“Boom!!!”
Just as they were about to rush to the crater’s edge, a deafening explosion of battle energy suddenly echoed from above. Violent shockwaves burst outward like crashing waves against rocks, instantly scattering the thick smoke rising from the crater.
Countless shards of stone rained down like hail, stinging their skin with sharp pain.
Zhang Wen and Xie Luo had no choice but to crouch low, waiting for a moment until the aftershocks of this energy burst passed before continuing forward.
Closer! The situation at the crater’s edge gradually unfolded before them. Explosive smoke billowed like mist, floating in the air.
Zhang Wen, leading Xiao Xi, Luofulei, Maryan, and Xie Luo, quickened their pace and finally surged forward in one breath, reaching the crater’s rim. At this point, survival was purely a matter of luck.
This was the most fiercely contested site for the title of Southern Realm’s Overlord!
Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept all the smoke away. The scene revealed sent a shockwave through Zhang Wen, Xie Luo, and Luofulei. Their steps halted abruptly. No one had expected such a sight—
Before the massive crater spanning hundreds of meters, the ground was littered with bodies. All were members of teams competing for the title of Southern Realm Overlord. Their intertwined forms, in uncertain states between life and death, sent chills down one’s spine.
Among these people were no shortage of Saint and Transcendent-level experts. Which team possessed such strength to annihilate all others?
Zhang Wen had originally thought that stronger teams might gain an advantage, but he never imagined that one team could wipe out all the others completely, not even sparing the Transcendent-level experts.
Which team, which person, possessed such power?
Zhang Wen’s gaze followed the trail of fallen bodies forward until he finally spotted a blue-clothed figure standing proudly at the forefront. In each hand, he gripped the throats of Batengping and Batuli. Behind him, a massive plume of volcanic smoke rose slowly, making him appear like an invincible titan from myth, exuding an overwhelming and monstrous aura.
“How is this possible…” Xie Luo, Luofulei, and Maryan all knew and understood Anthony’s strength. Although he possessed Saint-level power, there was no way he could reach Transcendent-level. Yet the reality now was that he had subdued both Batengping and Batuli at the same time!
Looking around Anthony, all the members who had previously followed Batengping lay sprawled on the ground, clearly severely wounded by the residual waves of battle energy. Even the four Saint-level fighters Zhang Wen had spared earlier were lying in various directions in bizarre poses. Around them lingered the residual energy from the battle’s explosions.
“What… what happened here?” Xie Luo, shocked, stared at Anthony, taking a couple of steps forward, his voice trembling with disbelief.
“Haha, so these useless ones finally arrived?” A trace of madness flashed in Anthony’s eyes. A faint glow of battle energy flickered in his hands, and Zhang Wen and the others clearly heard a muffled explosion. At such close range, with battle energy erupting while holding their throats, even Batengping and Batuli couldn’t withstand it…
Zhang Wen couldn’t help but shake his head in regret. He had held a bit of respect for Batengping, but now it was too late.
“As you can see, all the competing teams are here, except for you… Oh, and Omega and Agate haven’t arrived yet? If they’re not here by now, they’ve probably been disqualified!” Anthony spread his arms wide, laughing maniacally toward the sky: “Now no one can stop me! I am the strongest king! I am the new Southern Realm Overlord! No one here can rival me!!”
With Anthony’s maniacal laughter, massive columns of battle energy erupted from his body, rippling outward like blooming flowers. Even the dark crater was illuminated by strange, shifting lights, as if unseen monsters were about to surge forth from the depths of that abyss.
Violent pressure spiraled upward like a hurricane, piercing the clouds. It carried the black smoke of the volcano, forming a strange spiral vortex above Anthony’s head, as if opening a black hole to another dimension.
Hundreds of meters in every direction, the entire crater was enveloped in Anthony’s terrifying battle energy, exuding a destructive aura. At this moment, Anthony’s power felt to Zhang Wen as if it had nearly reached the level of Leimiu—an existence rivaling kings!
