77: Chapter 77 The Final Four Begins

The surviving kin, previously scarred, with shattered bones and depleted spiritual energy, had all their internal and external injuries completely healed. Their meridians were clear, their physical bodies filled with vitality, and fierce qi surged within them, thoroughly restoring them to their peak state.

Not only were they resurrected at full health, but thanks to the nourishment and refinement of a massive amount of their kindred's origin flesh and blood, the physical barriers of all the kin were reinforced once again. Their bone density surged slightly, their dormant bloodline potential was slightly awakened, and their bloodline purity was subtly refined.

Their overall combat power rose with the tide, forcibly increasing by twenty to thirty percent compared to their peak before the battle!

The foundation that was originally largely incomplete was not only thoroughly mended, but instead advanced against the trend, quietly completing an overall transformation.

Lin Ye perceived the brand-new, mighty, and profound kin legion within his Divine Kingdom. The solemnity in the depths of his eyes dissipated slightly, replaced by a bit more confidence.

Over the past two months, the kin had also bred. Although their numbers still fell short of their peak period, their individual quality, physical hardness, fierce qi purity, and tenacity in battle all surpassed what they were before, and their shortcomings were greatly compensated for.

A night of recuperation came to an end. As the morning sun broke the next day, the eagerly awaited ultimate ranking battle of the semi-finals officially began.

The organizing committee finalized the tournament format: the four individuals would engage in a round-robin points match, facing each other in pairs. The winner would get three points, a draw would get one point, and the loser zero points. Finally, based on the total points, the final rankings from first to fourth place in Quanzhou would be determined, with all rankings corresponding to exclusive tiered ultimate rewards.

After the schedule was announced, the first-round match-up list was revealed on the spot—Lin Ye's first-round opponent was none other than Zhou Mingzhi, the proud chosen one who controlled the Undead Legion.

On the arena, the two stood facing each other, their auras confronting one another.

Unlike the apprehension or contempt of the other proud figures, Zhou Mingzhi's expression was calm and steady, his gaze clear. He had no intention of looking down on Lin Ye at all, displaying entirely the scrutiny and respect due to an equal expert.

He spoke first, his voice calm yet straightforward and earnest: "Lin Ye, to be honest, before the match, I always regarded you as one of my most dreaded opponents. With your complete number of kin, the unresolvable methods of plague and fierce qi, and your bloody fighting style that cared nothing for death, you had the full strength to go toe-to-toe with me, or even suppress me."

"But things are different now."

Zhou Mingzhi frankly stated the crux of the matter, his tone carrying a hint of regret: "You fought to the death with Ye Feng, suffering heavy losses to your kin. Your main combat power has plummeted, and an incomplete foundation is an established fact. Your current state is definitely not my match."

"I advise you, it might be better to simply concede defeat and preserve your surviving kin. There is no need to foolishly deplete your foundation and ruin your combat power once again for a match destined for failure."

He was neither arrogant nor underestimating the enemy, nor was he deliberately mocking. Instead, he was speaking strictly on the facts with a rational judgment, even carrying a trace of cherishing talent.

He knew how rare Lin Ye's talent and temperament were, and was unwilling to see such a top-tier proud figure completely cripple his own foundation by stubbornly fighting a doomed situation.

The audience in the stadium also came to understand one after another, and most of them felt that what Zhou Mingzhi said was true.

With Lin Ye in a blood-depleted state fighting Zhou Mingzhi, who was at full health, had an unresolvable endurance, and undying undead, his chances of winning were indeed slim.

On the arena, Lin Ye slowly raised his gaze. Meeting his opponent's sincere persuasion, he gently shook his head, burning battle intent—stubborn and biting—igniting in the depths of his eyes.

"Victory and defeat are yet undecided. What makes it certain failure?"

"From my awakening until now, I have never fought against anyone above an S-grade rating. In today's battle, I want to try."

As his voice fell, the faint fierce qi around his body quietly churned, and the murderous, bellicose aura that had been dormant for a night awakened once more.

Even if everyone was pessimistic, even if the situation seemed like a desperate dead end, he still refused to bow his head or back down. Besides, the undead were not invincible.

