46: Chapter 46 The Hunt for Sirius's Genius

The points were still jumping.

Wang Pingan's name remained firmly pinned to the number one spot on the overall leaderboard, the number jumping up a notch every few seconds, the gap between him and the second-place contestant already so large that the commentators in the livestream room didn't know how to describe it.

The last batch of elite monsters in the northeast corner of the Abyss Ruins area were blasted into fragments by the Artillery Battalion; Wang Mu was directing the gunners to replace the crystal tubes, while Wang Shan led the Cavalry to patrol the perimeter and sweep up the remnants.

The battlefield fell silent.

But this silence lasted for less than half a cup of tea.

A warning suddenly popped up on Wang Pingan's command interface: in the southwest direction at the edge of his Divine Kingdom's perception range, a large number of biological signals were approaching rapidly, numbering over three thousand, moving at extreme speed—they were not Abyss monsters.

They were people.

To be precise, they were the citizens of other contestants.

Wang Shan's voice came back from the front line: "Divine Master, a large-scale force has been discovered in the southwest direction; they are not native creatures of the fragment!"

Wang Pingan pulled up the fragment map and locked onto the source of the signals.

On the black rocky ground to the southwest, a massive Beast Taming Legion was unfolding in a fan-shaped formation, flanking the Immortal Martial Legion from three directions simultaneously.

Leading the charge were rows of tall human Berserkers, wielding heavy battle axes and riding iron-gray War Wolves.

Behind them were even more foot-soldier Berserkers, dense in number, a dark mass covering the entire rocky area to the southwest.

A rough glance showed at least thirty-five hundred people.

Wang Pingan's gaze fell on a figure at the very rear of the Beast Taming Legion.

Wu Tie.

Tianlang Star, A-rank talent Iron-Spine Beast Taming, overall rating A.

It was the same person who had mocked him at the virtual plaza for having zero logistics and not being able to last three days.

Wu Tie didn't hide or hold back, directly opening a transmission in the StarNet public channel, his voice loud enough for every contestant on Fragment No. 7 to hear.

"Wang Pingan of Tianhai Star, your points are not bad."

"But from now on, these points belong to me."

"Wu Tie of Tianlang Star hereby formally declares war on you."

"I will trample you underfoot and make the entire Seventeen Stars remember my name."

The transmission carried undisguised greed and arrogance, and the public channel immediately erupted in chaos.

The barrage in the livestream room went crazy.

[Wu Tie wants to steal Wang Pingan's points? Is he crazy!]

[The Wolf Cavalry of Tianlang Star is indeed fierce, but Wang Pingan's legion is no pushover!]

[Thirty-five hundred against three thousand, with the numbers advantage—Tianlang Star has come prepared!]

Wang Pingan looked at the messages in the public channel, his face devoid of any unnecessary expression.

He did not reply to Wu Tie's transmission.

He didn't even have the interest to type.

He only did one thing: he closed the public channel.

Then, he entered a command on the command interface.

"All troops, cease hunting Abyss monsters; change formation immediately."

The one thousand Extreme Realm elites completed the switch from advance formation to defensive formation within three breaths; the five hundred Martial Heavy Armor turned toward the southwest, the Black Iron Shield wall formed, and the crimson flame saber was unsheathed.

The five hundred Immortal Cultivation elites retreated thirty steps to form ranks, spiritual energy accelerated its circulation through their meridians, and the fire glow on the crimson flame saber began to compress.

The fifty Psionic Heavy Cannon of the Artillery Battalion adjusted their muzzles, aiming at the southwest, while Wang Mu stood at the high point of the Artillery Battalion and began measuring the distance.

The five hundred Cavalry gathered from the perimeter, standing by on the flanks of the battle line.

The entire Immortal Martial Legion seamlessly switched from an offensive state to a defensive posture within a quarter of an hour, a level of efficiency that made the commentators in the livestream room gasp once again.

Wu Tie's Beast Taming Legion also stopped their advance, the two sides standing in a standoff separated by a distance of about three hundred zhang.

Wang Pingan stood on the high ground in the rear, his gaze sweeping across the opposing Berserker formation.

Thirty-five hundred Berserkers, equipped primarily with heavy battle axes and bone armor, the front row riding Iron-Spine War Wolves, the rear row on foot.

Their individual combat strength was not weak; the impact force of the Iron-Spine War Wolves was indeed outstanding among those of the same rank, with the biting power of a single War Wolf sufficient to break the defense of an ordinary Qi Refining Stage 9.

But that was all.

Wu Tie had clearly watched the recording of the inter-school exchange battle, thinking that with a numerical advantage and the impact force of the Wolf Cavalry, he could tear open the Immortal Martial Legion's shield wall.

He did not know that since that recording was filmed, this legion had been polished for another fifty-plus years.

He did not know about Extreme Realm compression.

He did not know that standing behind that shield wall was a group of monsters who were Qi Refining Stage 9 but could unleash the destructive power of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Wang Shan's voice came from the front line, carrying irrepressible excitement.

