‘Charge!’
After a series of intense battles, the teams that possessed supreme king tiers all started to rise steadily, breaking through to the second stage one after another.
Upon reaching this stage, each team would naturally disband.
The cultivators could also see that as long as two people were together, the floating rocks beneath them would automatically begin to crumble. If they didn’t engage in battle, their only fate would be to “die together”. That being the case, teaming up would be a near-impossible task.
Nie Tiancheng and Shan Jingyi exchanged a glance before both of them suddenly lashed out, striking at the floating rock beneath Ling Han’s feet.
It was for this moment that they had endured him for so long!
They were already impatient to see the astonishment and shock on Ling Han’s face. That would definitely be a beautiful sight to behold.
However, Ling Han suddenly turned around, a strange smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Nie Tiancheng’s and Shan Jingyi’s heart jolted.
They had both launched a surprise attack, so, logically speaking, Ling Han certainly shouldn’t have been able to predict their attacks beforehand. Yet, in reality, Ling Han was composed and unfl.u.s.tered. Not only that, but he had even cracked a strange smile at them. This meant that… he had already been wary of them for a long time!
‘Good one, brat! As a member of the team, you were actually suspicious of your team members!’
It truly was absurd that this was the thought running through their minds. Perhaps they should have reflected on the fact that it was they who were attacking Ling Han right now.
Ling Han’s smile grew even wider as he swung both of his fists at once.
Weng!
A terrifying might swept outward, and the power of Nie Tiancheng and Shang Jingyi was forcefully suppressed by two stars.
Two stars!
What kind of concept was this? They were all at the low extreme of the Heavenly Body Tier, and they were all rank two king tiers. Thus, even if there were discrepancies in their power, it would have only been extremely minimal. Right now, however, the power of Nie Tiancheng and Shang Jingyi had been suppressed by two entire stars. This was a drop of one-hundred-fold! How could they still oppose Ling Han?
Peng, peng!
They were instantly blasted off their respective floating rocks, screaming in agony as they flew through the air.
However, this still wasn’t the end. Empress Luan Xing also lashed out, two large mountains materializing as she made a slapping motion with her hand.
Boom!
These mountains ruthlessly slammed into Nie Tiancheng and Shang Jingyi.
Pa, pa!
Blood instantly exploded from their bodies, the sound of breaking bones grating yet unending. In fact, this strike had broken all of the bones in their bodies!
If Ling Han hadn’t attacked them, or if he hadn’t suppressed their power by two stars, their situation wouldn’t have been so dire. Even if they were no match for a rank three king tier, it would have still been impossible for a rank three king tier to severely wound them with a single strike.
Just then, however, Ling Han and Empress Luan Xing had essentially teamed up to attack them. How many people in the world could withstand their devastating attacks?
At least, it was clear that Nie Tiancheng and Shang Jingyi couldn’t.
They continued to wail in agony as they plummeted to the floor of the valley. Ling Han blasting them off their floating rocks had only caused them some minor injuries. However, Empress Luan Xing’s follow-up strike had genuinely left them with severe wounds.
These wounds weren’t severe enough to kill them, yet they were severe enough to ensure that they wouldn’t be able to battle at full strength for at least several hundred years.
Gazing at the proud and mighty Empress Luan Xing as they fell, they suddenly came to a realization.
‘F*ck! Isn’t she the King Tier a.s.sa.s.sin?’
Sure enough, they had been mercilessly defeated.
There were indescribable emotions churning in their minds at this moment. However, their envy and jealousy of Ling Han grew several-fold.
After leaving this valley, they would definitely have their revenge on Ling Han. He had actually dared to lull them into a trap!
Right now, 50 or so king tiers had already entered the second stage of the compet.i.tion. At this height, it was already impossible to form any alliances. Each person could only fight for themselves. If they didn’t want to battle against someone, the most they could do was avoid them or keep their distance.
Ling Han and his companions also spread apart. After all, they naturally wouldn’t step on the “corpses” of their friends to rise to the top. By spreading apart, they could avoid being forced into battle against each other. This would obviously result in some of them being defeated, but there was nothing more they could do about this.
This was also the case for everyone else, with all the king tiers fighting their own battles after reaching the second stage. It was impossible to team up, and each person could only rely on their own abilities.
