Chapter 749: Rank S+!
Furball happily gnawed on a grade 5 Origin Crystal. This pet of his was a very picky eater. After having tasted the wondrous high-grade energy of the grade 5 Origin Crystal from the last time, he was no longer interested in anything else lower. Everytime he ate since then, it had felt like chewing on wax to him. The expression on his face looked worse with each pa.s.sing day.
Though the Atlanteans’ treasury did not have any powerful weapons, the eleven thousand grade 5 Origin Crystals Xia Fei obtained was of great help. At the very least, that amount could solve the issue of Furball’s sustenance. Exotic beasts demonstrated great loyalty when protecting their masters; after Furball demonstrated his undying loyalty time and again, Xia Fei was unwilling to wrong him.
Xia Fei was also holding a grade 5 Origin Crystal in his hand, the green and pure energy rapidly flowing into his body and his brain, making him feel warm all over.
“That’s a grade 5 Origin Crystal, alright; the energy stored is both pure and abundant,” Xia Fei said with a smile.
The old demon lord was unimpressed. “It’s only a grade 5 Origin Crystal; no need to make such a big fuss over it. Wait till you really join the two peak races, then you’ll be able to enjoy an even more superior energy. Law force is born out of Cosmic Origin Energy, and energy is the basis of strength in combat. High-grade energy sources are very important to any warrior, so let’s hurry up and get going. It’s almost time.”
“Yeah!” Xia Fei nodded and adjusted his spatial compa.s.s in accordance with Oro’s instructions.
*Whoosh*
In the blink of an eye, Xia Fei arrived at an unfamiliar place.
Clouds of every color, looking as bright and splendid as a rainbow, could be seen up in the sky. Xia Fei lifted his head and observed this amazing sight, inadvertently feeling somewhat dumbfounded. The clouds on this planet were so pretty that they dazzled the eyes.
Oro did not share Xia Fei’s awe of the beautiful sky, solemnly stating, “This is the final transit point before entering the Ancient Battlefield of G.o.ds and Demons. It will send you off to that distant battlefield right after, so let me inform you of some things before that.”
Xia Fei lowered his head and glanced at his precision compa.s.s, feeling puzzled. “We have traveled seven trillion lightyears and are now outside the Law Realm s.p.a.ce?!”
Oro nodded. “That’s right. The Ancient Battlefield of G.o.ds and Demons isn’t anywhere in the Law Realm. This is only the start; the next silver compa.s.s will send you to somewhere even further.”
“How much further?” asked Xia Fei, truly curious. At present, the farthest he had traveled was most likely the Mechs’ Hidden Realm, which was around nine trillion lightyears away from the Law Realm if measured in a straight line. There was no cardinal direction in the cosmos, so the Hidden Realm was just a dot in the sea of stars. There were still plenty of unknown s.p.a.ces that Xia Fei had no knowledge about.
“How should I know?” Oro shook his head. “The Ancient Battlefield is determined by the two supreme races. What law powers used to delineate or what rules will be applied, everything has already been researched. All I can do is send you over, but don’t ask me about anything else.”
Pausing, Oro then sternly stated, “The reason why we have to set off twenty-eight days prior is that there’s a unique set of rules to enter the Ancient Battlefield, required to test the entrant’s cultivation, thereby completing the various tasks a.s.signed by the system.
“What makes this even stranger is the fact that each task is different, and it’ll automatically be adjusted according to a warrior’s present cultivation, potential, and bloodline. In these tens of thousands of years, no one has ever managed to succeed in thoroughly researching this protection mechanism of the Ancient Battlefield, and many warriors have been forced to return after failing to make it through these four weeks of tests, with some even dying as a result.”
Xia Fei frowned. “More tests? Has it always been the case?”
“Nope!” Oro brandished his arm widely. “When the Ancient Battlefield was first established, no such rule existed. Only after those old coots sealed up the place did admittance become such an arduous tribulation. Beside strength, a bit of luck is also necessary to make it through. The Lionhearts’ most superior warriors ended up succ.u.mbing to the tasks because they faced extremely difficult tests.
“What I can tell you is just that much. I hope that you’ve got good luck. It’s still too early for me to tell you about what happens after entering the Ancient Battlefield of G.o.ds and Demons; let’s just wait for you to make it through before we talk some more.”
Exhaling, Xia Fei took out the silver compa.s.s that guided the way.
“Enter the code: 3DE57…”
Oro relayed this string of letters and numbers to Xia Fei, gradually unlocking the compa.s.s.
*Boom*
Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded and Xia Fei disappeared from that colorful planet without a trace!
…
A long s.p.a.ce traversal ensued, at which Xia Fei felt like he had been floating in the inky darkness for fifteen minutes, falling continuously from the sky, with hardly any sound around him. This desolation was so overwhelming it was anxiety-inducing.
*b.u.mp!*
Xia Fei did a dextrous flip and landed on the ground in one elegant motion.
When he finally looked up, all he saw was a narrow corridor, and that moment he landed, a piercing white light shone, indicating to Xia Fei that where he would be going was a lot deeper.
Getting up, Xia Fei made his way over as he looked around. From as far as his eyes could see, there were only walls made of some metal alloy that he was unfamiliar with, st.u.r.dy and free from rust.
These metal walls had plenty of carvings, recording the many scenes of sapient lifeforms in this universe engaged in pitched battles. The Ancient Battlefield of G.o.ds and Demons was as its name suggested; it was all about war.
After walking for some time, the s.p.a.ce before him began to widen, and he eventually arrived at a large, square hall. It was roughly one hundred in width and length, with a height of at least twenty meters. Even a giant like Oro could stand straight inside this room.
