Chapter 243: Nine Hundred Years into the Tournament! Qin Feng's Strength Skyrockets, Nine Hundred Layers

Chapter 243: Nine Hundred Years into the Tournament! Qin Feng's Power Soars, Nine Hundred Floors of Golden Tower! A Bloodbath Begins!

On the ice cavern planet, deep within the eternal, unchanging layers of azure ice.

Time had lost its meaning here; only the tides of energy surged in silence.

Qin Feng sat cross-legged, like an ancient stone statue that had endured for eons, a thin layer of crystalline ice covering his body—the result of escaping energy instantly freezing the ether particles in spacetime.

Around him, the more than one hundred thousand iron tree blossoms plundered earlier from the "Starry Iron Tree" resource point, along with the vast resources obtained from slaying a thousand star-level martial artists, had transformed into a dazzling river of energy.

This river rotated slowly, with Qin Feng at its core.

The supreme cultivation method, *Ten Complete Hands*, operated within his body with unprecedented efficiency.

The ten invisible divine hands, formed from spiritual runes and imprints, had now become true hands of creation.

They guided, purified, and compressed the boundless sea of energy with a rhythm incomprehensible to mortals, pouring it meticulously into the [Undying Tower] within Qin Feng's spiritual domain, hammering and forging it relentlessly.

Outside, time passed in the blink of an eye.

Forty years—a lifetime for mortals, but for star-level martial artists with their long lifespans, merely a fleeting moment.

Yet in that instant, Qin Feng's life level underwent a earth-shattering leap.

The energy river in his secluded space finally faded into silence after the last wisp of light was fully absorbed.

Qin Feng, who had kept his eyes tightly shut, felt his eyelids tremble slightly as he slowly opened them.

Boom—!

At that moment, the entire ice cavern planet trembled.

It was not a physical shaking, but a shudder born from the chaos of the spiritual psychic force field.

Two beams of condensed, solid golden divine light shot from his eyes, easily piercing the planet's tens of thousands of kilometers of ice and crust, shooting into the cold depths of space, extending nearly a light-year before slowly dissipating.

Qin Feng's consciousness was fully immersed in his spiritual domain, that sacred soul sanctuary deep in subspace.

Once, the [Undying Tower] was a holy silver-white creation.

Now, half of this towering giant, a million light-years tall, had been dyed from its base into a brilliant, eternal, immortal pure gold.

Fully five hundred floors, five million light-years in height, had turned entirely to gold!

The remaining half of the tower remained silver-white, but against the backdrop of this half-gold, it appeared even more sacred.

Gold and silver complemented each other, creating an indescribable harmony and grandeur.

Countless intricate golden runes slowly flowed across the tower's surface, like the traces of the Great Dao at the dawn of the universe, exuding a terrifying aura that suppressed the ages and stood supreme.

Merely gazing upon it was enough to shatter the spiritual will of an ordinary star-level martial artist.

"Five hundred floors... five million light-years..."

Qin Feng murmured to himself, clearly feeling the power contained within this half-golden tower—a qualitative leap, entirely different from before.

He slowly raised his hand and clenched it into a fist.

A simple punch from him could completely erase an ordinary star from the physical level.

Such was the might of pure gold spiritual power.

Five million light-years!

What a terrifying number!

A golden Undying Tower of such scale was forged from Qin Feng's spiritual power; his spiritual strength had reached an unimaginable level.

"Powerful... a hundred times more powerful than before."

Qin Feng felt this power, but instead of ecstasy, a deeper doubt arose in his heart.

It was precisely because he had reached this height that he could better appreciate the terror of Yan Sheng, the prodigy of the Holy Spirit Fire Clan who had hunted him for thirty years.

"How strange..."

Qin Feng frowned, lost in thought.

"With my current strength, looking back at that battle, I can clearly judge that Yan Sheng's power back then was absolutely far above mine now.

He could have killed me with ease, not even needing thirty years—perhaps a single encounter would have sufficed."

"But why... did he hunt me for thirty years without ever completely erasing me?"

Once this thought arose, it grew like a vine.

"I can sense that he truly used all his strength to hunt me—that relentless killing intent, that disregard for cost, was no act."

Qin Feng's mind raced, eliminating possibilities one by one. "He wasn't toying with me, nor was he holding back.