In fact, this also rendered the compet.i.tion more fair.
Ling Han started to unleash his power as he engaged in battle.
He didn’t unleash his full power, though, merely unleas.h.i.+ng heaven’s might to suppress the power of his opponents. However, in a compet.i.tion such as this, the effect of heaven’s might was incredibly devastating. It could almost be regarded as one of the most powerful weapons.
Everyone’s power was the same, yet if someone came across Ling Han, their power would be suppressed one-hundred-fold. That being the case, how could they still rival him?
Ling Han was as good as invincible as he defeated numerous opponents and continued to rise higher and higher. Meanwhile, less and less people could stay at the same height as him. It wasn’t long before there were only 10 of them at the same height.
There was Empress Luan Xing, the Rain Emperor, the Notionless Saint, Zi Chenfeng, Long Xiangyue, Second in the World, Gu Daoyi, and Ling Han. Meanwhile, the last two individuals were complete strangers to Ling Han. However, like Ling Han, they had both been extremely low-key in the beginning. Only after entering the second stage did they suddenly transform into powerful individuals who obliterated anyone who stood in their way.
The North Emperor and Stone Emperor hadn’t been defeated yet, but a significant gap had already formed between them and the first echelon. As for Ding Ping, Jiuyao, Xu Ran, and the Heavenly Phoenix Divine Maiden, they had also fallen into this second echelon of king tiers. Below them, there were still many more cultivators fighting and surging up. These were the cultivators who had been defeated after occupying spots in second and third echelons before. Right now, they were fighting their way up again.
“This is incredible! I’ve heard that those four are all from the same galaxy,” someone said as they pointed at Ling Han, Empress Luan Xing, the Rain Emperor, and the Notionless Saint. They then pointed at the Heavenly Phoenix Divine Maiden and the others, and said, “They’re also from that same galaxy!”
“A single galaxy produced eight king tiers, all of whom are this powerful? Good heavens!”
The spectators at the bottom of the valley all clasped their heads in shock and surprise. This was an astounding revelation. A small galaxy had actually produced this many top-notch king tiers? How could those from the large and super-large galaxies accept this?
“However, the following battles will be what determines the final victor.”
“I reckon Gu Daoyi has the best chance of winning. I’ve heard that his talent is unparalleled throughout both the past and the present!”
“I agree! He’s the only king tier who’s been able to recruit fellow king tiers as followers. This is a clear sign that his strength is far superior to the other king tiers.”
“I support Empress Luan Xing! There’s no reason for this, other than that I like her!”
“I also support Empress Luan Xing!”
“Huh? Who are the other two people? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.”
“Heh, that’s because you’re uninformed. The person in grey is called Hong Ma, and he’s the disciple of the Sky Ancient Saint. Moreover, he’s a rank three king tier!”
“What?! Another rank three king tier?!”
“Hehe, the person in blue is a lone cultivator, yet his fortune is astonis.h.i.+ng, and he’s come across countless rare opportunities in his time. His name is Cheng Xiaofan, and he’s also a rank three king tier.”
“Cheng Xiaofan… isn’t ordinary at all[1]!”
“Anyhow, I still think that Gu Daoyi is going to win. He’s a prodigy who was born in accordance with the great trend of heaven and earth, so he’s destined to become a brilliant prodigy whose dazzling radiance illuminates past, present, and future.”
“Indeed!”
More and more people started to lean toward the opinion that Gu Daoyi would be the eventual victor. This was an extraordinary king tier who possessed an aura that resonated with the rhythm of dao. Moreover, among the 10 most powerful king tiers, he was clearly the most eye-catching one. It was as if he were a sun, while the others could only sc.r.a.pe by as the stars that orbited him. The gulf between them appeared far too large to overcome.
Above the valley, Gu Daoyi stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled as he looked at Ling Han, saying in an incredibly haughty voice, “I never imagined that you would be powerful enough to reach this stage and even dare to oppose me.”
Ling Han naturally wouldn’t back down, retorting, “You’ve merely come out of hiding after tens of thousands of years. Why would I be afraid of you?”
“Ha!” Gu Daoyi couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “Prodigies have no option but to bow their heads before me. In fact, even king tiers are nothing more than dirt. Wherever I pa.s.s, all beings will have to prostrate—”
Boom!