I Am Overlord c1-962
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"Hehe, I'll just do my best." Xiang Shaoyun did not make any promises. He did not know the strength of his competitors. Thus, he wouldn’t make any blind promises.
"You are a slippery one, aren't you? If you can enter the top 10, you will be rewarded by the Cloud Margin City. The rich rewards will help you easily reach the Transformation Realm. So long as you can enter the top 10 individually and our other disciples work harder, the Martial Palace Hall might be able to place top 10 overall as well," Tan Guanghua said.
"Um. I'll try my best," Xiang Shaoyun was still unmoved.
Seeing how Xiang Shaoyun was behaving, Tan Guanghua was forced to pull out his trump card, "If you can enter the top 10, I will also reward you with a tier-4 battle technique! Bear in mind, that is a true king-grade technique!"
Such an attractive offer was sufficient to drive many disciples mad. But who was Xiang Shaoyun? For him, king-grade techniques were no different than common vegetables. Would he need a reward like that at all?
"Alright. How about this? If I can get top 10, just give me an additional 100 mid-grade spirit crystals. That's all," Xiang Shaoyun did not want to drag the negotiation on so he made a random request. No matter what, he was a member of the Martial Hall Palace. It was reasonable to expect him to fight for their glory. In any case, he was not worried that his identity would be revealed in a competition at a small city like this.
More importantly, this place was very far from where he came from, and this territory belonged to an opposing power of his previous sect. Thus, it wouldn't be easy for them to find him here. That was why he had the confidence to keep his identity hidden.
"A hundred mid-grade spirit crystals? That won't be easy to gather, but 1,000 low-grade spirit crystals won't be a problem. Alright, I agree," Tan Guanghua said. He paused slightly before continuing, "This Golden River Valley used to belong to an organization attached to the Cloud Margin City. Although it has been destroyed for many years, there might still be some opportunities waiting for you inside. Be on the lookout for those opportunities."
Meanwhile, Luo Lin and the few Gateflag Academy elders were in a meeting.
"Do you have a way of killing that kid?" Luo Lin asked. Others might not know who “that kid” referred to, but the people here knew clearly.
One of them answered, "That kid is the treasure of Martial Hall Palace. If we touch him, I'm afraid an actual war will break out between us."
"I'm not saying we kill him. I'm saying we make an accident happen. If we allow that kid to grow, our Gateflag Academy will forever be unable to raise our head before them," Luo Lin said.
"Vice principal, an old friend of mine is an elder at the Blackhill Sect. He's here as well. If I get him to tell his disciples to pay special attention to the Martial Hall Palace, I doubt they will mind doing us this favor," said another elder.
"Yes, that is a good idea. The Blackhill Sect is also a top 10 academy. Their disciples should be enough to kill that kid," Luo Lin said joyfully. He then added, "Remind our disciples to help the Blackhill Sect disciples if needed. It would be even better if we can slaughter all the Martial Hall Palace disciples in the Golden River Valley."
Chapter 120: Reaching the Golden River Valley
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Battle of Towns was starting. A chariot pulled by four massive birds appeared in the sky above. All four of the birds were Demon Kings; their demonic auras were imposing and mighty, causing all the people below to be awestruck.
A few people were seated on the chariot. They had solemn expressions, sharp gazes, sturdy bodies, and extraordinary bearings. These were the big shots that had arrived from Cloud Margin City. All of them were Skysoar Realm cultivators. At their appearance, the elders of the numerous towns all led their disciples and saluted them deferentially.
A gorgeously dressed middle-aged man on the chariot spoke and said, "The once every three years Battle of Towns is going to start soon. I am here on behalf of the city lord to check on your progress during the past three years. The disciples will all enter the Golden River Valley. There, the disciples will be killing gold serpentine crocodiles for points, and one month later, the ranking of the disciples will be decided based on their points. The top 10 disciples will be handsomely rewarded and will also be given the chance to become outer disciples of the Cloud Margin Pavilion. The overall points of the disciples will also determine the ranking of the academies, and the top 10 academies will be handsomely rewarded."
