Chapter 822: Crushing It Conveniently

At this very hour, within the walls of the newly established East Continent branch,

Elder Xiao Yunhe and Elder Dugu Xiao stood in watchful oversight as their sect's Haotian Team engaged in the regional point qualifiers.

By this time, Jiang Xiaoyue, endowed with a natural aptitude and long-steeped in the ways of the game under Shopkeeper Fang's side, possessed skills that were by no means to be underestimated.

Since it was the inaugural season, save for a select few Master-tier players, the Diamond tier was effectively the absolute ceiling of attainment.

(On the system's leaderboard, the Challenger tier required not only a ranking in League Points but also for those points to reach a specific threshold before the tier would unlock; thus, no Challenger had yet emerged.)

On the other hand, because this was the first time the game had introduced such a tiered competitive system, strategy and mechanics remained in a state of constant, rudimentary evolution, even among those within the Diamond rank.

To achieve such a rank merely signified that one had surpassed the common masses; it did not imply the seamless mastery of techniques and strategic metas that would characterize the seasons years down the line.

Presently unfolding upon the screen was the manipulation of Aurelion Sol in the mid lane, who had just returned to base at level five to purchase equipment and was now heading back out, and her opponent...

"Hehehehe..." Dugu Yi, operating a Master Yi adorned in the Sacred Sword skin, commanded his flying sword as it drifted aimlessly back and forth across the mid lane.

From time to time his blade would flash out, each strike falling precisely when a minion was at its weakest, dealing a fatal blow.

Though constrained by the game's limits and unable to take to the higher skies, he appeared utterly at ease and self-contained.

"Jungler, mid! Come gank mid lane!"

The jungler for the Haotian Team at this moment was Fiora, controlled by Yue Bai, while the Senior Sister, Yu Yin, having been endlessly berated for her lackluster performance as LeBlanc, had now transitioned to the top lane.

Comet of Legend propelled her forward like a torrent sweeping through a galaxy, carrying her toward the mid lane with breathtaking swiftness, just as Yue Bai’s Fiora circumnavigated from the rear of the riverbed.

The Star Forger charged forth like an arrow loosed from its bow, arriving in the blink of an eye before the leisurely Master Yi, as Starsurge erupted into a massive cosmic vortex. Almost simultaneously, a figure materialized abruptly behind the swordsman, sealing him in a pincer attack!

Upon Master Yi’s vestments, the sparks of Ignite had already been kindled; caught between the two, there should have been no hope of survival.

Furthermore, with Starsurge unleashed almost point-blank, if an ordinary man were brushed by even a fraction of that colossal power, dizziness and a loss of balance would be inevitable, and that fleeting moment of delay would ensure there was no path of retreat.

The assault was so sudden that it defied normal human reaction.

Yet at that exact juncture, the Master Yi controlled by Dugu Yi executed a sudden, deliberate step backward.

"Evading?" Human speed could never match the velocity of a simulated stellar core unleashed by Starsurge, and even if this spell was wielded with a power fell short of the seventh realm, it was not something that could be avoided on a whim.

Yet in that very instant, the Master Yi dissolved into a mere shadow of a blade, vanishing from the spot!

The sharp clash of swords rang out, and in the next heartbeat, a shallow streak of crimson appeared upon Fiora's arm.

And Master Yi had already set foot behind her.

Stepping back two paces, the distance for Alpha Strike had been perfectly sufficient; a fraction of a second slower and escape would have been impossible, yet the calculation was flawless, down to the absolute hairbreadth.

Against a sudden ambush, nearly all skills had been completely evaded by this single instance of Alpha Strike!

The swordsman stood beneath the tower with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression entirely serene.

"Excellent!"

"So strong...!" Behind them, Elder Xiao Yunhe, who was watching the battle unfold, could not help but let out a low exclamation, "As expected of the strongest team in the East Continent region...!"

"Mmh—!" Beside him, Sect Master Feng Xuehe offered a gentle, amiable nod, "These young ones are, after all, still a bit green. Compared to these old seniors, they still fall short."

"Though they are beginning to shape up nicely."

"Hahaha!" Watching these disciples continuously grow, there seemed to be nothing that could bring greater joy than this.

If things continued in this manner, perhaps one day, even if he himself could not, these disciples might possess the potential to take that further step...

He took a deep breath, gazing at the sky beyond.

Or perhaps, one day, the Haotian Sect would flourish and achieve true greatness under his stewardship.

"If that comes to pass, then this position of Sect Master... will have been entirely worth it!"

Just then, he suddenly heard his communication jade chime.

"Hmm...!?" Hurriedly drawing out the communication jade, the name displayed upon it was Elder Feng Yan.

"Sect Master—! Disaster! A great disaster has befallen us!"

"What disaster?" Feng Xuehe frowned slightly, showing a touch of displeasure, "What matter could cause such panic? Do cultivators of our generation lack even this much composure!?"

"An immortal! An immortal, I say!?"

"What immortal!?" Feng Xuehe demanded immediately.

At this moment, he too seemed to sense the gravity of the situation.

