"Sir," Nebai murmured, looking at the whale.
Zaimo sighed slightly upon hearing those words. She really couldn’t wait for orders, always wanting to act on her own. If the whale wasn’t considered the reincarnation of the Forging God, Nebai would already be out there fighting.
Despite this, Zaimo found himself increasingly drawn to her. He didn’t know the exact reason, but Almin, seeing Nebai for the first time, immediately noticed a striking resemblance between her and Oldis, Zaimo’s mother.
During the war that lasted nearly a century, Oldis became a stubborn warrior, always on the offensive. Zaimo had never seen this side of his mother but felt an instinctive connection to Nebai.
He rarely exchanged more than a few words with Nebai; her shyness was a tough barrier to overcome. However, when he was at the forge or on the battlefield, he transformed into someone experienced and reliable. Any shyness disappeared, as if he were a different person.
This surprised Nebai greatly when she spent three months at the forge, learning from him. What was once a surprise, seeing him lead the dwarves in battle, turned into something deeper within her.
Before, she saw him as a coward, someone who merely followed the dragon’s shadow… round, without opinions or initiative. But now, her view of him had changed drastically.
"We didn’t come here to fight others; what’s the point in advancing? If we burn our energy too soon, it might mean our death later." Zaimo spoke softly beside her. "If you think about it, the Convention is a contest to determine the strongest. Fighting for a spot at the front? That’s the height of folly."
As everyone else was advancing, Nebai was asking for permission to do the same. Upon hearing Zaimo’s words, she turned to him, staring coldly, but faced with his firm and focused gaze, she didn’t have the courage to argue. She only felt something growing inside her.
"Don’t rush," the whale said calmly, confirming Zaimo’s words.
Alm and Bruno sensed the movements of the red-haired human, who had blended in with the cultivators and fled, thinking he was safe. Little did he know he only escaped because it was allowed; he was the tempting bait left to lure in the bigger fish.
As for the survivors of the Three Sovereign Gods Sect, seeing their only leader flee, they simply gave up in anger, and no one stopped them from leaving. They were now distant and scattered, each on their own.
Initially, everyone was watching the event in the skies, at the center of the arena. More and more people couldn’t stay still; half of the cultivators had already moved toward the passage. But there were too many, and the passage was small—less than 10% had managed to cross.
After a few seconds, the battle intensified, sending a torrent of blood all around. It was unknown how many lives were claimed in the chaos. Even so, people continued to attack, even without knowing who was killing them, as the chaos was total.
In the meantime, Nebai and the others behind her were clenching their fists tightly. The only thing on their minds was a frantic desire to fight. Nebai took a step forward, but Zaimo, instinctively sensing something wrong, moved and grabbed her hand, keeping her in place.
She stopped, shocked, and turned to him. At that moment, the whale’s calm voice rang out: "Everyone, fall back. Don’t be influenced by the blood."
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Hearing this, everyone’s hearts trembled. They had just felt an intense urge to attack, and with each passing second, their anger only grew. Fortunately, that warning made them realize that this intense killing intent seemed to be stimulated by some mysterious power.
As they fell back, their minds cleared up. Then, seeing numerous cultivators still attacking, they trembled. Nebai felt a cold sweat running down her back. If she had really participated in that mess, there was no way she would have survived.
Some of the weaker disciples, who had come dangerously close to death on the stairs, looked at the whale and his companions with a mix of reverence and gratitude. If it weren’t for him, everyone would have died.
For many, gratitude was now beyond words. Only when approaching death do people start to value their lives. But the whale’s actions taught them something more: even the weakest around have their value and feel the same as they do.
Suddenly, the heavens trembled and cracks spread throughout the sky.
*BOOM!*
The entire barrier that blocked the passage above exploded with a thunderous roar. Alm and Bruno weren’t surprised—with the death of billions of disciples in that chaos, the place finally opened up completely for the next stage.
Everyone who hadn’t managed to cross was thrown straight to the ground, spitting blood. As they rose and looked up, they saw the new test.
Floating above were a hundred golden dragons; there was no life in them, they were statues. Their heads faced inward and their tails stretched outward. Their mouths were open, as if roaring. In the dragons’ mouths were golden pearls emitting mystical fluctuations. Everyone’s pupils contracted in recognition.
"Karmic Blessing!"
Voices sounded excitedly. But soon after, everyone broke into a cold sweat; where were the millions who crossed the entrance? The answer was obvious and bloody; they had barely escaped the same fate.
"Advance!"
It didn’t take long for the heroic disciples’ commanding voices to sound. Immediately, everyone rose and attacked the high, aiming at one of those dragons.
There was the prize for the winners. Most didn’t know there was a bigger prize for first place, and seeing that in the sky, they would fight with all their might to claim it. The top sects, who had the knowledge, remained calm and observed.
As a sea of disciples rose to the sky, a pillar of golden light erupted from the barrier above the hundred dragons. A hundred huge passages appeared.
Then, a terrifying scene unfolded. Countless dark forms began to flow from the immense passage.
"They’re… evil specters…" Nenbai murmured, stunned. The whale gave her a serious look, she nodded and explained.
"They’re malevolent spirits defeated in a past war. They exist in sealed black worlds and represent the major threats. Even after their defeat and death, these beings revolt against the celestial laws, relentlessly seeking to kill and destroy. They are enemies of all life."
Alm and Bruno could hardly contain their sarcastic laughter. Enemies of all life? It seemed that the Queen and the Heroes didn’t allow their defeated enemies to reincarnate, using them mercilessly.
