Chapter 754 - 754: The Approaching Danger
"UWOO!" The spectators erupted in an uproar as they witnessed something amazing. Not only because of the great fight, but also because each participant displayed their true abilities. The finals truly showcased their best, as they revealed their strongest techniques and hidden trump cards.
Erik was truly amazing in unleashing powerful techniques, but for the crowd, what Sun Meilin did shocked them even more.
"To think that kid comprehended three laws, and one of them is the space laws. Her future will be bright if she is supported by the appropriate resources," Aldrey commented. What Sun Meilin did in the last moment before Erik's attack could reach her was bend the space in front of her, redirecting the attack to the side.
She also used the space laws to bend the space around Erik's feet, making it difficult for him to escape from her attack. Although her control over space was still that simple, it was already enough for her current stage.
Erik, who did not know about her true ability, could not sense her space laws and would not realize that this was space laws. After all, someone who could comprehend the space laws at the beginning of their cultivation journey was extremely rare.
Moreover, she was already known as a dual-element cultivator, and no one outside of her family knew about her third law.
Irene responded to her husband's comment with a nod.
"Yes, she was truly amazing. For her to hide such an ability all this time… no, I should say the Sun family hid her talent well, since no one else knew of her true capability," she answered.
Irene, of course, knew more about the Sun family, since they came from her kingdom. She was shocked that the Sun family, a noble house often overlooked and kept outside the spotlight, had been hiding such a gem.
To the outside world, Sun Meilin, the daughter of Baron Sun, was known as a dual-element cultivator from the very beginning of her cultivation. Yet to think it was actually three elements, and that one of them was the space laws.
In the arena, Sun Meilin suddenly fell to the ground. Physicians rushed in to treat her and Erik, with special attention on Erik, who had taken the full force of her ultimate attack.
"Good work, kid. Now you can rest. Let me heal you," one of the physicians said to her.
She felt completely drained, as though she would faint at any moment. She had deliberately put herself forward as bait, and afterward exhausted her energy by using the space laws almost at the same time with her ultimate technique.
The space laws at her stage consumed a tremendous amount of energy, and her ultimate technique did the same. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to sleep. Yet she could not help but show a smile.
She had done it—she had won and become the champion of the Beginner Stage category!
After a few moments, the two participants were brought out of the arena by the staff, and the destroyed surface of the arena was restored to its original state by Orlav. In less than thirty seconds, the arena returned to its initial condition, ready to be used for another battle.
"We were truly entertained by the final match of the Beginner Stage. Even I was shocked by what Participant Erik and Participant Sun Meilin could do. Now, let us continue with the next battle. We might see something just as unexpected as what we witnessed earlier. Let us welcome the finalists of the Disciple Stage category—Tron Flameheart and Orion Varektus!" Orlav shouted.
The spectators roared in excitement once more as they eagerly awaited the next battle. The two participants stepped into the arena with full confidence, their expressions showing that they were ready to go all out. And after both of them confirmed their readiness—
"The battle begins!"
The announcement was followed by the thunderous cheers of the crowd. The atmosphere remained intense even as the sun leaned toward the western side of the world. Time seemed to pass quickly under the excitement of the finals.
Yet, unbeknown to the many still drowning in the festive joy of the tournament, a danger continued to approach them—or more precisely, their world.
In the depths of space, far from the Ancient Blue Gate World, a massive armada of more than two hundred giant interstellar vessels surged forward through a wormhole. The sheer size of this fleet was terrifying, as if it were preparing for all-out war, and that was indeed the intention of those aboard.
This was the armada of the devils, still making their way toward the Ancient Blue Gate World. At its head was Rulleus, the son of the Vampire King of the First Heaven. These more than two hundred interstellar vessels represented the combined might of nearly all devil factions within the Fallen Star Cluster.
They had chosen to follow Rulleus willingly on his path of war, driven by their discontent toward Xarz, their leader in the Fallen Star Cluster, who had chosen to abort the attack on Ancient Blue Gate World. Nearly all of their powerhouses had joined this campaign, leaving only a handful behind to guard their home stars.
