A vast early-spring valley, tinged with a chill.
The woods, mostly colored with faded yellow, rustle softly. Yet the scattered starlight and silken moon no longer shine upon the earth; in their place, a fierce, swirling thunder-light descends.
At first, it resembles a breathtaking meteor.
Then, it becomes a violet radiance that seems to shroud eternity.
Finally, it transforms into a sweeping mass of deep-purple cloud, thousands of meters wide, plunging from the sky with boundless force. Within a hundred kilometers, all can see it clearly.
In this moment,
the violet thunder descends!
Meanwhile, the Specters and giant bear Demons gathered in the valley find their minds thrown into chaos, some seized by indescribable terror.
“How is this possible?”
“Damn it, damn it all! If I remember correctly, this is the thunder born above the Martial Lord Realm in Sinovera—Thundercrest.”
“What?”
“It’s actually Thundercrest?”
The massive bear Demon, its jet-black fur standing on end, was clearly shocked to its core.
Even the reputation of Venerable Thundercrest, they knew well.
Yet—
To orchestrate tonight’s grand scheme, they had gone so far as to activate Specters hidden in human research departments, securing detailed satellite orbit maps from the past week.
By all normal calculations, Thundercrest should never have been able to descend!
But the vast violet radiance overhead, blotting out the scattered stars, was plunging downward at tremendous speed. The precision of its arrival utterly overturned their plans.
“Damn it.”
“Where did it go wrong?” The bear Demon pounded its chest in frustration, striking at the swirling sword-light that still encircled them, its fierce eyes burning with regret and fury.
Of course, it felt regret.
The delicious prey it was about to devour was just ahead, inside the sword-light. If only given a moment longer, they could break through and consume two titled Martial Lords.
Besides, it was not just about a tasty meal!
A third-step titled Martial Lord can command mysterious natural forces, utterly different from ordinary high-tier Martial Lords. To consume such a being would grant their demonic power a nourishment beyond words.
Two titled Martial Lords could increase their demonic power by nearly half a tier!
“We planned for so long—”
“And yet we didn’t even get a single titled Martial Lord! Was it that humans were too vigilant, or did our plan go wrong?” The bear Demon slowly turned, actually questioning the Specters.
Demons and Specters—fundamentally different beings.
The former evolve from existing, ancient animal species on Earth, while the latter originate from sources shrouded in mystery, defying all common logic.
“Huh?”
“Are you questioning us?” one Specter replied in a low voice.
Boom! Boom!
Another giant bear Demon stomped the valley twice, its immense thirty-two-meter frame shaking the land with each step.
It was like a miniature earthquake being born.
Bear Demons are naturally violent and irritable. Faced with this sudden change, their demonic power nearly solidified into flames of anger, stirring the dust and air.
“So what if we question you?”
The eyes of both bear Demons blazed with a bloody light.
“Enough.” A Specter snorted coldly. “Thundercrest is descending—do you want infighting now? Or perhaps a duel with us?”
“We withdraw immediately.”
“Besides, our meticulous plan was flawless... Even if we didn't consume a titled Martial Lord, at least one died. And the Peerless Prodigy Battle among the Sinoveran humans is likely reduced to ruins now.”
A low, heavy voice echoed through the winding mountain valley.
The two giant bear Demons exchanged glances, as if dissatisfied, pounding their chests before turning with the Specter shadows to leave toward the northern end of the valley.
They had to admit it.
Relying solely on the intelligence of Demons, it would be impossible to support such a detailed plan. Especially when it came to certain classified information within humanity, like troop deployments and strategic arrangements—Demons were utterly clueless.
Only Specters could do it!
It was only by relying on Specter possession that they could infiltrate the human world.
“But...”
“Among us Demons, those of the fox-type who cultivate to the deepest realms can take on human form, and even disguise themselves as Martial Lords.” The two giant bear Demons exchanged glances again, their eyes gleaming with pride.
Because—
This fact, even the Specters did not know!
Fox-type Demons possessing the ability to transform into Martial Lords was a closely guarded secret among Demons—Specters knew nothing of it, nor did humanity.
Thinking of this,
One of the giant bear Demons strode forward like a moving mountain, rumbling as it spoke: “A titled Martial Lord has died, and the Peerless Prodigy Battle of the eighty-first cycle has been wiped out for Sinoveran humanity. We have gained quite a lot.”
Indeed, the Peerless Prodigy Battle is held once every three years.
But there was one crucial factor—some martial prodigies were participating for the first time, or were only here for early experience in the Peerless Prodigy Battle!
When the next cycle arrives, and even the one after that, these prodigies could still participate.
Just like the current generation’s Twelve Coiled Dragons. Quite a few of them have already participated in one or even two Peerless Prodigy Battles, and only now in this cycle have they finally reached their peak brilliance.
It’s not an exaggeration at all.
All the martial prodigies gathered at the seventy-first Jue-Ore mine were the cream of the crop of Sinovera’s Martial Arts World’s younger generation. If they were all killed, the damage to the Martial Arts World would be devastating.
The consequences would be unimaginable, a sight that would chill the heart.
Its impact would be catastrophic, a disaster so grave that recovery would be nearly impossible.
Therefore—
Andrew Han had miscalculated.
