Chapter Ninety-One: Earth — Beast Tide (Thirty-Two)

“What do you mean by that look?” Dumoka’s expression turned strange as he stared at Felice. Why was she fixated on his chest? He did not like women of such frail build. “You were hit,” Felice said, then looked toward Sun Mon, a hot gleam flashing in her eyes. She, too, was a perfect second-tier being, yet against Dumoka of the same level, she could not break his defenses even in a spar. If I could obtain that method, perhaps I could break through. Dumoka lowered his gaze at her words. On the breast of his once intact, horn-like armor, a round hole had appeared, and on the skin beneath it there was a red mark. It had caused no real injury, but it meant one thing: the other side’s attack had pierced his defense. His greatest confidence lay in his own defenses. Even weapons from the technological path of the same level could not break through when he was prepared, yet Sun Mon had done it, and with a bow and arrows no less. He looked up at Sun Mon, his eyes grave. “It seems you are both satisfied with this sparring match, so I’ll be taking my leave,” Sun Mon said with a friendly smile, then turned and departed. “That man is dangerous. If he truly means to strike from the chaos, no one among us could stop him,” Dumoka said after a moment of silence. “Yes. I cannot even figure out how he did it. It seems that even at the peak of the second tier, there are still differences between people,” Felice said. If civilization could break through to the third tier without requiring both the civilization and the contestants to advance together, perhaps someone like Sun Mon would have already made the leap. Back in the tent where they had gathered, Sun Mon looked at Mu Xingye. “As expected, they were testing our strength. So they really did discover the restrictions placed on technological weapons inside. But honestly, why would such a thing exist? Shouldn’t the rules be fair?” “I’ve been wondering that too, but I still have no clue,” Mu Xingye said with a shrug. “So, how strong were those two?” Sun Mon said, “Hard to say. You know my condition. My domain is very special; I’m not even sure it counts as a normal domain. But if I truly intended to kill, they would have no chance to react.” He glanced at his right hand. The Houyi Bow had merged into his body, its core residing in the right hand. Unless he fully unleashed its power, he did not even need to manifest its physical form completely. Under normal circumstances, he used the bow’s nature to imbue the arrows; if that was insufficient, he could summon the image of the Houyi Bow and wrap it in inner energy. The maximum power of that state was eighty percent of the bow’s fully manifested form. Only after reaching that stage did he further grasp the Houyi Bow’s extraordinary attribute: certainty of hit. So long as he believed in his heart that he could strike the target, he would strike it. It was like a law of causality; every time he comprehended its power, he could advance a little further. Until half a month ago, his vision changed once more. He could see the gaps between the cells of objects, and make his arrows even more precise, their reach even broader. It was by this means that Dumoka’s domain had been broken. Nine arrows in the end consumed ninety percent of their power, and the final arrow, so tiny as to be nearly imperceptible, pierced through the opponent’s domain, tore through his outer armor, and left a mark upon his skin. If they faced a third-tier existence, would their domains still appear to him in this way, with a flaw to be found? “In other words, so long as we are not deliberately plotted against, we can fully protect ourselves. That gives us plenty of room to maneuver,” Mu Xingye said, rubbing his chin, lost in thought. On the other side, Dumoka and Felice had also arrived at the room of Wugua Dumo. “That fellow can break my defense, and Felice admits her technique is inferior to that Sun Mon’s. If he is willing to help us, he will be a considerable fighting force,” Dumoka said. “To think he is that formidable! Then this operation should yield a very substantial harvest. What a pity the laws within the canyon have changed, or else we wouldn’t have needed to gather so many people,” Wugua Dumo said, touching his nose. “This time, I will definitely get there before that fellow. By then, we will make the civilization of Hilarys become a vassal of our Wuxi civilization!” “Are you really that obsessed? Isn’t it just that they snatched first place from you once in the wasteland treasure hunt?” Felice asked. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure why I feel this way. In any case, opposing them is the right thing to do! All right, the time is about right. Prepare to depart!” Wugua Dumo said. At his signal, all the contestants in the camp came out. “I apologize. Originally, we had agreed to depart half a day later, but we have now determined that the rest will not be coming, so we have brought the departure forward. Everyone has one hour to prepare. The road ahead is very dangerous. If you wish to claim the final harvest, you must protect yourselves.” In the canyon, a faint mist floated through the air, yet it created an impression of obstruction for everyone. “My detectable range does not exceed twenty meters, but my intuition can sense movement within fifty meters,” Sun Mon transmitted to the other three. “Looks like this place really is unfriendly to technological civilizations! Even my semi-organic armor only has a fifteen-meter detection range. That is hardly better than having none at all. This feeling is awful,” Mu Xingye said. “Kekelaru, how about you?” Sun Mon asked. “Seems fine to me. This fog is like grime on a mirror. It may dim the mirror and even obscure some images, but the general outlines are still visible,” Kekelaru said, looking around. This valley was somewhat different from the outside. At the very least, the plants were much smaller, as though they were the same size as the ordinary vegetation in his own world before entering the game. “You’re serious?” Sun Mon said in surprise, then used his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings. Sure enough, it was just as Kekelaru had said. Combined with his own intuition, he could basically perceive everything nearby. “If it is this simple, why has no one discovered it before? And why is no one speaking of it now?” Kekelaru said. “Previously, they mostly used detection devices to inspect it. Even if someone had come in before, they might not have wanted to share the information with us. As for now, it is probably the same. In competition between civilizations, there is no such thing as true selflessness,” Pix said. “Still, this place seems a bit too quiet,” Mu Xingye said. Along the way, they had not encountered a single danger. “Perhaps the real trial lies ahead. After all, we have not gained any reward on this journey, have we?” Sun Mon said. Soon, the group’s footsteps stopped. Crossing what seemed like a border, they saw before them a colossal spacecraft, and the surrounding mist vanished as well. “The entire ship is made of special metals and variant metals of special metals. The ore in the mountains is merely the result of long years of being stained by this ship!” Mu Xingye said in astonishment. “Are we supposed to mine this thing?” Kekelaru exclaimed. This spacecraft was probably as large as half the planet in their trial world. How had it never been discovered? “As you can all see, I believe the secret to breaking through to the third tier lies within this enormous spacecraft. Though we are competitors, I still hope none of you will kill each other. This ship is so huge that there is more than enough for all of us, isn’t there?” Wugua Dumo said. The moment he finished speaking, several figures burst from the group and charged toward the ship. Seeing this, the others naturally grew anxious and wanted to follow. However, when those few attempted to attack the outer hull and force an entrance, several patterns on the ship’s surface lit up, and the radiance from them instantly sliced the men into pieces. “Heirs of the next era, welcome to the ruins of the flagship of the Sumic civilization.”