Chapter 223 Top Eight FightBaoPo Battle Team! (2)
However, now that he had the Saint Energy, it was different. With the protection of the Saint Energy, even when breaking through it became a lot easier than before, at least he no longer needed to fear that his body would breakdown. Furthermore, now that he had completed the Dragon-Tiger Transformation, fully inheriting the powers of both the Solidified Dragon Spirit and the Dark Demon G.o.d Tiger bloodlines, the toughness and flexibility of his body was far beyond any Heavenly Jewel Master. As such, his progress in the Immortal Deity Technique had already long surpa.s.sed that of the creator!
Early in the morning, the ZhongTian Plaza was already crowded and bustling with life. The citizens had long since started to gather in the plaza and the surroundings, some having come the night before to camp out at the plaza grounds the ensure they had a good place. As long as they did not enter the central zone, the guards around the plaza would not bother them.
To some of the citizens’ amus.e.m.e.nt, the freshly rebuilt compet.i.tion stage looked very different from that of the preliminary stage. The first and most obvious change was in the size, at least double that of the previous stage. Secondly, it was clear that the stage was no longer crafted out of granite, instead giving off a faint green glow. Some of the people who had knowledge in this area quickly pointed out it was a green gold stone, a metal several times harder and tougher than granite. Obviously, that battle on the last day between the Heavenly Bow Battle Team and the Dan Dun Battle Team had caused so much destruction that it had left a deep impression on the organizers, and they were trying to prevent it from happening again. After all, in the top eight fights, the others notwithstanding, the Heavenly Bow Battle Team would once again be facing a strong opponent, yet another team with the background of a Great Saint Lands, the BaoPo Battle Team.
The Pa.s.sion Valley was behind the BaoPo Battle Team, and at least from the previous rankings, the Pa.s.sion Valley was above the Blood Red h.e.l.l. This top eight fight was an elimination type match; that was to say, the team members on the stage would continue fighting until they were beaten, until all of one side’s members had lost. As such, the compet.i.tion and degree of fighting could only be more intense. Of course, once again this fight was the most antic.i.p.ated amongst all of the top eight fights.
“Boss, today we really aren’t going to bet anymore?” Ma Qun asked, a look of regret on his face.
Zhou Weiqing glanced at him, a look of stern justice on his face as he said grandly: “One must not be too greedy, we have already won enough.”
The current time was not considered early anymore, with the morning sun relatively high in the sky.
The immediate surroundings of the stage was also different now. Although there was no restriction regarding the other teams who had not entered the top eight, and they would still be able to watch from their rest houses, there were only eight rest houses closest to the stage, belonging to the top eight to use. The rest of the teams had their rest houses further behind.
The Heavenly Bow Battle Team rest house was right next to the ZhongTian Battle Team’s one, and Zhou Weiqing was definitely very satisfied with that arrangement. At least, he could now see his two wives at close proximity easily now. The top eight fight was just as important to him, as this would be the determining factor whether or not he could ascend the Heavenly JEwel Island and see Bing’er.
It seemed like just a blink of an eye and three years had just pa.s.sed like that. As the saying goes, the closer one was, the more one grew nostalgic about things. Now that he was on the verge of seeing Bing’er, his heart yearned for her even more. Towards this point, Tian’er could already sense it. As long as he was not deep in cultivation, Zhou Weiqing would constantly be dazed and distracted, his eyes filled with memory and remembrance. However, Tian’er never interrupted him. In truth, amongst all of Zhou Weiqing’s other women, the one Tian’er could accept the most was actually Shangguan Bing’er. More than anyone else, she knew how much Bing’er meant to Zhou Weiqing.
The ZhongTian Empire officials still had not appeared in the VIP Stands yet, and as soon as Shangguan Tianxin appeared on the VIP Stand, the entire audience erupted into cheers of ‘Long Live’, a startling sight indeed. However, Shangguan Tianxin’s expression was not too good, though why that was so, only he would know.
