70: Chapter 70 The Illusion Opens, Time to Hunt

The moment the referee announced the start of the semi-finals, the lights across the entire arena dimmed.

Everyone's gaze focused on the massive competition area in the center.

Five beams of white light shot into the sky as Jiang Xun, Li Ang, Lu Tao, Jiangnans First Shield, and Ghost Shadow simultaneously vanished into the teleportation array.

In the next second, the space within the competition grounds began to warp and fold violently.

Phantoms of mountains, rivers, forests, and deserts flashed by rapidly like a revolving lantern.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The 'Vast Illusory Realm' has been activated! The battlefield environment is being randomly generated!"

The commentator's voice rose an octave in excitement.

"My god! It's a primeval jungle! And a vast wetland! This terrain is a massive test of the contestants' mobility and survival skills!"

The light and shadows stabilized.

A massive, dark, damp jungle filled with the scent of decay appeared before everyone.

Towering trees blotted out the sky and sun, making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate. The ground was a bottomless pit of mud and swamps, constantly bubbling and emitting a pale purple toxic miasma.

On the virtual screen, five bright spots representing the contestants were randomly deployed to different corners of the jungle.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for this unprecedented semi-final to officially begin.

Deep within the jungle.

As soon as Lu Tao appeared, he couldn't wait to activate his Divine Kingdom's power.

The power of the A-grade Water-Marsh Civilization made him feel like a fish in water in this swampy environment.

Without the slightest hesitation, he charged directly toward the nearest light point on the map.

That light point was none other than Jiang Xun.

According to the plan, he would act as the first wave of bait to lure Jiang Xun into the pre-set encirclement.

"Jiang Xun, your time of death has arrived!"

Lu Tao's eyes were full of malice and delight as he increased his speed even further.

Soon, by the edge of a mud pit, he saw the figure he hated to his very core.

Jiang Xun seemed to have discovered him as well; a look of 'consternation' appeared on his face, and he turned to flee.

"Trying to run?!"

Lu Tao let out a sinister laugh and pursued relentlessly.

In his eyes, Jiang Xun was currently like a terrified rabbit, flailing blindly and pathetically through the muddy swamp.

He deliberately maintained a moderate distance, like an experienced hunter driving his prey step by step into a death trap.

Outside the arena, the spectators' hearts were in their throats.

"This is bad! Jiang Xun has been targeted by Lu Tao!"

"This terrain is too advantageous for Lu Tao; Jiang Xun can't run fast at all!"

"Why isn't he fighting back? With his strength, even if he can't win, he shouldn't be in such a sorry state, right?"

Xu Qingran, Old Baitou, and the others also had palms full of sweat.

Although they believed in Jiang Xun, this 'cat and mouse' scene still made them incredibly anxious.

Only Lame Zhang, looking at Jiang Xun's seemingly frantic but actually purposeful route on the screen, had an imperceptible sneer curl at the corner of his mouth.

"Kid, you're acting quite well."

In the jungle, this chase continued for nearly ten minutes.

Under Lu Tao's 'herding,' Jiang Xun finally 'blindly' rushed into a relatively open clearing in the forest.

This was the only piece of solid ground in the entire swamp.

"Now!"

A flash of cruel excitement crossed Lu Tao's eyes as he suddenly stopped and simultaneously signaled for action.

Almost at the exact same time!

From the other three directions of the clearing, three suffocatingly powerful Divine Kingdom forces suddenly erupted!

Boom!

To the east, endless black energy shot into the sky. Li Ang's figure emerged from the black mist, and at his feet, countless undead creatures burst from the ground, forming a grim legion.

Boom!

To the south, an earthy yellow light rose from the ground. Jiangnans First Shield looked grim as he slammed both hands onto the earth, causing massive walls made of obsidian to rise, sealing off all of Jiang Xun's paths of retreat.

Boom!

To the west, a spectral dark shadow appeared silently. Ghost Shadow held a pitch-black short blade emitting an ominous aura, his cold killing intent locking onto the back of Jiang Xun's heart.

With Lu Tao behind him, the four had finally completed the encirclement!

"Hahahaha! Jiang Xun! Run! Why don't you run some more!"

Li Ang looked at Jiang Xun, who was surrounded in the center with a look of 'panic and confusion,' and let out an unrestrained, wild laugh.

"Weren't you arrogant? Weren't you able to plunder? Today, let's see how you turn the tables!"

But that wasn't all!

The four exchanged glances and simultaneously pushed their Divine Kingdom powers to the limit.

The Death Qi of the undead, the waves of the water-marsh, the ramparts of the Titan, and Ghost Shadow's cold shadow power.

Four completely different forces converged and fused in the air, forming a massive energy dome that covered the entire clearing!

The dome was grey, blue, yellow, and black, with runes flowing upon it, emitting a desperate aura of blockade.

"Four Symbols Absolute Killing Array!"

The commentator's voice cracked from sheer shock.

"They actually fused the Divine Kingdom powers of four different civilizations to form a temporary Combined Divine Art! This... this has exceeded the scope of the Prodigy Tournament! This is a war-grade tactic!"

The entire audience was in an uproar!

Everyone was shocked by the scene before them.

They finally understood that this wasn't a semi-final at all.

This was a long-premeditated, public murder targeted at Jiang Xun!

Inside the barrier, Jiang Xun seemed to have been scared witless, standing blankly on the spot without moving.

Li Ang looked down at him like a lamb already locked in a cage waiting to be slaughtered, his face full of the pleasure of revenge.

"Jiang Xun, your greatest mistake was attempting to challenge our order!"

His voice echoed within the barrier, full of the posture of a victor.

"A piece of trash from the bottom like you is worthy of competing with us, the chosen ones? Today is the day of your divine fall!"

Lu Tao stared at Jiang Xun with venom, gritting his teeth as he said, "I'm going to drown your Human Race believers one by one! I'll let you taste the feeling of your Divine Kingdom being destroyed!"

Jiangnans First Shield remained silent, but the flames of revenge flickered in his eyes as well.

In their view, the outcome was decided.

Trapped within the Four Symbols Absolute Killing Array, Jiang Xun couldn't even self-detonate his Divine Kingdom; he could only let them slaughter him at will.

However, just then.

The youth they thought had been scared witless slowly raised his head.

The 'panic and confusion' on his face receded like a tide, replaced by a playful smile.

He adjusted his thin-framed glasses; the gaze behind the lenses was as calm as a bottomless ancient well, and even carried a hint of... approval?

This sudden change caused Li Ang and the others' laughter to stop abruptly.

An ominous premonition inexplicably surged in their hearts.

They only heard Jiang Xun look around at the four surrounding him and the seemingly indestructible barrier, then let out a soft laugh.

"Finally, everyone is here."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears and spread throughout the entire arena.

"I thought I would have to find you all one by one."

"That would have been too much trouble."