"Hold the defense!"
Heroic shouts echoed one after another as more and more disciples from various sects flew in to join the whale’s army. They were like a spear piercing through the torrent of evil specters.
For the spectators outside the arena, it was clear that the disciples were divided. On the whale’s side, about 15% of all the billions of cultivators moved toward them. A bit farther away, almost at the center of the arena, was a mass with 60% of them, all watching the whale’s team coldly.
The other 25% were neutral cultivators, watching the events unfold with doubts about how to react.
"Brother, I feel like we have a deep connection. You won’t fight alone!"
Suddenly, a voice called out in Alm and Bruno’s direction, and when they looked to see who it was, they squinted their eyes. Floating in the skies was a huge black silhouette slowly drifting by. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a massive whale, completely black. Its body was as large as a dragon’s, and Alm and Bruno quickly recognized the creature. They had recently read about these demon beasts that belonged to the tenth-largest sect in the universe, called the Shrouding Sky Whale Sect.
This sect was made up of sea beasts in general, and the glorious form of these beasts in human metamorphosis was equally round and majestic.
Alm and Bruno didn’t respond; they just waved at their new allies. At the same time, Vorion moved in, and a wave of destruction annihilated countless specters. In that moment, they noticed penetrating gazes directed at them from the distant neutral group.
"Brother, you’re a good person. Don’t listen to those idiots. When this is all over, let’s grab a drink together."
A feminine voice from a newly arrived human chimed in; the two turned to see a tall, beautiful woman and waved back, silently grateful that Ruri wasn’t there at that moment. She was the last heroic disciple to bring her army to join them.
Alm and Bruno calculated the number of allies compared to the whole. There were about 100 heroic disciples with them, each bringing their soldiers, forming an army of billions. Still, they represented just over 15% of the disciples. It was more than they expected, but still not enough.
"You can drink together in hell instead!" At that moment, someone mocked them from a distance, intentionally spreading their voice.
This person was clever, hiding their presence in the crowd. Moreover, amid the sea of specters, locating them in the chaos was as challenging as finding a needle in the ocean.
Alm and Bruno smiled slightly and sent a few hundred locations to Thea through the array. She snorted, and her body began to emit steam from overheating; then, all her power focused on the targets...
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
Shots echoed, and suddenly dozens of heads exploded, silencing all the screams. Even the runes of a Conqueror were destroyed with a single shot.
"Idiot. Did you really think I couldn’t do anything against you? Besides stabbing people in the back, you have no other skills. If you want to play with fire, go ahead, but I’ll deal with you first." The whale’s voice boomed like thunder throughout the arena.
Everyone was stunned. Being able to locate who spoke and kill them from such a distance, with no chance of escape, was absolutely terrifying. They couldn’t even comprehend what kind of projectile was fired, but it destroyed anything permanently.
Alm and Bruno gave the warning just to intimidate the weaker ones. If, in the midst of the fight, they stopped talking and attacked for real, the weaker ones they were protecting could be in danger in the chaos.
The strategy worked. All those who had been encouraged by the red-haired human to shout and curse fell silent and took a few steps back, fearing for their lives.
The two Azure Dragons were the main force in the battle, incredibly oppressive. Every move they made manipulated the laws of wind, lightning, and water, turning them into a storm of destruction. Not to mention their terrifying physiques; dragons, the supreme emperors of beasts, being the first life forms to exist, both among primordial beasts and mortal beasts.
Almin and his army fought from a distance, causing immense damage, while the Berserkers formed the frontline. Sesel, Leafar, and Ervly covered an entire region together, forming a cohesive army in defense and attack.
Meanwhile, the dwarves fought around the weaker ones, still using only war hammers and light armor. Obviously, the hammers and armor had runic seals, granting them a unique offensive capability. However, no one outside found this strange, as their power so far was within expected limits due to their equipment.
Alm and Bruno waited a bit longer, but all the dwarves and Thea were ready to go all out at their command. The reason for this caution was their suspicions about this Convention. Everything pointed to the hundred who would win the prizes being exactly the number of cultivators who would leave this place alive.
