Chapter 136: Origin

A month!

The battle inside the barrier had been raging for a full month.

Four Kings sat high above, casting cold glances down at the combatants below.

Even when their own bloodline descendants fell in battle, not a muscle twitched on their faces, nor would they lift a finger to intervene.

To do so would be to hand their rivals an opening to strike.

As the conflict wore on, the dynamics of the battlefield began to shift.

Quite a few formidable fighters achieved breakthroughs.

Among them, a number of peak General-tier combatants successfully advanced at the crucial moment, transforming into Divine Generals.

These individuals were immediately whisked out of the barrier by the presiding Four Kings, denying the other kings any opportunity to strike them down.

This was the sole instance in which the kings would directly interfere.

Additionally, there were peak General-tier fighters whose power levels had not yet technically reached the divine realm, yet the explosive might they unleashed was already on par with a Divine General.

Concerning these individuals, a consensus had been reached early on: leave them be.

Earth Dragon’s opinion heavily influenced this decision.

Among his avatars, there were unique anomalies capable of wielding the power of Divine Generals.

Aside from these breakthroughs in raw power, other forms of progress began to emerge.

Namely, large numbers of people started joining forces.

They banded together into various factions, setting out to hunt down others.

While alliances had been formed upon initially entering the barrier, their scale was now vastly expanded.

The largest of these groups boasted a membership numbering in the thousands!

They even occupied small towns and cities, turning them into their own fortified camps.

Faced with this development, the Spider King’s expression turned utterly grim.

What was the meaning of this?

Did they seriously intend to occupy this place permanently?

This was the Storm Continent, the core territory of the Monster Clan.

If something went wrong here, it would spell a truly catastrophic blow to the entire Monster Clan.

To this end, the Spider King lodged protests on multiple occasions, only to be rebuffed by both the Demon King and the Human King.

"As long as they do not break the rules, we have no right to intervene!"

"A battlefield is a battlefield. If we forbid them from doing anything at all, what is the point of fighting? We might as well hand the Source over to the Monster Clan on a silver platter."

Such were the replies of the two kings.

Earth Dragon could not even be bothered to say much.

He practically prayed for the three major races to tear each other to shreds, allowing him to harvest a greater share of the Source.

He had noticed that as time dragged on, the objectives of the three major races had begun to shift.

Instead of caring much about the Source itself, they grew far more invested in hunting down rivals.

The quantity of the Source was simply too scarce.

People, however, were abundant!

Killing a few more members of the opposing races to trade for military merits and plunder the treasures carried by their victims—that was the true 'Source' in their eyes.

Consequently, when confronted with the Spider King's protests, Earth Dragon also chose to push back.

He needed the Source, but the other races cared more about tangible, immediate gains than the Source itself.

Earth Dragon fully understood this mindset.

At times, even when the Source lay right before them, they could not claim it.

And even if they managed to secure it, peril followed closely behind.

Amidst all this, outstanding talents—whether astonishing in combat prowess or gifted in tactical command—were continuously discovered by the various kings.

Among them was Fang Qiyun.

At this moment, Fang Qiyun was drawing even greater scrutiny from the four kings.

Because...

"The Source?"

"Is this the Source?"

Fang Qiyun stood in a daze upon a mountain peak, staring ahead into a fissure in the rock face, where a pale red orb rested.

It pulsed with light at irregular intervals.

Deep within it resided a mysterious energy that exerted an irresistible pull on anyone who drew near.

With just a single glance, Fang Qiyun confirmed that this was precisely the catalyst of the war: the Source!

Had he really found it just like this?

Fang Qiyun felt slightly bewildered.

He knew next to nothing about the Source.

Originally, he had assumed that if he wanted to acquire the Source, he would have to wrest it from the hands of others.

Who would have thought that while simply wandering around, he would stumble upon one by sheer chance.

"How... speechless!"

Fang Qiyun muttered to himself, stepping forward to retrieve the Source.

Throughout the process, he pushed his sensory perception to its absolute limit, ensuring there were no hidden dangers nearby.