He wanted to kill me, but some force restricted him, preventing him from unleashing his full power."

In a flash of thought, a possibility emerged in his mind.

"Could it be... the tournament organizers?"

"Yes, that's the only possibility.

To maintain some balance in the competition, or to achieve a specific screening purpose, the organizers imposed some kind of restriction on the myriad-race prodigies deployed as 'hunters.'

An invisible shackle locked away their true power."

Understanding this, Qin Feng's mind cleared.

To verify his hypothesis and plan his next move, Qin Feng reached out through the subspace friend channel to contact Caesar.

Almost the moment the message was sent, the space before Qin Feng rippled violently.

A pure white light door opened out of nowhere, and Caesar, clad in resplendent golden armor with sacred wings faintly visible behind him, stepped through.

His aura was more flamboyant and condensed than forty years ago, clearly having made tremendous progress.

"Qin Feng,"

Caesar said, his golden eyes flickering with a trace of barely perceptible surprise at the sight of Qin Feng. "Your aura... has changed again. More restrained, yet more dangerous."

"You're not bad either,"

Qin Feng nodded, getting straight to the point. "Forty years in seclusion—what have you gained?"

"Fairly smoothly."

A confident smile appeared on Caesar's face. He did not hide it. "With the resources plundered earlier, I've managed to temper two-tenths of my [Undying Sacred Feather]—that is, two million light-years—into pure gold.

According to the intelligence I've gathered, this progress should firmly place me in the first tier among all surviving martial artists."

He paused, looking at Qin Feng with a hint of inquiry.

Qin Feng calmly extended one hand, spreading five fingers. "I was lucky. I completed half."

The smile on Caesar's face instantly froze.

His golden eyes widened slightly; even with his composure, he could not hide his shock.

Half—that was five million light-years!

More than double his own!

His own progress of two million light-years was already the limit among human prodigies, enough to look down upon the masses.

And Qin Feng had directly reached a terrifying realm that left him in awe.

After a brief shock, Caesar let out a long sigh, shook his head with a smile, and said, "Monster... you, my friend, are an absolute monster. A lead that's a league apart, truly worthy of the top combatant. It seems the championship of this tournament is yours for the taking."

There was no jealousy in his tone, only pure amazement and admiration.

"I was just lucky."

Qin Feng's voice remained calm, tinged with a hint of reminiscence.

This was not modesty.

He knew well that his current achievements were partly due to the miraculous effects of the "Ten Complete Hands" and his own relentless "grind," but even more so to the choices and opportunities at critical junctures.

"If back in the 117th galaxy, I hadn't chosen to join forces with Cang, Yan Wu, and Leng Yu to seize that Hive Will Core from the Zerg and the Mechanical Clan, everything might have been different."

"Without that gain, I wouldn't have been able to lay the perfect foundation at the Planetary Stage so quickly. Every subsequent step would have been delayed. One step slow, and every step follows suit."

Qin Feng mused inwardly.

In this brutal tournament spanning nearly a millennium, what mattered wasn't how high one's realm was at a certain point in time.

It was whether, compared to other competitors of the same era, your relative combat strength had always remained in the lead.

From the Planetary Stage onward, he had struggled to ensure he stayed in the first tier.

It was this snowballing marginal advantage, accumulated over nearly a thousand years, that ultimately forged today's terrifying, league-apart lead.

"Alright, enough of that."

Caesar quickly adjusted his mindset, his expression turning serious. "Qin Feng, there's something you need to know right away. During the time you were in seclusion, the tournament rules have undergone a revolutionary change."

"Oh?"

Qin Feng's heart stirred.

"It's now the 902nd year of the tournament."

Caesar said succinctly.

"The 902nd year..."

Qin Feng immediately understood Caesar's implication. "The rules were updated at the 900th year?"

"Exactly. Look at the announcement in your jade token yourself. There's a lot of information."

Caesar gestured.

Qin Feng nodded and immersed his mind into his identity jade token.

Sure enough, a pinned announcement glowing with a blood-red light caught his eye.

The release time was exactly the 900th year of the tournament.

Qin Feng read it word by word, his expression growing increasingly solemn as he absorbed the content.

[Announcement: The tournament has reached the 900th year]

Qin Feng's gaze swept over the first line, and he understood in his heart: the true final phase had begun.

