Animoch was hurriedly taken away. At that moment, in the VIP room, all the Elders of the Chaos Elementals Sect turned toward their Leader with meaningful looks. The Leader took a deep breath and calmed himself. Everyone from the other powers present instinctively felt that something was off; it was as if he was weighing something in his mind. But… what the hell could he even do? No one there even dared to speak loudly against that Demoness, and she was clearly favoring that young man named Darian.
In the arena, another Elder appeared and led Darian to an inner section of the arena, which connected to a teleportation inscription.
The two of them passed through it, arriving at a dark and damp place. They were definitely inside Rainbow Heaven Mountain.
Darian looked around and saw countless multicolored runes spinning in some kind of formation. That place was the Rainbow Heaven inscription, a magical site where the greatest cultivators in the universe could nourish their bodies and improve their internal energies.
This was the payment for the organization in charge of the planet: they were granted unrestricted access to this place for several years.
"Go to the center. I'll activate everything; you have exactly 15 minutes," the Elder said calmly.
Darian nodded and moved to a marked area on the ground. As he took a deep breath, all the millions of runes in the inscription moved together, surrounding him and closing like a dome.
Darian was completely isolated inside, and all the runes began pulsing with a pure and indescribable elemental power.
He took a deep breath, excited. The Fire and Water elements were slightly weaker compared to what existed in those two lakes. But in exchange, there was a much more incredible natural and pure energy mixed in. That natural energy made absorption into the body a thousand times easier.
In other words, even though the level of each individual element was slightly lower, it was far better for any cultivator to absorb them there. Of course, that's not even mentioning that all 7 natural elements were present together.
Darian didn't waste time and activated his domain, pulling all the energy into his body at full force. Ever since he arrived in this city, he had always absorbed as much as he could from the environment, but before, it wasn't even 1% of what he could do now.
Five minutes later, Darian's body began to glow faintly.
'Half of the Heavenly Elemental Body is complete!'
He was now focusing on channeling only the wind element into his body, getting very close to level 4 of this technique.
...
With ten seconds left before the end of the fifteen minutes, Darian opened his eyes.
'I think I reached about 90%... well, I'll be brought here several more times.'
He snorted; then the runes surrounding him trembled and opened. The Elder outside was waiting to take him back.
When he returned to the arena, the previous match had just ended.
At that moment, the next draw was happening; then the names appeared.
*Herion, from the Golden Crow Sect, vs Maeur, from the Underworld Shadow Sect*
Darian walked over to his group just as another of his allies was about to fight. Herion took a deep breath and gave Darian a confident look. Without hesitation, he moved toward the martial stage.
His opponent was a demon from the sixth-largest organization in the universe, the one in charge of the planet and the Celestial Tournament.
Surprisingly, the people from the Underworld Shadow Sect actually had nothing to do with the actions of those earlier demons, nor with the other sect's connection to the Evil Path cultivators.
A green light shone above the two competitors.
Everyone in the Golden Crow Sect clenched their fists, anxious. Before Darian arrived, Herion was definitely the greatest genius of his generation in the sect. Now, his status had completely dropped… but in exchange, thanks to Darian, his talent and strength had risen to an unimaginable level.
There was no exchange of words. Herion pulled out a red spear and roared. His entire body was covered in golden flames, which spread in all directions.
As for that demon… he smiled; then his body started to fade…
"!"
He vanished right before everyone's eyes. Herion's eyes widened as he searched for that figure with his senses. But he couldn't detect even the slightest trace of his presence.
Darian, watching everything, let out a deep snort.
There was a group of demons within that great sect who were exceptional assassins. Unlike Evil Path cultivators, their assassination techniques were recognized throughout the universe as legitimate and high-level.
Of course, that was a huge hypocrisy. There wasn't that much difference between the two cases. But the people of the Underworld Shadow Sect had never been involved in trouble, and there had never even been any indication that they used those assassins for anything wrong.
If Darian had heard that before, he would've laughed it off as nonsense. It sounded like baseless talk they spread. But seeing the members of that sect in person and sensing their karmas, he realized they were as ordinary and straightforward as anyone else.
It might be shocking, but they really did live up to what they claimed. Darian had run into plenty of demons in his journey, but he had also met others who were just normal. Race definitely didn't define someone's character.
As for the fight… Herion wouldn't win, Darian was sure of it.
He had most likely never faced an assassin in his life, just like 99% of the young participants in the entire Celestial Tournament. They were all figures who had grown up within their organizations and had never needed to fight against Evil Path cultivators.
Minutes passed…
At exactly the seventh minute, Herion had already been struck more than thirteen times in his blind spots, and his body was covered in blood. He used all his abilities and techniques, but nothing could reach or counterattack his opponent.