In the fight a few days ago, the Demon G.o.d Projection that Zhou Weiqing had revived had caused this ZhongTian Emperor to almost kneel down in obeisance. Luckily, at that time, no one had really noticed him. However, that feeling had left a deep impression in Shangguan Tianxin’s psyche.
Amongst the three Shangguan brothers, both Shangguan Tianyang and Shangguan Tianyue placed all of their hearts and mind on cultivation. However, for Shangguan Tianxin, he had to run the entire Empire, and in terms of cultivation, he was much more slack in comparison. Of course, with the sheer amount of precious resources available and the power of the Heaven’s Expanse Palace techniques, he had still managed to reach the Heavenly King Stage. However, in terms of both cultivation and fighting capabilities, this Emperor was definitely no match for his brothers. That day, after experiencing the power and aura of the Demon G.o.d for himself, different thoughts had sprang up in Shangguan Tianxin’s heart. He finally understood why both his elder brothers did not wish to be bogged down by the power of the Emperor. The truth was, when their power had reached a certain point, t.i.tles like Emperor was just a joke.
Seated at the head of the VIP Stand, Shangguan Tianxin’s eyes subconsciously found the Heavenly Bow Battle Team rest house. Inwardly, he sighed. He had received news from Shangguan Tianyang yesterday to request that the ZhongTian Empire fully support the Heavenly Bow Empire’s growth, and to also help them restrict the Bai Da Empire. At that point, Shangguan Tianxin knew that his three nieces were likely to be ‘taken advantage’ of by that little brat Zhou Weiqing.
…
On the other side, the Dan Dun Battle Team silently appeared in their rest house in the back row.
The brothers TianFeng and TianMa were conscious now, but their faces were still pale and ashen, and they had to be supported by their team members to even enter the rest house. However, they still insisted on coming to watch. Shen Little Demon was able to walk on her own, but her face was almost just as pale as theirs, and it was clear that all three of them had not recovered. Her expression was extremely complicated indeed.
“Big Bro, the news has already been sent back.” TianMa said softly to TianFeng.
TianFeng nodded and said: “This is of utmost importance, and it is imperative that the h.e.l.l Master learns of it. Today, let us just keep watch on things for now, let us see if anyone else has that energy besides Zhou Weiqing and Tian’er.”
TianMa’s brow furrowed as he asked: “Brother, what do you think that energy is? How could it possibly be so strong that even our Destruction Attribute isn’t able to move it? Didn’t h.e.l.l Master say that the Destruction Attribute is the strongest Attribute in the world? Above even the four Saint Attributes?”
TianFeng said: “I do not know either, brother. Alas, we are unable to test further. Unless, we can catch that Zhou Weiqing and imprison him, to do further tests on his Heavenly Energy… only then can we find out.”
A cold smirk crossed TianMa’s face as he said icily: “It looks like our failure this time may not fully be a bad thing. No matter what, we cannot let them go. We must catch them back no matter what before we can discuss anything further.”
TianFeng nodded and said: “Have we communicated with the Elders?”
At the side, Shen Little Demon said: “Yes, communications have already been established. However, we can only wait for them to leave the city before we think about taking action. After all, this is still the Heaven’s Expanse Palace territory.”
“Heaven’s Expanse Palace… hmph!” TianFeng gave a cold humph, as his mind couldn’t help but think back to the Boundless Infinitium Formation, a cold look of disdain flas.h.i.+ng in his eyes.
Perhaps to ensure the top eight fights proceeded smoothly, the judge for the fights today would once again be personally a.s.sumed by Shangguan Longyin.
In a manner of speaking, the Fei Li Empire had some decently good luck. Although they had lost a round in the preliminary matches, they were still able to ascend to the top eight as the second position of their group. However, their luck was used up by now, as in the top eight, they would be facing up against the WanShou Battle Team.
At last, the fights officially began. As usual, the ZhongTian Battle Team was the first to start. Perhaps due to the nature of the elimination formation, this time, Shangguan Fei’er was actually the first to start the fight.
