Chapter 743: Chapter 555: Assembly Point
The space rift caused spatial turbulence, leading to a large-scale collapse, spreading outward from the chubby old man to a kilometer in diameter. It lasted for three to four minutes before it finally stopped.
As the twisted, shattered space gradually returned to normal, only a gigantic crater and a mess were left behind.
The ground was scattered with a few drops of blood, proving the bloody existence of this battle; aside from that, there was not even a piece of flesh or cloth left.
In this spatial storm, everything, including the scent of blood, was devoured.
Xie Yixiao and the other two looked at the enormous pit with complex expressions.
In the sky, the purple giant eagle flapped its wings at an altitude of four to five hundred meters; even so, it continued to ascend.
The bald man inside the Life Soul had a solemn expression, suppressing anger and fear in his eyes.
A seven-on-three encirclement, which should have been easy, was utterly destroyed due to a single King.
His six Ninth Grade subordinates were instantly consumed by the spatial turbulence.
Any defense and Barrier seemed so fragile under the spatial turbulence.
When that chubby old man appeared, the bald man guessed that the other party should be a King; even if a Middle Rank King, he wouldn’t be surprised.
Without some ability, how could one dare to intervene in this battle lightly?
But even as a King, handling six Ninth Grade experts simultaneously would be difficult to gain the upper hand.
Moreover, he was just an old man.
Yet he never expected the old man would self-destruct!
He couldn’t even imagine that the old man intended to self-destruct from the very beginning.
And self-destructed right away.
If he hadn’t seen Xie Yixiao and the other two escape, or rather, if the old man hadn’t bought time for their escape, he too feared he would have been engulfed by the spatial turbulence.
Even a King, even an Emperor, could not resist — at most, they’d hold on a little longer, but the result would be the same.
And this should be why no Emperor dares to enter the Land of Fallen Gods lightly.
"Boom, boom, boom."
Just as the bald man was still feeling lingering fear, yet another violent explosion sounded, prompting him to suddenly turn and look toward the northwest. The explosion wasn’t far from him. In the air, he could clearly see the distorted, semi-transparent circular spatial turbulence; the intense shock wave blew his robe wildly.
"Madman!"
The bald man cursed viciously.
Clearly, another King had self-destructed.
Facing Human Race Kings who frequently self-destructed, the bald man began to tremble in fear.
The Land of Fallen Gods was their territory.
Here, they held the absolute advantage.
He had hunted many Human Races these past days.
But from this moment on, the hunting game ceased.
Two consecutive Kings self-destructing let him understand that the game had prematurely terminated.
The Human Race Kings forced them to stop the hunt through self-destruction.
Even, possibly, to leave the Land of Fallen Gods.
To this, they seemed unable to retaliate.
When he saw an old man flapping Spiritual Power Wings, rapidly flying in his direction, the bald man’s face changed dramatically, hurriedly urging the giant eagle Life Soul, flapping its wings, and swiftly flying away into the distance.
He didn’t want to die!
He couldn’t understand why Human Race Kings were willing to sacrifice themselves.
"Running quite fast."
Zhang Dongguang remarked as he watched the giant eagle disappear, smiling for a moment before flapping his Spiritual Power Wings and flying downwards.
Behind him, another old man followed.
The two slowly walked to the place where their old companion self-destructed.
The location was easy to find; it was the center of the crater over twenty meters in diameter and five meters deep.
"No fat oil either!"
At the edge of the crater, Zhang Dongguang glanced at the bottom and laughed.
The crater was empty, the soil and stones presenting charred marks.
"Haha."
The other old man also laughed out loud, but his eyes were already red, his voice slightly trembling: "Perhaps it’s already evaporated."
Xie Yixiao and the other two also arrived at the edge of the crater, silent, as they didn’t know what to say and could only bow to express their respect and gratitude to their savior.
"Why did he self-destruct?"
Xie Yixiao hesitated but couldn’t help asking the question.
It was an answer he wanted to know.
Why would a stranger sacrifice their life to save them?
The self-destructing chubby old man was a King; if he guessed right, the two old men before him were also Kings. With the help of three Kings, they could completely repel the enemy, possibly even kill one or two, making self-destruction unnecessary.
"He lived for over a hundred years, had enough, and seeing these Aliens running rampant, he chose to self-destruct."
Zhang Dongguang calmly said.
He knew Xie Yixiao; how could he not know a Top Ten Glory All-Star? He didn’t explain their mission in entering the Land of Fallen Gods, not wanting to press these geniuses.
This was their voluntary choice, and there was no need for them to feel guilty.
In the eyes of his old companion, exchanging one for seven was a very good deal.
After all, with his frail and old body, hunting an Alien Race King was nearly impossible.
He would have a hard time even against an Alien Race Ninth Grade expert.
Only in the Land of Fallen Gods could it be possible.
Too bad the strongest King managed to escape.
"Explosion is indeed art!"
The other old man remarked.
Saying this, as if remembering something, he burst into laughter: "I finally know why Lin Feng loves self-destruction so much."
Xie Yixiao said nothing.
Although not explicitly mentioned, he already could guess the intention of these elderly Kings entering the Land of Fallen Gods.
As for Lin Feng, he no longer harbored much resentment.
Those conflicts were insignificant in the face of life and the Alien Race.
"Self-destruction has its benefits, leaving no remains, and no need to find a burial ground."
As Zhang Dongguang spoke, he took off his watch and tossed it into the pit.
The other old man took off his bracelet and threw it into the pit too.
There’s no special ceremony or meaning, just a memory to hold onto.
