nagpurpolice Chapter 172 A Shocking Turn of Events on the Field
Chapter 172 A Shocking Turn of Events on the Field
The referee stepped onto the stage, his voice amplified throughout the arena: "I hereby declare the champions of this year's Global Youth Martial Arts Competition—the Xingwu University team!"
The hostesses carried the trophies and medals onto the stage. The trophies were silver, engraved with the Martial Arts Alliance's scales emblem and the year of the tournament, with a ring of pale blue spirit stones inlaid around the rim, shimmering under the lights. The medals were made of pure gold, featuring a profile of the first Martial Emperor on the front and the tournament's logo on the back, tied with a red, white, and blue ribbon. The leader of the Martial Arts Alliance personally presented the medals to the five participants. Su Ling'er's eyes instantly reddened; she bit her lip, tilting her head back to keep from crying in front of ten thousand eyes. Leng Feng stood ramrod straight as he received the medal, even the curve of his lips more pronounced than usual. Chu Fan adjusted his glasses, glanced down at the gold medal hanging on his chest, then looked up again, a thin glint in his eyes. Su Muyue turned her head, her gaze falling on Lin Chen's profile; her lips moved, but she remained silent.
The leader of the alliance took the microphone, preparing to deliver his closing remarks. Suddenly, the training ground shook violently.
The tremor didn't originate from the ground; it surged up from deep underground, as if something beneath the foundation had suddenly pushed against it. Several cracks appeared in the stone slabs of the arena in that instant, and the protective shields around the edges flickered and went out. Then came a second tremor, even more violent than the first. Black, malevolent energy poured out from the cracks throughout the arena, like boiling water overflowing from the edge of a pot lid, spreading along the ground, climbing the walls, and seeping into the gaps between the seats. Gasps and screams erupted from the stands; some covered their mouths and noses and ran towards the exits, some crouched between seats covering their heads, and some, their breathing choked by the malevolent energy, began to falter.
The young master of Black Crows leaped from the ground directly beneath the platform, enveloped in a thick black mist. From the cracks in the ground behind him, black-robed cultivators continuously emerged, far exceeding the two guards from before—at least dozens in number, their weapons and magical artifacts radiating intense, malevolent energy. He stood on the edge of the platform, looking down at them, his smile wider than before, revealing his blackened teeth: "Lin Chen, I told you, the day of the finals will be your death day. Today, everyone here will die with me!"
Chaos erupted in the stands. Screams ripped through the crowd, shoving and pushing erupted, and some fell and were trampled by those behind them. The evil cultivators had already stormed into the throng and were attacking those still seated.
Lin Chen leaped onto the high platform. His star energy surged to its limit, and a silvery-white light exploded from his body, dispelling all the evil energy within a few feet. Su Muyue and Leng Feng followed closely behind. His voice was louder than usual, infused with true energy and spreading throughout the arena: "All young martial artists, heed my command! Form a defensive formation and protect the spectators as they evacuate! Leng Feng, lead a team to guard the east exit! Chu Fan, cooperate with the alliance's formation masters to break the evil formation! Muyue, set up a large-scale purification formation to dispel the evil energy! Ling'er, heal the injured civilians!"
A series of clear and crisp commands were transmitted throughout the arena. Arthur was the first to respond, raising his knight's sword high above his head, holy light condensing into a white flame at the tip. He turned to face the western exit, where four knights' shields met, blocking the evil cultivators rushing towards that direction. Miyamoto Ichiro drew his sword, the katana drawing a bright arc of white light, severing three evil cultivators approaching from the front. Behind him, four warriors spread out, blocking the retreat route to the south. The contestants, team leaders, and accompanying martial arts alliance members from other countries steadied themselves from the chaos. Some formed hand seals, some drew their swords, some set up formations, and some protected the spectators around them as they retreated.
Lin Chen's steps didn't falter. His Star-Stepping Technique constantly shifted direction across the battlefield, severing the evil tendrils surging from the left with a single sword strike, then sweeping away the two figures lunging at him from the right. Silver sword light crisscrossed the air, tearing a path straight to the top of the steps in front of the platform. Black Crow stood at the highest point, his evil power surging to its peak. Several distorted faces materialized within the black mist, emitting sharp whispers. He slammed his arms down, unleashing a torrent of evil power that exploded into a thick barrier of black mist in front of the platform.
Lin Chen did not slow down. Star energy condensed into a sharp silver line on the sword, cleaving the barrier diagonally upwards, the black mist at the edge of the crack hissing. His figure passed through the crack, landing less than three zhang in front of Black Crow.