Yet!

Right up until Fang Qiyun pulled the Source free and stowed it away in his spatial artifact, nothing whatsoever happened.

Fang Qiyun even had the urge to take a bite out of the Source to test whether it was real.

The Source radiated a gentle, soothing energy.

Merely inhaling its fragrance a few times gave Fang Qiyun the distinct sensation that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

"Mission accomplished. Next, let's see if I can cause a bit more havoc here. This is the core territory of the Monster Clan, after all; it would be a disservice not to leave behind a few souvenirs!"

Fang Qiyun oriented himself and picked a direction.

Just moments earlier, he had experienced an accidental skirmish with several monsters.

From the mouths of those creatures, he learned that there was a city nearby.

A city?

Well, he simply had to pay a visit and turn the place upside down!

...

Seeing Fang Qiyun stow the Source into his spatial artifact, Human King Xuan Ji could not help but furrow his brows deeply.

Why?

To actually stash the Source inside a spatial artifact?

How utterly foolish could one be?

"Heh!"

The Demon King chuckled softly, casting a side-long glance at Xuan Ji. "The human race is certainly full of confidence these days, strutting around openly with the Source on their person, and then heading off to hunt down a monster city?"

Xuan Ji let out a heavy, cold snort.

The kings present had all spotted Fang Qiyun.

In truth, the reason they noticed Fang Qiyun in the first place was not because of Fang Qiyun himself, but rather because of the demon he had slain.

That member of the Solomon family!

As a descendant of the previous Demon Emperor's lineage, Solomon naturally commanded high attention and was pegged as a star of this battlefield.

Who could have predicted that he would be cut down by Fang Qiyun?

At that point, the four kings had each split off a strand of divine sense to lock onto Fang Qiyun.

As for Fang Qiyun's action of placing the Source inside a spatial artifact, it was tantamount to doing nothing at all.

The energy of the Source could not be masked by ordinary spatial artifacts.

Any peak General-tier fighter could detect it.

To wander about so blatantly with the Source while searching for a monster city—

Xuan Ji felt a sudden urge to curse out loud.

Had no one bothered to brief Fang Qiyun?

The fact that he could slay Solomon was proof enough of Fang Qiyun's caliber, yet he remained utterly clueless about the basics.

What was going on here?

Anyone above the sixth-tier General rank should have undergone training and learned how to conceal the aura of the Source!

Sure enough!

Shortly afterward, Fang Qiyun crossed paths with several more groups from the three major races.

Including humans, both sides exchanged cautious glances without speaking, merely offering distant nods of greeting.

However!

As he brushed past a certain demon, the demon's body abruptly stiffened.

He turned his head to stare at the visibly guarded Fang Qiyun, a bizarre smile twisting the corner of his mouth.

"What are you smiling at?"

Fang Qiyun picked up on it instantly, fixing a cold gaze upon the demon.

"Heh, you're carrying the Source!"

The demon made no attempt to hide it, staring at Fang Qiyun with undisguised greed.

He could sense a dangerous aura emanating from Fang Qiyun.

Had this been right when he first entered the battlefield, he surely would have killed Fang Qiyun.

However, after a month of grueling combat, he was fatigued and had little desire for pointless slaughter.

Who could have guessed that his target would actually be carrying the Source!

That was the primary objective of this entire operation!

He had no choice but to kill him now!

"Heh, little one, hand over the Source!"

The demon looked at Fang Qiyun with a beaming smile, his eyes burning with frantic joy.

Just how much of the Source existed?

The exact number was unknown, but it definitely did not exceed one hundred!

The three major races were fighting over it, and on top of that, Earth Dragon had dispatched over fifty avatars, every single one of them reaching the high or peak General rank.

It was essentially four factions vying for the prize.

With so many powerhouses, how could there ever be enough to go around?

Consequently, most experts shared only one mindset:

If you happened to encounter one, it was sheer, heaven-defying luck.

If you didn't, consider it a routine training exercise.

