At the Hell Ledge Arena in Darkness Port.
Before 10 am, almost all the young geniuses had arrived.
Without the excitement from last time, the atmosphere in the hall was strangely oppressive and solidified.
The young geniuses that appeared this time had more or less changed. They were steadier and one could feel that they had grown a lot.
Nothing was faster than putting a bunch of geniuses together and competing with each other.
Moreover, they would have to venture out to the dangerous sea to fight for the limited resources, so who would want to fall behind?
Those who were more sensitive also sensed the difference in the aura this time. For example, the True Capital Seven, who were often criticized by the ignorant for having an undeserved reputation, suddenly did not suppress their aura anymore. The iron-blooded aura around them rose to the sky and revealed their true form as powerhouses for the first time.
At the same time, the Dark Nine Feathers, which had always been weak, also seemed to have grown stronger. After all, they were the representatives of Darkness Port. Their strength made the audience unconsciously place expectations on them.
Maybe because the audience that entered the arena this time was of high status, the anticipation did not turn into cheers. Instead, it turned into waves of applause.
They were not the only ones who displayed their aura. Many unfamiliar or low-profile participants no longer suppressed their aura and unleashed it to their hearts' content.
The young geniuses were still competitive, and they finally exploded in the competition. The whole arena was filled with a towering aura.
However, the audience also realized that Han Xing was not there yet.
Even the two participants who were at the center of the storm, Tang Ling and Tang Long, were not there. The Stardust Sixteen were there!
Nevertheless, it was understandable since the competition would end on the 30th of April.
"Everything is ready. Open the Hell Ledge." After almost all the young geniuses had gathered, the Hell Ledge that had been waiting for a long time was opened again.
The rules were the rules, and it would not change just because a few people were not there.
There was no scramble and no clamor.
As if it was an agreement, all the young geniuses walked into the Hell Ledge Challenge Passage normally.
It was much more anticipated than the last time.
The audience's attention was placed on the big rock in front of the Hell Ledge Challenge Passage. According to the rules of the last competition, the top 10 participants would appear on the screen above the rock.
Of course, the rules had not changed.
However, this time around, as if Darkness Port was trying to be serious, after all the participants entered the Challenge Passage, a giant curtain that looked like the projection of the old civilization was placed down.
The host, the Simpering Pierrot, only appeared at that moment. He changed his slightly exaggerated hosting style and spoke in a solemn tone, "All honorable guests, welcome to Hell Ledge Battlefield."
"There is no doubt that this competition will be a magical one that will attract the attention of the entire world. What's amazing about it is that almost all the geniuses have secretly chosen this day, and I don't think there's any need to explain why the world's attention is on us. "
The Simpering Pierrot suddenly pointed at the giant screen and announced, "I won't be commenting too much in this match. I will only explain when it's time to do so. Why? Because this is the best match, there is no need to be long-winded to interrupt its rhythm. "
"And this screen will broadcast the entire competition process of all the contestants. You won't miss a single exciting performance. Hence, there's no need for me to be long-winded. "
After that, the Simpering Pierrot bowed at the crowd. "As a matter of fact, throughout my hosting career, there are only a few matches that I have to host in such a way. So, everyone, please enjoy the feast that the top geniuses have prepared for you. "
After that, the Simpering Pierrot stopped talking. He even pulled a chair over to the host's podium and pretended that he was ready to watch the match.
The crowd gave the veteran host a warm round of applause. His way of hosting was indeed the best way to handle the match.
**
The geniuses who had been through a lot of training were different from the start of the competition.
Every scene that appeared on that huge screen could be said to be absolutely wonderful.
In less than a minute, the first SSS rating appeared. Less than 10 seconds later, the second and third SSS ratings appeared one after another.
The decisive way of clearing the stage and the absolute best of the best … From the start of the match, the audience wondered if this was a Hell Mode challenge. That was the question!
Yes, it was as smooth as flowing water! Even the weakest among them could clear the stages smoothly. Up until now, there was no obstacle that could stop the geniuses.
Take a look at Young Peacock King Abu Shek. During the silent challenge period, his final score was SSS, and he cleared five stages.
This time, in less than five minutes, he reached stage eight. Stage six, which was once considered difficult, did not stop him at all.
"As a matter of fact, the trump card of the Peacock family must be that peacock. He hasn't used it yet." The audience that was able to sit in the arena this time around were all extraordinary people. Soon enough, some of them saw what made Abu Shek worth looking forward to.
"Hmm, let's wait for stage nine. This is definitely a dividing line. Only the contestants who cleared stage nine are worth more attention. " There were also those who were familiar with Hell Ledge. Although they were shocked by Young Peacock King's performance, they still held back their opinions.
