Swallowing the Stars: My Comprehension is Beyond the Heavens!

Chapter 167 The Corpse-Hanging Man and the Madman

Each world zone has a height limit.

No one can fly to an altitude of 9,000 meters.

Nine thousand meters away, spaceships were navigating in each world zone.

In a single room on one of the spaceships, Luo Xia's family members—his father Luo Hongguo, mother Gong Xinlan, second brother Luo Hua, sister-in-law Xu Xin, second sister-in-law Zhen Nan, and his two children Pingping and Xiao Hai—were all there.

Besides Luo Xia's family, Xu Xin's brother, Xu Gang, also brought his family to the spaceship.

Xu Gang said, "This genius battle isn't even being broadcast. If you want to watch the preliminary rounds, you have to come to this world zone and take a spaceship to see it from above, and the price is way too expensive."

Hearing this, Xu Xin, who was standing next to him, laughed and said, "Brother, it's normal that it's not being broadcast. There are over eight billion people; how can it be broadcast?"

As they spoke, the spaceship activated its exterior simulation.

If Luo Hongguo and his group looked down, they could see the bloody battles taking place in the cities across that continent.

This outdoor simulation can also magnify the images, allowing people in the spaceship to clearly see the appearances of those who participated in the war on the mainland.

Of course, if it's inside a building, the spaceship's exterior cannot be detected by the simulation.

"Mom, Dad's ranking keeps dropping. But Uncle's ranking is slowly rising."

Xiao Hai, holding a screen, is checking his dad's and uncle's ranking points.

He noticed that Luo Feng's ranking kept dropping, while Luo Xia's ranking kept rising, albeit slowly, but much better than Luo Feng's.

Pingping chimed in, "Dad must be holding back."

Xiao Hai glared at his brother and shouted, "With so many people down there, besides Uncle, who can be a match for Dad? Are we still holding back?"

"Hahaha……"

The child's words made the adults in the private room laugh.

Xu Gang smiled and squatted down, saying, "Your father and uncle are indeed very capable. Come on, Xiao Hai, sit on your uncle's lap."

"No." Xiao Hai shook his head and continued looking at the screen.

In his view, Luo Feng's ranking was constantly declining, while Luo Xia's ranking was slowly rising.

……

The preliminary rounds were held simultaneously in 100 world zones, making it impossible to broadcast them.

Therefore, throughout the entire Qianwu Universe Kingdom, from the highest levels to ordinary citizens, countless people spent exorbitant sums of money to travel by spaceship to observe the battle from above in the 100th World Zone.

Above the 61st World Zone, a group of young men and women were enjoying food and drinks in a magnificent spaceship, watching the battle below through an outdoor simulation.

A burly man in a magnificent robe laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Luo Tu'er, your Pengyu Empire has achieved remarkable results. Among the top 100 contestants, there is actually one from your empire."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness."

A man with a braid and a strange jade inlaid on his forehead responded with a smile.

The Crown Prince looked at Luo Tu'er and said with a smile:

"The Pengyu Empire has always been one of the vassal states under our Qianwu Universe Kingdom that has produced the most powerful individuals."

After a slight pause, the prince, dressed in a magnificent robe, asked with a smile, "By the way, Luo Tu'er, I heard... your empire is preparing to designate you as the first in line to the throne?"

Upon hearing this, someone nearby chimed in, "I've heard about it too, Luo Tu'er. Now that you've become the emperor of the Pengyu Empire, don't forget about us!"

Luo Tu'er laughed and said, "It's all just rumors; nothing's been decided yet. Besides, no matter what, we can't compare to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

He looked at the burly man and continued, "His Highness is the only son of Marquis Dingtian, and will definitely inherit the title in the future. Marquis Dingtian's territory is ten times larger than our Pengyu Empire!"

These words made the Crown Prince beam with joy.

The so-called "Dingtianhou" is a powerful figure who has been granted a title of nobility in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

Every powerful individual who can be granted the title of Marquis must possess strength at least at the Immortal level!

After listening to Luo Tu'er's flattery, the Crown Prince picked up his wine cup, looked at the somewhat silent Brolin, and asked, "Brolin, why don't I see any contestants from your Black Dragon Mountain Empire?"

Upon hearing this, the others looked at Brolin and said:

"Yes, Brolin, where are your Black Dragon Mountain Empire's contestants?"

"Last time, it seems like no one from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire made it into the top ten thousand, right?"

"Yes, the Black Dragon Mountain Empire has performed poorly in recent terms."

Luo Tu'er looked at Brolin and said with a smile, "Many experts aren't in a hurry to make a move right now. Perhaps in a while, a master will emerge from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Am I right, Brolin?"

Brolin knew perfectly well that these people were laughing at him, so he forced a smile and said, "The competition has only just begun, so anything can happen."

