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Chapter 339 The Finals Started Ahead of Schedule, Container Three is Ready! ~(Please vote with your monthly tickets!~)

competition is over.

Fang Qingyu pushed open the door to the players' lounge.

The thunderous roar that could have lifted the dome of the sky was kept out.

inside the door.

But all was quiet.

The spacious lounge was dimly lit.

The screen was still repeatedly replaying the shocking scene of him blasting away the shadow with two punches.

Golden lightning tore through the air, pierced the arena, and smashed the shadowy figure into the end of the deep pit like a broken sack.

The visuals are silent, yet they possess a suffocatingly violent aesthetic.

Fang Qingyu's molten gold-like vertical pupils quickly scanned the room.

The lounge was almost empty.

Jiang Wei sat quietly on the sofa in the corner.

Her clear red eyes looked over the moment he pushed the door open and entered.

Her long, crimson hair resembled flowing lava.

Apart from Jiang Wei, there was only one other person left in the huge lounge.

A tall man, dressed in a black combat uniform, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

His face was covered by a dark red mask depicting sharp spearheads.

Rift Spear, by Sun Qian.

When Fang Qingyu's gaze fell on him.

Sun Qian's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

He slowly lowered his arms and stood up straight.

Under Fang Qingyu's calm gaze, Sun Qian took a few heavy steps.

He walked straight toward Fang Qingyu, step by step.

Fang Qingyu's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he stopped at the doorway, his molten gold vertical pupils locking onto the silently approaching figure.

The atmosphere inexplicably became tense.

Sun Qian stopped three steps away from Fang Qingyu.

His gaze, peering through the eye holes of the mask, seemed to be meeting Fang Qingyu's eyes.

Then, under Fang Qingyu's slightly puzzled gaze...

Sun Qian suddenly bent over.

Keep your back straight, with your upper body at a standard 90-degree angle to the ground.

A perfectly standard bow.

"sorry!"

A hoarse voice squeezed out of his throat.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the empty, deathly silent lounge.

After saying this apology.

Sun Qian suddenly sat up straight, as if every second he stayed was torture.

He didn't even dare to look at Fang Qingyu's reaction, let alone look at Jiang Wei in the corner.

He rushed out of the lounge door.

"boom!"

The door was slammed shut.

Fang Qingyu was left standing alone at the door, his expression behind the mask filled with astonishment.

what's the situation?
Fang Qingyu was completely bewildered.

He subconsciously glanced at Jiang Wei in the corner.

Jiang Wei had already stood up from the sofa, her long, bright red hair swaying gently with her movements.

She walked up to Fang Qingyu and raised her exquisitely aloof face.

There was a subtle hint of self-satisfaction in his clear red eyes.

He just insulted you.

Jiang Wei's voice was cool and calm.

Fang Qingyu was taken aback: "Insulting me?"

"Yes." Jiang Wei nodded vigorously, a cold glint flashing in her ruby-like eyes. "I made him apologize to you."

Fang Qingyu looked at Jiang Wei's matter-of-fact expression, which even seemed to say, "Praise me!"

The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily beneath the mask.

A feeling of being both amused and exasperated welled up inside me.

He could probably guess what had happened.

Given Jiang Wei's personality, the fact that she didn't burn Sun Qian to ashes on the spot when she heard someone insulting her is already quite a show of restraint.

"So, what did you do?"

Fang Qingyu asked helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of indulgent pampering.

Jiang Wei immediately recounted in a concise but clear manner what had happened in the lounge, including Sun Qian's taunts, her challenge to a life-or-death battle, and Sun Qian's eventual surrender and apology under pressure.

After speaking, she stared intently at Fang Qingyu with her clear red eyes, as if waiting for his evaluation.

Fang Qingyu listened and remained silent for two seconds.

Finally, he reached out and gently stroked Jiang Wei's smooth red hair through the mask.

“Well done.” His voice came through the mask, carrying a gentle smile.

Jiang Wei's lips seemed to curve upwards slightly, though the curve was very small, but the light in her red eyes instantly brightened considerably.

