Chapter 1257: The Great Wave Sifts the Sand
Huo Laoban watched Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, who were displaying astonishing strength in the arena. His emotions mirrored Luo Yao's in some ways, yet differed in others.
The similarity lay in the fact that he, too, was shocked and bewildered at that moment, having never imagined that the two of them could have grown so powerful!
The difference was that there was no pleasant surprise in his heart—only terror. For the strength they were currently exhibiting even surpassed his own!
When he had followed Luo Yao to contend for the position of Great Emperor, his strength had been the weakest among all the helpers. Luo Yao’s trusted confidantes were all far, far stronger than him, all of them experts who had "opened" their Heaven and Earth Souls. Luo Yao had sought his help then, valuing the special abilities of his Soul Armament.
The struggle for the Great Emperor position had been incredibly bloody and brutal. Many trusted subordinates of the seven Guardians had died, and the Jingling Continent Underworld had lost numerous powerful experts because of it.
All of Luo Yao's personal retainers had perished in that battle for the Great Emperor position, not a single one surviving. Instead, he, the weakest special helper, had miraculously preserved his life and even reaped immense benefits. Becoming a Guardian was something that happened after Luo Yao became Great Emperor, not among the benefits he received back then.
The benefit he had received at that time was a massive amount of Pure Yin Qi. It was precisely this immense quantity of Pure Yin Qi that had allowed his strength to rapidly advance to the mid-stage Earth Soul realm in a short period.
He had originally believed that, with his current strength, Yang Haoran would be no match for him, even after acquiring the Supreme Yin Qi from Xu Meijing's body. But now, it was clear that wasn't the case at all; Yang Haoran's strength already surpassed his own. Although Yang Haoran's currently displayed power didn't seem much stronger than his, it was undeniably a fact that he was superior. How could this not leave him shocked and bewildered?
However, unlike Luo Yao, he knew that Yang Haoran had absorbed the Supreme Yin Qi from Xu Meijing's body. Because of this, his confusion wasn't as intense as Luo Yao's. With just a little thought, he arrived at what he considered a reasonable conjecture about the source of Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's power.
At that moment, Huo Laoban was consumed by both fury and vexation. Yang Haoran had snatched such a massive advantage, and he wished he could choke Yang Haoran to death right then and there!
"Hehe, Guardian Huo, your complexion doesn't seem to be very good."
Just as Huo Laoban was gnashing his teeth in hatred while watching Yang Haoran in the arena, a slightly teasing voice beside him pulled him back to reality.
The one who had suddenly spoken was the Guardian seated above Huo Laoban. When Huo Laoban registered this, he didn't put on his usual smiling face, but instead wore a look of deep worry.
"The situation is a bit grim, so my heart feels somewhat uneasy."
As Huo Laoban said this, he deliberately glanced at Luo Yao, who was seated ahead. The higher-ranked Guardian's expression subtly shifted upon hearing Huo Laoban's words, then he gave a faint smile.
"Don't worry, the Great Emperor has his own considerations. Although the situation in the arena is somewhat complex right now, until the very end, who can truly know the outcome?"
Hearing this, Huo Laoban merely nodded lightly, not pursuing the conversation further. To avoid rousing suspicion from others, he dared not keep staring at the area where Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were. Instead, he shifted his gaze towards the region occupied by Wen Hexuan and his two allies.
As Huo Laoban's gaze fell upon the area where Wen Hexuan and his two allies were, though the worry on his face didn't lessen, his mood considerably improved.
The area where Wen Hexuan and his two allies were fighting was currently the most crowded, the most fiercely contested, and also the most brutal. This was because the trio's strength was simply too formidable; without sufficient manpower, it was impossible to restrain them.
Furthermore, merely dodging their attacks was completely ineffective, as the trio wouldn't stop attacking simply because someone chose to evade. On the contrary, blind evasion would only hasten their process of eliminating opponents one by one.
The contestants understood this, so they spontaneously gathered over a hundred individuals and launched a fierce, combined assault against the trio. As for the others, they were responsible for clearing out the Emissaries of Death under the trio's command.
A combined force of over a hundred Emissaries of Death, all of whom had "opened" their Heaven and Earth Souls, naturally wielded astonishing power. Under this assault, Wen Hexuan and his two allies all sustained injuries of varying degrees.
However, Wen Hexuan and his two allies were simply too formidable. Even though the contestants held a numerical advantage and inflicted injuries of various severities upon the trio, they were still unable to fully suppress them. Instead, the trio managed to eliminate a considerable number of contestants.
Every attack the trio launched gravely wounded some individuals, or even directly eliminated them from the competition. In a short time, the combined force of over a hundred contestants had dwindled to just over seventy, with the other twenty-plus individuals all having been eliminated.
Huo Laoban's mood improved at this point precisely because he saw that the contestants were utterly incapable of suppressing Wen Hexuan and his two allies. Instead, people were constantly being eliminated by the trio. In his eyes, this was a good thing, because once Wen Hexuan and his allies cleared out their current opponents, they would undoubtedly move on to eliminate Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing. After all, neither Yang Haoran nor Xu Meijing were Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan's command, so the trio would certainly eliminate them to secure opportunities for their own Emissaries of Death to become Guardians.
