But all this time, I just couldn’t figure it out. “Our plan was flawless; how could you have gotten here?!” the man with the sword-like eyebrows demanded, his eyes filled with confusion.
“My influence isn’t that great; I never imagined anyone would try to win me over!” Chen Feng replied.
“That’s it?” The sword-browed man clearly didn’t believe that conclusion.
“Heh, and your clothes. Last night, I saw this same type of garment on a small island, and that’s how… I knew you people wouldn’t be helping me out of the goodness of your hearts!” Chen Feng continued.
“You were on the island?” The sword-browed man’s face contorted in shock, but after a moment, he composed himself. “I see… I see now!”
“Thank you for enlightening me then!” The sword-browed man suddenly bowed deeply.
“Not good!” Chen Feng’s heart sank. Before he could move, he saw blood already trickling from the corner of the sword-browed man’s mouth. He managed a strained smile before collapsing heavily onto the ground, dead instantly.
Chen Feng sighed, feeling he had still underestimated the mastermind behind this plot.
To frame him convincingly, they had to ensure all the pawns died. If he hadn’t spotted the subtle clues beforehand, he might have faced the combined might of every power on the entire continent.
Chen looked at the competitors he had just saved and felt a measure of relief.
When he was fighting the sword-browed man, Ling Feng had vanished—she had gone to rescue the others. Relying on his God-level physique, he wouldn’t have cared about dozens, even hundreds, of experts at the Saint Domain level.
Though his own strength was immense, it didn't mean everyone else was equally powerful. Aside from Lei Di, Jin Ling, and a few others, there weren't many competitors who had even reached the Saint Domain cultivation. Moreover, those who had reached it were suppressed by the island’s restrictions, meaning they could, at most, exert the power of a ninth-level Dou Zun or Magister. How could they resist a siege by Saint Domain experts?
If Chen Feng hadn't left when he did, it might have turned out just as the sword-browed man suggested—many competitors would have been slaughtered.
Even so, over twenty people had died, and more than sixty were injured! The casualties accounted for more than half of the total number.
…………………………………………………………
Around the teleportation array on Fist King Island, everyone wore an anxious expression.
Because the participants were teleported away, no one outside knew what happened inside. Outsiders would only learn the outcome after the two-hour competition time concluded and the people emerged from the array.
This trial was different from the other four; it was destined to be the deadliest. Those participating were all geniuses and experts from various regions; who would give up their badges until the final moment?
So, those waiting outside were worried.
“Why isn’t it over yet? I wonder if Lord Dragon God is in danger!” Long Yi paced anxiously on the spot.
“Don’t fret. Lord Dragon God is immensely powerful; he likely isn’t in much danger!” the Second Elder tried to soothe her.
“Being powerful doesn’t help if their cultivation is suppressed by the restrictions! At best, he only has the strength of a ninth-level Dou Zun. You know very well that competitors from various factions bear ill will toward Lord Dragon God. I truly fear he might meet with disaster!” Long Yi argued.
The Second Elder said, “Lord Dragon God has overcome so many dangers before; perhaps this time… he will be fine too!” Although he spoke those words, the deep furrow in his brow showed that he clearly didn't believe them himself.
“Look, someone is coming back…” someone shouted loudly.
Long Yi and the Second Elder looked up and saw the magic array erected on the competition platform flash with light, and several figures immediately stepped out.
“It’s not… Lord Dragon God!” Seeing the first few people emerge, Long Yi gripped her fists tightly, cold sweat beading in her palms.
“Maybe… Lord Dragon God is right behind them…” the Second Elder managed to say, forcing back his anxiety.
……………………………………………………………
“Son!” A middle-aged man clapped a young man who had just walked out of the teleportation array, his face beaming with relief.
“Father, I’m sorry. I… didn’t get a single badge, and I even lost my own…” The youth looked utterly ashamed.
“It’s enough that you’re alive! Remember what I told you: everyone participating in this grand contest is a young talent from another power. I never expected you to win the championship. Just meeting these people and gaining their friendship makes this worthwhile!” the middle-aged man said casually.
The others overheard their conversation and smiled knowingly. Perhaps many shared the same objective. The Five Alliances Grand Contest was arguably the competition for the most powerful young individuals on the continent—a clash of elites. Many came simply to build connections for future planning!
Therefore, simply surviving the final match was the best possible outcome, a truth everyone present understood, though few dared to voice it so plainly.