“But next time,” Fang Qingyu changed the subject, “I’ll go myself in this life-or-death battle.”

Upon hearing this, a hint of reluctance flashed in Jiang Wei's red eyes, but she still nodded: "Mm."

She understood what Fang Qingyu meant.

It's not that I think she's being nosy, but I don't want her to take such unnecessary risks.

……

They walked out of the players' tunnel.

The enormous roar instantly engulfed the two of them.

Old Chu and the others were already waiting outside.

As soon as they saw Fang Qingyu appear, they swarmed around him.

"Aoko!"

"That's incredible! My God!"

"Two punches! Just two punches!"

Chu Kuanglan was the first to rush forward, his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes filled with excitement and disbelief.

"Qingzi, how did you do that?!" Chu Kuanglan's voice boomed as he asked the biggest question on everyone's mind. "That shadow clone was so hard to tell the real one from the fake one. When you threw your first punch, I thought you missed, but then you turned around and punched him right in the face with your second punch! It's like you have X-ray vision! How did you know his real body would be in that location?!"

All eyes were focused on Fang Qingyu's face.

Even the usually calm Wei Banmeng and Lu Jiuyuan had a look of inquiry in their eyes.

Everyone is curious.

The most troublesome thing about the Shadow Apostles is their ability to use clones to confuse and switch between their true forms.

Fang Qingyu's two punches were incredibly precise.

Fang Qingyu's expression behind the mask became somewhat strange again.

You can't say that because you can see the titles above other people's heads, but not their clones, you can see their true identities at a glance, right?

He paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts.

The sound came through the mask:

"Killing intent."

"Although his clones have the same aura, the intensity and direction of the killing intent revealed by his true body in different locations are completely different."

Fang Qingyu paused, seemingly recalling what he had felt at the time.

"In a situation where you are attacked by twenty figures at the same time, as long as you can remain absolutely calm, clearly distinguish the subtle differences in the killing intent carried by each figure, and lock onto the most core and most lethal one, you can determine the location of the true body."

He looked at Chu Kuanglan and added, "This requires an extremely strong control over one's own senses, as well as an extremely keen ability to detect fluctuations in the enemy's killing intent."

"Killing intent. Subtle differences, absolute composure."

Everyone listened to Fang Qingyu's explanation and their faces showed thoughtful expressions.

Wu Feng and Zhou Zhen, these martial saints with rich combat experience, subconsciously simulated the scene in their minds.

Twenty figures rushed in from all directions, their auras identical, their movements as swift as ghosts.
How can one remain absolutely calm in such a chaotic and desperate situation?
They also had to distinguish twenty almost identical waves of killing intent at the same time, and precisely lock onto the only real one among them.
this.
"Gudong."

Chu Kuanglan swallowed hard, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Fang Qingyu completely changed.

That's no longer the look you give to a strong person.

It was the way they looked at the monster.

"Qingzi," his voice was hoarse, "remain calm in that situation? And even discern the killing intent? Is that something a human could do?!"

He grabbed his hair and yelled, "If I were in that situation, my first instinct would be to unleash a massive attack and muddy the waters first! Who the hell has the time to figure out which killing intent is real?!"

Wei Banmeng's usually cold eyes were now filled with seriousness.

She believed she could remain quite calm in a crisis, but to the extent Fang Qingyu described was a different story.
almost impossible.

Lu Jiuyuan: "Theoretically feasible, but practically difficult to implement."

Wu Feng and Zhou Zhen exchanged a glance.

They both saw a deep shock and a sense of powerlessness in each other's eyes.

They finally understood why Fang Qingyu had made such a name for himself on the Arctic front and why he had become Thor.

This terrifying will and insight, which operate like a precision instrument even in life-or-death situations, is simply despair-inducing.

"You really are a monster." Chu Kuanglan finally let out a long sigh, his tone extremely complicated.

Fang Qingyu smiled helplessly as he listened to everyone's reactions.

My explanation is logically sound.

It is indeed a theoretically feasible method.

It's just that the requirements for those who carry them out are a bit too extreme.

"Let's go back and wait for the draw."

