Chapter 770 - Turned into Paste with One Palm

As the intense battles wore on, the weaker contenders were steadily weeded out, leaving only the strongest participants to continue.

Even the Peerless Peak wasn’t exempt from this thinning process, as some of its members faced elimination.

The first to be eliminated was Zhu Yue; his opponent was a fourth-level Manifestation realm expert. He was only at the first-level Manifestation realm, yet he exchanged over a hundred moves with his opponent before he lost.

Although he lost, his performance proved his strength, gaining the crowd’s respect.

Zhuge Mingyue was the next to fail. Her circumstances mirrored Zhu Yue’s: she too faced a higher-level opponent. Though she was defeated, her impressive performance shifted the crowd’s perception, marking her exit as honorable.

The third to be eliminated was Yan Weiyi.

He had advanced into the Manifestation realm three years ago and advanced to the second level three months ago. Known for his fierce adherence to the Dao of killing, his combat prowess was formidable.

Unfortunately, he ended up fighting someone at the sixth level. Despite the mismatch, Yan Weiyi’s powerful killing intent allowed him to contend for several hundred moves, proving his strength even as he was ultimately overwhelmed.

Now, only the high-level talents in each realm remained.

A few fifth- and sixth-level mid-stage fighters still stood, having either managed to avoid top-tier opponents or proven their exceptional skill by overcoming adversaries at higher cultivation levels.

The once-massive pool of competitors had been drastically reduced; out of the initial hundreds of thousands, only a fraction remained. Tragically, nearly half of the eliminated participants had perished in combat.

If Chen Fan killing Qin Wang and over a hundred geniuses in the Little Demon Realm was seen as “geniuses falling like rain,” it now seemed like mere drizzle compared to the torrential downpour of losses in the True Martial Assembly.

Here, the term “geniuses falling like rain” took on the scale of a true storm, as waves of talented fighters met their end.

Among the fallen, many were future pillars of their sects—Heavenly Star and Manifestation realm seeds—and even a few Legendary realm prospects like Hou Yuan.

The unprecedented bloodshed of this True Martial Assembly had left many spectators unsettled, as they struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation. Many speculated on the deeper motives behind this year’s tournament.

The people in the central plaza were all discussing. Countless divine wills were colliding in space.

“This is what real ‘geniuses falling like rain’ looks like.”

“This is too tragic. The death toll this time seems greater than the death toll of all the previous assembly iterations combined.”

“That’s right. Allowing lethal combat has turned this assembly into a nightmare. What was the top brass even thinking?”

“Who knows? The True Martial Academy alone couldn’t have decided this—every major power must have silently consented. Perhaps there’s a reason behind this assembly that we can’t grasp.”

“That’s right. The decision must have come from the Invincible Legendary realm figures, those who stand far above even the Lesser and Greater Legendary realm figures. For us to speculate on their intentions would be like mortals trying to fathom the minds of gods—disrespectful, if not outright foolish.”

“......”

In the microcosm, many Legendary realm peak experts watched the fights. The fallen geniuses were the cornerstones of their various forces' futures, and their sudden deaths weighed heavily on the Legendary realm experts.

Even so, no one objected!

The assembly had progressed thus far, with exceptional geniuses showcasing their strengths.

No matter if it was the Divine Nascent realm group, the Heavenly Star realm group, or the Manifestation realm group, dazzling figures emerged in each.

Take the Heavenly Star realm group, for example. There were Chen Fan, Jian Qi, Qin Cang, Wanxin, and the others. They defeated every opponent they encountered in a single move, displaying invincible strength.

Especially Chen Fan and Jian Qi, in the sixth and seventh levels of the Heavenly Star realm respectively, easily crushed even ninth-level Heavenly Star practitioners, who couldn't fight back.

“Peerless Peak members are truly terrifying. How can Chen Fan and Jian Qi defeat opponents much stronger than them with one attack? Terrifying.”

“I know, right? In the Manifestation realm group, Di Chen and Duanmu Lingxing are the same. They are all absolute monsters.”

“Fortunately, none of their members are in the Divine Nascent realm. Otherwise, the champions of all three groups would have come from their peak.”

“You can’t put it that way. People like Qin Cang, Wanxin, and Xia Qingyuan aren’t weak. They’re definitely one of the best in the peak Heavenly Star realm. Ordinary peak Heavenly Star realm martial artists can’t match them.”

“That’s right, but they are all representative of their respective forces, receiving the focused nurturing of their sects. They would surely have some methods up their sleeves. In my opinion, Chen Fan and Jian Qi will be defeated. Their low cultivation is a weakness.”

“We’ll see soon enough.”

“......”

Chen Fan’s throne flashed, signaling it was his turn to compete. He straightened his clothing, stepped forward, and entered the spatial arena.

His opponent this time was a man dressed in white, holding a white sword in his hand.

This man was exuding very intense murderous qi, his strength deeply unfathomable. His eyes were very calm, though.

“Chen Fan, your journey ends here.”

Shing!

This man drew his sword and pointed it at Chen Fan.

Rumble!

The moment his sword left its sheath, a massive hand struck down, smashing him into a pulp before his voice even faded.

“Pointing your sword at me? Are you qualified?” Chen Fan asked, looking at the remains of his opponent.

Without hesitation, he summoned the Heaven Seizing Furnace to shroud and refine what was left, not wasting any time since his opponent’s killing intent had been so strong.

The scene shook the crowd.

This white-clothed man had been very powerful, at the peak of the ninth-level Heavenly Star realm. He had easily defeated others in the same cultivation level until now, possessing strength close to the peak of the Heavenly Star realm.

Yet, just as he was about to unleash a powerful killing move to make a name for himself by taking down Chen Fan, he was obliterated with a single strike, leaving only a tragic smear.

Chen Fan had been ruthless and decisive in his battles. Everyone who saw this scene felt a chill in their hearts.

“Chen Fan is really fierce. He really deserves his title as a Killing God. Even a peak-stage, ninth-level Heavenly Star realm expert was helpless before him. His strength is definitely at the peak of the Heavenly Star realm. I’m really looking forward to him clashing with peak Heavenly Star realm figures.”

Many spectators shared this anticipation, their eyes flickering with excitement.

Chen Fan had displayed terrifying, unmatched power, confirming in the crowd’s mind that he possessed the strength of a peak Heavenly Star realm expert.

In the Heavenly Star realm group, several fighters were at the peak of the Heavenly Star realm, though it remained to be seen how Chen Fan would measure up against them.