Chapter 294: Sorry, I Don't Agree (Combined)

What you said is correct; she indeed has the strength to destroy the passage.

On the other end of the phone, Feng Yin's voice carried a hint of strangeness: "Destroying an opened A-rank passage in just three minutes—this strength is truly astonishing."

Is she the little girl named Evelyn from your guild?

Actually I was just guessing. Qin Chuan smiled. "But now it's obvious—I guessed right."

It seems the crisis in White Bear Country has also been resolved. Feng Yin's voice paused slightly. "According to earlier estimates, the descents of the first three secret realms could theoretically be resolved smoothly; although there were some minor setbacks, they still roughly matched expectations."

But the upcoming fourth round and the final fifth round…" Feng Yin's voice grew more solemn.

Upon hearing Feng Yin's words, Qin Chuan's expression also grew solemn.

The fourth round will have six B-rank dungeons descending, and the fifth round will have four.

At first glance, the latter two rounds have fewer descending dungeons than the third round, so they should be easier to resolve.

But that is not the case in reality.

Because the descents of the first three rounds have almost exhausted Blue Star's supernatural beings who currently possess sufficient strength to act.

For the upcoming final two rounds, manpower can no longer support having powerful beings stationed worldwide to deal with the descents nearby after they occur.

We can only wait for the strong beings from the first three rounds to destroy the already descended passages, freeing up their hands to handle the subsequent descended passages.

This will inevitably create a longer time gap, leaving the descended passage unguarded for a relatively long period.

Therefore, the ten subsequent B-rank dungeons descending will likely be accompanied by large numbers of dungeon creatures spilling out of the passage, wreaking havoc.

How is the situation at Dariya Suspended Valley?" Qin Chuan inquired.

Dariya Suspended Valley is the A-rank dungeon that has already descended; now it has transformed into an S-rank passage.

And it is also Qin Chuan's target.

For now, no life has emerged from the passage mouth, but the supernatural beings we sent in for preliminary reconnaissance haven't come out." Feng Yin spoke solemnly. "Two teams of Hall of Fame-level players leading supernatural beings are already in position, but relying solely on them is not enough.

Qin Chuan's expression sank slightly.

The so-called preliminary reconnaissance means entering the passage without going deep, conducting only simple observation, and leaving the passage within one minute.

This is a reconnaissance method that theoretically involves little danger.

Unless… the other side of the passage mouth has already been controlled by otherworldly spirits.

The passage mouth has been discovered, yet it did not appear immediately—what does that indicate?

It indicates these otherworldly creatures are waiting.

Waiting for sufficiently powerful strong beings to arrive, so they can more easily conquer them.

The spirits on the Heavenly Stairway are evidently not encountering this kind of dungeon situation for the first time; similar conditions have often occurred during past passage descents.

This has both advantages and disadvantages for Blue Star.

The advantage is that Blue Star's strong beings have enough time to arrive, so otherworldly spirits will not leave the passage mouth in large numbers to lurk as trouble around Blue Star.

The disadvantage is that the opponents we must face are destined to be stronger, likely surpassing their original level by one rank.

This point was once revealed by the Tide Demon King Daraisayi, who emerged from the passage mouth and caused considerable trouble for Blue Star.

The otherworldly spirits on the Heavenly Stairway possess a special ability to precisely control their own strength; using this ability, high-ranking spirits can reduce their combat power to the limit of a lower rank, then quickly recover to their original rank after crossing the passage boundary.

The dungeon that originally caused Daraisayi's descent was merely a B-rank dungeon; after descent, it was upgraded to an A-rank passage, with entry and exit limits at the Epic Stage.

As a Legendary Stage existence, Daraisayi forcibly suppressed his strength to the Epic Stage limit, smoothly passed through the A-rank passage, and stirred up a bloody storm on Blue Star.

Although he was eventually slain, much of humanity's understanding of dungeons comes from him; even the term "Heavenly Stairway" was first heard from him.

Now, the appearance of similar conditions at an S-rank passage means that the strong beings about to emerge from it are certainly not merely Legendary Stage.

It must have already reached the limit of the Legendary Stage, and after descent it can break into the Mythic Stage range without too much effort.

Go a little faster." Qin Chuan said in a low voice.

At the limit of the Legendary Stage, he reckons he can still handle it.