Black Crow's attack unfolded in a single instant. He raised both arms, unleashing a torrent of evil energy that coalesced into a vast, dark cloud atop the platform. Seven even thicker pillars of evil energy rose simultaneously from the ground, converging on Lin Chen's position. Black Crow himself merged into the black mist, his form constantly shifting within it. Each strike landed simultaneously on Lin Chen from all sides, attempting to lock him at the center of the confluence of evil energy. Lin Chen didn't stand still to take the blows head-on. He remained constantly moving, using his Star Step technique to change direction at the top of the platform. His sword light struck the thick pillars of evil energy, leaving a narrow, silver crack on each one that touched his surface. He passed through the confluence of black mist four times, severing the connection between a pillar of evil energy and Black Crow's body each time.
When the fifth pillar was severed, Black Crow was forced to reveal his upper body from the black mist, attempting to reclaim the severed evil power. But before he could recover the dissipated energy, Lin Chen had already stepped over the rubble and pierced the core of the sixth pillar with his sword. Silver starlight surged along the fracture, flowing backwards with the evil power, directly striking Black Crow's still-retractable left arm.
Black Crow was struck at the junction of his shoulder and arm by the sword, his body tilting slightly, the flow of evil energy noticeably slowing. The black mist began to thin, its swirling density no longer as thick as before. Of the evil array nodes still operating on the platform, only one rune remained, its light flickering. Black Crow gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with intense crimson, and slammed his palms together. The remaining evil energy within him began to flow in reverse, burning his life essence and pouring it into the final evil array node. The node suddenly lit up, intense evil energy surging from the ground. Black Crow's aura surged, breaking through some kind of barrier. A huge, blurry evil hand formed above the node, pressing down on Lin Chen, carrying with it rubble and dust.
Lin Chen did not retreat. He met the palm with his sword again, the silver light on the blade slightly contracting just before contact, then thrusting forward with a sudden burst. At that moment, the residual aura of the First Martial Emperor within the Star Martial Core was activated, and a faint phantom emerged from behind him. The phantom had no clear face, only an outline, which merged into Lin Chen's sword light after it lit up. The sword light pierced through the center of the palm, from the center to the back of the hand, the evil energy being dissolved inch by inch along the path of the sword light.
Black Crow froze, still trying to understand why the phantom had appeared at this moment. But his movements were a beat too slow, because he hadn't expected the sword to pierce through. The silver sword light had already landed on his chest. With a muffled thud, the sword tip pierced his heart, and stellar energy surged into his body from the wound, spreading along his meridians, shattering his core of evil power, internal organs, and meridians within a few breaths, leaving not a trace.
Black Crow collapsed atop the platform, its body twitching briefly in the dissipating aftershocks of its evil energy before falling still. With their leader slain, the remaining evil cultivators scattered and fled, but those who had already plunged into the crowd were intercepted one by one by young martial artists from various countries. Su Muyue's purification array reactivated within minutes, dispelling the remaining evil energy field; Chu Fan followed the underground passage to the final layer of the evil-gathering array's base, severing the rune chains, and the entire evil array ceased operation completely.
The rising sun pierced through the clouds, casting its light on the chaotic training ground. Broken stone slabs, overturned chairs, and scattered weapons cast jagged shadows in the morning light. Surviving civilians and spectators turned back from the exit, standing on the edge of the stands looking down. Some bowed deeply as they watched the young martial artists still finishing their training. The alliance leader descended from the platform, wading through the rubble and dust, and stood before Lin Chen. He stopped and looked at Lin Chen.
"You were entrusted with a critical mission, slaying the evil clan's young master and protecting all the civilians. Your merit is immense." His voice was not loud, but every word was spoken firmly. "From this day forward, you will be the commander of the Martial Arts Alliance's Youth Army, receiving focused training from the Alliance. You are the future pillar of the human race."
Lin Chen hadn't sheathed his sword yet, the silvery-white light on its blade slowly fading. He didn't look at the sword in his hand, nor did he look down at the black crow lying on the ground. He raised his head, his gaze passing over the evacuating crowd in the stands, landing on the gradually brightening horizon in the distance.
Su Muyue deactivated the purification array and stood to his left. Leng Feng pressed down on the back of his blade and slowly slid it back into its sheath. Su Ling'er, carrying a medicine box, squeezed back through the crowd, a bloodstain still wet on her arm. Chu Fan climbed up from the underground passage entrance, bending down to brush the dust off his trousers.
Five people stood at the bottom of the platform, less than two steps apart. Those below were still busy—moving the wounded, counting prisoners, and reinforcing the defensive lines—but no one urged them on.
In the distance, on the border, new flames of war are slowly rising.
But the sun was shining brightly, and the wind blew slowly from the east, passing through the still-smoking pile of rubble, through the dilapidated stands, and past the edge of the ring where the five of them stood, heading towards a more distant place.