102: Chapter 102 Thick Earth Realm

Above the Tianyuan Arena, the winner's bracket rest area floated in the void like a silver-white star.

Su Bai sat on the sofa in lounge 019, his consciousness having just withdrawn from the Netherworld World.

The prototype of the Six Paths of Reincarnation still needed three days to finish condensing. The appearance of the Rakshasa Clan added a variable to the Living World, but it was a positive one.

At least for now, the Rakshasa and humans had found a boundary for coexistence.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest for a moment, the light screen in the lounge suddenly lit up.

The voice of the eye of destiny echoed throughout the Tianyuan Arena:

[Second round of the knockout tournament, matching complete.]

[A total of 1,500 qualifiers in this round will participate in 750 matches.]

[Matching rules: The winner's bracket will be paired randomly, while the loser's bracket will compete separately in the resurrection matches.]

[All contestants, please enter your respective world pods.]

Su Bai stood up and walked out of the lounge.

The light pillar of the winner's passage enveloped him once again. The silver-white light carried his body as it slowly descended, passing through the dome of the Tianyuan Arena and returning to world pod number 1987.

He stood on the circular platform in the center of the world pod, and the light screen in front of him had already refreshed.

[Contestant Number: 1987]

[Name: Su Bai]

[Star Sector: Tianxuan Star Sector]

[Province: Qinglin Province]

[World Rank: Rank 6]

[First Round Knockout Result: Win]

[Qualification Status: Entered Second Round]

[Second Round Matching...]

[Matching Complete]

On the light screen, the match information surfaced.

[Match 247]

[Red Side: Su Bai (Tianxuan Star Sector · Qinglin Province)]

[World Type: Yin Qi World · Netherworld]

[Star Sector Ranking: 89]

[World Rank: Rank 6]

[Blue Side: Sikong Xuan (Tianying Star Sector · Cangwu Province)]

[World Type: Earth Civilization · Hou Tu Realm]

[Star Sector Ranking: 18]

[World Rank: Rank 6 Peak]

[Remarks: Ranked 18th on the Tianying Star Sector points leaderboard, won all twenty-two qualifying matches, with an average match time of fourteen minutes. The world type is an extremely rare "Earth Civilization," constructed with the earth element as the core. It possesses seven Rank 6 "Earth Deity" Hero Units and a race population exceeding five million. One of the favorites to win this year's Zhuangyuan Hegemony Competition, predicted by seventeen mainstream media outlets to be among the top fifty in the country.]

Su Bai looked at the light screen, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Tianying Star Sector... 18th place," he said softly. "Seven Rank 6 Earth Deities, five million units."

"Now this is more like it."

He stopped looking at the numbers, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into the Netherworld World.

The grayish-white Yin Qi surged like a sea.

Before the Ghost Gate Pass, the Ten Great Yin Marshals had already assembled.

The Ghost King floated at the very front, his golden vertical pupils calm as water. Behind him, Black and White Impermanence stood side by side, Ox-Head and Horse-Face stood silently, the Day Patrol Envoy and Night Patrol Envoy shone in gold and silver, and the Four Great Demon Underworld Envoys were scattered in the four directions.

By the River of Oblivion, at the Bridge of Helplessness, Meng Pos Pavilion was still empty. But the River of Oblivion water in that large cauldron was already churning, as if waiting for something.

In the Living World, the six major races, 5.7 million units, were all lined up.

Mushroom People, Shadow Demons, Ice Crystals, Naga, Humans, Rakshasa.

Silence.

Stillness.

Like a pack of wolves waiting for prey.

Su Bai opened his eyes.

"Bring it on."

Tianying Star Sector, Cangwu Province.

Unlike the tension in Qinglin Province, the viewing platform in Cangwu Province was permeated with a calm confidence.

Cangwu Province was a top-five powerhouse province in the Tianying Star Sector, with at least three to five people making it into the final three thousand every year. This year, they had four finalists, two of whom had entered the second round.

Sikong Xuan was their greatest hope.

Sikong Ming, the president of the Cangwu Province Creator Association, sat in the front row of the viewing platform, his face as steady as a mountain. He was Sikong Xuan's father, a Rank 13 Creator and the second-generation inheritor of the Hou Tu Realm.

"Facing that kid from Qinglin Province in the second round?" an old man nearby said with a smile. "Good luck. That Su Bai won against Shen Zhao in the first round and was hyped to the sky. 'Counterattack of a Trash World,' 'Descent of the Netherworld'—social media just loves those kinds of gimmicks."

"Shen Zhao's Incense Divine Kingdom wasn't all that to begin with," another middle-aged man shook his head. "Deities condensed from Power Of Faith look intimidating, but they're actually very fragile. But the Sikong family's Hou Tu Realm is different. The earth element is the most stable element, with the strongest defense and the highest resilience. No matter how powerful Su Bai's Yin Qi is, can it penetrate the earth?"

Sikong Ming did not speak.

He just looked at Su Bai's name on the light screen, his brow furrowing slightly.

