Chapter 1280 The Compet.i.tion Begins

Initially, they all thought Bu Fang was going to suffer, but in the end, he turned the tables and gave Zhang Xuan a good beating. The way he swung the black wok made many people’s eyes s.h.i.+ne.

He was indeed the expert who had picked the Senseless Lotus.

“The Sword Demon Clan ranks fifth among the nine clans in Nether Prison and is extremely strong, and its people are good at using swords. Owner Bu, now that you have offended them, you have to be very careful in the semifinal,” Fa Wu warned seriously.

No one dared to underestimate the Nether Prison experts. Even though they were from the second-best team, they could still crush everyone present.

“Just now, that Zhang Xuan… hasn’t drawn his sword yet,” Fa Wu added.

Fa Wu knew that Bu Fang had killed the Winged Man Valley leader, who was a Two-revolution Little Saint. However, Zhang Xuan was different. He was a Nether Prison expert from the Sword Demon Clan, and when he was a Two-revolution Little Saint, he was already strong enough to kill the Winged Man Valley leader. So, even though Bu Fang had killed the leader, he couldn’t be complacent. Otherwise, he would be brutally tortured by Zhang Xuan.

The monk’s words brought Bu Fang out of his thoughts. He raised his eyes, glanced at Fa Wu, and asked, “The Sword Demon Clan? It ranks fifth? Can you tell me about the other clans?”

Bu Fang didn’t know much about the nine clans of Nether Prison. He knew the Sword Demon Clan. He had once met its people in the G.o.d Vanis.h.i.+ng Mountain. He also knew the Nether Chef Clan, the Shadow Demon Clan, and the Horned Demon Clan. He even once roasted the leg of a Great Saint from the Horned Demon Clan. Of course, he also learned about the Nether Puppeteer Clan from the System. As for the other clans, he didn’t know them.

Fa Wu glanced at Bu Fang and opened his mouth. He didn’t expect that Bu Fang didn’t even know this common knowledge.

“Every three years, the nine clans of Nether Prison will have a ranking compet.i.tion, which is actually the Nether Prison Tournament of the Great Path… They will be ranked according to their position at the end of the tournament.

“At present, in the ninth place is the Fire Demon Clan. Although it is ranked ninth, it is extremely formidable. Its people contain supreme Nether fire with infinite power in their bodies.

“In the eighth place is the Horned Demon Clan. The members of this clan are mainly made up of savage monsters, and all have fearsome heritages of savage monsters. They are equally formidable.

“Then there’s the Shadow Demon Clan, Nether Chef Clan, Sword Demon Clan, Beastmaster Clan, Tyrant Clan, Nether Puppeteer Clan, and the mysterious Di Ting Clan, who ranks in the first place.”

Fa Wu briefly introduced the nine clans to Bu Fang.

This was the first time Bu Fang had learned the ranking of the nine Nether Prison clans. “The Beastmaster Clan, the Tyrant Clan, and… the Di Ting Clan?” There was a trace of doubt in his eyes.

“They are all very strong… The Beastmaster Clan can control all kinds of beasts. The fleshly bodies of the people from the Tyrant Clan are invincible, and in their eyes, the Vajra Realm experts are as weak as chicken.

“As for the Di Ting Clan… This clan is too mysterious. It is the most powerful clan in Nether Prison. Legend has it that the number of its people is very small, but each possesses heaven-defying talents.”

Fa Wu took a deep breath as a grave look came over his face.

“Fortunately, there are no experts from the top four clans in the Nether Prison’s second-best team. We have a bigger chance to advance to the finals.”

Bu Fang nodded vaguely. It seemed to him that the relations.h.i.+p between the nine clans was a little complicated.

“Well, Nether Prison may be strong, but you don’t need to belittle yourself. As long as you fight well, you may not lose to them,” Jin Jiao said, glancing over all the contestants.

The crowd nodded, but their spirits were evidently not very high.

“Let’s go to the center of the square,” Jin Jiao said, giving everyone a deep look before turning around.

The contestants followed him and soon came to the center of the square. The ten Nether Prison contestants were already standing there. When they saw the contestants from other small worlds, they all showed proud expressions. Some even raised their hands and moved their thumbs across their necks, smiling disdainfully.

Their arrogant att.i.tude made the contestants from other small worlds flush with fury. Many people who saw this scene through the light screen felt aggrieved as well, but there was nothing they could do. After all, these Nether Prison experts were strong enough to be so arrogant. Once the semifinal began, everyone would soon realize the gap between them and the Nether Prison contestants.

Zhang Xuan from the Sword Demon Clan stared coldly at Bu Fang. However, Bu Fang ignored him and just craned his neck to peer among the Nether Prison contestants. Finally, his eyes rested on their captain, Lu Cheng.

The scene made the corner of Zhang Xuan’s mouth twitch. ‘Is what Captain Lu Cheng said true? Does this boy really have some strange hobby?’

Since the venue of the compet.i.tion was in Earth Prison, the rules would be announced by an Earth Prison expert.

Jin Jiao stood in the center of the square, his eyes sweeping across the crowd. After taking a deep breath, he said slowly, “All the contestants from Nether Prison have arrived. I will now announce the rules for the semifinal of the individual compet.i.tion.

“The semifinal will not be carried out in arena mode. The venue is located outside the Yellow Spring Town, and the mode will be… crueler. So, listen carefully.