He said that, but he felt very embarrassed inside.

In the universe, this sense of regional and imperial honor is very strong.

Especially in this situation.

If a super strong person were to emerge in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, the entire empire would feel immensely proud, and other nations in other star regions would also look at them with new respect.

At this moment, Brolin felt extremely aggrieved because no contestant from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire made it into the top 100, and he was ridiculed by those around him.

Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind.

That guy named Rorschach... wasn't he recognized by the fundamental laws?

He's from my Black Dragon Mountain Empire, isn't he?

If he participates, I should be able to see his name on the leaderboard soon, right?

Thinking of this, Brolin suddenly felt a surge of anticipation.

But the thought of how he had offended Luo Xia made him feel disgusted, as if he had eaten shit.

For a moment, he didn't even know if he wanted to see Luo Xia's name on the leaderboard...

Seeing the change in Brolin's expression, the Crown Prince had a sudden thought and asked, "Brolin, does your Black Dragon Mountain Empire really have some experts?"

"Really? Did the Black Dragon Mountain Empire really train some kind of expert?"

The others looked at Brolin in surprise.

Brolin glanced at the Crown Prince, then at the others. Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, he said, "Your Highness, you will find out soon enough."

Although Luo Xia's existence made him, the ninth prince of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, very uncomfortable.

But it cannot be denied that Rorschach's talent is exceptional!

While in the realm within a realm, he gained the recognition of the fundamental laws and accomplished things that many realm lords could not.

If he participates, his ranking will definitely not be low.

"The question we should be worried about now is whether that guy will break through to the cosmic level in less than three years."

Brolin was somewhat worried.

If that Rorschach broke through to the cosmic level.

Then I won't be able to participate in this selection competition...

……

World Zone 23.

The rooftop of the building, gleaming with a metallic sheen, was covered with all sorts of corpses; a rough estimate puts it at over a thousand.

At first glance, the visual impact is particularly strong; the entire building looks like a "tree" covered with corpses!

At the top of this "tree" of corpses sat a young man dressed in black armor, looking at his "masterpiece" with a calm smile, like a serial killer, a psychopath!

"By the tenth day, is the bait no longer attracting fish...?"

Seeing that no one dared to approach him within a hundred miles, Luo Xia muttered to himself, then looked at his arm guard and saw a virtual projection appear, displaying Luo Xia's points and ranking.

Participant: Rorschach (Black Dragon Mountain Empire)

Points: 12701

Ranking: 70125

Ten days later, Luo Xia used the corpse of the genius he had killed as a provocation, attracting thousands of contestants to come and cause him trouble.

These players don't have very high scores.

The highest score is only a little over a thousand.

Skilled individuals, seeing the corpses hanging all over the building, wouldn't dare to easily cause trouble for Luo Xia.

After all, he didn't have enough points, and if he were killed by Luo Xia, he might not be able to advance.

These players will all choose to avoid Rorschach.

Only a few players felt that Luo Xia's actions were too ostentatious and arrogant, and that he had killed so many people and had a high number of points. They thought that if they could kill him, their points and rankings would skyrocket, so they came to cause him trouble.

As a result, everyone who came looking for Rorschach ended up being hung on the building by him.

Gradually, fewer and fewer people dared to come looking for Luo Xia.

In this steel city, many people know that in the North District, there is a terrifying contestant. Many geniuses at the fifth or sixth level in various fields are no match for him. The corpses of genius contestants who went to cause trouble were hung on the top of the building by him.

Because of this bizarre practice, Rorschach was known as the "corpse hanger".

The wind howled, and the hanging corpses swayed like leaves in the wind.

The whole scene looked extremely terrifying and eerie.

Luo Xia stood up and looked into the distance. "Ten days have passed. Since I can't catch any more fish, I should get going. Otherwise, with so little time, it will be difficult to win first place..."

His words faded with the wind, and his figure vanished abruptly as well.

Before long, he came to a narrow street.

On this street, a tall man with two horns on his head was pulling his giant axe from a corpse, the cold-gleaming blade dripping with blood.

The horned man noticed Luo Xia's arrival. His eyes turned cold, and he tilted his head. "The Corpse-Hanging Man?"

He looked at Luo Xia, a sudden, excited smile spreading across his face. "I've heard of you! The Corpse Hanger! In this steel city, you're probably among the top 10 strongest!"

He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. "I was planning to come looking for you! I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep... Well then, I'll gladly accept half of your points! Die!"

Without waiting for Luo Xia's response, the two-horned man grabbed his giant axe and charged out!

His body was extremely tall, over six meters high, and his physique was incredibly strong and powerful. His muscles, encased in dark red armor, were as angular as mountains. When he charged, it was as if a warship had stormed into the battlefield, his aura terrifying!

