bioinnovel Chapter 238 Mythical Arena, Battle 3 Begins!
Chapter 238 Mythical Arena, Battle 3 Begins!
Cui Jue's illusory voice still echoed on the arena, while the divine runes on the golden scroll had already revealed the outcome.
However, just as four of the twelve Western Divine Pillars shattered and cracks spread across the main Divine Pillar, a sudden change occurred!
From the depths of the void above the vast ocean came an extremely angry roar, which struck directly into the souls of all the spectators:
"How dare the gods of the East do such a thing!"
From the cracks in the pillars of Olympus, a thunderbolt burst forth!
A lightning phantom, purely formed from the wrath of the God-King, traversed the endless void and fiercely struck the dissipating phantom of Cui Jue!
Su Fan stared intently, his expression instantly becoming unusually serious and unpleasant.
"The King of the West... Zeus! How could He possibly appear on the mythological arena?!"
This was not the true descent of Zeus, but rather an attack by a wisp of His wrath attached to the pillar of destiny.
But even this single attack was enough to worsen the already dire situation of Cui Jue's phantom, which had just survived a major battle and was on the verge of dissipating!
"mean!"
Inside a secret chamber in the Forbidden City, Old Master Mo's eyes were bloodshot with rage.
The prayer beads in Tang Sanzang's hand snapped with a crack, and the beads rolled off.
This is a blatant violation of the ring rules!
But the Myth Arena is a life-or-death struggle based on the fate of the nation, and the so-called rules only apply to the weak!
On the arena, Cui Jue's illusory figure suddenly turned around.
His face remained calm as an ancient well under the light of the thunder, but the anger in his eyes burned like the karmic fire in the deepest part of the underworld.
"Western gods...how majestic!"
Cui Jue didn't even pick up the vermilion pen.
He simply turned the illusory pages of the Book of Life and Death, which was almost tangible, in his left hand.
The Book of Life and Death stopped at a certain page.
On that page of the Book of Life and Death, there were no names, only a simple symbol, a twisted lightning mark.
This was just marked by Cui Yu.
"The wrath of the gods is also within the cycle of birth and death."
Cui Jue's voice was icy:
"According to Article 327 of the Underworld Laws, those who incur the wrath of the gods and disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang..."
"They will be imprisoned in the Thunder and Fire Hell, where they will be burned for three thousand years until their malevolent energy dissipates."
As soon as he finished speaking, the thunderous mark on the Book of Life and Death suddenly glowed.
The furious thunderbolts of Zeus, which were about to strike, actually took a sharp turn in mid-air, as if drawn by an invisible giant hand, and crashed headlong into the page of the Book of Life and Death!
There was no explosion, no loud noise.
The lightning bolt, powerful enough to shatter mountains, silently seeped into the pages of the book.
The lightning mark on the page lit up briefly, then dimmed, appearing as if it were just an inconspicuous line.
The Book of Life and Death slowly closed.
The entire Pacific Ocean was deathly silent.
The Western Alliance, countless spectators collapsed to the ground.
In a mysterious place, Zeus, watching the battle through the divine pillars, let out a muffled groan the moment his thunderous fury was taken away by the Book of Life and Death.
The wisp of consciousness that He was attached to the lightning was actually severed!
"That book... what exactly is that thing?!"
Zeus's roar echoed through the mystical lands.
On the arena, Cui Jue's illusory figure quickly became transparent after this attack.
Forcibly descending for thirty breaths and using the true and illusory copy of the Book of Life and Death to subdue Zeus's wrath was also a huge drain on Him.
With a sigh, Cui Yu glanced at his divine master Zhao Shouzhen, and then his divine image vanished completely.
The golden scroll unfolds again:
[Zeus, the chief god of the Western Alliance, violated the unspoken agreement of the arena by attacking the phantom of the victorious god. According to the rules, further punishment will be imposed!]
[The national fortunes of all Western countries will decline by another 10%, weakening their covenant with the gods.]
As the divine runes fell, the cracks on the phantom pillars representing the Western gods deepened suddenly, and the lightning patterns on the pillars dimmed somewhat.
"No--!"
In the Western Alliance, the Greek gods collectively coughed up blood, their connection with the Olympian pantheon was temporarily weakened!
Meanwhile, in China, everyone was still reeling from the shock of Cui Jue's nonchalant imprisonment of the God King's wrath.
"Just how powerful is that Book of Life and Death?"
Ma Tao murmured.
Tang Sanzang slowly picked up the Buddhist beads from the ground, his voice calm.
"It's not that the Book of Life and Death is powerful, it's that the order of the underworld is powerful. Judge Cui is not using force to suppress, but enforcing the rules."
