MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 463 - 216: Undercurrents

Chapter 463: Chapter 216: Undercurrents

The numbers flickering on the large screen also stirred the hearts of the onlookers, surging to 120,000 at one point. Even the Hall Master of the Strength Hall couldn’t help but feel his heart pounding. This child... such astonishing talent!

"At the Second-Transformation Peak, yet possessing such profound foundations, he’s truly a Heavenly Pride of the Star Sea. I fear no one can match him," Niu Zhongshan quietly said to the Hall Master of the Strength Hall. "Hall Master, we must recruit this youth into our Temple. In a hundred years, our Strength Hall will not fear the Golden Temple and might well top the thirteen ranks."

The Hall Master of the Strength Hall nodded slightly without speaking. His gaze was also very solemn. Right now, killing was not key, but rather how to endure the long wait after slaying the Demon Beasts.

Many powerful figures who had returned from the eighth challenge were secretly sneering. With a kill count of 120,000, when he emerged, he would have faced the relentless pursuit of Demon Beasts for months on end, with no sleep or rest. Who could endure that?

In the Divine Challenge, there was no guarantee of survival. If one failed during the challenge, death was a very common occurrence.

Lu Hong’s killing gradually started to slow, and the flickering of the numbers began to stabilize, finally fixing at 136,000 without further fluctuation.

Those watching also knew that now was when the real nightmare began.

"Bright talent, but shame about the lack of brains," said many strong figures as they shook their heads upon seeing the astounding number of kills. They believed that with such a number of kills, his Magic Power must be exhausted, and he would surely not survive the long waiting period.

This idea quickly spread among most of the spectators. After a while, many Third Transition powerhouses left, holding no hope for Lu Hong to safely exit the third challenge.

Others, with nothing better to do, began to meditate on the spot, curious to see the final result.

As for the old Priest, he had already set up his tent. After all, the bet was not yet settled, and he couldn’t afford to leave and be chased down.

"Hall Master, shall we wait or..." Niu Zhongshan began to inquire.

The Hall Master of the Strength Hall paused briefly before responding, "Let’s wait here. I’m very interested in meeting this young prodigy."

"Hall Master, this young man is named Tukuru and is currently the most prominent Baron of the Holy Divine Empire. He has turned the tide in many major battles in the Empire. It is rumored that Konstantin holds him in high regard, and recently he participated in the Dragon Tan affair, using mysterious methods to kill the three saints of Dragon Tan," Niu Zhongshan reported.

Situated in the Star Sea meant that the Strength Hall also had its own private enterprises. Many informants lurked in various places of the Star Sea, and facing such an exceptional Heavenly Pride, Niu Zhongshan had long arranged for individuals to investigate and report Lu Hong’s achievements.

The Hall Master of the Strength Hall nodded again, his admiration for Lu Hong growing further.

"However," Niu Zhongshan’s tone shifted, "his entry into the Divine Path might be related to Sotu. Both the Void Temple and the Golden Temple were involved in the Dragon Tan affair. Perhaps he was under Konstantin’s orders to enter the Rejoicing Plane for investigation."

"No matter, the connection between Sotu and our Divine Path is merely reciprocal and unrestrictive; no need to worry. As for the Golden Temple and the Void Temple..." The Hall Master of the Strength Hall chuckled, not elaborating further.

Waiting was a lengthy affair. Lu Hong looked up at the long string of numbers above his head; with at least a two-month duration looming, he didn’t bother to ponder. Before him, a giant Demon Beast rabbit, merging the power of nearly ten thousand Demon Beasts, was massive enough to obscure the sky. Every movement it made caused huge waves of Magic Power, which were terrifying to behold.

However, Lu Hong was not panicked in the slightest; not at all. After the trials of the second challenge, his evasion skills were maxed out. As long as his physical strength was sufficient, he had no fear of the rabbit’s attacks.

But then, what if his physical strength was drained?

No worries, he still had the War Fortress Skill, a top-notch defense that could provide him ample rest time.

Just wear it down slowly—who’s afraid of whom?

Meanwhile, during these two months, the news of Tukuru’s third challenge with 136,000 kills blew through the Divine Path like the winds of spring, stirring the entire realm. Not only the Strength Path, but other Divine Path powerhouses also heard of this and left their paths to come to the Strength Path. They wanted to see this Second-Transformation Peak master, curious about his prowess and perhaps... to fulfill Sotu’s commission to strike him down!