They had brought most of their powerhouses, believing this war could be won by the devils. With so many strong figures and the advantage of a surprise attack, they were certain they would not fail. Moreover, with Rulleus and his troops who came directly from the central region of Heaven, their strength was many times greater.
That was why there was no hesitation among the devils as they advanced toward the star that had recently become a hot topic.
And what about the news of someone who had fought their god? Almost none of them believed such nonsense. For someone of this heaven to face a god, those who believed it must be insane. They were convinced that their god had reasons for canceling his descent, but whatever the reason was, it did not matter.
They would continue marching toward the Ancient Blue Gate World. They would take that star, and even the entire star cluster, regardless of any deviation from their original plan.
As for that so-called existence, they gave it little thought, dismissing the stories from the Ancient Blue Gate World as mere exaggerations meant to frighten devils who might cause trouble there.
However, not all of the devils within the armada shared the same excitement for the coming war. One among them instead grew increasingly anxious as they drew nearer to the central star cluster. At this moment, he was carrying out an errand assigned by Rulleus. In his hand, he held a chain, and at the other end of it was a woman's neck.
The woman was in fact a cultivator at the low Immortal Foundation Stage, but her cultivation had been sealed, rendering her no different from a mortal. She wore only a single piece of cloth, and her eyes appeared vacant, as if under some kind of hypnosis, though she still followed Xarz as he led her toward a certain room.
Two of Rulleus's guardians stood at the entrance, and the moment they saw him, they opened the door without hesitation. The instant the door opened, a strong stench of blood struck Xarz's nostrils, making his vampire body react with hunger. He suppressed the urge, and continued walking inside with the woman in tow.
Inside the room was a massive pool, and Rulleus could be seen soaking at its edge as if he were enjoying his solitude. His back was turned to Xarz, so his face could not be seen.
The overwhelming stench of blood came from the pool itself, its crimson liquid rising up to Rulleus's chest. The pool was filled entirely with human blood, and from the sheer quantity, no one could tell how many lives had been taken to fill it. For Rulleus, this was both a way to indulge himself and a method to increase his power.
When Xarz reached a spot not far behind him, he stopped and lowered his head slightly.
"I brought one of the cattle, Your Highness," he said.
"Good. Send her to me," Rulleus replied without turning his head.
Xarz nodded, whispered something to the woman, and released the chain around her neck. A moment later, she began walking steadily toward Rulleus. Step by step, she moved forward until she entered the pool, the blood lapping at her body, before stopping beside him. Rulleus turned his gaze to her with a cold smile.
Suddenly, clarity returned to the woman's eyes. She blinked, and in the next moment her face turned pale.
"Ahh!" she screamed, stumbling into the pool of blood. But before she could move away, Rulleus stretched out his hand, and her body was pulled toward him.
"No! No! Please, don't do this to me!"
The woman struggled against the pull, but it was futile. Rulleus's cold smile never wavered as she was drawn into his grasp. He seized her by the neck and pulled her close to his face.
"You cattle, your only purpose is to serve as my nourishment," he whispered. "Be honored to die for me."
"No, no, NO!" The woman screamed in desperation, but she could not resist Rulleus's power. A moment later, his sharp fangs sank into her neck. She struggled with all her remaining strength, but it was futile. Her resistance grew weaker and weaker as her body was drained. Before long, her body withered, growing thinner and thinner until nothing remained but bones. When Rulleus was finished, he tossed the dried corpse out of the pool.
"Dump that," he ordered.
Xarz obeyed silently, carrying the drained corpse away and leaving Rulleus alone once more.
Left in silence, Rulleus let out a sigh.
'It's still not enough. I need stronger cattle to push my cultivation forward. Just a little more, and I could break through.' But then his cold smile returned as he pictured what was to come.
'Well, after the war I will have more than enough. I've heard that the Ancient Blue Gate World has many strong cultivators. That will be enough for my breakthrough.'
He thought of nothing else, convinced that no obstacle would stand in his way.
He would bring victory!