[The number of Galaxy-level resource points deployed has increased tenfold]

"Tenfold... The organizers are forcing everyone to push their strength to the limit in this final sprint."

Qin Feng thought to himself.

[The subspace chain restrictions on the ten prodigies of the myriad races have been lifted]

Seeing this line, Qin Feng's pupils sharply contracted.

"Just as I thought!"

His speculation was confirmed.

The so-called "subspace chains" must have been the shackles limiting the strength of Yan Sheng and the others.

Now, those shackles were removed.

This meant that from now on, he would face the full, unrestrained power of true half-step Galaxy-level, or even Galaxy-level prodigies!

And it also meant that his earlier estimate of Yan Sheng's strength was wrong; even the five-hundred-layer tower might not be enough to kill Yan Sheng now.

But since they hadn't reached Galaxy-level, below that level, no matter how strong they were, Qin Feng was confident he could hold his own.

[Deploy one half-step Galaxy-level chosen of Tzeentch, one chosen of Khorne, one chosen of Nurgle, and one chosen of Slaanesh]

"Tzeentch... Khorne..."

Qin Feng smiled. "So they really did create chosen of the Chaos Gods."

[After the 900th year of the tournament, being killed by a prodigy of the myriad races, a chosen of the Chaos Gods, or the Mechanical Clan will result in direct elimination, with the final ranking based on the points at the time of elimination]

"No chance of rebirth even against the Mechanical Clan..."

Qin Feng's eyes sharpened.

This meant that against these "elite monsters," one mistake would lead to direct elimination.

The margin for error had been reduced to zero.

[Starting from the 900th year of the tournament, all surviving martial artists' points will be reset to zero]

"Reset?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. This meant everyone was back to the same starting line.

[After the 900th year of the tournament, a martial artist who kills another martial artist gains 1 point]

[If a martial artist encounters another martial artist but does not kill them, 1 point is deducted]

When he saw these two rules, even Qin Feng couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

"What ruthless rules..."

He instantly understood the deeper implication.

This was forcing all martial artists into endless mutual slaughter.

Meeting meant a life-or-death decision.

Either you kill him and gain 1 point;

Or both of you, failing to kill the other, lose points.

Fleeing meant losing points.

Peaceful coexistence also meant losing points.

This completely eliminated any form of alliance, teaming up, or even temporary truce.

From this moment on, the entire war zone would transform into a true dark forest.

Every survivor was prey to everyone else.

[Killing a prodigy of ten thousand races, gained 1000 points]

[Killing the Evil God's Chosen, gained 1000 points]

"High risk, high reward. This is luring the topmost experts to actively hunt those 'elite monsters'."

Qin Feng analyzed.

[The territory of the great war zone begins to shrink; after nine hundred and fifty years of competition time, only one hundred galaxies will remain.

Nine hundred and sixty years: ten galaxies left.

Nine hundred and seventy years: one galaxy left; nine hundred and ninety years: only one hundred star systems will remain.]

"The circle is shrinking..."

A glint of sharp light flashed in Qin Feng's eyes.

This was the final and most lethal link.

The ever-shrinking space of activity would squeeze all survivors, like toothpaste, into the final narrow area for a blood-soaked ultimate contest.

All the rules linked together formed a net that heaven cannot escape, a bloody meat grinder.

"Hoo..."

Qin Feng finished reading all the announcements, slowly exhaled, and closed the jade token interface.

"Now, the situation is completely clear."

He looked at Caesar, "The final hundred years are the true essence of this cosmic genius battle."

"Indeed,"

Caesar's expression was also extremely serious, "I checked; in just these two short years since the announcement, the number of surviving martial artists has plummeted from ten billion to around one hundred million."

"Only one hundred million left?"

Qin Feng was also somewhat surprised.

This meant that during the hundred years from competition year 801 to 900, ninety-nine billion martial artists were eliminated, an elimination rate of ninety-nine percent.

The degree of brutality was evident.

"Moreover, this competition system is a bit too outrageous."

Qin Feng's gaze fell on Caesar, and he suddenly felt a bit dazed, "First, the shrinking circle compresses the martial artists' space; then martial artists must kill each other, and if the opponent escapes, one point is deducted... wait."

He pointed at himself, then at Caesar: "We've met now, but we haven't fought each other..."

