171: Chapter 171 The Nine Palaces Refining Gu Formation: When the Pillars Destroy, the Formation Shrinks

The night was as dark as ink, and the main arena of the Shattered Archipelago suddenly sank, revealing a massive hexagonal stage.

The edges of the stage were carved with dark red runes; as the Formation activated, the runes lit up with a bloody glow, simultaneously enveloping nine figures.

Zhang Wen, Murong Wu, Arthur, Catherine, Andrei, Corona, Park Ji-yeon, Caesar, and Chiyo were instantly teleported to the center of the stage.

"Nine Palaces Gu Refining Formation, pillar destroyed, Formation shrinks." The referee's voice came through the Formation, "Nine energy pillars are distributed at the four corners. For every one destroyed, the arena area shrinks by thirty percent, until only eight people remain."

Before the voice faded, the energy pillar on the far east side suddenly exploded.

Chiyo's figure darted out from the smoke and dust, her poisoned blade glowing with an eerie green; she had actually destroyed the energy pillar at the very first opportunity!

"Get rid of the strongest first!" She shrieked, swinging her blade at Zhang Wen. Poison mist instantly filled the air, but turned into white smoke the moment it touched the Lightning Radiance surrounding Zhang Wen.

"Fool."

Zhang Wen dodged the poisoned blade, sweeping his sky-splitting startling thunder spear horizontally. The wind from the spear blew away the poison mist while precisely striking Chiyo's wrist.

The poisoned blade flew from her hand and embedded itself into the energy pillar on the west side, sparking a shower of sparks.

Almost at the same time, Catherine's sonic blade slashed toward Murong Wu, Corona's shadow entangled Andrei's ice legs, and Park Ji-yeon's shadow technique attempted to shroud Caesar—clearly, these non-seeded players had reached a tacit understanding to eliminate the top powerhouses like Zhang Wen, Murong Wu, and Arthur first.

"In your dreams." Arthur's star realm battle axe swung out a spatial rift, splitting Park Ji-yeon's shadow technique in two, while he called out to Zhang Wen, "Truce for now?"

Zhang Wen didn't answer, but when Caesar was ambushed by Corona's shadow, he shot a bolt of Lightning Radiance at the shadow, relieving him. Caesar grinned and smashed his fist toward Corona: "Thanks!"

Murong Wu's Star Orbit suddenly surged, and the light points filling the sky wove into a massive star shield, protecting herself and Zhang Wen. Catherine's sonic waves crashed against the star shield, emitting a dull buzzing sound, but could not penetrate it.

"Star Orbit: Protection." Her voice came through the star shield, "Deal with the perimeter first."

Andrei was the most direct; his Frost Domain suddenly expanded, freezing Corona and Park Ji-yeon in place: "You dare to entangle me?"

The moment the ice spikes fell, Catherine's sonic waves suddenly turned, shattering the ice spikes and saving the two—she was offering a gesture of goodwill, wanting to maintain the Alliance to "hunt the strong."

The situation instantly descended into chaos.

Zhang Wen seized the gap, and his sky-splitting startling thunder spear transformed into several bolts of lightning, precisely shooting at the three most fragile of the nine energy pillars.

With three loud booms, the energy pillars exploded one after another, the arena area shrank by nearly half, and the nine people who were originally scattered were instantly squeezed into the central area.

"What are you doing?!" Chiyo screamed—with the area shrinking, her poison mist was more likely to accidentally harm her allies.

Zhang Wen ignored her, his gaze falling on Caesar. This Roman was currently engaging with Arthur's spatial rift with his bare hands, his fists smashing against the edges of the rift, actually forcing the spatial fluctuations to become unstable.

"Your fists are very hard." Zhang Wen suddenly spoke.

Caesar dodged Arthur's battle axe and countered with a punch, forcing him back: "Softer than your spear."

The two looked at each other and smiled, actually reaching a brief cooperation amidst the melee.

Caesar engaged Arthur, while Zhang Wen turned to deal with Catherine.

The sonic blade had just gotten close when it was converted into harmless sound waves by the Myriad Phenomena Return to Ruin Thunder. Catherine's face changed drastically: "Your lightning can neutralize sound?"

"Not just that." The tip of Zhang Wen's spear pressed against her throat, "Move again, and I'll neutralize you."

Catherine froze in place, her peripheral vision catching Murong Wu's Star Orbit entangled with Chiyo's poison mist.

The light points of the Star Orbit would extinguish upon touching the poison mist, but Murong Wu was unhurried, letting the Star Orbit rotate around Chiyo; as the light points extinguished, they also wove a star net under her feet.

"Trap her!" Zhang Wen called out.

Starlight surged from Murong Wu's fingertips, the star net tightened, and Chiyo's poison mist was compressed into a narrow range, causing her to choke and cough instead.

Corona tried to take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, but was struck in the back by an ice spike from Andrei, who had suddenly turned around, and she flew backward while screaming—this frost giant had clearly seen enough of the small characters' schemes.

The eighth energy pillar was shattered in the melee by Park Ji-yeon's shadow technique, and the arena area shrank again, leaving only thirty percent of the original size.

Nine people were squeezed into a tiny space, their auras colliding, sparks flying everywhere.

"One must be eliminated." Arthur's battle axe pressed against Caesar's fist, his gaze sweeping across the field, finally landing on Chiyo, who was trapped by the star net, "She is the weakest."

Chiyo's face turned pale: "How dare you!"

No one paid her any mind. Zhang Wen's Lightning Radiance, Murong Wu's Star Orbit, Arthur's spatial rift, Caesar's fists, Andrei's ice spikes, and even Catherine's sonic waves all turned—the eight people had reached a "consensus" on the weak in an instant.

Chiyo's poison mist instantly dissipated under the siege of the strong, and as the star net tightened, Lightning Radiance and ice spikes landed on her simultaneously.

When the referee announced "Sakura Country · Chiyo eliminated," the last energy pillar of the Nine Palaces Gu Refining Formation happened to extinguish, the arena area settled at thirty percent of its original size, and the remaining eight figures stood in the corners, guarding against each other.

"Next, it is time to decide the winner." Arthur's star realm battle axe shone with silver light once again.

Zhang Wen and Murong Wu stood back-to-back in the center, the former's Lightning Radiance and the latter's Star Orbit interweaving to form an unbreakable barrier.

In the distance, Caesar flexed his fists, Andrei's frost condensed under his feet, and Catherine's sonic blades were poised and ready—

The smoke and dust of the Nine Palaces Gu Refining Formation dispersed, and the figures of the final eight became increasingly clear under the moonlight.

The two figures from Dragon Country were being focused on by the eyes of the entire world.