Fang Qingyu stopped dwelling on the topic and headed out of the arena.

Surrounded by a crowd, he and Jiang Wei merged into the surging tide of people.

……

As night falls, the lights are on.

The commotion in the heart of the City of Injustice did not subside with the end of the match.

On the contrary, it became even more enthusiastic.

The streets were bustling with people, and the taverns were filled with lively chatter.

Everyone is talking about today's eight games.

Especially the brutality of Shi Hao crippling Lin Poyue with a single punch.

And Thor's domineering punches that sent Phantom flying.

Video clips of these two battles spread like wildfire across the Injustice City's internet, dominating the headlines of every discussion forum.

[A stunning bet! Who will claim the Pure Crystal of the Twelve Heavenly Kings? Shi Hao and Thunder God's ultimate battle will decide the fate of the world!]

[In-depth analysis: How did Thor break through shadow clones? A deadly killing intent locked in under absolute calm!]

Similar headlines are constantly emerging.

The various underground betting platforms have already been operating at full capacity.

The odds for Shi Hao and Fang Qingyu were extremely close, almost neck and neck.

Supporters were arguing fiercely.

"Shi Hao is invincible! His physical body can withstand a fourth-tier opponent! No matter how strong Thor is, he's useless if he can't break through the defense!"

"Bullshit! Thor's Divine Thunder is the power of authority! It is specifically designed to destroy all evil spirits! No matter how tough Shi Hao's body is, can he withstand heavenly lightning?"

"You don't know anything! Shi Hao's strength is purely physical! What does it have to do with evil spirits!"

"Stop arguing! Let's sit back and wait for their match, and see who crushes whom!"

The online uproar did not disturb the tranquility of the penthouse suite in the city center hotel.

Fang Qingyu and the others had dinner.

They sat around in the living room.

That evening, the quarterfinals began as scheduled.

Thor VS Tu Qianshan

Bai Huo VS Sun Qian
Shi Hao VS Huo Wu
Qiansi VS Moli
The reactions of the people in the suite varied as soon as the list was released.

"Thank goodness!" Chu Kuanglan patted his chest, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "Qingzi and Sister Jiang didn't run into him, nor did they encounter that muscle monster beforehand! Tu Qianshan and Sun Qian? Although they are also Heavenly Kings, they are much less of a threat than that monster Shi Hao!"

Wei Banmeng carefully examined the list, a hint of rational analysis in her cool brows: "Tu Qianshan's swordsmanship is known for its ferocity and bloodlust, with extremely strong offensive capabilities, but relatively weak defense, which is exactly what Qingzi's Divine Firmament Thunder can counter. Sun Qian's Sky-Splitting Spear is swift and tricky, but he has difficulty getting close to Jiang Wei, so it is also a counter to him. As long as they perform normally, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Lin Yu added, "The key is Shi Hao's side. Huo Wu's strength is relatively weak among the Twelve Heavenly Kings. Her Heaven-Burning Flames probably can't even burn through Shi Hao's skin. There's almost no doubt that Shi Hao will advance to the semi-finals. It all depends on how the semi-finals are grouped."

All eyes eventually fell on Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei.

The real challenge lies after the semifinals.

Fang Qingyu simply glanced at the list calmly, his molten gold vertical pupils showing no ripples.

Tu Qianshan?
In his eyes, there was no fundamental difference between him and his previous opponents.

The following day, at the Central Arena.

The quarterfinals are the focus of everyone's attention.

The duel between Fang Qingyu and Tu Qianshan was scheduled for the third match.

When Fang Qingyu stepped onto the arena to face Tu Qianshan, who wielded a blood-red longsword and exuded a thick, bloody aura, the outcome was already predetermined.

Tu Qianshan did not admit defeat.

He roared and unleashed his ferocious sword intent to the extreme. Dark red qi and blood smoke billowed like a boiling sea of ​​blood, and the long sword in his hand transformed into a shrill blood light that tore through the sky.

With a mad will to cut down everything, he slashed at Fang Qingyu.

"Blood Prison - Soul Severing Slash!"

Faced with this ferocious strike that would terrify even an ordinary peak-level third-tier Martial Saint.

