Chapter 2713: Comparing Strength
Lu Yin stared at the distant city. "You’re saying that a peak powerhouse was killed in that city."
"One of the Cyclic Universe’s Nine Sages was killed there," Zhi Bing said, his hands clasped behind his back.
Everyone was startled, as none of them had known this detail, not even Mu Mu. She had simply guessed a bit of the story behind the city because of its odd shape. She had not thought that she would actually be correct, much less that one of the Cyclic Universe’s Nine Sages would have been killed in the city.
Jiang Xiaodao spoke up, "Is that Necropolis?"
Zhi Bing laughed. "So you’re not a complete idiot."
Xu Yue grew curious. "Hey, Jiang Xiaodao, what are you talking about?"
An ugly expression appeared on Jiang Xiaodao's face. "A long time ago, when the Cyclic Universe first made contact with the Lost Clan, they went to war. The Cyclic Universe sent five of the Nine Sages, and one of them died here. That was the feat that allowed the Lost Clan to be accepted as a member of the Sixverse Association.”
Lu Yin stared at the distant city. The Sixverse Association had not been put together without complications, as the different universes had also gone to war with each other.
Wen San realized something. "Wait, were the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages around even before the Sixverse Association was established?"
"The Three Sovereigns and Nine-" Jiang Xiaodao started to answer, but then he suddenly realized that Wen Sansi had asked the question, so the young man stopped himself and instead finished with, "Are none of your business!"
Wen Sansi ignored the comment.
Necropolis was a bustling city. From what Zhi Bing had said, the city had been an important site for the Lost Clan for multiple eras.
Of course, Jiang Xiaodao just rolled his eyes as Zhi Bing spoke.
While Necropolis was a city, it far exceeded the size of a normal city. It spread across outer space, and while it was not as large as an entire planet, it was still large enough to accommodate billions of people.
From Xu Jie and Mu Mu, as well as the memories of some people he had Possessed, Lu Yin was aware that the Lost Clan had a small population, and most of them wandered about their universe. They were an insular group that would not allow outsiders access to their central territories.
Not only that, but the Lost Clan also forbade its people from intermarrying with outsiders in order to maintain the purity of the Lost Clan’s bloodlines.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaodao laughed again.
When they arrived at Necropolis, they heard many of the people there talking about the Shangsan Festival, and some of the people were even older experts who would soon head to the Lost Clan’s central territories to participate in the Shangsan Festival. There was no age limit for the event, and both young and old were welcome to participate.
Of course, there were also some people who were nervous. After all, trading a card was not a respectful action to the Lost Clan. When Jiang Xiaodao had once commented that his card was not very good, Zhi Xiao had gotten quite upset. Requesting to trade cards was something that many people felt would offend senior members of the Lost Clan.
Everyone had their own thoughts.
Lu Yin and the rest of the group who had traveled from the Sixverse Academy attracted a great deal of attention when they arrived in Necropolis. Xu Jie, Mu Mu, and Luo Zang were all regarded as the top geniuses of their own universes, and they were each famous in their own right.
Xuan Qi was no different. He had become famous for capturing spies in multiple universes, which had made him extremely renowned throughout the Sixverse Association.
"Didn't you say that not many people outside of the Lost Clan have cards? Why are there so many here?" Wen Sansi wondered.
Xu Yue answered, "These people are the culmination of many years. The Lost Clan is a full fledged member of the Sixverse Association, and they can’t be completely cut off from the rest of the megaverse. They communicate with other universes, especially the Endless Frontier. They don’t keep to themselves, have friends in other universes, conduct trade, and fight on many different battlefields. After countless years, many cards have been picked up by outsiders, though it’s unusual to see so many of them gathered in one place.”
Wen Sansi smiled at Xu Yue. "Thank you."
"Little Yue, don't talk to him!" Jiang Xiaodao moved to stop Xu Yue.
Wen Sansi ignored the comment as he continued to look around.
Everyone had intended to go their own way after entering the city, but they were drawn by a commotion at the entrance, and thus they all ended up gathering together again.
Right at the entrance to Necropolis, a sign had been placed high up. It simply displayed: "Everyone who looks at me is a fool."
Sitting under the sign sat a muscular man. He leaned forward off his chair and wolfed down the food off a table in front of him in an unsightly manner.
The air was filled with people cursing the man, but no one stepped forward.
The muscular man glanced around as he ate, and the contempt in his eyes was quite obvious, which only made people angrier.
"The bastard’s been there for days, and all he does is hold his sign up and insult people. He needs a beating!"
"Has anyone challenged him?"
"He won’t fight—he’ll only arm wrestle. Anyone who challenges and loses is treated as a coward, but if anyone beats him, he’s promised to give them anything they want."
"Get real. What? He’s going to give me what I want if I say that I want to become a peak powerhouse?"
"Brother, you’ve got quite a way with words. Why don't you go over and give it a shot?"
"Just give me a moment. Let me ask you first, has anyone challenged you yet?"
"They have."
"And?"
"Their arms were shattered."
"What? All of them?"
"Every last one of them had their arm broken."
The man immediately stepped back and hid his face.
The muscular man spat in contempt, and then pushed his sign even higher as he shouted, "You’re nothing but a bunch of trash! If you don't dare to challenge me, then just stay away. Don't bother me while I'm eating."
Just past the crowd, Lu Yin and others were watching.
Jiang Xiaodao's face twitched. "That foodie came too? He even got here before me."
"You know him?" Xu Yue was curious.
Jiang Xiaodao rolled his eyes. "Snack Sage."
"That’s Snack Sage? Him?" Xu Yue was surprised.
Mu Mu was similarly caught off guard. "That’s Snack Sage?"
Lu Yin looked at the muscular man. Snack Sage? The name reminded Lu Yin of the Perennial World’s God of Food.
Of the Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages, one of the Sages was known as Food Sage. Food Sage had a son, who was known as Snack Sage. It was a surprise to see the young man in Necropolis.
The muscular man rapidly devoured all of the food on the table. He then grabbed the table itself, opening his mouth while looking at the group of people with Lu Yin. "Jiang Xiaodao, you bastard, do you think that hiding prevents me from seeing you?"
As Snack Sage shouted, he launched the table at the crowd.
Jiang Xiaodao lost his temper. "Snack Sage, you’re just a coward!"
He slapped the table with a hand, shattering it.
The muscular man laughed raucously. "I thought that some time in the Sixverse Academy would help you progress, but you’re still such a little girl, bah!"
Jiang Xiaodao's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He wanted to go beat the bastard, but he managed to hold himself back. He knew that Snack Sage was beyond his abilities, and not by a little. Jiang Xiaodao was a second stage Demi-Immortal, while Snack Sage was a fourth stage Demi-Immortal.
Snack Sage was also decades older than Jiang Xiaodao, though they saw themselves as from the same generation.
Jiang Xiaodao gasped, "Just wait, Snack Sage. I’ll beat you to death sooner or later!"
The muscular man spat out, "Sissy."
He then looked at Lu Yin, Xu Jie, and the others near Jiang Xiaodao. "Sissies mingle in groups with other sissies. Men should live on their own! An entire group of sissies, bah."
Lu Yin’s eyebrows rose. This guy was really trying to insult everyone.
Xu Jie frowned, and Wen Sansi’s almost perpetual smile disappeared, though Luo Zang habitual smile remained.
Xu Yue stepped forward, only to be pulled back by Xu Jie. "I'll do it."
He then walked over to the muscular man. Snack Sage’s eyes lit up. "You’ve got a pretty face... I recognize you, you're that genius from the Voidforce Universe. You’re out of your league. Go home and hold your child, haha."
Xu Jie calmly asked, "Arm wrestling?"
The muscular man sat back down. He looked into Xu Ji’s calm face and placed his arm on the table before shouting, "Let’s go!"
Xu Jie did not hesitate, and he reached out and locked hands with Snack Sage.
"You’re going to regret this, pretty boy." The muscular man grinned.
Xu Ji's eyes were cold and hard. "I hope that your strength warrants your arrogance."
"Ha, I suddenly like you! Come on!" With a loud shout, the man started to push, using enough strength that the void trembled and visible ripples started to spread out, pushing everyone nearby back.
Lu Yin and others in his group all stepped forward to watch the match.
