Chapter 544 - 335: Demonic Hand Hua Sha (Part 2)

Chapter 544: Chapter 335: Demonic Hand Hua Sha (Part 2)

The light dissipated, and a figure appeared.

He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but a terrifying killing aura radiated from his entire being.

His features were stern, his gaze indifferent, as if the geniuses before him were beneath his notice.

It was none other than the undisputed number one on the leaderboard—Blood Slaughter Barton.

"Barton! It’s Blood Slaughter Barton!"

"He’s here too!"

"HISS... What a terrifying killing aura."

"He must be here for Demon Hand Hua Sha. Hua Sha’s name is on the list for the first match."

Barton’s appearance instantly stole all the attention away from Li Wen, causing an even greater stir and a wave of whispers.

He was like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep. His mere presence seemed to cause the temperature in the room to drop by several degrees.

Many people subconsciously took half a step back, not daring to meet his gaze.

Barton looked around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a cold searchlight.

His gaze first paused on a youth standing a short distance away, a man with a sinister air and hands tucked into his sleeves.

That was Demon Hand Hua Sha, widely acknowledged as the strongest expert in the Alka District, second only to Barton himself.

Hua Sha sensed the gaze and the corner of his mouth curved into a barely perceptible smile. He met Barton’s stare without hesitation.

Immediately after, Barton’s gaze seemed to casually turn and land on Li Wen in the crowd.

Li Wen, whose divine sense was already as sharp as a Star Lord’s, noticed the instant Barton’s gaze fell upon him.

He didn’t flinch in the slightest, calmly raising his eyes to meet Barton’s gaze.

Their eyes met!

BOOM!

Li Wen felt a horrifying killing intent, like that from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, surging toward him through that icy gaze.

An ordinary Saint Realm expert, or even a regular Star Lord, would have likely had their will shattered in an instant under such a gaze.

But Li Wen remained as unmovable as a mountain. The overwhelming killing aura crumbled before his deep, serene gaze, failing to affect him in the slightest.

In contrast, a flicker of surprise, however minute, crossed the depths of Barton’s eyes, which seemed to be stained with blood.

He found he couldn’t see through this opponent, a man who was astonishingly young judging by his bone age.

The man’s gaze was as profound as the starry sky itself, his calm demeanor concealing a seemingly immeasurable power.

This brief, silent clash, though lacking any physical exchange, was more stunning than any words could be.

In the waiting area, nearly every genius who noticed this exchange grew animated.

They eagerly awaited a more intense confrontation between the number one and number three on the leaderboard.

However, the anticipated conflict did not occur.

It was as if they had merely confirmed each other’s existence.

Li Wen and Barton’s gazes collided for only a moment before both calmly looked away.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Li Wen mused to himself, ’Such a dense killing aura... He truly lives up to the title of Centurion, one who’s fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.’

His estimation of Barton rose another notch.

Barton, meanwhile, assigned a new label to Li Wen in his mind:

’Interesting. This Li Wen... he’s not to be underestimated. Worthy of a little of my attention.’

He retracted his gaze, ignoring everyone else. He crossed his arms and stood with his eyes closed, conserving his energy.

"Li Wen!" A hearty call broke the subtle silence.

Ares Titan, a man as burly as a small mountain, strode over with a smile on his face.

"Ares," Li Wen replied with a slight smile and a nod.

"I can’t believe it! Demon Hand Hua Sha is in the very first match. The Source Net must have arranged this to kick off the second stage with a bang!"

Ares boomed as soon as he got close, his voice loud and unrestrained.

"Yeah. It’s the first match, after all. They need a heavyweight contender to draw attention and set the tone. Hua Sha is certainly one of the best choices for that."

Li Wen agreed, his gaze shifting to the massive holographic screen in the center of the room.

As they spoke, Isabel, clad in a floor-length, moon-white dress and exuding a cool, distant aura, quietly drew near.

She looked at Li Wen and greeted him softly, "Li Wen."

She then stood quietly to the side, her gaze also fixed on the impending battle.

