Crushing the Withered and Rotten

On the other side, Qin Zhao's perfected Black Stone Prison had just reached its complete form, and he needed real combat to test the strength of this secret technique. This Peak Ranking Battle was undoubtedly the best touchstone!

Within the Noah Secret Realm's Virtual Universe, the vast combat plane—the "Ten Thousand Battle Arena"—had been specially opened for this "Peak Ranking Battle." There was no complex terrain here, only countless enormous arenas suspended in the starry sky, symbolizing the most direct and brutal confrontation.

Countless Star Level geniuses were teleported to their respective starting arenas, and battle erupted instantly! Energy radiance blazed in all directions, Law fluctuations permeated the air, and the sounds of roars and clashing weapons rang out endlessly. Every one of those who entered the Noah Secret Realm was a genius; those who had mastered domains were everywhere, and there were even those who had crossed the threshold of the Laws. The battle was white-hot from the very start.

Qin Zhao's first opponent was a youth from a powerful clan within the Noah Universe Kingdom, named "Yan Sha." A blazing flame domain, fully seven layers deep, burned around him. As he swung his war blade, roaring fire serpents howled forth, their temperature extreme—clearly, he had already achieved considerable mastery in the Law of Fire.

"Qin Zhao? I heard you're King Lanchen's newly accepted disciple?" Yan Sha's eyes were sharp, carrying a hint of scrutiny and defiance. "Let me see what's so special about a King Rank's personal student!"

Before his words had even faded, Yan Sha transformed into a streak of fire and shot forward, his war blade tearing through the void with the momentum to incinerate all things!

Qin Zhao's expression remained calm; he didn't even draw a weapon. He simply watched the other charge at him, and only when the flaming blade's radiance was about to reach him did he slowly raise his right hand and press it lightly in the direction Yan Sha was coming from.

"Black Stone Prison."

There was no earth-shattering commotion, not even a violent burst of energy. A deep, dark yellow domain that seemed to absorb light itself expanded instantly from the center of Qin Zhao's palm, arriving before the attack and directly enveloping the charging Yan Sha!

"What?!" Yan Sha only felt his vision darken, as if he had plummeted from the bright arena into an endless hell!

The blazing flame domain around him, as if doused with ten-thousand-year-old ice, dimmed sharply and shrank! An indescribable, terrifying gravity was born out of nowhere, acting not only on his body but seemingly pressing directly onto his soul! This gravity wasn't constant; it fluctuated and vibrated in a bizarre rhythm that made his heart feel like it would shatter!

Even more terrifying, he felt his thoughts grow sluggish, the space around him seemed to twist, and countless illusions bred in his mind—the fear of cultivation failure, the disappointment of his clan, the mockery of his opponents... All kinds of negative emotions were magnified infinitely! The operation of his internal energy became chaotic in an instant, and the Law of Fire he prided himself on was now like a candle in the wind, difficult to mobilize!

He struggled desperately, roaring as he swung his war blade, but the blade light shattered into pieces just a few meters away, crushed by the omnipresent heavy fluctuations and the twisting force of space! He felt like an insect sealed in amber, unable to move even a finger, his consciousness rapidly sinking under the alternating assault of crushing pressure and endless illusions.

Outside, spectators could only see that the arrogant, invincible Yan Sha, after charging into the suddenly appearing dark yellow zone in front of Qin Zhao, seemed to sink into a quagmire. His movements instantly became slow and stiff, his expression shifting rapidly from ferocity to terror and distortion.

Then, as if struck by a paralysis spell, he froze in place, his gaze unfocused. After just two or three seconds, he collapsed with a thud, his body turning into light and being teleported away—he had lost, without any suspense, without even making Qin Zhao take a single step or forcing him to reveal any other methods.

[Qin Zhao, Victory! Points +1]

The cold system notification sounded.

Qin Zhao's expression didn't change. He withdrew his hand, and the heart-stopping dark yellow domain quietly dissipated. It was as if he had done nothing more than a trivial thing.

