Before Zhang Wen and Xie Luo could recover from their shock, the “Overlord” continued his introduction. With a wave of his staff, a second figure emerged from the light screen—a noble old man dressed in the regalia of an imperial duke.
“The second arbiter is the Imperial Duke, Duke Feimi’er.”
It wasn’t particularly surprising that the Empire had sent a duke to join the arbitration committee—it was, after all, a natural move.
However, the third arbiter introduced by the Overlord immediately sent shockwaves through the crowd.
A massive and imposing figure filled the light screen, his form hazy and indistinct, obscuring his face. Yet the overwhelming power radiating from the screen caused everyone to think of the same name simultaneously—Wang!
“For this competition, we have also invited the strongest warrior, Wang, to join us. Therefore, there is no need to worry about fairness—Wang himself is the ultimate guarantee.”
As the Overlord spoke, many in the crowd silently pondered: Wang has actually agreed to participate? What could possibly be so special about this South Territory Championship to attract someone like him? Even more bizarre was the fact that the Overlord was a legendary figure said to have once defeated Wang. For him to introduce Wang’s appearance was, frankly, a bit ironic…
After introducing Wang, the Overlord continued with two more members of the arbitration committee: Caesar, the Chief Regent of the Alliance, and the legendary prophet of the Empire’s Eastern Region, a secret organization known as the Jishe.
This arbitration committee was a balanced mix of representatives from various factions, ensuring a relatively fair process. The competitors had little reason to object—after all, the Northern Overlord and Wang alone were more than enough to guarantee impartiality.
The Alliance, as an external force, had long maintained friendly commercial ties with the Empire, and thus could be seen as a neutral third party in this arbitration.
“That concludes the introduction of the arbitration committee. Now, allow me to explain the final rules.”
“There are a total of sixteen competing teams, including over ten Transcendents and forty Saints. In short, one-third of the Empire’s strongest warriors are gathered here. This is the ultimate battle—fairness and impartiality must be ensured at all costs. Any violations will result in immediate disqualification by the arbitration committee. The specific rules are as follows: all participants will enter this Mind Energy Formation, where Mind Mages will transport you to the competition site. This is the final battlefield.”
As the Overlord spoke, a surreal island appeared on the mind-energy screen before him—a massive volcanic island. At its center stood a towering volcano, its crater spewing smoke and molten lava. The rest of the island was covered in dense, primeval forests.
“After entering the battlefield, all competitors must head toward this volcano and strive to reach its peak as quickly as possible. The team or individual who successfully occupies the crater and defeats all challengers, holding their position until the end, will be declared the champion. The strongest among them will become the new South Territory Overlord.”
“Any team or individual that hesitates or remains in one location for more than ten minutes after entering the battlefield will be disqualified. Any team or individual who avoids combat or evades the race to the summit will also be disqualified. Anyone who fakes injury to avoid fighting will be disqualified as well. Additionally, if a team or individual concedes defeat, no further attacks may be made. Other than these rules, anything goes…”
These final three rules effectively crushed any hopes of conserving strength and waiting until the last moment to make a move.
Every rule was designed with one goal in mind—use your full strength, fight openly and honestly, and only the strongest and most powerful will emerge victorious!
“That’s all for the rules. If there are no questions, we shall begin. All competitors, step into the Mind Energy Circle.”
The Overlord pointed his staff toward the formation. A surge of invisible mind energy spread outward, and the entire array blazed with brilliant golden light. Those who had previously doubted the Overlord’s strength now fell silent. This power was likely on par with that of a territorial overlord—if not even stronger!
Each team exchanged signals and glances, gathering together before stepping into the Mind Energy Formation.
As Zhang Wen and his team entered the circle, Maryan quietly approached him, whispering into his ear in a voice only they could hear, “Don’t hesitate anymore. You must already know about my master’s situation. What future is there in clinging to a sinking ship? If you’re willing to work with me, we can have far better opportunities…” Her voice was urgent and rapid, hidden by the crowd, drawing no attention—even Lofei remained oblivious.
“The South Territory Championship begins now!”
With the Overlord’s deep, solemn voice, dazzling lights erupted, and the sixteen competing teams vanished simultaneously into the Mind Energy Formation.
As the light from the teleportation faded, Zhang Wen immediately raised his guard and scanned his surroundings.
He now stood atop a high hill, its sharp, spire-like peak jutting into the sky, at least five or six hundred meters above the ground. All around him stretched an endless sea of green trees. Occasionally, other sharp, towering hills pierced through the canopy like fangs reaching for the heavens.