"The wrathful attack of the Western God-King is, in His eyes, like a criminal throwing a stone at a judge. The judge doesn't need to personally block the stone; He only needs to pronounce the sentence of assaulting a police officer a step higher."
Yuan Qingsheng took a deep breath.
"Is this the terrifying power of rules? As long as you are within this system, you must abide by its rules. And the underworld governs the system of life and death, reincarnation."
Everyone fell silent.
At this moment, the arena began to slowly dissipate.
Zhao Shouzhen's body was lifted up by a gentle force and floated towards the direction of China.
In a secret chamber within the Forbidden City, Elder Mo immediately gave the order:
"Bring Old Zhao home! Top-tier medical team on standby! Even though he only has three days..."
The old man's voice choked with emotion as he finished speaking.
Zhao Shouzhen was sent to the most advanced medical ward in China, but all the doctors shook their heads.
This is not an injury or illness, but rather the end of life, the depletion of one's vital essence, which modern medicine is powerless to reverse.
Inside the medical ward, Zhao Shouzhen slowly woke up that evening.
He looked like a centenarian, with extremely dry skin, only his eyes still retaining a trace of clarity.
Su Fan, Mo Lao, Tang San Seng, Yuan Qingsheng, Ma Tao, and several of the most promising young Divine Masters all stayed by the bedside.
"Old Mo..." Zhao Shouzhen's voice was weak, yet tinged with a smile, "We...won, right?"
Old Mo held his withered hand tightly, tears streaming down his face.
"We won! A beautiful win!"
"Shouzhen, China owes you..."
Zhao Shouzhen smiled and shook his head after hearing this.
"I owe nothing. I am a guardian of the gods of China; this is my duty."
After speaking, Zhao Shouzhen paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces before finally settling on Su Fan.
"Young friend Su... come here."
Su Fan quickly stepped forward: "Senior Zhao."
"There's a very peculiar aura about you." Zhao Shouzhen carefully examined Su Fan. "I can't see through it, but before Lord Cui Jue disappeared, he used his last divine sense to send me a message..."
Everyone held their breath.
"Lord Cui said..." Zhao Shouzhen said, emphasizing each word, "This boy carries a variable within him and is the key to victory in the divine war. He must be protected."
A war of gods?
Everyone turned to look at Su Fan.
Su Fan himself was stunned.
God Wars? What is that? He doesn't know either!
"Since Lord Cui says so, there must be a deeper meaning. Although I don't know what this so-called divine war is?"
Zhao Shouzhen said.
After listening, Old Mo nodded: "Don't worry, Su Fan is still the hope for the rise of China. Anyone can die, but Su Fan cannot!"
"We will definitely protect him well."
Zhao Shouzhen was naturally aware of how much Mo Lao valued Su Fan; he was merely relaying Cui Yu's words to Su Fan.
Zhao Shouzhen nodded, then looked at Elder Mo:
"The West... after two consecutive defeats, will not give up easily. Next, they will either send out their top divine warriors, or... they might resort to some underhanded tactics. Be careful."
"We understand." Old Mo nodded emphatically.
Zhao Shouzhen seemed to have accomplished all his worries. He let out a long sigh, looked up at the ceiling, and his gaze gradually became unfocused.
"I really want to see... the day when the entire Chinese pantheon awakens..."
The voice gradually lowered.
Inside the medical pod, the life monitor emitted a flat, long beep.
Zhao Shouzhen, a top-tier divine master in China and the divine master of Cui Yu, the judge of the underworld, passed away peacefully on the evening of the day he won the second battle of the Mythical Arena.
He passed away at the age of forty-seven.
No, if you include the sixty years of lifespan that were cut off, he should have lived to be one hundred and seven years old.
The entire nation of China mourns.
Zhao Shouzhen's funeral was held three days later. It was not a state funeral, but it was more like one.
The mourning hall was set up atop Mount Tai, signifying the soul's return to the Lord of Mount Tai. Countless people spontaneously came, filling the mountains and fields, their white clothes as white as snow.
And at the same time the funeral was taking place.
Western Alliance, secret meeting room.
Twelve high-backed chairs were arranged in a circle, with a figure sitting on each chair, shrouded in shadow.
They are the twelve core Divine Masters of the Western Alliance, each corresponding to one of the twelve main god systems, and are the true controllers of the Western Divine Master system.
"Two consecutive losses have reduced the nation's fortune by 50%, and halved the power of the Godslayers..." A gloomy voice rang out, "One more loss, and the alliance is finished."
"The power of the rules of the Chinese underworld pantheon is too troublesome."
Another aged voice said.
"Thanatos, Anubis, and Hela are all gods who control death, but in front of that Chinese judge, they are like apprentices meeting their grandmaster."
"Don't think too much about it. The god tamer who made a contract with the god of the underworld is also dead. There will be no more Chinese gods in the underworld pantheon."
