Chapter 711: Transcendent Standoff?

Nightmare Demon!

I was too familiar with their information!

I had even created the Dream State Spell using them and the Nightmare as prototypes, so how could I be unfamiliar with this existence?

After realizing the situation, I barely managed to break free from the two people's encirclement by relying on the Magic Power Protection and Stone Skin.

I let the Holy Angel who was prepared to be a "sacrifice" and lure pass; killing him was pointless.

After distinguishing who was the most important, the initiative was seized by me.

"You! Why are you chasing me and attacking me!"

The Wizard did not even have a chance to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing me break free before my combo attack was fully directed at him.

"Because you deserve to die."

I simply responded, completely disregarding the astonishment of the others, as if in that instant, this Wizard had become my mortal enemy.

Such a drastic shift in the rhythm of the counterattack indeed caught this team somewhat off guard.

And after I saw the "hidden" Nightmare Demon on the opponent's body… many things seemed to fall into place.

Nightmare Demons… are beings that feed on Soul-substance.

It seemed to be an attempt by the Abyssal Great World to explore the boundary between the Primal Dream State and reality.

Their initial appearance was in Ninglan New City, where they caused massive casualties, with students from various Transcendent Academies having their Soul-substance essence injured or even fatally attacked by Nightmare Demons!

If it were before, I would have the ability to deal with these Nightmare Demons—whether it was the Dream Rewrite Spell or the Dream State Spell, I could easily handle such existences.

But now, with the contract's restrictions… even bare-handed casting of spells was impossible, dealing with Nightmare Demons was simply a pipe dream!

In this instant, I thought of many, many things… such as countermeasures… or methods of self-preservation.

No wonder they placed this antithesis at the Sixth Sanctuary instead of Ninglan New City, because this area was still under the Dream Overlap Phenomena!

If it weren't for the Dream Overlap Phenomena, the Nightmare Demon entering the Dream State… would enter the Primal Dream State instead of the overlapping Dream State connected to reality.

But now, with my means restricted and no room for bare-handed casting, the only thing I could utilize was the Power Network.

However, the Nightmare Demon could shuttle between the Dream State and reality, and the Power Network's casting time and Spell delay were long enough for the Nightmare Demon to go back and forth between the Dream State and reality.

Even with my Body Cultivation reaction capability, I could only barely manage self-preservation.

But… what if the opponent wasn't planning for the Nightmare Demon to fight, but to launch a sneak attack while I was in the defenseless state of death?

If I were of Soul-substance essence, I would be certain to die!

Even if I were of Soul essence… I couldn't be sure whether the Nightmare Demon could harm me.

And I didn't intend to test it with myself.

If I were to die, my soul had a final trump card, which was the blessing of the Authority of the Dream State granted by the Soul essence in my own Great Project of the Soul… the Soul Dream State.

The Nightmare Demon simply wouldn't have the chance to completely kill me.

The "Dwelling of the Soul" and "Soul Blessing" within the Great Project of the Soul—the Dream State Space formed by the authority possessed by every life that underwent the transformation into Soul essence—was a place completely dominated by oneself, and the Nightmare Demon simply couldn't enter such a place.

So, after confirming that I was in no danger, I no longer felt fear.

Instead, I began to think about other problems, such as… did the Witches know about this drama that they directed?

Even I could perceive the existence of the Nightmare Demon; there was no reason why the Transcendent Witches couldn't.

The only possibility that the Witch Sisters had not jumped out yet was that… the Nightmare Demon had not violated the contract.

Because the Nightmare Demon was not a weapon, nor a large-scale, single-use, mass-destruction alchemical item, and certainly not a Transcendent ability controlled by a single person.

They were merely… an experimental branch of demons within the Abyssal Demon race.

I seemed to understand why the Abyssal Demons made this appearance; their goal in coming to the Expansion Realm might not be to cause trouble at all, but to smuggle the Nightmare Demon into the Expansion Realm.

Furthermore, the Abyssal Demon tide also destroyed most of the Sorcery Tools for driving out Dream State creatures in the Ninglan Land Boundary of the Expansion Realm.

A reasonable guess was that this Sorcery Tool might also have a considerable impact on the Nightmare Demon's entry into the Dream State.

So, so many Transcendent Academies caused such a huge commotion, cooperating with the Abyssal Demon Transcendent Academy, just to… kill me?

No, this commotion was not very large; after all, these were all spontaneous actions of the students, examinees, and Teaching Assistants, unrelated to the academies.

Please do not elevate this to the level of the academies.

They could even perform a scene where the Nightmare Demon kills someone, and yet they could completely distance themselves from the matter…

But… they miscalculated one thing.

That was the Nightmare Demon might not necessarily be able to kill me!

So, this seemed to be a predetermined failed assassination, but what did the Witches gain in this process?

Was it worth Teacher Lina using a convenient favor to invite me to participate in this assassination?

And the Witches couldn't possibly just stand by and watch the Nightmare Demon attack me.

Why did they think I would die?

