Chapter 322: Oppression (1/2)
At this moment, Ben’s fantasy realm made everyone feel apprehensive. It felt as if it could instantly defeat the average Limiteer from the Astral Combat Academy, which was very terrifying indeed.
As time continued to tick by, everyone felt that something was amiss. Ben’s fantasy realm had shrouded the entire battlefield, but Tian Hou still showed no abnormal reactions. He remained so calm that it was almost frightening.
On the west side of the battlefield, Yun’s expression grew heavier as the disdain in her eyes gradually morphed into shock. It seemed as if she had discovered something extraordinary.
Suddenly, Tian Hou raised his head, and while the body underneath the black gowns remained hidden, everyone felt as if his body had become distorted the moment he raised his head. And then, he vanished.
This was not due to extreme speed or tearing through the void. It was more like he had merged into the void as one.
Lu Yin’s eyes widened, as he had never seen such an extraordinary method before. A space-exploring powerhouse could tear through the void to cross enormous distances while Lu Yin himself could rely on extreme speed to shuttle through the void. However, he had never met someone who could merge into the void like that.
A moment later, Tian Hou’s figure appeared above Ben, and he kicked down at the book with both legs. His attack was so forceful that Ben was directly buried underground. Then, the void distorted once again as Ben’s body vanished. The book-like competitor had been swallowed by the void, just like what had happened during Liu Xiaoyun’s battle against Tu Bo during the Astral Combat Tournament. Even though Liu Xiaoyun had won, she had still been banished into the void by Tu Bo, which meant that the match had ended with mutual destruction.
“Seventh match. Victor: Tian Hou.”
The crowd finally reacted after the battle had already ended. This battle had been one of the quickest, second only to Starsibyl’s, and it had taken around as long as Yun’s battle against Han Chong. The outcome had been decided in an instant, as the difference between the two sides was just too significant.
Three out of the four competitors from the Astral Beast Domain had also been defeated. Like the Technocracy, the beasts were not weak, and their competitors’ strength greatly surpassed the average Academy leader’s, but they had also encountered the wrong match ups. It could only be said that the participants in the Tournament of the Strongest were at an extremely high level, where even a student leader such as Kuang Wang could not hope to compete.
Only Han Chong of the four competitors from Astral Combat Academy had fallen, as he had faced Yun. Both competitors from the Cosmic Sea had advanced.
The seven competitors to enter the next round of drawing lots were Starsibyl, Grandini Mavis, Lu Yin, Tian Hou, Yun, Liu Shaoqiu, and Zi Jun.
“The first round of battles is over. The next will begin in one day.”
One day was enough to allow everyone to recover; since the tournament was taking place in the Lifeseek Realm, the participants’ recovery rate was extremely quick.
Although there had only been seven battles this round, each one had been a feast for countless eyes.
The Astral Combat Tournament had only been a tournament for the students from Astral Combat Academy, and it was not sufficient to represent the wider universe’s selection of elites from the younger generation. The Tournament of the Strongest was different; whether one looked at Starsibyl, Tian Hou, or Yun, they were all the top elites of their respective star domain. Within the same generation, few could rival them. Through these battles, one could truly witness the peak power of a Limiteer.
It was a pity that this level of competition was not suitable for the general public to spectate.
Fortunately, the Great Yu Empire, Earth, East San Dios, and various large powers could watch it, though normal folks had no way to access the tournament.
While the Tournament of the Strongest was being held, the negotiation between the three star realms was also underway.
“Continuing this battle has brought all three sides irreparable losses. It’s absolutely necessary to stop this war.”
“You humans are so hypocritical. You fight when you want to and stop when you don’t.”
“Isn’t this what your Teacher Skymender intends? Otherwise that Tian Hou of yours wouldn’t have been allowed to step foot in our star realm.”
“Teacher is benevolent, but that shouldn’t be the platform for your human hypocrisy.”
“Regardless of whether we fight or not, we will not return the territories that we have captured.”
“Although your Technocracy has inherited some powerful ancient technology, your resources will be exhausted one day. Your resources are your foundation, and once you run out, you can only wait for your slow but inevitable demise.”
“Before that, we will completely conquer your Human Domain.”
“Alright, there’s no need for such nonsense. Before this negotiation begins, the general direction has already been set for us. Let’s talk about the details.”
…
Atop Astral-10’s trial zone mountain, Lu Yin opened his eyes, and the other Astral-10 students awakened one after another as well. They all turned to Lu Yin. None of them disturbed him, except for Xia Luo who walked up to Lu Yin. “Let’s chat.”
Lu Yin nodded. “What’s the matter?”
Xia Luo gave Lu Yin a serious look. “How strong do you think Han Chong is?”
Lu Yin was baffled, as Xia Luo and Han Chong were strangers. Why would he ask about Han Chong?
“Very strong,” he replied.
“And yet, he still lost.”
“What are you trying to say?” Lu Yin asked. At the space station, before he left, Silver had made certain remarks about Xia Luo that made Lu Yin harbor suspicions about Xia Luo. As such, and Lu Yin had taken some precautions.
Xia Luo smiled slightly. “During the Astral Combat Tournament, Xia Ye fought Han Chong but was crushed. That final painting of the mountains and seas is very special, and according to Xia Ye, it holds an unavoidable power. And yet, Han Chong lost to Yun. I’m here to remind you to not underestimate that Yun, as she is extremely terrifying.”