He had truly underestimated the importance of martial prodigies... While killing titled Martial Lords was the main objective, exterminating the prodigies was an equally critical step!
Nearby—
“Indeed, indeed, it’s a masterful scheme.” Another giant bear Demon echoed approvingly, “Over 1,400 human martial prodigies—this is like burying five years of growth for Sinovera’s Martial Arts World!”
This cycle of the Peerless Prodigy Battle, including all participants in the second round, counted more than 1,500 martial prodigies. Of course, when tallying numbers, the bear Demons excluded possessed Specters.
According to their information—
Excluding possessed Specters, there were approximately 1,493 genuine martial prodigies participating in the eighty-first Peerless Prodigy Battle at the seventy-first Jue-Ore mine.
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“Heh heh.”
Hearing the praise of the giant bear Demons, the Specters chuckled in turn.
Though they were cold and ruthless by nature, receiving approval from beings of equal rank made them quite pleased, and the tension of the moment faded slightly.
Hmph.
One Specter swayed its ghostly form and narrowed its blood-red eyes: “It’s not even worth mentioning. This little scheme is nothing.”
“This is just a warm-up.”
“Wait until—” Its words stopped abruptly, the blood-red eyes freezing for a moment, then erupted in a thunderous, furious roar: “Damn it! We failed! We all failed!”
Sudden panic and defeat filled the air.
At the same time, the other Specters also received ghostly transmissions from the atmosphere, their spectral bodies trembling, blood-red eyes flickering with ruthless fury.
Because of one Peerless prodigy.
The critical step of exterminating the martial prodigies had ended in complete failure.
“What happened?”
The two giant bear Demons halted, urgently demanding answers.
Of course, the Demons couldn’t sense the ghostly transmissions in the air, leaving them confused. Could something have gone wrong in the extermination of the Peerless Prodigy Battle?
Roar! Roar! Roar!
A Specter let out a bone-chilling, soul-freezing howl.
“Peerless Andrew Han!”
“We all miscalculated.” The shadowy Specter spoke with bitter hatred: “Andrew Han possesses peak high-tier Martial Lord-level combat power, and together with General Meng of the Imperial Capital border command, has slaughtered all Sect-Class forces involved in the prodigy trap.”
What?
The two giant bears were stunned... Of course, they knew Andrew Han’s identity—a Southland University Martial Arts Program student, recognized only as a Peerless Martial General.
In that instant—
They stood among the withered yellow woods, surrounded by dry trees, low shrubs, and fallen branches.
Yet—
The endless peaks and echoing forests could not mask the pervasive, chilling terror rolling in from all sides. Moments ago, birdsong had still drifted through the air.
Now, silence fell over all things.
Unbearable rage!
Especially for the Specters, whose humiliation turned to wrath.
Just moments ago, they had sworn vengeance, but now they had been dealt a heavy blow. With the complete failure of their grand scheme, they could not bear it: “He must die, he absolutely must die!”
“Even if it costs every last preparation—”
“We will kill Andrew Han, make him taste agony beyond death, let him suffer torment worse than hell, and make him regret ever coming into this world!”
Just as the voices faded—
“Oh?”
A faint, gentle voice echoed through the mortal world.
Beside them, the shrubs and fallen branches parted naturally, as if opening a path for a deity, respectfully welcoming Venerable Thundercrest’s descent.
“What a pity.”
“You’re afraid there won’t be another chance.”
From within the woods, a middle-aged man who appeared about fifty or sixty years old stepped out—it was Venerable Thundercrest.
Thundercrest?
The giant bear Demons and Specters were utterly stunned, unable to keep from glancing back at the sky... The massive purple radiance still hovered above, continuing to descend, though it now seemed to be fading.
“How is this possible?”
“You’re supposed to be in the Imperial Capital, overseeing the border defenses!”
“How did you get here?”
Venerable Thundercrest smiled faintly, “I’m here, so what?”
“Thundercrest, you shouldn’t have interfered!”
“This is a battle between Demons and Specters, and Sinoveran humanity!”
“You have no right to intervene!”
Venerable Thundercrest’s expression didn’t change at all, “I have no right?”
He stepped forward, his aura like a thunderstorm rolling across the world, “If I say I do, then I do!”
“Who dares stop me?”
The giant bear Demons and Specters were stunned, unable to reply.
Thundercrest’s arrival had disrupted all their plans.
He was a titled Martial Lord, a legendary figure in the Martial Arts World, and his presence here was enough to overturn the situation.
The Specters and Demons could only grit their teeth, unwilling to accept this reality.
But at that moment—
A shadow flashed across the sky, followed by a piercing, chilling howl.
Another titled Martial Lord had arrived.
The situation grew even more dangerous.
All parties braced themselves, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.
The fate of the Peerless Prodigy Battle and the martial prodigies hung in the balance.
Who would emerge victorious in this deadly contest?
The forest was silent, the air thick with killing intent.
Even the wind seemed to freeze, as if afraid of disturbing the deadly standoff.
In the distance, the purple radiance above the Jue-Ore mine gradually faded, leaving only the chilling silence.
The Peerless Prodigy Battle was far from over.
Countless eyes watched from the shadows, waiting for the next move.
The outcome would shape the future of Sinovera’s Martial Arts World.
But for now, all was still.
End of Chapter.
Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Please look forward to the next chapter.
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