Hell Ledge was a threshold every three stages, and that was without a doubt.
However, not everyone knew how the difficulty would increase after every three stages. The real difficulty of the Hell Ledge Challenge was set up this way. For the first 12 stages, the difficulty would increase after every three stages. The increase was not gentle at all as the difficulty would double.
Therefore, before the Hell Ledge Challenge was completely silent, the highest level of difficulty was only stage 10.
Only a few young geniuses were able to reach this level.
The Four Saints of North, South, East, and West were Han Xing and Ro Li.
However, after stage 12, the rules changed. After stage 12, the difficulty would increase with every stage and no one would have time to breathe.
Therefore, the highest record for a Purple Moon Warrior in the Hell Ledge Challenge (not the normal Hell Ledge Challenge) was 16 stages, and it was set by a real legend, Tang Feng.
It was not easy because there were a few others who were in second place after Tang Feng, and all of them had achieved 13 stages.
The normal Hell Ledge Challenge had a history of more than 100 years, but the Hell Ledge Challenge was only around 50 years old. All the records were referring to the Hell Ledge Challenge.
Therefore, the conservative person who said that only those who cleared stage nine and above were worth paying attention to and was not optimistic about Abu Shek's challenge was reasonable.
The pace of the competition was very fast because the Hell Ledge Challenge did not give the contestants any time to breathe.
Those who could clear it could kill their way through. Those who could not would be killed! There were no tricks involved, so how could the pace of the competition not be fast?
Abu Shek gained the upper hand by making a show of strength. He cleared stage eight at lightning speed and entered stage nine.
However, there were 20 to 30 contestants who entered stage nine in less than a minute.
Surprisingly, the first person to pass the ninth stage was not Abu Shek, but a pale young man who looked extremely handsome.
"It's him, Quentin! I knew it! The Dracula family values glory as much as their lives. How could they tolerate a mediocre genius? "someone shouted excitedly.
Although the old civilization was destroyed, some of its culture was still passed down stubbornly.
The Dracula family had the characteristics of the Light Continent's vampires in the legends of the old civilization, so they naturally had a huge group of fanatical supporters.
Therefore, Quentin being the first to clear stage nine ignited the first boiling point in the competition.
"This Quentin is interesting. The difficulty of stage nine isn't low anymore. It will definitely be a dividing line, yet he hasn't even used his family's special talent. " The person who commented was not a supporter of the Dracula family, but after a calm analysis, he still had high hopes for Quentin.
"Hmm, I think Quentin will be the first seed to clear stage 12." A steady audience nodded in agreement with Quentin's performance.
"As a matter of fact, shouldn't the first seed be those two kids? Why aren't they here yet? "There were still curious spectators who could not hold back their emotions.
It was at that moment that the crowd cheered because the first person to clear stage 11 had appeared.
The first person to clear Stage 11 had appeared, and it was the dark horse, Ro Li! As a matter of fact, clearing stage 11 was not that big of a deal. Ro Li had already cleared stage 10 before the competition was suspended.
What the crowd was looking forward to was stage 12. They wanted to see how Ro Li would perform in the obvious dividing line.
"The first seed to clear stage 12 has appeared. It's not the Four North, South, East, West, but the dark horse, Ro Li! I didn't want to blabber, but I'm so excited that I have to say something. "
"For Hell Ledge with this kind of difficulty, stage 12 will definitely be a shining line. You should know that before a legendary figure breaks the record, Hell Ledge can only remain at stage 13. "
"I can also reveal something to everyone in advance. What is it? It's the public stage! " After Ro Li cleared stage 12, the Simpering Pierrot spoke. He was obviously excited, and the moment he spoke, he brought the crowd a piece of shocking news. The public stage was about to be announced.
On second thought, it was not that surprising. There were only so many stages in Hell Ledge, so even if it was not announced, the crowd would be able to guess what it was. Might as well make it public to increase the anticipation.
The Simpering Pierrot did not beat around the bush and announced, "After stage 12, all the contestants will face the same scene. This is to ensure the absolute fairness of the shining line. "
"So, what's the crucial stage 12? It's Bronzemen Alley! "
Right after the Simpering Pierrot's words subsided, the crowd exclaimed in surprise.
Stage 12 was Bronzemen Alley?! Legend had it that the setting was built as a tribute to a classic stage clearing in ancient Huaxia of the old civilization.
However, the difficulty far exceeded that of the old civilization since this was the Purple Moon era.
The moment the setting was revealed, it shocked the world. It was not just because it was sentimental, but it was also known as the Unbreakable Stage. It had been stuck for at least two generations of geniuses and no one had ever cleared it.
