Chapter 1297: Baring Fangs

Ze Cu had been born in Gaia’s Swamp, and he had seen all kinds of evil people before, as well as all kinds of torture methods. Among them was one that included bugs.

Ze Cu had his own means of dealing with bugs.

After a moment’s thought, he took off the dark chain around his waist and smashed it onto the ground to create a soft sound. He then wrapped the chain around his hand and began walking towards Bai Mai.

Bai Mai was a bug that was only the size of a fingernail, and when Ze Cu approached it, the carrion bug seemed to be disturbed and released a slight trembling sound.

On one part of the first layer, Yao Xuan looked completely unconcerned, with seemingly no worries about Bai Mai at all.

If not for the fact that there were simply too few carrion bugs, then the Celestial Demons might not have been able to claim the top position on the Celestial Beast List, which would overturn the structure of the entire Astral Beast Domain.

When Ze Cu approached within ten meters away from Bai Mai, the chain around his hand suddenly started to disturb the void, completely locking it down. At the same time, Ze Cu opened his mouth and let out a roar with the sound wave taking on the shape of a strange, fierce beast that filled the sky and moved to attack Bai Mai. This was Ze Cu’s innate gift; he was able to transform sound, and this ability had frightened many of the criminals locked up in Gaia’s Swamp.

At this moment, in Gaia’s Swamp, a large number of criminals gritted their teeth. Their cultivation far surpassed this youth from Gaia’s Swamp, but they were all bound in metal chains and imprisoned within Gaia’s Swamp. Thus, they did not dare to resist and had to suffer various punishments every day.

When they saw the roar transform into a vicious beast on Zenith Mountain, all the criminals had mixed feelings.

There were some prisoners who simply did not care. They were able to completely ignore certain punishments, and the vicious creature formed from sound was just an innate gift of a tiny Hunter.

However, no matter who, all people liked to see those they were familiar with appear in important places such as Zenith Mountain. Thus, the mood within the prison was full of ups and downs. The prisoners here all truly wished for Ze Cu’s victory, as that would delight the warden, and perhaps that would allow them to avoid punishment for a bit of time.

The beast created from the roar looked like a descending ghost. This was Ze Cu’s method of dealing with bugs. He knew that while bugs were small, some bugs were incredibly powerful. Bai Mai was right in front of Ze Cu, but he did not even consider that the carrion bug was actually obediently waiting for Ze Cu to attack.

However what happened was completely beyond Ze Cu’s expectations, and many onlookers were similarly stunned as well. Bai Mai did not move at all and simply allowed the metal chain to fall upon it as the beast formed from sound also struck it. The bug did not move at all.

Ze Cu’s heart fell, and the dark chains formed a net that attempted to trap Bai Mai. This was a battle technique from Gaia’s Swamp. No matter how big or small they were, any and all creatures would be captured within this net. It was required for every single one of Gaia’s Swamp’s prison guards to master this battle technique, and when they all worked together, the technique became even more powerful.

The chain successfully captured Bai Mai, but then the bug opened its mouth and started to bite down. There was a click as the chain broke apart. Then, the crack spread throughout the entire chain, causing it to shatter.

Ze Cu’s pupils instantly constricted to pinpoints; how was this possible? This chain was from Gaia’s Swamp! Although it was not some rare treasure, it was still incredibly durable, and yet it had been bitten through in a single chomp.

Yao Xuan’s eyes showed his ridicule. These bugs were even able to eat the body of a Progenitor; what was a mere chain compared to that?

Bai Mai twitched and then slowly flew towards Ze Cu.

Ze Cu opened his mouth and roared. Once again, the sound grew corporeal and turned into a vicious beast. It looked truly terrifying, and it frightened many people watching the broadcast.

This was one of the prison guards from Gaia’s Swamp.

However, the beast of sound was useless against Bai Mai, and Bai Mai faced no difficulty at all as it passed through the beast and bit at Ze Cu.

Ze Cu’s scalp went numb, and the apparently small bug suddenly grew massively in his sight. Those sharp teeth would devour his entire body and grind him to tiny pieces. No matter how he resisted, it would all be useless.

“I give up.” Ze Cu was one of Gaia’s Swamp’s prison guards. He had a firm will and had seen numerous terrible people. Thus, he was able to step back and admit defeat.

Bai Mai landed on Ze Cu’s shoulder and released a small sound.

