Chapter 200: S Team Dispute

The fierce wind howled, churning up sky-filling dust and sand. Amid the flying grit and tumbling stones, the people in the transmission square squinted, trying to make out this sudden upheaval.

From the center of the gale, a team of graceful women slowly emerged. They wore light gauze, the cicada-wing-thin fabric fluttering in the wind, outlining their alluring curves. Their skin was whiter than snow, their features like paintings—each one was like a fairy descended from heaven, breathtakingly beautiful.

"It's the team from Hua'an Star," Xiao Dian said in a low voice, a trace of awe in his tone. "The women of Hua'an Star are all born healers. They possess the ability to manipulate the power of life, and are called 'Spirits of Revival.' Of course, some also call them 'Spirits of Death'..."

Xiao Dian's words carried a hint of strangeness. Zhang Cheng was about to ask for details, but saw that those women had already drawn near. They wore smiles, nodding in greeting to the people around them, every gesture radiating elegance and nobility.

"Everyone, I have long heard of your great names. I am very glad to participate in the Galactic War alongside you," said the woman at the front, her voice clear and melodious, as pleasing as the music of the heavens. She walked up to the Guard Army Commander and handed over a translucent jade tablet. "This is our proof of passage."

The Guard Army Commander took the jade tablet, inspected it carefully, and after confirming it was in order, hastily bowed and said, "Welcome, honored guests of Hua'an Star. Please enter."

Amid a chorus of admiration, the Hua'an Star team entered the transmission square. By then, the gale had gradually subsided, and the transmission square once again returned to calm.

However, this calm did not last long. Soon, two more peculiar teams drew everyone's gaze... The peace lasted but a moment. A strange sound came from the far end of the square—like the shriek of some creature, or the piercing screech of metal grinding against metal. Everyone turned to look. Two teams, one following the other, were walking toward the transmission square.

The first team, roughly a hundred strong, had lower bodies that were actually thick serpentine tails covered in dark green scales, gleaming with a metallic luster under the sun. Their upper bodies, however, were no different from humans', except that their skin was slightly pale and their eyes were narrow, glinting with cold light.

"It's the Sword-Serpent Clan of Diejian Star!" someone in the crowd exclaimed. "They are born able to manipulate the wind element, and the sharp swords in their hands are utterly indestructible. They are a renowned warrior race in the galaxy!"

Close behind the Sword-Serpent Clan team followed an even more peculiar one. They were massive in build, like standing tigers, their entire bodies covered in golden fur, while sharp bone spurs grew from their backs and limbs. With every step they took, the ground trembled slightly, as though carrying an invisible oppressive force.

"It's the Tiger-Fiend Clan of Greed Star!" the crowd exclaimed again. "They possess innate divine strength, boundless power, and astonishing defense. On the battlefield, they are a group of mobile fortresses!"

The arrival of the two teams made the atmosphere in the transmission square even heavier. People whispered among themselves, discussing animatedly, filled with anticipation and unease toward the upcoming Galactic War.

Just then, a resounding horn blast pierced the sky. A golden cloud appeared on the horizon, and within it, several figures could faintly be seen flying toward the transmission square.

"It's the last team—the super VIP team!" someone in the crowd shouted.

The golden cloud drew closer, and people finally saw the appearance of the arrivals. The man at the front wore golden battle armor and a feathered crown, his bearing dashing and spirited. He rode a colossal golden-armored male lion. The lion's entire body radiated golden light, awe-inspiring and majestic—one glance told you it was a rare exotic beast worth a fortune.

"What grandeur!" waves of amazement erupted from the crowd.

The golden-armored male lion slowly descended in the center of the transmission square. The man at the front dismounted, his gaze burning like torches as he swept his eyes over the entire field. Finally, his gaze landed on Duo Yun and the Lan Xing team, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold, mocking smile. "Well, if it isn't Lord Duo Yun? What, this year you've brought a bunch of trash and still want to join the Galactic War?" Beside the golden-armored male lion, a burly Tiger-Fiend clansman stepped forward. Clad in black battle armor, he glared fiercely at Duo Yun, his tone brimming with disdain. "Duo Yun, I hear you've been living quite comfortably on Lan Xing these past years. What, have you forgotten that you were once a defeated underling of Greed Star?"

The speaker was none other than Luo He, the referee of Greed Star's Terror Arena. He and Duo Yun had once been contestants in the same batch of the Galactic War, but Duo Yun's extraordinary talent let him advance through every round, ultimately earning qualification to enter the Cosmic Holy Land, while Luo He was miserably eliminated and could only return to Greed Star to serve as a lowly arena referee. For years, Luo He had harbored a grudge against Duo Yun. Now, seeing Duo Yun actually leading a team from Lan Xing—a low-tier civilized planet—to compete, the jealousy and resentment in his heart erupted like a volcano.

"Defeated underling?" Xiao Dian stepped forward, placing himself in front of Duo Yun, his gaze sharp as he glared at Luo He. "What kind of thing are you, that you're worthy of judging Lord Duo Yun?"

Xiao Dian's voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the entire square, and everyone's gaze focused on him. A stir immediately rose through the crowd—no one had expected that someone would dare to openly defy the people of Greed Star.

"Hahaha, this is absolutely killing me!" Luo He acted as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. He pointed at Xiao Dian, laughing so hard he doubled over. "You? A brat who still reeks of his mother's milk, dares to run your mouth in front of me?"

