Volume 3: Global Vanguard & The Advanced Pinnacle
Chapter 218
Spatial Death Blow & The New King's Mettle
Thick dust billowed from the basin of the Venice Arena, carrying the pungent scent of scorched marble and the heavy, salty brine of the Adriatic Sea rushing up through the fissures in the barrier. The half-meter-thick magical alloy arena floor, reinforced by dozens of layers of defense from international Earth Element Grandmasters, was now crisscrossed with deep, jagged fractures resembling the aftermath of a violent earthquake.
At the center of the longest fissure, Arthur took half a step back. The heels of his gold-inlaid knight’s boots grated harshly against the broken stone.
His right hand, gripping the hilt of his sword, trembled slightly. The residual dark purple lightning sparks from the “Thunderbolt - Yaksha Nine Slashes” still crackled across his silver-plated gauntlet, gnawing the protective holy light barrier into ragged, charred streaks. The Holy Sword Judgment, condensing the entire pride of the Windsor royal lineage, not only failed to cleave his opponent’s will in half, but was instead slashed wide open right in mid-air by nine dark-flame-enveloped lightning blades.
A numb sensation spread from his fingertips all the way to his shoulder, causing Arthur’s facial muscles to twitch violently. He abruptly raised his head, his brilliant golden hair slightly disheveled, and stared dead ahead at the teenage figure standing thirty paces away.
Lin Feng was still standing there. His black coat billowed in the fierce wind blowing in from the sea, the hem of his garment lingering with a few flickering sparks of thunder-fire before extinguishing. He had not retreated so much as half an inch. Lin Feng’s breathing was steady, his heartbeat as calm as a battle drum buried deep beneath the earth, and his pitch-black eyes were as tranquil as a winter lake, without a single ripple of agitation.
On the arc-shaped grandstands embracing the Gulf of Venice, the 120,000 spectators erupted into roaring waves of shock. The European nobles sitting in the VIP honorary seats in gorgeous evening wear and shining family crests began to murmur, their usual noble composure gradually replaced by solemn gravity. In the international commentary booth, urgent voices rang out through the magical loudspeaker system:
“Lin Feng of Team Shenzhou didn’t use any high-tier defense magic! He used the sheer violence of his dual Lightning-Fire elements to fight the Holy Sword head-on. This is an absolute crushing of mana control and Spiritual Seed purity!”
Those murmurs pierced Arthur’s ears like sharp thorns driving straight into his ego, nurtured since childhood. He was the peerless prodigy of the British Empire, destined to inherit the magical crown of the Windsor family, the one who always reigned supreme atop every global youth ranking. Before entering this semifinal match, he had proclaimed to the Western media that Eastern magic was merely superficial artistry lacking discipline.
Yet right now, before hundreds of millions of live television viewers across five continents, he was being pushed back by an Eastern mage!
“You lowborn Easterner... where do you get the audacity to be arrogant before me?!”
Arthur roared hoarsely through clenched teeth. Rage scorched his reason, but simultaneously activated all the dormant potential deep within his bloodline. He released his left hand from the sword hilt, spreading wide his five fingers straight toward Lin Feng. If Holy Light could not pulverize his opponent in a single strike, then let his opponent taste ultimate despair before the supreme power of a second magic element—magic reserved exclusively for the world’s most elite bloodlines!
“Boom!”
A bizarre fluctuation abruptly manifested. It was a silent yet bone-chilling distortion. The dazzling golden light surrounding Arthur suddenly transformed, dyed in a transparent, pure silver hue as profound as the cosmic abyss.
Space Element!
“Arthur is switching elements! He’s activating the Space Element!” In the British team’s waiting area, the royal coaches leaped to their feet, their faces radiating triumphant delight.
On the arena stage, Arthur sneered, his voice echoing throughout the warped space: “Lin Feng, I admit your lightning and fire have some bizarre traits. But before the order of space, all crude strength is merely a clownish trick of insects! Taste the royal family’s absolute judgment: Spatial Lockdown - Holy Light Cross!”
The sharp incantation ended, and the entire atmosphere within a twenty-meter radius around Lin Feng instantly froze.