Ze Cu did not dare to move. When the tiny bug touched him, Ze Cu felt as though death itself was touching him, and his entire body was frozen still.

Fortunately, Bai Mai vanished shortly after, and Ze Cu returned to where he had been standing before the battle.

Countless people reflexively looked up at where the staircases started, but Bai Mai was too small to be seen right away.

Soon, a wine barrel appeared on the screens across the universe. Liquor Hero appeared with a belch, and Bai Mai was seen nearby.

Bai Mai would face Liquor Hero in the round to decide the top ten.

Lu Yin stared at Bai Mai. The bug seemed like a fairly troublesome opponent.

Liquor Hero burped and looked at Bai Mai in a daze. She grinned. “Snack.”1

Many people were speechless.

Bai Mai trembled slightly, not speaking even once. It was unclear if it knew how to speak or was too disgusted to speak.

Soon, two new figures appeared on the battlefield.

Everyone’s expression changed a bit when they saw who had appeared for the next match, as this would be an exciting one. It was Qiu Shi versus Shi Zhongjian.

One was the top disciple of the Fifth Mainland’s Neoverse’s Cosmic Sect while the other was the Realmling of the Sixth Mainland’s Rock Realm.

Qiu Shi also had another title: one of the Cosmic Five.

Although the contest for the Cosmic Five had always been nothing but a show set up countless years ago to attack the Neohuman Alliance, the title of the Cosmic Five had become deeply entrenched in the hearts of many people.

Even before this match, Qiu Shi had been favored by many to end up as one of the final five of ZENITH. At one point, she had dealt with both Starsibyl and Wen Sansi without any help.

Qiu Shi, the All Rounder Fairy, was a true powerhouse of the Fifth Mainland’s younger generation.

On the other hand, Shi Zhongjian was a Realmling from the Sixth Mainland, and he was second only to Daosource Three Skies, which made him someone who inspired countless people.

Lu Yin’s eyes lit up. Shi Zhongjian was not unfamiliar to Lu Yin, but he was actually quite unfamiliar with Qiu Shi. Rather, it could be said that he was both familiar and unfamiliar with her. The All Rounder Fairy was simply too mysterious; no matter if it was the contest for the Cosmic Five in the Mountain and Seas Zone or the battle in the Cosmic Sea when the Sixth Mainland had invaded the Fifth Mainland, Lu Yin felt as if Qiu Shi had never put forth her full efforts. She was supposed to excel in four different areas, but no one seemed to know what all four of her strengths were.

There was no speaking, and the battle immediately began.

Shi Zhongjian’s sword qi swept towards Qiu Shi, and an endless amount of sword qi fell down like raindrops from up above. He was giving his all from the very beginning of the match due to how strong of an opponent Qiu Shi was.

Shi Zhongjian and Qiu Shi were not strangers, as they had fought in the Cosmic Sea before.

Hundreds of stars revolved around Qiu Shi’s body, and Shi Zhongjian’s attack swept through the stars and at Qiu Shi. Right at that moment, the stars exploded, and Qiu Shi raised a hand: Cosmic Palm.

Stars appeared around her hand before exploding. Shi Zhongjian’s eyes narrowed, and he shot back in retreat. However, the stars had already surrounded him, and each one erupted with a violent explosion that warped the void before tearing it completely apart. The void was continuously shredded to pieces, and black spatial cracks spread across the battlefield before spreading even further and eventually covering all of Zenith Mountain.

Shi Zhongjian wielded an enormous stone sword, and he easily endured the force of the exploding stars. But even though he was able to block the damage, the sheer force of the explosions forced him back, step by step.

Qiu Shi lightly stepped about and passed by many stars. She then raised a hand, causing the stars to congregate towards her hand before forming a sword: Celestial Sword.

Shi Zhongjian’s eyes went wide open when he saw Qiu Shi counter his Heaven Splitter technique.

There was a bang as four incomparably huge spatial cracks appeared along Zenith Mountain, severing the entire sky. The clash between the Celestial Sword and Heaven Splitter was a clash between the two strongest sword attacks seen during ZENITH so far, and the power far surpassed what Jin He had accomplished with his sword.

If Jin He had possessed such powerful sword techniques, then he likely would have defeated Fan Shun much faster.

However, everyone had different talents. Although Jin He was not a skilled swordsman, he had Truesight. And while Qiu Shi and Shi Zhongjian had far superior sword skills, they did not have the magical power of Truesight.

