“Three of you, you have two choices ahead,” the chief referee declared loudly, addressing the trio.
“First, choose an opponent of the same realm to continue the challenge.”
“Second, since the participant with the highest cultivation in this Dragon and Phoenix Ranking is War God-Emperor in the late stage of the perfection realm, and there’s only one person.”
“So, the three of you can directly challenge the remaining opponent in the perfection realm!”
“Referee, Commander Gardner and Miss Chandler just had a duel. Give them some rest, it wouldn’t be fair otherwise!” Icelyn Crowe spoke up to the referee. “Now that, except for us four, the top 100 list should be out. How about having the resurrection match and the advanced challenge first?”
“Our fight can be postponed a bit!”
“Good!” After a brief consideration, the referee turned to Billy and the others. “What do you think, Commander Gardner and Miss Chandler?”
“We have no objections,” Billy responded with a faint smile.
“Alright, that’s settled!” The referee nodded.
After a fifteen-minute halftime break, they officially entered the segments of the resurrection match and advanced challenge. According to the final statistics, around thirty to forty people signed up for the resurrection match. These individuals showcased decent skills, with the weakest having a cultivation level above War Emperor’s initial stage. Among them were Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Soul Chaser.
In addition, five or six people signed up for the advanced challenge. However, besides Vermilion Bird and two others, none of Billy’s fellows registered for the advanced match. For them, participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking was not about achieving a specific rank but an opportunity to meet their peers. They had already left their mark on the ranking and achieved their goal. Whether they moved up or down in the rankings was insignificant.
Bloodshadow and the SHADOW guards didn’t need this competition to prove their existence. Moreover, even if they wanted to participate in the advanced challenge, there were few suitable opponents left. Those ranked above them, except for their fellows, had either dropped out or were no longer available. So, there was no one willing to challenge them, and fighting against their own people on the stage wasn’t an option.
At midnight, Billy and his group returned to the SHADOW base. Due to the evenly matched participants in the resurrection match and advanced challenge, the events lasted until midnight. The duel between Billy’s group and their opponents had to be postponed to the next day.
Upon returning to SHADOW, Billy went to an open space in the backyard, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating. Despite being busy recently, he never neglected his cultivation. After two intense battles that tapped into his potential, he had glimpsed the dawn of the perfection realm.
Feeling confident, he estimated that he would break through to the peak stage soon.
“Since you’re here, come out!”
About an hour later, Billy suddenly opened his eyes, staring ahead as he calmly spoke.
Though the opponent concealed their aura, they couldn’t escape his mental probing.
“Not bad, Commander Gardner. You managed to sense my presence. Admirable!” An elderly figure emerged from the shadows, followed by a seemingly ageless old woman with a hunched figure and a disheveled appearance. However, upon closer inspection, one could detect a hint of fierceness in her occasional sharp gaze.
“It’s you?” Billy narrowed his eyes slightly, recognizing the old man as the one who intended to make a move against Azure Dragon on the arena during the day.
“Commander Gardner, you should know why we’ve come, right?” Elder Cobb glared at Billy, his anger evident.
“Is Louie Wolfe dead?” Billy smirked; he didn’t need to ask to know that they were here for him. According to Ivy, Louie Wolfe wouldn’t live past tonight, making their presence likely related to his demise.
“You bastards! You did it on purpose!” The old woman’s voice sounded hoarse. “Deceptive tactics, truly cunning!”
“First, you crippled our young miss’s cultivation, and now you’ve taken the life of our young master. Do you think Sky-Quaking Daoist Sect is just for show?”
“On the first day of the Dragon and Phoenix ranking event, Lord Hum already said that, once on the stage, everything is fate.” Billy glanced at them. “Your young miss and young master are inferior in skill. Who could they blame?”
“Humph!” The old woman snorted. “You’re being ridiculous! Even if you can explain the young miss’s situation, what about Master Louie?”
“That woman from Secret Essences Sect is extremely malicious. She used a silver needle to protect Master Louie’s heart, then shattered all the meridians in his body!”
“Master Louie did step down from the stage, but when he forced out the silver needle from his body, it was the end of his life!”
“Sorry, I forgot to remind him not to pull out the needle so quickly!” Ivy’s voice came over. With the same cultivation level as Billy, she had sensed the strong enemies approaching.
“You witch, dare to show up!” The old woman glared at Ivy.
“Seeing your posture, are you here to seek revenge for him?” Ivy smiled lightly at Billy before turning to the old woman. “If so, let’s fight. What are you waiting for?”
“Commander Gardner, we don’t intend to be enemies with you, but we must take her back to the sect to give an explanation to the sect leader. Commander Gardner, please…”
“We initially planned to settle the score with you, Sky-Quaking Daoist Sect, after tomorrow’s competition. But since you’ve come today, let’s settle it today!” Billy interrupted him.
“What do you mean?” The old man furrowed his brows slightly.
“You’re just an old fool!” Bob’s voice came over. Then, Casey led the others, walking steadily toward them. Obviously, no one had gone to sleep.
In fact, for a War Emperor in the middle and later stages, deep meditation could entirely replace sleep. So, they hadn’t rested in bed for the past few nights, each cultivating in their rooms.
“Huh?” Elder Cobb looked at the group, and his right eyelid twitched inexplicably.
“People from your Sky-Quaking Daoist Sect are seeking death!” Black Tortoise spoke while approaching. “A few days ago, you sent someone to ambush my boss. Today, this old man even made a move against Azure Dragon. We haven’t come to settle these scores with you, but you’ve willingly delivered yourselves to us!”
“Ignorant child!” The old woman spoke harshly, pausing briefly before turning to Billy. “Commander Gardner, let me advise you. It’s best to let this witch go with us. Otherwise, you and these people around you will accompany our young master to the grave!”
“I think you’re growing senile. Is your brain decaying along with your age?” Azure Dragon sneered. “Just the two of you?”
“Commander Gardner, are you going to be stubborn?” Elder Cobb ignored Azure Dragon and continued to stare at Billy. “You should be very clear. If a conflict arises, you and the people around you cannot be our opponents!”