After that announcement, the numerous disciples started talking among themselves.
"The top 10 disciples can become outer disciples of Cloud Margin Pavilion? That...is such a generous reward!"
"Yeah. The Cloud Margin Pavilion is the place where all geniuses of Cloud Margin City gather. It is said that after joining, one will be supplied with numerous cultivation resources, and even king-grade battle techniques are abundant there."
"But only 10 spots will be open. I'm afraid only those from the top towns will have a chance."
"Don't think too much about it. I would be happy just leaving the Golden River Valley alive. We shouldn't even think about the rewards."
After the King Realm cultivator made his announcement, someone started giving out jade plates to the participants. These jade plates would record the number of gold serpentine crocodiles each disciple killed. The plates were also capable of determining the actual killer of the gold serpentine crocodiles, preventing the disciples from cheating.
Soon, the disciples headed toward the Golden River Valley, and they grew excited. The Golden River Valley was not far ahead of them; they only needed to sail along the river for about an hour. But upon arrival, their excitement turned into bitterness.
Swish! Swish!
When the numerous ships arrived beside the Golden River Valley, the river beneath them was no longer as gentle as it was. The river had fierce currents and was filled with a large number of golden serpents known as goldwater serpents. They weren't necessarily high-leveled beasts, but their sheer quantity was enough to overwhelm anyone with fear.
The long golden serpents were swimming everywhere. From their triangle-shaped heads and their tongues that they stuck out every now and then, it was very obvious they were an extremely poisonous species of serpent.
Apart from that, a bunch of gold crocodiles had also appeared. Sharp spikes ran along their thick skin, and when they opened their massive jaws, numerous sharp fangs could be seen. It was undeniable that these were fearsome beasts.
The goldwater serpents and gold serpentine crocodiles were the demonic beasts inhabiting the outer fringe of the Golden River Valley. As for the gold serpentine crocodiles that inhabited the inner fringe of the valley, they were the new species resulting from the interbreeding of the goldwater serpents and the gold crocodiles.
The young disciples started killing the beasts. There were a lot of goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles here. These beasts would not leave them alone. Rather, they would even hop onto the ships. Thus, without killing these beasts, the disciples wouldn't be able to actually enter the Golden River Valley proper.
The Martial Hall Palace's ship was also a target of these beasts' attacks. Even goldwater serpents at the Intermediate Demon realm were hopping onto the ship. Currently, the ships were no longer guarded by the elders. Thus, the disciples could only rely on themselves.
As the leader, Mo Zhu stood on the very front and faced the incoming beasts. He ordered, "Protect our wings, do not get dragged down, and prioritize entering the Golden River Valley."
Killing these goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles was in fact a waste of their time since it would give them zero points. As for people like Lu Xiaoqing and Xia Liuhui, they were completely filled with fear at this moment.
They had very little combat experience. Without the baptism of blood, the strength they had was like an empty shell, as they wouldn't be able to properly utilize their full strength. Right this moment, a tiny goldwater serpent jumped over and opened it
s jaws wide, trying to bite Lu Xiaoqing's face.
"AHHHH!"
She lost her mind in fear and did not even remember how to attack. She merely stood there and screeched.
Sphhlt!
Xiang Shaoyun drew his sword and slashed the goldwater serpent into two. Then, he shouted, "These beasts feast on human flesh. If you don't kill them, you will end up their food. Don't fear them. Fight with all you got."
Xiang Shaoyun's Golden Wolf Sword danced through the air, slashing one beast after another, dying the river red with blood. After Lu Xiaoqing and Xia Liuhui heard Xiang Shaoyun's words, they immediately calmed down, mustered their courage, and joined in the fight.
Soon, some of the ships managed to break off from the beast blockade to enter Golden River Valley proper. There were also some ships that had been completely taken over by the beasts and had turned into beast dens.
In those ships, not one disciple survived. They had all turned into beast fodder, painting a spectacle too horrible to be seen. Fortunately, the Martial Hall Palace's ship was able to pass through the blockade safely.
Although the Martial Hall Palace was not one of the top 10 academies, they had still placed twenty-third during the previous Battle of Towns. If they couldn't even break through this blockade, they could forget about entering top 10.
For some reason, after passing through the blockade, the river turned calm again. The goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles also did not bother pursuing them. In fact, when they looked in the direction of the inner fringe, their eyes were filled with fear.
Inside the Golden River Valley proper, numerous ships docked at the bank, and the disciples were getting off the ships. The so-called Golden River Valley proper was in truth an island. On the island, boulders of odd shapes, trees, flowers, numerous other plants, and dilapidated buildings could be seen.
From afar, apart from the fact that everything on the island was gold, it did not look like anything special. But this was also the place where the gold serpentine crocodiles resided. The gold serpentine crocodile was a mutation that was a result of interbreeding between goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles, and it had fearsome combat power.
It was rumored that there was even a gold serpentine crocodile king here, but nobody knew if that was true. The disciples immediately scattered and started hunting for gold serpentine crocodiles.
Some of the smarter disciples headed straight toward those dilapidated buildings. They heard from their elders that those dilapidated buildings were left behind by the organization that was once the strongest power in Cloud Margin City. Perhaps they would be able to chance upon some fortuitous encounter.
"Everyone, to me. We need to work together and kill the gold serpentine crocodiles together. Be sure to not work alone!" Mo Zhu said.
Mo Zhu was a fine leader. Thus, a large number of them were willing to listen to him. Right this moment, someone cried out in alarm, "Where's Xiang Shaoyun? Why is he missing?"
Everyone finally looked around and found that Xiang Shaoyun had gone missing.
Chapter 121: Gold Serpentine Crocodile
Why had Xiang Shaoyun gone missing? Naturally, that was because he had left the group by himself. Even before arriving, he had already made his own plans. His main goal at the Battle of Towns was to train and temper himself, not honor and glory. If he stayed with the Martial Hall Palace disciples, whatever difficulties he encountered would be shared with the other disciples. It would be pointless then.
It was not that Xiang Shaoyun was an uncooperative person, but his priority right now was to grow as fast as he could. No matter what danger he encountered, even if his life was on the line, he wanted to face it himself.
Don't worry. If you guys encounter any danger, I will do my best to help, Xiang Shaoyun thought as he looked at the Martial Hall Palace above a boulder not far away.
Only after the Martial Hall Palace set off did he start moving as well.
Apart from gold serpentine crocodiles, goldsteel stones and gold serpent fruits can also be found in the Golden River Valley. These are the actual treasures here, Xiang Shaoyun thought to himself.
The goldsteel stone was a king-grade material. Each of these stones was extremely tough and was excellent for equipment forging. If he could find some, they would be worth no less than high-grade spirit medicines.
As for the gold serpent fruit, it was even more extraordinary. It was capable of helping one form metal energy within one's body. The lowest grade this fruit could be was mid-grade spirit medicine. It also had the chance to become high-grade spirit medicine or even greater. Even Transformation Realm cultivators would covet something like this.
The main goal of the youths participating in the competition was to slay gold serpentine crocodiles. However, they all wished they could obtain some of these treasures as well. Before they arrived, the elders of the numerous academies had already briefed their respective disciples about all this.
Some also suspected that a huge secret was hidden inside the Golden River Valley, and this secret could answer the question as to why everything was gold in color. Unfortunately, many experts had already investigated and none of them could understand what was going on. As time went on, everyone moved on.
Xiang Shaoyun traveled on a remote path that very few disciples used. Because the path was filled with wild weeds and concentrated trees, visibility was low, making it a rather dangerous path to take. After all, with such low visibility, it was very hard for one to react to any danger in time.
Thus, very rarely did people select to travel on this path. But that was what Xiang Shaoyun did.
The most dangerous place is also the best place to temper myself. I need to break through into the eighth stage as soon as possible, Xiang Shaoyun pondered to himself as he traveled.