Nearby, Xie Luo, Agate, and Xi Xi were with him, but he couldn’t see Thunder God Omega, Lofei, Maryan, or Gro.
“What now?” Xie Luo stood up, shading his eyes as he scanned the area. The sun hung high in the sky, its heat intense. Everyone felt the scorching sunlight, the air thick with unbearable heat.
“It seems different teams were teleported to different locations, but we’re all on this island,” Zhang Wen said, using a stone to sketch the shape of the volcanic island from memory onto the ground.
“We can’t stay here for more than ten minutes. Let’s move and search for the others.”
Almost instinctively, everyone accepted Zhang Wen’s leadership. His strength and calm demeanor, along with his past successes in leading the academy, had earned him their trust.
Even Agate, usually the most rebellious, had no interest in asserting dominance—his mind was consumed by thoughts of revenge.
Under Zhang Wen’s leadership, Xie Luo, Agate, and Xi Xi began descending the steep cliffs. For Zhang Wen, Xie Luo, and Agate, scaling such heights was no challenge. The only problem was Xi Xi, who wore a short, cute skirt that made climbing difficult—and indecent.
Eventually, she huffed in frustration and jumped onto her brother Agate’s back, letting him carry her down.
Being an older brother was never easy. Zhang Wen smirked mischievously, reaching out to ruffle Xi Xi’s fiery, fluffy hair, earning a playful squeal and a glare from Agate.
The four quickly entered the primeval forest and soon spotted Lofei, Maryan, Gro, and Thunder God Omega moving cautiously ahead. Their team had reunited successfully.
It seemed the Mind Energy Formation’s teleportation had kept their team relatively close together.
“Let’s go,” Thunder God Omega said, his expression as cold and imposing as ever. Those unfamiliar with him might be intimidated by his aura of power. But to Zhang Wen, he could only shake his head in quiet pity. Once you enter the martial world, freedom becomes an illusion—even a mighty warrior like Omega had little choice in the matter.
After estimating their position, the group followed Omega toward the volcano. Including Omega, their team had only eight members—relatively small. But considering their “three Transcendents,” it was understandable.
As they advanced, everyone remained alert, watching for any unexpected dangers. At any moment, they might encounter enemies. Each team’s leader was either a Transcendent or close to it—none of them weak.
Taking advantage of the moment, Maryan quietly approached Zhang Wen again, using mind energy to whisper, “Have you made up your mind yet? Sticking with my master to the bitter end will only lead to tragedy. I’m just warning you—my master has many enemies… You’re just a shield to him. Are you really okay with that?”
She really didn’t give up easily. Zhang Wen could understand her reasoning—should Omega fall, his disciples would also face ruin. Maryan, being the most ambitious and calculating of Omega’s three disciples, likely saw Zhang Wen’s strength and potential. With most of the team already loyal to Zhang Wen, aligning with him and abandoning Omega would be safer and more advantageous.
But… Zhang Wen wasn’t that kind of person.
Feeling Maryan’s anxious gaze, Zhang Wen smiled faintly and whispered back using mind energy, “What can you offer me that would make me interested? Besides, don’t you think you should show some sincerity before making demands?”
Without waiting for her reaction, Zhang Wen quickened his pace forward, leaving Maryan with a flushed, conflicted expression.
They hadn’t gone far when, almost simultaneously, powerful battle-energy fluctuations erupted from various directions across the island, followed by thunderous explosions.
Several teams had already encountered each other and begun fierce battles!
Thunder God Omega halted at the front, tilting his head slightly. His deep blue eyes gazed into the sky.
His expression remained unreadable, his thoughts hidden beneath the piercing sunlight filtering through the forest canopy.
After a long pause, he shook his head. “Combat at eight o’clock and six o’clock. Keep moving.”
True to his reputation, even with injuries, Omega could still pinpoint the source of the battle energy. The journey ahead would need to be even more cautious, as they might soon encounter hostile teams like those before.
If the opposing leader happened to be a Transcendent…
Their so-called “three Transcendents” might not be enough to handle the situation.
Zhang Wen noticed that Omega had subtly adjusted their route to avoid the direction of the battles. For someone like Omega, this was a rare compromise. Perhaps it was the tragedy of a mighty warrior—full of ambition but stripped of his strength at the most crucial moment.
Reality was indeed cruel and ironic.