Who would have thought that he would genuinely run into one?

At this moment, the demon felt as though he were the Child of Destiny!

He felt an urge to throw his head back and laugh out loud.

"Oh?"

Fang Qiyun looked at the demon quizzically. "How did you know I have the Source?"

The demon froze for a fraction of a second, then burst into hearty laughter. "You didn't even know how to conceal the Source? Hahaha, unbelievable!"

Hearing this, he felt completely at ease.

So he was just an ignorant little novice.

Anyone with a bit of background and talent would know the secret arts for masking the Source.

"It seems you have no intention of telling me. No matter, you will speak eventually."

Fang Qiyun smiled, a strange, eerie red hue gradually surfacing in his eyes.

"Hmm?"

The demon's expression shifted slightly. "Something is wrong with you. What kind of power is this? Could it be the Art of Slaughter?"

The final sentence carried a note of genuine astonishment.

This had nothing to do with whether one had a prestigious background anymore.

What sane person would actually cultivate that kind of cursed art!

Yet...

The danger emanating from Fang Qiyun at this moment was growing increasingly intense.

This kid actually had some tricks up his sleeve!

Fang Qiyun smiled faintly.

Swish!

He exerted force through the soles of his feet, his entire body rocketing forward like a thunderbolt, charging straight at the demon with lightning speed.

"Courting death!"

The demon shrieked. A single black horn upon his head flashed with dark light, and a one-horned monstrous phantom materialized behind him, roaring as it slammed a massive palm down toward Fang Qiyun.

"Bang!"

To the demon's utter astonishment, the blow connected solidly.

"Heh!"

Just as the demon was about to hurl an insult, his expression abruptly warped, for the phantom arm had inexplicably shattered into pieces.

Fang Qiyun did not break his stride, charging onward toward the demon once more.

That overwhelmingly powerful phantom arm had failed to impede him by even a fraction of an inch.

"Explode!"

Fang Qiyun bellowed in fury. Spiritual energy fused with the aura of the Art of Slaughter enveloped his entire body as he crashed heavily into the demon.

"You—"

"Slash!"

Panic seized the demon.

Fang Qiyun gave off an aura of absolute invincibility in this moment.

Even if a mountain stood in his path, he would shatter it to dust.

Under such circumstances, how could the demon dare let Fang Qiyun close the distance?

He roared aloud, and the massive phantom behind him brought its arm down in a vicious arc.

A swath of pitch-black blade energy materialized, slashing violently toward Fang Qiyun.

"Roar!"

Fang Qiyun shouted, throwing his entire weight forward into a direct collision.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion rang out.

A formidable wave of energy swept outward.

Dust and debris flew in all directions!

The earth cracked and split!

The demon was the first to burst out from the billowing dust, leaping backward dozens of meters before landing and glaring with wary eyes at the hazy center of the impact.

"Hum!"

The blood-red aura surged forth once more.

Endless and unyielding!

No, it was growing stronger by the second!

"You..."

The demon stared in sheer disbelief as Fang Qiyun emerged from the dust cloud, a trace of panic finally creeping into his demeanor.

The human before him was nothing short of a ferocious beast.

Moreover, he was clearly no ordinary nobody.

He was the scion of some prestigious lineage!

Dammit, had he walked straight into a trap?

Fixing a deathly glare on Fang Qiyun, the demon began rapidly gathering his energy once more.

"Boom, boom, boom!!!"

Three consecutive blade arcs materialized in rapid succession.

Yet not once did Fang Qiyun attempt to dodge; each time, he chose to take the blows head-on.

And each time, he emerged completely unscathed, charging toward the demon all over again.

After three rounds of attacks, the look in the demon's eyes as he gazed at Fang Qiyun had transformed into stark terror.

A monster!

Relying on his physical body as a core, wrapped in spiritual energy, and augmented by the Art of Slaughter, he somehow nullified every single one of his assaults.

And he was a demon!

Furthermore, a peak General-tier demon!

His offensive power was already hovering on the threshold of a Divine General!

