Embermane stared at Liu Xiaoyun, his entire body emitting a strange flame. This flame made Liu Xiaoyun instinctively sense danger, and she instinctively slashed out. She had chosen to defend herself by attacking, as this was an instinctive reaction to Embermane's threat.
Unfortunately, her sword qi was incinerated into nothingness before it could even get close to Embermane.
The next second, everyone's hearts thundered as intense pain radiated from their bodies. The formless flame burned the entire area, turning it a dark red.
In the distance, Dai Ao's eyelids twitched. This scene was very familiar, and he remembered this feeling. During the Astral Combat Tournament, when Arikar had fought Feng Shang, his Karmic Flame Sword had been waiting to be unleashed. It was a scorching heat that could burn everything into nothingness.
Liu Xiaoyun also sensed this, and her gaze turned cold. She slashed out at Embermane from a hundred meters away. This was an imitation of the First Sword of the Thirteen Swords, and it tore through the void, bypassing the scorching flames and landing directly on Embermane's body.
Nearby, Feng Jiu gasped in surprise.
Tian Hou's eyes, which were hidden beneath his black robes, also flashed with surprise. What a powerful sword technique.
Hua Yishou blinked. This sword technique was very powerful.
Embermane was struck by Liu Xiaoyun's sword, and a gash appeared on his fiery-red fur. His blood evaporated, and he looked at Liu Xiaoyun in shock. She had actually been able to bypass the flames and hit him.
Liu Xiaoyun frowned and gripped her sword tightly. What a powerful defense! Her strongest attack had not even hurt this flame mink.
Embermane's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth. A wisp of red shot out from his mouth, incinerating the void as it headed straight for Liu Xiaoyun. Liu Xiaoyun slashed out again, imitating the strongest sword technique of the Thirteen Swords. It collided with the flames, but there was no earth-shattering explosion like everyone had expected. Instead, there was only the void collapsing as countless powerful shockwaves swept out in all directions.
Liu Xiaoyun blocked with her sword, but it was melted by the flames and then evaporated. Her entire body was hit by the flames, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. She was sent flying back a thousand meters, and most of her clothes had been burned away. Her right arm was charred black, and her skin was scorched.
She had been defeated by that wisp of flames.
On the other side, Embermane exclaimed, "Human, you actually didn't die. I admit that you're very strong, but you're not my match."
In the distance, many of Astral-7's students were stunned. The student leader had been defeated. Liu Xiaoyun was Astral-7's student leader and a disciple of the Sword Sect, but she had still been defeated. Was this the strength of the Spiritual Academy's Academy Master?
It was no wonder why he dared to challenge the top four of the Astral Combat Academy.
High up in the sky, several mentors shook their heads. Liu Xiaoyun had already tried her best. She had originally only wanted to defend, but she had been forced to use offense as a substitute for defense. Even so, she had still lost. Meanwhile, the wounds on the flame mink's skin were gradually recovering. It was able to take on Liu Xiaoyun's full-powered sword head-on. The difference between them was obvious.
Liu Xiaoyun's right hand was severely injured, but she endured the pain and looked at the Flame Marten. "I've lost. You guys are indeed qualified to participate in the Tournament of the Strongest. I look forward to your battle."
The flame sable was disdainful. "The Tournament of the Strongest?
You humans aren't qualified to be placed in my eyes. No one can resist my flames, and the top four of your academy are no exception. "
"Alright, since it's over, take us to the trial zone mountain," said Bi.
The Flame Sable did not provoke him any further. He was very afraid of Chi, or rather, it should be said that the entire Spiritual Academy was afraid of Chi, the strongest Academy Master.
Five days after the group from the Astral Beast Domain arrived, the remaining participants from the Technocracy also arrived at Astral-5. Just like the Astral Beast Domain, they were also provoked by the students from Astral-5.
The results were shocking. Astral-5's Na Mu, Rou Daynight, and even the student leader, Kuang Wang, had all been defeated. Just like Liu Xiaoyun, they had all been defeated without any suspense.