"Let’s go."
Zhang Dongguang took one last look at the traces left by his old companions, suppressing the sadness in his heart, and spoke to Xie Yixiao and the other three.
"Where to?" Chen Junhao asked.
Zhang Dongguang pointed southeast: "To the gathering place, it’s in the center of the Land of Fallen Gods, not far from the Holy Hall. If everything goes smoothly, we will arrive in a day."
The three didn’t ask more questions and quietly followed behind the two elderly men.
They had already exited the Demon Transformation state, no longer needing to constantly be on alert for movements around them, no longer fearing sneak attacks by the Alien Race.
Because they knew there were no Alien Race members daring enough to attack them anymore.
On the way to the gathering place, they encountered quite a few Aliens, but this time, none of these Aliens dared to approach them, let alone attack.
In just two short hours, Xie Yixiao heard four explosions and saw eleven massive craters along the way, which meant 11 more Emperors chose to self-destruct.
Along the way, they also met five contestants, including three trainees and two helpers, who joined the team.
With more Emperors self-destructing, the number of Aliens encountered on the road decreased noticeably.
Sometimes not even a single one was seen over one to two hours.
"The Aliens are terrified."
Zhang Dongguang said with a laugh: "What a pity, there was no chance for me to show off along this road. I was about to act, but those scoundrels fled, and the rare opportunity was snatched by Fatty. Funny how Fatty only managed to pull down six Ninth Grade losers; he should’ve gone for an Alien Race King. If I had the opportunity, I would definitely drag down that bald head."
The other old man shook his head helplessly, somewhat unable to bear his old companion’s ramblings.
"We’ll have a chance after delivering them to the Holy Hall."
"Indeed, it’s worth trying to find a young Alien Race King," Zhang Dongguang agreed.
Before night fell, they stopped traveling and found an empty house to stay in.
No one slept through the night, and the night was peaceful, with no alien attacks or raids.
The shadows of Yin Souls passing outside the window didn’t dare enter the house.
The next day, in the afternoon, they successfully arrived at the gathering place.
The gathering place looked like a simple base, with only four buildings, one of which had a medical sign.
The gathering place was already crammed with over a thousand people from different countries and of different skin colors, making for a somewhat noisy scene.
And around the gathering place, there stood an elder every two to three hundred meters, representing various countries, estimated conservatively to be three to four hundred.
They were safeguarding the contestants’ safety, ensuring the stable existence of the gathering place.
"Alright, the gathering place is reached. Wish you all succeed in King Becoming."
Zhang Dongguang said to the three.
With their escort task completed, their mission was fulfilled.
"Thank you."
Xie Yixiao quickly expressed gratitude and was just about to speak more when Zhang Dongguang waved his hand, turned, and left. For some reason, their departing backs seemed lonely and mournful in Xie Yixiao’s eyes.
At a distance of a hundred meters from the gathering place, three men in uniform approached to inquire about their identity and verify their identity information before allowing them to enter.
"Brother Hao."
"Junhao."
"How was the journey, smooth?"
As they entered the gathering place, Chen Junhao was greeted by many along the way.
Chen Junhao waved back with a smile: "Finally arrived."
"Yes, finally arrived."
Zhao Zhou also sighed.
The King Becoming plan had not truly begun, yet this single gathering task had already caused such severe casualties. Hopefully, things will go smoother from now on.
"Brother Hao!"
Someone shouted loudly, sounding excited.
Chen Junhao looked and identified his former team members, though the original team of six was now only four.
"What about Zhang Li and the others?"
Chen Junhao furrowed his brows.
No one responded.
"Alas."
Chen Junhao sighed, then turned to a young man: "How long have you been here, and what’s the current situation?"
The young man named Sha Yuda replied helplessly: "Not sure, we arrived two days earlier, and no tasks have been issued during these days; it’s just been wait-and-see."
"There are still three days until the gathering deadline; perhaps we are waiting for everyone to arrive before starting."
Another young man chimed in.
He looked envious: "The Lin Feng team hasn’t arrived either; they’ve been catching the Flying Dragon Steed in the Star Sea Spatial Gate, each having a Flying Dragon Steed."
"Flying Dragon Steed?"
Both Chen Junhao and Zhao Zhou showed surprise and a bit of envy.
Few people wouldn’t be tempted by such a mount.
"How did they capture it? Isn’t the Flying Dragon Steed very proud? How did they tame it?"
Zhao Zhou asked repeatedly.
The thought of Yun Tianqi having a Flying Dragon Steed made him feel uncomfortable.
With a Flying Dragon Steed, that fellow might be even more challenging to deal with.
"I heard they caught a Ginseng Baby to lure the Flying Dragon Steed out, but as for taming it, that part is unknown."
Sha Yuda explained.
He began articulating Lin Feng’s team’s route and their achievements to Chen Junhao and the others.
This information wasn’t a secret; everyone at the gathering place knew it.
After making rounds to various treasured lands, Lin Feng’s team likely enhanced their strength significantly.
Although a sight causing discontent, even Chen Junhao had to admire their courage and strength.
Before entering the Land of Fallen Gods, they had been constantly pursued.
Even after entering the Land of Fallen Gods, they were continuously hunted.
While Lin Feng’s team was wreaking havoc on the treasure lands of the Divine Martial Continent, the Alien Race could do nothing about it.
The envy was real, and the admiration was genuine.
Initially, they didn’t regard the Avengers Alliance as opponents, thinking they were too young to qualify as such.
But now, thinking this way would indeed be foolish.
