Chapter 203: Chapter 202: A Mantis Trying to Stop a Chariot
CRACK-SHATTER!
Just as the dense barrage of Ice Spikes was about to pierce Jiang Qiu’s skin, a crisp sound echoed from its surface. One after another, the Ice Spikes shattered, as if they had struck a steel plate.
The gathered young geniuses from the tribes and the other two Chosen Ones were stunned. Even [Gold], who was controlling the Ice Spikes, stared with wide eyes, his pupils trembling in shock. "What’s going on?!"
’These Ice Spikes aren’t simple products of frozen snow. If that were all, they’d struggle to harm even an ordinary tribe Warrior, let alone a Chosen One already in the Steel Bone Realm.’
His control over ice and snow had ascended to a whole new level after soaking in the Water of Origin, making it powerful enough to easily pierce the skin of a Steel Bone Realm expert.
Even [Wall], with his immense physical strength, had torn the skin on his knuckles just from punching the Ice Spikes. ’But Jiang Qiu can shatter them on impact?!’
While [Gold] was still reeling in shock, he saw the color of Jiang Qiu’s skin deepen, turning from its natural tone to a deep blue as frost spread across it. An instant later, his entire body was encased in Ice Armor. He looked like a general walking out of the Ice Realm, emanating a chilling aura that effortlessly shattered the remaining Ice Spikes still hurtling toward him.
The spikes were sharp, but against the armor, they were brittle.
The Ice and Snow Power that had easily suppressed even Chosen Ones like [Wall] and [Fan] was utterly useless against Jiang Qiu, like ice chips striking a mountain of steel.
With it came a glint of killing intent from behind the visor of Jiang Qiu’s Frozen Helmet. "Die."
BOOM!
Before his voice had even faded, Jiang Qiu’s figure smashed through the Ice Spike formation intended to block him. The forest of Ice Cones standing between him and [Gold] instantly shattered, the fragments sweeping forward in his wake!
THUMP!
His heart leaped. [Gold] threw his hands up, instantly summoning a Shield of Ice and Snow. The two-meter-tall Ice Shield rose to block the torrential cold current and intercept Jiang Qiu’s massive fist.
In that instant, his blood ran cold. A mournful screech echoed in his ears as the chilling aura scraped away the surface of his Ice Shield. In his eyes, the reflection of the shield suddenly fractured with spiderweb cracks.
CRACK—
The youth clad in crystalline Heavy Armor shattered the Ice Shield protecting him with a single punch. A frigid blast of air choked his nostrils and throat.
His bloodshot pupils reflected the youth’s cold armor, and with it, his own lifetime of undefeated arrogance.
’I never thought I would lose one day, let alone so completely!’
’We both use ice, but the difference between us is like heaven and earth!’
BANG—
[Gold]’s face was struck as if by a cannonball, Jiang Qiu’s armored fist embedding itself perfectly within it. Crimson liquid bloomed like an Other Shore Flower.
BOOM!
His head snapped back instantly. His neck, unable to twist in time, dragged the rest of his torso with it. His figure blurred for a moment before slamming into the hall’s wall over twenty meters away, tearing a massive hole. All around the room, ice crystals shattered, raining down like hail. CLATTER CLATTER.
"Huuu..."
Jiang Qiu slowly retracted his fist. A puff of hot, white breath escaped the visor of his armored helmet, swirling into the cold air around him.
’I didn’t hold back with that punch. I had to eliminate this enemy with everything I had.’
’I don’t know how long this trial in the Ancestral Ruins has gone on, but the final confrontation between the Chosen Ones is drawing nearer. Eliminating all the Chosen Ones who pose a threat is my top priority.’
’Besides, the effectiveness of my Ice Armor was sublimated by the Water of Origin. Ever since my Luminous Blood reached Tier Two, my Ice Armor’s defensive attribute is in a completely different league.’
