Lord of Prayer - Chapter 323 - 218: A River of Blood (Part 2)
“Oh! Team [Joyful Sawman] has noticed the Essence Fluctuation from the Snow Forest! After a brief discussion, they’ve decided to go investigate!” Colonel Guan shouted excitedly.
“Colonel, which team do you think will win?” Cat asked.
“It’s hard to say.”
Colonel Guan pondered for a moment and shook his head. “The qualifier rankings don’t necessarily represent individual combat strength. You know what I mean?”
“I know what you mean.”
The qualifiers were about the quality of their work, about the contestants’ Forging Skills. But this was a reality show competition. Once a fight broke out, personal combat ability was key, and many contestants weren’t actually skilled fighters.
“However, if I had to pick a favorite… I’d definitely bet on [First Ah Bin].”
Colonel Guan said, “Viewers who follow the competition will know this is contestant [First Ah Bin]’s third time participating in the Sword Forging Competition. For three years, his qualifier rank has never dropped below the top thirty, and he’s achieved good results in both official competitions. His personal abilities are impressive. All things considered, I’m still more optimistic about him.”
“Then let’s wait and see,” commentator Cat agreed with a nod.
·
“Damn, so many people.”
Outside the Snow Forest, Zhou Chen raised a pair of binoculars to observe the distant battle, then turned to Chengzi and the other two. “Should we jump in and stir things up?”
“We can give it a shot. Those guys have gathered a lot of resources. If we rob them, we should be able to upgrade the car into a helicopter.”
Chengzi nodded. Li Yiliang and Ding Yuan also agreed after a moment’s thought.
“Alright, let’s do it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Zhou Chen grinned, stepped on the gas, and the off-road vehicle’s engine roared as it charged toward the Snow Forest.
’I’ll just run a few of them over in the chaos first!’
In the Snow Forest, ten Ascenders were locked in a chaotic battle, completely oblivious to a behemoth rapidly approaching. By the time they heard the engine’s roar, it was too late.
On the outskirts of the fight, two Ascenders who were trading blows with their blades were distracted by the sudden soundwave. They turned their heads and stared blankly. An off-road vehicle, as massive as a ferocious beast, was hurtling toward them, its terrifying presence bone-chilling.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon them, wrapped in a gale, and smashed into them with unstoppable force.
BANG!
With a powerful, deafening crash, the world went black for the two Ascenders. Their consciousness seemed to detach from their bodies, and they felt a sense of weightlessness, as if soaring freely through the air. Finally, after tracing a long arc, they landed solidly.
Their bodies trembled violently. They gasped for air and opened their eyes, not to the trees of the Snow Forest, but to the ceiling and lights of the medical bay.
“WOOHOO!”
Having cheerfully sent the two on their way, Zhou Chen let out an excited cry. The specially modified off-road vehicle was terrifyingly heavy, crushing the trees in the Snow Forest like a tank as it charged toward the chaotic battlefield.
The remaining Ascenders reacted, hastily dodging and moving away, not giving him another chance to succeed.
’Another team here to crash the party…?’ The slightly chubby [First Ah Bin] frowned slightly. His expression turned grim when he saw the titles above the heads of the four people in the vehicle.
“Whoa, the guys who placed third in the qualifiers.”
A burly, bearded Ascender next to him exclaimed in surprise. His expression turned to one of pleasant surprise, and his black great-axe began to glow with dark lightning as he grinned menacingly.
“A big fish!”
He was clearly the type of contestant whose personal combat strength exceeded his Forging Skills. If he could take out a high-ranking team from the qualifiers, he would definitely get a surge of popularity!
The trees, crushed by the vehicle, toppled over, kicking up dust and smoke. Zhou Chen slammed on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a halt, and leaped out holding Fulei.
Their sudden arrival had brought the melee to an abrupt halt, but the contestants’ hostility remained. All it would take was a tiny spark to reignite the battlefield.
“I’m going in. You guys do whatever.” Zhou Chen left his teammates with a cool view of his back as he walked forward, holding his Tachi, Fulei.
“I’ll take him!”
The bearded brute laughed heartily and charged over, brandishing his heavy black great-axe.
“Zhang Li, don’t be reckless!” [First Ah Bin] shouted a warning, but he was a step too late.