That’s why Bruno tried to gather as many people as possible around him and even gave time for the neutrals to choose a side.
The specters continued to descend from the skies. For every three that appeared, two went straight toward the whale’s group. That army was made up of disciples from the largest sect in the universe, the fifth largest, and the tenth. Added to them were sects from the top 20 and below that.
The others, far away, were still fighting but were completely safe. The enemy group, seeing that the whale’s army was withstanding the attacks without losses, soon decided to take action.
There was no more need to act in the shadows; the followers of the God of Wealth revealed themselves and joined the red-haired human and the others. Within minutes, that red-haired human shouted toward the neutrals watching in the arena.
"Brothers, staying on the fence during this convention isn’t a smart choice. It should be clear to everyone by now: many deaths will occur for the winners to emerge. There’s no way to avoid that."
He spoke seriously, and all those maintaining a neutral position stared at him coldly.
The red-haired human chuckled lightly and then held up a small round sphere. It wasn’t just him; everyone in that group, which represented 60% of the cultivators, seemed to be holding something similar. In the next instant, they all hurled the spheres like a rain of projectiles toward the whale’s army.
Nothing was spared; all the spheres brought by the followers of the God of Wealth were thrown. Suddenly, all the specters attacking others concentrated entirely on those 15%.
"As you can see, you now have a few seconds to decide. Those fools are already done for, and soon you’ll be next. This isn’t the time for neutrality; there are only winners and losers in this convention." The red-haired human chuckled lightly and added, "If you join us, we can have a fair contest afterward and decide who gets the rewards."
The whale and everyone on its side heard those words, but no one responded. At that moment, everyone was overwhelmed, desperately fighting against the absurd number of specters. What had once been barely under control had now turned into a battle on the brink of total collapse.
"Hmf, what utter nonsense." A familiar voice resonated from the neutral group.
It was Dem Zarn, the only heroic disciple sent by the Shadow God Sect. Alm and Bruno had noticed him a long time ago and were observing his movements. However, he and the demon army of the Shadow God Sect were strangely quiet and hadn’t engaged in any of the conflicts.
Dem Zarn chose to maintain his neutrality; perhaps the repeated losses to the whale had instilled a deep fear of going against him. But in that moment, he saw that the whale was truly done for, so he joined the enemies. His decision was accompanied by countless demon sects that also came to the Convention.
The remaining neutral group was peculiar. Alm and Bruno clearly felt the presence of two very powerful heroic disciples there. They were neither humanoid nor beast, nor did they belong to any common race; in fact, they didn’t even have a physical body.
They belonged to the second-largest sect in the universe, the Heavenly Spirit God Sect. This sect had a Divine Dao created by a Heavenly Elemental Spirit, a form born from the natural laws, similar to Vorion’s soul when they encountered him in that demon sect in the past.
In this sect, all the Heavenly Elemental Spirits in the universe united to form this powerful organization, second only to the dragons. Alm and Bruno waited to judge the actions of these two disciples; they were the ones closely watching the whale, as if analyzing something.
That’s when Vorion pulsed at the same time as the Yin tattoo. The entire arena was affected by a dense Yin.
*CRASH!*
The sinister saber cut through the skies, making hundreds of specters explode instantly. But no matter how many were destroyed, the same number emerged from above.
’This confirms it: if almost everyone doesn’t die, this will never end before our forces are exhausted,’ Alm thought mentally, and Bruno agreed.
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As they pondered, Alm and Bruno suddenly felt startled. They sensed a gaze full of murderous intent directed at them. But this gaze didn’t come from the enemies.
Turning around, they saw the two Heavenly Elemental Spirits. They were using metamorphosis, having an androgynous humanoid appearance. Now, their faces were twisted as they glared at the whale.
"You… how dare you!" one of them spat furiously.
The other clenched his fists, his red eyes filled with rage, and spoke coldly: "That evil saber... you dared to use a Heavenly Elemental Spirit as an immortal spirit! This is a declaration of war against our entire sect!"
