Chapter 562: Chapter 537: Duel with the Top Ten
The Six-claw Crocodile Dragon was immensely powerful, its Immortal Power already containing a hint of Magic patterns, not weaker than Lu Lingxuan.
Such beings could have broken through to the Tao Realm long ago, but due to the Origin competition, they had been suppressing their cultivation levels.
Once they burst forth with all their strength, they were no weaker than ordinary Tao Realm practitioners.
But facing the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon’s attacks, Lu Yan’s face remained calm, neither dodging nor evading. As the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon drew near, his palm sliced through the air like a blade.
Around his palm swirled the chaotic light, formed by the fusion of five different Magic Rules.
Clang!
Lu Yan’s palm collided with the formidable claw of the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon.
Compared with the claws of the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon, Lu Yan’s palm was like a baby’s compared to a giant bear’s, a stark difference.
But at the moment of impact, the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon’s claw burst apart, flesh and blood flying.
"How is this possible?"
The Six-claw Crocodile Dragon was shocked to the core, only one thought in its mind.
Swish!
Lu Yan surged forward, his palm slashing out like a blade, the blade light of death flashing explosively.
Heavenly Punishment Blade, death incarnate!
"I..."
The Six-claw Crocodile Dragon felt the threat of death. It knew it was no match for Lu Yan, hesitating to fight would cost it its life, so it attempted to concede loudly without hesitation.
But Lu Yan didn’t give it the chance.
After all, to the Dao Book, this was a substantial supplement—how could he let it concede?
Zhew zhew zhew...
Seven Soul Stingers shot out, aligning in a line, piercing the Primordial Spirit of the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon.
The Primordial Spirit of the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon was heavily struck, nearly bursting apart. The severe pain caused it to scream in agony, its mind reeling, forgetting to shout its concession.
Meanwhile, Lu Yan’s attack had already arrived.
The blade light fell, and the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon’s body was cleaved in two, its Primordial Spirit exploded alongside it, turned to ashes.
The forces of absorption erupted, the Dao Book engulfing the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon’s physical form entirely.
"What?"
Those around who saw this scene were all immensely shaken, gasping in cold air, disbelief written all over their faces.
That included those behemoths of the Initial Body level.
The Six-claw Crocodile Dragon, after all, was a powerful Initial Body, and to see it killed just like that, not in an epic struggle but crumbling like rotting wood, was shocking.
What sort of battle power was this?
Yuan Tiandao, Ni Hongshuang, and Li Shenfeng all turned their gazes towards him.
However, the expressions on their faces were not the same.
Yuan Tiandao was just slightly surprised, his face showing a hint of curiosity and nothing more.
But Ni Hongshuang and Li Shenfeng looked solemn, evidently regarding Lu Yan as a formidable opponent.
"I wonder if absorbing the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon will let the Saint Soldier’s Formula break through. It feels like it should be enough," Lu Yan mused to himself, quite expectant.
After all, the Six-claw Crocodile Dragon was an Initial Body, containing astonishing energy, which should be enough for his breakthrough.
Looking up, he noticed that Shen Yinuo had also resolved her battle.
The two of them leaped up, landing on the fourth step.
And there Yuan Tiandao, Ni Hongshuang, and Li Shenfeng had also finished their battles and reached the fourth step.
The third step was still locked in intense combat, fierce beyond words.
All the major Initial Bodies and Magic Bodies were exerting their full capacities, and above The sky’s Vault, numerous Magic Rivers appeared, raining down immense powers, a spectacle to behold.
Mr. World was unlucky, having been targeted by a powerful Initial Body, and a fierce battle broke out between them.
Although Mr. World was strong and his formations profound and inscrutable, he was eventually not a match for that Initial Body. After more than two hundred exchanges, Mr. World saw that he was not the victor and chose to concede.
Although Mr. World lost, Lu Lingxuan defeated her opponent and reached the fourth step.
As time passed, more and more people made it to the fourth step.
The first step, too, was locked in intense combat, with the victors ascending to the second step.
Of course, some who conceded too late also met their deaths, which was normal.
Several hours later, the battles were mostly over.
On the fourth step, there were a total of twenty-five people.
On the third step, there was one person who had missed their chance.
And on the second step, the majority stood, numbering forty-six people.
This included those who had climbed up from the first step and those who had dropped from the third step.
After the battle, there were still several hours for healing.
"All right, the healing is over, and those on the fourth step can rest for now. Wait for those below to fight their way up, and then we’ll all duel together. Now, those on the second step, begin!"
"Those who lose this time will be completely eliminated," the elder of the Origin Dynasty announced.
As his words fell, the forty-six individuals on the second step each chose their opponents, and the battle began once more.
After a brutal fight, in the end, twenty-three emerged victorious, making their way to the third step, joining the one who had missed out before, making twenty-four people on the third step.
Those who lost were enveloped by a mighty power and vanished from the spot, leaving the Sea of Magic.
After resting for a few hours, the twenty-four on the third step then embarked on their battles.
Following a grueling fight, twelve were victorious and advanced to the fourth step.
Thus, a total of thirty-seven people were now on the fourth step.
Among them was Mr. World, who had also fought his way up.
"All right, now you begin to find your opponents and duel. One of you will have a bye. Remember, those who lose twice will be directly eliminated, while those who lose once still have one more chance," the voice of the Origin Dynasty elder sounded.