Although the rules of the final round forbade any tricks or cheating, there was still an element of luck—good or bad. Teams that collided immediately upon entry and suffered heavy losses were clearly the unlucky ones. However, Zhang Wen’s team wasn’t particularly fortunate either.
Despite Omega’s efforts to avoid conflict using his mind energy and experience, twenty minutes later, they encountered an unexpected situation.
A vast expanse of primeval forest had been flattened by a powerful battle-energy explosion, its charred remains smoldering with black smoke. The air reeked of burnt vegetation.
Their arrival was clearly ill-timed, but even Omega hadn’t expected the sudden eruption of battle energy from what had been a quiet forest moments ago.
Now, two opposing teams turned their hostile gazes toward Zhang Wen’s group.
In this competition, every encounter meant potential conflict.
The path to the South Territory Overlord was paved with blood and carnage.
Through the smoke, Zhang Wen spotted the two groups. One he recognized—Batenping, the low-key Transcendent with silver hair and a doll-like face, who had once protected Jialite under Governor Temiso. Batenping’s face still bore his usual smile, though his body showed signs of burns from the earlier clash.
Batenping’s team, including himself, had twelve members—three Saints and six Tenth-Order warriors. Though not overwhelmingly strong, it was still a decent force, especially considering Temiso’s personal backing.
Opposing Batenping was a bald giant with a thick beard, his muscular torso bare, radiating purple battle energy. His presence was unmistakably that of a Transcendent.
Zhang Wen noted that his team had only six members—fewer than his own—but surprisingly, four of them were Saints, with the remaining three at the Tenth Order. Every team that made it to the finals was formidable.
At this moment, Maryan and Lofei both instinctively approached Zhang Wen from either side, whispering in his ears, “The one on the left is supported by Governor Temiso, and the one on the right is the Transcendent ‘Madman’ Batuli, backed by Governor Karayan.”
They both realized they had done the same thing at the same time, exchanged awkward glances, and silently stepped back.
Under normal circumstances, being flanked by two beautiful women might have drawn jealousy. But now, everyone’s attention was fixed on the sudden appearance of two Transcendent teams. Even Omega ignored his disciples’ subtle movements.
If handled improperly, Thunder God Omega’s so-called “strongest” team could easily collapse.
In reality, the only one capable of matching a Transcendent was “the weakest Transcendent,”炎魔阿加特 (Agat the Flame Demon). In an actual battle, it was still uncertain who would come out victorious, and there was also the concern that the opponent might join forces against their group.
After all, a team bearing the title of “Triple Super Elite” easily provokes the opposing side’s united hostility.
Kato Heih and Batuli, who had initially entered a combat stance, temporarily restrained their urge to attack. Both groups glared at Thunder Omega and Zhang Wen. An eerie silence fell over the battlefield.
Ba Tengping and Ba Tuli exchanged a glance. The two men, who had just been enemies, simultaneously saw hesitation in each other’s eyes. Belonging to opposing factions, they stood on opposite sides of a divide that could not be reconciled—whether in terms of the underlying tensions between Governor Temisuo and Governor Kalayang, or in their struggle for dominance over the southern territories.
However, this premise assumes no outside enemies joining in. Once Thor Omega, Zhang Wen, and Flame Demon Agate appeared, both Bateng Ping and Batuli felt an intense threat. Having three Overclass warriors in a single team—what does that imply? It means they possess absolute strength, enough to potentially annihilate both opposing teams.
Inevitably, Batengping and Batuli quietly set aside their mutual hostility for the time being in order to deal with their strongest enemy first.
The weapons in both teams’ hands and their alert gazes silently shifted toward Zhang Wen and Omega.
Noticing the faint smell of gunpowder in the air, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but bitterly smile to himself, while also feeling a cold sweat forming for the others. Right now, both sides were cautious and at a temporary stalemate—but what would happen next? Would they really have to confront both teams at once?
Although Batengping had known Zhang Wen previously, when it came to the issue of competing for dominance over the Southern Territories, there would likely be no room for personal relationships. Even more importantly, from the previous tests during their time on the Xingyue, others might not have been aware, but as a Transcendent expert, Batengping could at least guess part of Zhang Wen’s situation: normally, he definitely did not possess Transcendent-level strength, but only under specific circumstances could he temporarily surge to the Transcendent realm.
For a moment, the members of the three teams remained eerily silent, continuously gathering strength while each struggled with intense inner turmoil.
To fight or not to fight?
