Glory of the Ice Queen!

"Come on!" Thor roared, raising his war hammer to the sky. "Nine Heavens Thunder!"

Boom!

Nine massive pillars of lightning descended from the heavens at once, each containing world-destroying power. The pillars intertwined in midair, forming an enormous net of lightning that blanketed the entire battlefield.

"Eye of the Storm!"

Saro crossed his twin blades, his entire body becoming the core of a tornado. The storm spun at high speed, forming a massive vortex of wind that swept every incoming bolt of lightning into itself.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lightning and storm collided, erupting with deafening crashes. The entire battlefield shook violently, and even the protective barrier began to crack.

"Reinforce the barrier!" the referee shouted urgently. Dozens of Lord-Level experts acted at once, finally stabilizing the tottering barrier.

"These two are madmen!" someone cried from the stands. "What kind of competition is this? They’re practically destroying the world!"

"As expected of the highlight match of the fourth round." Luo Wen’s eyes gleamed. "They’ve both brought out their true strength."

On the battlefield, the clash between lightning and storm continued. Thor constantly summoned heavenly lightning, while Saro controlled the storm to fend it off. Two completely different powers intertwined in the air, creating a spectacular sight.

"This can’t go on any longer." Thor frowned deeply. "I have to break the stalemate!"

He suddenly changed tactics. Rather than summoning more heavenly lightning, he gathered all the power of lightning into his war hammer.

"Thunder Strike: Sky Piercer!"

Thor leaped high into the air, his war hammer smashing toward the heart of the storm amid destructive lightning. This strike contained all his power, and even space itself seemed about to tear apart.

"Wind Source Ultimate: Wrath of the Wind God!"

Saro refused to be outdone. His twin blades merged into one as all the power of wind converged into a pillar of azure light, hurtling toward Thor’s war hammer.

Boom!

The instant the two powers collided, the entire world seemed to fall silent. Then, a blinding flash erupted, swallowing the whole battlefield.

"Not good!" The referee’s face changed drastically. "Everyone, reinforce the barrier with all your strength!"

Over a hundred experts acted simultaneously, layer upon layer of protective barriers enclosing the battlefield. Even so, the terrifying energy fluctuations made the entire Star Arena tremble.

When the light faded and the smoke gradually dispersed, the sight on the battlefield made everyone gasp.

The once-level battlefield had become completely unrecognizable, riddled with deep craters and cracks. Thor was kneeling on one knee, his war hammer planted in the ground to support him. His lightning battle armor was severely damaged, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Saro was no better off. He knelt halfway down on the other side, his twin blades already broken, his azure battle robe in tatters, his body covered in burns from lightning.

"Can you still… fight?" Thor panted heavily as he struggled to his feet.

"Of course!" Saro rose as well. Though he swayed unsteadily, the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.

"You’ve got guts!" Thor laughed. "Then let’s go again!"

Both of them erupted with their last reserves of power, preparing to launch a decisive strike.

At that moment, the referee suddenly appeared between them. "Enough! This match is a draw!"

"What?" they both cried at once.

"You’ve both reached your limits," the referee said gravely. "If you keep fighting, one of you will die. This is a competition, not a death duel."

Thor and Saro exchanged a glance. In each other’s eyes, they saw both unwillingness and respect.

"Next time, we’ll settle who wins and who loses." Saro put away his broken blade.

"It’s a deal!" Thor nodded.

"This match is a draw! Thor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire and Saro of the Sirius Star Region will both advance!" the referee announced loudly.

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena. The battle had far exceeded everyone’s expectations, and both geniuses had displayed astonishing strength.

Luo Wen and the others stood up in the stands and applauded as well.

"What a wonderful battle." Luo Wen sighed. "Thor’s lightning laws and Saro’s Wind Source have both reached a remarkably high level."

"Yeah." Hong nodded. "Especially that final strike. They both brought out their trump cards."

"But Thor still held something back," Luo Feng suddenly said. "His lightning laws have actually already touched the threshold of the fourth profound meaning. He just didn’t use it."

"Oh?" Luo Wen was surprised. "Why not?"

"Maybe he wants to save it for the later matches." Luo Feng smiled. "After all, this is only the fourth round."

By then, Thor had returned to the stands with the support of medical personnel.

"You did well." Luo Wen handed him a bottle of recovery potion.

"Whew…" Thor drained it in one gulp. "That guy was really strong. I almost lost."