The battle commenced anew.
This time, no one else attacked Lu Yan.
Lu Yan and Yuan Tiandao, Ni Hongshuang, Li Shenfeng were the same, with nothing but emptiness around them.
Helplessly, Lu Yan could only seek out opponents himself.
He leaped up and lunged toward a powerful Taoist Body.
This Taoist Body, with an exceptionally strong talent, had actually fused together four types of Rule Power, no weaker than the Initial Body.
His path was very similar to the one Lu Yan had taken, and Lu Yan wanted to have a friendly contest.
However, upon seeing Lu Yan approach, the man showed fear and turned to leave.
"Brother, I mean no harm. We have no grudge, and I won’t kill you. I also follow the path of multiple Rule Power integration. How about a friendly contest?"
Lu Yan sent a message to the other.
Upon hearing what Lu Yan said, the other person finally felt relieved, turned around, stopped, and clasped his fist, "Please."
"Please!"
Lu Yan also clasped his fist in response.
The next moment, the Rule Power of both clashed together.
Lu Yan didn’t draw on the Heavenly Punishment Blade nor did he use the Saint Soldier’s Foemula or the power of the soul, solely relying on Rule Power to compete with his opponent.
The four rules the other had merged were metal, wood, water, and fire; just one short of Earth Rules, which would have completed the five elements. He was very strong.
Lu Yan sparred with his opponent for hundreds of moves, profiting greatly from the exchange.
The other appeared to have gained quite a bit as well and eventually stopped, clasped his fist, and said, "Brother Lu is too strong for me to contend with. I admire you and concede defeat."
Having said this, he was enveloped by a force and descended the third step.
This was his first defeat, and he still had another chance.
Meanwhile, Lu Yan, with a single leap, arrived at the fifth step.
Several hours later, the great battle ended.
A total of eighteen people reached the fifth step.
On the fourth step, one person had a bye.
And there were eight who fell to the third step.
Why only eight? Not twelve?
Because among the eighteen who reached the fifth step, seventeen had maintained a streak of victories.
Those who lost were mostly those who had already suffered one defeat and fought their way back up from below.
Afterwards, these eight fought one another, and four ascended to the fourth step.
With that, there were only five on the fourth step.
The rules were simple: these five would engage in round-robin combat. The two with the best records could advance to the fifth step and join the previous eighteen in the contest for the top ten rankings.
A day later, the round-robin ended, and two ascended to the fifth step.
Thus, there were a total of twenty on the fifth step.
Mr. World had naturally been defeated and eliminated in the previous contest.
And Lu Yan, Shen Yinuo, and Lu Lingxuan were all among those twenty, drawing everyone’s attention.
Among the top twenty, the Dragon Alliance had an unprecedented three members represented, which was unique among all the powers.
Even the might of the Origin Dynasty and the Nine Generations Heavenly Palace had only two each.
Twenty fighters, Lu Yan, Shen Yinuo, and Lu Lingxuan gathered together.
The rest kept their distance, warily watching everyone else.
Because according to the previous rules, the next battle would decide the top ten, and it was of utmost importance.
"As you expect, the next battle will determine the slots for the top ten. Those who fail, whether it’s their first defeat or second, will all be eliminated. But this time the rules will change. You won’t choose your opponents freely. Instead, you’ll draw lots. Whoever you draw will be your adversary,"
"Of course, there’s a measure of unfairness to this. For instance, some who have the strength for the top ten might unluckily face the strongest contenders early on, but that’s unavoidable. This world is never fair. Sometimes, luck is also part of one’s strength."
The elder from the Origin Dynasty spoke again.
This eased everyone’s tension, allowing them to relax after being on edge.
Since it was a matter of drawing lots, their enemy would only be one person, not everyone as a potential adversary that they had to guard against.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Suddenly, twenty jade tokens appeared out of the void.
"These twenty jade tokens are marked with numbers from one to ten, two for each number. Draw the same number, and you’ll face each other. Begin now,"
the elder from the Origin Dynasty announced once more.
The twenty prodigies each reached out, enveloping a jade token with their Immortal Power, and held it in their hand.
Infusing the token with the power of their soul, a number immediately appeared on each one.
A ’six’ appeared on Lu Yan’s token.
"I’ve drawn number six. What about you?"
Lu Yan looked towards Shen Yinuo and Lu Lingxuan.
"I’m number five,"
Shen Yinuo held up her token.
But Lu Yan saw Lu Lingxuan with a bitter face, holding up her token that also displayed a ’six’.
"You’re also number six?"
Lu Yan was taken aback and somewhat at a loss for words.
He and Lu Lingxuan had both drawn the number six and become opponents.
Lu Lingxuan shook her head, somewhat resignedly, "There’s no helping it. Facing you, there’s no need to fight this battle. I concede defeat."
Lu Yan was mute, unsure of what to say.
If it really came to a fight, Lu Lingxuan certainly wouldn’t be his match.
"Don’t be troubled. With my strength, even if I hadn’t faced you, my chances of victory against others wouldn’t be great. This way, at least, I’m spared some effort,"
Lu Lingxuan said with a smile.
"The duel will start with number one. Those who have drawn number one, step forward,"
the elder from the Origin Dynasty called out.