“No wonder he could take out everyone else alone!” In an instant, Zhang Wen understood Anthony’s strategy. He must have first brought his team to provoke other teams that had reached the crater into battle. Then, he assigned tasks and struck at the most chaotic moment, subduing or killing the most threatening Transcendent-level fighters. The Saint-level members of his team had similarly targeted the Saint-level fighters of other teams.
Thus, all the threatening opponents were eliminated, leaving the remaining fighters completely unable to resist, resulting in a one-sided massacre.
Anthony’s methods were ruthless, his schemes deep. He had hidden his true strength so well that no one had seen through his disguise.
But whether this brutal slaughter was his own style or had been ordered by Hassan remained unknown. A third of the Empire’s strongest were gathered here. If they perished, it would be an immense loss for the Empire.
Even if Anthony ultimately claimed first place, would the Empire really allow someone who had wiped out so many of its promising elites to become the Southern Realm Overlord?
For a moment, Zhang Wen felt deeply confused.
But there was no time for further thought. With a maniacal laugh, Anthony clenched his fists tightly, charging toward Zhang Wen with fierce momentum and dazzling whirlpools of battle energy.
“No one can stop me! Not even the king! Zhang Wen, now it’s your turn!”
With each step, the ground trembled. Red-hot magma flowed from the crater, surging and churning, releasing a strong stench of sulfur. The entire space was dyed blood-red—whether from Anthony’s battle energy or an ominous sign of the volcano’s imminent eruption.
The immense pressure and mental lock from Anthony pinned Zhang Wen, Xie Luo, and the others in place, making even the thought of dodging impossible.
In the next moment, the blue-clothed Anthony suddenly accelerated, rushing forward like a roaring train, brimming with murderous intent.
Zhang Wen’s heart sank. His keen intuition told him that Anthony was truly determined to kill. Moreover, the power Anthony displayed now was undoubtedly at Leimiu’s level. Zhang Wen still remembered how he had driven Leimiu away previously only by uniting the “Three Transcendents.” Now, facing such a formidable opponent as a pseudo-Transcendent, how long could he hold out?
This was undoubtedly a dire crisis!
Xie Luo, Xiao Xi, Maryan, and Luofulei held their breath, knowing resistance was futile, yet they had no choice but to fully activate their battle energy.
Life and death hung in the balance!
No one wanted to end up like the bodies lying on the ground!
To survive, they must kill their enemy!
As Anthony’s swirling battle energy grew stronger, rushing forward like a speeding comet, Zhang Wen gritted his teeth, secretly activating all his battle energy and the Spring Water Technique.
At this critical moment, “Boom!” A violent flame erupted from the volcano, shaking the ground like an earthquake. A massive cloud of scorched smoke spewed violently from the crater, filling the air with a burning, acrid stench.
Was the volcano about to erupt?
Everyone froze. Even Anthony couldn’t help but stop and turn his gaze toward the crater.
If the volcano truly erupted, no one—not even Anthony—could escape. After all, human power couldn’t rival the might of nature. Even Transcendent-level fighters couldn’t defy natural laws.
As everyone watched, deep blue lightning bolts erupted one after another from the crater, accompanied by thunderous cracks.
This unexpected turn startled everyone, including Anthony and Zhang Wen. How could lightning appear inside a volcano?
The next moment, a voice filled with playful mockery suddenly echoed from the crater: “Anthony? You say no one can rival you, not even the king?” With a slightly mocking tone, blue light surged, as if a frigid aurora had poured out of the crater.
In an instant, a figure completely enveloped in blue lightning and electric sparks stepped out of the crater, descending one step at a time. With each step, a blue bolt of lightning exploded beneath his feet, and the force of his battle energy made him appear to float as if walking on air.
The Empire’s Poison Fang—Leimiu!!
No one had guessed that Leimiu would be hiding inside the crater, just as no one had predicted that Anthony could defeat all the competing teams. Yet at this most unexpected moment, Leimiu appeared!
Even Zhang Wen hadn’t imagined Leimiu would make such a dramatic entrance, nearly forgetting his existence altogether.