"It's fine, losing one point is nothing; some things must be said face to face."

Caesar smiled freely, completely unconcerned.

The cost of this one point was insignificant compared to the information he was about to convey.

"Mm."

Qin Feng nodded, accepted his words, and continued, "With the activity space compressed like this, plus forced mutual killing, and the covetous Machine Race, Chaos Chosen, Prodigies of Ten Thousand Races... Caesar, on the road ahead, I'm afraid we can no longer team up."

"That's how it is."

Caesar's gaze became extremely sharp; he pointed at the blood jade skull hanging at Qin Feng's waist as a trophy, "Qin Feng, don't forget our special trait.

We are 'Chaos Banes'.

Without exaggeration, those four so-called 'Evil God's Chosen' are the 'feast' prepared for us by the competition organizers!"

Qin Feng's heart tightened; he immediately understood Caesar's meaning.

They could plunder the power of the Chaos-blessed by killing them, allowing their own life force and soul levels to undergo a qualitative leap.

These four half-step galaxy-level Chosen were death-dealing reapers to others, but to them, they were supreme nourishment for reaching higher realms!

"Furthermore,"

Caesar's tone grew even heavier, "Through the internal channels of the Blood Angels Legion, I obtained some top-secret intelligence about the final rewards.

The top hundred of the great war zone are all qualified to enter the 'Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races'—we all know that.

But what I didn't know is that the rewards for first, second, and third place are worlds apart!"

He took a deep breath and said word by word, "This reward even concerns whether we can smoothly advance to that legendary realm above the Black Hole level—the Domain Lord!"

"Domain Lord..."

In Qin Feng's pupils, for the first time, a flame called ambition burned.

The path of martial arts is endless.

He had never imagined that the final reward of this grand competition would already touch upon such a lofty level.

You see, after the Black Hole level, whether one can forge their own path or create their own method is very uncertain.

Some Black Hole level martial artists waste away for millions or even tens of millions of years!

And the competition's reward actually concerns breaking through to the Domain Lord realm above the Black Hole level!

"Therefore,"

Caesar's gaze burned as he looked at Qin Feng, "We must not only survive to the end, but also at all costs, contend for the top three seats!

For this, we must act separately, to hunt and plunder with the utmost efficiency!"

He glanced at the surrounding environment and continued, "According to my intelligence, among the current survivors, there are about a hundred or so martial artists who have tempered their Indestructible Projection to twenty percent gold.

These people are our main competitors.

And you, Qin Feng, you have fifty percent progress; your strength is still far ahead.

This is your greatest advantage!"

"Go quickly,"

Caesar's figure began to grow ethereal, a sign that he was actively cutting off the warp transmission, "Before we meet again, I hope we both stand at the very top of the leaderboard. Then, we'll have a true duel!"

"Mm."

Qin Feng nodded heavily, battle intent surging in his eyes.

Caesar's figure, accompanied by a "Take care," completely vanished into the twisted space.

Inside the empty ice cavern, only Qin Feng remained.

He stood quietly, feeling the vast, star-sea-like power within him, his mind rapidly digesting the massive amount of information just obtained.

New rules, new enemies, new goals.

The long accumulation and forbearance that had lasted nine hundred years finally reached the final tipping point at this moment.

Ahead lay a Shura field of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

But in Qin Feng's heart, there was not a trace of fear, only an irrepressible, overwhelming battle intent about to sweep across the entire great war zone.

He raised his head, his gaze as if piercing through the endless ice layers, looking toward that starry sky about to be fully ignited by war and slaughter.

...

Caesar's figure disappeared into the ripples of the warp, and the depths of the ice cavern planet returned to eternal silence.

Qin Feng stood still for a moment, then sank his mind once more into the identity jade token.

Beneath the blood-colored announcement lay a dynamically updated, boundless cosmic star chart.

At this moment, the star chart, representing the entire war zone’s territory, was contracting inward at its edges—visible to the naked eye, yet seeming agonizingly slow.

“It looks like it’s shrinking very slowly…”

Qin Feng’s gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, instantly piercing the terrifying truth beneath the surface: “But that’s on the macro scale of the entire war zone.

In this star chart, even a single insignificant pixel could encompass several or even dozens of star systems.