Despite his tall and strong appearance, the man with two horns is extremely agile!

He has already grasped a trace of the fundamental laws of fire.

As he charged toward Luo Xia, a burning heat surged through his body, and a layer of terrifying crimson flames condensed on the cold axe blade.

"Have you grasped even a sliver of the fundamental laws of fire...?"

Luo Xia sensed the power of the two-horned man and remained calm and unhurried in the face of his charge.

It was as if the one charging towards him wasn't some master who had comprehended the power of the laws, but just a child playing with a giant axe.

Do you know what the spring breeze is like?

Luo Xia looked at his sword and murmured softly, as if asking the two-horned man, or perhaps asking himself.

"It's warm and gentle..."

He answered himself, as if taking a stroll, and took a step... This one step, as if teleporting, passed directly through the body of the two-horned man and arrived behind him.

The horned man suddenly stopped. He felt a warm and gentle breeze blow over his body. The breeze was not strong at all, but it extinguished the fire on his body and suppressed the power of the Law of Fire.

The horned man lowered his head slightly, and the next moment, his head fell off his neck uncontrollably.

In the final, shifting view, he saw Luo Xia with his back to him, slowly sheathing his longsword...

……

Above the 001st World Zone, inside the spaceship.

Luo Hai, who was watching Luo Xia and Luo Feng's rankings, suddenly shouted, "Grandpa! Grandma! Look! Uncle's ranking has jumped from over 7 to over 6! He rose so fast!"

Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan looked on in surprise, "How did you get promoted so quickly?"

Xu Xin thought for a moment and said, "Is it probably because Xia is starting to put in the effort?"

Luo Ping exclaimed, "Mom, look! Dad's ranking is rising too! He jumped to 12th place just now, and now he's over 6th! Dad's amazing!"

Luo Hai also saw Luo Feng's ranking at this moment and excitedly shouted, "Dad's ranking is still rising, almost 30,000th! Wow, he's broken into 10,000th!"

Standing behind Luo Hai, Luo Hua saw that Luo Xia's ranking had suddenly jumped from over 6 to over 2!

He raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, "It seems that Big Brother and Xia are starting to put in their effort."

……

And in World Zone 1 and World Zone 23.

Neither Luo Feng nor Luo Xia ever stopped their killing spree.

Let's not talk about Rorschach for now—he's invincible anyway.

Let's start with Luo Feng.

With Luo Xia's help, Luo Feng is now much stronger than he was in the original story.

Having already crossed the threshold of the Law of Gold, in this preliminary round, apart from those truly top experts, no one could withstand his offensive. Often, he could defeat his opponent in just a few rounds!

Because Luo Feng kills anyone he sees, he doesn't let anyone go unpunished.

This brutal, madman-like fighting style earned him the nickname "madman."

Luo Feng didn't care what people called him; he just kept looking for opponents and killing them.

Finally, after killing someone once again, his ranking soared to 997th!

Meanwhile, in Zone 23, Rorschach also killed a master with a single sword strike, gaining a large number of points.

With that person's incredulous gaze, Luo Xia's ranking jumped to 98th place.

……

On that magnificent spaceship in World Sector 61.

A group of princes, princesses, and other nobles from various star regions of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom were chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, a prince of the empire shouted, "Look! Brolin, two people from your Black Dragon Mountain Empire have broken into the top 1001!"

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Brolin quickly looked at the spaceship's screen.

On the screen belonging to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, a number appeared.

[Black Dragon Mountain Empire has secured 2 preliminary slots (temporarily)]

This number was 0 before.

But now it has suddenly become "2".

Brolin was overjoyed and quickly said, "Open it now!"

beep!

Next to the giant screen, a smaller screen immediately appeared, displaying some information—

World Zone 1 - Rank 997: Luo Feng (Black Dragon Mountain Empire)

23rd World Zone - 98th Place: Rorschach (Black Dragon Mountain Empire)

"What?! One works 997, the other 98?"

The other princes and princesses were all surprised when they saw the ranking, especially Luo Xia's 98th place, which made their eyes widen.

Brolin looked at the familiar name with a complex expression. "That guy really did participate in the competition, and he got such a high ranking..."

The only son of Marquis Dingtian looked at Brolin and exclaimed in surprise, "Brolin, it seems your Black Dragon Mountain Empire has truly cultivated some experts, and not just one, but two! After being at the bottom for several generations, is your Black Dragon Mountain Empire about to rise again this time?"

Brolin forced a smile. "Your Highness is too kind."

At the same moment, numerous cosmic nations, divine kingdoms, and countless organizations took notice of Luo Xia and Luo Feng.

In particular, Rorschach's name was placed before many immortals and great figures.

However... the people who were truly excited were the citizens and the emperor and nobles of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire!