"Divine Master, should we fight?"

Wang Pingan only replied with two words.

"Wait for him."

Opposite, Wu Tie drew a jet-black heavy sword and held it high above his head.

Thirty-five hundred Berserkers roared in unison, simultaneously activating their Berserk Art.

The Berserkers' muscles expanded at a visible speed, their bodies swelling in size, their skin turning dark red, veins pulsing beneath their skin, and their eyeballs bloodshot and red.

Heavy battle axes were raised high, the Iron-Spine War Wolves also began to go berserk, digging their front claws into the ground, emitting low whimpers from their throats.

A torrent of dark red blood energy rose from the Berserker formation, dyeing the dark purple sky overhead red.

"Kill!" Wu Tie pointed his heavy sword forward.

Thirty-five hundred Berserkers stepped forward to charge simultaneously, the earth trembling, heavy battle axes swinging, Iron-Spine War Wolves roaring as they charged at the very front, a red torrent surging toward the Immortal Martial Legion's battle line like a tidal wave.

The momentum was terrifying.

Countless viewers in the livestream room had their hearts in their throats.

The impact force of Berserkers after their Bloodthirsty Berserk is notoriously fierce; with thirty-five hundred people attacking simultaneously, even some early-stage Demigod troops might not be able to hold them off.

But in front of Wang Pingan's shield wall, the phantom of a fierce tiger made of baleful energy appeared.

One thousand Extreme Realm elites simultaneously released the blood energy and spiritual energy tempered by the Foundation Suppression Method, the dense baleful energy and Gang Qi twisting into one, covering the surface of the shield wall.

Wang Shan stood at the very front of the shield wall, his Cavalry lance held horizontally before him, blood-colored Gang Qi wrapping around his entire body.

"Brothers, let these beasts see what an iron wall is."

Five hundred Martial Heavy Armor stepped forward in unison, blood energy pouring into the shields, and the blood-colored Gang Qi on the surface of the Black Iron Shield suddenly thickened.

The moment the red torrent crashed into the shield wall, a booming sound echoed throughout the entire ruins area.

The Berserkers' heavy axes struck the Black Iron Shield, the Gang Qi vibrating violently, sparks flying everywhere.

A few Martial Dao Citizens were shaken back half a step by the immense force, the rock beneath their feet shattering.

But it was only half a step.

The layer of Gang Qi formed on the shield surface by the Extreme Realm compressed blood energy had a hardness far exceeding the level expected of Body Forging Stage 9.

The Berserker's battle axe came down, the blade embedding about two inches into the Gang Qi, before it could be pushed no further.

Immediately following, the Gang Qi rebounded, sending the person and axe flying, tumbling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

The Iron-Spine War Wolves in the front row slammed into the shield wall with all their might, their fangs biting into the shield surface and hissing with smoke, their claws scratching against the refined steel heavy armor with a screeching metallic sound.

But it wasn't just one person holding the shield wall; it was the total amount of blood energy output by five hundred Extreme Realm Martial Dao Citizens supporting it, with an elite whose foundation had been compressed to the limit standing behind every single shield.

The War Wolves' teeth cracked and broke, while only a few shallow tooth marks appeared on the shield surface.

"The defensive line hasn't moved an inch!" the main commentator in the Seventeen Stars livestream room shouted, slapping the table.

"Thirty-five hundred people after Bloodthirsty Berserk are charging with full force, yet Wang Pingan's shield wall hasn't retreated a single step!"

The assistant commentator pulled up the force data panel, his voice trembling: "The total impact force borne by the shield wall has already exceeded the theoretical limit of Qi Refining Stage 9 by over three hundred percent; this is absolutely not a power that a normal Stage 9 cultivation could withstand..."

"How on earth is this achieved?"

No one could answer this question.

Because the existence of the Foundation Suppression Method had never appeared in any intelligence or public information from beginning to end.

Standing in the rear, watching his pride-and-joy berserk charge being forcibly blocked by the shield wall, Wu Tie's pupils constricted violently.

This was completely different from what the intelligence said.

Although that legion in the recording was strong, it wasn't strong to this extent.

He had underestimated Wang Pingan.

Far underestimated him.

But the berserk state had already been activated; the Berserkers had already fallen into a semi-demented state and could not withdraw, with thirty-five hundred people all pressed in front of the shield wall, unable to break through and unable to retreat.

Sweat beads on Wu Tie's forehead slid down his cheeks.

He realized he had made a fatal mistake by committing all his troops at once without leaving any reserve force.

At this moment, the entire legion was stuck to the shield wall, the rear was empty, and the flanks were wide open.

And Wang Pingan's Artillery Battalion and Cavalry had not yet moved.

On the high ground behind the shield wall, Wang Mu turned his head to look at Wang Pingan, waiting for the next order.

Wang Pingan spoke, with only two words.

"Counterattack."