Chapter 1723: Chapter 1723

1723: Chapter 1719: The Next One 1723: Chapter 1719: The Next One The duel between top-tier extraordinaries often boils down to one-on-one combat, largely due to the choice of the professionals themselves.

“If it’s a free-for-all, the undying nature tends to wear out quickly, and you might actually end up experiencing true death.

Those cowards naturally prefer one-on-one fights, banking on the strategy of running away if defeated.”

Although Chris’s words were slightly exaggerated, from Lu Ping’an’s perspective, there were also factors like mutual interference abilities, overlapping domains potentially causing friendly fire, and a series of other technical challenges.

But fundamentally, what Big Cat said was right—chaotic battles among top-tier extraordinaries could indeed result in inexplicable deaths.

One-on-one combat, at the very least, puts life and death within one’s own grasp…

Running away is one option, and “death,” in a certain sense, can even serve as an acceptable escape route.

However, in a battlefield teeming with extraordinaries, temporary death might very well turn into permanent death.

When multiple “Divine Kingdoms” are layered upon one another, overly chaotic collisions of rules could suppress your undying nature—or, even more decisively, nullify it outright.

Of course, the disparity in absolute strength makes hunting significantly easier… Those Supreme Gods above, devouring Quasi-Gods like snacks, seem to all have met their true death.

Ninth-tier fighting eighth-tier often requires a grueling struggle, but eleventh-tier obliterates ninth-tier instantly—so far, we haven’t seen any surviving examples.

Blood is spilling across every battlefront—yours, mine, the Fishmen’s, humanity’s… More Quasi-Gods and Rule-level entities have fallen today alone than in the entirety of last year.

“…Fish Head, are you ready?

You look rather appetizing.”

As Lu Ping’an uttered these words, countless spatial corridors were already primed and ready.

The Void Ray, inherently a top-tier spatial being, was bolstered by a powerful mutant variation within its species—adept at spatial manipulation and naturally skilled at fleeing…

But Lu Ping’an had prepared an overwhelming arsenal of spatial restriction tools, not to mention his mastery of martial skills capable of tearing through space.

Lu Ping’an also deduced that once the Void Ray’s species identity was confirmed, Xia Qin had decided to let it go… Partly because intercepting it was too challenging, but more importantly…

“Over the years, I’ve killed quite a few Void Rays.”

The fight progressed swiftly and would likely conclude just as quickly.

When Lu Ping’an distorted the surrounding space, triggering large-scale dimensional tremors, the ray immediately realized it had collided with an immovable force and prepared to flee…

This species, overly adept at escaping, lacked the courage for a bloody showdown, even if it ascended to Overlord status.

However, having seized control of the battlefield, Lu Ping’an was not about to let it escape so easily.

The Black Fire Legion was ignited, becoming part of the unstable space.

When unused Rule-level “Fire Cages” were tossed one by one, the Void Ray plunged into agony.

On this battlefield, Lu Ping’an wielded his Divine Kingdom, with each Black Flame bounty serving as an energy node.

The fight raged on, and eventually, the entire world began to burn naturally.

Trapped in a sea of fire, the ray’s performance was far inferior compared to that of the Time Snake.

In fact, Lu Ping’an hadn’t even found a bounty listed for this creature… Perhaps it was so disgraceful that it hadn’t even earned a place on the bounty list.

As sparks flew and blood seeped from the ray’s flesh, it was immediately vaporized.

Lu Ping’an struck quickly this time—unlike previous bare-handed confrontations, he donned Zhi Xi’s armor, utilized connections with other magic pets, and maximized his panel stats.

A diminutive metallic giant perched on the ray’s body, spewing continuous flames, while its fists, seemingly heavier than mountains, slammed down relentlessly.

Fist after fist smashed its flesh into a grotesque mess, accompanied by unceasing screams.

Lu Ping’an dug hole after hole into its body, blood gushing uncontrollably.

Understanding the Void Ray’s anatomical structure, he focused intently on targeting its vital organs.

