Life is like a phone after clocking out. You never know who will be on the other end when it rings next—whether it is your direct supervisor telling you to work overtime, a manager from another department telling you to work overtime, or the on-duty staff on-site leaving you with no choice but to work overtime.
Life is a journey of trudging forward through a constant stream of bad, worse, and worst news.
For Wu Ya, it was exactly the same.
This sword cultivator—this incredibly dashing sword cultivator who had just slain a powerful foe with his sword.
He had only just sheathed his sword and was about to sit down to regulate his breathing and recover his spiritual energy when he heard a cry echo from the distance.
The cry was crystal clear, completely devoid of any malice or hostility. Yet, the unique resonance carried within the sound alone made Wu Ya's hair stand on end and his heart tremble with fear.
This was because he was no stranger to this aura. In the Immortal Realm, under the Dao Lord sects, as a leading figure of the younger generation, he had naturally received guidance from many of the Dao Lords' personal disciples.
The aura contained in the cry that had just sounded was identical to that of the Dao Lords' personal disciples. Without a doubt, it was the Eternal Power.
Wu Ya raised his head, looked toward the source of the sound, and muttered under his breath,
“Which Eternal Rank expert is bold enough to trespass in this Lord's competition? Have they lost their mind? Even the two from the Yokai Realm were slapped so hard by His Venerable Presence that their flesh tore open. They're still in closed-door cultivation recovering, far from fully healed.”
It was not just Wu Ya. Other disciples from the major sects of the Dao Lord factions shared the exact same thought.
They all assumed some Eternal Rank expert who was tired of living had dared to rashly trespass into Chen Xu's competition arena and commit such an open provocation by flagrantly flaunting their aura.
Not a single person believed that this commotion was caused by one of the contestants.
After all, this was the Eternal Rank—an Eternal Rank that had attained the Dao.
Even as disciples of major sects under the Dao Lords, they only believed they could steadily advance to the Mythic Rank. When it came to the Eternal Rank, none of them had any confidence.
Therefore, they did not believe, nor would anyone in the Myriad Worlds believe, that any transcendent or any transcendent system could unleash Eternal Rank power while still at the Epic or Legendary Rank.
This was beyond a pipe dream. Even if one ate a mountain of hallucinogenic mushrooms and drank a lake of stimulants, they still wouldn't come up with such a ridiculous notion.
But very soon, these disciples of the major sects all revealed expressions of sheer horror.
Because a second cry rang out.
“Woooooo—”
The first cry announced the grand entrance of the giant Kun.
This second cry caused the ocean to surge violently and the moisture in the air to vibrate.
And this didn't just affect World No. 9527; it affected all the competition worlds in the Golden Spiral.
“Woooooo!!!”
Almost the exact instant the second cry ended, a third cry echoed.
This third cry was no longer as peaceful as the previous ones.
Within the sound was a dense, heavy intent to kill—no, it wasn't exactly killing intent, but rather a concept of judgment.
It was as if a high-and-mighty deity had declared a trial upon the ant-like mortals and all living creatures.
The oceans across the tens of thousands of competition worlds in the Golden Spiral began to churn. Massive waves rose one after another, reaching heights of hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of meters.
The wrath of the ocean began to pour onto the dry land.
A flood—an apocalyptic flood capable of destroying the world—swept through every single competition world.
This doomsday flood, unleashed by Eternal divine power, effortlessly tore every single contestant to shreds or crushed them into paste.
Whether they came from prestigious sects or humble backgrounds, whether they were innately divine or of ordinary talent, all living beings were equal before this doomsday flood. None possessed the slightest ability to resist.
Only the monsters created by Chen Xu were granted immunity, allowing them to survive this doomsday judgment.
Even the lowest-tier monsters, as lowly as the fallen demons, were not harmed by the apocalyptic flood.
Just like that, under the shocked gazes of everyone watching, the apocalyptic flood swept away all the contestants.
Only Valira, the priestess of the Sea God, remained. She stood atop a towering wave, enveloped in a brilliant blue light that stretched for miles, looking heroic and majestic as she gazed down upon the world.
“Is this my Lord's divine power?! This is absolutely amazing!”
On the fifth floor of the new Land of the Undead, a world where bones littered the ground and skeletons roamed everywhere.
Bone Guard One, Bone Guard Two, Tal Rasha, Kunpeng, Sindragosa, Patchwerk, and the other three Yin Lords of the Undead were all gathered here.
The nine Yin Lords sat in a circle, staring at the screen in the center.
On the screen, the footage of Valira riding the waves was playing.
That fellow Kunpeng was lying on his back, belly facing the sky, frantically clapping his short fins together like tiny hands.
The massive mouth on his head was split almost all the way back to his gills, and his laughter echoed throughout the entire world.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
His massive fish tail repeatedly curled upward and slammed down hard against the ground.
