NOVPUB"I admit defeat," Jian Ming looked at Xu Zimei, his mood deflated.
He said, "I also thank you for your mercy in not killing me." 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Your Sword Dao is not pure, think about it yourself," Xu Zimei waved his hand and said.
"Thank you for your guidance," Jian Ming nodded and said with a wry smile, "Maybe the honors I’ve had over the years in Ragefire City have led me astray."
After Jian Ming used his final move, he had no strength left, and in the end, it was the people from the Combat Stage who carried him down.
Seeing the manner in which Jian Ming was defeated, the audience fell into an unusual silence at this moment.
Nu ShiHu, hearing the news, also came personally to the combat area.
"My lord," the referee from the Combat Stage hurried over to greet him.
Nu ShiHu waved his hand and stood next to the spectator seats, taking a distant look at Xu Zimei with a smile, "Is it that young man?"
"Yes, he’s already won thirty matches, and according to the rules, we will give him Fusion Stones multiplied by thirty," the referee quickly said.
"My lord, if we let him keep winning, as he wins more Fusion Stones, the multiple we pay out will be even larger.
We might have to stake the entire year’s income of the Combat Stage."
"What’s the panic? The Combat Stage has been open for thousands of years, what haven’t we encountered before?" Nu ShiHu snorted coldly.
"If he doesn’t know what’s good for him and quits while he’s ahead, all his winnings will have to be returned."
"Does my lord mean to let someone from the thousand-match rank face him?" asked the referee cautiously.
"Strike the snake where it hurts, kill with one blow; send someone from the ten-thousand-match rank directly, to prevent any accidents," stated Nu ShiHu indifferently.
"My lord, it’s quite expensive for the old fellow from the ten-thousand-match rank to make a move," the referee said from the side.
"However expensive, it’s still better than the current situation. Besides, they have to give face to the Ragefire Clan and wouldn’t dare to go overboard," Nu ShiHu waved his hand and casually took a seat nearby.
......
Backstage in the waiting area, the disciples of the Holy Sect Realm Emperor were stunned as they watched Xu Zimei’s rampage.
"This, Junior Brother Lin," Fang Xiang stammered.
"Junior Brother Lin really had a hidden depth," Liu Rufeng said with narrowed eyes.
"But this is a little too conspicuous. When the tree stands out in the forest, the wind will destroy it. I’m afraid the Ragefire Clan won’t let it go easily."
"Should we notify Junior Brother Lin to quit while he’s ahead?" Yin Rong asked.
"How to notify him? Unless we go up ourselves, and now the Ragefire Clan probably won’t send someone from the hundred-match rank," Liu Rufeng shook his head and said.
"Let’s just wait and see how things unfold."
On the Combat Stage, there was another brief period of silence.
Soon, the underground door opened, and Kugu, the old man, walked out in a dark green robe.
"These little ones have been too reckless these past few days," Kugu said ominously.
"Just killed one yesterday, and yet they’re still so reckless."
"Enemies indeed inevitably cross paths," Xu Zimei smiled.
"It seems you’re with them," Kugu lifted his head, his eerie face looking at Xu Zimei.
He said, "Little fellow, are you here to seek vengeance for your companion?"
"Whether I seek vengeance doesn’t matter, but if you stand in the way of my hundred victories, I don’t mind slaughtering you," Xu Zimei said.
"Little fellow, you certainly have the right to be arrogant, but sadly you’ve chosen the wrong person," Kugu sneered.
He lifted his head, and the ghostly blue images in his eyes slowly rose up, a soul assault directly targeting Xu Zimei’s mind.
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Xu Zimei, having the Nine Regions Grand Body, naturally did not fear any soul attacks before the Nine States broke.
Moreover, with his strength, even without defending, this level of attack wouldn’t amount to much.
When the soul shock came, Xu Zimei stood in place, calm and composed.
"Kid, you’ve got some skills," Kugu chuckled as he twisted his head around 360 degrees.
He then raised both hands, and spikes of white bone shot up from the ground.
The bones broke through the hard Combat Stage, nearly one meter long, with razor-sharp edges that glinted with a cold light.
The bone spikes were densely packed, covering the whole Combat Stage thoroughly.
Xu Zimei stepped into the air to avoid the bone spikes but then realized they were growing in length.
Each one grew to be tens of meters long, forming a colossal cage that enveloped Xu Zimei inside.
Next, Kugu clenched his right fist, and the bone cage began to shrink.
"Kid, there are always higher skies above and people beyond people in this world. It’s a pity you only understand this on the brink of death, too late," Kugu said with a laugh.
"Ah, truly boring. I thought there would be something new," Xu Zimei shook his head.
His long saber unsheathed, and with one slash, a booming sound echoed as the bone cage shattered completely.
He then threw his long saber towards Kugu.
"Bone Shield," Kugu frowned slightly and waved his right hand, as bones formed a shield in front of him.
With another "bang," the shield broke in half, and, to Kugu’s astonishment, the blade pierced his body.
"This," the referee by the Combat Stage was somewhat panicked.
"Don’t panic. No one who fights ten thousand times is simple," Nu ShiHu said calmly, waving his hand.
Kugu looked at the saber in his stomach and pulled it out directly.
Strangely, not a drop of blood followed the blade’s removal.
"Really shouldn’t underestimate you," Kugu stood up, speaking indifferently.
"But honestly, you’ve angered me."
He tossed the saber aside and then let out an enraged roar to the sky.
His skin and flesh started to fall off, and in the blink of an eye, only a ghastly white skeleton remained.
The most disturbing change was the birth of two wings on his back, which sprang forth as he roared.
The Combat Stage beneath him began to tremble as if something were about to burst forth from within.
With a "boom," the Spiritual Energy around began to converge towards the Combat Stage. Accompanied by a huge head emerging from the ground, the wide Combat Stage split apart from the center.
"Activate the barrier, don’t let the audience panic," Nu ShiHu ordered from the side.
The staff hurried to respond efficiently, forming a circular barrier enclosing the Combat Stage along the edge of the spectator seats.
Apart from Kugu’s complete transformation into a skeleton, the creature that burrowed out also revealed its true form.
It was a centipede with eight tentacles, to be exact, a bone centipede.
Its body took up almost half of the Combat Stage, with bones that circulated seven different colors.
"It’s the Seven-Poison Centipede," someone in the audience exclaimed in surprise.
"Something’s off. Why would the Seven-Poison Centipede look like this?"
"This is Kugu’s Vein Beast. He has mutated the Seven-Poison Centipede into its current form," someone explained from the side.
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