The space surrounding him seemed to transform into a thick, invisible block of solid glass. Gaseous molecules were forcibly driven outward, creating an extreme high-pressure vacuum zone. Simultaneously, four gigantic platinum-colored cross-shaped beams of light plunged from the void into the East, West, South, and North around Lin Feng. Each luminous cross emitted thousands of transparent light chains that tightly bound the spatial coordinates, locking down all paths of movement. Gravity within the invisible cage skyrocketed tenfold, pressing down relentlessly upon every single muscle fiber and bone in Lin Feng’s body.
Multi-dimensional spatial pressure crushed tightly against his chest from all directions, like the giant hand of an invisible deity slowly suffocating his heart. Beneath Lin Feng’s feet, the granite floor began to cave into a pristine circular crater under the terrifying compression.
“Go to hell!”
Arthur clenched his fists, blue veins bulging prominently on his forehead. He didn’t just want to lock Lin Feng down; he wanted to use the contraction of the spatial barrier to fracture every meridian and bone of the man who dared injure his dignity.
Yet right in the eye of the spatial pressure storm, Lin Feng showed not a shred of wavering.
His feet anchored deeply into the sinking stone, his entire body’s muscles strained like bowstrings to resist the tenfold gravity. The blood surging within his body boiled fiercely, the Primordial Dragon Pendant on his chest pressing against his skin and emitting wave after wave of potent warmth, helping protect his heart meridian and internal organs from being crushed to powder. He faintly raised his gaze, looking straight through the distorted spatial barrier toward the far corner of the Shenzhou battle arena.
His eyes met another pair of eyes.
It was Ye Lingtian.
From the start of the match until now, the young man bearing the surname Ye from the capital had stood quietly in the second line. The dark red uniform of the Shenzhou team on his body was uncreased by a single fold, the hem of his robe fluttering softly in the sea breeze. He didn’t participate in explosive offensive attacks like Lin Feng, nor was he ostentatiously loud. He stood there like an ancient stone statue guarding the boundary of heaven and earth.
Yet the arrogant British royal family had made a fatal mistake. They thought that only European noble blood understood the nobility of the Space Element. They completely forgot that standing within the ranks of Shenzhou today was someone hailed as a millennium-rare prodigy of Eastern Spatial Magic!
When Arthur executed Spatial Lockdown, the corners of Ye Lingtian’s mouth curled upward into a chilling arc.
“Brandishing a broadsword before Guan Yu.”
A concise phrase slipped from Ye Lingtian’s lips, low yet carrying the weight of a thousand tons.
He stepped half a step forward, his slender right hand lifting slightly to chest level. Ye Lingtian’s eyes instantly transformed into two deep silver whirlpools, so blindingly bright they eclipsed the midday sun over the Venetian sky. The Spatial Nebula within his spiritual sea spun at a terrifying speed, three hundred and forty-three silver stars linking into an extraordinarily complex stellar chart.
Invisible willpower erupted!
There was no earth-shattering explosion or dazzling brilliance, but the entire spatial structure on the battle stage suddenly groaned violently like a silk fabric ripped apart from both ends by two gigantic hands.
“Spatial Extraction - Ten Thousand Blades Roost!”
Ye Lingtian’s willpower was as precise as the finest surgical blade in the mortal world, avoiding direct frontal collision with Arthur’s entire barrier and instead piercing straight into the weakest energy knot located in the northeast corner—where the Holy Light Cross intersected the Windsor royal family’s mana flow.
“Crack... Crack crack!”
A crisp cascade of sounds echoed through the consciousness of every single mage present. The thick, viscous space surrounding Lin Feng suddenly fractured with a half-meter-long tear. Arthur’s contracting energy current was forcibly bent off course by Ye Lingtian’s psychic force, creating a localized rupture in the lockdown order!
“What?!”
Arthur’s expression changed drastically. He felt his spiritual energy crash against a freezing iron mountain; a stabbing pain shot straight into his brain, causing him to stagger, and his Spatial Lockdown magic trembled violently. He stared in shock at Ye Lingtian—someone he had never once deigned to look at from the very beginning!
“Lin Feng, go!” Ye Lingtian’s voice transmitted sharply into Lin Feng’s ears.
