Volume 3: Global Vanguard & The Advanced Pinnacle
Chapter 220
Advanced Lightning Magic: Calamity Thunderbolt! Crushing the Prince of Light!
The sea breeze howled violently across the Venice Ocean Arena. Salty waves from the bay lashed mercilessly against the sturdy coral-stone ramparts, sending white spray shattering into midair under the crushing pressure of a thousand tons of magic energy.
The battlefield was in utter ruins after a merciless sequence of clashes. The stone arena floor, embedded with ancient runes, was now crisscrossed with deep, gaping fissures. Countless basalt slabs had been scorched into bubbling red lava, billowing thick, black smoke.
High above the arena, Arthur—the supreme prodigy of the British royal family, hailed by Western media as the “Prince of Light”—hovered arrogantly at an altitude of thirty meters. Behind him, a colossal pair of “Holy Light Wings,” woven from tens of thousands of strands of pure light energy, beat rhythmically. Every flap scattered dazzling dust motes that blinded onlookers. In his right hand, the Royal Greatsword radiated a brilliant golden glow, concentrating the full magic energy of a peak quasi-Advanced mage, perfectly synchronized with a nation-guarding supreme magical tool.
Arthur’s face was brimming with the haughty arrogance of someone standing atop the pinnacle of power. The corners of his mouth curled into an arrogant smile, his voice carrying magic shockwaves that rattled the eardrums of the one hundred and twenty thousand spectators:
“Mo Fan! Your Eastern magic is nothing more than a patchwork of petty parlor tricks. Before the royal Holy Light Verdict, all resistance is meaningless! Kneel obediently and become the stepping stones for my crown!”
Arthur roared, gripping the hilt of the colossal light sword with both hands, preparing to bring down the verdict slash straight onto Mo Fan’s head. Behind him, Eileen and the members of the UK national team poured all their strength into erecting a spatial lockdown barrier, sealing off every single escape route for Team Shenzhou.
Down in the stands, tens of thousands of Shenzhou supporters held their breath. Their fingernails dug deep into their palms until they bled, not daring to blink even for a fraction of a second. The oppressive light pressure sent temperatures on the arena floor skyrocketing, scorching the air with a pungent scent of sulfur.
At the exact microsecond the light sword swung down to its peak, Mo Fan—who had stood motionless amidst the dust clouds until now—suddenly snapped his eyes wide open!
“BOOM!”
An invisible wave of kinetic force erupted from around Mo Fan like a reverse tsunami!
That was not the gaze of an ordinary nineteen-year-old youth. Deep within his profound pupils, a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering phenomenon unfolded: his left eye overflowed with the brilliant, dazzling galaxies of the Space Element, intertwined with the murky, ash-gray vortexes of primordial Chaos; while his right eye was pitch-black and seething with terrifying, violent purple-black lightning, as if a primordial lightning dragon imprisoned in the abyss had just snapped its iron sealing chains!
The aura of a genuine ADVANCED MAGE burst forth, instantly sweeping away all of Arthur’s holy light pressure in the blink of an eye!
The atmosphere across the entire Venice arena suddenly froze solid. The sea waves surging against the cliff walls seemed to suspend midair.
In the VIP honorary gallery, home to the most powerful figures in the magical world, a terrifying commotion erupted.
A Supreme Councilor of the Holy City’s Magic Association dropped his jade tea cup onto the floor, shattering it into pieces. Over a dozen international judges and heads of state simultaneously leaped to their feet from velvet chairs; the ebony stone table before them rattled violently under an uncontrollable psychological shockwave:
“This aura... Awakening the Star River?!”
“Impossible! Overwhelming magic energy, natural elements resonating across ten thousand miles... This is unquestionably the Advanced Realm!”
“How old is he?! Nineteen! A freshman who hasn’t even been in university for a full year, yet he shattered the shackles of human limits and entered the ranks of Advanced Great Mages right on the international stage?!”