At this rate of collapse, the actual speed is already terrifying beyond measure.”

It was like gazing at a distant star, feeling it had stood still for eons, when in truth it was hurtling through the cosmos at thousands of kilometers per second.

The star chart shrank, yet the flickering points of light upon it multiplied at an astonishing pace.

Each of those points represented a newly deployed galaxy-level resource node.

Dense as the stars on a summer night, they nearly covered every corner of the chart.

“The number of galaxy-level resource nodes is too many.”

Qin Feng calculated swiftly. “At least ten thousand.” His mind raced, weighing the survival logic under the new rules.

“If this were before the nine hundredth year of the competition, such a deluge of resources would be a colossal stroke of fortune, enough to let every surviving martial artist feast to their heart’s content.

But unfortunately… now, the rules have changed.”

Encounter a martial artist, and it’s life or death.

Those twelve simple words had twisted this fortune into a bloody purgatory.

“Galaxy-level resource nodes: roughly ten thousand.

Surviving martial artists: still around a hundred million.”

Qin Feng’s mental arithmetic rivaled the most advanced neural processors. “If distributed evenly, each resource node would gather nearly ten thousand star-level martial artists.

And according to the rules, only one can survive in the end… no, not even one, because there will always be latecomers joining the fray.”

Ten thousand star-level powerhouses, locked in a deathmatch for the sole right to survive and the resources to ascend.

The mere thought of such a scene would make gods and demons tremble.

“In such brutal slaughter, the one who ultimately triumphs must have plundered the accumulated gains of all the other ten thousand.”

Qin Feng’s reasoning grew sharper. “By then, those final victors will undergo a terrifying leap in power.

Their undying projections will likely be tempered to thirty percent, even fifty percent gold.”

“Then, with that strength, they must face the shackle-free, full-powered prodigies of myriad races and the mysterious chosen of the evil gods, vying for the massive 1,000-point bounty.”

“After all, the final overall ranking depends on points.”

Every scheme, every slaughter, ultimately pointed to those two words: “points.”

His thoughts were now crystal clear; the path ahead was illuminated.

In Qin Feng’s eyes, there was no trace of confusion left—only ice-cold resolve and an unstoppable killing intent.

“My advantage lies in efficiency.”

“The Tenfold Hand is my sole and greatest reliance in this bloody meat grinder.

I cannot afford to abandon my core advantage.”

“While others are still struggling to temper ten percent of their golden projection through bitter slaughter and resource hoarding, I must use the Tenfold Hand’s heaven-defying efficiency to leave them in the dust.

If my strength can achieve a true, decisive lead, I will become the first—and the only one—qualified to ‘harvest’ those 1,000-point ‘feasts’!”

“Race for time, race for resources, race for points!”

The plan took shape in an instant.

Martial artists who survive to the end may all perfect their killing realms;

Powerhouses who laugh among the top hundred may all step into the galaxy level.

At the finish line, everyone’s raw strength might converge.

But on this bloody track to the finish, whoever runs faster can sweep away all the “signposts” and “supplies” ahead, leaving latecomers with no path to tread and no food to eat!

Qin Feng’s Tenfold Hand perfectly matched the inner logic of this ultimate speed race.

He hesitated no longer.

The next instant, Qin Feng’s figure was wrapped in the light of subspace, vanishing completely from the icy planet.

Following the star chart’s guidance, he chose the nearest galaxy-level resource node from his current location.

…

In the cold, dead depths of cosmic space, a scene beyond imagination unfolded before Qin Feng’s eyes.

A vast, boundless “ocean” hung silently among the starry sea.

Its size rivaled that of a dozen giant star systems lined up together.

This ocean was not made of ordinary water, but of liquid spiritual energy—shimmering with a hazy treasure light, containing endless life force and mental power.

Its borders were formed by dense interstellar dust, gas clouds, and gravitationally captured asteroid belts, creating a natural “seabed” and “coastline.”

[Galaxy-Level Resource Node: Ninefold Immeasurable Sea]

The jade token clearly marked the information of this place.

“The Immeasurable Sea is divided into nine layers.

From the outer to the inner, each layer deepens, and the energy grade of the seawater increases geometrically.”

Qin Feng’s gaze pierced through the layered waves of spiritual energy, reaching the deepest part of the ocean—the core region that had nearly solidified into crystal.

