Chapter 1025: Instant Kill

The three elders outside the battlefield remained silent as they gazed at the shattered clouds. They respected the Head Elder precisely because of his godlike power, which instilled awe every time they witnessed it.

"This level of power…" Xun You muttered, furrowing his brows. After spending so much time in the Central Plains, he was acutely aware of what such power represented.

"I’d love to give it a try," Dian Wei said, pausing as he gnawed on a leg of lamb, his eyes fixed on the massive hole blasted into the clouds. With his keen eyesight, he could easily tell that the person responsible was a top-tier master.

"Looks like things are going to be tough for Meng Qi," Pang De said with a bitter smile as he squatted on a hill in the distance. For someone with his vision, the several-kilometer distance made no difference; he could see everything clearly.

"I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t expect…" Ma Chao muttered, smacking his lips. However, there was no fear in his eyes. Instead, his excitement was building as lightning flickered in his gaze. Such a powerful opponent!

"This is the Qiang tribe’s Head Elder?" Yan Xing gripped his iron spear tightly, a flash of shock crossing his face. Compared to the Head Elder’s strength, he, also an internal energy master, felt utterly weak.

"I’m up!" Ma Chao declared as he flew into the center of the arena after the Head Elder retreated. "Although the title of Qiang King means nothing to me, I need to prove myself. Anyone who wants the crown—come at me together!"

Ma Chao’s arrogant tone immediately provoked the Qiang warriors, and one of them, wielding a large axe, charged directly at him.

"Whoosh!" With a soft sound, Ma Chao’s spear pierced through the axe, stopping just before the Qiang warrior’s neck. The fiery blood in the warrior’s body instantly cooled under the spear’s sharp tip.

"Next!" Ma Chao flicked his spear, sending the Qiang warrior tumbling backward. Thanks to the soft force he applied, the man wasn’t injured.

Ma Chao knew his purpose there. As long as he could maintain control, he wouldn’t deal any killing blows. However, when he could no longer restrain himself, the real battle would begin, and he would fight with all his might.

The fight progressed quickly. The Qiang warriors were numerous, and while the region of Xiliang didn’t have many top-tier masters, second-rate fighters were as common as clouds. Yet not one could withstand a single move from Ma Chao.

"Ma Chao’s momentum is starting to take shape," Dian Wei remarked, dumbfounded as he watched Ma Chao in the arena. He hadn’t expected Ma Chao to gain so much momentum, even while having his power partially suppressed. The more he fought, the stronger he became.

After Ma Chao defeated more than seventy warriors, the initial mocking expressions had completely disappeared. The onlookers now regarded Ma Chao with respect.

All participants in this selection were under the age of twenty-four, and Ma Chao was the only one to reach this stage. While the Qiang leaders believed Ma Chao had no chance of becoming the Qiang King, his displayed strength was enough to qualify him as a future elder.

"Bang!" After seeing Ma Chao defeat seventy warriors without moving from his spot, the Third Elder concluded that Ma Chao had reached the level of an internal energy master. However, considering Ma Chao’s age, he assumed that, even if Ma Chao had broken through, his strength couldn’t be too formidable. Thus, the Third Elder jumped into the arena.

"You’re strong, kid, but since you’re not a Qiang tribesman, don’t blame me for being ruthless," the Third Elder said as he landed, striking a stance meant to convey the image of a senior warrior.

"Enough talk. Come at me!" Ma Chao sneered, standing still as he looked at his opponent. From the elder’s earlier movements, Ma Chao could tell he hadn’t reached the pinnacle of internal energy mastery. Ma Chao planned to use this elder’s blood to strike fear into the others and proceed directly to the final battle for the Qiang King!

Although there was only a thin layer of cloud energy, Ma Chao knew that even so, flying wasn’t something ordinary internal energy masters could do. As for the Head Elder’s earlier display, Ma Chao realized that the elder wasn’t as terrifying as he first thought.

The cloud energy in the arena was quite sparse. Even so, for the Head Elder to break through it by force required a significant expenditure of internal energy, and this was where Ma Chao saw his opportunity.

"Hmph, kid, you better be careful, or you might lose your life!" the Third Elder warned with a sneer. He had already resolved to kill Ma Chao, whether out of displaced anger or because Ma Chao had provoked him.

"On the battlefield of the Qiang King selection, if someone dies, it just means they were too weak!" Ma Chao retorted coldly.

At the same time, Ma Chao slowly activated the lightning energy within his body. Though he appeared motionless, every muscle in his body reached its peak. He couldn’t afford to waste time, not while the Head Elder recovered. He couldn’t fight all four internal energy masters at once, especially when one was at the pinnacle of mastery and Yan Xing, who had yet to act, lurked in the crowd.

"Mountain Splitter!" the Third Elder roared in fury, gripping his massive axe tightly as he charged at Ma Chao, transforming into a black blur tinged with silver light.

Clad in silver armor, Ma Chao stood motionless as if frozen in fear. The Third Elder’s ferocious expression grew larger and larger in Ma Chao’s eyes until, at a critical moment, Ma Chao’s right hand moved. His spear, glowing with blue and white light, struck with the speed of a lightning bolt towards the elder.

With a soft "boom," followed by a thunderous crash, dirt and shards of ice flew into the air. When the debris settled, Ma Chao still stood in the same spot, a decapitated body dressed in black at his feet. In front of the corpse lay a massive, hundred-meter-long trench, and Ma Chao stood calmly beside it.

Kicking the body aside with indifference, Ma Chao looked toward the remaining elders and said, "Come at me together! There are still over twenty challengers left for the Qiang King selection. If you want to stop me, now’s your chance!"

"Well done!" Pang De, observing from a distance, nearly jumped for joy. Ma Chao had grown so strong that Pang De could only look up to him in admiration.

"Ma Chao truly is a genius!" Xun You remarked quietly, standing next to Dian Wei. However, despite the smile on his face, a hint of concern flashed in his eyes.

At that moment, Dian Wei, having finished gnawing the meat from the lamb leg, swallowed it in a few bites and stood up. "Strategist, he’s not just a genius. He’s a powerhouse now."

Xun You paused, glancing at Dian Wei’s serious expression, then chuckled. He suddenly realized that, in this matter, Dian Wei saw things more clearly than he did. Ma Chao was no longer just a genius; he had become a genuine force to be reckoned with.

With the Third Elder’s death in a single strike, the Qiang warriors fell silent. Their gazes toward Ma Chao now burned with reverence. Since the Hundred Qiang Battles began, Ma Chao had come closer to the title of Qiang King than anyone else!

Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter