Chapter 160
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Chapter 160: Title
"It seems this attempt was successful. I’d feared complications might arise…"
Ye Linlang murmured, her gaze sweeping over the crowd below. None detected the abnormality in their current "state," proving this path viable in the mortal realm.
…Indeed, had the Awakening of Spiritual Energy not disrupted this world’s technological trajectory, mere decades—or a century at most—would’ve seen explosive advancements achieve similar heights.
The stage was set; illusions woven.
Crossing her legs, Ye Linlang mused that should Jiang Nan falter now, she’d need to replace him swiftly. Though she’d appointed him as the Battleground’s Champion, maintaining this heaven-sent gift rested solely on his shoulders.
Exile to Another World for mining or enslavement wasn’t an idle threat. Failure would render her initial investment void—and repaying debts was a timeless duty.
—To grant cultivation to one devoid of talent, she’d reshaped Jiang Nan’s very essence with divine power. A hundred billion points for such a boon? He’d gotten off cheaply.
On the Battleground, Jiang Nan’s back prickled with cold sweat beneath the weight of countless stares. Below stood figures far beyond his station. Under such scrutiny, his knees threatened to buckle.
“I am this Battleground’s Champion,” he began, voice flat with tension. “You know why you’re here. Survive the cataclysms. Be the last standing.”
“Until peril fades, you fight. Only razor-sharp combat instincts will spare Blue Star from devastation when calamity strikes.”
His toneless words struck some as deliberate intimidation.
Practitioners’ keen eyes discerned his distant form—a blurred silhouette—from the stands.
The Special Bureau had marshaled Zhongxia’s extraordinary individuals into orderly ranks, a testament to their drill-since-childhood discipline. To their left sprawled spirit cultivators; to their right, devotees of the Light’s church, including the renowned Augustus Kellyan Horman—a paladin of high standing—and Vatican City’s sole remaining Son.
All Tier Two cultivators and above attended. Among them, Lin Jing of the Bureau’s upper echelons observed Vatican City’s diminished delegation, insights crystallizing. Where nations once hid their true strength, the Battleground now laid bare every concealed extraordinary. As Zhongxia’s chief intelligence analyst, he’d gleaned his answers.
None could resist this reckoning.
Zhongxia’s crisp formations contrasted sharply with the spirit cultivators’ disarray—lounging, seated, save the nine Nine Extreme Demon Lords standing regal at the fore. Gone were the mountainous true forms from Xiao Tianji’s broadcast; today, the lords wore human guises.
Lin Jing knew transformed spirit cultivators’ lethality, yet still underestimated tier-nine manifestations. The nine lords’ majestic bearing stole even his breath—a man accustomed to beauty through Bureau work. How much more profound the effect on others?
The nine-tailed White Fox Demon Lord tittered behind her hand, gaze flickering toward some distant point before settling on Qiongqi. “How nostalgic,” she purred, bonelessly draping against the fiend. “This vessel fits as snugly as my own.”
Qiongqi sneered at the cowering lesser spirits. “Pathetic. Barely a handful reach Tier One.”
The chastened cultivators dared not protest. Before these ancestral beings, silent endurance was their only recourse.
Kirin smiled and shook his head. "The human realm remains bound by celestial shackles, and the Awakening of Spiritual Energy hasn’t yet completed a full cycle. Considering these limitations, the current progress is remarkable. I discern several seedlings of genuine potential among them."
"Kirin speaks true," Di Yan concurred, standing firm beside his companion. "Your standards verge on unreasonable, old Glutton."
Having dwelled in the Mountain and Sea Realm for millennia, the spirit cultivators understood little of external worlds yet recognized the necessity of numbers for their kind’s prosperity. The scarcity of transformed spirit cultivators troubled all nine overseers differently, their collective concern manifesting through Gourmand’s brusque remarks about the human realm’s developments.
Bai Ze, his snow-white garments flowing beneath crimson-bound tresses, observed the Battleground with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Rather than numbers, my curiosity lies with these so-called celestial calamities and conflicts they mention."
His words crystallized the unspoken question haunting every extraordinary individual present. Murmurs rippled through the crowd like wind through wheat fields.
Upon the dais, Jiang Nan tilted his head toward the canary-hued avian perched on his shoulder, lips shaping a silent command: "Begin."
The Little Bird’s response proved immediate. Spatial energies hummed as teleportation strands whisked spectators across the Battleground’s expanse – an ancient proving ground where legendary talents once clashed, now reborn as Ye Linlang’s ultimate training ground for unblooded warriors.
Heaven’s canvas rippled unexpectedly, pristine mists darkening to ominous gray swirls. Recognition dawned gradually across the assembly until horrified cries erupted:
"The Abyssal Descent fog!"
"Spatial rifts follow! I’ve seen this before!"
As if answering their fears, the firmament tore open to reveal floating landmasses colliding with gray tendrils. Through widening gashes poured abyssal creatures, raining down like grotesque hailstones.
Alone at last, Jiang Nan slumped with relief. "Never imagined addressing multitudes," he confessed to his companion. "My nerves nearly failed."
【Your performance exceeded parameters, User.】
"You maintain that glacial tone despite upgrades? Some comfort!" He waved dismissively. "Adopt a warmer timbre – and address me properly as ‘my lord’ henceforth."
The system’s new voice emerged like silk across jade: 【As my lord prefers. Does this satisfy?】
"Tolerable. You’ll answer to Silver Sparrow now."
【But master, my plumage…】
"Details," Jiang Nan interjected. "Now report – illusion duration? Detection risks?"
【Sustainability correlates with point reserves. Five minutes elapsed – immediate entry to Illusion: Abyssal Battlefield advised.】
Mention of points triggered visceral discomfort. "Debts multiply like fleas," he muttered. "Initiate withdrawal sequence."
Reality reasserted itself upon the Battleground’s surface layer where unconscious forms lay strewn like felled timber. Only Jiang Nan stirred awake, the ongoing broadcast seamlessly patched with inner-layer footage through system machinations.
His unique Champion status granted unparalleled system access, though sealed powers restricted full authority. Here in the illusionary stratum, cosmic might flowed through him – for adequate points, even celestial destruction became feasible.
Teleportation sparks deposited him before a mountain-crowning palace, legacy of his mysterious benefactress. The system remained obstinate regarding her identity, withholding knowledge until he attained requisite strength.
"Needless mystique," Jiang Nan mused, gazing at the eternal mists shrouding distant peaks. Somewhere beyond that veil, answers waited – and with them, responsibilities he wasn’t yet ready to shoulder.
