by <unknown>
“One year after another, and yet another year has gone by. Time really does go by quick. As soon as I saw these young fellows, I remembered back to that year and day when we participated in the Limit Challenge Competition ourselves. The us back then… we sure were young~!”
“Yeppers. The only reason why Star Glory Federation is able to to become stronger and stronger under the onslaught of Demon Beasts is due to the plenty amount of new blood that flows in every year!”
“Who knows how many young talents will be able to burst forth from this year’s batch of students and receive the qualifications to walk the road of cultivation? I want to get this out of the way. Teacher Zhang, I’ve already chosen exam candidate 2087. Do not, by any means, fight over him with me!”
“Haha. Number 2087? Then I’ll have to pay special attention to him later. If he really is some good talent, then depending on everyone’s resources, let’s see who can bid the highest!”
Li Yao stood calmly in the corner of the deck during this boiling and rumbling day. The white Puji Critter was very content to lay perched on his head. Its head was tilting back and forth, it seemed that it was snoring.
Last night, Li Yao was restless and was completely unable to fall asleep. So he just got up half-way through the night to study the rules in the competition. Li Yao had somewhat bloodshot eyes, but he was still energetic from being a bit too excited.
It was because he discovered what seemed to be a loophole within the rules of the competition. Perhaps in other words, it was an ‘opportunity’ that only he could exploit.
He just didn’t know if the battle tactics he formulated from focusing on the “loophole” would be effective.
If he was successful, he would seize a 90% chance of storming into the top 50 of the finals!
While he was mulling things over in his mind, the lighting in his vision turned dark. A tall silhouette had suddenly appeared, towering over looking down at him.
It was... Helian Lie!
“Fellow Student Li Yao, Devil Flood Dragon Island is a very large place, yet at the same time, it’s also very small. I hope you retire from the competition as soon as possible. You wouldn’t want to run into me on Devil Flood Dragon Island,” Helian Lie paused after each word, firmly squeezing out a somewhat sinister smile.
Li Yao looked at him unperturbed. After sometime later, he fished out a pair of earbuds from his ears. Wild music was blasting out from the earbuds.
“Huh? Fellow Student Helian Lie, what did you say just now? I’m terribly sorry, I was listening to music. I couldn’t hear you clearly. Could you repeat that again?” Li Yao said somewhat perplexed.
Helian Lie’s face reddened. With a cold snort, he turned around to walk away and merged into the crowd.
Li Yao watched Helian Lie’s back with special attention and then chuckled. A trace of the malevolent “Vulture” could be faintly seen in his smiling expression.
“Actually, I really look forward running into you on Devil Flood Dragon Island too~ Fellow Student Helian Lie!”
Right at this time, a large hologram flared at the front of the deck.
As if carved by a blade, a weathered and experienced face appeared in the center of the hologram. The pair of eyes set deep in their sockets seemed to contain the entire universe. 100,000 stars flickered with radiance in those eyes.
“It’s Xu Haoran. It’s the Federation’s Chairman, Xu Haoran!” Quite a few students let out cries of excitement.
“Each and every student, we have reached yet another year of the Limit Challenge Competition. Today, you all are baby hawks having yet to spread their wings and soar in the sky. You all have yet to step onto the road of cultivation!”
“But soon in the future, you will become pillars of our nation. You will defend our homeland, defend our Federation, and defend the hopes, dreams, and sanctity of our Human Civilization!”
“Therefore, struggle and fight! Fight for yourselves, and fight for the future of the Federation! The future of the Human Civilization!”
“Remember this. Humanity is the strongest race of war in the endless sea of the stars. And Cultivators… are the dazzling blades of Human Civilization! These blades will slay fiends and purge demons. Break mountains and topple temples. Exterminate nations and raze countries. Expand our borders and enlarge our land until we conquer the entire cosmos!”
“I hope that you all will become cultivators like these. To become the blades of the Human Civilization. I wish you all every success!”