How exactly was it set up?
It was simple. An alley less than 5 meters wide and 20 meters long was separated into 18 bronze men, nine on each side.
All the bronze men were at the level of a top-tier Purple Moon Warrior. Yes, it was the strength of nine bulls and two tigers! On top of that, four of the bronze men were equipped with combat techniques.
It was not some rubbish combat technique but a top-tier one!
Even the lowest rating would require one to walk through the alley from the beginning to the end. As for other ratings, hmph, the requirements were even stricter!
Without a doubt, if it were not for the Hell difficulty, Bronzemen Alley would definitely qualify as a stage after stage 15 or even as stage 18.
Even if it was a Hell difficulty challenge, people thought Bronzemen Alley would at least have a stage 15, but this time, it appeared on stage 12.
"The challenge this time is too sick! Is it going to be unprecedented? "someone in the audience exclaimed.
"It's definitely unprecedented, but it's hard to say. After all, the history of the challenge is less than 50 years old, and it was started by that legendary figure from Iron-Blooded City. " An elder in the audience shook his head. That was a story of another time. Before that legendary figure appeared, the Hell Ledge Challenge did not exist, so everyone faced normal challenges.
Many years had passed in the blink of an eye, but the era moved so slowly that people could not even feel the passage of time.
"I think it's going to be unprecedented! Which other era would have so many geniuses? "someone objected to the elder's opinion.
Everyone in the audience went silent after the elder's opinion.
Indeed, everyone in the audience was not a normal person. Which one of them did not feel that there were many geniuses in this era?
However, was it a good thing to have many geniuses?
On the screen, Ro Li, who had reached stage 12, was struggling to move forward. He was surrounded by 18 top-tier enemies, so he looked a little flustered.
However, upon a closer look, he did not look like he was clumsy or struggling to resist.
He looked like he had not adapted to the situation yet and was still trying his best to adjust.
Ro Li's screen had been adjusted to the ranking monolith. The audience saw that Ro Li had endured at least seven punches and five kicks from the Bronze Men.
It was inevitable that Ro Li was injured under the pressure of the top-tier enemies, but the audience also noticed that Ro Li was getting better at dodging the attacks. He could even counterattack under the concentrated attacks of the Bronze Men.
Or maybe, in this era, Bronzemen Alley was only worthy of being called stage 12? Many people could not help but wonder.
It was because another young genius who had cleared stage 11 and entered stage 12 had appeared. It was Dongyang of the Four Saints of North, South, East, and West.
In less than five seconds, the other three Saints had cleared stage 12. When they saw that Ro Li was the first to reach stage 12, their faces turned sour.
The Simpering Pierrot continued with his signature smirk as if he was unaware of the undercurrents in the dojo and the people's discussions. He continued to announce an even more shocking news, "If the 12th trial is Bronzemen Alley, what will it be in Bronzemen Alley?"
"Stage 15 is Blazing Road."
The moment he said that, the audience went into an uproar. Even the nobles, who had to maintain their composure, could not help but gasp.
Blazing Road?!
The audience knew that the Hell Ledge Challenge would definitely involve Blazing Road. Why? Because it was the most famous difficulty scenario in the entire Hell Ledge, second to none.
Do not misunderstand the meaning of fame. Gray Mist Street and Tang Long's Bloody Tower might be famous, but they were only famous because they were once rated as the two hardest scenes in the first five stages. There were no less than three of them.
What about Blazing Road? It was rated as the most difficult scenario for a pre-Purple Moon Warrior in the entire Hell Ledge Challenge!
Tang Feng had a record of 16 stages, but where did he fall in the end? Yes, it was Blazing Road.
Rumor had it that the mysterious master of Darkness Port purposely created this scenario for the sake of Hell Ledge's reputation and personally manipulated it to increase the difficulty. That was the reason why it stood out from the rest and became the most difficult scenario.
Before this, Bronzemen Alley might have caused a stir, but no one dared to say that it was the most difficult scenario in Hell Ledge. Instead, everyone said that Hell Ledge had a hidden trump card.
However, after Blazing Road was revealed, no one thought that Hell Ledge had a hidden trump card anymore. Of course, it was not because Tang Feng did not pass it, but because some experts had repeatedly calculated the scenario and announced that a pre-Purple Moon Warrior could not pass the Blazing Road.
So, the 15th stage was Blazing Road? Was it an attempt to stop all the geniuses and protect Hell Ledge's reputation?
Was it necessary? Back then, Tang Feng was only 19 years old and had just risen to the top. He was wild and unrestrained, and he had purposely stepped on the Hell Ledge Challenge!