"You didn’t go all out either, did you?" Hong asked with a faintly teasing smile.

Thor grinned. "You saw through me? That’s right, I still have a trump card I didn’t use. But that guy definitely does too."

"Wind Source really is troublesome." Luo Wen pondered. "It’s fast, its attacks are unpredictable, and it’s impossible to guard against."

"The scariest part is that Void move of his," Thor said seriously. "He can briefly turn himself into an element. That’s practically cheating."

"Your lightning laws aren’t bad either," Hong comforted him. "Especially when you’re in the Descent of the Thunder God state. Your attack power is terrifying."

"The next time I face him, I’ll definitely beat him!" Thor clenched his fist.

At that moment, the holographic screen began displaying the matchups for the next battle.

"There’s another highlight match coming up," Luo Feng reminded them. "Carlos the Reaper versus Ice Queen Christina."

"Death laws against Ice Source." Luo Wen’s eyes lit up. "Another exciting showdown."

As they spoke, new figures had already appeared on the battlefield.

Carlos wore a black cloak and carried the Scythe of Death, his entire body radiating an ominous aura. Christina, meanwhile, wore a long ice-blue gown and held a Crystal Scepter, looking noble and elegant.

"Another pair of extremes," Thor commented. "One represents death, the other life."

"Begin!"

The new battle began, and the audience’s enthusiasm was ignited once more.

Luo Wen and the others watched with complete focus, not missing a single detail. To them, the battles of these top geniuses were precious learning opportunities.

"Tomorrow’s matches, we all need to go all out," Luo Feng suddenly said.

"Yeah." Luo Wen nodded. "Our opponents will only grow stronger, so we need to bring out our true strength too."

Thor stretched his muscles. "Just what I want! I can’t wait to have a real fight!"

Hong shook his head with a smile. "Heal your injuries first."

As they discussed, two figures had already appeared on the battlefield.

Carlos emerged from the shadows, his black cloak nearly wrapping his entire body, leaving only a pair of blood-red eyes exposed. The Scythe of Death in his hand emitted ominous black mist, while faint dark-red patterns flowed across its blade, as though it had been forged from blood.

"The killing intent around that guy is intense." Luo Wen frowned. "He looks like an evil ghost that crawled out of hell."

"I heard he grew up in an assassin training camp run by the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance," Hong said. "He began carrying out missions at the age of ten and has completed over a thousand assassinations to date. His hands are drenched in blood."

"No wonder his comprehension of death laws runs so deep." Thor clicked his tongue. "This kind of law needs slaughter and death to nourish it most."

On the other side, Christina slowly walked onto the battlefield. She wore a magnificent ice-blue gown, its hem adorned with countless tiny ice crystals that swayed gently with her steps and emitted dazzling light. Her golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, framing her delicate face. She truly deserved her title as the number one beauty.

But what drew even more attention was the Crystal Scepter in her hand. The scepter was completely transparent, with a fist-sized ice-blue gemstone set at its tip. It seemed as though snowflakes drifted within the gemstone.

"The Scepter of Ice and Snow." Luo Feng recognized the weapon. "It’s the treasured national artifact of the Star River Empire. They say it was forged from ten-thousand-year ice and can bring out the power of Ice Source to its fullest."

"It looks like the Star River Empire places great importance on this match." Luo Wen nodded. "They even brought out a treasure of this caliber."

On the battlefield, the two had already taken their positions.

Carlos stood in the shadows, seeming to merge completely with the darkness. He held the Scythe of Death at an angle, its tip pointed at the ground, while black deathly energy swirled around him.

Christina stood beneath the sunlight, pure and flawless like an ice-and-snow spirit. She lightly waved her Crystal Scepter, and the temperature around her instantly dropped as tiny ice crystals began to condense in the air.

"Begin!" the referee declared.

Carlos attacked immediately, turning into a black shadow as he lunged at Christina. The Scythe of Death traced a pitch-black arc, and even the air seemed corroded in its wake.

"Touch of Death!"

Countless phantom skulls suddenly appeared on the scythe’s blade. Every one of them opened its jaws wide, as if ready to devour all life.

"Ice Wall!"

Christina remained calm. She lightly tapped the ground with her Crystal Scepter, and a translucent ice wall instantly rose before her. It was several meters thick, its surface as smooth as a mirror and reflecting blinding cold light.

Boom!