The Ascender named Zhang Li was burly and muscular, but his speed was not slow at all. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Zhou Chen with a vicious grin. He stomped his foot, shaking the ground, and raised his great-axe, which glowed with dark lightning. As it fell, the axe blade let out a piercing shriek, descending with enough force to split stone.
Zhou Chen’s eyes were calm and composed. He tightened his grip on his Tachi: Fulei, took his stance, and drew his blade to meet the descending great-axe.
Slash!
A brilliant flash of purple lightning erupted from the scabbard, colliding head-on with the Thunderous Giant Axe.
The crisp clang of steel on steel echoed melodically. Purple and black—two immensely destructive forms of Thunderbolt power—collided violently. A furious Thunder Magnetism field erupted from the point of impact, expanding wildly.
Jagged arcs of lightning swept out, instantly pulverizing a massive boulder. The ground and trees were left covered in scorched lash marks.
Zhang Li’s pupils contracted. He stumbled back three consecutive steps. His full-strength chop had been blocked by an even more immense force. The recoil tore open the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, making his palm go numb, and he almost lost his grip on the axe. What was worse, a treacherous burst of power had shot up his arms from the impact.
POP!
Blood spattered as the flesh on Zhang Li’s arms seemed to burst open, leaving them instantly drenched in blood.
Giving him no time to breathe, the Tachi, shimmering with purple Thunder Magnetism, swept horizontally toward his neck.
In his haste, Zhang Li could only manage to raise his great-axe vertically. CLANG! The sharp blade aiming for his neck was blocked by the axe’s haft. The incoming Strange Power sent him staggering back pathetically.
Zhou Chen didn’t stop, pressing his attack with aggressive footwork. His attack speed grew faster and faster, cold glints of light crisscrossing through the air, leaving behind trails like a lunar wheel.
Gruesome wounds appeared one after another on Zhang Li’s body, blood gushing like a fountain.
’He’s so strong…’ Chengzi, who hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet, was dumbfounded. In less than ten seconds, Zhou Chen had completely suppressed a fellow Ascender of the same rank, forcing him into a steady retreat. His strength was terrifying!
But precisely because Zhou Chen had demonstrated such immense strength, the remaining contestants reached a consensus after a brief exchange of glances.
’Take out these party crashers first!’
Feeling the almost tangible hostility, Chengzi wasted no more time. She retrieved a very mechanical-looking backpack from a metal case in the back of the off-road vehicle, slung it on, and infused it with Essence. Immediately, eight mechanical claws extended from the backpack. Two claws grabbed automatic rifles and another two took control of the machine gun mounted on the vehicle; they all opened fire simultaneously, unleashing a terrifying barrage at the enemy. The centers of two more claws flashed with lightning, transforming into Energy Cannons that blasted out devastating Thunder Liquid Bullets.
This was her entry for the competition—the Beta-Type Multi-Functional Mechanical Thunder Claw!
Li Yiliang, wearing a pair of exquisitely designed metal boots, held an automatic rifle and sprayed bullets at the charging enemies. However, these enemies were formidable, capable of dodging bullets with their Body Techniques.
Seeing the enemies closing in, [Power Boy] Li Yiliang activated his metal boots. Arcs of electricity flashed, and combined with his Extraordinary Ability, Edge Runner, he instantly transformed into a streak of lightning, dashing out and leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.
He drew a short knife from his waist and stabbed at an enemy’s vitals with incredible speed, only to be blocked by the enemy, who reacted at the critical moment.
His first strike failing, Li Yiliang didn’t retreat. Instead, he launched a fierce offensive, as relentless as a sudden storm.
On the other side, gunshots roared.
“I don’t have time to mess around!”
Ding Yuan had an e-cigarette dangling from his lips. He held a shotgun engraved with ornate patterns and pulled the trigger on an approaching enemy.
BANG!
As if a watermelon had been smashed, the body of flesh and blood disintegrated under the devastation of the Thunderbolt Bullet. Gore flew everywhere, and the contestant’s figure instantly vanished.
“AH!” In a room in the medical bay, the contestant shrieked in terror. After coming to his senses, he frantically patted himself down all over. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief, finding no missing arms or legs.
The scene was so bloody that the live chat exploded.
“This is what we want to see!”
“We love to see rivers of blood! More, more!”
“Hurry up! Let’s go!”