For a top-tier mage like Lin Feng, a fissure lasting a mere 0.1 seconds was more than enough to flip an entire life-and-death game!
“Boom!”
Beneath the soles of Lin Feng’s boots, dark purple lightning erupted fiercely like a rocket leaving its launchpad. Free from the thousand-ton crushing pressure, his figure transformed into an illusory afterimage, gliding past the torn spatial fissure at a velocity exceeding the speed of sound.
“Swift Thunder Illusionary Steps - Shadow Split!”
“Whoosh!”
Arthur’s light-based Holy Sword finally screamed down as it cleaved into the cage, but the slash only passed through an empty afterimage of lightning. The afterimage shattered into dots of purple flame, emitting a mocking screech mid-air.
“He vanished?!” Arthur widened his eyes, his pupils contracting into tiny pinpricks.
“Above your head, captain, watch out!” Eileen’s piercing shriek—the royal princess possessing the Psychic Element—abruptly echoed from the rear lines.
Arthur instinctively looked up in horror. Thirty meters overhead beneath the crystal-blue skies of the Gulf of Venice, Lin Feng was suspended mid-air. Raging lightning bolts coiled around his body like ferocious electric serpents, his black coat fluttering fiercely under the sunlight.
And in Lin Feng’s right hand, an ink-black, abyss-deep spatial tear was slowly opening. That was the gateway leading to the ancient primeval plane—the Summoning Gate!
“You bullied the outnumbered, proud of an unbreakable royal formation?” Lin Feng’s voice echoed like rolling thunder, every single word striking straight into the hearts of the British contestants: “Today, I’ll show you what absolute strength crushing tactical formations looks like!”
“Roar roar roar... BOOM!!!”
A roar carrying primitive majesty and destructive breath from primordial times tore through the atmosphere. The summoning gate exploded into countless dark fragments. From within that infinite darkness, a massive creature plummeted to the ground like a descending meteorite!
“Crash!”
The entire Venice Arena shook violently, offshore sea waves rising dozens of meters high and slamming furiously against the magical seawall. The already-fractured granite floor shattered completely, forming a deep crater up to fifty meters in diameter. The black dust dissipated, revealing a colossal beast body over fifteen meters long!
The Dark Devouring Giant Wolf!
Having fully absorbed the soul essence of the Overlord-class Great Abyss Whale and been cleansed by the primordial blood of the Dragon Pendant, the giant wolf’s pitch-black fur shone like forged steel armor, each hair venting a chilling dark mist. Four sharp talons like death scythes drove into the stone floor, its muscles bulging like miniature mountain ranges. Especially atop its head, a metallic black dragon horn shimmered with mystical ancient runes, radiating the supreme aura of the King of Ten Thousand Beasts!
“ROAR—!”
The giant wolf reared its head and roared to the heavens. The roar carried true Dragon Might Domain, sweeping across the entire arena like an invisible tornado. The aura of a Peak Commander-class nearing Lord-class spread out, plunging the grandstands into a suffocating silence. One hundred and twenty thousand people simultaneously froze, feeling as though a thousand-ton boulder rested upon their chests. The Forbidden Curse-class referees of the International Magic Federation standing on the high platform all changed color, their hands instantly resting upon the supreme defensive barriers.
On the battle stage, the British royal team’s formation fell into complete chaos. The British defensive vanguard consisting of William (Wind Element) and Charles (Light Healing), protecting Arthur from behind, suddenly lost their safe distance.
“Fall back! Erect wind walls!” William screamed in terror, wildly waving his hands as Wind Element mana poured forth frantically to form three dense swirling wind walls blocking their path. Simultaneously, Charles tremblingly raised his magic scepter, chanting to burst forth four interlocking Holy Light Shields glowing brilliantly.
Yet before the Dark Devouring Giant Wolf, those Intermediate defense spells were no different from fragile sheets of paper before the jaws of a ferocious beast.
Lin Feng descended lightly from mid-air onto the giant wolf’s head, his black coat fluttering, his cold voice issuing a command:
“Devourer, sweep them away!”
“Roar!”