Huo Laoban's thoughts at that moment were simple: he would rather see the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan's command ascend to the Guardian position than witness Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing become new Guardians. Therefore, seeing Wen Hexuan and his allies gaining the upper hand brought him considerable comfort. He merely dared not reveal his true emotions, opting instead to maintain a facade of worry.
But then, Huo Laoban recalled an extremely serious problem, and his heart immediately became conflicted.
If Wen Hexuan and his two allies successfully secured the Guardian positions for their Emissaries of Death, then Luo Yao, the newly appointed Jingling Great Emperor, would surely be threatened, and might even be overthrown as a result.
Once Luo Yao fell, his own days would certainly not be easy. After all, he was a Guardian directly promoted by Luo Yao through an exception. In the eyes of others, he was Luo Yao's favorite. If Luo Yao truly fell, it went without saying that he would also suffer the consequences.
It was precisely because he considered this point that his heart was now filled with immense conflict. On one hand, he didn't want to see Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing become Guardians; on the other hand, he wanted even less to see Luo Yao fall.
Huo Laoban wasn't the only one feeling conflicted at that moment. The Emissaries of Death whom Huo Laoban had secretly contacted were also equally conflicted.
They had all promised Huo Laoban that they would "accidentally" eliminate Yang Haoran during this martial arts competition. According to Huo Laoban, Yang Haoran's strength was estimated to be only in the early-stage Earth Soul realm—he had some power, but wasn't too difficult to deal with. Thus, they had agreed to help Huo Laoban, especially since Huo Laoban had now become Luo Yao's most favored Guardian, no longer merely an Emissary of Death. In the future, there would be many situations where they might need Huo Laoban's help, so lending him a hand and putting him in their debt wasn't a bad idea.
After the competition began, these individuals noticed Yang Haoran. Since none of them were Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and his two allies, if they didn't attack Wen Hexuan's trio or their subordinates, but instead targeted Yang Haoran—even going as far as to try to kill him—it would certainly arouse suspicion. They would then have no idea how they ended up dead. Thus, they didn't dare act recklessly. Instead, they sought the optimal moment to strike, hoping to create the illusion of an accidental killing of Yang Haoran.
However, these individuals soon discovered that the strength Yang Haoran displayed was completely different from what Huo Laoban had described. It was significantly more formidable than Huo Laoban's estimation, even surpassing their own capabilities. This immediately threw their hearts into conflict, making them ponder whether they should still act against Yang Haoran if an opportunity arose later.
If Yang Haoran's strength were truly in the early-stage Earth Soul realm as Huo Laoban had claimed, then seeking an opportunity to strike him wouldn't be an issue. But Yang Haoran's strength was so formidable that actively targeting him would not only provoke suspicion from others but also infuriate Yang Haoran, bringing disaster upon themselves. When that happened, they would be the ones to suffer.
Moreover, the attacks from the three Guardians—Wen Hexuan, Long Yan, and Ye Xianglan—were ferocious, and their Emissaries of Death were similarly pumped up. In such circumstances, merely protecting themselves was already quite a feat; it was difficult to spare any effort to deal with Yang Haoran.
Precisely because of this, these individuals felt immensely conflicted. However, their opponents would not cease their attacks simply because of their internal dilemmas. Faced with their adversaries' fierce assaults, after a period of struggle in their hearts, they all chose to temporarily cast the matter aside.
Although they had all promised Huo Laoban, they simply couldn't afford to consider that much in the current situation. After all, their primary objective in participating in this competition wasn't to eliminate Yang Haoran for Huo Laoban, but to successfully secure a Guardian position for themselves. Therefore, what they needed to do right now was to use every means possible to avoid being eliminated and to remain on this arena for as long as they could.
"Brother Huo, eliminating Yang Haoran in this situation is simply too difficult. Unless both he and I can advance to the next round, only then might I have a chance to get rid of him. But to enter the next round with him, we first have to eliminate Wen Hexuan and his two allies!"
After Ding Tianhua eliminated an Emissary of Death, his gaze swept towards the area where Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were located, thinking this to himself. Then, with a shift of his body, he directly joined the team besieging Wen Hexuan and his two allies.
Ding Tianhua wasn't clever, but he wasn't an absolute fool either. He knew that now wasn't the best time to act against Yang Haoran. Furthermore, Yang Haoran's displayed strength even surpassed his own. Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to court death. So, he simply joined the battlefield where Wen Hexuan and his two allies were being besieged. By first joining forces with others to eliminate Wen Hexuan's trio, the remaining individuals on the arena would then be able to advance to the next round. At that point, he might just get the chance to eliminate Yang Haoran and seize the Guardian position for himself.
However, Ding Tianhua had barely joined the assault on Wen Hexuan and his two allies when, within minutes, he was beaten half to death and finally eliminated by Ye Xianglan.