The Federation’s Chairman, Xu haoran, stood up from behind his office desk. He retreated a step and, with a solemn expression, performed the official military salute towards the 3000 youths.
Demon Beasts ran rampant in the Heaven’s Origin Sector. Star Glory Federation was founded based on martial might. The highest leaders are also military personnel. The military salute was the most majestic of etiquettes, representing unsurpassable respect.
“Federation Chairman Xu Haoran actually performed the military salute to us high school students?”
“For the sake of the Federation’s future... For the sake of Human Civilization’s Future... Do we... Do we have that much power?”
“Of course we do! Right now, we may be ordinary high school students, but think about those Core Formation Stage cultivators, those old Yuanying Stage monsters… Which one of them didn’t start from elementary school, to middle school, to high school on their road to being a cultivator? Who can possibly become a Yuanying Stage monster as soon as they’re born! If they can be what they are, then obviously so can we!”
“There will be a day when I will become a great cultivator whose power shakes and radiates everywhere. To slay Demon Beasts. To defend our Federation!”
“Slay fiends and purge demons. Break mountains and topple temples. Exterminate nations and raze countries. Expand our borders and enlarge our land. And conquer the entire cosmos… Too awesome. This is precisely the path I wish to walk. This is precisely the destiny of cultivators! I really can’t wait much longer!”
The entire atmosphere was ignited with a single salute by Xu Haoran, causing three thousand youths to all enter into a state of zealotry.
Similar scenes could be seen simultaneously at the other exam regions. The blood of countless youths were heated to the utmost boiling point!
An officer dressed in black with the emblem of the skull of a Demon Beast on his shoulders stood on the upper deck. He saw how the morale was already excited to the highest point and announced in a loud voice:
“The 137th Annual Federation Youth Limit Challenge Competition officially begins now! All competitors, prepare yourselves!”
Chapter 52: A Dense Fog and the Delusion Vine |
“*Vrrrrrr!”
A large hole thirty to forty meters wide opened up in the front of the deck. A biting freezing wind was drawn suddenly into the deck and hold of the ship, causing the youths, who were only wearing sports tank tops and shorts, to feel a bone-piercing coldness.
“All competitors…. Jump down!” the officer in black pointed to the large hole as he spoke expressionless.
As soon as these words were spoken, quite a few student’s faces went white.
The Distant Expanse was floating several hundred meters above sea level. Devil Flood Dragon Island was right beneath it. If they were to jump off from here, even if they fall into the ocean, they would simply be falling to their death. There’s no need to say what would happen if they landed directly on the island.”
“Whats wrong? Is no one brave enough to jump? Well, that’s fine too. You can still retire from the competition; it’s not too late. The Limit Challenge Competition wasn’t made for cowards!” The officer dressed in black laughed with disdain.
These words incited the bravery of quite a few students. The red pimpled youth who first said that he wanted to apply for the First Military College pushed through the crowd. He bellowed, “If you’re going to jump, then jump! What are you scared of? If you’re scared of d
eath, then you can’t become a cultivator!”
His pair of legs stepped forward, his pair of arms opened wide, and he jumped down the open hole. The throat-ripping battle cry of the pimpled youth was torn and silenced by the biting wind in a flash.
With someone taking the lead, people started going continuously close behind. Actually, everyone knew that something had to be deployed down there to make sure that they don’t fall and die in vain. They just had to overcome their mental blockade.
Li Yao was mixed in the crowd and soon was nudged to the edge of the hole. He looked down while the cold wind rushed at him and saw that the previous thousand youths who had jumped earlier still had yet to hit the ground.
They were stuck in a giant transparent net hanging midair, causing their falling velocity to be extremely slow.
“A Slow Glyph Array?”
Li Yao smacked his lips. The Slow Glyph Array was absolutely a necessary type of Glyph Array for those who flew on flying swords. In the case where enemies attack them, causing them to fall, all they would need to do is activate the Slow Glyph Array. Then, they can slowly float to the ground. They probably wouldn’t instantaneously die from a fall.