Unlike the Time Snake, which could revert to an unharmed state, this creature overly relied on spatial defenses and exhibited striking physical frailty… Lu Ping’an had killed countless Void Rays, familiarizing himself with their numerous vulnerabilities.

Meanwhile, the ray’s offensive tactics involved distorting space and creating spatial ruptures to harm opponents…

While its attacks were potent, the continuous “tremors” suspended mid-air, combined with the interlinking and tearing of spatial ruptures, underscored the rule of mutual collision: the Strongman triumphs.

Lu Ping’an’s space-tearing abilities might lag behind the ray’s, but achieving around sixty or seventy percent efficacy in its strongest domain was more than sufficient to restrict its full potential.

Its fragile physical form was a glaring weakness left plainly exposed… Zhi Xi’s armor provided protection not only against physical attacks but also spatial ruptures.

Facing opponents of diverse forms, Lu Ping’an tailored his combat approach accordingly.

Though he might not be the strongest in the team, he consistently achieved optimal counters… The Courtyard’s resources guaranteed that even if specialized weapons weren’t available, he could acquire new tools during prolonged death matches.

The Void Ray finally reached its breaking point, erupting in desperation.

It transformed into liquid form, splitting into ten smaller Void Rays, each attempting to escape.

As long as one of them escaped, it could revive… But what awaited them were ten spatial prisons set up in every direction.

“How is this possible…”

Evidently, the ray hadn’t anticipated its opponent possessing so many “Secret Treasures,” nor had it expected such reckless extravagance!

By this point, it was already too late.

This, perhaps, was the most disgraceful of all eighth-tier Overlords.

In truth, however, Overlord-level life forms inherently paled in comparison to Overlord-level professionals—the disparity extended beyond ability scope and reserves, involving profound differences in willpower, combat experience, and awareness between “Naturally Strong Beings” and “Self-Strengthened Achievers.”

Lu Ping’an showed no mercy, maintaining his combat rhythm in full lethal force.

The fires nearby still blazed, and his comrades awaited his assistance.

Dispatch the weakest opponent swiftly, then provide reinforcements on other battlegrounds—such a straightforward and brutal tactic yielded the best results.

With its movement restricted, the nameless Overlord-level creature found itself cornered in utter despair.

“…Damn it, what kind of domain is this…”

The Void Ray’s gravest mistake from the outset was stepping into the battlefield Lu Ping’an had chosen.

Lu Ping’an’s declaration of war had not concluded.

The Burning Legion continued evolving, transforming into blazing flames that integrated wholly into Lu Ping’an’s abilities.

This slaughter ultimately became a hunter’s triumph over its prey.

When the Void Ray was thoroughly shredded, leaving no corpse behind as it was cast into the Courtyard, Lu Ping’an marked his second kill.

As he prepared to assist his companions…

“…The enemy has retreated.”

The other two battlefronts wrapped up prematurely as a result.

This outcome was unsurprising—linger any longer, and it would devolve into high-tier combat scenarios involving overwhelming numbers, a risk too great to bear.

Here, the stark contrast between the two sides was laid bare… Their combat resolve was worlds apart.

One side treated it as clocking in for work—even if their personal interests were at stake, their approach remained opportunistic: take what’s available, retreat if unattainable… They always knew of the powerful Supreme God above serving as their fallback.

Success brought no guaranteed rewards, and failure brought no assured punishment, so why bother risking everything?

But for humanity’s side…

“We have no retreat…”

Reestablished communications conveyed the Command Center’s mounting anxiety and unease.

Victory wasn’t universal; in fact, battling on the enemy’s “home turf” naturally disadvantaged humanity, with significant losses in advanced combat power already sustained.

Thus, survivors and victors were naturally burdened with greater responsibilities.

New assignments were transmitted—tasks left unfinished by others fell to Lu Ping’an…

He did not refuse because, as a member of humanity, in this battlefield dedicated to human survival, there was no retreat.

The Black Fire Legion, harbingers of destruction, now became beacons of hope.

Lu Ping’an and his legion pressed onward, moving from battlefield to battlefield—winning some, losing others, killing here, retreating there…

But as more and more “mines” were activated, the strategy began advancing to its next phase.