The horrified cries of magic bigwigs rang out shrilly. Deans of prestigious European magic academies clutched their heads, their gazes fixed upon the arena as if witnessing a god descending to earth: “A living myth... In a hundred years of human magic history, there has never been a precedent for such a monster!”
Down on the arena floor, the arrogant smile on Arthur’s face vanished instantly. His pupils contracted into two tiny pinpricks, his body trembling out of control. The survival instincts of a genius mage warned him that the human standing before him was no longer a peer competitor, but a bottomless abyss capable of devouring his soul at any moment!
“No... You’re just using heretical magic tools to put up a false front! Die for me!”
Arthur roared hysterically in panic. The Holy Light Wings beat violently, and the twenty-meter-long Royal Greatsword, carrying a temperature capable of incinerating all things, tore the sky apart and cleaved straight down toward the top of Mo Fan’s head!
Facing this terrifying, destructive strike, Mo Fan did not retreat even half a step. His expression was as cold as millennia-old glacial ice, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in a mocking curve:
“Want to see true magic? Then open your eyes wide and watch!”
Mo Fan slowly raised his right hand straight toward the sky.
He did not need to chant lengthy incantations, nor did he need to slowly trace every single Star Path or Star Orbit like ordinary Intermediate mages. Within his vast Spiritual Sea, the 343 purple-black Lightning Element stars glowed brilliantly like a galaxy just awakened from an eternal slumber!
The first seven stars blazed brilliantly, transforming into a Star Path. Seven Star Paths linked rhythmically, forming a dazzling lightning Star Orbit!
One Star Orbit!
Two Star Orbits!
Three Star Orbits... Four... Five... Six... SEVEN STAR ORBITS!
In the span of a single short breath, seven flawless Lightning Element Star Orbits with extraordinarily complex Dao geometric structures simultaneously appeared midair, weaving together in absolute, breathtaking perfection!
“RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!”
When the seventh Star Orbit locked its final connection, a magnificent stellar magic pagoda radiating legendary purple-black hues descended right above Mo Fan’s head!
This was the supreme form that every single mage on earth spent their entire life yearning for: THE LIGHTNING CONSTELLATION!
The emergence of the Constellation caused the space surrounding Mo Fan to violently warp. Thicker-than-wrist black lightning bolts danced wildly across the ground, evaporating seawater into wisps of deep purple mist. Arthur’s brilliant golden light was utterly crushed by the purple-black hue of the Constellation, like a flickering match standing before the midnight sun!
Dark clouds rolled in from the Adriatic Sea at a terrifying speed. Within a radius of ten miles around Venice, the midday dome of heaven suddenly darkened like black ink. Dense, heavily charged thunderclouds churned furiously, forming a colossal ten-thousand-zhang vortex hovering right above the Ocean Arena. The suffocating smell of ozone and concentrated ionic charge made the hairs of one hundred and twenty thousand spectators stand straight up!
“That’s... an Advanced Constellation!” Eileen screamed shrilly behind Arthur, her voice cracking with despair: “Arthur, be careful! That’s Tier 1 Advanced magic!”.
Arthur trembled. His royal sword strike, before it could even graze Mo Fan’s collar, was deflected sideways by the immensely powerful lightning magnetic field, slashing across the sea surface and exploding a thirty-meter-high column of water.
At the epicenter of the roaring thunder and roiling storm clouds, Mo Fan lowered his right hand, pointing his index finger straight at Arthur’s chest.
The sound he uttered was not loud, but it struck everyone in Venice as heavily as a thunderclap right beside their ears:
“Advanced Lightning Magic: CALAMITY THUNDERBOLT — NINE-FOLD THUNDER EXPLOSION!”
“BOOM CRASH!!!”
An eardrum-shattering explosion erupted from the ninth layer of clouds!