"Bang!"

The demon momentarily lost his focus.

Seizing this exact instant, Fang Qiyun's eyes flashed. He drove his feet into the ground, violently accelerating his speed, and rammed straight into the demon, sending him flying backward.

"Puff!"

A mouthful of blood spewed from the demon's lips. The moment he hit the ground, he turned and fled without looking back.

He couldn't keep fighting!

He couldn't beat him!

"Running away?"

Fang Qiyun blinked in surprise, then let out a cold smirk.

With a flick of his hand, a sniper rifle materialized in his grip.

"Do you really think you can escape?"

"Bang!"

The sniper rifle roared.

A blossom of red bloomed across the demon's thigh.

"Argh!!!"

He let out a miserable scream, staring back at Fang Qiyun in horror.

This bastard was actually a top-tier sniper!

He had been moving in an evasive, erratic zigzag, yet the opponent had still managed to nail him directly. Anyone capable of that had to be an elite sniper without a doubt.

"Hum!"

Fang Qiyun closed the distance at breakneck speed.

Utter despair now washed over the demon's face.

Running was out of the question!

In front of a sniper rifle, could anyone possibly outrun the bullet? Could your speed outpace the projectile?

As for fighting back—he hadn't been able to win before, and now that he was injured, it was even more hopeless.

However!

No one should underestimate him either!

A ferocious expression twisted the demon's features as his aura began to churn.

He would fight to the death!

"Bang!"

Fang Qiyun descended from the sky, landing squarely before him. Looking at the desperate demon, a cold smile played on his lips. "Want to risk your life? Unfortunately, it's completely useless."

"Then try me!"

The demon's voice was frigid.

He was a peak General-tier warrior; if he didn't have a few desperate trump cards up his sleeve, Fang Qiyun wouldn't have believed it.

"Let's test it out, then!"

A massive broadsword materialized in Fang Qiyun's hand, which he swung toward the demon.

"Swish!"

A broadsword appeared in the demon's hand as well.

It was roughly the same style as Fang Qiyun's—a heavy greatsword.

This fit the combat style of the demon race perfectly!

Endowed with high innate talent and superior physical conditioning, demons naturally favored heavy weaponry capable of devastating destructive power.

"Bang!"

Heavy sword met heavy sword in a violent collision.

The demon let out a muffled groan as he was forced back step by step.

He fixed a vicious glare on Fang Qiyun. "Such immense strength! What a pity—"

"Crack!"

A crisp shattering sound echoed out.

A web of cracks suddenly spread across the broadsword in Fang Qiyun's hand.

This was a suppression of weapon grades.

The greatsword in Fang Qiyun's hand was a peak first-tier weapon, on the verge of breaking through to the second tier—effectively a quasi-second-tier arm.

Yet the weapon in the demon's hand was a sixth-tier weapon, if not even stronger!

"What a goddamn wealthy bastard!"

Fang Qiyun cursed viciously beneath his breath.

The most powerful weapon a peak General-tier fighter could fully utilize was a peak sixth-tier arm.

Seventh-tier weapons required the might of a Divine General to unleash their full efficacy.

That being said, how many people managed to upgrade their gear the moment they reached the required threshold?

Take Fang Qiyun, for instance. He was the student president of the Northwest Military Academy and held considerable authority.

His status as a top-tier sniper gave him inherent advantages on missions, allowing him to accumulate massive amounts of merit points and battle credits in a short span.

Even so, the greatsword he wielded was obtained partly thanks to Qin Xiangjun.

His fourth-tier heavy sniper rifle had been a gift from Sun Qingshu.

If left to his own devices, he could at most upgrade his gear to a fifth-tier weapon; striving for anything higher would compromise too many other aspects of his operations.

As for a sixth-tier heavy sniper, you could sell him a hundred times over and he still couldn't afford it.

Yet the demon before him was casually wielding an equal-tier weapon. Such nouveau riche behavior was genuinely infuriating and spawned no small amount of envy and hatred!