Chapter 448: Pathetic
“Look! Someone’s made it!” Someone with sharp eyes on the sh.o.r.e of one of the Skyfall Cascades noticed that a man had appeared at the top. The man was pale, and there was a terrible gash across his chest. He had difficulty propping himself up from the ground, and there was an unshakeable terror and post-traumatic stress that could be seen in his eyes.
“Brother, how were you guys defeated? Why is there only one of you left?” someone shouted.
The injured man spat out a mouthful of blood as he pathetically sat down on the ground. He forced out a smile. “Try facing Faceless yourself.”
“Faceless?” Someone listening was lost.
Beside them, another person shrieked, “Faceless? The person ranked seventy second on the Top 100 Rankings? That Faceless?”
The injured man nodded and then looked at the screen.
Coincidentally, the single person left on the cascade looked up at the camera at that time. A frighteningly ugly face was revealed, scaring many.
The man’s facial features were flat, and he was extremely hideous. There was a two meter long black sword in his hand that drooped into the water, but it could not be seen even if one was not paying attention to it.
“Yes, that’s him, the one ranked seventy second, Faceless. He’s the person wearing that mask,” someone called out when they recognized the ugly man.
Suddenly, countless people looked over, as the strongest powerhouse had changed once again. Qin Chen was only ranked 88th, which was more than ten positions below Faceless’s. No one had expected such a strong powerhouse to appear.
At the peak of the Sea King"s Dome, Hai Qiqi covered her mouth in shock. “How can such a person exist!? He’s too scary.”
Behind her, the four maids all had pale faces. “Sister Qi, this person cannot be allowed to pull out the Sea King"s Trident! Otherwise, your entire life will be ruined!”
“That’s right, Sister Qi, think of a way! He’s the only one left in the northern Skyfall Cascade, so he’ll definitely be able to pa.s.s through! We’re doomed!”
Hai Qiqi shouted in outrage, “No kidding! Of course we have to think of a way. I, Hai Qiqi, am so exquisite-looking—how could I marry some flatbread that came alive? This person must have angered the heavens somehow, and there has to be something wrong with his character.”
The other maids were speechless, as being ugly should not imply that there was an issue with his character!
Faceless’ appearance did not surprise Hai Dashao, as he had known that this person had arrived since a while ago. No one could keep him in the dark about anything that happened here. However, he was not worried; even if Faceless managed to pull out the Sea King"s Trident, Qiqi could still just choose to not accept him. This was the Sea King"s Dome, and pulling out the Sea King"s Trident was just one step to qualifying; it did not mean that the person who pulled it out would definitely become the Sea King’s son-in-law.
Starsibyl stared at Faceless, and a trace of doubt and conjecture appeared in the depths of her eyes.
The hidden experts in the Sea King’s son-in-law selection were gradually revealing themselves. Not only did Faceless appear, but Qin Chen also appeared at the northwestern Skyfall Cascade as the most eye-grabbing partic.i.p.ant. Right before Faceless was exposed, Qin Chen had also encountered an unantic.i.p.ated opponent.
There was a section of the Skyfall Cascade that had been frozen into flame-like shapes. As the white fog lifted, a portion of the water violently surged, only for another portion to freeze, which caused the layers of ice to increase in number.
Beneath these layers of ice stood a cold-looking young man holding onto a silver-white spear. On the spear, there was an engraved design of a wreath of five interlocking plum blossoms. If Lu Yin saw this mark, he would have definitely remembered it since he already had an impression of it. When the Great Yu Empire had waged war against Firesmelt Planet, one Explorer named Yan Yan had sealed himself within ice when Firesmelt Planet was destroyed. Xueshan Auna had recognized that man as someone from the Royal Frost Continent, the symbol of which was a wreath of five interlocking plum blossoms.
The Royal Frost Continent was a hidden power within Blazing Mist Flowzone, and it was hidden in a secondary dimension much like Shenwu Continent. But it differed in that Royal Frost Continent was strong enough to rival the Blaze Realm, which meant that it had not been surrounded and targeted for invasion.
Above the layers of ice stood Qin Chen. He was ranked eighty eighth in the Top 100 Rankings, but his face showed an unprecedented seriousness.
Qin Chen had not expected to meet such a strong foe on his way up the Skyfall Cascade, but this person was very powerful.