Right across from him was a wall with a timer. The time shown was constantly changing, as if it was showing the seconds that pa.s.sed.
Oro looked at the time and said, “There’s still thirty-seven minutes left before the peripheral ring of the Ancient Battlefield begins. Guess you should wait patiently.”
Xia Fei nodded, leaned against the corner wall, and lit a cigarette, closing his eyes and resting his mind.
Regarding this foray to the Ancient Battlefield, Xia Fei had already done sufficient preparation and had also finished recuperating. He was basically at his peak condition.
When it was time, the lights in the hall suddenly got extinguished, leaving just a singular white beam that was projected onto Xia Fei’s body. As if some a.n.a.lysis was occurring on Xia Fei, it made the already sealed environment appear even stranger.
After a few seconds pa.s.sed, a cold feminine voice could be heard saying, “Test will begin. Rank S+”
The old demon lord’s expression turned wildly as he exclaimed, “Oh, no! You’re in trouble now, kid. You’ve triggered an extreme test!”
Xia Fei was still puzzled. Most rankings with letters ought to be ABC and such; why would a S rank appear out of nowhere, and it was even a S+ rank!
“Is S+ really that high?” Xia Fei asked.
“It’s more than high!” Oro gritted his teeth and explained. “A normal test is ranked C, while an enhanced test is B. Heightened enhanced test is considered rank A, while a rank S test is considered extreme! With the plus sign added, it means that the test will be the extremely enhanced type! The brutality and horror of the test corresponds to that!”
Before Xia Fei could give a response, the blinding light mellowed. The next moment, Xia Fei found himself in a dense rainforest. A sun was s.h.i.+ning above, but a torrential rain persisted with no signs of stopping. Mud covered the ground beneath his feet.
That same icy female voice was then heard once more: “Test 1: Survive.”
With that, burly figures descended from the sky.
*Boom!*
One after another, masked warriors fell all around Xia Fei, surrounding him. He could see the eyes past the masks these beings wore, and they were murky green, giving off the eeriness of a pack of wolves eyeing their prey in the middle of the night.
These warriors somewhat resemble Mechs, with their bodies covered entirely by their armor. They stood over two meters tall, numbering a total of 108, each of similar height and size.
Balling up his fists, Xia Fei stared coldly at these 108 warriors who had come from G.o.d knew where.
“What are you still standing around for?! Quickly RUN! This is a test of survival! This means that it’s a test about fleeing!” Oro yelled into Xia Fei’s ears.
Xia Fei was startled. He consciously lifted his feet and rapidly disappeared deeper into the rainforest.
“Breath Control!”
Like an incorporeal spirit, Xia Fei no longer gave off any presence. Though his speed was not as fast as before, it was abnormally quiet, almost as if he was a ghost flying through the trees, searching for the best spot to hide.
“Ah! Talk about bad luck; to think you’d start with a rank S+ test. Guess you’re in for quite a pickle. Utilize your speed advantage and survive these initial twenty-four hours before we talk further,” Oro somewhat vexedly said.
Xia Fei did not reply. Everything had happened too fast, and before Xia Fei could even consider his predicament, he was already fleeing.
Suddenly!
A huge arm appeared by Xia Fei’s side, five fingers as thick and short as steel bars, looking very strong and powerful!
“We’re surrounded!” Xia Fei was shocked. The attack from both sides left his heart trembling. He had Breath Control, Crafty Approach, and superspeed, but despite all these, he still failed to escape from these warriors’ pursuit! How was that possible? Breath Control had never once been ineffective before!
*Rumble*
Xia Fei leaped, evading the attacks from both sides, but the two warriors’ punch had blown away an entire thick row of ancient trees! This clearly showed just how powerful their combat strength was!
His heart rate increased, for Xia Fei realized that, while he was in mid-air, the enemies had already set up an impeccable net around him. Four warriors were even separately blocking the four directions, waiting for Xia Fei to run right into them!
‘What powerful and sinister enemies!’ Xia Fei yelped in his mind.
…
Evasion.
Xia Fei kept evading, but it was too bad that the enemies were hiding everywhere in this humongous rainforest. It was as if they were everywhere, and a moment of carelessness was all it took to be afflicted with a fatal encirclement by these enemies!
This was grueling!
Extremely grueling!
Six hours pa.s.sed, and Xia Fei’s entire body was caked in dirty mud, his face pale and breathing short.
These 108 warriors seemed to be benefiting from divine intervention! They had him surrounded from all directions, practically forcing Xia Fei to a corner!
It was not just Xia Fei; even the old demon lord was rather alarmed by these staunch warriors. The system seemed to have uncannily set it up so that they would accelerate in accordance with the speed Xia Fei was displaying; if he so much as attempted to move, they would surely be able to surround him completely!
These warriors almost seemed optimized to target Xia Fei’s weaknesses, picking to strike at his weak underbelly, making it impossible for the young man to defend himself!
“F*CK!” Xia Fei was extremely annoyed, causing him to spit out an expletive.
He came to an abrupt halt, turning around to watch these enemies who had chased him the entire time, a flame of powerful rage burning in his eyes!
He lit a cigarette and smoked amid the torrential shower, shrugging his shoulders a bit.
“What are you standing there for? Quick, run! These guys have evidently been optimized for you! It’ll be too late if you don’t keep running!” Oro bellowed. Having also been left gasping for air as he watched Xia Fei escape time after time, his voice was now hoa.r.s.e.
“I just don’t get it. Who made it a rule that I should run?” Xia Fei smirked, the corners of his lips curving in an intriguing arc.