Fang Qingyu didn't even move a step.

He simply raised his right hand calmly, fingers spread, facing the descending crimson blade of light.

Crack——!!!
A golden lightning spear, refined to its utmost, like a judgment spear descended from the heavens, instantly tore through the air, carrying a majestic heavenly might that pierced through everything, arriving first despite being later in the attack.

Boom! ! !

The golden lightning spear struck with pinpoint accuracy at the point where the crimson blade light was at its strongest. The blinding golden light and the crimson light collided with a deafening roar.

The stalemate lasted less than half a second before the seemingly invincible crimson blade light crumbled and disintegrated inch by inch under the supremely powerful and yang divine thunder.

The Thunder Spear, its momentum undiminished, pierced through Tu Qianshan's hastily erected protective qi and blood like a golden lightning bolt.

puff!

Tu Qianshan's burly body shuddered violently, his protective qi and blood instantly dissipated, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He was sent flying dozens of meters away as if struck by a heavy hammer, crashing heavily into the force field at the edge of the arena. The iconic Blood Prison Blade in his hand flew out of his grasp and landed on the ground not far away, buzzing loudly.

The referee's voice followed immediately: "Winner, Thor!"

Clean, decisive, and utterly crushing! Another overwhelming victory!
The audience erupted in cheers once again, Thor's shouts deafening.

Immediately following, Shi Hao made his appearance.

His opponent, Fire Dance, is a goddess chosen to manipulate flames, whose blazing inferno is incredibly powerful.

However, the terrifying flames, powerful enough to melt gold and iron, landed on Shi Hao's bronze skin, leaving only a few shallow white marks, not even causing a trace of char.

Shi Hao strolled leisurely through the raging inferno as if he were walking in his own backyard.

Ignoring all attacks, he walked step by step to the horrified Huo Wu and simply threw a punch.

boom!
The flame shield around Huo Wu's body shattered like paper, and she flew off the stage like a kite with a broken string, completely unconscious.

"The victor is Shi Hao!"

The same crushing defeat! The same domineering attitude!
The final match that garnered much attention was between Jiang Wei and Sun Qian.

Having gone through the turmoil in the lounge, Sun Qian's mindset was already unbalanced when facing Jiang Wei.

"The victor is White Fire!"

The final four have been decided without any suspense.

Thor, White Fire, Shi Hao, Thousand Threads.

And that night.

Now that the top four are decided, this is what the audience is most looking forward to.
This refers to the group assignments for the semifinals.

It means that Thor will encounter Shi Hao as an opponent ahead of time.

You will still run into your friend Bai Huo; the two acquaintances meet early in the semifinals.

However, for Fang Qingyu, this issue is almost a foregone conclusion.

It's obvious that his next opponent will be Shi Hao.

After all, Da Lei is Jiang Wei's protector, so it's impossible for him to arrange for Jiang Wei to face such a terrifying opponent as Shi Hao in advance.

The time comes at night.

The schedule has been released.

Just as Fang Qingyu had predicted.

When the groups were announced, the entire City of Injustice erupted in chaos!

[Semifinal Match 1: Jiang Wei vs. Qian Si]

[Semifinal Match 2: Thor vs. Shi Hao]

"Fuck!!!"

"A final match played ahead of schedule!!!"

"Thor vs. the Muscle Man! It's in the semifinals!"

"The officials are really good at this! This is so exciting!"

"It's over. Qian Si and Bai Huocheng are just there to make up the numbers. The real championship battle has been brought forward!"

The internet was completely flooded with posts about this matchup.

Almost everyone believed that the winner between Fang Qingyu and Shi Hao would be the ultimate champion of this competition!
This semi-final is the ultimate showdown that has come ahead of schedule.

Tickets for the semi-finals were snapped up within three minutes of the draw results being announced, and black market prices soared to an astonishing astronomical level.

The entire city of injustice was filled with a frenzied anticipation and fervor that seemed to be brewing a storm.

This grouping actually suited Fang Qingyu's preferences quite well.

Defeating Shi Hao, advancing to the finals, and meeting Jiang Wei, they swept the championship and runner-up positions.