“Master…” A youth ran up to a middle-aged man as soon as he stepped out of the teleportation array…
More people emerged, each finding their respective factions. Seeing nearly a hundred people out and still no sign of the Dragon God, the sweat on Long Yi’s brow flowed continuously, and her hands even began to tremble slightly.
“Over a hundred people total, and nearly a hundred have already come out. Why hasn’t Lord Dragon God appeared? Could something have…” Long Yi couldn’t believe her growing suspicion.
“Don’t worry, Lord Dragon God will certainly be alright…” The Second Elder said with certainty, yet his tone carried an undeniable tremor.
“Little Princess…”
Jin Ling’s figure stepped out of the magic array, and the Tiger Clan members immediately surged forward. Elder Hu Ben even turned his head with a sneer.
Everyone knew the conflict between Jin Ling and Chen Feng. Her appearance made the implication clear to even a fool!
Finally, all the survivors emerged, and one by one, corpses were tossed out of the magic array.
“Waaa…”
Waves of crying erupted. Many people rushed forward, digging through the pile of bodies to find the one they were waiting for, only to break down in agonizing sobs.
Hearing the widespread weeping, Long Yi and the others felt their hearts plummeting to the abyss. They trembled all over, their steps heavy. Sweat streamed down their necks in torrents.
They walked past each corpse, one by one, terrified of spotting that painfully familiar face.
Suddenly, Long Yi’s heart leaped. A body lay motionless and silent on the ground, its back to him.
“Lord Long!” Long Yi burst into heartbroken tears, collapsing beside the corpse, sobbing uncontrollably. “Is heaven truly intent on destroying our Dragon Clan?”
Despair overwhelmed him. Lord Dragon God had only recently appeared, and now he was dead inexplicably. How could the Dragon Clan move forward? He looked toward the Second Elder, only to see him kneeling as well, weeping bitterly.
“Big Brother Second Elder… what are you two doing?”
Just as the three were caught in their grief, a clear voice asked from behind them.
Hearing the voice, Long Yi and the Second Elder jumped as if electrocuted and whipped around to look. Who else could be standing there but Chen Feng?
“This…” Long Yi looked from the corpse to Chen Feng. “Lord Dragon God, you’re not dead…”
“You wanted me dead that badly?” Chen Feng asked, bewildered.
“No, no…” Long Yi hastily waved his hands and kicked the corpse aside. It was just some person wearing clothes very similar to Chen Feng’s—a massive false alarm.
“Lord Dragon God, why… why did you come out so late?” the Second Elder asked quietly, trying to downplay the embarrassment of their previous display.
“If I had come out earlier, what would have happened to these corpses? Should I just leave them?” Chen Feng sighed.
Only the living could use the teleportation array in the center of the island. Since the cleanup crew hadn’t entered yet, everyone had already been teleported out. Naturally, someone had moved the dead bodies outside!
Long Yi and the others finally understood.
“Alright, I need to hand in my badges!” Chen Feng ignored them and strode toward the nearby registration desk.
A line of people already stood before the desk; clearly, these were the victors who had acquired others’ badges.
“Guttari, one!”
“Temuya, two!”
……
The name of every person who claimed a badge was announced at the registration desk and recorded.
The one with the most badges was the victor.
“Big Bear, why do these people have so few badges?” one recorder asked the person next to him.
“These are all elites and geniuses from various places, with roughly similar cultivation levels. It’s quite good if one manages to snatch one or two badges through a sneak attack. Did you think this was the Fist King participating? To collect 37 badges alone!” the person called Big Bear said, chuckling.
“True. Perhaps only a master like the Fist King could so easily secure badges in a competition like this! This record will likely never be broken!” the first person laughed as well.
“Definitely. Breaking the Fist King’s record is virtually impossible…” Big Bear agreed.
“Jin Ling, twelve!” Before the two could finish speaking, a shout came from nearby.
“Jin Ling, that’s the one from the Black Tiger Clan, right? Amazing, she got ten badges! She must be the champion this time, right?” the first person said with envy.
“Very likely. Twelve badges means she defeated eleven people within two hours—that’s incredible!” Big Bear responded, then looked up, reaching out to a youth in front of him: “Your badges…”
“Here!” The youth flipped his wrist, tossing down a pile of items.
“Ah…” Big Bear’s eyes widened round in disbelief. “These are all… badges…”
His voice was loud, almost frenzied. All eyes followed his booming shout and instantly focused on the registration desk. On the magic screen behind the desk, a line of text suddenly surged forth.
“Chen Feng, sixty-seven!”
Six crimson characters shone glaringly bright in the distance, like fresh blood.