Just because I was not a Transcendent Witch yet?

The answer to these questions might become clear if I just probed a little.

As for how to probe… naturally, it was to comply with their wishes and be killed.

It was a good opportunity to see; since the Witch mentors were using me as bait, they should have sufficient confidence to protect me.

I just didn't know what method they would use.

Surely, it wouldn't be a direct intervention by the Transcendent level, right?

I estimated that the moment I "died" would be the moment this Joint Exam was completely detonated.

After all the twists and turns… the key ultimately fell upon me.

After figuring this out, I even relaxed my combat posture a lot at this moment.

It was as if I now stood on a level of anticipation higher than theirs.

Suddenly… I didn't want to die so easily anymore.

Since they had set up such a stage for me, I should better showcase myself, challenge my weaknesses, and challenge my limits.

Previously, those Teaching Assistants who had encircled me said that I was not the only genius in this world.

I also admitted this point of view, but I wanted to say that… the true geniuses would absolutely not be the group of people who spoke that sentence.

I hadn't seen many things clearly before, but if I put myself in the perspective of a "genius," many things suddenly seemed to make sense.

Because a genius is worthy of the envy of those who would do so much, and equally worthy of the fear of those who would plot so extensively.

When my mentality changed, the second battle seemed to have reached an early conclusion.

And when the time advanced to the moment of my victory, the surrounding cheers erupted once again!

At this moment, I was like a fearless victor, my provocative gaze sweeping over everyone with hidden agendas.

Under my gaze, they became evasive, jealous, and embarrassed, but all tacitly dared not make eye contact with me.

They were clearly waiting for the "predetermined victory," but the radiance emitted by my "temporary victory" at this moment hurt their fragile inner beings.

One victory was nothing special.

Two victories demanded careful consideration.

Three victories made them feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.

When I won the third match again, it was clear that some people could no longer sit still.

Some were quietly praying for this person to die quickly!

Others were cursing internally about why she was still alive.

How must the Teaching Assistants who had already died once and were waiting for their safety period to pass feel?

The commentator around the antithesis arena, through their initial praise-killing, had now elevated me to the height I was supposed to be at.

The cheers, which were originally just for fun, had now become a heartfelt resonance.

"You should fall! Yang Yuehan, this antithesis has been delayed for too long because of you!"

When the team for my fourth match entered the arena, they blurted out thoughtless words.

"You really are full of nothing but thoughts of scoring! I've been here so long, instead of reflecting on your own incompetence, you are blaming me instead?"

I held the spine of the Book in the Casket in my right hand and snorted, pointing at them.

When the leader said that sentence, the opponent had already lost half the battle, and the remaining half would be when they died at my feet.

After I finished speaking, the surrounding spectators immediately booed loudly.

As the first person threw a half-empty bottle at the head of the person who spoke, it instantly incited the crowd's mockery and throwing skills.

Others followed suit.

And the "Little Han Support Group" members were the most vociferous in their cursing.

The crowd came to watch an exciting antithesis, not to watch a group of brain-dead people come here to exploit opportunities, score points, and show off and jump around in front of them.

Xiao Han had been fighting for three consecutive matches, and the fourth team couldn't see the situation clearly and even started mocking.

It would mean the audience had no temper if they weren't provoked.

Because of this person's self-inflicted trouble, the match had to be postponed for a while due to the crowd's outrage.

Until the battle began, there was still some garbage on the field that hadn't been completely cleaned up.

The team of challengers who had incited the public fury also restrained themselves somewhat during the battle.

However, I must say that they dared to speak harshly, and their skill level was quite high, but this only made them worthy of the description "skilled"—they still could not escape the fate of being killed by me.

The person who had spoken harshly earlier indeed persevered until the end.

I admitted that his strength deserved my respect, but he narrowly lost in the contest of who had the tougher exterior against my Book in the Casket.

Because his cheekbone was not as hard as the corner of my Book in the Casket.

Four consecutive battle victories pushed the audience's cheers from climax to the finish line.

Four consecutive high-intensity battles; they had personally witnessed my physical stamina gradually being depleted, until the fourth battle, when I sent off the last opponent book by book, the decline in my physical consumption was visible to the naked eye.

But the battle was far from over; the end of this wheel battle would not be when I ran out of stamina, but when I ran out of life.

When my fifth opponent stepped onto the stage, even I was somewhat surprised.

But after adjusting my breathing, I was ready to fight again.

"Just one person? Aren't you being a little too overconfident… Beast Academy guy."

I looked at the opponent's already half-beastified posture, even without using the Power Network, and quickly recognized their academy.

The scales that shimmered with an ultimate texture under the natural light, and the vertical pupil unique to apex predators on the food chain…

"Don't lump our Dragon Blood Academy with those Beast Academy pigs!"

The opponent immediately corrected me angrily upon hearing my address, as if using "Beast Academy" to describe their Dragon Blood Academy was an insult.