The colossal lightning vortex in the sky blasted wide its ferocious maw. Nine purple-black lightning bolts—each as massive as a millennium-old ancient tree, carrying the absolute destructive might of the top-tier Soul-seed “Furious Thunder Absolute Shadow” fused with Star River magic energy—descended simultaneously!
The first bolt of lightning struck!
“CLANG!”
The supreme-grade “Water God Shield” princess Eileen desperately shielded herself with shattered into hundreds of thousands of water fragments in an instant. The surging lightning kinetic force caused Eileen to spit out a mouthful of fresh blood, her slender figure sent flying backward like a withered leaf amidst a tempest!
The second and third lightning bolts crashed down!
Arthur clenched his teeth until they bled, roaring like a beast driven into a desperate corner: “Royal Holy Shield! Block it for me!”.
He raised his magical tool greatsword high, concentrating all his light magic energy into a colossal cruciform shield. Yet, before the calamity might of Advanced magic, the royal shield held firm for barely half a second!
“CRACK... BOOM!”
The Royal Greatsword—the heirloom artifact Arthur had always taken pride in—let out a miserable groan and snapped in two! Razor-sharp metal fragments embedded themselves straight into his armor, and the purple-black lightning instantly conducted into his flesh, scorching every blood vessel and shattering his magical defense system!
And then... the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth bolts descended in rapid succession!
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
The earth shook violently as if a magnitude-eight earthquake had struck the island. The entire coral-stone arena shattered into massive chunks. The seawater beneath the arena floor instantly vaporized from the tens of thousands of degrees Celsius of the Thunder Storm, forming a colossal vacuum crater in the heart of the bay!
The “Holy Light Wings” behind Arthur—the supreme pride of the British royal family—shattered under the storm of calamity lightning into fluttering pieces of glowing dust like falling glass crashing onto the stone floor!
“AAAHHH...!”
Arthur’s terrified scream rang out, only to be instantly drowned out by the thunderclaps. The violent purple-black shockwave blew Arthur and the entire UK royal lineup flying more than fifty meters into midair, tearing through the arena’s isolation barrier and plunging straight into the deep blue waters of Venice Bay!
“SPLASH! SPLASH!”
Figure after figure plunged into the freezing sea water. The defensive magic tools on their bodies were smashed to pieces, their entire bodies charred, completely unconscious!
Black smoke drifted over the boiling sea surface.
The Venice sky, following that heaven-shaking, earth-shattering magic spell, began to disperse its dark clouds, revealing patches of pale golden sunlight shining down upon the ruined arena.
The entire Ocean Arena fell into absolute silence.
A silence that stretched to the point of suffocation. Not a soul dared to utter a sound, not a soul dared to breathe heavily. The one hundred and twenty thousand spectators in the stands widened their eyes, their trembling hands gripping the armrests, frozen stiff as they stared at the scene before them.
Upon the coral-stone arena, which had been melted into a glossy black vitreous glaze, an upright figure stood tall and imposing between heaven and earth.
Mo Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his dark blue robes fluttering slightly in the salty sea breeze. Around his fingertips, tiny purple-black lightning sparks still danced and crackled like the most loyal, submissive spiritual entities. His aura was steady and dignified, like a monarch who had just concluded a victorious foreign expedition!
Single-handedly, he completely crushed Europe’s number one team!
A single Advanced magic spell shattered the millennium-long pride of the British Empire!
In the referee box, the Supreme Referee—a renowned Super-tier Great Mage of the Holy City Association—took nearly ten seconds to regain his composure. His trembling hands picked up the magic microphone, his voice choked with emotion ringing out in all directions:
“The... The British Empire team... all five members have fallen out of the arena and lost their combat capability!”
The referee took a deep breath, raising the deep red command flag high:
“I declare! The winner of today’s Semifinal is... TEAM SHENZHOU!”
“They are officially the first team in the world to secure their place in... THE VENICE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINALS!”
“BOOMMMMM!”
The moment the declaration was finalized, the suffocating silence was shattered instantly!