The battle continued. One match, two matches, seven matches... There were as many as a million Star Level geniuses in the entire Noah Secret Realm. Even with the one-on-one elimination format, it took a full seven rounds to determine the top ten thousand!

Qin Zhao's opponents kept changing, and they kept getting stronger! There were those who had comprehended the Law of Wind and excelled in bizarre movement techniques, rock-type geniuses with astonishing defensive power, Spirit Readers who manipulated Telepathic Weapons with ghostly unpredictability, and even formidable geniuses who had grasped a trace of the Origin Laws.

Yet, no matter who the opponent was, no matter what methods they used, Qin Zhao's response was always the same—raise his hand, press lightly, "Black Stone Prison."

There wasn't even a single exception.

Before the perfected Black Stone Prison, so-called speed, defense, attack, and illusion all seemed pale and powerless—the speed that Law of Wind geniuses prided themselves on became impossible to move under the gravity distortion and spatial stagnation; the solid defenses of Earth-style geniuses were shaken and dismantled from within by the Pulse of the Earth; the Spirit Reader's all-penetrating Telepathic Weapons, once they entered the Black Stone Prison, were like sinking into a boundless swamp, their connection to their master severely disrupted, their power reduced to a tenth!

Even opponents who had grasped a trace of the Origin Laws might barely hold on for a moment in the early stages of the Black Stone Prison, but the unceasing Soul Assault, the proliferation of illusions, and the dual weakening of matter and soul would soon make them lose their composure, expose their flaws, and ultimately fail to escape defeat.

Thus, Qin Zhao advanced in a nearly cold and mechanical manner, sweeping through everything. He didn't need to use the Ten Thousand Line Flow movement technique, didn't need to employ the Shockwave attack, and rarely even used a weapon. With just this one move, "Black Stone Prison," he drove all his opponents to despair.

His battle footage (if any high-authority personnel reviewed it) appeared extremely "boring"—often, the opponent would charge fiercely, only to be enveloped by a suddenly appearing dark yellow domain, struggle a few times, and then lose in disgrace. But it was precisely this "boredom" that revealed a chilling display of absolute power!

"What... what kind of secret technique is this? It's too insane!"

"How can a Star Level master such a terrifying domain-type method? Even a Domain Lord's domain might not be much better than this!"

"Dual attacks on matter and soul? And it can distort space? How are you supposed to fight that?"

"He's Qin Zhao, King Lanchen's newly accepted disciple? The one who crossed the threshold of two Laws? He really lives up to his reputation!"

"I heard this move is a self-created secret technique... Self-created?! Are you kidding me?"

Qin Zhao's name, along with his unbeatable Black Stone Prison, swept through the ranking battle like a hurricane. He became the nightmare that every participant least wanted to face. His points climbed steadily and terrifyingly, and his ranking shot up like a rocket.

One thousandth, five hundredth, one hundredth, fiftieth...

The opponents he faced grew stronger and stronger, and many were already famous geniuses within the secret realm, considered strong contenders for the top ten. Yet, before Qin Zhao's Black Stone Prison, their pride and their trump cards melted away like snow under the sun.

Finally, on the afternoon of the third day of the ranking battle, Qin Zhao faced his final match to claim first place. His opponent was a youth named "Xuan Shang," also a personal disciple of a Marquis Rank Immortal. He had already comprehended the Origin Law of Water to the point of crossing the Law threshold and was a strong contender for the championship of this ranking battle.

Xuan Shang's face was cold and stern, a domain as deep blue as the ocean swirling around him. As the water rippled, it seemed capable of dissolving all attacks. He looked at Qin Zhao gravely: "Qin Zhao, your Black Stone Prison is strong, but I won't be trapped as easily as the others. The ultimate softness of water is enough to embrace all things and dissolve all forces!"

Qin Zhao remained calm: "Please."