Although Ding Tianhua's strength was formidable, in this kind of setting, his recently broken-through mid-stage Earth Soul power was merely average. In front of major figures like Wen Hexuan and his two allies, his strength was utterly unremarkable; they didn't even put him in their eyes.
Ding Tianhua had intended to fish in troubled waters and stab them in the back, hoping to eliminate Wen Hexuan and his two allies first. But this was, after all, merely his unilateral wish. Reality delivered a mighty slap to his face—a slap that didn't wake him up, but instead knocked him directly unconscious, before he was mercilessly kicked off the arena.
Above the dark clouds, Huo Laoban watched Ding Tianhua get knocked unconscious, then kicked off the arena like a football. The corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
To eliminate Yang Haoran this time, he had put in no small effort, recruited many people to accomplish the task for him, and even paid a considerable price. Ding Tianhua was one of them. Now, seeing Ding Tianhua be the first to be eliminated, and in such a humiliating manner, Huo Laoban felt utterly disgraced.
The roar of the arena was incessant. The platform, forged from special materials, had originally been incredibly sturdy and difficult to damage. Now, however, it was ravaged beyond recognition, covered in cracks and pockmarks.
On the platform, Emissaries of Death were constantly being eliminated. Below, the Pharmacists responsible for treating the wounded were incredibly busy. The vast majority of eliminated Emissaries of Death had fallen unconscious due to severe injuries. Even those who hadn't lost consciousness were still gravely wounded and equally in need of treatment.
Wherever there was a martial arts competition, there were bound to be casualties—this was unavoidable. Thus, Pharmacists were indispensable. Luo Yao had long prepared for this, so any Emissary of Death who was eliminated received immediate treatment.
The number of people on the arena dwindled, and Wen Hexuan and his two allies' injuries grew increasingly severe. After all, even with their formidable strength, facing the combined assault of many inevitably led to damage. What their injuries bought them, however, was the elimination of a large number of contestants.
In less than half an hour, more than half of the contestants on the arena had been cleared out. Without exception, the remaining minority were all powerful individuals, though they all bore injuries to some extent, some even extremely severe, looking as if they couldn't hold on much longer.
Among these individuals, with the exception of a very few whose strength had not broken through to the mid-stage Earth Soul realm, nearly all others were at mid-stage Earth Soul or even stronger, at late-stage Earth Soul. As for those contestants who hadn't reached mid-stage Earth Soul but could still remain on the arena, they were either incredibly lucky or possessed special means to protect themselves.
Although this category of contestants hadn't been eliminated yet, their elimination was a certainty. Their current condition was dire, and they were the most heavily injured. A huge disparity in strength could not be entirely bridged by mere good luck or a few special methods.
Sure enough, the fierce battle continued for another half an hour. This group of contestants, who lacked sufficient strength but had relied on luck and special means to remain on the arena, were all eliminated, utterly unable to continue. Besides them, quite a few powerful Emissaries of Death were also cleared out for various reasons.
As these individuals were cleared out, the arena, which had been constantly roaring with explosions and howling Yin winds, finally gradually quieted down. Some were drenched in blood and sweat, panting heavily. Some seized the opportunity to quickly take healing Dānyào to recover from their injuries. Still others watched the remaining people on the arena with wary eyes, their minds secretly concocting plans.
On the dilapidated arena, only ten people now remained, and these ten included Wen Hexuan and his two allies. Excluding Wen Hexuan's trio, in such a short time, over two hundred contestants had been whittled down to just seven. This speed was indeed quite astonishing.
It wasn't that the contestants were weak; quite the opposite. Precisely because their strength was so formidable, and their attacks were so ruthless and aimed at vital points, did over two hundred contestants get reduced to just seven in such a short span of time.
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were prominently among these seven. However, Yang Haoran's clothes were somewhat tattered, with bloodstains visible everywhere on his body. And Xu Meijing's Earth Soul Armor was similarly pockmarked, with cracks appearing in some places. It was clear both of them had sustained injuries.
It was perfectly normal for them to be injured. One reason was that they hadn't used their full strength, consistently suppressing their power to the mid-stage Earth Soul realm. However, their mid-stage Earth Soul power was entirely incomparable to someone like Ding Tianhua, who had only just stepped into that realm.
The other reason was that, relying on their own strength, they had successively eliminated a total of fifteen contestants. Among these fifteen were individuals at early-stage Earth Soul and mid-stage Earth Soul, and even two contestants whose realms were similar to their own suppressed states. Although these two were ultimately eliminated by them, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing still paid a price. It was precisely because of these two reasons that both of them had sustained some injuries.
Everyone else had now ceased their attacks, and Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to act rashly at this moment. After all, they also needed to catch their breath and take some Dānyào to recover from their injuries.
After quickly swallowing a Dānyào, Yang Haoran's face held a faint smile as his gaze swept over the remaining individuals on the arena, gaining a rough understanding of the current situation.
His side still had five people remaining. Wen Hexuan's side, including Wen Hexuan, Long Yan, and Ye Xianglan, also had five people.
This meant that among the Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and his two allies, only two remained!
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