This brief moment of calm did not last long. Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted: “Get out of my way, whoever dares to stand in front of me!”
A blazing crimson flame of battle energy surged halfway into the sky, forming a fiercely burning blaze of fiery battle light. The surrounding air rapidly heated up. Dead leaves ignited into flames, green plants turned yellow and withered, curling up, and even hair became dry and curly.
It’s the Flame Spirit Agate!!
Zhang Wen had previously considered many scenarios, including those thought through by Thunder Omega and Marian, as well as Lofley. However, none of them had anticipated that Agate would suddenly fly into a rage and attack.
“Purple Flame Thunder Prison!”
As Agate swung his great sword with both hands, a violet-red blaze formed into a magnificent and dazzling flame dragon, sweeping indiscriminately towards both the Batengping and Batuli groups.
“What an idiot!!”
Zhang Wen shouted inwardly. Agate was too impulsive. He probably felt confident relying on the team’s strong members—Zhang Wen, himself, and the Thunder God Omega—believing that three High Ascendants could easily sweep away the opponent’s two. But he seemed to have forgotten that Zhang Wen normally couldn’t output battle energy at the High Ascendant level; Zhang Wen’s greatest strength was his physical combat techniques. Additionally, Agate was completely unaware of the Thunder God Omega’s current hollowed-out condition.
It’s going to be a disaster!!
Sure enough, almost instinctively, Kato Hei and Batuli, who had previously been hesitating, simultaneously changed expressions as they were attacked by the Flame Demon Agate. Even if they didn’t want to join forces, it was now impossible. Faced with the demon’s fierce assault, they had no choice but to fight back—even if it was just to save themselves.
The mad warrior Batuli let out a furious roar, his muscles exploding with sudden, massive growth. When he first gained his reputation, Flame Demon Agate was still unknown, and now this young upstart had the audacity to strike at him first—it was utterly intolerable! In his rage, Batuli unleashed his combat energy, which expanded like a brilliant, radiant umbrella, instantly pushing back the other members of his group. The next moment, he clenched both fists and, like a giant swinging twin war hammers, charged straight at the sweeping fire dragon.
Blinding radiant energy coalesced into a colossal white sword, which slashed toward Agate’s fiery dragon.
At the same moment, Katō Hei’s cherubic face lost its smile, his silver hair standing on end. A hazy, swirling vortex of seven colors expanded around him. “Death Tornado!” The seven-colored energy formed a spiraling whirlwind of light, growing larger and larger, and struck the crimson dragon Agate had unleashed from the side.
The simultaneous full-force attacks of three Overlords filled the air, and in an instant, even the airflow seemed on the verge of being crushed and exploding. The Flame Dragon of the Fire Demon scorched and vaporized the air, the sharp battle aura of Berserker Batuli sliced the air in half, and the seven-colored energy whirlwind unleashed by Hermit Katou Heih flattened the air within a radius of dozens of meters. In that brief moment, the heart of the battlefield actually became a vacuum, resulting in instantaneous annihilation.
“Boom!!!”
The collision of three powerful forces resulted in a terrifying explosion! This was the most horrific energy eruption since entering the final arena. It was no less intense than the previous one involving Wang.
After holding the ground for several seconds, Agate was quickly overwhelmed facing off against two opponents at once. His fiery dragon was first struck by Batuli’s energy-infused greatsword. As it struggled to recover, it was then caught in Batengping’s swirling energy vortex. Batengping’s power had initially seemed unremarkable, but at this moment, Agate realized that he was, in fact, the most formidable foe of all.
The swirling vortex of the Seven-Colored War Dragon resembled countless sharp, rotating blades. When it coiled around Agate’s全力 (quánlì) flame dragon, the fire dragon was instantly torn apart inch by inch and crushed into pieces.
Agate the Fire Demon was usually very confident, but even he couldn’t help feeling startled at this moment.
“It’s a good thing I have strong companions too,” Agate muttered to himself in reassurance, then shouted loudly: “Zhang Wen, Thunder God, let’s act together and show them what absolute power truly means!”
As he turned around, Agate’s smiling face twitched.
The Thunder God Omega had long since moved aside with his three disciples, running faster than a rabbit.
Zhang Wen was no less quick to react. He swiftly pulled aside the bewildered Xie and Xiaoxi, who was cheering for her older brother, before the situation fully unfolded.
The swirling rainbow dragon and the dazzling light sword arrived in an instant, casting Agate’s face into a pale hue. This was the combined might of two supreme experts.
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