However, the average Slow Glyph Array only covers an area of three-to-five meters. This Slow Glyph Array actually covered a diameter of several thousand meters; it really was drawn to be extremely large.
Li Yao no longer hesitated and grabbed his white Puji Critter. He leapt forward and jumped down from an altitude of several hundred meters!
The wind screamed by his body, birds flew below his feet. This sort of feeling, like surfing the wind on flying swords, was way too awesome for words!
However, Li Yao enjoyed this feeling for less than two seconds before he felt a white light flash all around him. His body felt sluggish as soon as he was caught within, like he had sunk into a soft ball of cotton. His speed had suddenly slowed to the minimum.
After several dozen seconds of being in this transparent cotton ball, his body loosened and his normal weight and velocity were restored. The wind started to scream in his ears yet again.
And this time, not even two seconds had passed before he entered into a second ball of “transparent cotton”.
He looked several hundred meters below where several hundred competitors were flapping their arms and legs as if they were in water. Li Yao was deep in thought; he finally understood the mysteries of the Slow Glyph Array.
A dozen or so Slow Glyph Array layers were set up in the air space between the Distant Expanse and Devil Flood Dragon Island. Every layer had a cushioning effect.
This way, the competitors are able to safely arrive on Devil Flood Dragon Island by going through the layers of cushions.
This usage of this kind of large-scale glyph array was of the utmost ingenuity. Li Yao let out a sigh of admiration in his heart, having discovered that the things he needed to learn still numbered a lot.
And from the depths of his mind came the flickering light and passing shadows of Ou Yezi’s memories; they emerged numerously and chaotically.
Until finally…
After passing through 10 layers of the Slow Glyph Array cushioning, Li Yao managed to safely reach a height of a dozen or so meters above Devil Dragon Island. A verdant and lush dense forest was as far as the eye could see. Quite a few students had already landed on the ground.
The howls of Demon Beasts and the thundering of competitors came in waves through the depths of the dense forest.
Within the first second, intense close quarter combat unfolded completely.
Li Yao suddenly opened his eyes. His blood was completely boiling, like when he would wait for the garbage ships in the Artifact Graveyard.
His pair of legs landed lightly on a branch. Using the last of his falling force and borrowing the elasticity of the branch, Li Yao changed his direction and fled into the forest, moving like a nimble black panther. He landed steadily on the ground.
He took a deep cold breath suddenly.
While he was falling and observing below him, all he felt about Devil Dragon Island was the fact that it was a strange shaped narrow island with black smoke swirling around it. He didn’t really feel anything too scary from it.
But as soon as he stepped foot onto Devil Flood Dragon Island, he discovered that actually the entire island was covered with gargantuan trees that blocked the sky and shielded the earth.
Lifting his head looking up, all he could see was the faint gray fog curling around in between the black tree branches. It was practically impossible to see the blue skies and white clouds. No matter how intense the rays of sunlight were, when shone through the gray fog, the rays turned a blurry, faint yellow.
A faint green miasma permeated through the air as far as the eye could see. It caused Li Yao to only see a distance of 3-5 meters clearly in his surroundings. Any further than that, all he could see were the gray outlines of crisscrossed canine teeth. The twisted giant trees were like corpses of Demon Beasts brandishing their claws as they swayed in the wind.
Just a moment ago, he could hear the sounds of close quarter combat. Right now, it was as if the miasma had cut them off from him. Even the howls of Demon Beasts turned vague and indistinct. One second, the howls seemed to come from the horizon, and the next second, the howls seemed to murmur in his ears. It was as if a terrible Demon Beast were hiding behind his back.
The three thousand competitors landing on Devil Flood Dragon Island were like three thousand grains of sand entering the ocean, disappearing without a trace.
It seemed like Li Yao was the only person left in this world, staying in this island inhabited by dreadful Fiend Beasts.