Alm and Bruno were confused; indeed, Vorion was initially of the same race as them. In that moment, they turned to Nebai, who had a serious expression, as if she hadn’t realized this before.
’Sir, this… in the distant past, many immortal weapons were made using these life forms. But ever since this sect was formed, it has become a taboo for the Heavenly Spirit God Sect,’ Nebai explained anxiously. ’They declared to the entire universe that anyone who dares to do this again will be considered a mortal enemy of theirs. Since then, such occurrences have become extremely rare.’
A Heavenly Elemental Spirit was something rare, even in the divine world, but it was indeed one of the easiest ways to create the spirit of an immortal weapon, regardless of the universe. In the queen’s universe, no one was crazy enough to pick a mortal fight with the second-largest sect in the universe.
Everyone looked at the whale as if he were insane; no one imagined he came from an ascendant place, and it was impossible to know something like that.
Alm and Bruno snorted. Those two were in the neutral group glaring at them because they weren’t yet sure that Vorion had been used for this. But after he wielded his saber with such power, the fluctuations of the race became evident to them.
Suddenly, everyone in the neutral group moved together. Following the second-largest sect in the universe, they joined the enemies in the center of the arena.
Everyone in the whale’s army felt despair for the first time; now, they were practically doomed.
With the unity of nearly 85% of the disciples, the red-haired man smiled sinisterly. Seven of the ten largest sects in the universe, along with countless others, had joined him.
The 7th, 8th, and 9th sects were made up of divine beasts, bearers of the bloodlines of mythical sacred beasts. They were the White Tiger Sect, Vermilion Bird Sect, and Black Tortoise Sect.
The whole event lasted less than five minutes; it was about time. The whale snorted; even those who had been spared from the Three Sovereign Gods Sect, who were in the neutral group, decided to turn against them again. That was their fate, and nothing could change it.
"Since you’ve made your choice, it’s time to end this game." The whale spoke dryly, and everyone heard.
The whale turned and looked at Almin, who nodded in response. In a quick motion, Almin pulled something round from his spatial ring and tossed it to the whale. The moment the whale grabbed the object, it shot up high, delivering a thunderous strike with Vorion.
*BUM!*
The black saber exploded in the midst of the specters, creating a massive hole. The whale quickly positioned itself at the center of the chaos.
In the next second, everyone noticed a rune lighting up on the whale’s forehead. The two Azure Dragons widened their eyes in surprise.
"Is that… is that the technique…" the male dragon murmured.
But his sister roared, completely certain: "Devouring God Spatial Technique!"
**WHOOOM!**
Suddenly, a massive suction force emerged in the skies. The whale was like a primordial beast with its mouth wide open, seeming to try to swallow the whole world. Everything converged toward the rune on its forehead.
Everyone was stunned by the sound impact and the sensation of colossal power resonating in the skies, but it lasted less than five seconds before everything ceased.
Immediately, the followers of the God of Wealth panicked. All the power of the spheres that were attracting the specters had vanished.
In the next moment, the whale sighed and pulled out a black sphere the size of a palm. It was precisely a pill, the same one Almin had given him just a while ago. Everyone instinctively felt that everything they had thrown was concentrated there.
It was a simple pill, designed to store a large amount of something. Its space inside was gigantic, thanks to the Dao of the God of Alchemy. Almin kept it with him in case he found something useful that would lose its strength over time within the inventory.
"There’s a saying I follow closely: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You should get a taste of what it’s like to be schemed against; it will be a fitting retribution." Alm spoke coldly, making everyone around break out in a cold sweat.
Then, he made a move, and the sphere shot toward the center of the enemy crowd.
*BOOM!*
As soon as it exploded, the specters seemed to go crazy, with half of them turning and running in the indicated direction. All those appearing in the skies fell directly onto the enemies, attacking them relentlessly.
They had numbers several times greater than the whale, but most were just a bunch of disorganized idiots, lacking unity or willpower. In the next moment, screams of terror echoed, and blood began to pour as chaos took over the battlefield.