hsntnovel Chapter 146 Cross-City Battle
Chapter 146 Cross-City Battle
Day 12 of the qualifiers, Third World Zone.
Lin Yun's figure flashed like a purple lightning bolt, soaring at high speed over the desolate sky. Below him stretched a vast, barren land, with occasional scattered ruins of buildings passing beneath his feet—remnants of the Great Nirvana era. On the distant horizon, the outline of a massive city loomed in the distance—a megacity with over thirty million participants, and his next target.
"I've already conquered eleven of the 110 cities in the Third World region," Lin Yun thought to himself. "I've killed quite a few experts, but my ranking has only risen to 1527th. There's still a long way to go before I'm number one."
He knew that the further down the city you went, the stronger the experts who inhabited it. Those ranked at the top mostly gathered in megacities, occupying territories and hunting relentlessly. Some were direct disciples of immortal powerhouses, some were direct descendants of ancient families, and some were rogue cultivators who had fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. None of them were easy to deal with.
"But that's what makes it interesting." Lin Yun's lips curled up slightly.
He landed atop a tall building on the city's edge, and the Thunder Dragon's Strike Domain silently unfolded, covering an area of several hundred meters in radius. The air within the lightning domain tingled slightly, and tiny arcs of electricity danced in the air like countless thin snakes. Within this range, no trace of life could escape his perception.
"Found it." With the enhancement of the Thunder Domain, Lin Yun's spiritual power clearly detected several exceptionally powerful auras in the city. One of them was the most formidable, radiating a sharp fluctuation of the Law of Metal, like a drawn sword, its edge fully revealed.
"The Law of Metal has already stepped into the threshold of the fundamental laws, and his understanding is quite profound." Lin Yun nodded slightly. "Finally, we've met a worthy opponent."
He didn't conceal his presence; instead, he leaped directly from the rooftop and flew in that direction. Purple lightning flashed across his body, like a shooting star streaking across the city sky, so conspicuous that it couldn't be ignored.
In the city, a young man clad in golden armor sat cross-legged in the center of a plaza. A dozen or so corpses lay scattered around him, all of them contestants who had attempted to ambush him. His face was cold and stern, his long golden hair billowing in the wind, and he held a golden spear in his hand, its tip still dripping with blood.
His name is Jin Huan, from an ancient family in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, a genius rarely seen in ten thousand years. He has been at the threshold of the Golden Origin Law for many years, only one step away from minor mastery. In Jin Huan's view, there are no more than five people in the entire Third World Region who can threaten him.
He opened his eyes when he sensed the rapidly approaching aura of lightning.
"Such powerful fluctuations in the Law of Lightning." Jin Huan's pupils contracted slightly. "It's not a domain, it's that he has already stepped into the threshold of the Origin Law. Moreover, his comprehension is extremely profound, no less than mine."
He stood up, twirling the golden spear in his hand, its tip pointing towards the sky. Golden battle aura surged from his body, forming a golden shield around him. The fluctuations of the Law of Metal spread in all directions, colliding with the fluctuations of the Law of Thunder from the sky, causing subtle crackling sounds to erupt in the air.
A bolt of purple lightning descended from the sky, landing at the other end of the plaza. As the lightning dissipated, it revealed a young man dressed in black battle armor, holding a silver-white battle sword whose blade crackled with purple lightning.
"Lin Yun," Lin Yun announced his name.
"Jin Huan." A fighting spirit flashed in Jin Huan's eyes. "Your lightning law is very strong. You are the strongest opponent I have encountered in the preliminaries."
"You too," Lin Yun said. "Make your move."
Jin Huan showed no mercy. His body transformed into a golden streak of light, rushing towards Lin Yun. He pushed the Law of Metal to its limit, and the golden light on his spear surged, making it like an indestructible divine weapon. With a piercing sound, it stabbed straight at Lin Yun's chest.