Upon seeing Qiu Shi counterattack with a sword skill, Liu Tianmu’s eye twitched from where she was watching. This was a fight that she wanted to be a part of.

Four impossibly huge spatial cracks kept spreading out, and Shi Zhongjian was forced down to the ground. His impact sent stones flying, many of which were shattered and reduced to dust.

An imprint appeared behind Shi Zhongjian, and it was that of a three-inch-tall old man. The next moment, powerful qi created a whirlwind that rose up from the ground, and it forced Qiu Shi back. Once again, her sword slashed out, and once again, the Cosmic Sect’s Celestial Sword clashed against Heaven Splitter. However, this time, the impact far surpassed the previous one, as Shi Zhongjian’s imprint had greatly increased his attack’s power.

The Celestial Sword was truly a technique worthy of the Cosmic Sect, as it proved to be a powerful deterrent against Shi Zhongjian. Whenever cultivators at the same realm from the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands fought, the Fifth Mainlanders would always suffer from an innate sense of suppression. But in this battle, the Fifth Mainland’s Qiu Shi was able to overpower the Sixth Mainland’s Shi Zhongjian, and her Celestial Sword was completely crushing his Heaven Splitter, which was wonderful to see.

Unfortunately, the people from the Sixth Mainland possessed too many ways to fight.

Heaven Splitter was the technique that had allowed Shi Zhongjian to firmly secure and retain his position as a Realmling. With his imprint active, Qiu Shi was no longer able to overpower Shi Zhongjian’s attacks, as her Celestial Sword was not powerful enough to do that. However, her Celestial Sword was also a part of the Cosmic Art, which was one of the best cultivation techniques in the universe.

As Qiu Shi watched Shi Zhongjian’s Heaven Splitter descend, her body dashed about like a fish in the water. She swept past the sword qi, and she was soon less than a meter away from Shi Zhongjian. The Realmling’s pupils shrank, as this was not good. This woman was a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, and she had excellent control over star energy. She was already able to see through his swordsmanship.

His sword skills relied on pure power to overwhelm the Celestial Sword, but Qiu Shi had instead seen through Shi Zhongjian’s Heaven Splitter.

Shi Zhongjian tried to retreat, but his efforts were in vain. Thus, he was forced to slash his sword at Qiu Shi. Her eyes flashed upon seeing this. She turned around, put her back to the Realmling, and threw out a palm attack, but she attacked an empty region.

Countless people watching the battle were confused and could not understand her actions.

From his place at the bottom of a flight of stairs, Lu Yin’s gaze grew sharp. This was the Cosmic Sect’s secret technique: Star Transference.

Shi Zhongjian was momentarily at a loss. When they had last fought in the Cosmic Sea, Qiu Shi had never used a secret technique, so the youths from the Sixth Mainland had no idea that she possessed one despite deliberately investigating their peers from the Fifth Mainland before ZENITH started. Unfortunately, they had not been able to find out much.

The Neoverse was a very mysterious place to the Innerverse, Outerverse, and the Cosmic Sea. So, there was no need to even mention them knowing about something like the Cosmic Sect’s secret technique.

Shi Zhongjian suddenly appeared in Qiu Shi’s position, and his sword attack failed. Qiu Shi’s palm should have struck an empty place, but with this sudden change, her palm was directly pressed against Shi Zhongjian’s back. He trembled and spat out a mouthful of blood. His expression changed drastically, and his right foot stepped forward in an effort to stabilize himself after suffering an injury.

He whirled around and slashed at Qiu Shi with his stone sword, but a pure white hand moved to stop the hilt of the sword while it moved through the air. The palm flipped over, and Qiu Shi used her hand as a blade that attacked Shi Zhongjian. The attack rose up from below him, and there was a bang. Shi Zhongjian trembled as he flew through the air.

Shi Zhongjian leaped up to grab his stone sword, but Qiu Shi simply casually waved a hand, causing Shi Zhongjian’s star energy to grow unstable. He had been affected by Qiu Shi’s star energy control that was at the Worldliness realm. The Realmling failed to grab his sword, and suddenly, sword qi shot out as blood was spilled.

Shi Zhongjian’s belly had been cut open, and his whole body was thrown thousands of meters into the distance, where he heavily struck the ground. He looked completely miserable.

[1] This is specifically a term for snacks eaten while drinking alcohol. ☜

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