If someone managed to pass the Blazing Road, what would the next three stages be like? He did not want there to be three more difficult stages at that time. Instead, the eighteen stages of Hell Ledge — the name 'Fall Into Hell if You Don't Clear the Eighteen Levels of Hell' would become a joke.
Facing the uproar from the crowd, the Simpering Pierrot did not waste his breath, just as he had announced.
He gave an explanation and let the crowd speculate on their own.
However, since he had revealed the trump card of the stage, he might as well reveal the most exciting thing. "Everyone, don't worry about Hell Ledge's background. Since Bronzemen Alley is the 12th stage and Blazing Road is the 15th stage, we're going to add something more exciting to this Life Or Death Ring." As he spoke, the Simpering Pierrot waved his hand and three things appeared on the screen.
As he spoke, the Simpering Pierrot waved his hand, and three items appeared on the screen.
The first item was something like an inner armor, the second was something like a crystal ball, and the third was a belt.
Many people recognized the three items at first glance. They could not help but raise their brows as they studied the items. What was Darkness Port's goal?
At this time, in the arena, the match was still in full swing. Although it had only been going on for less than ten minutes, there had already been one climax after another.
Although the people's attention was attracted by the three items that the Simpering Pierrot released, they were also curious about the entrance.
Why were the Stardust Sixteen gathered here, but none of them entered the Hell Ledge Challenge?
Was it because Tang Long wasn't here? Why did Tang Long abandon the Stardust Sixteen?
**
Tang Long looked at the copper-faced man with a gloomy expression.
He didn't understand why this person had to tie him up and bring him here.
What is this place? It was not some strange or hidden place. It was just a scenic spot in the deck area of Darkness Port.
A long walkway extended from the deck area into two. One end led to the iron chain that led to the island area of Darkness Port, and the other end led to the observation deck. The observation deck was the closest spot to the sea in the whole deck area.
There was no one else on the observation deck. Other than the whistling of the sea breeze and the cries of the seagulls, the place was dead silent.
Tang Long looked at the copper-faced man, and the copper-faced man looked back at him in silence. He was wondering what this hostile copper-faced man was trying to do.
If he remembered correctly, the copper-faced man had appeared out of nowhere and severely injured him! Of course, Tang Ling was also heavily injured.
In the end, it was a blessing in disguise as his body underwent some changes.
Of course, Tang Long was still wondering if the copper-faced man had done it on purpose or if it was an accident.
All in all, he had mixed feelings about the copper-faced man, but there was no hatred in his mixed feelings.
After that, Tang Long asked the people from the Stardust Council to investigate the copper-faced man, but the results were as expected.
The Stardust Council did not seem to be too enthusiastic about the matter either. Some of them even tried to brush it off.
Tang Long was a little curious about the mysterious man.
Tang Long did not panic. He looked at the sea in the distance calmly.
"Let your men know that you're safe. If too many people disturb me, I won't be able to control my temper. "The copper-faced man tossed a communicator over.
Tang Long caught the communicator, but he did not make the call. Instead, he asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'll talk to you for a while and let you go," the copper-faced man replied straightforwardly.
Tang Long nodded. He picked up the communicator and contacted the Stardust Sixteen and his men, telling them that he was safe and that he would be delayed for a while.
No one suspected anything since Tang Long sounded calm and collected.
For a person of Tang Long's level, the Stardust Council had arranged dozens of secret signals for him to hint that he was in danger.
He had many ways to tell them that he was in danger.
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" After Tang Long contacted everyone, he tossed the communicator back to the copper-faced man.
As a matter of fact, Tang Long was curious about what faction the copper-faced man belonged to. He felt like he was in a daze for a second before he was brought out of the car without a sound.
None of the Stardust Sixteen who were with him noticed that he was gone. They thought he was the one who left when he was on the communicator.
Unfortunately, the copper-faced man did not know how to explain. He went straight to the point and said, "Tang Ling is your little brother."
Tang Long turned around and grabbed the railing of the observation deck. His expression did not change at all.
"Draconic Twelve is a little mysterious. I think you should let him go. At least, don't let him join the Hell Ledge Challenge, "the copper-faced man added.
Tang Long smiled as he turned to the copper-faced man. "You are powerful, but I'm not afraid. I'm confused now. Is it better to live or die? " Because right now, I'm very confused … Is it better to live, or is it easier to die? "
"Look at me, a person who wants to embrace death.
Look at me, a person who wants to embrace death. What's there to be afraid of? I suspect you are a lobbyist sent by Tang Ling. "Tang Long raised a brow.
He did not conceal the anger on his face. "What do you want to talk to me about? Get to the point, okay? "
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