Lin Yun did not retreat. He dodged to the side, simultaneously slashing his battle blade back, the purple lightning clashing with the golden spear light, producing a deafening roar. Both of them retreated three steps at the same time, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the plaza ground beneath their feet—this was B9-grade hardness ground, capable of withstanding the full force of a ninth-level Hengxing attack without damage, but under the collision of their law powers, cracks still appeared.
"Good!" Jin Huan roared, his fighting spirit intensifying. His spear drew golden arcs in the air, like a golden dragon, rushing towards Lin Yun from all directions. The sharpness and indestructibility of the Law of Metal were displayed to the fullest in his hands. Each thrust carried an unstoppable momentum, as if it could pierce through everything.
Lin Yun remained calm, wielding his battle blade with purple lightning swirling around its surface. He didn't use the secret technique of Purple Lightning Shock, but instead relied on basic swordsmanship combined with the power of the Law of Lightning to contend with Jin Huan. The speed of lightning made his blade as fast as lightning, and the resonance of the lightning gave each of his parries a recoil force.
The battle between the two intensified, escalating from the plaza to the street, and then into the air. Golden spear flashes and purple lightning intertwined, slicing the surrounding buildings into countless holes. Those contestants who had been watching from inside the buildings fled in panic, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
"Your lightning law is strong, but if that's all you've got, you're no match for me!" Jin Huan shouted, and the golden light on his spear suddenly surged, a thick golden spear beam shooting out from the tip of the spear, heading straight for Lin Yun's chest.
This is Jin Huan's ultimate move—Golden Skybreaker. It condenses the "sharpness" of the law of metal to its extreme, transforming it into an indestructible spear beam, powerful enough to instantly kill an opponent of the same level.
A glint of light flashed in Lin Yun's eyes.
"Finally, you've shown your true skills," he said softly.
The purple lightning on his battle blade suddenly intensified. He no longer held back, unleashing the power of the Law of Lightning to its limit. The battle blade met the golden spear's edge; the instant the blade clashed, lightning and golden light erupted simultaneously, forming a dazzling pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.
Jin Huan's special move was blocked.
Lin Yun remained completely still, while Jin Huan was pushed back repeatedly by the recoil, his hands going numb. His eyes were filled with shock—his ultimate move had actually been blocked head-on.
"It's my turn," Lin Yun said.
His body transformed into a streak of purple lightning, moving at a speed that Jin Huan's naked eye could not even perceive. He pushed the speed of lightning to its limit; this was the fastest and most profound technique within the Law of Light, comparable only to the speed of the Law of Light.
Jin Huan instinctively raised his spear to parry, but Lin Yun's blade was too fast. The first strike hit the spear shaft, making Jin Huan's arm go numb; the second strike came from the side, and Jin Huan barely managed to dodge it, but a gash was still cut into his armor; the third, fourth, fifth... the blade light poured down like a torrential rain, each strike carrying the explosive power of lightning, leaving Jin Huan only able to defend passively and unable to counterattack.
"Purple Thunder Shocks the Gods, First Form—Raging Thunder Shakes the Heavens!"
Lin Yun unleashed a slash, and the lightning on his blade exploded, transforming into dozens of lightning dragons that surged towards Jin Huan from all directions. Each of these lightning dragons contained the profound power of a lightning explosion, capable of attacking multiple targets simultaneously or concentrating on a single target. Lin Yun focused all the lightning dragons on Jin Huan, amplifying their power.
Jin Huan's expression changed drastically. He activated the Law of Metal to its limit, and a golden light shield enveloped his entire body. The lightning dragon crashed into the light shield, producing a series of explosive sounds. The light shield trembled violently and developed fine cracks, but ultimately did not shatter.
"It's blocked." Kim Hwan breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could catch his breath, Lin Yun's second strike came down.
"Purple Thunder God-Shocking Technique, Second Form—Thunder Dragon Strike!"
The lightning domain suddenly contracted, compressing from a range of hundreds of meters to only tens of meters. Within the compressed domain, the density and power of the lightning increased several times over. Jin Huan felt his body suddenly sink, as if countless invisible hands were squeezing him from all directions, rendering him immobile. This was the power of lightning resonance—lightning resonated in space, turning every inch of space into a node for attack. Within the lightning domain, the enemy's speed was suppressed, their senses were interfered with, while the caster's attacks were greatly amplified.