At this moment, on the surface of the Immeasurable Sea—the first layer—it had already become a battlefield of extreme brutality.

Tens of thousands of star-level martial artists, like sharks drawn to the scent of blood, had already arrived.

They frantically activated their respective techniques, devouring the pure energy in the Immeasurable Sea’s waters, trying to boost their cultivation as quickly as possible.

But at the same time, even more frantic was the slaughter among themselves.

Under the new rules, any hesitation or mercy was a betrayal of one’s own life and points.

There were no alliances, no friends, no comrades here.

Every figure that came into view was an enemy to be eliminated—a walking pile of points and resources.

“Kill!”

A martial artist wielding a giant axe had just drawn a water dragon of seawater into his body, but before he could refine it, a poisoned black dagger pierced his undying projection silently from behind.

“You…”

The axe-wielder’s eyes bulged in fury as he turned back, only to see a cold face shrouded in shadow.

His body and undying projection, under the corrosion of the poison, exploded with a roar.

Yet before the assassin could collect his spoils, a rain of meteorites blazing with fierce fire covered all his escape routes from above.

Boom—

A chaotic melee!

There was no tactic or formation here, only the most primal, bloodiest law of the jungle.

Over ten thousand top-tier powerhouses, having completed the “Foundation of the Eternal Singularity” and possessing indestructible projections spanning tens of millions of light-years, engaged in an unprecedentedly bloody free-for-all across this vast sea.

Among them, some exuded an especially formidable aura.

A faint layer of golden radiance had already begun to shimmer upon their indestructible projections, clearly indicating they had successfully tempered portions of their projections into gold.

Facing these powerhouses who had already taken the lead, even Qin Feng knew that slaying them would require considerable effort.

But only considerable effort—nothing more.

Qin Feng’s eyes betrayed not a single ripple.

Without hesitation, he took a step forward and instantly plunged into this battlefield of blood and fire.

…

The battle had erupted the very second Qin Feng set foot into the Boundless Sea.

He was like a meteor crashing into a tranquil lake, instantly stirring up towering waves.

The moment he unleashed his half-gold, half-silver majestic ancient tower, towering five million light-years high, the terrifying pressure it emitted, like a black hole, instantly cleared the surrounding area.

“What is that?!”

“Half… half of his indestructible projection is already gold?!”

“Where did this monster come from?!”

The surrounding martial artists, feeling that soul-shivering pressure, revealed expressions of sheer terror for the first time.

But the shackles of the new rules left them no room to retreat.

“Kill him! The resources on him must be unimaginably vast!”

A martial artist whose indestructible projection was the “Lord of Magma” reacted first.

With a furious roar, he launched the initial attack.

He knew that against a powerhouse of this level, only a concentrated assault could offer a glimmer of hope.

Yet, what answered him was Qin Feng’s merciless spear thrust.

“Mountain of the Primeval Wilds.”

Qin Feng, gripping the Star-Swallowing Spear, thrust it out flatly.

The movement was simple and direct, yet it contained the supreme might to suppress the ages.

The half-gold, half-silver [Indestructible Tower] rumbled violently, unleashing a torrent of vast spiritual power that instantly coalesced at the spear tip into a condensed phantom of an ancient primordial mountain.

This mountain was utterly different from the one he had used forty years ago.

It was no longer merely “intent” but had nearly become “substance,” approaching the realm of mastery.

Upon its body, ravines crisscrossed, the textures of rock were clearly visible, and even wisps of chaotic qi from the dawn of the universe coiled around it.

Boom—!

The phantom mountain collided head-on with the roaring Lord of Magma.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a grating sound of annihilation.

That towering Lord of Magma, spanning tens of millions of light-years, along with its original martial artist, couldn’t hold for even an instant. It shattered inch by inch from head to toe, dissolving into specks of light, vanishing completely into the Boundless Sea.

One strike, instant kill!

This sight made the hearts of all the surrounding martial artists, who had been itching to act, skip a beat.

But Qin Feng’s movements did not pause for a moment.

His figure transformed into a streak of gold-and-silver light, charging straight into the densest part of the crowd.

Thus began a bloody slaughter that would last an entire year.

For the first three months, Qin Feng’s presence was mainly active in the first to third layers of the Boundless Sea.