His intuition told him that this young man was not simple. But he couldn't say exactly why.

"Xuan'er won't underestimate his enemy," Sikong Ming finally spoke, his voice low. "His Hou Tu Realm is the most stable Earth Civilization in Cangwu Province for hundreds of years. Seven Earth Deities, five million Hou Tu citizens. A Rank 6 peak world, peerless in defense."

He paused.

"That Su Bai won't be able to break through it."

Tianying Star Sector, Cangwu Province, Sikong family ancestral land.

Sikong Xuan stood in the center of the world pod, all of Su Bai's public information displayed on the light screen before him.

He was a burly young man with a face as resolute as rock, skin of a healthy wheat color, and eyes of a deep earthy brown. He wore a set of grayish-brown armor engraved with patterns of the earth, each line exuding a heavy aura.

Twenty-two years old, ranked 18th in the Tianying Star Sector, the third-generation successor of the Hou Tu Realm.

His world was one of the oldest in Cangwu Province.

The Hou Tu Realm.

It was a world composed of pure earth elements. The earth was as thick as the sea, the mountains towered into the clouds, and the plains were vast and boundless. What floated in the sky were not clouds, but suspended rocky islands. What flowed on the earth was not water, but lava and mineral veins.

Five million Hou Tu citizens lived and multiplied on this land. They were not humans, but "Earth Spirits."

Beings condensed from earth elements, their bodies like stone carvings and their eyes clear as amber.

Their social structure was extremely stable, just like the earth beneath their feet. No strife, no turmoil, only eternal order and solid defense.

And the core of the Hou Tu Realm were the seven Earth Deities.

Hero Units condensed from the power of the earth, each possessing Rank 6 strength.

[Hou Tu Realm · Seven Great Earth Deities]

[Mountain Lord · Gen Yue: Rank 6 High-tier, the strongest warrior of the Hou Tu Realm, his body as majestic as a mountain range, a single punch can shatter the earth.]

[Earth Mother · Hou Tu: Rank 6 High-tier, the protector of the Hou Tu Realm, can mobilize the power of the entire earth to heal her people and strengthen defenses.]

[Rock King · Shi Gandang: Rank 6 Mid-tier, the vanguard of the Hou Tu Realm, his body composed of the hardest basalt, invulnerable to blades and spears.]

[Vein Master · Earth Vein Elder: Rank 6 Mid-tier, the sage of the Hou Tu Realm, can sense all mineral veins and energy flows underground.]

[City God · Tu Bo: Rank 6 Mid-tier, the maintainer of order in the Hou Tu Realm, can build city walls and fortresses that never collapse.]

[Ore God · Jin Shi: Rank 6 Low-tier, the god of craftsmen in the Hou Tu Realm, can forge the sturdiest weapons and armor.]

[Grain God · Ji: Rank 6 Low-tier, the god of harvest in the Hou Tu Realm, can make the earth grow the most abundant crops.]

Seven Earth Deities, seven types of duties, forming the complete pantheon of the Hou Tu Realm.

Sikong Xuan looked at Su Bai's information, his earthy brown eyes showing no contempt.

"Yin Qi World... Netherworld..." he said softly. "Crushed the Incense Divine Kingdom in the first round? Interesting."

He raised his hand and sank his consciousness into the Hou Tu Realm.

The earth of the Hou Tu Realm was trembling.

The seven Earth Deities woke up from their slumber at the same time.

Mountain Lord · Gen Yue rose from the depths of the earth, his body hundreds of feet tall, like a moving mountain range. His eyes were golden, like the blazing sun, and his fists were larger than city gates.

Earth Mother · Hou Tu floated in mid-air, her long hair like the roots of the earth, spreading to every corner of the Hou Tu Realm. In her hand, she held an earthy yellow scepter, the top of which was embedded with a fist-sized earth core crystal.

Rock King · Shi Gandang stood at the forefront of the Hou Tu Realm, his body like the sturdiest fortress. His skin was covered with basalt patterns, each line containing the power of the earth.

Vein Master · Earth Vein Elder sat cross-legged in the deepest part of the Hou Tu Realm, his white hair and beard like the roots of the earth. His eyes were closed, but his consciousness covered the entire underground of the Hou Tu Realm; every mineral vein and every energy flow was within his perception.

City God · Tu Bo stood on the boundary line of the Hou Tu Realm, holding a massive stone hammer in his hand. Behind him, city walls rose from the ground like the spine of the earth.

Ore God · Jin Shi sat in the forge of the Hou Tu Realm, his hands like two iron hammers, each strike forging a divine weapon.

Grain God · Ji stood in the fields of the Hou Tu Realm, his hands gently brushing over the earth, and golden crops emerged from the soil, swaying in the wind.

Seven Earth Deities, seven Rank 6 auras, like seven pillars supporting the sky, held up the heavens of the Hou Tu Realm.

Five million Earth Spirits rose from the earth, their bodies like stone carvings, their eyes clear as amber, holding stone spears and stone shields as they lined up in an orderly formation.