In the arena, a heavy silence took over, as everyone felt terrified. The weaker ones stared at the specters, not daring to move. The evil creatures, in turn, observed the situation below with curiosity, remaining still.
"Maybe they won’t come down!" Someone shouted, extremely scared.
Barely had he finished speaking when the specters let out strange screams. In the next instant, they descended from the sky like a flood.
"Fight!" Encouraging voices rang out among the leaders, and quickly, all the weaker ones cast aside their fear and drew their weapons.
"Fall back." The whale spoke firmly. "Stay at the edge of the arena, the strongest should form a defensive barrier in front."
Everyone obeyed the command, but the weaker disciples hesitated. They noticed that almost half of the disciples were attacking the specters. Bewildered, they looked around and realized they were the first to retreat, seeming like the only cowards.
"What fools! This is clearly a test of the Convention. Whoever kills the most should receive the prize!"
When one of the cultivators voiced this idea, the crowd was immediately drawn to it. After all, these adversaries couldn’t have just appeared for no reason. With those words, many who had doubts decided to advance into the flood of enemies.
Even the top disciples from the top 20 sects attacked, ruthlessly cutting through their ranks and engaging in an incessant massacre; for the elite disciples, these specters weren’t that difficult to handle.
"Kill!"
Frenzied shouts echoed. Even the mid-level cultivators killed with relative ease. Seeing how easy it was, quickly 70% of the disciples joined the fight. There weren’t enough malevolent specters for everyone. Feeling there was no danger, more and more people joined the fray.
However, the whale remained observing, with no intention of fighting. At that moment, the weaker disciples behind him grew anxious, and one of them asked:
"Should we attack too?"
Zaimo snorted and answered tersely: "If you want to attack, feel free. But here’s a warning: once someone leaves our ranks, they won’t be able to come back. My lord can save you once, but can’t protect you forever. Your lives are yours. Make your own decisions."
Some people were unhappy with the answer, and one of them retorted coldly: "You saved us, so we owe you. But if you think you can give us orders because of that, you’re overstepping. Besides, even if you hadn’t saved us, I’d just have taken a little longer on the stairs. Don’t try to act like our savior and dictate our actions."
The expressions of those at the front protecting, and even the Berserkers who were just going with the flow, grew dark. Was this person kidding?
"You ungrateful wretch! If it weren’t for him taking us in, we’d have died long ago on the stairs. Now, you speak so audaciously, but when others wanted to kill us, you did nothing. You’re just a dog biting the hand that feeds you," a nearby demoness shouted angrily.
"Hmph, cowards. I have nothing more to say to you." The person turned to the whale. "I owe you a debt. One day, I’ll definitely repay it. However, I still have my freedom and won’t be constrained by anything. Thanks, goodbye."
After this declaration, the person stepped out of protection, grabbed their weapon, and advanced into the chaos. They were a human dressed in luxurious golden clothes, clearly showing their noble origin. Once they entered the wave of specters, they managed to kill a few. They seemed to have real skills.
"Sorry. I’m going too." Some people followed him.
Driven by the sight of others killing the enemies, they were afraid of being eliminated from the Convention if they stayed idle. From recent events, being eliminated meant only one thing: death.
That was the justification they told themselves and those around them. With these people leaving, more and more were tempted to join in. Nebai turned and was about to speak when Zaimo grabbed her hand, stopping her.
’Meeting is the beginning of destiny; parting is the end of destiny. Each person’s life is theirs. My lord has given them a chance, but giving a second is foolish. The celestial laws and reincarnation are the only ones that can teach them… but I fear they won’t even get that chance.’ Zaimo’s voice echoed in Nebai’s mind, making her sigh heavily.
About two-thirds of those he had saved left his group; practically all the ’young masters’ departed, and the whale didn’t stop them. However, the rest stayed, trusting the whale and waiting patiently.
None of those who remained were valued or even remotely powerful disciples. They had come to train as soldiers under the command of the stronger ones who had already left. Even without their leaders, they chose to stay. This could be seen as betrayal to their sects, but inside, nothing prevented them from acting on their own.
Suddenly, the specters grew furious. New enemies began to slowly emerge, joining the battle.
Zaimo and the others sighed upon seeing these new opponents. Being distant, they could observe the entire battle from the outside and clearly noticed the change. However, those in the middle of the battlefield had a limited view. Only the most powerful began to slowly and quietly retreat.
Then, the entire group that stayed clenched their fists; the scene they feared unfolded. Countless disciples, whom they had previously protected, were massacred by these new enemies.
At first, there weren’t many of these elite enemies, but within a few minutes, they became the main force, turning it into a massacre of the weaker and mid-level ones.
Faced with this overwhelming counterattack, many cultivators abandoned the fight and tried to flee desperately. However, it was too late; they were quickly engulfed and torn apart.
The cultivators who had left the whale’s protection were still close to the edge of the arena. Realizing the situation had changed, they immediately fled.
"Lord, save me!"
A terrified scream echoed, coming from none other than the human who had been the first to leave. His previous arrogance shattered, replaced by pure terror as he flew desperately, pursued by a swarm of evil specters.
The whale responded slowly, without emotion: "I already gave you a chance, but you wasted it. You even dragged many others down with you. In this world, no one owes anything to anyone. Now you want others to risk their lives to save you? Sorry, but I’m no saint. On the contrary, if I had the chance, I’d kill them myself right now."
"You… no!"
His distraction slowed him down, allowing the enemies to surround him. In seconds, he disappeared without a trace, and even his screams were muffled.