After that last strike, Herion withdrew his power and took a deep breath, his expression bitter.
"I lost."
The battle ended; then he dropped to his knees, feeling his body go weak.
Right after that, he vomited a mouthful of blood, with black traces mixed in. The demonic Elder approached him with a serious expression.
"This is Purgatory Poison. Boy, if you hadn't given up and taken just a little more of it into your body… You would've died instantly."
The Elder spoke gravely, and everyone in the arena swallowed hard. There were countless types of poison known in the universe, but demonic poisons were the most terrifying. This one, in particular, once it reached a certain amount in the body, guaranteed death with no chance of escape.
But… even if the person wasn't poisoned to that point of no return…
Herion began to tremble and vomit blood uncontrollably. He felt an indescribable pain, as if his entire body and soul were being slowly corroded.
The pain this poison caused, even if it eventually faded and didn't kill the target, was definitely worse than death.
Suddenly, a hand touched Herion's back. He felt his body warm up, and all the pain faded away smoothly.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Darian right behind him, supporting him as he stood up.
To the people watching, Darian had just touched his back and used something very subtle. They could barely sense the white power, since he used precisely the minimum needed to purify the poison.
As Herion got up, Darian's gaze fixed on that demon.
"What?" that figure spat, completely fearless.
Apparently, he had full confidence in his assassination skills and believed he could even deal with Darian if luck was on his side.
Darian didn't respond; he just nodded and led Herion off the martial stage.
"Sorry…" Herion muttered, looking downcast.
"What are you talking about? You're in the top 100 of the universe," Pyreus said, consoling him. "If it were me… or probably any of the six of us, we'd lose the same way you did. That's the worst kind of opponent; you just got really unlucky."
The three girls, as well as Lázaro, nodded, all with tense expressions. Even Vymara, even if she used her full power as a Divine Candidate, would have a hard time finding the target. It didn't matter how strong you were if you couldn't hit him.
"Oh? You guys really think that?" Darian's calm voice sounded, making everyone focus on him. "Actually, assassins are the easiest kind of enemy. But yeah, you need to understand how they operate. What you're lacking is just experience."
After those words, everyone took a deep breath, not doubting him at all. They already understood that, to Darian, they were like newborn babies, just opening their eyes to the world. So there were many things obvious to him that they simply didn't know.
...
Hours passed, and several matches began and ended.
None of them were particularly impressive or flashy; those from higher-ranked organizations always defeated the lower ones very quickly. The audience was hoping the draw would put two top 5 figures against each other, but unfortunately, that still hadn't happened.
The next draw began above.
*Vymara, from the Bakunawa Abyssal Triarchy, vs Ruvos, from the Abyss Roaring Kingdom*
The people from the Bakunawa Abyssal Triarchy felt their hearts race. They would finally see their biggest star fight!
The two stepped lightly onto the martial stage.
In front of Vymara stood a Demonic Beast in humanoid form. The Abyss Roaring Kingdom was the ninth-largest organization in the universe, and he was its top genius.
Ruvos didn't say anything, as if indifferent to everything. When the green light appeared above, his expression turned somewhat disappointed.
"Why isn't it someone stronger? Just a skinny, weak woman… I wanted to at least fight a strong guy. That Darian would've been perfect."
Indeed, Vymara was a short and slender woman, even by human standards. But at that moment, all the women in the stands narrowed their eyes in anger. This idiot was really looking down on her just because she was a woman?
"Even if it were Big Brother Darian, it wouldn't mean anything. He doesn't like men," Vymara said indifferently.
At that moment, the women in the stands burst into loud laughter. Then they began cheering for Vymara enthusiastically.
On the stage, that figure didn't even understand what Vymara meant. Thinking she hadn't understood him, he said, "If it were Darian, I'd fight with everything I have and kill him."
"Kill Darian? Hahahah…" Vymara suddenly laughed loudly. She didn't say anything else, but that smile clearly carried a hint of disdain.
In the arena, everyone looked at that idiot with a bit of pity. Darian had already proven himself stronger than the top disciple of the fifth-ranked organization in the universe. Where did this idiot get such baseless confidence? He clearly had something wrong with his head.
After that, blue runes appeared around Vymara, and the ground beneath her feet began to crack. Inside those cracks, an intensely bright blue light could be seen.
When they saw that water-element light, everyone who was paying attention was shocked. Her level of control over the water element was at a level they had never seen in someone so young.
The light illuminated Vymara, and combined with the runes spinning around her, she looked even more beautiful, like a fairy straight out of a dream.
"Come on, I don't want to waste my time on a brainless beast. Big Brother is watching, and I don't want to bore him."
"YOU!"