It was clear that Kunpeng was incredibly joyful at this moment.
Meanwhile, the other eight Yin Lords did not look pleased at all.
They looked at one another, staring in silence.
At this moment, Kunpeng paused his laughter for a brief second, glanced at them, and shrugged his fins.
“What are you all standing around for? A bet's a bet! Hurry up, hand over the goods.”
Seeing Kunpeng's smug behavior, the eight Yin Lords let out a collective sigh. Reluctantly, each of them pulled out an item and tossed it over.
Before Kunpeng could even move to catch the incoming items, Wanwu, the spirit of the Dao artifact, moved first. He steadily caught every single item and stored them inside the storage space of the Bone Ingenuity.
Once Wanwu had safely stored everything away, Kunpeng nodded in satisfaction. Then, he burst into another round of arrogant, roaring laughter.
Seeing him act so smugly, Bone Guard Two couldn't help but ask,
“Kunpeng, you thus, aren't you afraid our Lord will blame and punish you for doing this?”
Hearing this, Kunpeng instantly threw his head back and said proudly,
“Hmph, do you think I, Kunpeng, am an idiot? My head is bigger than all of yours combined!
“Way before the competition even started, I asked our Lord for permission. I obtained our Lord's approval!
“Look, our Lord hasn't made a sound or stepped in to stop me. That proves my actions are perfectly compliant!”
After Kunpeng finished speaking, Bone Guard Two scratched Hades's chin and thought about it. It did seem to make sense.
Since their Lord hadn't intervened, it meant he had tacitly approved of Kunpeng's actions.
Dammit, the rest of them had been set up by Kunpeng, losing an Eternal Rank item for absolutely nothing.
“Sigh.”
Bone Guard Two sighed. To think that he, who hunted others all day long, had ended up being hunted by Kunpeng today.
Unlike Bone Guard Two, Bone Guard One didn't see it that way.
Based on his history of interacting with Chen Xu, their Lord was definitely not like that.
But why hasn't our Lord reacted at all yet? It's truly strange.
At this very moment, in the Undead Dao Court, the two Dao Lords—Lord of the Crafts Sect and Li Taiji—looked on in shock as they simultaneously turned to stare at Chen Xu.
Chen Xu, on the other hand, was slumped back in his chair. His eyes were wide, his mouth was agape, and his mind was completely blank. He was utterly speechless.
So that was what Kunpeng meant that day. But how was this considered "leaving behind a small trick"? What! Bringing Eternal Rank power into an Epic Division arena is just "leaving behind a small trick"?!
As he watched the giant drawing on the seabed, the giant seawater Kun in Kunpeng's likeness rising to the surface, and the apocalyptic flood sweeping through the competition grounds...
Chen Xu's emotions grew more complicated and shocked by the second.
“Fellow Daoist Chen? Fellow Daoist Chen?”
Lord of the Crafts Sect and Li Taiji called out one after another. Chen Xu waved his hand, signaling that he heard them.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, this doesn't seem to align with the rules, does it? Eternal Rank power—and certainly not just ordinary Eternal Rank power at that—appearing in an Epic Division match. Haha, I can only hope these little guys won't have nightmares when they go back.”
Hearing the Lord of the Crafts Sect's teasing, Chen Xu shook his head and said helplessly,
“Sigh, it was my oversight. I didn't expect Kunpeng to be so shameless.
“Normally, a divine priest following a god system who wants their deity to bestow divine power has to expend a significant amount of faith.
“At the Epic Division, the most they should be able to summon is a Mythic Rank miracle.
“I just didn't expect Kunpeng to be so shameless as to actively respond to the prayer himself, completely bypassing the need to consume any faith.”
“Hahaha! Fellow Daoist Chen, it's always like this when you host a competition for the first time.
“Back when we first hosted the Martial Arts Tournament, many abnormal situations popped up as well. We only gradually perfected the rules over time.”
“Sigh.”
Chen Xu shook his head. He reached his right hand out to the side, and a spatial gate instantly snapped open. His hand reached directly above Kunpeng's head.
Kunpeng was still laughing uproariously at this moment. The instant he sensed Chen Xu's aura, he immediately thought, Oh no.
But Chen Xu was too fast. Before Kunpeng could react in any way, Chen Xu flicked his finger, sending him flying.
“Awoooooo—”
Chen Xu then retracted his hand and looked up at the sky.
“Miracle, you have a record of each contestant's elimination order, right?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Alright. In that case, the rankings for the Epic Division will be determined directly by their order of elimination. Plans can't keep up with changes, and a rematch would just be a waste of time. We'll refine the rules for the next tournament.”
“Understood, my Lord.”
Rate on N.U.