If the opponent truly reaches the Mythic Stage…

The power gap from Legendary Stage to Mythic Stage is too great; he can only contend with them inside the dungeon passage by relying on time stop.

The pilot flying the fighter jet nodded silently, thrusting the engine to maximum; as the whole jet trembled slightly, the already supersonic jet's speed climbed again.

This already risks the jet breaking apart, having been forcibly accelerated.

——

Above the Black Sea.

Countless people stared fixedly at the enormous spatial entrance before them; the other side was pitch black, nothing visible, nothing detectable.

The passage mouth, like a monster that picks people to devour, made hearts tremble intensely.

Not far from the passage mouth on the sea surface, warships stood in rows; two teams of Hall of Fame-level players leading many Elite-level players were on standby aboard the warships.

Besides them, the powerful supernatural beings able to rush from nearby have mostly arrived, with many still on the way.

Numerous countries surrounding the Black Sea have already pointed their missiles at this location.

Although Daraisayi once easily rendered nuclear weapons useless, everyone knows conventional technological weapons are ineffective against supernatural beings nearly godlike.

But we still have to try.

Even if we could detonate just one, it would still be better than nothing.

This is already the 30th minute after the dungeon passage mouth opened; faint undulations that make hearts tremble leak from the darkness at the mouth, and a tense, oppressive atmosphere fills the entire Black Sea and surrounding vast area.

Countless supernatural beings involuntarily clenched their fists.

They know that person is currently rushing from the distant east at the fastest speed, but the opponent is still on the way.

Before he arrives, everyone present must exert their utmost effort.

"Hum——"

A low hum emanated from within the passage mouth.

Everyone immediately looked toward the passage entrance, and all the supernatural beings worldwide who had noticed this scene through satellite monitoring and the like now had their hearts in their throats.

Have they come…

Step——

One foot stepped out from the passage entrance, followed immediately by the other's body.

That was a being far smaller than an ordinary human, about one meter tall, with the height of a child but the visage of someone aged and withered.

On the other's back was an ancient, massive axe; the axe alone was nearly two meters long, making its size compared to his body as jarring as a child playing with an adult's toy.

Yet the terrifying power surging around him left all the extraordinary beings present gasping.

Dwarf Demon tribe.

Legendary rank? Or perhaps even higher?

The other's strength far surpassed that of the extraordinary beings present, to the point that no one could judge it.

Open fire!!!

A sharp shout suddenly rang out.

That was a commander aboard a warship.

At that moment his face was full of tension, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his voice tinged with panic and helplessness.

The expressions of all the extraordinary beings present changed.

According to the plan previously discussed, they should not have opened fire now.

Obviously, this commander, lacking psychological fortitude, made an erroneous decision due to excessive tension at this moment.

Although other commanders who had reacted in time shouted to stop it, one missile was still successfully launched, heading straight for the emerging dwarf demon.

Pop~

Only a soft sound was heard; the dwarf demon's body vanished from its spot in an instant and appeared above the warship, raising a hand to seize the missile.

Amid everyone's astonishment, the flames spewing from the missile instantly died out, and the core controlling its detonation likewise lost its original effect in an instant.

The dwarf demon strongman played with the missile in his hand, his face showing a hint of interest; he spoke in a low voice in the otherworldly language, and a strange mental power spread, allowing everyone present who heard it to understand its meaning.

"I've long heard from other races of the Heavenly Stairway that you humans also make little trinkets."

"Is this it?" In his palm appeared a small hammer, which he lightly tapped the missile a few times.

The strange striking rhythm became the sole sound in the silence.

With each strike, numerous strange patterns emerged on the missile's surface.

Afterward, the dwarf demon strongman put away the iron hammer.

"Here you go."

He raised his hand and threw it; the missile returned along its original path at a speed greater than when it was fired.

Boom!!!

A mushroom cloud instantly rose, and the terrifying shockwave instantly kicked up towering waves on the Black Sea; countless droplets fell from the sky like a rainstorm, striking all the extraordinary beings present and dousing their fervent fighting spirit.

They stared blankly at the explosion's epicenter; nearly ten warships within the radius vanished in an instant, along with everyone aboard, leaving not a trace.

This dwarf demon strongman merely tapped the missile a few times, yet its power increased by dozens of times or more.

