Chapter 1361: Extreme Joy into Extreme Sorrow

After all, such a chaotic, winner-takes-all system not only tested individual strength, but also the connections of the various races—whether or not they had discussed things with the other races beforehand, and were able to work together to fight against a common enemy.

Apart from that, it also tested the candidates’ mental strength, as well as their ability to size up the situation. That was why, in such a tournament, the winning candidates often didn’t have cultivation ranks as high as the others, but in terms of desperate struggle and scheming, they were without equal. That was why every single fight would usually last a long time before victory and defeat could be decided.

However, Zu An’s group had finished so quickly, and in such a dramatic manner.

In the distance, Shi Rong, who had been glancing over from time to time, said, “That guy really has dogshit luck! He actually won by a fluke because of that Giant Maggot race cultivator’s skill.”

Shi Min’s expression was also a bit stiff. In the end, he said, “Do not lower your guard. That Giant Maggot race cultivator is not ordinary. That skill just now was their race’s extreme art, ‘Shit Mountains Shit Seas[1]’. Both the gas and the liquid are poisonous. Even though you will not die from it, it can make you dizzy and cause you to faint. Furthermore, as long as you still breathe, it is impossible to escape from. It really is difficult to defend against.”

“Damn it all! There was actually such a disgusting skill?!” Shi Rong couldn't hold back his curses. It was just too gross.

Shi Gong said in relief, “Fortunately, we were able to adjust the drawing of matchups. We won’t end up facing that Giant Maggot race cultivator. Otherwise, even if we won, we could end up puking our own guts out.”

Shi Min’s face twitched when he saw the yellow liquid everywhere in the distance. He said, “That is indeed the case. However, the way that Yan Zu avoided the skill is clearly quite special. We cannot be careless later.”

The other two nodded, but they didn’t really agree. They concentrated more of their attention on the Giant Maggot race warrior.

The other races’ competitors had similar thoughts.

“How great would it have been if we were in that group? As long as we evaded in time, we could move on without even fighting.”

“You should just be grateful for what you have right now. If you were really in that group, you might have already been lying in that yellow pool and eaten your fill of shit.”

“Ugh… Can you not be so disgusting? What if my luck had been good enough to let me avoid it?”

…

Meanwhile, on Zu An’s side, Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen both turned around. They didn’t want to look at the scene any more than they had to. At the same time, they raised a ki wall around themselves to prevent the foul stench from approaching.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but shoot Zu An a glare, exclaiming, “Why did you have to hit his freaking stomach?”

Zu An looked wronged, protesting, “I didn’t know he would have such a disgusting skill either!”

Yun Jianyue couldn't help but say, “Following you always leads to bad things.”

If she had encountered something so gross, she would have already erased it from this world. However, when she recalled its disgusting skill, she couldn't even muster any killing intent. She just didn’t want to fight against it.

The Giant Maggot cultivator scratched his head. He said in a simple and honest manner, “Sorry, everyone. I’ll clean everything up now.”

Then, his stomach shriveled up; he inhaled fiercely, and the sea of yellow liquid was sucked back into his mouth. The ground immediately returned to normal, leaving behind only a faint stench and the others from the group lying around in disarray. He released a long, extremely loud belch of satisfaction after swallowing all of the liquid.

Everyone watching was speechless. Now, even those with the toughest minds couldn't help but bend over and throw up. The individuals who were watching from the most respected seats all broke character too.

Chi Wen cursed, “Why is there someone this gross? He actually eats shit!”

As soon as he spoke, he remembered that he had soaked the thing Zu An scammed him with. He could no longer hold himself back. He turned to one side and began to vomit.

Shang Liuyu had always liked clean environments. She immediately floated into the distance, acting as if she didn’t know him.

A woman like Suolun Shi couldn't handle such a scene. With a brush of her sleeves, she left. She didn’t want to watch the rest of the competition anymore.

The Peacock Wise King was old and wise. He tried to explain, “This is an innate ability of the Giant Maggot race. In the past, this skill established tremendous achievements in the battle against the human race… Ugh…”

The other contenders seemed to be unable to stand the smell and began to speed up their battles. Soon, the ten winners of each group were decided, much more quickly than in the past.