Lin Yun's figure darted through the lightning domain at incredible speed. His battle blade crackled with lightning, each strike precisely hitting the same spot on the golden light shield. Once, twice, three times… the cracks on the golden shield grew larger and more numerous.
"break!"
With the final strike, the golden light shield shattered. Jin Huan was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Cracks appeared all over his golden armor, and the spear in his hand flew out of his grasp.
Lin Yun walked up to him, his sword pointed at his throat.
You lost.
Jin Huan lay on the ground, looking at Lin Yun with no fear in his eyes, only admiration.
"Your laws of lightning are stronger than mine," he said. "I concede."
The battle blade fell. Jin Huan's body turned into specks of light and vanished.
"Points +387200." The points on the arm protector screen jumped up suddenly.
Lin Yun's ranking rose from 1527 to 892.
"I'm in the top 1000." Lin Yun glanced at the rankings, but his heart wasn't particularly stirred. The top 1000 was just the beginning; his goal was to be number one.
He didn't linger in the city for long. After killing Jin Huan, there were no more opponents worthy of his attention. He transformed into a bolt of lightning and flew towards the next city.
Day 15 of the qualifiers.
Lin Yun arrived at a port city located on the edge of the continent. The city was built by the sea, and its architectural style was similar to that of the coastal cities on Neptune Planet, with white stone walls and blue roofs everywhere. The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell.
His spiritual power swept across the entire city, quickly locking onto a target. It was a master of the wind element, whose wind element had already stepped into the threshold of the primordial laws. He was extremely fast, traversing the city, each strike taking several lives.
"The Law of Wind." A hint of interest flashed in Lin Yun's eyes. "Which is faster, lightning or wind?"
He flew directly in that direction.
The wind-elemental expert seemed to sense Lin Yun's arrival as well, ceasing his killing spree and turning to face Lin Yun. He wore a long blue robe, held a slender sword in his hand, and had a handsome face, but his eyes revealed a vicissitude beyond his years.
"Lightning-based laws." The young man in the green robe looked at Lin Yun, who was descending from the sky, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes. "You are the third person who can make me feel threatened."
"The third one?" Lin Yun asked. "What about the first two?"
"They're all dead," said the young man in the green robe. "They died by my sword."
"Then you probably won't meet a fourth one," Lin Yun said calmly.
The young man in the green robe wasn't angry; instead, he smiled and said, "Interesting. My name is Qingyu, and yours is Qingyu."
"Lin Yun".
"Make your move," Qingyu said. "Let's see if your lightning is faster, or my wind."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qingyu's figure suddenly blurred. He pushed the profound mystery of "speed" in the Law of Wind to its limit, his body transforming into a streak of azure light, leaving afterimages in the air. Sword light pierced from all directions, with tricky angles and unpredictable trajectories, making it impossible to catch.
Lin Yun did not retreat. He unleashed his Thunder Domain, purple lightning enveloping the space within a radius of several dozen meters. The resonant power of the lightning within the Thunder Domain somewhat suppressed Qing Yu's speed, but his speed remained astonishing.
Blades clashed with longswords, lightning and azure light intertwining. The two moved at incredible speed, leaving countless afterimages in the plaza. The surrounding buildings were shattered by the shockwaves, debris flying and dust billowing.
Qingyu's swordsmanship was light and agile, as unpredictable as the wind. His sword thrust from all angles, sometimes from the front, sometimes from the side, sometimes from above, and sometimes from the ground. Each attack carried the sharpness of the law of wind, and the slightest carelessness would result in being pierced through.
But Lin Yun's blade was faster. The speed of lightning allowed him to react before Qing Yu's sword could strike, and the resonance of lightning gave each of his parries a recoil force, knocking Qing Yu's sword away.
The two exchanged dozens of blows, neither gaining the upper hand.