’In other words, my Bloodline Talent is a level higher than any other Chosen One’s. So no matter how heaven-defying [Gold]’s Bloodline Talent was, as long as it hadn’t reached Tier Two and his own Realm wasn’t far beyond mine, he could never have defeated me.’
’Such is the gap in Talent and Realm.’
BZZZT—
Suddenly, a subtle hum emanated from the Square Stele. The name of the Chosen One [Gold] dimmed and faded away completely. Within the hall, the life force from his bloodline could no longer be sensed.
The bloody corpse buried beneath the Ice Crystal Fragments would not be getting up again.
Jiang Qiu glanced at the corner, then turned back toward the Frozen Gate. The young geniuses from the various tribes, caught in the sweep of his gaze, all took three steps back, their eyes filled with terror.
The mountain-sized Chosen One, [Wall], shrank back, treating Jiang Qiu as a formidable enemy.
’As one of the ten Chosen Ones who entered the Great Secret Realm, I was supposed to compete for the Enlightenment Fruit. But after more than a decade of desperate Cultivation, my fist was pierced by Ice Spikes [Gold] summoned casually, a life-threatening injury. Then, I had to watch as that same [Gold]—a man powerful enough to dominate an entire generation—was killed by [Hill] with a single punch. It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.’
’The trial in this Great Secret Realm is much harder than I ever imagined. Or rather, the world’s geniuses are far stronger than I ever imagined.’
’Forget whatever strength everyone had before entering the Great Secret Realm. Right now, Jiang Qiu is without a doubt the strongest of the Human Race’s Chosen Ones. He’s in a league of his own!’
’He could definitely crush everyone here with a wave of his hand, just like how [Gold] was so quick to threaten sealing the entire hall!’
GULP~
The faint sound of a gulp echoed in [Wall]’s throat. Sweat from his forehead and blood from his right arm dripped to the floor. He held his breath, staring at Jiang Qiu’s back as he walked toward the Frozen Gate.
TAP.
The man suddenly stopped walking. [Wall]’s heart skipped a beat.
"You’re called [Wall], I believe?"
Jiang Qiu turned his head. His expression was completely hidden by the Ice Armor helmet, but the narrow visor revealed a cold, alien glint of light that seemed to pierce the soul.
[Wall] shivered. He clenched his fists and forced himself to answer, his voice strained. "Yes."
’What’s coming is coming. I’m a Chosen One, a stumbling block on his path to victory. There’s almost no chance I’m leaving this North Sea Palace alive.’
’In truth, this wasn’t uncommon. The history of the Northern Boundary was filled with cases where only a single Chosen One emerged from the North Sea Palace.’
’The Human Race is supposed to be harmonious and united, but the Chosen Ones are not. They fight only for their own benefit, cultivating only for the Enlightenment Fruit atop Northern Boundary Peak. This is why, in the tens of thousands of years since the ancestors’ departure, the Northern Boundary Human Clan has become what it is today.’
’Ambition, conflict, plunder—these are the true colors of the Northern Boundary Human Clan!’
’By all logic, Jiang Qiu is the victor among the humans. He’ll kill all the other Chosen Ones, walk out of the North Sea Palace, declare the North Snow Tribe’s ultimate victory, and probably even slaughter the entire group from the West Ice Tribe... ’
"After you get out, make arrangements for the South Mountain Tribe. The final contest of the Chosen Ones will likely begin in a few years. Don’t let the Northern Boundary fall into chaos and the Main Vein Tribes fall into unrest after we’re gone."
Huh?
Jiang Qiu’s words rang like a Copper Bell in [Wall]’s mind. He stared blankly at Jiang Qiu’s back as the boy turned his head away again. The youth in Ice Armor raised his fist and smashed it into the Ice-Sealed Gate blocking their path.
As the light from outside flooded in, Jiang Qiu was bathed in the dawn.
’I just don’t understand why he spared me, or why he cares about the state of the Northern Boundary Tribes...’