He acquired that massive amount of pure crystals, enough to propel him to the peak of the second tier!
It's almost a perfect script.

……

And at the same time.

Headquarters of the Heavenly Punishment Society.

Deep underground.

The dim oil lamp flickered, and the sweet, rotten smell mingled with the chilly air.

The enormous cross, like a tombstone, stands in the center of the space.

Chen Wudi's withered body was tightly bound to the center of the cross by several black metal chains that shimmered with a ghostly light. His head hung limply, his disheveled hair covered his face, and his breath was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

Directly below the cross.

The figure in the scarlet robe stood silently.

The edges of the robe were embroidered with intricate and twisted patterns of thorns and eyes in dark gold silk thread.

The large hood completely covered his face, revealing only his almost fanatical eyes.

He gazed up at the lifeless body on the cross, and murmured in a difficult language.

As the chanting continued, circles of dark purple runes silently lit up on the smooth black stone surface surrounding the cross.

As the light swirled, hazy humanoid figures floated around the cross.

Silently watching the center.

The prayer is over.

The man in the red robe stopped chanting.

He slowly turned around to face the surrounding projections.

A barely perceptible smile seemed to flicker beneath the hood.

"Gentlemen, the transformation of the divine body is progressing more smoothly than we anticipated. His will has begun to awaken within the body."

The projections remained silent, their light and shadow rippled slightly.

They were clearly satisfied with the news.

at this time.

A figure shrouded entirely in a black robe appeared silently beside the man in the red robe.

He bowed slightly and quickly reported in a very low voice to the man in the red robe:
"President, the semi-final matchups for the third-tier tournament have been announced. Thor and Shi Hao have been matched up ahead of time, and Thor's identity has been confirmed as Fang Qingyu from the Federation."

The man in black paused, lowering his voice even further: "In addition, Shi Hao's condition monitoring shows that his fusion with the 'Holy Remains' has reached 87%, far exceeding expectations. However, the speed of divine erosion has also accelerated simultaneously, and the mental anchor point is showing unstable fluctuations, posing a risk of losing control."

The man in the red robe listened quietly.

The gaze beneath the hood seemed to pierce through the void, landing on Chen Wudi's withered body on the cross.

After a few breaths.

A very faint chuckle, seemingly tinged with amusement, came from under the hood.

"Oh? Fang Qingyu, the Thunder God?"

The man in the red robe slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick layers of earth, landing in the direction of the distant central arena.

He looked at Chen Wudi on the cross as if admiring a work of art nearing completion, his voice as soft as a lover's whisper:
"It seems our little friend has brought us a fine offering."

He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold, carrying an unquestionable command:
"Increase Shi Hao's dosage."

"Activate 'Divine Resonance' to temporarily suppress his independent consciousness. Implant instructions within him."

The red-robed man's voice turned cold and cruel:
"Make him kill Fang Qingyu at all costs on the stage tomorrow."

"Use that boy's blood and soul as the final offering before the Lord awakens."

"Let those restless insects outside see too."

"The consequences of provoking the Heavenly Punishment Society."

"Yes! President!"

The man in black robes trembled and immediately bowed to accept the order.

He dared not delay for a moment, and turned around to walk quickly towards an inconspicuous stone door covered with heavy runes at the edge of the space.

The stone door slid open silently, revealing a deep, dark passageway extending downwards behind it.

The figure in black robes quickly disappeared into the darkness.

At the end of the passageway, the view suddenly opens up.

This is a stone hall that is even larger than the prayer space above.

There were no oil lamps in the stone hall; only the countless strange minerals embedded in the walls and dome, emitting a ghostly green or pale white light, provided a faint source of light.

The air was filled with a strong preservative smell and a certain indescribable fishy-sweet odor.

The floor of the stone hall was not smooth rock.

Instead, more than a dozen deep pits, resembling bathtubs, were carved out.

Each pit is circular, with a diameter of over ten meters, and its edges are engraved with dense runes that flow with dark purple light.

The pit was not empty.

It was filled with a thick, sticky, dark red liquid, like congealed blood.