The Scythe of Death struck the ice wall with a deafening crash. Black deathly energy collided with ice-blue cold energy, producing a hissing sound of corrosion.

"Interesting." Carlos’s voice was hoarse. "But a defense of this level cannot stop death’s advance."

He abruptly pulled back his scythe, and his body suddenly split into dozens of figures, each carrying dense deathly energy.

"Death Doppelganger!" Luo Wen’s eyes lit up in the stands. "That move isn’t simple. Every doppelganger possesses thirty percent of the original body’s attack power."

Dozens of Carloses attacked simultaneously, lunging toward Christina from different angles. Deathly energy formed a massive net, surrounding her completely.

"Domain of Ice!"

Christina finally revealed her true strength. She raised the Crystal Scepter high, and a ring of ice-blue light rapidly spread outward from her. Wherever it passed, the temperature plummeted, and even the air began to freeze.

The moment those death doppelgangers entered the ring’s range, their movements immediately slowed. Black deathly energy collided with the extreme cold, producing sizzling sounds.

"I found you!" Christina’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and she pointed her scepter at one of the doppelgangers. "Lance of Absolute Zero!"

A massive ice spear condensed into form and shot toward its target with bone-piercing cold. That doppelganger tried to evade, only to find its movements already frozen.

Bang!

The ice spear struck accurately, revealing Carlos’s true body. The cloak across his chest was torn open, exposing a suit of black battle armor.

"Sharp eyes," Carlos sneered. "But do you think that’s enough to hurt me?"

Dense black mist suddenly erupted from his body as the power of his death laws was released in full.

"Domain of Death!"

Black energy surged forth like a tide, colliding head-on with Christina’s Domain of Ice. The two completely different powers intertwined in the air, forming a sharply divided boundary of black and white.

"A clash of domains!" Thor shot to his feet excitedly. "Now this is a true battle between experts!"

On the battlefield, black and ice-blue energy continually clashed and eroded each other. Carlos’s Domain of Death was filled with the aura of decay and destruction, while Christina’s Domain of Ice was pure and frigid.

"Death Corrosion!"

Carlos increased his output. Countless black tentacles suddenly emerged within the Domain of Death, madly corroding the boundaries of the Domain of Ice.

"Eternal Freeze!"

Christina refused to yield. The temperature inside her Domain of Ice dropped even further, and the black tentacles were frozen into ice sculptures the instant they touched it.

"This won’t work." A ruthless glint flashed through Carlos’s eyes. "Looks like I have to use that move."

He suddenly withdrew the Domain of Death, leaping high into the air as he raised the Scythe of Death over his head.

"Death Laws Ultimate: Return of the Dead!"

Rumble!

The entire battlefield suddenly shook, and the ground began to crack. Countless skeletal arms stretched out from the fissures, followed by complete skeletal warriors. They wielded all manner of weapons, their eye sockets burning with ghostly green flames.

"An undead army?!" The stands erupted in an uproar.

"No." Luo Feng shook his head. "They aren’t real undead. They’re energy constructs condensed from death laws. But their power is no less formidable."

Hundreds of skeletal warriors formed into a battle formation and charged at Christina under Carlos’s command.

"An interesting move." Christina smiled faintly. "But before Absolute Zero, everything will freeze."

She slowly closed her eyes, and the Crystal Scepter radiated dazzling light. Her aura abruptly changed, shifting from noble elegance to icy majesty.

"Ice Source Fifth Profound Meaning: Absolute Zero!"

In an instant, the temperature across the entire battlefield plunged wildly. The charging skeletal warriors grew slower and slower, until they finally stopped completely and became ice sculptures.

"Is this the power of the fifth profound meaning?" Luo Wen was stunned. "It can even freeze energy constructs!"

Carlos’s face changed drastically. He could feel even the power of death within his body beginning to stagnate. This extreme cold had surpassed his expectations.

"I can’t drag this out any longer!" He gritted his teeth and gathered all his deathly power into the scythe. "Death Blossom!"

Black energy compressed wildly along the blade, forming a miniature black hole. The surrounding light was absorbed, plunging the entire battlefield into darkness.

"Glory of the Ice Queen!"

Christina also brought out her trump card. Her body floated into the air as the Crystal Scepter merged with her, transforming into a massive ice-crystal greatsword.

The two launched their final attacks at the same time.

The black flower of death collided with the ice-blue greatsword in midair, erupting with world-destroying energy fluctuations.