novelraw Chapter 342: Unable to Intervene
Chapter 342: Unable to Intervene
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Black City Martial Arena.
The atmosphere was even more intense than during the preliminaries.
The spectator stands, capable of holding tens of thousands, were already packed to the brim.
Today, the top fifty who would advance to the main tournament would be decided.
The hundred contestants who had emerged from the bloody slaughter of the preliminaries were all gathered in the contestant preparation area.
When Su Zhan's figure appeared.
He immediately attracted the focus of numerous gazes.
"Look, it's Chen Qing!"
"Is that the Chen Qing who instantly defeated all his opponents in four preliminary matches?""More than just instant defeat. The people from the Ghost Fiend Sect and the Giant Sun Gang didn't even get a chance to surrender before he took them out."
"A ruthless character, absolutely ruthless. He's one of the top contenders to win the under-twenty-five division."
"I heard he's that high-risk peak aberrant wanted by the Aberrant Purge Division outside. Being able to escape from an Abyss Realm expert multiple times, his strength is absolutely unfathomable."
"He looks so ordinary, who would have thought he could be so savage..."
The discussions reached Su Zhan's ears.
From the areas where the remaining contestants of the Ghost Fiend Sect and Giant Sun Gang were, the gazes were full of killing intent.
Su Zhan acted as if he hadn't heard any of it, walking to the designated area and standing still, closing his eyes to rest.
He could clearly feel that he had already become one of the most watched focal points on this battlefield.
On the high platform.
A representative from the City Lord's Residence announced the rules for the first round of the main tournament using an amplification device:
"Top hundred advancing to top fifty. The rules remain the same. Random draw. One-on-one arena battle. Winner advances, loser is eliminated. No restrictions on methods, life and death disregarded until surrender. Now, begin the draw!"
A huge light screen lit up above the martial arena.
A hundred names began to rapidly scroll, randomly pairing up.
All contestants held their breath, waiting for their own fateful match-up.
Su Zhan slowly opened his eyes, looking at the light screen.
The names on the screen scrolled rapidly, finally slowing to a stop.
[Chen Qing vs Shi Lie]
The entire martial arena erupted into a far more heated uproar than before.
"Shi Lie! It's the Giant Sun Gang's Shi Lie!"
"The strongest of the Giant Sun Gang's younger generation? They say once his S-grade Life Soul, the Frenzied Savage Bear, is activated, his strength can instantly multiply several times over. Almost no one at the same level can withstand his onslaught!"
"Tide Realm ninth stage, and it's said he's already touched the threshold of the tenth stage, ready to break through at any moment."
"This is going to be a good show. Chen Qing killed people from the Giant Sun Gang before. This is enemies meeting face to face."
"Shi Lie is definitely itching for revenge. Although Chen Qing is strong, facing a fully unleashed Shi Lie, the outcome is hard to predict."
Everyone's gaze focused on the arena.
No one expected the first round of the main tournament to feature such a blood-feud focal match.
From the Giant Sun Gang's direction, roars and cheers erupted.
"Brother Shi, cripple him!"
"Avenge us!"
"Let him witness the might of our Giant Sun Gang!"
Shi Lie was an extremely burly and robust young man with a buzz cut.
His face was full of coarse, fierce-looking flesh, his eyes menacing.
Seeing the match-up result, he revealed a ferocious grin.
Cracking his knuckles with popping sounds, the muscles all over his body bulged, and a savage, violent aura spread out.
He strode towards the Bing-character arena, his gaze locked onto Su Zhan who was walking over slowly.
The two stood facing each other in the center of the arena.
Shi Lie swept his killing-intent-filled gaze over Su Zhan: "Chen Qing, you killed people from my Giant Sun Gang. Today, I'll make you pay the blood debt. I'll tear you apart with my own hands, make you regret ever coming into this world."
He slammed his fists together.
The phantom of a giant bear roared behind him, his imposing manner oppressive.
Su Zhan didn't even look directly at Shi Lie, just stood there casually, his gaze calmly looking towards the referee.
This utter disregard was more humiliating to Shi Lie than any verbal retort.
"You...!"
Shi Lie was so angry the veins on his forehead bulged, wishing he could immediately pounce and devour Su Zhan alive.
The referee expressionlessly glanced at the two, confirmed they were ready, and without hesitation swung his hand down:
"Begin!"
As the word fell.
Shi Lie let out an ear-splitting roar: "Frenzied Savage Bear, activate!"
His spiritual energy erupted explosively all around him.
His muscles visibly swelled and bulged once more, even the surface of his skin showing stiff hairs resembling bear fur, his eyes instantly turning blood-red.
His aura climbed sharply, infinitely close to the Tide Realm tenth stage.
Like a frenzied giant bear, he stomped heavily on the ground, making the entire arena tremble.
A massive fist blasted towards Su Zhan's head.
This punch, fueled by rage, held nothing back!
Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the arena.
Somewhat interesting...
This level of strength is worthy of making me activate my Aberrant Form.
Su Zhan held back no longer.
A power like a savage beast breaking free from its shackles suddenly awakened.
Black scales instantly covered his entire body, his pupils transformed into cold, vertical golden slits, a long tail covered in the same scales whipping out fiercely from behind him.
Su Zhan focused his mind slightly, suppressing the generation of the fleshy wings on his back.
Against Shi Lie, they weren't needed yet.
The spectator stands instantly erupted into a huge uproar.
"Here it comes! Chen Qing's aberrant form!"
"These scales... these vertical pupils, such a strong oppressive feeling!"
"He wasn't even serious during the preliminaries? This is his true strength?"
"Shi Lie is in danger."
The higher-ups of the Ghost Fiend Sect and Giant Sun Gang looked ashen.
They could clearly sense that the aura Su Zhan was emitting now was far more terrifying than the high-risk peak described in the intelligence reports.
On the arena, the transformation completed in an instant.
Shi Lie's savage punch was already upon him.
Su Zhan's right fist, covered in black scales, moved second but arrived first, meeting that massive bear-like fist.
"BOOM—!!!"
Fists collided.
A shockwave of air exploded.
Shi Lie's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, his face a mask of shock and horror.
"CRACK!"
A clear sound of bone fracturing rang out.
"ARGH—!"
Shi Lie let out a pained roar. The knuckles and wrist bones of his swollen fist had been shattered by the sheer force.
His entire body staggered backward, his right arm hanging limp.
Su Zhan gave him no chance to adjust at all.
His left hand formed fingers like a blade, stabbing towards Shi Lie's throat.
"THUD!"
Shi Lie's eyes bulged violently, his mouth gaping open, but he could only emit a wheezing sound like a broken bellows.
Blood instantly gushed from between Su Zhan's fingers.
Shi Lie's vocal cords, along with part of his throat cartilage, were completely pulverized by this strike.
He had lost the ability to surrender!
"!!!"
The entire audience instantly understood Su Zhan's intention.
A chill shot up from the soles of many people's feet straight to the crowns of their heads.
"He... he crippled Shi Lie's voice!"
"This is to prevent surrender! He's going for the kill!"
"Too ruthless! He's going to beat him to death alive!"
The referee frowned tightly, staring intently at the arena. The rules stipulated that intervention was only allowed upon verbal surrender.
Now Shi Lie couldn't speak, meaning he couldn't surrender...
But this didn't violate the rules, so he couldn't intervene either.