Soon after, Raymond, Naraku, and other familiar geniuses from their Source Net branch gathered around, forming a small inner circle.

Just then, the massive holographic screen in the center of the room suddenly lit up.

The image resolved, showing with perfect clarity a continental fragment of astonishing size floating in the void.

In the center of the fragment was a gigantic metal arena, a full hundred li across, shimmering with a cold, eerie light.

Beyond the arena lay countless spectator seats, packed together in dense layers like a sprawling ant colony.

The deafening wave of sound seemed to be coming through the screen.

These were all fanatical supporters who had paid exorbitant prices for tickets to watch the battle live.

The countdown numbers flickered at the top of the screen.

"It’s about to start!" The waiting area instantly fell silent, and everyone’s eyes focused on the screen.

On the hundred-li arena at the center of the continental fragment, points of white light flashed into existence like dense raindrops.

In an instant, a thousand contestants appeared all over the arena—all of them geniuses with powerful auras, none below the Saint Realm.

"Demon Hand! Demon Hand!"

"Hua Sha! Hua Sha is invincible!"

"..."

The instant the contestants appeared, a tsunami of cheers erupted from outside the arena.

The chants for "Demon Hand" and "Hua Sha" were the loudest, merging into an overwhelming roar that drowned out the cheers for any other contestant.

Clearly, as the incredibly popular number two on the leaderboard, Demon Hand Hua Sha commanded immense popularity and sky-high expectations.

Aside from Hua Sha, the absolute center of attention, a few other figures on the arena with exceptionally sharp auras also drew many eyes.

A burly man shrouded in purple lightning.

A figure in black, their form indistinct and wavering as if made of shadow.

And a warrior wielding a massive Bone Shield, his aura as steady as a mountain.

These were all strong contenders who, besides Hua Sha, were predicted to be the most likely to last until the final ten.

The countdown reached zero!

VWOOM—!

The invisible barrier instantly disappeared.

Second Stage of the Preliminaries, Match One, the Thousand-Person Cage Battle—Begin!

The battle erupted in an instant!

Flashes of energy and ripples of Law erupted like brilliant fireworks, instantly flooding the hundred-li arena.

The sounds of roars, howls, clashes of weapons, and energy explosions intertwined into a symphony of death.

Everyone immediately began searching for a target.

Some formed alliances, some launched sneak attacks, and others unleashed their full power in an attempt to clear the field.

In the next instant, however, everyone’s movements were captivated—or rather, suppressed—by a single figure.

Demon Hand Hua Sha stood in the center of the arena, facing the attacks and hostility coming from all directions. His hands, which had been tucked in his sleeves, finally, slowly, emerged.

They were a pair of hands so pale they seemed devoid of blood. The fingers were long and slender, yet they held a heart-stopping destructive power.

He made no extraneous movements. Facing the dozens of geniuses surging toward him, he simply, casually, pressed down on the empty air.

RUMBLE—!!!

A colossal demon hand, large enough to blot out the sky, materialized out of thin air.

The hand was pitch-black, covered in countless twisting demonic runes. Its palm seemed to be a gateway to the abyss itself, emitting a terrifying aura that devoured all light.

The demon hand was so large, it covered almost half the arena.

The pressure it carried was so immense that the very space around the arena seemed to groan under the strain.

Many of the weaker geniuses who were too close were crushed to their knees, unable to move a muscle.

"AHH!!"

"NO!!"

Desperate screams instantly rang out.

For the dozens of geniuses who bore the brunt of the attack, their prized defensive Secret Techniques and their tough Saint Realm bodies were as fragile as paper before this world-destroying demon hand.

Where the demon hand pressed down, energy was annihilated, bodies disintegrated, and souls wailed as they were devoured by the abyss in its palm.

With just one strike, that area was completely cleared, leaving only a palm-shaped crater filled with an aura of destruction.

"HISS—!"

A collective gasp echoed through the waiting area.

Even through the screen, the destructive aura and overwhelming power of the demon hand were enough to make the scalps of these geniuses tingle with fear.