Xie Luo inwardly assessed: if Zhang Wen was somewhat strange, and Anthony somewhat psychopathic, then Leimiu was undoubtedly a full-blown madman. Viewed this way, Zhang Wen seemed the most approachable, though he was also the weakest among the three—an undisputed fact.
Now… what to do?
As Zhang Wen and his companions hesitated over this sudden turn of events, Leimiu’s eyes suddenly gleamed with excitement.
“I heard you were having a great time up there killing everyone. I’ve been itching to test your strength!” He elegantly spread his long fingers, removing the white gloves he wore and tossing them to the ground. At the same time, his figure fully rose from the crater, his feet finally touching solid ground.
“Anthony, if you want to claim the title of Southern Realm Overlord, you still have to defeat me. Because I arrived here earlier and have the qualification to compete as well.” As Leimiu spoke, he strode toward Anthony, surrounded by crackling lightning and deep blue whirlpools of battle energy.
Leimiu’s participation in this final round was entirely for the purpose of seeking out legendary-level fighters to challenge. For someone like him, who was obsessed with martial prowess, this was more important than anything else. Unfortunately, after observing the other competitors, none had interested him. If it weren’t for his “final plan,” Leimiu might have already lost patience and left.
With his Transcendent-level peak strength, nearly reaching the level of a king, arriving at the crater ahead of everyone else was no difficult feat. To wait for the opponent he truly desired, he had jumped into the crater ahead of time, waiting on a protruding rock ledge. Using his formidable battle energy and mental power, he endured the intense heat of the volcano.
When he heard that Anthony had arrived at the crater and swept away all the experts, his excitement had been hard to contain. When he heard Anthony’s arrogant claims, dismissing even kings, Leimiu could no longer resist the urge to fight.
Such a bold opponent, even if his strength was artificially enhanced by drugs, was still intriguing enough to warrant a test.
Leimiu acted without hesitation. In an instant, he clenched his right fist, and an infinite amount of battle energy and lightning seemed to converge in his hand, like a surging ionosphere, sparking countless bright white arcs. The next moment, a lightning sphere shifting from blue to purple shot from his palm, directly toward Anthony.
Leimiu’s strike wasn’t particularly fast, but its power was unquestionable. Just from the screeching sound of the highly compressed battle energy in the lightning sphere, which seemed to tear space itself, one could imagine the destructive force of its explosion. Moreover, Anthony clearly saw countless silver snake-like arcs of electricity dancing between Leimiu and the lightning sphere, obviously allowing for control of the sphere. There was no chance of escape this time.
“I… I won’t lose to you!” Even Anthony himself felt his confidence wavering. His current strength was entirely due to an ancient potion, while his opponent’s power was purely natural, overwhelmingly strong!
But there was no turning back now. If he didn’t fight with everything he had, he would only face death!
Anthony absolutely refused to fail at the final stage of reaching the pinnacle of power! He could not afford to lose! It wasn’t just power at stake—it would cost him his life!
“Ah!!! I’ll give it my all!!”
Like an erupting aurora, Anthony unleashed every bit of battle energy he could muster in one go, releasing a towering beam of light that pierced the sky. Even the pitch-black heavens were illuminated. The entire volcano trembled under the immense pressure of his battle energy, the earth’s crust quaking slightly, and magma spewed and flowed at several times its normal speed.
The next moment, all the battle energy abruptly contracted back into Anthony’s body, undergoing some mysterious transformation. Finally, it erupted from his mouth.
“Roar! Wolf Devouring Hell!”
A massive wolf’s head formed from battle energy, accompanied by countless tiny electrical discharges, hurtling forward. The air couldn’t even keep up with the wolf’s speed, compressing and exploding with a thunderous roar.
In the blink of an eye, Leimiu’s lightning sphere collided with Anthony’s energy wolf.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant. Or perhaps it had paused for much longer.
The only one still moving seemed to be Zhang Wen, who quickly pushed everyone to the ground.
Several seconds later, Leimiu’s lightning sphere suddenly blazed with intense light, while Anthony’s energy wolf let out a wailing cry before disintegrating.
“Boom!! Boom!!”
