The young paladin's eyes were filled with confidence and determination. Even when surrounded and besieged by dozens of transcendents, he did not show the slightest hint of fear.
It was as if his confidence had infected the Holy Light; his body and armor slowly began to radiate Holy Light.
It grew brighter and brighter, and then, in the next instant...
A surge of vibrant Holy Light erupted from the young paladin's body, shooting straight up into the sky.
As the Holy Light pierced the heavens, the aura within the young paladin surged rapidly.
Seeing this, the transcendents who were charging forward to launch their siege halted in their tracks, their brows furrowing.
“Damn it, he was actually suppressing his level! For Heaven to stoop so low is just despicable.”
“Heh, a mid-battle breakthrough? Interesting.”
“Everyone, what do we do? This guy is a tough nut to crack. Should we retreat first?”
“Retreat? Retreat where? Mark my words, in just that brief instant, this paladin already memorized our auras. You can run now, but you can't hide forever.”
“The suppression between the lower three ranks isn't that pronounced. Besides, he has only just entered the Epic Rank and hasn't even learned most of his techniques yet. What is there to fear?”
“I agree. Instead of backing down, why don't we go all out? Hehe, being able to kill a paladin from Heaven is something to brag about when we go back.”
With those words, the transcendent actually ripped off his shirt, exposing his chest.
A series of mechanical whirs and clicks echoed from his chest. After a flurry of transformations and assembly, a ferocious mechanical cannon was fully formed.
“I'll provide suppressing fire! You guys charge! Fire!”
Terrifying energy condensed at the muzzle. Once fully charged, a barrage of electric energy shells shot out, exploding around the young paladin.
Judging by the power of the shells, it was already close to the Epic Rank, far from a common Transcendent Rank device.
Seeing this, the other transcendents also unleashed their true capabilities.
For a moment, talisman papers fluttered in the air, forbidden drugs were swallowed down, and syringes littered the ground.
Once external items were exhausted, they didn't hold back on forbidden techniques either.
Some slit their own abdomens to drench their weapons in blood and enchant them.
Others unstrapped the coffins on their backs, releasing ancestral zombies.
There were even those who released their tamed beasts, dancing with them on the spot.
It was truly a wild dance of demons, each showing their unique prowess.
In the livestream rooms, a massive number of viewers were drawn to this spectacle.
Orthodox Xuan Sect: Infinite Heavenly Venerable. Why do these unorthodox rogue cultivators always use such self-harming and immoral forbidden techniques?
Black Bone: Heh, now this is the real deal! In the lower three ranks, you have to exhaust every possible means. No matter what method you use, as long as you can kill your opponent, it's a good transcendent ability.
Night City Gold Medal Rider: Holy crap, a C-class cybernetic electric rapid-fire cannon, and it's a chest-mounted version? Hasn't this thing been classified as an Epic Rank cybernetic modification? How was it brought into the Transcendent Rank arena?
Xiangxi Intangible Heritage Figurine Successor: That zombie is no joke either. Refining an ancestor into a zombie and nurturing it with the blood of descendants for generations... Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even Epic Rank experts would get a massive headache dealing with that thing.
Priest of the Ancients: Why isn't anyone talking about that paladin? Deliberately suppressing his level and only breaking through after entering the match—isn't that even more immoral?
Seeing the discussion in the livestream room, the host, Tie Gelei, chimed in instinctively, wanting to participate in the tournament commentary.
“Haha, it seems our viewers have many different opinions on the contestants' performances. I'd like to ask our two guests, what are your thoughts on this? Your Excellency Li Hu, please go first.”
“Hehehe. Transcendent, Epic, and Legendary—there is no fundamental change between the lower three ranks. Even if one breaks through, the impact isn't that significant. In this phase, although realm is important, what matters more is one's understanding and application of their own transcendent system. Unless you can break through directly from the Transcendent Rank to the Legendary Rank, the suppression from a higher realm isn't as huge as you'd think.”
“Mmh, indeed. The Transcendent, Epic, and Legendary ranks are essentially the accumulation of energy. A qualitative breakthrough only occurs when one reaches the Mythic Rank. This logic also applies to weapon crafting.”
Tie Gelei agreed, then turned his gaze toward Kunpeng.
Kunpeng blinked, looking a bit guilty.
“Er... The rules set by my Lord are only divided by realm. As long as your realm at the time of registration matches your realm when entering the tournament, you are allowed to compete. As for what level of power you unleash during the match, that is the contestant's own business. If you have the ability to use Mythic Rank power while still at the Transcendent Rank, then you deserve to win.”
“Hahaha!”
Hearing Kunpeng's words, Li Hu laughed. He stretched out a vine and patted Kunpeng's massive scales.
“Brother Kunpeng, unleashing Mythic Rank power at the Transcendent Rank is no easy task. Even if you hand a divine artifact to a Transcendent Rank expert, they wouldn't have the capability to use it. Don't you agree, Brother Tie?”
“Yes, Your Excellency Li Hu. Divine artifacts require divine power to activate. Even if an ordinary Transcendent Rank expert burned themselves to ashes and drained every drop of their energy, they wouldn't be able to unleash even a fraction of a divine artifact's power.”
Kunpeng remained noncommittal, his eyes darting upward, looking somewhat evasive.
Back on the battlefield, even with his breakthrough to the Epic Rank, the paladin was unable to dominate the field under the siege of multiple transcendents who had all unleashed their trump cards.
His armor was completely shattered, and his great shield was currently wedged inside the skull of the ancestral zombie.
However, the young paladin's head was also gripped firmly in the zombie's hands.
“Ancestor, take him out.”
A grim command came from behind, and the zombie exerted sudden, violent force.
“Crack!”
The young paladin's head burst. In the next second, he transformed into a stream of light and was sent back to his original world.
At the same time, the contestant controlling the zombie received a notification.
You have killed Player No. 52648256 across ranks. Point reward multiplied by 10. Obtained 100 points.
“Ha, there's actually an extra reward for killing across ranks. Not bad at all.”
After all, a single fallen demon or skeleton soldier only gave 0.5 points.
Defeating a regular opponent only gave 10 points.
Defeating someone who had just entered the Epic Rank yielded a whopping 100 points. This was an absolute jackpot.
“Hey, corpse-herder! How dare you make a move on your own? We agreed to split the points!”
“Cut the crap, let's kill him too! Behold my electric chest cannon! Fi— Ahhh!”
“W-What is this?!”
From the previously opened coffin, countless strands of hair had somehow crept out, spreading across the entire field.
The strands of hair suddenly surged, harvesting the remaining few contestants on the field.
The contestant controlling the zombie reaped another batch of points.
“Ancestress, well done.”
The strands of hair wriggled slightly in response.
Xiangxi Intangible Heritage Figurine Successor: Holy crap, there's actually another zombie of this level!
Please Call Me Top Scholar: The Data Emperor just compiled a list of hot favorites to win. This cultivator who controls zombies is known as the Daoist of Clan Corpses, ranked 1024th. His strength is extraordinary.
Black Magic Master: Data Emperor? Is it still that big shot?
Please Call Me Top Scholar: Yes.
Indeed, the “Data Emperor” they spoke of was still Miracle.
While Miracle was incredibly busy, managing countless threads of operations simultaneously, Chen Xu sent it a new command.
“A tournament without a leaderboard lacks a bit of fun. Miracle, find some time to make one. Let's start with the Transcendent Division first—create a list of hot favorites to win.”
“Understood, my Lord.”
Rate on N.U.