Tiny bubbles kept rising from the surface of the liquid, emitting a faint, sweet-smelling odor.

And in the center of these dozen or so enormous pools of blood.

Each of them stood with an altar made of a ghastly white color, as if it had been polished from the skeleton of some giant creature.

The top of the altar is not a platform.

Instead, they were grooves resembling upright stone coffins.

In each recess, a person lies quietly.

They were completely submerged in the dark red liquid in the pool, with only their heads showing.

Their faces were covered with various different masks.

His breath was faint, as if he had fallen into the deepest sleep.

Inside one of the grooves.

The one lying there was Shi Hao.

The dark gray metallic mask on his face looked particularly cold in the pale green light.

Beneath his bronze skin, the lines of his muscles remained strong and defined, but at this moment they exuded an eerie stillness.

The man in black robes quickly walked to the edge of the huge blood pool where Shi Hao was.

He spoke in a deep voice to the several members of the Heavenly Punishment Society who were waiting by the pool, also dressed in black robes and with their faces covered by faceless masks:
"The president has given the order!"

"Increase the dosage of Holy Blood in container number three!"

"Activate 'Divine Resonance'! Implant the command: kill Thor Fang Qingyu at all costs!"

The black-robed men who were waiting all shuddered.

The leader immediately bowed: "Yes, sir!"

He quickly turned around and made several hand gestures to the men in black robes beside him.

Immediately, several huge metal barrels were pushed over.

The lid was lifted, revealing a liquid that was almost completely black.

An even stronger, more pungent, and slightly fishy-sweet smell instantly filled the air.

"fall!"

The leader, a man in black robes, gave the order.

Wow——!
The pitch-black liquid was poured into the blood pool where Shi Hao was.

The viscous black liquid seemed to have a life of its own, quickly mixing and seeping into the dark red liquid already in the pool.

Murmur
The bubbles in the pool instantly became denser.

The dark red and pitch black liquid churned and boiled as if boiling.

An even colder aura emanated from the blood pool.

Shi Hao, who was immersed in the pool, seemed to tremble slightly.

Beneath his bronze skin, a subtle, dark sheen flowed like the presence of life.

A tiny, almost imperceptible black liquid seemed to seep from the edge of the dark gray metal mask on his face.

"Activate resonance!"

The leader of the men in black robes gave a low shout.

He and several other men in black robes simultaneously raised their hands, palms facing the altar in the center of the blood pool.

He began to chant in a more obscure and rapid syllable.

Om-!
The runes inscribed on the altar suddenly lit up with a dazzling dark purple light.

The light, like flowing lava, instantly covered the entire altar and enveloped Shi Hao, who was lying in the groove.

Shi Hao's body suddenly trembled violently!
The muscles bulged and twisted as if being pulled by an invisible, enormous force.

A low, suppressed growl, like that of a wild beast, escaped from his throat.

A terrifying, inhuman pressure, like an ancient beast being forcibly awakened from its slumber, erupted from the blood pool!

The air in the entire stone hall seemed to freeze.

The eerie green and pale light swayed wildly under the oppressive force.

The black-robed man on guard chanted more urgently, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Their hands trembled as they maintained the output of the resonance array.

The dark purple light on the altar grew stronger and stronger, almost completely engulfing Shi Hao's figure.

The low, painful roar gradually became blurred and distorted.

Ultimately, it transformed into a lifeless, deathly silence, like an echo from the abyss.

The dark purple light slowly receded.

The runes on the altar dimmed.

The liquid in the blood pool returned to its previous viscous and calm state, only its color became deeper and darker.

Shi Hao lay quietly in the groove.

The dark gray metal mask on his face was intact.

But beneath the mask were a pair of originally calm eyes.

But now it has become an empty void.

They were as deep as two dry wells.

There was no emotional fluctuation, only a chilling coldness and absolute obedience.

The leader, a man in black robes, slowly lowered his hands, let out a long sigh, his voice tinged with weariness and reverence:

"Command implantation complete."

“Divine resonance is stable.”

"Container No. 3 is ready."

(End of this chapter)