Only three rounds of combat. That meant the rest could conserve their energy. Though no one knew how long they'd get to rest, at the very least they'd be spared the risk of perishing here. And those who took the field — win or lose — would likely meet no good end, very possibly missing out on the Dao Competition entirely.
With their lifelong ambitions at stake, no one would be rash enough to volunteer for such a task at a time like this. After all, this wasn't a battle to determine victory or defeat — it was a fight to decide life and death. For the Origin Heaven Fruit to fully ripen, lives had to be claimed here.
Yang Kai's gaze swept over the group. He opened his mouth to speak, but Yang Yan cut him off first: "In that case, let's agree to their proposal for now. As for who takes the field, we'll see how they choose and decide from there."
Everyone nodded.
Yang Yan shot Yang Kai a fierce glare, a clear warning for him to keep his mouth shut. Yang Kai sniffled in resignation.
Turning around, Yang Kai looked at Jia Long and said, "We've discussed it."
"And?" Jia Long stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling as he looked over, his expression calm, seemingly already knowing the Star Boundary side wouldn't refuse his proposal.
"Your proposal — we accept!"
Jia Long chuckled softly. "Excellent."
"But these three rounds..." Yang Kai was just about to discuss the field selections in detail with him when a sudden change erupted.
A rumbling sound suddenly rose from underground, cutting his words short. He looked ahead warily, only to see that Jia Long's expression had also turned serious, his gaze sharp and focused.
Their eyes met, each seeing bewilderment in the other's gaze. They both realized it wasn't the other side's doing.
The next moment, upheaval struck from flat ground. In the once-empty hall, a massive section of the foundation suddenly rose as a whole, lifting more than thirty zhang in an instant before stopping.
Immediately after, two semi-transparent barriers descended from above, one falling over each of the two camps — the Star Boundary and the Demon Domain.
It happened so suddenly that no one could react in time. By the time they saw the barriers descending, it was already too late to escape. Angry roars erupted as Emperor Yuan and Demon Yuan surged through the air. Both sides unleashed their various techniques, but without exception, all efforts proved futile.
The two hemispherical barriers came down, separating the human False Emperors and the demon Half-Saints on opposite sides.
Yang Kai's brow furrowed deeply. His figure flickered, seeming to become insubstantial for a fleeting instant, only to solidify once more. This was unmistakable proof — even teleportation was now sealed.
These suddenly appearing hemispherical barriers had the power to seal heaven and earth.
Both camps descended into chaos. Techniques were continuously unleashed, bombarding the barriers. But the resilience of those barriers far exceeded everyone's imagination. Those attacking were all False Emperors and Half-Saints, yet they could do absolutely nothing against the heaven-and-earth-sealing barriers.
Another round of rumbling erupted. Within the area covered by the two barriers, the ground rose, climbing more than ten zhang higher than the central platform before finally stopping.
At that moment, each side stood atop its own elevated platform, enclosed by barriers on the outer edge. And in the center, there was yet another platform — though this one was far larger in scale.
When all the upheaval finally ceased, the twenty-odd False Emperors and Half-Saints on the scene exchanged bewildered glances. Not a one of them knew what had just happened.
Yang Kai frowned and peered toward the central platform. Before he could get a clear look, a swift swishing sound came from right beside him. The next instant, a figure appeared on the side of the platform nearest to him.
Yang Kai's eyes went wide. "Lord Lin!" he exclaimed in shock.
The figure that had suddenly appeared on the central platform was none other than Legion Commander Lin Rusong of the Ding Shenjun. He was an amiable man — back when Cang Mo had provoked Yang Kai during their entry into the Profound Heaven Hall, he had voluntarily offered to give up his own spot to enter in order to quell the dispute. His magnanimity had been truly admirable.
Yang Kai was utterly astonished. The other False Emperors around him also gasped in surprise — just moments ago, Lin Rusong had been standing right beside them. Not a single person had seen how he'd ended up on that central platform.
Lin Rusong himself was clearly just as shocked. Having appeared on the platform out of nowhere, his face was a mask of confusion.
And right at that moment, on the opposite side of the platform, a demon Half-Saint appeared just as abruptly.
Just like Lin Rusong, the demon Half-Saint hadn't quite grasped the situation upon appearing, gazing about in bewilderment.
On that solitary platform, a Star Boundary False Emperor and a demon Half-Saint had appeared in eerie fashion, separated by less than a hundred zhang. Meanwhile, everyone else remained trapped within the barriers of the other two platforms, unable to break free. This scene — wasn't it the very definition of a one-on-one duel?