The giant wolf roared in response. The dragon horn on its forehead flared with metallic black light. It didn’t pause to accumulate magic, instead using its dozens-of-tons colossal physique to charge forward like an ancient magical armored tank!
“Crash!”
A massive, dark-flame-clad claw swept upward, striking squarely against William’s three wind walls.
“Clang!”
A sound like shattering glass echoed loudly. The three layers of Wind Wings and protective gales were torn into tiny fragments in a tenth of a second! The momentum of the strike did not wane at all; the ferocious gale knocked William backward, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood as the leather magical armor on his chest shredded entirely.
Without stopping, the giant wolf’s spike-laden, iron-whip-like tail swept a flawless circle.
“Boom boom boom!”
Charles’s four Holy Light Shields exploded into countless specks of light the moment they touched the giant wolf’s tail. Physical impact force combined with corrosive lightning fire sent both Charles and William flying straight up into the air, clearing the granite arena boundary and falling freely into the protective sea over fifty meters away!
“Splash! Splash!”
Two white pillars of sea water shot high into the air.
“Clang! Clang!”
The referees’ warning bells rang urgently across the arena: “Contestants William and Charles of the British Royal Team have fallen outside the combat zone! Officially disqualified!”
The stadium gasped in astonishment! In less than thirty short seconds, the stalemated match had been completely ripped apart! The two crucial supporting members of the British Empire had been eliminated from the game in the most brutal and decisive manner possible!
Sea breezes blew across the freezing arena floor. The proud five-member formation of the fog-shrouded kingdom was now reduced to a desolate pair standing amidst the ruins: Arthur and Princess Eileen.
Eileen stepped back a few steps, her exquisite and lovely face turning deathly pale. She was a top-tier Psychic mage, but when facing the Dragon Might Domain from the Dark Devouring Giant Wolf, all her psychic threads were shattered by shock, her brain aching as if pricked by needles, completely unable to condense any disruptive magic against Lin Feng or that ferocious beast.
On the other side, Team Shenzhou had completely tightened its encirclement.
Ye Lingtian advanced leisurely, surrounded by ripples of silver space ready to sever all avenues of escape. On the flanks, Han Yue had frozen the entire sea surface surrounding the arena into a brilliant white icy plain, cutting off any agile movement capability for the opponent; Xie Jiuyuan raised his golden shield, his imposing sacred light locked firmly onto Eileen’s position.
And at the center, Lin Feng stood towering atop the Dark Devouring Giant Wolf, looking down at Arthur from above with the eyes of a hunter gazing upon cornered prey.
Humiliation, bitterness, and unprecedented fury surged like an erupting volcano within Arthur’s chest. He looked around, seeing the devastated arena, seeing his two trusted teammates drifting on the sea surface, seeing the shocked gazes of 120,000 spectators converging upon him. He was the heir of the Windsor dynasty! How could he be defeated here? How could he kneel before an opponent from the East?!
“Lin Feng... You think you’ve won?”
Arthur raised his head to the sky and let out a shrill, terrifyingly distorted scream. His eyes were bloodshot and webbed with fierce red veins, his initial dashing nobility entirely vanished, replaced by the madness of a cornered wild beast. He stepped back, his trembling hand reaching into his robes to pull out an exquisite silver box carved with countless taboo ancient linguistic runes.
“That box... Heavens, what is Arthur trying to do?!” In the VIP grandstands, an English royal duke cried out in extreme terror.
“Click...”
The lid of the silver box cracked open.
A stream of pure white light carrying absolute destruction slowly spilled outward, illuminating the Venetian sky. The surrounding air began to scorch, Han Yue’s ice sheet melted in an instant, and Ye Lingtian’s space shook violently. That was the aura of an ancient magical artifact reaching the preliminary Forbidden Curse tier—”Wing of Holy Light”!
Heaven-shaking mortality pressure descended upon the entire arena. The scent of destruction blanketed every inch of ground. Yet at that exact moment of life-or-death peril, deep within Lin Feng’s spiritual sea, the four spinning Nebulae suddenly emitted a ferocious roar. The dark blue soul essence of the Great Abyss Whale melted entirely, and the barrier separating Intermediate and Advanced began cracking with ear-splitting explosions!
The fateful breakthrough moment was at hand!