They were not sure just how strong Snack Sage was, but Xu Jie had decent strength. He had not used his full power against Ling Gong and was much better than her in terms of both cultivation level and physical strength. On top of that, his voidforce puppet was the Wu Tian Stone Disc, which was capable of increasing to an astronomical size. Without sufficient physical strength, how could Xu Jie ever use his weapon in a battle?
Xu Yue was very confident in Xu Jie.
However, the results shocked everyone.
Three breaths, just three breaths, and Xu Jie had already lost. There had not been any chance at all.
Seeing his arm pinned down, Xu Jie's eyes flickered. How could he have been defeated so quickly?
Jiang Xiaodao shrugged. He was the only one not surprised by the results. In a competition of strength, none of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages could overpower Food Sage, and likewise, no one in Snack Sage’s generation was capable of overpowering him. There were even rumors that, when Snack Sage had first met the Junior Sovereign, the Junior Sovereign himself had said that he could not defeat Snack Sage in a competition of pure strength.
When Xu Jie let go, his arm felt weak.
However, Snack Sage praised Xu Ji’s efforts. "That was impressive, Pretty Boy! You held out for three breaths, and your arm didn’t even shatter. That’s rare. You are much better than that wuss Jiang Xiaodao. Not bad at all."
Xu Jie stood up and took a long look at Snack Sage. "Thanks for going easy, Snack Sage."
Snack Sage laughed. "Xu Jie, right? I like you!"
He then looked at the rest of the group with Jiang Xiaodao. "Are there any other men with the courage to stand up?"
Jiang Xiaodao turned to Wen Sansi. "Why don't you try?"
Wen Sansi calmly replied, "I am a scholar."
The muscular man sneered. "Coward!"
Wen Sansi looked over at Snack Sage. "Brain triumphs over brawn."
Snack Sage glared back. "Then try to beat me with your brain, and I'll use my brawn. Feel free to do whatever you want."
Wen Sansi immediately stepped forward and sat down across from Snack Sage. "Whatever I want?"
He was met with a sneer. "Go for it. Do whatever you want."
Wen Sansi reached out and locked hands with the muscular man. He then frowned and glanced back at Lu Yin. The feeling that Wen Sansi got from this Snack Sage was not unfamiliar, but it was a sense of being absolutely helpless before an overwhelming power. It was something that he had only ever experienced before with Lu Yin.
After all, Lu Yin was another freak when it came to physical strength.
"Begin!" the muscular man shouted.
Wen Sansi's eyes went wide, and one ancient, golden character after another emerged from his arms and wrapped around Snack Sage’s wrist while everyone watched in surprise. Wen Sansi was using his Literary Prison.
Right from the get-go, Wen Sansi was using Literary Prison to trap Snack Sage’s wrist. This locked the muscular arm in place, and in order to move, Snack Sage would need to shatter the Literary Prison.
This meant that the man not only needed to overcome Wen Sansi’s physical strength, but it was also necessary to first break free from the Literary Prison while using nothing but brute strength.
Literary Prison was a powerful technique that had allowed Wen Sansi to become one of the Ten Arbiters. Before the Astral Tower competition, Wen Sansi had never even revealed any other techniques or abilities. Literary Prison alone had been enough to solidify his status as one of the Ten Arbiters, and the power of the technique could only be imagined.
After becoming an Envoy, Wen Sansi’s Literary Prison had only become stronger. On top of that, he did not use the traditional Literary Prison from the Fifth Mainland’s Wen family, but rather the greater, seven-layered Literary Prison from the Perennial World’s Virtue Archives that had been developed by Progenitor Wen.
The Literary Prison shackled the man’s wrist like a golden cuff. Snack Sage frowned at it. "This is hideous."
As he spoke, he started to push. For a moment, Wen Sansi's pupils shrank, as Snack Sage’s wrist moved down until it pressed against the Literary Prison. Wen Sansi was completely helpless to hold the man back. Their strength was in completely different leagues, and Wen Sansi knew that he was no match for Snack Sage.
However, Snack Saint's movement was suddenly stopped. The Literary Prison held him in place and would not let him move any further.
Jiang Xiaodao got excited. "Haha, Snack Sage, you can't win, can you? This guy can't beat you, but you can't beat him either, haha!"
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