The cold-looking man suddenly stabbed out with his spear, which penetrated through the ice layer as it moved towards Qin Chen. It froze everything along its path, even the void. Qin Chen’s eyes suddenly widened, and he raised his hands and caused his star energy to morph into an inescapable net that covered the entire area.
The cold man’s spear stabbed into the net, causing it to freeze slightly, but the spear was unable to move forward any further. Qin Chen was just about to act when he suddenly felt that something was amiss. He immediately retreated with extreme speed, only to see a st.u.r.dy ball of ice shaped like flames expand from where he had just been standing.
The spearman spun his weapon around, and the tip slowly turned pure white due to the extreme frost. It formed the symbol of a wreath of five interlocking plum blossoms and then ripped a small crack open in the net. The man leaped forward and stabbed at Qin Chen with his spear once again.
Qin Chen had avoided danger after danger so far, and he watched as the water around him froze into ice. He trembled, and then suddenly, the st.u.r.dy ice within the range of his domain cracked. Qin Chen’s star energy erupted and formed another trap that engulfed everything from the bottom up. However, the cold man resolutely thrust his spear into the layer of ice. There was an explosion and then all of the st.u.r.dy ice completely shattered.
An intense aftershock swept out across the battlefield, carrying with it an extreme cold that froze everything up to the sh.o.r.e. The blast caused many of the nearby bystanders to tremble in fear and hurriedly leave the area.
“Qin Chen, someone’s nearly reached the top of the Skyfall Cascade!” someone shouted, evidently a supporter of Qin Chen’s.
Qin Chen looked up, and sure enough, he saw that the other two men from his waterway had charged forward at full speed while he had been battling the spearman. Thus, the two had nearly reached the top.
The cold man also looked up, and then he dashed up with a great leap.
Qin Chen gritted his teeth and rushed after the man. It was not the right time for them to hold each other back. They needed to eliminate the other two first, or they might be left behind regardless of the outcome of their battle.
At the southeastern Skyfall Cascade, Lu Yin had defeated two partic.i.p.ants by himself while another two were battling somewhere further ahead. One of them was eventually beaten, and the other charged towards the top of the cascade while enjoying a tremendous lead on Lu Yin. Unexpectedly, that person actually arrived at the sluice gate before Lu Yin. However, Lu Yin was not anxious, as it was highly unlikely that the gate would be easily opened.
As Lu Yin dashed towards the top, he glanced at the screens in the sky. He saw Faceless’ appearance as well Qin Chen’s encounter with a strong foe. A bunch of freaks had indeed appeared in the Sea King’s son-in-law selection, and each one could be a top-tier talent no matter where they went.
The Sea King"s Dome was very tall, and each of the Skyfall Cascades was very long. However, with Lu Yin and the others’ speed, it didn’t take them long to reach the top even if they couldn’t pierce through the void to travel more quickly here.
The sluice gate was almost within Lu Yin’s reach, but the person ahead of Lu Yin had already arrived beside it. The other partic.i.p.ant excitedly tried to open the gate, but it did not budge.
Lu Yin was in no hurry, and he slowly walked over as he watched the person desperately heave at it.
Faceless had also arrived at the top, and he pressed a hand against the gate while he put on a pondering expression.
At the northeastern Skyfall Cascade, Ling Que was also charging towards the top since he had been significantly delayed by his battle. When he pa.s.sed by the middle section of the Sea King"s Dome, he glanced to the side and saw two people near the cascade: one male and one female. Although he did not recognize the man, Ling Que recognized Starsibyl since he had met her before.
Ling Que paused and looked at the bank of the waterway. “I never thought that I would see the famous Starsibyl in the Sea King"s Dome. It’s been a long time.”
Starsibyl smiled. “It has indeed.”
“Does Starsibyl have any opinion about this selection? Who do you think will become the Sea King’s son-in-law?” Ling Que was curious, as he knew a little more about Starsibyl than most, as this woman had visited the Lingling clan more than once. Obviously, it had not been because of him, but rather because of another person. It was precisely because he was a bit more familiar with her than most others that Ling Que wanted to discover Starsibyl’s thoughts.
Starsibyl did not reply, but Hai Dashao coldly said, “Scram back into the river.”
Starsibyl smiled faintly.
Ling Que’s face sank as he stared at Hai Dashao. “Who the h.e.l.l are you? How dare you speak to me like that!”