What happened next was pretty much without any suspense. With her powerful close combat powers and seven-Jeweled cultivation level, within less than an hour, Shangguan Fei’er had defeated six opponents easily. One versus six, clinching the first victory of the day, and the ZhongTian Battle Team was the first to enter the top four.
The second round was the WanShou Battle Team against the Fei Li Battle Team. Once again, it was another easily predictable fight. The brother and sister duo of Ye Paopao took turns on the stage one after the other, and each of them managed a single victory before being knocked out, but the rest of the team fell just too easily. Still, they managed to save some face with those two victories.
“At last, it’s our turn.” Zhou Weiqing exercised his limbs as he looked towards his companions. “Ma Qun, you go first. Xixi, second. Crow, third. Yun Li, fourth. Today, I will be the fifth. Tian’er, you close up if necessary.”
Besides Tian’er, the other four showed some surprise on their faces. In their minds, Zhou Weiqing would be fighting first, taking down as many as he could to bring victory for the team. They did not think that they would actually have the opportunity to fight today.
Zhou Weiqing could naturally see the puzzlement in their eyes, and he laughed heartily as he said: “This is a great opportunity to gain experience and train yourselves, do not waste it! The Pa.s.sion Valley is different from the Blood Red h.e.l.l, as close allies to the Heaven’s Expanse Palace, the BaoPo Battle Team members will not easily resort to killing methods. It will be a good fight and experience for you all, so you all just need to do your best and see how far you can go.”
As the team leader, Zhou Weiqing would not care about showing off at all. Furthermore, in truth, Zhou Weiqing never really thought that highly of the BaoPo Battle Team in terms of this top eight fight.
After all, the greatest strength of the Pa.s.sion Valley was the teamwork and unity of their husband wife couple teams. According to Zhou Weiqing’s words, it was ‘man and woman working together, no matter what they did it would not be tiring’.
In terms of one versus one, singular combat prowess, it was likely they were not even a match for the Dan Dun Battle Team members, let alone the brothers TianFeng and TianMa. Since this top eight elimination fight was all a one versus one style fight, Zhou Weiqing had absolute confidence that in the entire Pa.s.sion Valley, no one could defeat him. As a result, he did not feel any sense of urgency at all, and felt it was a good opportunity to allow his companions to gain experience.
With a single bound, Ma Qun leapt up the stage, fully dressed in his Peerless Heavy Cavalry armour, the pair of ma.s.sive spiked maces in his hands, striking an imposing figure indeed.
Perhaps because his form was so tall, grand and imposing, or perhaps because of his previous performances… as soon as he ascended the stage, the ZhongTian Plaza audience erupted in cheers.
Towards most of these audience, they were here to watch for the thrill and enjoyment, to have fun! Fighters like Ma Qun, with such direct styles, ferocity and pure strength… their fights were usually the most enjoyable to watch. At least, it would give the audience a sense of blood boiling, hearts afire, and free of inhibitions. As such, he had actually gained quite a few fans indeed.
On the Pa.s.sion Valley side, the opponent who had ascended the stage was a six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master.
After both sides introduced themselves, the first fight officially began.
Ma Qun’s appearance and his character was definitely a stark contrast. He knew very well that against a disciple from a Great Saint Lands, with his four Jeweled cultivation level, it would be extremely difficult for him to achieve victory. As such, he had decided to take it slow and steady, in a ‘seek not to be meritorious but only to avoid blame’ defensive fighting style.
Although he had a pair of ma.s.sive spiked maces, the truth was that most of Ma Qun’s abilities were defensive, and offense was his weakest point. As such, as soon as the fight started, he maintained a defensive position.
In terms of offense, he might not be the best, but in terms of defense, Ma Qun was definitely a good hand. After all, he had trained a lot under Lin TianAo and had even received some pointers from Long s.h.i.+ya himself. With the two ma.s.sive spiked maces, the heavy armour, and his four-Jeweled a.s.sembly Set s.h.i.+eld and his various Earth Attribute defensive Skills, he was like an impregnable fortress!