Chapter 412: Four Protectors, the Battle to Exterminate Demons and Uphold the Way |
As the Grand Protector, if even the Soul Refining Demon Lord cannot bring back the Sea God's heart, then the rest of them combined stand no chance of success.
The other three were well aware of the Soul Refining Demon Lord's power. This demon had always disdained associating with them, not out of arrogance, but because he truly possessed such abilities.
Meanwhile, on Martial Arts Island.
The eight contestants who advanced to the quarterfinals were fully focused on adjusting their breathing, preparing for the intense semifinals. This round was a battle of the strong, with no easy victories; every opponent was formidable.
The audience was buzzing with excitement, discussing who was most likely to claim the championship.
Any one of these eight could have been the champion in previous years, but now they were all gathered together. Just watching their battles would be immensely rewarding.
"The matchups for the semifinals have been decided," the Water Kylin announced loudly.
Four columns of names appeared in the sky.
The first match: Gong Tianhe versus Hai Teng!
The third match: Xu Hei versus Xu Bai!
The fourth match: Xiong Dabao versus Turtle Dragon.
They didn't know how the matchups were arranged, but the excitement in the arena was already boiling over.
The very first match was enough to heighten everyone's anticipation: the top Chosen of the Merman Clan versus the greatest genius in the history of the Sea Serpent Clan—a true clash of titans.
The second match was a duel between two Chosen of the Bai Family, a confrontation between ancient body cultivation and modern puppet techniques.
"Heh, meeting in the semifinals, this time, I'll make you concede!" Bai Luo said with a cold smile, while Bai Qiushui remained calm and indifferent.
Xu Hei glanced at Xu Bai, who merely smiled and said, "I won't hold back!"
"Neither will I," Xu Hei replied.
Gong Tianhe's expression wasn't good. Among the eight Chosen, the one he least wanted to face was Hai Teng. He could handle anyone else, but Hai Teng was particularly challenging for him.
The first match began immediately.
As soon as Hai Teng and Gong Tianhe took the stage, they activated their strongest forms without any announcement, charging at each other.
Gong Tianhe wielded a pair of salted fish swords in each hand, swinging them furiously at Hai Teng. Hai Teng directly activated the phenomenon of heaven and earth, Dragon King Patrolling the Seas.
This had a strong suppressive effect on aquatic creatures. As soon as the Dragon King's shadow appeared, the fish swords in Gong Tianhe's hands trembled uncontrollably, as if they wanted to join the opponent's phenomenon.
"Return to the origin of ten thousand swords!" Gong Tianhe shouted, and countless flying fish emerged from his sword sheath, shooting towards Hai Teng, but they were controlled by the opponent's phenomenon, unable to inflict any harm.
Completely suppressed!
It wasn't a matter of lacking strength; it was purely a bad matchup, being overpowered.
Hai Teng knew he had the upper hand and didn't rush for a quick victory. He was patient, knowing the opponent would eventually falter.
After about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Gong Tianhe gritted his teeth and conceded.
He still had stronger cards to play, but he knew the opponent did too. This wasn't a life-or-death battle, so there was no need to go all out.
"You're strong, just unlucky. Against someone else, you'd have a good chance of winning," Hai Teng said honestly, offering a way out.
"Hmph, it's not about skill, nothing more to say," Gong Tianhe replied coldly, stepping down to adjust his breathing.
Next was the second match, Bai Luo versus Bai Qiushui.
"When I came to the East Sea back then, it was to prove that body cultivation is outdated. I won't lose to you, nor will I give you a chance for a draw! What happened in Wuyou City won't happen again!" Bai Luo said through gritted teeth.
Bai Qiushui just smiled lightly, not saying a word.
To Bai Luo, this was undoubtedly a blatant provocation.
However, they seemed to have no chance to fight.
Just as they jumped onto the stage, a roar suddenly came from afar.
"The Sea God Sect has invaded and gone mad, what are you all doing?!"
In the distant void, a crane covered in scars appeared, it was Elder Yunhe of the Heavenly Roc clan, his eyes filled with anger as he stared at the high-ranking officials on Martial Arts Island.
With that shout, all the noise in the arena fell silent.
The Sea God Sect, invading?
Such shocking news left everyone's minds blank, even the two Bai Family Chosen on the stage were stunned.
Bai Luo's intense battle intent dissipated by more than half in an instant.
The Water Kylin sighed, knowing that the Sea God Sect's invasion couldn't be hidden forever.
He had long prepared for being exposed, and if blame was to be assigned, he would take full responsibility, as it was an inevitable consequence.
"Now, the year-end tournament is suspended to announce something important!" the Water Kylin declared.
Everyone turned to him, hoping it was false news.
The scholar stepped forward and continued, "The Sea God Sect has invaded the Penglai Sea, causing massive destruction. We cultivators of Penglai Island must do everything we can to eliminate the demons and uphold the path!"
At that moment, the crowd erupted.
Some were shocked, some were angry, some were confused, some were bewildered... a myriad of complex emotions exploded among the people.
