Successive Self-Destructions

It was Lu Ran.

He wore robes white as snow, a smile at the corners of his lips, yet his eyes seemed tempered in ice.

Their gazes collided, and fine arcs of lightning actually exploded in the void.

"Ants will always be ants." Lu Ran's voice transmission was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

"When I skin you and pull out your bones, I hope you can still smile."

Lu Chen ran his thumb across his throat, his eyes brimming with coldness.

The master of ceremonies stepped forward a few paces, composed himself, and faced the crowd.

"The triennial Four Nations Year-End Celebration Martial Tournament follows the same rules as previous years. The seeded contestants include ten prodigies from the Great Yan royal family, the Great Qi royal family, the Great Liang royal family, Ruyi Xuan, the Blood Spirit Sect, Tianyu Academy, and others."

"All other contestants must pass round after round of selection before entering the top ten to duel them."

"The true top ten will then be decided and rewarded."

"The first-place prize is the Azure Dragon Battle Formation brought by the Heavenly Dao Academy. Second place will receive the Heavenly Dao Academy martial skill, Demon-Sealing Slash. Third place will receive one Mid-grade Spirit Artifact..."

As the master of ceremonies spoke, disciples from every participating faction were fired up.

Lu Chen shuddered.

The Azure Dragon Battle Formation!

"A special reminder: the Azure Dragon Battle Formation was obtained by a senior of the Heavenly Dao Academy in a secret realm. Though it is incomplete, five Golden Core Realm cultivators forming the Azure Dragon Battle Formation can stand toe-to-toe with a Nascent Soul expert. It is extremely formidable."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The entire audience erupted.

Whether it was King Yan, the purple-robed elder from Tianyu Academy, the princes of the various nations, or Old Ancestor Tianyan and the others watching the battlefield in secret, all wore grave expressions.

Whichever faction obtained this battle formation would rise at lightning speed!

A blaze of desire flashed through Lu Ran's eyes. The battle formation was his. It had to be his.

"Please follow the guidance of your contestant wristbands and take the stage for your duels. The Year-End Celebration Martial Tournament officially begins!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As soon as the words fell, ceremonial cannons roared in unison. One arena after another thundered, their formations lighting up as figures stepped onto the stages under the guidance of their wristbands.

The thirty-six arenas of the martial grounds were arranged like stars, their formation patterns flowing and humming without cease.

Lu Chen stood on the third arena. His black robes snapped in the wind, the Soul Severing Saber angled toward the ground, its edge reflecting sunlight with a snowy chill.

Opposite him, Zhu Jiuyin's purple robes billowed. The Crimson Thunder Banner hovered above his head, lightning and fire snaking across its surface with crackling bursts.

When Lu Chen saw him, his expression became strange.

Wasn't this the first Tianyu Academy disciple he had defeated when he first arrived in Yanjing?

"Small world indeed!" Lu Chen laughed.

"Lu Chen, today I will repay the humiliation of last time."

Zhu Jiuyin's eyes were bloodshot. The pressure of the fourth level of the Golden Core Realm exploded forth, and with a shake of the Crimson Thunder Banner, three bolts of lightning and fire condensed into python-dragon shapes and pounced with a force that seemed capable of burning the heavens.

"Damn, you've improved pretty quickly!"

Lu Chen was not mocking him. He truly had improved quickly.

He had originally been at the second level of the Golden Core Realm, yet had risen two levels in such a short time. That was quite decent progress.

Words were words, but Lu Chen showed no mercy with his hands.

He lightly tapped the ground with his toes, pushing the Wind and Thunder Steps to their limit. His figure slipped through the gaps between the lightning and fire like a ghost.

The blade suddenly turned. The phantom of the Asura Furnace emerged behind him, its mouth flaring with dark light as it swallowed all the lightning and fire.

"Take it back!" he shouted. The furnace inverted, spewing the lightning and fire back out mixed with Killing Intent, transforming them into a blood-colored thunder dragon that lunged straight at Zhu Jiuyin.

The Crimson Thunder Banner shook violently. A crack was torn across its surface by the thunder dragon, and Zhu Jiuyin retreated several yards, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"You haven't improved much!" Lu Chen chuckled as his figure suddenly vanished.

The next instant, the tip of his blade was already pressed against Zhu Jiuyin's back. "Many thanks for your Crimson Thunder Banner. It can also..."