This result caused those from the Human Domain who knew about the Tournament of the Strongest to fall silent. Whether it was Liu Xiaoyun or Kuang Wang, they were both student leaders of their respective academies. In terms of strength, they could rank in the top sixteen, and they had all been qualified to compete for the title of the strongest in the Astral Combat Academy. However, they had been defeated so easily. Many people could not accept this result, and it cast a shadow over this Tournament of the Strongest.
Many people had firmly believed that the top four would definitely emerge victorious after watching the Astral Combat Tournament, and that the final battle would be decided by the humans. However, many people had changed their minds at this moment, especially against the Astral Beast Domain. The strongest Academy Master, Chi, had not even made a move, but a random flame mink had defeated Liu Xiaoyun. How terrifying was that?
Not long after, the people from the Cosmic Sea's Arcadian Arrow Crew arrived at Astral-3. Unlike Astral-5 and Astral-7, Astral-3 had been strictly ordered by Nightqueen Yanqing not to be provoked. However, the two from the Arcadian Arrow Crew seemed to be on good terms with the Daynight clan, and they got along quite well with Nightqueen Yanqing.
However, even though Nightqueen Yanqing was the leader of Astral-3, she could not restrain everyone, and Cang Shi was one of them.
Cang Shi had not originally planned to provoke them, but he had received orders from Chaosgod Mountain to test the strength of the two from the Cosmic Sea. The Arcadian Arrow Crew had sent people to the Innerverse with ulterior motives.
Cang Shi did not know much about the Cosmic Sea, but he had heard rumors that the Cosmic Sea was divided into regions by battle groups. Among them, the Four Great Battle Groups were the most powerful, and they were powerful enough to strike fear into all the Innerverse's powers. They were known as the Four Hegemons, and the Arcadian Arrow Crew was one of the few powerful battle groups that was independent of the Four Hegemons. Chaosgod Mountain had guessed that the Arcadian Arrow Crew was planning to withdraw from the Cosmic Sea, which was why they had participated in this Tournament of the Strongest. They wanted to show their strength to the various powers so that they could find a power that was qualified to accept them. The Daynight clan had set their sights on them, and so had Chaosgod Mountain.
"Chaosgod Mountain?
You're from Chaos Flowzone's Chaosgod Mountain? "Nate looked at Cang Shi in surprise.
Cang Shi looked at Nate and said, "That's right. Please advise me."
Beside them, Nightqueen Yanqing's eyes flashed with killing intent. "Cang Shi, as the leader of Astral-3, I order you to step down. Otherwise, I have the right to judge you."
Cang Shi frowned. He was not Nightqueen Yanqing's opponent, especially since this woman had changed recently. She had become even stronger, and she was worthy of being one of the top four powers of the Astral Combat Academy. She was not someone he could compare to.
Nate's lips curled up. "Miss Yanqing, it's fine. Since the disciples of Chaosgod Mountain want to experience our Arcadian Arrow Crew's strength, I'm happy to oblige." He then slowly walked out and faced Cang Shi. "You can make your move now."
Cang Shi did not dare to be careless when facing someone from the legendary Cosmic Sea Battle Groups. Nate was right about one thing: the Innerverse was too peaceful and could not compare to the cruelty of the Cosmic Sea. Anyone who could survive in the Cosmic Sea was terrifying, which was why Nate and the others looked down on the disciples of the Sword Sect.
However, while Nate and the others could look down on the disciples of the Sword Sect, they would not look down on Chaosgod Mountain. This was because Chaosgod Mountain's cultivation was far crueler than the Sword Sect's.
The Sword Sect relied on their powerful sword techniques to control the First Flowzone, so they were very strong. However, to the people of the Cosmic Sea, they were more concerned about Chaosgod Mountain because their survival ability far surpassed the Sword Sect's.