The laughter stopped abruptly. The smile on Luo He's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a wave of icy killing intent. "Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

Duo Yun frowned slightly and was about to speak, but Xiao Dian stopped him.

"Lord Duo Yun, dealing with this kind of clown—why would you need to act? I alone am enough." Xiao Dian's tone was calm, yet his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

"Good, what a sharp-tongued fellow!" Luo He laughed in fury. "Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish! But I advise you to think it through first—the consequences of offending Greed Star!"

Luo He turned his head and bellowed at the Tiger-Fiend Clan team behind him: "What are you all standing there for? Get up there and throw this pack of ignorant brats out!"

"Hold it!" Duo Yun gave a cold snort. "Luo He, aren't you going too far? This is the Galactic Federation's transmission square, not a place for you to run wild from Greed Star!"

"What, you want to shield them?" Luo He cast a sidelong glance at Duo Yun, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "I advise you not to meddle, or else we'll deal with you too!"

"You..." Duo Yun was so angry his face turned ashen, yet he was helpless. Greed Star's strength was among the very best in the entire galaxy. Though he was an Envoy of the Cosmic Holy Land, he could not easily offend Greed Star.

"Duo Yun, I'll give you a chance. As long as you merge your team into Greed Star's, I can let bygones be bygones. How about it?" A sly smile appeared on Luo He's face.

"In your dreams!" Duo Yun rejected him without a second thought.

"Refusing the easy way and choosing the hard way!" Luo He snorted coldly and shot a glance at an especially tall and burly Tiger-Fiend clansman behind him. "Ao Gu, go show them some color!"

"Ao Gu, a Stellar-rank high-tier expert!" waves of exclamations came from the crowd—clearly Ao Gu's name carried considerable deterrent power among the contestants. The Tiger-Fiend clansman called Ao Gu stepped forward, and a powerful oppressive aura instantly enveloped the entire square. Some weaker contestants could not withstand this pressure at all and collapsed to the ground on the spot.

"I advise you to give up the competition and obediently scram back to Lan Xing, lest you make a spectacle of yourselves here!" Ao Gu said in a muffled, booming voice, his tone filled with contempt and disdain.

"You think you can make us give up the competition?" Zhang Cheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable firmness.

"Hmm?" Ao Gu frowned and turned his gaze toward Zhang Cheng. An even more powerful oppressive force bore down on Zhang Cheng, intending to give him a display of authority.

However, just then, an even more terrifying aura erupted from beside Zhang Cheng. Kelinda slowly stepped forward. A sharp glint flashed through her once-calm eyes, and an oppressive force belonging to a Stellar-rank peak expert instantly swept across the entire field.

"Boom!"

Overhead in the square, it was as if an invisible bolt of lightning had struck. The oppressive force Ao Gu released crumbled instantly before this powerful aura. Even he himself was forced to retreat several steps by this aura, his face turning pale.

"St-Stellar-rank peak?!" Luo He and Ao Gu were both stunned. They never imagined that a low-tier civilized planet like Lan Xing would actually have a Stellar-rank peak expert in existence.

"You, you're... Kelinda, Planet Lord of Black Meteor Star?!" Luo He suddenly seemed to recall something, pointing at Kelinda and crying out in alarm.

Kelinda cast him a cold glance without saying a word, but that icy gaze made Luo He feel as though he had plunged into an Ice Vault.

"Haha, so it's you, you crazy woman!" Luo He seemed to suddenly breathe a sigh of relief, pointing at Kelinda and saying loudly, "A planet lord like you—not staying on your own planet, but coming here to join the fun? Don't you know that planet lords aren't qualified to participate in the Galactic War?"

Kelinda still did not speak, merely looking coldly at Luo He, her eyes filled with disdain and mockery.

"Hmph, so what if you're a Stellar-rank peak expert? Without qualification to compete, you're just here to cause trouble!" Luo He said smugly. "Men, take her and..."

Before Luo He could finish, Duo Yun interrupted him. "Luo He, you had better understand the situation. Lady Kelinda is not here to compete..."

"Oh? Not here to compete?" A playful smile appeared on Luo He's face. "Then what is she here for? Could it be to..."

Luo He deliberately drew out his words, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Kelinda and Zhang Cheng, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He turned to look at Ao Gu beside him and lowered his voice: "Brother Ao Gu, the transmission gate has already opened. Let's go in first, and not let those blind fools beat us to it..."

"Brother Ao Gu, the transmission gate has already opened. Let's go in first, and not let those blind fools beat us to it..." As Luo He spoke, he tried to pull Ao Gu toward the transmission gate.

Ao Gu nodded slightly and was about to step forward, but Duo Yun blocked their path.

"What? Young Master Duo Yun, are you actually trying to block us?" Luo He looked askance at Duo Yun, his face full of mockery. "Don't forget, this is the transmission gate of the Galactic War, not your backyard garden—you can't just block whoever you please!"

"Luo He, you had better understand the situation. Lady Kelinda is not here to compete..." Duo Yun's face was dark as he said every word deliberately.

"Oh? Not here to compete?" Luo He deliberately put on a look of sudden realization and said with sarcastic feigned innocence, "Then what is she here for? Could it be to... keep us company while we line up?"

After Luo He finished speaking, the surrounding Greed Star contestants immediately roared with laughter, their eyes full of mockery and ridicule as they looked at Duo Yun.

Duo Yun's face was ashen with fury. The son of the Director of the Cosmic Terror Tribunal—when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

"Luo He, do you really think I wouldn't dare to touch you?" Duo Yun said through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.