The entire Venice Ocean Arena erupted like a colossal erupting volcano!
“SHENZHOU CHAMPIONS! SHENZHOU CHAMPIONS!”
“MO FAN! MO FAN! GOD AND DEMON DESCENDED!”
“Oh my god! We won! We defeated the British Empire! We’re in the Finals!”
Tens of thousands of Shenzhou supporters in the stands embraced each other, weeping tears of joy amidst extreme ecstasy. A sea of red flags with five yellow stars fluttered across the skies of Venice, blanketing a corner of the Adriatic Sea. Deafening cheers tore through the clouds, shaking the entire thousand-year-old canal city!
From Team Shenzhou’s waiting area, Mu Ningxue, Mu Nujia, Zhao Manyan, and Jiang Shaoxu rushed straight onto the arena floor.
Mu Ningxue’s clear eyes, normally as cold as frost and snow, were bloodshot at this moment, her eyelashes brimming with tears of joy. Mu Nujia smiled radiantly, the emerald feather in her hand waving to conjure floral winds that uplifted the entire team. Zhao Manyan roared like a madman, lunging forward to wrap his arms around Mo Fan’s shoulders:
“Mo Fan! You did it! Damn it, you actually did it! Advanced Constellation... What kind of monster from the heavens are you?!”
Jiang Shaoxu stood nearby, looking at her companion with complex eyes, yet the depths of her gaze held only absolute admiration and reverence. He understood that from the moment the Lightning Constellation shone, Mo Fan had officially stepped onto an entirely new height—a height that the entire younger generation of humanity could only gaze up at in awe!
On international television broadcasts, veteran commentators shouted themselves hoarse into their microphones:
“Ladies and gentlemen watching the live broadcast globally! You have just witnessed a historic moment in twenty-first-century magic! A nineteen-year-old young man from Shenzhou has shattered the Advanced barrier right here in the Semifinals, using a ‘Calamity Thunderbolt’ spell to sweep the British royal team! Without a doubt, Mo Fan is destined to be humanity’s greatest future Archmage!”
Amidst the sea of cheering people and the most brilliant halo of a peak competitive magic career, Mo Fan smiled with relief.
He slowly closed his eyes, immersing his consciousness deep within his spiritual sea.
Beside the vast, surging Lightning and Fire Star Rivers, along with the abundant vitality of the Shadow and Summoning Nebula... in the two deepest corners of his spiritual sea, two primitive nebulas—two pristine “Star Dusts” newly formed after the moment of Advanced breakthrough—were quietly revolving.
A crystal-clear, silvery-white Star Dust, radiating mystical spatial magic fluctuations.
A mysterious ash-gray Star Dust, concealing the twisting, world-upsetting rules of primordial Chaos!
The Innate Dual Elements awakened for the third time!
Six Elements Cultivated in Harmony!
Lightning, Fire, Shadow, Summoning, Space, Chaos!
Mo Fan clenched his fists, feeling the surging magic energy flowing through his veins like an ocean lake. The Advanced realm was attained, and the gateway to the pinnacle of world magic had completely opened before him!
Yet, the moment Mo Fan opened his eyes to wave to the spectators alongside his teammates, the Archaic Dragon Jade pendant pressed against his chest suddenly gave a chilling jerk!
A wave of sinister, foul, rotting chill surged straight from the Dragon Jade into his mind.
Mo Fan started, his gaze instantly sweeping past the ecstatic crowd, looking far out across the open sea of Venice Bay.
Deep beneath the gloomy sea out there, where the stone foundation pilings of the floating city were driven deep into the earth, rivers of pitch-black water reeking with a foul, bloody stench were secretly surging...
The smile on Mo Fan’s lips gradually faded, replaced by a gaze as sharp as a sword just drawn from its scabbard.
The Semifinals had concluded, and the ticket to the World Finals was securely in his grasp. But he knew very well... a hundred times darker and bloodier nightmare was silently encircling the city of Venice!