However, the Dragon Blood Academy's presence was still too minimal for me, so I didn't have much impression of them, only knowing that they seemed to have cut ties with the Beast Academy.

"Dragon Blood? Tsk… they're all pretty much the same. I remember Dragons were very arrogant beings, weren't they? Now they're also looking to take advantage?"

"I'm just here to give you a dignified end! Do you really think I'm desperate for the hundred points of your life?"

"Oh I look forward to your performance."

I looked deeply at something hanging on the chest of this person.

A Nightmare Demon was hidden inside it.

Just like the previous two matches, but they never let the Nightmare Demon attack, even until they died.

I guessed they were waiting for me to be truly killed before they would use the Nightmare Demon to annihilate my "Soul-substance."

The fifth battle began.

The person from the Dragon Blood Academy was greeted with the audience's most contemptuous booing.

Too many people knew that this battle would not have much exciting confrontation; truthfully… perhaps only a dignified death.

But too many people wanted to see this scene ending in death, putting a temporary perfect end to the Teaching Assistant who had won four consecutive matches.

"Are you ready for a dignified death?"

This half-Drakonid was currently flexing his sturdy muscles, his bones and sinews making a resonating sound.

Then his dragon scales flared out, emitting a terrifying metallic friction sound, and the explosive physical power was flawlessly demonstrated in an unconscious display.

Such terrifying innate talent was indeed sufficient to crush those large Beast-people from the Beast Academy.

No wonder the Dragon Blood Academy and its affiliated academy dared to claim they had cut ties with the Beast Academy.

"Your tone really sounds like you thoroughly intend to kill me."

I did not directly respond to his greeting; instead, I half-implied and directly questioned him.

As my words carried a deeper, hidden meaning, the half-Drakonid's vertical pupil instantly constricted.

I didn't even need to look directly into his eyes to discern the truth; I learned it directly from my Heart Sense.

None of those people who fought against me in every match… died innocently.

But now the battle had begun.

From the opponent's perspective, I was merely a spent force, but this kind of carelessness was immediately seized upon by me.

This was the first time I had preemptively attacked in a battle.

By the time the opponent reacted, I had already reached him with the enhancement of the Wind Pressure Spell and my physical quality!

"You!"

The opponent never expected me to "sneak attack," and to give up my Spell Cultivator advantage to engage in close-quarters combat and a contest of strength with him, a large individual!

Just as he thought I was giving up entirely, my right hand, holding the Book in the Casket, swung in a full circle and struck towards his chest.

More accurately, it was aimed at the beast-tooth pendant hanging on his chest.

These ornaments were a preferred style of the Beast Academy, including the Dragon Blood Academy, but I was very clear that a Nightmare Demon was lurking inside it.

"Come! Kill me!"

I roared out the words, facing the half-Drakonid's astonished gaze.

I didn't have any defense for this strike; the goal was to destroy the Nightmare Demon's carrier.

The opponent’s immediate counterattack, after he reacted, was enough to inflict fatal damage on me.

But… how could I simply die calmly and let them quietly use the Nightmare Demon to destroy the evidence?

Honestly, in this battle, my current state was no match for a fully-stat Dragonkin with terrifying physical quality.

The Power Network also had its limits.

Since I was going to "die" anyway, I might as well make a bigger commotion!

Since all of you went to such lengths to "smuggle" the Nightmare Demon into the Expansion Realm, how can I let you get away without them coming out to meet everyone and say hello?

At this moment, the perspective shifted to the half-Drakonid.

In this instant, things happened too quickly; the opponent didn't even have time to react.

He had simply not anticipated that I would so directly… destroy this item!

Accompanied by the crisp cracking sound of the accessory, a phantom figure was also forced to appear, looking utterly bewildered.

Facing this "abruptly" appearing figure, everyone was stunned.

Only those who knew what was going on broke out in a cold sweat at this moment.

And this half-Drakonid, facing such a difficult situation, instinctively threw a punch.

And predictably, the figure in front of him was sent flying by his punch without any resistance…

Everything felt so unreal.

"Quick! Kill her completely!"

He understood very well that this would be his only chance.

Although things had gone beyond his expectation, facing this choice, he had no other option…

He also understood what this shout represented—he would be thoroughly resented by the Witch Academy, but it didn't matter… his mentor would protect him!

Definitely!

"The victory and defeat have been determined; you don't need to…"

"What are you Transcendent Witches trying to do! Are you trying to interfere with the normal proceedings of this Joint Exam!"

Suddenly, two irresistible voices—one after the other—reverberated across the antithesis venue!

The terrifying power unique to the Transcendent level erupted.

Even though both sides were extremely restrained, it still knocked everyone present to the ground.

And those who climbed up from the ground, looking up, saw a sight that they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Hundreds of figures stood in the sky, facing each other in confrontation!

Everyone felt as if the air was freezing at this moment.

These people confronting each other… were all the mentors from the various Transcendent Academies!

They took the number one antithesis venue as the center, clearly dividing into two distinct groups of people.

It was as if a Transcendent War could erupt at any moment!