As for the ones who had drunk their fill of the ‘yellow soup’, they were all brought to the doctors. As for whether or not they’d just end their lives out of shame, or if it would leave behind trauma, they would have to seek out their own form of spirituality to cleanse themselves.

There were many capable individuals in the fiend races’ court. Several officials emerged with darkened faces. They first washed the entire stage with water element techniques, then used flames to sterilize every inch of the ground. Finally, they used powerful winds to eliminate all of the remaining smell.

If it hadn’t been the royal family’s altar, with their violent temper, they might have just blown the entire place up with fireballs and not gone through all the trouble.

Even so, no one was willing to fight in the plaza anymore. The officials also considered the people’s feelings, so they temporarily abandoned the venue. The following competitions were thus carried out in smaller sites.

…

The next stage was none other than the knockout competition. If nothing unexpected happened, the Snake race’s side would face the Lion race’s three princes.

Yun Jianyue’s opponent was Shi Min, Yan Xuehen’s opponent was Shi Gong, and Zu An’s opponent was Shi Rong.

When he saw how Shi Rong kneaded his fists while looking over with an immensely proud smile, Zu An was speechless. This guy definitely chose me on purpose and wants to torment me himself. What a pity! There’s a huge ‘pleasant surprise’ waiting for him.

Since the group stage had ended earlier than in previous years, and the Golden Crow Crown Prince who had been seated on the elevated platform was also a bit impatient to witness the Snake race’s misery, the knockout competition started ahead of time.

Cries of complaint immediately rose as a result. Other than Zu An’s group, where the ten competitors who made it through hadn’t really wasted too much energy, many of the other groups had experienced a bloody battle. They were all wounded to some degree.

Unfortunately, the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s mind was already made up. He simply said, “You may be injured, but everyone else is injured too. This is still fair…”

Many people were unhappy, but this individual would become the new Fiend Emperor soon, so no one wanted to offend him. They all took the chance to take some pills and treat their wounds.

The knockout competition began soon afterward. The matches weren’t held one at a time, but rather simultaneously for the sake of speed.

Zu An was a bit worried about the two women, and spoke to them before the battle. “Shi Min and Shi Gong are both master ranks, while the two of you are injured. You two have only recovered around nine ranks of strength, so it’ll be hard to face them. If the situation looks unfavorable, you should just admit defeat. You’re wearing masks anyway, so no one will know who you are.”

Yu Yanluo said reassuringly, “Either way, the Snake race has already become used to only having a single delegate seat. We absolutely can’t let this matter place you two in danger.”

“Admit defeat? I didn’t even admit defeat when I was seriously injured by that damn Zhao Han. And yet you think these two little lions are worth it?” Yun Jianyue sneered in disdain.

Zu An was speechless. Why do I feel a sense of deja vu…

Yan Xuehen explained, “Worry not. It is not as if those with higher cultivations always win. After all, both that witch and I are grandmasters. Our use of power and technique is definitely not something two low-level master rank juniors can compare to. Rather, you are the one who needs to be careful. Do not accidentally expose your identity.”

Zu An sighed in relief when he heard Yan Xuehen’s explanation. He really had been overthinking things. These two were awe-inspiring grandmasters, after all!

The competition quickly began. Shi Rong walked toward Zu An with a malicious smile and sneered, “Damn brat, you didn’t imagine you would run into me again, did you?”

Zu An sighed and replied, “Why wouldn’t I be able to imagine something like that? Do you think everyone else is as mentally deficient as you?”

Shi Rong was speechless. Is there something wrong with this guy’s head? He still dares to provoke me at this kind of time?!

You have successfully trolled Shi Rong for +666 +666 +666…

“Very good. You’ve successfully aroused my anger. I’ll crush your bones segment by segment, and teach you the consequences of having a shameless mouth,” Shi Rong said coldly.

After speaking, he couldn't hold back anymore. He sent a Mad Lion’s Hegemon Fist at Zu An.

However, everything before his eyes darkened a second later. He noticed that a foot had appeared in front of his face.

Bang!

Just like that, he was sent flying.

1. A reference to ‘nine mountains and eight seas’ from Buddhism. ☜