Then just how terrifying must his own strength be?

"It's a pity; you are not worthy opponents, and you don't even deserve to know my name." The dwarf demon strongman spoke with slight regret, "I see fear in your eyes."

"A qualified warrior should never fear, no matter when."

"But never mind; I didn't come here for a hearty battle." The dwarf demon strongman shook his head, then took out a horn and blew it instantly.

Hoo——

The low horn's sound echoed over the Black Sea; behind him, within the dungeon passage, figures of dwarf demons hurried out, varying in build, yet their gazes toward the dwarf demon strongman held only reverence.

"Stop him!"

A hall-of-fame player present had his pupils contract slightly, then he bellowed loudly.

The other extraordinary beings shouted in unison; in the next instant, countless attacks bombarded the passage entrance and the dwarf demons that had just emerged.

Their target was clear.

We must not let a large number of otherworldly creatures enter Blue Star!

"Stop him?" The dwarf demon strongman slightly shook his head, gripped the handle of the massive axe on his back, drew it instantly, and swung it toward the sky.

A blade of light several kilometers long instantly swept across, crushing all attacking forces like rotten wood, then fiercely swept across the sea surface.

A wave tens of thousands of meters high surged, nearly splitting the sky in half, instantly engulfing all the extraordinary beings on the Black Sea.

Countless pupils contracted sharply.

This guy… how can he be so strong!

The wave subsided, the sea surface cleared; although fury burned, at this moment everyone could only watch helplessly as hundreds of dwarf demons walked out of the passage.

The last dwarf demon held aloft a shining object, hurried to the strongman's side, and presented it.

At the same moment, the dungeon passage behind the dwarf demons collapsed and disintegrated.

That was actually the core of the dungeon passage.

"Let's begin." The dwarf demon strongman, his face solemn, shouted loudly in the otherworldly language.

"Everything, for the might of the mother realm!"

The dwarf demons all shouted the same phrase in unison, then dispersed.

Ding——

Clang——

The metallic clanging sounds joined together; before everyone's eyes, they conjured a large quantity of items out of thin air and, in an extremely short time, fashioned them into a simple tower brimming with sacred aura.

The dwarf demon strongman stood atop the tower, holding aloft the passage core just obtained; his lips vibrated, and a series of chant-like strange rhythms surged.

Boom!!!

Accompanied by a low, booming roar, a massive formation instantly took shape above the head of the Dwarf Demon expert.

All the experts who witnessed this scene exclaimed in unison.

After all, they had seen similar power in Dalai Saiyi.

This group of Dwarf Demons, without wasting a word, as soon as they exited the dungeon passage, sought to seize Blue Star's source power.

Furthermore, their preparations were obviously far richer than those of Dalai Saiyi!

Just seeing the extraordinarily complex formation and the layers of stone-like, indestructible shields surging around the tower made everyone's hearts gradually sink.

Streams of firelight rapidly expanded from the horizon, like a dense rain of missiles.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, the senior leaders of all sides finally hesitated no longer, ordering a barrage of artillery to destroy the formation before them at any cost.

"Useless." The Dwarf Demon expert glanced at the incoming missiles, smirked, and said, "Your little trinkets are too crude."

With one hand he maintained the formation, and with the other he clenched his fist in midair.

Countless missiles exploded in midair instantly, like a grand fireworks display.

Looking at the layered formation in the sky that almost covered the entire Black Sea, everyone's faces showed only despair.

The Dwarf Demon expert laughed heartily.

"Let this grand fireworks serve as a celebration for our mother realm to draw power!"

"Sorry, I disagree."

A cold voice echoed from afar, causing the Dwarf Demon expert's expression to twitch slightly; he instinctively turned his head and saw a colossal hand reaching out from the water, ruthlessly grabbing him and all his kin around him.

"Boom!!!"

Accompanied by a terrifying roar, the layered protections shielding the tower built by the Dwarf Demon clan were torn apart in an instant; the hand then reached toward the formation in the high sky, gave a violent yank, and ripped apart the nearly completed world-origin seizure formation.

Amidst the cheers of countless people, Qin Chuan wore a water crown, donned water battle attire, and sat enthroned upon the water throne that had suddenly risen.

"Since the passage is gone, you might as well stay."

(End of chapter)