Before he could finish, just as the blade aura was about to pierce through Zhu Jiuyin's body, Zhu Jiuyin let out a roar and, with a boom, directly detonated himself.

The boundlessly violent energy sent Lu Chen flying, making him cough up blood in great mouthfuls.

His face turned white as paper.

He truly had not expected Zhu Jiuyin to pull something like that.

Self-destruction.

Damn it, he had only lost one fight.

Was there really any need for this?

The Devouring Furnace swelled in the wind before him, swallowing all the chaotic energy.

Lu Chen raised his head and looked at Lu Ran, who sat among the Tianyu Academy disciples, narrowing his eyes.

That bastard was pulling strings in secret.

He spat, pointed his saber at Lu Ran, and said coldly,

"So Tianyu Academy's prodigies are actually spineless cowards. Who knows what method you used to make him use self-destruction against me. You had better, better keep your little life safe."

The area outside the arena fell silent. Lu Ran stared coldly at Lu Chen without saying a word.

It was not that he did not want to speak, but that he could not. Otherwise, it would truly confirm that he had coerced an academy disciple into using such a desperate method against Lu Chen.

In the Tianyu Academy seats, the Purple Robe Elder crushed the armrest in his grip, killing intent surging in his eyes.

"Who's next!" There were not eight thousand, then at least five thousand participants in the tournament.

Every match decided victory or defeat in a single bout. Winners could challenge consecutively until they entered the top ten.

"I'll do it!" As the words fell, Xiao Chen shot into the arena like lightning.

The pressure of the fifth level of the Golden Core Realm made even the grand formation rumble.

The Seven Star Sword Array suddenly expanded and pressed down upon Lu Chen.

Vast spiritual power condensed into a battle formation barrier, enclosing the arena like an iron bucket.

"Seven Star Strangulation!" Xiao Chen formed hand seals, and seven beams of sword light crisscrossed as they slashed down.

Lu Chen snorted and vanished in a flash.

Just as Xiao Chen was about to turn around, the sword array shuddered violently.

Then came a boom.

As though struck by a great mountain, Xiao Chen spat out blood and flew backward.

Looking again at Lu Chen, Xiao Chen's heart and mind were filled with terror.

Earth-shaking cheers erupted from below the stage.

He wore white helmet and white armor, with two heads of Gods and Devils upon his shoulders, giving him an imposing and tyrannical air.

Behind him manifested a terrifying Bloodline Beast Shadow three zhang tall, its savage might rolling outward, its presence astonishing.

Beneath his feet lay the True Martial Domain.

It ruthlessly suppressed Xiao Chen's Seven Star Sword Array within it.

The backlash from the battle formation made blood seep from Xiao Chen's lips, greatly reducing his ability to move.

An overpowering counter-suppression.

It was another forceful counterattack against Lu Ran.

"Is it worth risking your life for an ungrateful wretch?"

For every step Lu Chen took, Xiao Chen spat out a mouthful of blood.

Xiao Chen smiled miserably and threw himself into the blade. His dantian exploded with a boom, and violent energy spread outward.

Yet it was blocked by the True Martial Domain. As soon as the Devouring Furnace appeared, the shockwaves vanished without a trace.

Cries of shock rose outside the arena. Tianyu Academy had lost two fierce warriors in succession, and dark clouds hung over their seats.

"It is only a martial tournament, yet Tianyu Academy is truly willing to go this far. I hope the rest of you self-destruct one after another. Let me see how many you have!"

Lu Chen shouted harshly at the purple-robed elder.

"Don't lose heart. Let the whole world look down on you!"

That added remark made the purple-robed elder's face turn even uglier.

Even self-destruction could not kill him. Bastard!

"If you're scared, get down here!" the purple-robed elder snorted.

Lu Chen smiled. "I'm not getting down. I still have people to kill. Heh heh, continue. Which Tianyu Academy prodigy is coming?"

One stone stirred up a thousand waves. A figure turned into lightning and landed on the arena.

"Lu Chen... Aah!"

The man had barely opened his mouth when pain shot through his back. A blade protruded from his abdomen.

With a tremor of the blade, the man screamed as Lu Chen split him in two.

Before the corpse could even fall, the Devouring Furnace swept it inside.

Though he was also at the fifth level of the Golden Core Realm, he could not evade Lu Chen's swift strike.

His dominance was utterly overwhelming.