Because their Black Dragon Mountain Empire had not achieved good results in previous genius battles, they were quite disgraced among the many vassal states of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

But now, Luo Feng and Luo Xia have suddenly appeared.

One achieved an excellent ranking of 997, while the other ranked 98th!

This is like a pie falling from the sky... no, not a pie, but a feast fit for an emperor!

The citizens of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire were ecstatic.

In a lavish and spacious hall, the emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, along with the empire's nobles and the emperors of various affiliated universe nations, was watching the selection process for the Battle of Geniuses.

Suddenly, they all saw the information appearing on the screen placed in the center of the hall!

When they saw that Luo Xia's ranking had reached 98th and Luo Feng's ranking had reached 997th, these high-ranking and powerful figures became excited.

One by one, they offered their congratulations to the emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire on the throne.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, this is a cause for great joy!"

The emperor, dressed in a dark imperial robe, burst into laughter. "Luo Feng and Luo Xia, excellent! Our Black Dragon Mountain Empire at least didn't come in last place this time, and judging by Luo Xia's momentum, he can even go further!"

His eyes burned as he looked at Luo Xia and Luo Feng's names, and he said, "I want to reward them! A huge reward!"

Everyone else chimed in.

"Yes, we need a reward!"

"Both Luo Xia and Luo Feng have made great contributions! Especially Luo Xia! He has brought great honor to our Black Dragon Mountain Empire!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The crowd flattered the emperor.

At this moment, a bald old man with strange four ears said, "Your Majesty, it's still early before the preliminary selection ends. We'll know how far Luo Feng and Luo Xia can go after it's over."

After these words were spoken, the excited people gradually calmed down.

The fact that the old man dared to say such a discouraging thing to the emperor at this time clearly indicates that his identity is extraordinary.

The emperor on the throne bowed slightly, not daring to show any displeasure to the old man, and said:

"Luo Xia's ranking should be secure; as long as he doesn't die, he shouldn't fall out of the top 1001. Luo Feng's ranking, however, is a bit uncertain. But regardless, they've both made significant contributions, and even if Luo Feng fails, I'll still reward him!"

……

Luo Xia and Luo Feng, who were currently fighting in the world zone, were naturally unaware of what was happening outside, as their rankings were attracting attention.

At this point, they were still fighting, trying to earn points and improve their ranking.

World 23.

Luo Xia walked slowly down the city streets. When the contestants saw him from afar, they all fled in panic like frightened deer.

"It's a corpse hanger!"

"Run!"

Rorschach's name has now spread throughout the city.

Based on his displayed combat prowess, many people believe that he may be the most powerful being in the city.

None of the contestants wanted to encounter Rorschach before they had enough points.

Because no one can defeat him.

Even if there was a super genius who was known as the strongest in the city and had crossed the threshold of the Fire Origin Law, he was hung on the building by Luo Xia after he met him!

As the contestants fled, a damp mist suddenly rose on the road where Luo Xia was.

Rorschach stopped and stood still, looking ahead.

Suddenly, a towering figure emerged from the misty fog.

This man was over six meters tall, wearing a dark blue suit of armor. On his exposed parts, one could see fine scales, which resembled his skin. They were thick and dense, and with each breath, wisps of moisture seeped out from beneath the scales.

The man with scales, wielding a golden trident, looked down at Luo Xia and said in a deep voice:

"Corpse Hanger, they say you're the strongest in this city. And I, Demon Scale, happen to be the strongest in my previous city. I've already killed many highly ranked geniuses, and now I'm going to take half of your points."

He spoke with absolute confidence, as if he were stating a fact.

Luo Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the enormous demonic scale, and asked softly, "What's your ranking?"

when!

Demon Scale slammed his golden trident on the ground, creating a dent in the thick metal floor, and said calmly, "24th place. If I kill you, I should be able to rank in the top ten."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xia grinned, his expression chilling. "Oh, me too..."

The next second, he suddenly disappeared.

Demon Scale's eyes widened. So fast!

Swish!

The wind slashed down with a sharp, piercing sword light.

Demon Scale sensed this subtle fluctuation using the water vapor, and without thinking, he raised his trident to block it!

Originally, according to Mo Lin's expectations, his trident was definitely able to block Luo Xia's longsword. However, when he raised the trident, he sensed that Luo Xia, who had already cut down the blade, had disappeared again.

The longsword that was supposed to strike also disappeared from in front of the trident.

"A trivial skill!"

With a cold snort, Mo Lin swirled his trident, the power of the water law swirling around it, stirring up the surrounding water vapor. In an instant, a thick mist enveloped the area within a hundred miles.

At the same time, Demon Scale's figure disappeared into the mist.

Having lost his target, Rorschach revealed himself.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the thick fog that enveloped him. This fog could actually block his psychic perception; that was interesting…

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(End of this chapter)