Chapter 406: Gatekeeper, I have done everything |
Another stick of incense had burned away.
On the stage, only thirty-one people remained.
"The first round is over!"
The Water Kylin announced loudly, and the spiritual pressure formation vanished without a trace.
Everyone on stage breathed a sigh of relief. Half of them had reached their limits, their true essence nearly exhausted, having used all their techniques and almost unable to hold on.
The competition ahead would test not only strength but also endurance and mental willpower.
As for why there were thirty-one people left, it was because the last person to be eliminated had, just before being blasted away, used a magical treasure to entangle another person. That person was also exhausted, and both were sent flying out together, resulting in a simultaneous elimination.
It was quite a peculiar incident.
"Congratulations to you all for making it into the top thirty-two. Each of you will be rewarded with five thousand contribution points."
"Since one person is missing, one of you will have a bye."
The Water Kylin waved its claw, and thirty-two colorless jade slips floated in mid-air above the stage.
Gong Tianhe was the first to act, drawing a jade slip with a number "three" written on it.
The others followed suit, each drawing a jade slip with a number from one to sixteen.
Those who drew the same number would face off in a one-on-one duel.
One jade slip remained unclaimed. The Water Kylin glanced at it and smiled, "Number seven has a bye."
"Hey, I got a bye! Yay, yay!"
Xiong Dabao jumped up joyfully, holding the number seven jade slip in his hand.
Xu Hei's jade slip was number sixteen, the last one, and he didn't yet know who his opponent would be.
"You have one hour to prepare. After an hour, starting from number one, you'll take the stage one by one," the Water Kylin announced.
Immediately, everyone sat down cross-legged, took pills, and focused on recovering their energy. Most of them were greatly exhausted.
Xu Hei had hardly expended any energy. He glanced around and saw everyone hiding their jade slips, not wanting to reveal their numbers prematurely.
Revealing it early would allow opponents to study them in advance, reducing their chances of winning.
Only those with great confidence would show their numbers openly, like Gong Tianhe, who was waving his number three jade slip and shouting, "Who is number three?"
No one paid him any attention.
However, a disciple from the human side shivered, his face turning pale. Xu Hei immediately noticed the change in his emotions and guessed that this person was number three.
"My extra sensory ability seems to be related to emotional changes," Xu Hei thought to himself.
"Xu Hei, I'm number five. What about you?" Xu Bai sent a voice transmission.
"Sixteen," Xu Hei replied.
"If you meet me later, don't hold back!" Xu Bai laughed.
"Hehe, of course, I won't hold back."
Xu Hei responded naturally, not expecting Xu Bai to roll her eyes.
Hai Teng stared at the number one jade slip in his hand, a slight smile on his lips.
"Number one, this is the treatment of the protagonist, as expected of me!"
Hai Teng felt a surge of pride, while also wondering what number Xu Hei had drawn and whether they would meet early.
To be honest, although these Chosen were not weak, he didn't take any of them seriously. If it were last year, they might have been difficult to deal with. But now, he was ten times stronger than before.
Last year he could take first place, and this year would be no different.
"Hai Teng, I'm number sixteen, the last one. What about you?" Lin Cai asked beside him.
Hai Teng glanced at her, arrogantly saying, "A number you can't even dream of reaching."
"You..." Lin Cai's face turned green with anger.
...
Outside the Penglai Sea, at an inconspicuous entrance.
Lei Ou, as usual, sat perched on a reef. There were many entrances to the Penglai Sea, and this was just one of them.
"This year is almost over. Once the year-end conference is done, I'll be off duty," Lei Ou thought excitedly.
The guardian demonic beasts rotated every three years, and this year marked the third year.
After today, he could rest for three years, return to Seagull Island, where his wife was waiting for him, and help hatch eggs and raise a brood of chicks.
He could hunt, go to the docks for some potato fries.
He could take his wife to the Northern Polar Region to see the auroras.
He could do so many things!
He just needed to endure these last two days, and he would be free.
His excitement was so overwhelming that he didn't even feel sleepy, sitting there with full concentration, gazing into the distance as if seeing a bright three years ahead beckoning him.
Suddenly, Lei Ou frowned, pulling out a novel, muttering to himself, "The book says that in this state, something is likely to happen."
"Should I change my plans, maybe work some overtime?"
Lei Ou pondered for a long time but decided to go home and have children with his wife, doing what he should. The book was fictional, and he had guarded for three years without incident. How could something happen today? What a coincidence that would be!
With this thought, Lei Ou felt much better.
What no one knew was that the shadow behind Lei Ou suddenly stretched and twisted, gradually forming the shape of a person, reflected on the reef.
The black shadow sprouted octopus-like tentacles, writhing in the darkness.
Suddenly, all the tentacles shot out simultaneously, stabbing toward Lei Ou's figure.
"Squish!!"
Blood splattered, Lei Ou's eyes widened, his expression frozen forever, his body pierced by countless tentacles.
"Not bad, a wonderful expression! I need your fear, just like that!"
The shadow behind Lei Ou rose from the reef, its body expanding, with three heads and six arms, countless tentacles sprouting and dancing wildly in the air, its face covered with numerous eyes staring at him.
The Butcher!
This was the Butcher captured by the Nightmare Demon Lord!
A crimson mouth filled with sharp teeth opened on the Butcher's belly, lunging at Lei Ou.
"Squish!"
In one bite, Lei Ou was swallowed.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, the Butcher frowned, opening its huge mouth again, spitting out Lei Ou's body, which was decayed and empty, just a shell.
The next second—
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
Countless snow-white feathers shot out like sharp swords, aiming at the Butcher with the force of a gale! Simultaneously, a signal flare shot into the sky, exploding above.
It was a black signal, the highest level of alert!
Once ignited, it would immediately alert the Water Kylin and the elders of the six lineages, putting the entire sea on high alert, with the highest level of danger.
However, when the signal flare exploded, it produced no light or heat, not even a sound.
It was as if an invisible black hole in the sky swallowed all the signals.
No light, no sound, no fluctuations, no smell, no divine sense, no signals at all... This was, the stripping of the five senses!
"Nightmare Demon Lord, and... Devouring Demon Lord!"
Lei Ou stood on a cloud, his heart sinking to the bottom.
The cloud beneath his feet turned pitch black, transforming into a rotating black hole, unleashing a terrifying suction force that swallowed even the light.
He tried to make a sound but couldn't, tried to release his divine sense but couldn't, all signals were devoured, his mind and body plunged into eternal darkness.
Facing death, surprisingly, Lei Ou felt no fear, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
He thought of his wife, his unborn child, the docks, and the auroras of the polar region.
"This world is truly beautiful..."