"Let's think about the third round of the Gods' Arena. If we lose this one, the Western Alliance will be doomed!"
There was a moment of silence in the meeting room.
After a long silence, a woman's voice slowly spoke:
"Intelligence indicates that, besides the late Zhao Shouzhen, there are currently three other top-tier Divine Masters in China."
"Yuan Qingsheng, who has made a contract with the water god Gonggong, Ma Tao, who has made a contract with the fire god Zhurong, and Su Fan, who, although not of a high level, is the most troublesome."
"The next person China might send is very likely one of these three."
"Therefore, our next opponent must ensure that they can restrain the Chinese deities they have contracted."
The female voice concluded, "Furthermore, to ensure victory, we need to use that thing..."
The atmosphere in the meeting room froze instantly upon hearing this.
"Are you sure? Once that thing is used, there's no turning back."
The woman's voice said coldly:
"We have no way out. Two defeats in the Mythic Arena have begun to crack within the league."
"Some small countries have already made secret contact with China. If we don't achieve a decisive victory soon, the alliance will collapse on its own, without even waiting for China to attack."
A long silence.
Finally, a figure sitting in the head seat, who had remained silent until now, slowly spoke:
"Pass the resolution. In the next round, use the divine blood vessel to summon that god to descend."
"The goal is to ensure victory, regardless of the cost."
"In addition, launch Project Shadow to create some trouble for China and distract them."
"Yes, ma'am."
End of the meeting.
The shadows dissipated.
……
The funeral concluded atop Mount Tai.
Su Fan stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing at the sea of clouds.
Old Mo walked to his side and whispered, "Feeling pressured?"
Su Fan nodded: "Gods' War? Judging from the name, it's a battle between gods, and I don't even know how to approach the level of gods..."
Old Mo patted Su Fan on the shoulder and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just do it normally."
Su Fan nodded.
"All I can do now is become stronger as quickly as possible."
"The victory that Senior Zhao risked his life for cannot be wasted. In the next battle, no matter who the opponent is, China must win."
Old Mo nodded with satisfaction, but the worry in his eyes remained.
He had just received a secret report that there seemed to be some unusual activity within the Western Alliance. The divine guardians of several small countries had suddenly disappeared, while the major powers at the core of the alliance were secretly gathering some extremely ancient, even taboo, sacrificial materials.
The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.
Old Mo sighed and said:
"Go back and prepare. In three days, the divine revelation for the third arena battle will arrive. Then we'll know who will be next and who their opponent will be."
Su Fan nodded and went down the mountain with Elder Mo.
On the morning of the third day after the funeral in Taishan, it was still dark.
Su Fan sat cross-legged in the special training room of the Forbidden City, his aura flowing around him.
Ever since Zhao Shouzhen's words about the key to the divine war reached his ears, a huge weight has been pressing on Su Fan's heart.
He has been working almost non-stop these past few days, cultivating frantically to improve his strength.
He also redeemed a lot of pills from the system to aid his cultivation.
"What exactly is the War of Gods?"
Su Fan opened his eyes, a flash of golden light disappearing from them.
"Thump—thump—thump—"
Just then, several deep and resounding bell tolls echoed across the entire land of China without warning.
coming!
Su Fan suddenly stood up.
Almost simultaneously, the door to the cultivation room was pushed open, and Mo Lao, Tang Sanzang, Yuan Qingsheng, Ma Tao, and others gathered with solemn expressions.
"The third round of the Mythical Arena has begun."
"Old Mo said in a deep voice, pointing out the window."
Within the heavenly mouth, the familiar golden scroll phantom slowly unfurled, its divine runes radiating dazzling light and carrying the immense pressure of heaven and earth.
[Mythical Arena, Third Battle Begins!]
[Clashing Champion: China]
[Challenger: Western Alliance]
[Rules of this battle: A duel between one god; the winner lives, the loser dies. Penalties will increase or decrease the nation's fortune, and all divine beings on the losing side will be prohibited from cultivating for one year.]
[Both sides must designate their chosen Divine Guardian within one hour of the Mythical Arena's opening. Failure to do so within the allotted time will be considered a forfeit, and the participant will be subject to immediate punishment!]
The divine inscriptions on the scroll are cold and cruel.
Everyone was stunned by the punishment.
Forcing all Divine Masters to suspend their cultivation for a year is a fatal blow to them.
With this year's time, the winning side's strength has undoubtedly surpassed that of the losing side by a great deal.
Old Mo frowned and said:
"As expected, the punishment in this Mythic Arena is harsher than ever before."
"If we fail in this Mythical Arena, then the hope for China's rise will be completely extinguished!"
Su Fan's expression was also unusually solemn.