He looked toward the sky; the weather of late had been perpetually gloomy, an overcast expanse where even the sun was obscured, resembling the eve of a great cataclysm.

"The tribulation... the great tribulation is upon us—!"

"Our Haotian Sect... is in peril!" Within the Ancestral Hall, the old cultivator Feng Yan was deathly pale. He attempted to rise from the ground, only to stagger a few steps and collapse once more.

"It is no use... my spiritual channels are in utter chaos; I cannot circulate my energy to fly at all..."

He could only hurriedly recount the bizarre phenomena that had transpired in the forbidden rear mountains earlier that day.

"What...!?"

Feng Xuehe felt as though he had been struck by a sudden bolt of thunder from a clear sky, his face instantly draining of color.

"This... this is absolutely no joking matter! Elder Feng Yan, is this affair truly genuine!?"

Gazing at the murky sky outside the shop, there was no room for doubt; the omens were already glaringly apparent.

"How can this be...!?"

"Sect Master, what has occurred?!"

"A forbidden... divine punishment!? ...Hahaha!" Within the shop, there echoed only a burst of laughter, chillingly cold yet fraught with utter helplessness.

Crack—!

A howling gale swept in from the doorway, throwing his Daoist crown into complete disarray.

Across the sky outside the shop, another terrifying streak of lightning flashed, resembling the wrath of heaven and earth.

"I wondered why these past few days were filled with continuous anomalies..." an elder remarked in a heavy voice.

In that moment, it was not just them; far across the Continent of Immortal Relics, the Three Saint Sects relayed identical tidings.

Even the West Continent was no exception.

On the first day, wild winds raged, veiling the world in pitch darkness.

On the second day, torrential rains poured without cease, causing the seas to breach the lands!

The serene and peaceful Silver Moon Forest was now shrouded beneath a deluge of rain the likes of which had never been seen before.

Countless elves scrambled for refuge as rivers overflowed their banks. In that beautiful city of White Creek, the waters swallowed the streets, forcing elves of lesser strength to hide within their rooms, trembling with fear.

With hands clasped tightly to their chests, they seemed to pray to their deity to take all this calamity away.

In the neighboring nation of the Morning Light Empire, which was also the homeland of Master Merlin, a current employee at the Canglan City branch.

This ancient kingdom of knights resembled a withered, decaying old tree.

In the deep of night, within this ancient kingdom of knights, one could faintly discern a mere couple of figures hurrying along in great haste.

Yet within the Radiant Divine Hall, the lights remained brilliantly ablaze.

"Form a line! Stop pushing!"

"My Lord... if we are devout enough, will we have the chance in the future to ascend to that supreme kingdom of gods and serve them?"

"Do you truly believe that anyone who wishes can simply serve that exalted being?!" The priest cast a derisive glance at the old man in tattered clothes. "Naturally, it depends entirely on the depth of your devotion!"

Embarrassed, the old man fished a few silver coins stamped with the crest of the Stan Empire from his chest pocket. "This is all the savings this old man has... Could you please show some mercy..."

"Not even a single magic crystal?!" The priest's face turned icy cold.

"Please, show some mercy..." A little girl of five or six, her hair tied in a ponytail, tugged at his sleeve. "Grandpa, he..."

Pale and coughing repeatedly, the old man was clearly unwell as he implored, "Could you please make an exception..."

Flaring with impatience, the priest shoved him to the ground. "Are you trying to brush me off like a beggar?!"

"Grandpa... Grandpa!" The little girl clung to the old man, weeping bitterly.

"Your Excellency, Head Priest," a younger priest wearing holy robes murmured softly, "the offerings collected today... heh heh, they are nearly sufficient."

"The remaining..."

"Continue!" The head priest snorted coldly. "Who says it is sufficient?"

He pointed to the long queue behind them. "With so many devout believers, who says it is enough?!"

"I can tell you with absolute certainty," the priest said coldly, "the humans of this world have incurred the wrath of the gods. Divine punishment will descend soon, and when that time comes... none of you sinners will escape!"

Instantly, the crowd in the rear fell into a frenzy.

...

Within the endless void, upon the Sea of Ten Thousand Immortals.

By the edge of a cliff where white clouds billowed and unrolled, a solitary figure stood gazing down upon the world before him.

His gaze stretched toward the heavens beyond, rather than the mere inches of earth beneath his feet.

"Lord Guiye!" a figure called out, bowing respectfully behind him.

"Do you find it strange... this matter is clearly nothing more than a trivial affair, yet why should a few mortals who overstep their bounds cause such a massive upheaval?"

"Your humble servant dares not speculate."

With a casual wave of his sleeve, a terrifying bolt of celestial lightning streaked past a passing bird, striking a colossal golden roc in the sky.

In the very next instant, that passing bird was instantaneously obliterated into nothingness!

He sneered. "We steer a gargantuan vessel bound for the cosmic void, and along the way, an ant happens to be resting directly in our path. As we press forward, do you think the ant will be crushed, or will this great vessel capsize?"

"Do you understand now?"

"Your subordinate understands. It is merely done in passing, but because this great vessel is simply too immense, it creates the grand illusion of a momentous endeavor."