With a whoosh, an enormous amount of energy scattered in all directions. Cang Shi's four-lined battle force spread out, and a terrifying power distorted the void, causing cracks to appear in the void.
The eyes of the expert behind Nate, who was also from the Cosmic Sea, lit up. "I'll take this one."
"Four-lined battle force. That's not bad. Silus, you can have some fun." Nate smiled and slowly retreated.
The youth named Silus walked out. He also had four-lined battle force, but compared to Cang Shi's, his was more condensed and profound.
With a bang, the two attacked at the same time. A similar scene occurred during the Astral Combat Tournament. Two four-lined battle forces collided, just like the battle between Xia Ye and Cang Shi.
However, compared to that battle, Silus seemed much more relaxed. The disciples of Chaosgod Mountain cultivated abnormal reflexes, and Silus's reflexes were not any worse. His movements were strange, but they were very effective.
Nightqueen Yanqing's eyes lit up. She did not care about four-lined battle force, but Silus's defensive movements were as smooth as flowing water. It was as if he could sense Cang Shi's attack in advance. This was an ability that only Chaosgod Mountain's disciples possessed.
"Our Cosmic Sea is always accompanied by danger, and the threat of death has long been engraved into our bones. Regardless of whether it's the weather, liquid energy, or living creatures, or even other powerful battle groups, they can all bring death to us. Thus, our battle methods are not fixed, and they are all simple and effective." Nate seemed to have seen through Nightqueen Yanqing's thoughts.
The Daynight clan was not ignorant of the Cosmic Sea. The more they knew, the more terrifying they became. The Cosmic Sea was a mystical place that existed between the Innerverse and the Neoverse. Aside from the various large battle groups that lived in the Cosmic Sea all year round, the rest of the Daynight clan found it difficult to safely pass through the Cosmic Sea. This included the Neoverse, as it was a system that was independent of the entire universe.
Although it was just a battle group, even the smallest battle group would not be easy to survive in the Cosmic Sea. They would at least have a Hunter or even an almighty powerhouse whose power level exceeded 200,000. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to survive in the Cosmic Sea.
It was precisely because of the importance that Nightqueen Yanqing placed on the Cosmic Sea that she had lowered herself to befriend these two. Otherwise, with her status, she would not have bothered to speak to them. After all, these two were much older than her. In the Astral Combat Academy, at their age, they would either become Explorers or be expelled. They would not even have the chance to participate in the tournament.
However, it had to be said that these two were very strong Limiteers. Cang Shi was completely helpless against Silus. His most prided instinctive evasion was useless, and he could not even use his four-lined battle force. He was extremely sullen.
After blocking Cang Shi's kick, Silus praised, "As expected of a disciple of Chaosgod Mountain. You're qualified to train in the Cosmic Sea, and you're much stronger than those Sword Sect disciples."
Cang Shi retreated helplessly, as he was at his wit's end against Silus.
Silus's lips curled up. "Don't mind me. At your age, I haven't even comprehended four-lined battle force. You're not bad, but you're still far from me." His battle force then transformed into a dark gold color, and an even more terrifying power exploded as it forced Cang Shi back.
Nightqueen Yanqing and Cang Shi were both shocked; this was five-lined battle force!
"Do you still want to continue?" Silus smiled as a dark gold light enveloped him, giving off a profound feeling of power.
Cang Shi's battle force dissipated, and he shook his head. "I've lost."
Silus similarly dissipated his battle force. "You'll be able to comprehend five-lined battle force in a few years."
"I heard that there's a student in the Astral Combat Academy who comprehended five-lined battle force, right?" Nate suddenly asked as he looked at Nightqueen Yanqing.
Nightqueen Yanqing's expression turned ugly. "There is indeed one."
"That's good. Back then, the Ten Arbiters also comprehended five-lined battle force in the Astral Combat Academy. This person has been called a Ten Arbiters' candidate, and I'll see if he has the qualifications to bear that title." Silus raised his head, and his eyes flashed with displeasure.