Chapter 492 - 313: Isabel 3
His breathing didn’t even hitch. It was as if that earth-shattering counter-kill had been nothing more than brushing away a speck of dust.
He glanced at the collapsing mountain peak in the distance, then his gaze calmly turned to his virtual panel.
[Defeated opponent Ares Titan. Martial Daoist EXP +50.]
[Class: Martial Daoist Lv. 7 (1145 → 1195 / 12800)]
’50 points... The King tier really is generous.’
Li Wen’s heart stirred. He now had a deeper understanding of the qualitative change in speed and power that came from integrating a sliver of time into his berserk state.
He ignored the dead silence outside the barrier and the countless gazes filled with utter horror.
He directly chose to exit the arena, and his figure vanished on the spot.
...
「In the exclusive palace on Alka Star」
The atmosphere was as oppressive as a tomb.
Naraku was slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant.
Raymond was silent. The image of the collapsing mountain and the golden light of Ares’s disappearance was seared into his mind like a brand.
Isabel took a deep breath, her expression incredibly complex. She murmured to herself, "A human from Blue Star... Li Wen... Just how many more secrets are you hiding?"
A moment later, the figure of Ares Titan reformed inside the palace.
For once, he didn’t fly into a rage or lose his composure. He just stood there silently, looking down at his own fist.
It was as if the sensation of being shattered by that terrifying power, infused with a bizarre temporal force, still lingered on it.
...
「Virtual Cosmos, Li Wen’s personal space.」
After defeating Ares Titan, Li Wen didn’t rest.
It was a rare opportunity to have so many King-tier opponents actively challenging him; how could he possibly let it pass?
Fighting these people was worth more than a dozen matched battles.
So, his consciousness quickly swept over the mountain of challenge invitations in his personal space once more.
His gaze precisely locked onto the unaccepted King-tier challenges from the Emperor Star prodigies.
’A rare opportunity.’ A sharp glint flashed in Li Wen’s eyes.
He began accepting them without hesitation.
...
"DING! Your challenge to ’Changning’ has been accepted. Transference to the arena in 10 seconds." A cold system notification sounded in the ear of an Emperor Star prodigy.
"What?!" The young man with short, silver hair shot his head up, his face a mask of astonishment. "My challenge... was accepted too?"
His cry of surprise immediately drew the attention of his companions.
"Yours was accepted too?"
"Didn’t he just finish fighting Ares? He’s accepting another one so soon?"
Their brief confusion was quickly replaced by a furious anger born of feeling slighted.
They had witnessed the entire process of Li Wen defeating Ares and acknowledged his strength.
But for him to accept another challenge right now, in their eyes, was tantamount to a post-victory humiliation.
"Damn it! What’s he trying to do? Does he plan on walking all over every single one of us?" a burly, hot-tempered young man growled, his face filled with resentment.
"Hmph, let’s see what tricks he’s trying to pull!" another person said coldly.
With complicated feelings, this group of prodigies once again chose to spectate, their figures disappearing outside the barrier.
The silver-haired young man was the first to be teleported to the arena.
He looked at the calmly standing Li Wen opposite him, and the sense of humiliation instantly overwhelmed his initial sliver of doubt. He demanded sharply,
"What is the meaning of this? I admit you are incredibly powerful, but a warrior can be killed but not humiliated! By accepting one challenge after another, are you trying to completely trample the dignity of the Emperor Stars under your feet?"
Li Wen was slightly taken aback, then a look of innocence crossed his face. "The challenges, weren’t you the ones who issued them?" He pointed at his opponent. "The system notified me that you challenged me."
"You...!" The silver-haired youth was choked with anger, his fury burning even hotter. "Fine! Very fine! Let’s just see how long you can keep up this arrogance!"
He said no more. The moment the countdown hit zero,
his entire body erupted in a blinding silver light, transforming into a sharp spear of light that shot straight for Li Wen’s throat.
It was a strike fueled by anger, its power astonishing.
However, the chasm in strength was not something that could be bridged by rage.
Li Wen’s figure swayed slightly. [Absolute Focus] activated, and his Insight instantly soared to its peak.
In his eyes, the opponent’s seemingly fierce attack was riddled with openings.
He simply sidestepped, and with a flick of his wrist, his blade arced through the air like a phantom, precisely slicing into a node in his opponent’s energy flow.
PSST!
The silver light collapsed. The silver-haired youth’s eyes went wide as his figure dissolved into motes of light.
A one-hit kill!
Immediately after, the second, the third... one after another, the Emperor Star prodigies whose challenges had been accepted were teleported onto the stage.
Questioning, anger, and frustration played out across their faces in succession, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Li Wen was like a precise reaper.
Relying on his profound understanding of the essence of power, his incomparably tough physical body, and his Primordial Spirit that was approaching the Peak of the Ninth Layer,
as well as that terrifying speed infused with a sliver of time,
he cleanly and efficiently defeated one King-tier prodigy after another, each of whom was capable of looking down on all their peers in their respective Star Domains.
The atmosphere in the spectator area outside the barrier gradually shifted from initial anger and confusion to an oppressive, dead silence and an indescribable sense of defeat.
Finally, it was Isabel’s turn.
When the figure wreathed in silver brilliance appeared on the arena, the spirits of the remaining Emperor Star prodigies outside the barrier lifted slightly.
Among their group, Isabel was the strongest, second only to Ares Titan.
Even though Ares Titan had lost and Isabel’s chances of winning were slim, what if?
At the same time, Li Wen’s gaze also fell upon his opponent.
Even with his high Primordial Spirit Realm and his will as firm as iron, he couldn’t help but pause for a moment.
The woman before him was so exquisitely and perfectly beautiful, it was as if she embodied all the universe’s principles of aesthetics.