high cultivation don't always guarantee victory. The demoness and I are Grandmasters, after all; our command of power and technique is far beyond what two junior Grandmasters can achieve. You, on the other hand, should be careful not to accidentally reveal your identity."

Hearing her say this, Zu'an also breathed a sigh of relief. He truly had been flustered by worry; they were Grandmasters renowned throughout the world, after all.

Soon, the matches began. Lionheart Rong approached Zu'an with a sneer. "Brat, you didn't expect to run into me, did you?" he taunted.

Zu'an sighed. "You can't even figure that out?" he retorted. "Do you think everyone is as idiotic as you?"

Lionheart Rong was stunned.

Is this guy out of his mind, daring to provoke me at a time like this?

Rage value from Lionheart Rong: 666,666,666...

"Very well, you've successfully ignited my fury," Lionheart Rong said coldly. "I'll crush every bone in your body, piece by piece, to show you the consequences of your sharp tongue."

Having said that, he could no longer hold back and unleashed a Blazing Lion Overlord Fist directly.

However, what he didn't expect was that in the next second, his vision went black. He felt a foot land on his face, and with a bang, he was directly sent flying.

Please read the book. Readers are currently reading: , , , , , , , , ,