"Your wind is fast," Lin Yun said, "but not fast enough."
"Your lightning isn't slow either," Qingyu said, "but it's not fast enough."
They both laughed at the same time.
"Then let's make it even faster," Lin Yun said.
He pushed the Law of Lightning to its limit, unleashing both lightning speed and lightning resonance simultaneously. The lightning on his battle blade intensified, each strike accompanied by a thunderous roar. His speed increased once more, reaching a level that Qingyu could not even perceive with his naked eye.
Qingyu's expression changed. Although his wind magic was fast, Lin Yun's lightning was even faster. The moment his sword thrust out, Lin Yun's blade was already upon him. He had no choice but to switch from offense to defense, his swordsmanship becoming more intricate and continuous, but Lin Yun's attacks grew increasingly fierce and faster.
"Purple Thunder Shocking God Form 3 - Heavenly Profound Thunder Break!"
Lin Yun slashed out with his sword, and the lightning on his blade condensed into a thin line of lightning as fine as a hair. The lightning line did not attack in a straight line, but instead drew a strange arc in the air, bypassing Qing Yu's sword and heading straight for his chest.
Qingyu's pupils contracted sharply. His body instinctively dodged to the side, but the lightning bolt was too fast. It grazed Qingyu's shoulder, leaving a charred mark on his shoulder armor.
"What a fast knife." Qingyu looked down at the scorch mark on his shoulder, a hint of lingering fear flashing in his eyes.
"Can you go even faster?" Lin Yun asked.
Qingyu remained silent for a moment, then shook her head.
"I lost," he said. "Your thunder is faster than my wind."
He sheathed his sword, turned, and vanished into the depths of the city as a streak of blue light. Lin Yun did not pursue. He knew that Qing Yu had given up the fight.
"Points +0." The points remained unchanged on the arm protector screen.
Lin Yun didn't care. He wasn't here for points, but to spar with experts. Qingyu's Wind Law had given him a lot of inspiration, deepening his understanding of speed.
"The speed of lightning, the speed of wind, the speed of light..." Lin Yun murmured, "What is the connection between the three?"
Without giving it much thought, he turned and flew toward the next city.
Day 20 of the qualifiers.
Lin Yun arrived at a giant city located in the center of the continent. This city was one of the largest cities in the Third World Region, with over fifty million participants and dozens of top experts. Each of them had comprehended the fundamental laws, and each had the strength to break into the top 100 of the world region.
Lin Yun's mental energy swept across the entire city, detecting more than a dozen powerful auras. Some of them even made him feel a sense of threat.
"Interesting." A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Lin Yun's eyes. "Finally, I've met a real opponent."
He didn't go after the weaker ones, but flew directly towards the strongest aura.
He was a master of the laws of light. His mastery of the laws of light was nearing completion, and his speed and refraction of light had reached a considerably high level. He was faster than Qingyu, and his attacks were even more unpredictable.
The battle between the two lasted a full hour, stretching from the east to the west of the city, from the ground to mid-air. The interplay of light and lightning illuminated the entire city's sky. Countless contestants looked up, watching the two beams of light collide in the air, their hearts filled with awe.
In the end, Lin Yun won by a narrow margin.
"Your light is fast," Lin Yun said, "but my thunder isn't slow either."
The light-element expert looked at Lin Yun with a complex expression in his eyes.
"Your Law of Lightning is the strongest I've ever seen," he said. "But what about your other laws? I can sense the aura of other laws within you."
Lin Yun smiled but did not answer.
He won't reveal his full strength here. The Law of Lightning is enough.
Day 25 of the qualifiers.
Lin Yun's ranking has risen to 7th.
Participant: Lin Yun (Black Dragon Mountain Empire)
Points: 38567210
Ranking: 7
World region: Third World
"Seventh now." Lin Yun looked at the rankings on the armband screen and nodded slightly. "Six places away from first place."
He transformed into a bolt of lightning and flew toward his next target.
There are five days left in the qualifiers. His goal is to win first place in the Third World region by the end of the qualifiers.