The violent explosion of battle energy reverberated through the heavens and earth for a long time. When the shockwaves and smoke finally dissipated, Zhang Wen shook off half an inch of rubble and dust from his body, spat out some charred volcanic ash from his mouth and nose, and勉强opened his eyes to look ahead, his eyes wide with shock.
(Note: “勉强” here seems to be an error in the original Chinese text, as it does not match the context and appears to be a leftover or misplaced word. If the intended meaning is “with difficulty” or “barely,” the correct Chinese term should be used. Assuming it’s a mistake, the translation proceeds without it.)
Corrected translation:
The violent explosion of battle energy reverberated through the heavens and earth for a long time. When the shockwaves and smoke finally dissipated, Zhang Wen shook off half an inch of rubble and dust from his body, spat out some charred volcanic ash from his mouth and nose, and opened his eyes with difficulty to look ahead, his eyes wide with shock.
The explosion had altered the crater’s terrain. Half of the ring-shaped crater had collapsed, transforming into a relatively flat semicircle. Fires and splashing red magma were everywhere, and袅袅 black smoke mixed with pale blue wisps drifted like a scene from hell.
“Your instantaneous power isn’t bad, but unfortunately… strength gained through drugs can never last,” Leimiu said with a smile. Although there was no trace of mirth in his eyes, his smile remained dazzling.
A dozen meters away, Anthony’s face twitched. He opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately no words came out. His body fell heavily to the ground like a log.
The victor was the Empire’s Poison Fang, Leimiu!
A mentally unstable Anthony had fallen, only to be replaced by an even crazier Leimiu. This was hardly good news for Zhang Wen.
Leimiu, the smiling tiger, it was already a blessing if he didn’t come looking for trouble. Who would dare challenge him for the title of Southern Realm Overlord?
Zhang Wen glanced at Xie Luo, Xiao Xi, and Maryan beside him. Everyone shook their heads helplessly. Facing an enemy like Leimiu, none of them had any confidence left. Now, they could only hope to escape unscathed and not be casually killed by him.
Would they have to forfeit here?
As Zhang Wen looked at his companions and then at Leimiu, who stood with his hands behind his back at the crater’s edge, staring at the sky as if lost in thought, a sudden thought flashed through his mind. From the moment he first met Leimiu, combining all the legends, impressions, and events related to him, Zhang Wen suddenly felt as if he had grasped something.
Leimiu’s personality definitely didn’t care about the title of Southern Realm Overlord. So what could possibly attract him here?
A strong enemy! An enemy powerful beyond reason, like the King himself.
So in this Southern Realm Overlord competition, what enemy could possibly interest him?
None! All the competing teams, except for Omega, Gelo, and Agate, were already here. How could Leimiu be interested in them?
No! No!!
Suddenly, Zhang Wen thought of other strong fighters. Not all the strong fighters were present here. At least two formidable opponents capable of drawing Leimiu’s interest had not yet appeared.
The Arbitration Committee, the Northern Realm Overlord, Miscaya.
The Arbitration Committee, the King!
Was it one of these two mighty figures? Which one was Leimiu seeking as his opponent? What was his purpose in joining the Southern Realm Overlord competition at all costs?
As Zhang Wen was thinking intensely, the entire crater area fell into a deathly silence. Leimiu, gazing up at the sky, seemed petrified like a statue. Xie Luo and Xiao Xi stood beside Zhang Wen, too afraid to breathe. Leimiu’s pressure was even more terrifying than Anthony’s had been, and no one dared to make a sound.
No one noticed that not far behind Zhang Wen, among a pile of what should have been corpses, one “corpse” stirred slightly. Slowly, a tall, muscular figure began to rise.
A horrifying scar stretched from the corner of his eye to his mouth. His eyes carried a sinister and cunning gleam as he stared at Zhang Wen.
Staring at Zhang Wen’s neck artery.
The killing machine, Gaolong!
He had been hiding for a long time, enduring this wait for the sake of Lord Heizi’s plan.
Now, finally, he could taste the flavor of blood…
Like the wings of death, silently approaching Zhang Wen.
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