Zhou Mingzhi looked at the undying battle intent in the depths of Lin Ye's eyes, shook his head slightly, and stopped trying to persuade him.

He knew that saying more was useless; the pride of a chosen one would never easily compromise. Only a duel of strength could determine the superiority.

"Since you insist on a battle, I will grant your wish."

The moment his voice dropped, black fog surged around Zhou Mingzhi, and a dead, chilly undead aura instantly swept across the entire arena.

Boom!

The pitch-black phantom of the Undead Divine Kingdom quietly unfolded. Countless withered bones buried deep underground broke through the soil. Skeleton warriors with bared white bones, rotting scale-covered undead spectral horses, and lingering ghosts and vengeful spirits drifting in the void emerged layer upon layer, densely covering the entire arena.

Several thousand members of the Undead Legion stood quietly. They had no heartbeat, no breathing, felt no pain, and feared no casualties. This was precisely what Zhou Mingzhi relied on to dominate his peers and maintain unresolvable endurance!

At the same time, Lin Ye's eyes turned stern, and his mind drove the Divine Kingdom. The long-dormant kin all stepped onto the battlefield!

Thirteen hundred Shahun Hounds with fierce qi condensing on their bodies lowered their bodies, their fangs flashing with cold light as dark red fierce qi churned and surged around them; four hundred eighty-six Soul-Devouring Owls flapped their wings and soared into the air, their pitch-black wings blocking the sunlight, and their sharp screeches tearing through the air; the surviving Plague Seed Mosquitoes transformed into a sky-full of black fog lurking on the flanks, and the Demonic Blood Python coiled on the ground, its ferocious might shaking the heavens.

Two streams of extreme negative energy, one black and one red, violently collided. The air in the arena froze instantly, and a biting murderous aura swept across the audience!

"Let the battle begin!"

The two let out a low shout simultaneously, and the first-round duel erupted instantly!

Zhou Mingzhi had no fancy moves. The simplest and most unresolvable Undead Sea charge suddenly began. Countless skeleton warriors crushed the airflow, pressing forward densely in an attempt to wear down Lin Ye's surviving kin through endless attrition.

Lin Ye resolutely gave the order. The airborne Soul-Devouring Owls struck first, transforming into streaks of pitch-black light as they dashed straight for the core weakness of the Undead Legion—the weak cyan soul fires beating within the body of every undead!

He knew in his heart that all mobility and combat power of undead creatures stemmed from soul fires; shatter the soul fires, and the undead would perish by themselves.

Yet in the first round of engagement, the drawbacks were thoroughly exposed.

All four hundred eighty-six Soul-Devouring Owls struck out, but their numbers were ultimately far too scarce. Facing thousands of members of the Undead Legion, it was like a drop of water in a blazing cart of wood, utterly unable to cover the entire field.

What made Lin Ye frown even more was that some of the soul fires scattered by the impact did not completely dissipate. Instead, they turned into wisps of cyan smoke, remotely guided and fully recovered by Zhou Mingzhi from the rear, re-integrating into the bodies of the newly born undead.

This meant that his attacks not only failed to completely destroy the enemy, but instead provided circular endurance for his opponent!

In the spectator stands, the crowd nodded one after another, understanding the direction of the battle. The Undead Legion was immortal, indestructible, and circularly regenerating—this was precisely the most unresolvable part of Zhou Mingzhi, and Lin Ye's fighting style had fallen into passivity from the very beginning.

On the arena, Lin Ye's thoughts raced, and a sharp glint suddenly flashed across the depths of his eyes.

Soul-Devouring Owls were inherently top-tier soul-type kin between heaven and earth, feeding on souls, yin fierce qi, and resentment. Since they could shatter soul fires, could they devour soul fires?

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Lin Ye immediately adjusted his command, giving up on shattering the soul fires and ordering all Soul-Devouring Owls to dive closely, opening their pitch-black beaks to actively capture and devour the scattered, floating cyan-gray soul fires!

The next instant, an astonishing scene suddenly appeared!