Hai Dashao’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll say it again. Scram back into the river, or else I’ll personally throw you off of this dome.”
Ling Que’s brows rose, as his behavior was remarkable. This man was either a fool or someone of great influence. However, how could someone standing next to Starsibyl be a fool? It was impossible for a normal person to stand in such a position. That meant that this b.a.s.t.a.r.d had to be someone with a measurable amount of influence.
Ling Que snorted, as this was the Sea King"s Dome, and it was not a smart idea to provoke someone with an unknown background. “This master’s condition isn’t too good today, so I won’t bicker with you. Starsibyl, let’s chat again next time we meet.”
Ling Que then dashed towards the top, almost as if he was fleeing in defeat.
Starsibyl could not stop herself from laughing, and she looked at Hai Dashao with crescent-shaped eyes. “Why did you have to scare him away? Although his personality is a bit odd, he behaves in an upright manner and is also from the Lingling clan. He’s a good match for Qiqi.”
Hai Dashao ignored Starsibyl and looked back at the screen to watch Zhang Dingtian. He was rather interested in this person, and he greatly admired him as well. He liked this person’s determination in his blade, or rather, the persistence of his heart.
Ling Que was very unhappy. He had been inexplicably scolded, but he didn’t even dare to retort. As the strongest member of the Lingling clan’s younger generation, when had he ever endured such humiliation? He could only blame those cheerleaders that were no longer behind him; it had truly put him out of sorts.
As he thought about this, he glared furiously at the screen displaying Mu Rong. That scoundrel had definitely played some trick behind Ling Que’s back. It had to be because Mu Rong knew that he couldn’t defeat Ling Que in a head on confrontation. Thus, he had to ambush him in such a manner.
As Ling Que charged upwards, someone else was casually walking along ahead of him.
Ling Que frowned. “Scram! Good dogs don’t block the path!”
He immediately moved to flit past the person walking along the cascade, dashing upwards with even greater speed.
Suddenly, a radiance flashed before his eyes, and there was a bang. Ling Que seemed to have crashed into something. He rubbed his forehead; what was this thing? Why was there a wall in the middle of the stream?
Ling Que’s eyes went wide, and he looked in front of him, only to see something that felt like a joke: a clock? Who had thrown a clock in the middle of one of the Skyfall Cascades? Hold on! When he looked behind him, he discovered that he had been trapped by the clock.
“Thun-der-Punch!” A low voice sounded out near Ling Que’s ears, causing his eyes to narrow as he responded with his Que’s Mighty Slash. The blade did not strike the clock, and it instead rotated around his body at an extreme speed, nearly tearing through the void. In the next moment, there was a resounding explosion. The sound was like a thunderclap that swept out in all directions. A portion of the Skyfall Cascade was even swept aside by a giant wave that destroyed the sh.o.r.e.
Countless spectators were stunned by the giant explosion, and they looked over at the corresponding screen in shock.
Within the clock, Ling Que was bleeding from his seven orifices, and he opened his mouth wide to withstand the noise. His Que"s Mighty Slash continued to revolve around his body, as this was his best defense. As soon as he heard those words, he knew that he was in trouble. This time, he had come to the Starfall Sea with the primary objective of challenging a specific person: Cheng Wu, ranked sixty ninth on the Top 100 Rankings.
Someone had seen Cheng Wu in the Starfall Sea, which had led to Ling Que coming as well. Cheng Wu’s most famous skill was his Thunder Punch.
Ling Que had thought that he would only be able to battle against this person after the selection ended, but surprisingly, he had been struck by his signature skill after falling for Cheng Wu’s innate gift, which was the large clock that had trapped Ling Que. The clock was a sealed s.p.a.ce, and it multiplied the intensity of the sound within it multiple times. Ling Que had been caught unprepared, and suffering from the entirety of Cheng Wu’s strongest attack.
Within the clock, the sound waves reverberated ceaselessly, and Ling Que’s brain almost exploded. He spat out blood as his eyes turned scarlet. He roared again, and his Que"s Mighty Slash sliced through the void before colliding with the large clock. However, the blade just could not break it. Behind him, Cheng Wu raised a hand once again. “Thun-der-Punch.”
“It doesn’t stop there, huh?” Ling Que spoke furiously, but he did not hesitate at all to attack the ground beneath the water, escaping downwards.
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