Here, the martial artists were the most numerous but relatively weaker; the vast majority had not yet begun to temper their golden spiritual power.

For Qin Feng, slaying them cost almost no effort.

His combat style was simplicity itself.

He fully activated the pressure domain of the [Indestructible Tower], and the terrifying force field derived from five million light-years of golden spiritual power was enough to suppress any indestructible projection below ten million light-years, hindering its operation and greatly reducing its might.

Then came the performance of the Star-Swallowing Spear.

The technique [Mountain of the Primeval Wilds], in his hands, had long reached perfection, executed with divine skill.

With every spear thrust, an ancient primordial mountain crushed down.

Pfft!

Rows upon rows of martial artists fell like harvested wheat.

Their indestructible projections, before Qin Feng’s martial intent, were as fragile as glass.

Qin Feng was like a tireless killing machine—efficient, precise, and cold.

He didn’t even need to employ much technique; merely relying on absolute suppression in realm was enough to sweep everything.

Countless martial artists tried to gang up on him, only to be obliterated, along with their formations, by his even more brutal demeanor.

Countless others, upon witnessing his terror, attempted to flee deeper into the Boundless Sea.

But Qin Feng’s spiritual power had already locked onto every inch of this sea region; anyone trying to escape would be singled out and slain with a single spear thrust.

When Qin Feng had slaughtered his way through the first three layers and stepped into the fourth layer, he finally encountered some decent resistance.

The martial artists who could stand here were all ruthless characters.

Most of them had already succeeded in tempering about ten percent of their indestructible projections into gold.

Though their martial intent was far less condensed than Qin Feng’s, it had begun to take shape, no longer a mere clash of pure energy.

“Finally, someone worthy!”

A martial artist whose indestructible projection was the “Judgment Scale” blocked Qin Feng’s path.

One end of his scale projection was gold, the other silver, with the gold portion accounting for roughly twenty percent.

“Your sin shall be judged by death!”

He let out a cold shout, tilting the scale toward Qin Feng.

“Your strength is far too lacking!”

Qin Feng sneered.

He no longer relied solely on brute force to overpower.

Upon the Star-Swallowing Spear, the martial intent of [Mountain of the Primeval Wilds] was driven to its extreme.

That ancient primordial mountain seemed to come alive.

Rumble—

The divine mountain and the scale of judgment clashed directly in the spiritual realm.

The scale of judgment tried to pry the mountain, only to find that its “weight” had long surpassed the limit it could bear.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the golden side of the scale was the first to show a fissure.

“Impossible!”

The martial artist cried out in shock.

What answered him was Qin Feng’s unstoppable spear thrust.

The spear pierced through the scale’s crack, detonating it completely. Then, with undiminished momentum, it pierced through the martial artist’s brow as terror filled his eyes.

The battle began to require some “skill.”

Qin Feng no longer simply crushed his foes; he started to savor the slaughter.

He turned this sea region into the perfect training ground to test his cultivation and hone his killing arts.

He waged a three-day chase against a martial artist whose Indestructible Projection was the “Book of Ten Thousand Laws.”

He fought a grueling battle in the crevices of subspace against an assassin whose Indestructible Projection was the “Crown of Darkness.”

Qin Feng even single-handedly took on three top experts who had tempered twenty percent of their golden projections, and after paying a slight price, he slew all three.

Battle, battle, endless battle.

Qin Feng’s killing aura, through this sustained bloodshed, grew ever purer.

His spear technique, through thousands of life-and-death struggles, became increasingly seamless, only a hair’s breadth away from the realm of “mastery.”

When the ninth month arrived, from the first to the eighth layer of the Ninefold Boundless Sea, not a single living martial artist could be found.

All survivors were forced into the ninth layer, the core region where energy had nearly crystallized into solid form.

Here, fewer than a hundred remained.

And these hundred were true elites, carved out from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood among over ten thousand experts.

Each of them possessed at least thirty percent golden projection; their strength, if placed in the outside world, would rank in the top ten thousand of the combat power list—the absolute first echelon.

When Qin Feng stepped into the ninth layer, the brief melee there stopped for the first time.

Over ninety gazes fell upon him in unison.

In those eyes were gravity, wariness, madness, but more than anything, the cold killing intent of predators meeting their kind.