Given that the Strength Hall could determine the challenger’s identity, the well-connected Sotu, exploiting his power, had obtained this information as well and had issued a lethal bounty across all Divine Paths, with a hefty reward for Lu Hong’s head.

The Hall Master of the Strength Hall heard of this and wanted to intervene, but he was powerless; the Temple forbade interference in the Divine Challenge, and he could not violate this ancestral rule.

"130,000?" Liu Mei broke through and officially entered the Second-Transformation Level 2, her strength greatly increased. Before she could celebrate for herself, she received this shocking news.

"Who could have killed so many demon beasts in the second challenge?" Only those who have climbed the peaks knew the difficulty of climbing. Liu Mei, having killed more than 50,000 demon beasts herself, naturally understood the immense challenge presented by the number 130,000; it was more than just difficult; it was a chasm.

"I heard it was a Baron of the Empire named Tuku Lu," Liu Mei’s best friend said with a giggling laugh. "This man is a great hero of the Empire, didn’t you say you wanted to marry a towering hero? Now, he finally appears."

"Has this Tuku Lu... come out of the third challenge yet?" Liu Mei’s face turned slightly red, obviously feeling somewhat ashamed about her past bold statements, and quickly asked a very important question.

"Not yet, it is estimated that it will take about another month." Her best friend shook her head, "Anyway, as far as we know, he is not dead yet, but whether he can survive the waiting period, nobody can say for sure."

"One more month..." Liu Mei fell silent. Even during her victorious days, she could not withstand such a prolonged consumption, let alone Lu Hong who had just gone through a fierce battle.

"Let’s go to the third challenge," Liu Mei lifted her head, her gaze towards the boundless horizon.

It was Augustus’ seventy-second attempt at the final challenge, but unfortunately, it still ended in failure. As soon as he walked out of the challenge, his friend came to meet him, "Failed?"

"Yes." Clearly, Augustus was in a bad mood after the failure.

"I have good news for you."

Augustus glanced at his friend and said nothing, just walked away.

"Hey, hey, don’t go." The friend chased after him, saying, "Haven’t you always wanted to challenge the strong? Now, the opportunity has come."

Hearing his friend’s words, Augustus stopped, turned his head, and asked, "What happened? Is there a big event?"

"Of course." The friend nodded, "While you were breaking through these days, someone in our Strength Divine Path actually killed 130,000 demon beasts in the third challenge."

"Oh?" Augustus, like Liu Mei, knew well the difficulty involved. "Is he dead?"

"Of course not. If he were dead, this record wouldn’t have been preserved."

"Very well." Augustus nodded in satisfaction, "Where is he now?"

"Hey, hey, he’s still in his Second Transition, hasn’t passed the waiting period, there’s no point in seeking him yet."

Seeing his friend shaking his head, Augustus was puzzled, "Still in his Second Transition? How is this good news?" Augustus’ mood, which had just improved, soured again. He couldn’t possibly challenge a Second-Transition expert as a Third-Transition warrior.

"Don’t rush." The friend continued, "This kid is said to be a Baron of the Empire, now exposed and being hunted for bounty by Duke Sotu. Many other divine path powerhouses have entered our Strength Divine Path wanting his head."

As his friend revealed this, Augustus’ eyes brimmed with fiery enthusiasm. "Where are they now?!"

His friend grinned slyly, "Well."

He then handed over a slip of paper, "This contains the records of other top divine path powerhouses’ appearances for the past three days. Whether you find him or not depends on your luck."

"Thanks." Augustus grinned widely, took the slip, and strode off.

This time, his friend did not follow, watching Augustus walk away, he muttered, "Baron, this is all the help I can offer you."

Indeed, Augustus’ friend was a member of the Black Eyed group, hoping to use Augustus’ power to reduce the number of strong individuals killing Lu Hong, securing a slim chance of survival for Lu Hong after his breakthrough.

After all, as the foremost person in the Strength Divine Path, whether it was in terms of leadership or foundational strength, Augustus was no ordinary figure. If he could provoke a divine path war, it would not necessarily be a bad thing.