“Because some individual qualifiers had died in the previous team compet.i.tion, their places will be filled by the contestants ranked behind them, making up to fifty contestants. There are ten jade plates hidden around the town. Each jade plate is carved with a number, ranging from one to ten. The number will be your ranking in the semifinal. If you want to be better ranked, you have to seize someone else’s jade plate. Each person can only have one jade plate.

“The compet.i.tion will last for one day. When the time is up, a bell will ring to signal the end of the compet.i.tion. Once the compet.i.tion is over, the jade plate in your hand will represent your ranking. Those who do not have a jade plate will be eliminated!”

The crowd was in an uproar upon hearing the rule. It was indeed extremely cruel. The contestants would have to fight for the jade plates, and when there was fighting, there must be killing.

After understanding the rule, everyone took a deep breath, while the Nether Prison experts narrowed their eyes and grinned. In fact, they were fighting among themselves as well.

“We can work together first and take all the jade plates, then we can fight for the ranks among ourselves…” Zhang Xuan told the other Nether Prison experts, grinning.

Everyone around him laughed. That was exactly what they intended.

His remarks made the faces of the other contestants change dramatically. The Nether Prison experts simply didn’t take them seriously. However, if truth be told, the rule was indeed not in their favor.

Jin Jiao’s mouth curled slightly. ‘This rule is not as simple as it seems… In time, these little fellows will understand.’

‘Oh? The semifinal will not be carried out with arena mode? It will be held around Yellow Spring Town…’ Bu Fang’s eyes lit up as an idea suddenly came to him. The town was not far from the Yellow Spring Valley, and he thought that if there was enough time, he could go there to see if he could get the Nine-leaf Yellow Spring Gra.s.s.

“This is the rule. Now you have two hours to rest. When the time comes, the town gates will open, and the compet.i.tion will officially begin,” said Jin Jiao.

As his voice rang out, every contestant began to adjust their form.

Meanwhile, light screens were showing the compet.i.tion in all the surrounding small worlds. After hearing the rule, the audience felt a little depressed. Many thought that the semifinal was likely to become the stage for Nether Prison experts again.

…

RUMBLE!

A whistling sound rang through the void. Then, a figure tore apart the sky and came at full speed with a domineering aura. It was a skeleton in golden armor, with blue ghostly fire beating in its eye sockets. It carried two golden spears on its back, their points extremely sharp and glinting coldly.

“The holder of the Senseless Lotus…” The skeleton opened its mouth and spoke in a clear voice, holding up its bony palm. A blue ghostly fire emerged over the palm, where a faint image appeared and turned into Bu Fang’s face. Suddenly, it clenched the palm and crushed the flame, then sped away at full speed, its golden armor clanging. Beneath it was the rus.h.i.+ng b.l.o.o.d.y water of the Yellow Spring River!

At this moment, not only the skeletal expert from the Cave of the Fallen G.o.ds, but also the experts from the Black Temple and the various powers in Earth Prison were making their way to Yellow Spring Town. It seemed that a dark cloud was rapidly gathering toward the small town.

A holy ray flashed through the void. Soon, it landed on the ground and turned into a man with blond hair and an elegant figure. Looking at the rus.h.i.+ng Yellow Spring River, the man twitched his lips and said, “Dirty! What a dirty Yellow Spring River! I’m supposed to be vacationing on an island, enjoying beautiful women and wine, but why am I here in a place full of filth…”

The winged man sighed. The wings on his back flapped, and white feathers immediately swirled down the air. He bent down, picked up a small stone, and flung it out. The stone jumped across the river. When it sank to the bottom of the river, the Winged Man Valley expert flapped his wings, soared into the sky, and disappeared.

…

Dong! Dong! Dong!

A bell tolled. All the contestants were already standing at the gate of Yellow Spring Town. They had adjusted themselves to their best forms—their spirits were high, and they were ready to set off. The Nether Prison experts, on the other hand, looked at these contestants from other small worlds in disdain and sneered from time to time.

“Remember, whoever has a jade plate will go to the next round…” Jin Jiao said, looking at the crowd. “The semifinal of the individual compet.i.tion now begins!”

As soon as his voice rang out, the experts standing in front of the town gate unleashed their aura. The ground under these contestants’ feet exploded as they rushed out like shooting stars at full speed.

Bu Fang felt a little regret to see Lu Cheng standing motionless at the gate with his hands clasped behind his back. ‘This guy is not taking part in the compet.i.tion… That means I can’t get the Nether Puppet’s heart from him…’ With sullen eyes, he took a deep look at Lu Cheng, and then strode out of the town.

Lu Cheng’s hair stood on end after seeing Bu Fang’s last glance. The muscles on his face twitched as he snorted.

…

Bu Fang stopped as soon as he got out of the town.

The Nether Prison experts stood not far away and looked at him with amused eyes. Zhang Xuan held a heavy sword in his hand and stared at Bu Fang. Then, he raised his sword and pointed it at Bu Fang with a cruel smile.

The next moment, they turned and left. There was no doubt that they were threatening Bu Fang. However, they didn’t attack him immediately. They planned to find all the jade plates before they started killing. At that time, the contestants from other small worlds, including Bu Fang, would be their targets.

Of course, Zhang Xuan could hardly wait to kill Bu Fang.

Just as the compet.i.tion began and after Bu Fang and the other contestants walked out of the town, numerous rays came shooting over in the sky, falling like meteors in Bu Fang’s direction. They all came with greed and killing intent.