At this moment, Little White was already perched on his shoulder, lazily stretching his body.
"Boss, the aura of this place gives me an extremely intimate sensation. I love this place," Little White said.
"The aura here is intimate with you? Are you sure?" Xiang Shaoyun asked in astonishment.
Demonic beasts had keen senses. Xiang Shaoyun was sure Little White must have discovered something.
"There, it is coming from the depths over there. Boss, can we go there? But I can also sense a thick demonic aura there," Little White said as he pointed in a certain direction.
"Sure. Just lead the way. Even if there is a Demon King, I am still going to try my luck," Xiang Shaoyun said, his battle intent surging.
They then headed toward the depths where Little White had pointed to. The depths were supposed to be the forbidden zone for disciples like them. Even Transformation Realm cultivators would not dare casually enter. In fact, the King Realm experts from Cloud Margin City had warned them about it before they had set off. It was unlikely for them to lie about this.
But Xiang Shaoyun’s strength boosted his courage. Thus, he was willingly heading straight toward danger. Not long after he started moving again, a figure leaped out from a bush. A massive jaw opened above him at a speed so fast any ordinary person would not be able to react to it.
Xiang Shaoyun seemed to have seen this attack coming a long time ago. He stepped to the side and chopped at the back of the attacking beast with his hand.
Bang!
Xiang Shaoyun's body had gone through the baptism of lightning. Every inch of his body was now extremely tough. A chop of his hand was capable of slicing even stones apart. To his surprise, this beast's body was actually even harder than stone.
The beast crashed onto the ground because of the attack, its appearance finally revealed clearly before Xiang Shaoyun. It had the head of a snake and the body of a crocodile. It was about three meters long, and its scales were gold in color. This was a rather odd looking beast.
It was a gold serpentine crocodile, the target of the disciples in this competition. This one was at the Intermediate Demon level.
After taking Xiang Shaoyun's attack, numerous cr
acks had appeared on the surface of its head. But it was still alive.
It stood up again and whipped its tail at Xiang Shaoyun. With the sharp spikes on its tail, being struck by this tail wouldn't be fun at all. Against such a powerful attack, Xiang Shaoyun merely raised his foot and stomped down. He used 80 percent of his strength, causing the gold serpentine crocodile's tail to burst apart by the stomp.
The gold serpentine crocodile wailed in pain and tried to bite Xiang Shaoyun in retaliation. However, Xiang Shaoyun raised his foot and stomped down again, turning the gold serpentine crocodile's head into mincemeat.
Just like that, an Intermediate Demon level gold serpentine crocodile was stomped to death by Xiang Shaoyun. The jade plate he was carrying immediately reacted. A string of information was also transmitted to his brain: Killing a third-stage Intermediate Demon gold serpentine crocodile, 30 points awarded.
For this competition, Minor Demons would only grant a low amount of points. Even killing a ninth-stage Minor Demon would only earn one five points. Minor Demons below the ninth stage would give even fewer points. On the other hand, Intermediate Demons gave more. One could obtain 10 points from killing a first-stage Intermediate Demon, 20 points from a second-stage Intermediate Demon, and so on.
As for Great Demons, one could obtain 200 points for killing a first-stage Great Demon, 300 points for a second-stage Great Demon, and so on. Thus, the higher the cultivation of the demonic beast, the more points one would be rewarded for killing it.
"Thirty points? This is merely the start," Xiang Shaoyun mumbled. He then continued traveling. But his travel was no longer peaceful. More and more gold serpentine crocodiles appeared. He started slaughtering his way as he traveled.
"Come! More!" Xiang Shaoyun said even as he severed the head of a gold serpentine crocodile with his Golden Wolf Sword.
Minor Demons and Intermediate Demons were hardly a match for Xiang Shaoyun. Thus, he traveled amid slaughtering, his body drenched wet with blood, looking like a grim executioner. With all the killings, the stars within him started pulsing at a greater intensity. The bottleneck of the seventh stage seemed to be swaying, as if he could now enter the next stage at any time.