It took two full breaths before a sharp voice emerged.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
The speaker was an ordinary crane, eliminated in the first round, with average strength, representing the most basic level of power in the Penglai Sea.
After saying this, she turned and flew straight to the Heavenly Roc clan's nest, where her child was still there!
There were many such basic forces, and the crane was just one of them.
At that moment, almost all the demonic beasts abandoned what they were doing and rushed back to their respective nests as quickly as possible.
Under the fallen nest, how could there be intact eggs? With the Sea God Sect's invasion, they should have returned immediately, not stayed here watching some tournament!
—Why didn't you say so earlier?
In the sky, the Water Kylin did not answer that fatal question.
Say it earlier? To let them go back and die?
The participants of the year-end tournament were the elites of the younger generation, the hope for the future, with limitless potential. Sending them to fight the demons before they matured was no different from sending them to their deaths.
The ones who should fight were the strong of the older generation, not them; they should be protected.
However, no one understood him. Concealing such a major event, leading to the sacrifice of many, he would inevitably face public condemnation, but someone had to bear the responsibility.
"As long as the Soul Refining Demon Lord can be killed, it will all be worth it!"
The Water Kylin closed his eyes, and this external incarnation became completely transparent. He needed to focus on his true self now.
At that moment, all the demonic beasts and humans on Martial Arts Island headed to the Penglai Sea, dividing into several groups to provide support in all directions.
The eight semifinalists were the fastest, leading the charge.
Xu Hei's first thought was not about saving himself, but about Elder Mo Xuan.
Elder Mo Xuan hadn't been active for countless years, old and frail, with only a fraction of his strength remaining. If such a living Flood Dragon were seen by the Sea God Sect followers, wouldn't they skin and dismember him?
In the Penglai Sea, there weren't many people Xu Hei cared about; Xu Bai was one, and Elder Mo Xuan was another.
He didn't know why the higher-ups concealed this matter, but it was surely for some grand plan. However, sacrifices were inevitable in the process.
With this thought, Xu Hei's speed suddenly increased, fully activating his Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique, leaving the other seven far behind, leading the way.
Seeing this, Hai Teng unfolded a pair of wind and thunder wings behind him, dramatically increasing his speed, while simultaneously activating the Dragon King Patrolling the Seas phenomenon. The winds roared, thunder rumbled, and the momentum was unparalleled, like a true Dragon King.
Bai Luo frowned, taking out a fourth-tier puppet warship and standing on it.
"Competing in speed? Hmph!"
The warship launched, transforming into a brilliant beam of light, speeding forward at an unimaginable pace, disappearing in an instant.
Before long, Xu Hei landed on Elder Mo Xuan's island.
As soon as he arrived, Xu Hei smelled a scent of blood. There were signs of battle here, the ground was pitted and scarred, indicating that many had been here, and they weren't weak!
Elder Mo Xuan still lay with his head drooping, sleeping soundly at the entrance of the cave dwelling.
Seeing him unharmed, Xu Hei breathed a sigh of relief.
"Elder Mo, how are things here?" Xu Hei asked.
"Go back to your tournament, old man doesn't need your concern," Elder Mo Xuan replied impatiently.
Xu Hei was momentarily taken aback, nodded, and turned to leave.
But suddenly, the sky darkened, as if an invisible shroud blocked the sunlight, black clouds pressing down, and even the air stopped flowing.
Vaguely, Xu Hei could hear various wailing and crying sounds echoing in his ears, mixed with sobbing.
"Xu Hei, it's because you didn't give me healing medicine that I was gravely injured and died. It's all your fault!"
A familiar voice appeared in Xu Hei's ear; it was Hai Meng, Hai Teng's sister.
After Xu Hei saved Hai Meng and Boqi, he gave healing pills to Boqi and ignored her, leading to both being frozen by Ye Hai, and Hai Meng couldn't withstand it and died.
"What kind of ghostly thing is this?"
Xu Hei felt his mind in chaos, inexplicably irritable.
Then, another voice emerged.
"Xu Hei, you knew I wasn't part of the Sea God Sect, yet you didn't come forward to prove it, causing me to die in vain at the Melodic Sect. You killed me!"
Another voice appeared, it was Su Xue'er, executed at the Melodic Sect. Xu Hei even saw her phantom face, twisted and resentful.
"Xu Hei, I was just a spectator at the Heavenly Dragon Casino, we had no enmity, why did you harm me?"
Another voice emerged, it was a passerby affected by Xu Hei's Thunder Tribulation Pearl.
"Xu Hei, I was just a passing octopus, why did you eat me?"
Even an octopus from the sea joined in, like a demonic sound lingering, endlessly looping in his ears.
Xu Hei's eyes turned red, his spirit seemed to endure immense torment, his body trembling, veins bulging.
Suddenly, a cold snort came from Elder Mo Xuan's mouth.
Xu Hei instantly regained clarity.
He exhaled deeply, cold sweat covering his body. Xu Hei looked up and saw a familiar face in the clouded sky.
It was Xu Fu, the Yehuo Demon Lord, Xu Fu.