Li Yao was leaning his back against a large black tree covered in knobs. He warmed up his arms and legs in a calm yet not slow manner, carefully observing his surroundings.
There weren’t any pre-defined paths or roads on Devil Flood Dragon Island; mud and decay ran underfoot. If one wasn’t careful, one would step onto the skeletal fragments of Demon Beasts, causing the soles of one’s feet to be stabbed very painfully. The green miasma released fumes that were somewhat irritating. The smell was quite similar to that of the Artifact Graveyard.
“Hsss. Hss. The Demon Emperor won’t let you all go…”
An extremely minute and warped shout came suddenly from behind the black tree.
Li Yao was terrified and frightened. He turned around to look and saw that the knobs on the tree were actually twisting and squirming. They converged together, condensing into an incomparably ugly face of a Demon Beast.
This face spoke with a nasty grin, “Just wait and see. The Demon Emperor has already amassed a Demon Army numbering a million forces on the Far Eastern Ocean floor. Soon, he will assault the coast, engulf the Federation, annihilate all the males, and eat all the females and children completely. Tss! Tss! Tss! Tss!”
Li Yao sneered, speaking calmly and composed, “I’ve already carefully examined the introduction to Devil Flood Dragon Island. It said that the island is covered with a type of Demon Plant called the Delusion Vine. It releases a mild green hallucinatory miasma day in and day out that’s capable of hypnotizing people’s minds, causing people to see and hear visible and audible hallucinations. You’re just an illusion, you can’t trick me!”
The Demon Beast’s face suddenly froze and shattered into pieces, transforming back into tree knobs and fading away without a trace.
Li Yao let out a breath of relief. But right when he was about to leave, the black tree started to tremor. The bark wiggled and was actually pried open from the inside. A half-rotted human figure climbed out in a complete stiff manner. It lifted its head and chuckled at Li Yao.
Its body was already half-rotted. Its flesh was mangled, and it’s organs were fused with the roots of the black tree; they were blended together. The left side of its face was covered with large chunks of bark and moss. Only the right side of its face was vaguely recognizable.
It was actually… the form of Ou Yezi!
“Did you think that it would be that easy to engulf my memories? One day, I will completely possess this body! To be reborn in Cultivation Era Year 40,000!”
Ou Yezi laughed evilly as he spoke. A branch that had transformed into his arm swayed and lifted, heading to grab Li Yao over to him.
Chapter 53: Instant Kill! |
Li Yao’s heart froze in an instant! But he recovered in the next second; he was still intoxicated in the illusion produced by the Delusion Vine.
Biting down ferociously on his tongue, he awoke from the stimulating pain in a flash. Then he felt a gale blasting at his face!
Li Yao did not have time to dodge, forming a fist instead that bombarded against something unknown. The enemy let out a shrieking cry, pushing Li Yao five-to-six meters away with a strange force and causing Li Yao to crash into some shrubs.
After shaking his head, Li Yao glared ahead. Ou Yezi’s illusionary form had disappeared without a trace. In front of him was an enormous, green-covered ape with bizarrely long arms hanging from the giant tree.
There was a mutation growing on the forehead of this ape — a strange eye with a dirty-yellow iris that flickered with fiendish glow.
“Three-Eyed Ape!”
Li Yao searched at lightning speeds in his mind and quickly found the data on this Demon Beast.
The three-eyed ape was one of the more difficult of the low-level Demon Beasts. Besides its nimble body and its expertise in jungle hunting, the third eye on its forehead can discharge a special mental attack to cause its prey to have splitting headaches and give birth to a cluster of illusions.
However, today, this ape had chosen the wrong opponent. Although Li Yao’s true strength wasn’t considered to be spectacular, in the mental realm, his mind had undergone the tempering of Ou Yezi. His mind was incomparably strong and unyielding. A typical mental attack would have absolutely no effect on him.
That was why he was able to awaken from the illusion this quickly.