They all knew that Qin Feng before them was their final and most formidable enemy.

“Kill him first, then we settle the score!”

Someone let out a roar.

The next moment, over ninety top experts, without a word, formed a temporary alliance.

Over ninety Indestructible Projections, each spanning ten million light-years and blazing with golden light, rose simultaneously.

Sword beams, blade glints, thunder, flames, curses…

Attacks that could annihilate heaven and earth surged from all sides, utterly engulfing Qin Feng.

Facing this combined assault that could wipe out several galaxies, a delighted smile appeared on Qin Feng’s face.

“Well met!”

He let out a long cry, and behind him, the half-gold, half-silver ancient tower blazed with dazzling light.

He chose neither defense nor evasion.

Instead, he chose the most violent, the most brutal—a head-on clash!

The battle continued for three full months. During those months, Qin Feng faced the siege of over ninety martial artists, all of considerable strength.

This put immense pressure on him, and his proficiency in killing arts soared.

Finally, in the twelfth month since Qin Feng entered the resource point, the eighth-level killing art, Cangmang Mountain, reached the realm of mastery!

This meant that the killing art Cangmang Mountain became part of Qin Feng’s database; he understood it completely, could wield and modify it at will, and combine and alter it freely!

“Cangmang—Suppress the World!”

He fused the true essence of [Cangmang Mountain] with the supreme power of [Indestructible Tower] into one.

At that moment, the Star-Swallowing Spear vanished.

In its place, the half-gold, half-silver [Indestructible Tower], towering ten million light-years high, descended with the might to suppress all heavens and realms, crashing down with a thunderous roar!

Boom!

The entire Ninefold Boundless Sea churned violently under that strike.

Time seemed to stand still.

When the light faded, not a single standing figure remained in the ninth layer.

Only Qin Feng stood, spear in hand, robes fluttering.

A trace of golden blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes blazed with an eerie brightness.

The year-long bloodbath had come to an end.

Qin Feng summoned his personal jade token.

Two lines of cold numbers met his eyes.

[Points: 8928]

[Ranking: 52nd]

“This galaxy-level resource point should have had over ten thousand people in total.

It seems some martial artists killed each other in the chaos and didn’t die by my hand.”

Qin Feng smiled, quite satisfied with the result.

He looked around. This Boundless Sea, once noisy and brutal, had now fallen into utter silence.

Only the purest, ownerless energy waters flowed quietly.

“Now, it’s time to reap.”

He sat cross-legged on the sea surface, no longer suppressing his internal technique.

The Ten Complete Hands, activated at full power!

In an instant, Qin Feng’s body seemed to transform into a true cosmic black hole.

With him at the center, a colossal energy vortex began to form in the core region of the Boundless Sea.

Whale-swallowing!

Endless Boundless Sea water was dragged and sucked into his body by the ten invisible divine hands with unimaginable efficiency.

Then it was purified, compressed, and used entirely to temper the remaining half of the silver tower body of [Indestructible Tower].

While in seclusion, Qin Feng did not forget the situation outside.

He diverted a minuscule thread of mental energy, constantly monitoring the changes in the jade token star chart, ensuring his position remained within the ever-shrinking safe zone.

As for the points ranking, after slaying nearly nine thousand, Qin Feng leaped into the top hundred.

His combat power ranking, updated in real time, firmly settled at [17th place].

...

Time, in the monotonous yet efficient cultivation, once again lost its meaning.

In the blink of an eye, forty years passed like a snap of the fingers.

Tournament time: nine hundred and forty-five years.

That vast Ninefold Immeasurable Sea had completely dried up, transformed into a belt of cosmic dust in the void.

Qin Feng, seated cross-legged at the center, slowly opened his eyes.

His aura had undergone another earth-shattering transformation compared to forty years ago.

Qin Feng's consciousness sank into the spiritual realm.

That towering [Indestructible Tower] had undergone astonishing changes.

From the base upward, the entire nine hundred floors, nine million light-years in height, had all turned into a dazzling, eternal, immortal pure gold!

Only the top ninety-nine floors still shimmered with a sacred silver-white hue.

Only one final step remained before true galactic level!

"It's time to go slay the Chosen and the prodigies of myriad races, each worth 1000 points."

Golden light flickered in Qin Feng's eyes.

(End of this chapter)