That beast roared, and his body grew, taking on its true form. He looked like a terrifying golden tiger over five meters tall.
*BUZZ*
A powerful black aura surged out, making the space tremble. Behind the beast, a giant, shadowy figure appeared, and that dark energy wrapped around his body. His entire aura turned sinister and oppressive.
Everything happened very fast. In that instant, a roar tore through the air.
Now, the beast's eyes were scarlet, and his body was covered in black fur. A dark aura radiated from him. As for that shadowy figure, it was as if it had fused with him.
The tiger's roar made people's souls tremble.
All the more experienced ones in the stands grew serious. This idiot really did have talent and power. This technique was something exclusive to his race, the Golden Grave Tigers, where elders, before dying, could leave behind an inheritance for future generations.
That inheritance contained part of their power and could be fused with a younger one, but normally, only 1 to 10% of that power would actually be absorbed and become part of them.
But this young one… he had clearly fused with more than 50%. His strength was absurdly high, and he could truly rival the top geniuses of the tournament.
At that moment, the tiger charged. In his hands, that inherited power condensed, and his claws turned into something like bone blades.
"He managed to absorb part of the ancestor's body!"
The beasts in the stands were extremely shocked; a talent like this hadn't appeared for who knows how many generations.
The bone claws were white as snow, and their blade-like tips were perfectly preserved and razor-sharp.
When that strike came down, it felt like the sky and earth were about to split in two. It carried a terrifying aura, coming from a Demonic Beast of the past that had reached the absolute peak of cultivation.
Yet, in the face of that terrifying attack, Vymara's expression was calm.
She slowly raised her hand. Then she simply waited for the bone claw.
That single move triggered countless shocked cries from the stands. Vymara was receiving that bone claw with her bare hand!
*BOOM!*
The moment it reached Vymara's small hand, a blinding light exploded.
It was so intense that people couldn't even keep their eyes open. It was a bluish light, brighter than the sun itself.
But their eyes quickly adjusted, and the world slowly became clear again. Within that endless light, they saw Vymara's beautiful figure.
"What?!"
Seeing what happened, the entire crowd let out a unified cry of shock.
Vymara still had just one hand extended.
The bone claw was firmly held in her grip. With her blue dress swaying gently, she looked like a goddess—sacred, yet tangible.
As for that tiger, the veins on his face bulged as he tried to pull his claw back, but it was useless. Then a fierce roar burst from his body, and all his power surged to the limit.
But no matter what he did, that claw seemed glued to Vymara's hand.
Suddenly, Vymara's hand shone. A freezing power emerged and flowed from her palm. It wasn't ordinary ice—besides being a very dark blue, it emitted an intense primordial pressure.
The bone claw was slowly enveloped, freezing over.
"You…!"
The tiger was shocked. He hurriedly severed his connection to that claw and retreated.
He had barely pulled back when the freezing power completely covered the claw. Then it was as if the bone claw dissolved into the ice and vanished in an instant.
Everyone in the stands tensed up. That was the pure power of the Bakunawa Bloodline! This beast was known as "the devourer of the moon" in certain tales. In reality, it truly had an incredible ability to absorb and devour things.
As a result, the tiger coughed up a mouthful of blood. That bone claw was connected to his soul, so its destruction injured him as well.
He grew furious. A dark aura burst out of him like a flame devouring the heavens.
"Don't force me to kill you." Vymara simply stood there, staring at him, speaking in a completely indifferent tone.
At that moment, a dense sense of death flooded him. He could already smell it. That feeling was overwhelmingly intense.
For a moment, he didn't dare move or continue releasing his power. But he also wasn't willing to just stop there.
Seeing him in that awkward situation, Queen Veyra shook her head. "This guy still doesn't understand what *my disciple* meant. He's got something wrong in his head."
Vymara destroyed his bone claw as a warning. If she had only forced him back, he would've kept fighting. But by destroying it, she hoped he would understand the gap in their strength and give up.
The tiger found himself in a dilemma. With countless cultivators across the universe watching, if he just backed down like this, he'd become a laughingstock.
Seconds passed. Vymara's patience started to wear thin. At that moment, she made a move as if she was about to attack, giving a small wave.
"I lost!"
His will to live won over his pride. The moment he said that, an uproar erupted in the stands.
"I can't believe it, he actually admitted defeat?!"
"It's not just the Golden Crow Sect. Were the women of the Bakunawa Abyssal Triarchy hiding monsters like this all along?!"
As for the disciples of the Bakunawa Abyssal Triarchy and the Queens in the stands, they all burst into thunderous applause. With a single move, Vymara defeated and terrified the greatest genius of the ninth-ranked organization in the universe. It was glorious.
