CHAPTER 165: MARTIAL PALACE TAKES THE LEAD

Right outside the unclassified dungeon, the adventurers were shaking like leaves in the wind at the sight of the terrifying summon.

"What do we do?" one of them mumbled under his breath.

"There are at least a hundred of them." Another gasped. "I think we should head inside and inform the vice leader."

Even though a large portion of the adventurers had been left outside, they didn’t think they could face the church, especially with a High Cardinal among them.

At the front of the group stood a youth with black hair and eyes. He was a high-ranking member of the guild named Gary.

Although there was no official leader present, he stepped forward, sweeping his gaze across the church ranks.

"This area has been claimed by the Adventurer Guild first. The Holy Church has no business here."

At his words, Alofonso of the Holy Church chuckled as though he had just heard the funniest thing in the world.

"It appears the Adventurer Guild has forgotten that the wilderness is no man’s land," he said, then looked past the adventurers at the dungeon.

Alofonso’s eyes flashed with intrigue. ’I can’t tell what rank it is, but it’s clearly high... Since most of them aren’t here, it seems they’re inside,’ he deduced with a simple glance.

"How about this?" Alofonso suddenly smiled mischievously. "Let’s make it easier for you... With your current strength, I’m certain you won’t last more than three minutes against us."

’What is he up to now?’ Gary thought, his eyes narrowing.

The smile never left Alofonso’s face as he continued, "How about you step aside and allow us entry or Stand against us... and perish?"

---

Elsewhere in the wilderness, the fight between Liang and Felix Darkwood had reached a boiling point.

Since they couldn’t really see what was going on inside the dungeon, most of the spectators in the viewing centre had shifted their attention there.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Their fists and feet collided again and again. Each impact created a deafening boom, and with every exchange of blows, violent ripples of energy surged outward.

But the most important detail was this—every time those ripples spread, Felix was forced back a step, while Liang pressed forward relentlessly.

In the viewing centre, the mysterious man sitting beside Damian smiled. "Warriors and mages always look down on cultivators," he smirked. "But they forget that cultivation existed long before the arrival of the System hundreds of years ago."

Damian’s eyes widened. "You mean to say... monks have been around since then?"

Despite having access to the best education as a wealthy scion of the Graves family, it was the first time he had heard such information.

This only made him more curious about the man’s identity. How did he know all this?

"Yes, hahaha." The man chuckled. "Magic scholars always wanted mana to appear superior, so they hid it from everyone. Only the old cultivators back in Tianlan are aware of the truth."

"So you’re saying not even everyone in the Tianlan Kingdom knows about this?"

The Tianlan Kingdom was known as the home of martial arts. It came as quite the surprise that not even they fully understood their own heritage.

The mysterious man nodded and continued. "From the look of things, that warrior underestimated the cultivator and tried to overwhelm him with brute force."

Damian turned his gaze back to the screen, noticing panic etched all over Felix’s face.

Out in the wilderness, Felix’s expression was pale. He kicked the ground and retreated, hoping to catch a breather from the relentless assault.

’I underestimated this monk,’ he gritted his teeth, sweat glistening on his temple.

What was worse, his forces were being wiped out—especially the otherworlders.

One after another, they turned into data fragments.

And the worst part? This wasn’t even the work of the Martial Palace Guild as a whole, but of a single existence!

Evelyn.

She moved through the ranks of the White Flame Guild, purple petals drifting lazily around her.

Whenever those petals touched a living being, they exploded instantly.

"Don’t tell me you’re running away," she mocked coldly. "Is this how pathetic the White Flame Guild has become?"

"Bastards, shut up!" Felix roared, stomping the ground as his aura spiked.

At the same time, Liang moved again. But this time, he didn’t clash head-on like before. Instead, he channeled spirit qi and punched the air.

The force of his strike wasn’t directed at Felix directly.

BOOOM!

The very air exploded forward, like a shock cannon.

Felix barely managed to cross his arms in front of him, but the invisible wave still blasted him back. He skidded across the dirt, his boots cracking the ground as he fought for balance.

"Urghhh!" He coughed blood, staggering, veins bulging on his forehead.

The spectators in the viewing centre gasped.

"Holy crap! He didn’t even hit him directly and still made him bleed!"

On the battlefield, Liang lowered his fist and approached calmly. "You’re not qualified to be arrogant before me."

Felix’s face twisted in rage as he roared, "Don’t—don’t get cocky! White Flame Guild will never bow to a bunch of cultivator freaks—agghhh!"

His roar turned into a scream the moment Liang stepped on his foot, pinning him down.

"What did you say? Look around. Think carefully... and give me your answer."

At those words, Felix’s pupils shrank. He turned to see his guild members scattered—almost half of them already gone.

’No... if this keeps going... I’ll lose everything!’

Liang took another step forward. "Surrender your points. Or continue this farce and watch your guild disappear."

Felix’s hands trembled. Rage, humiliation, and fear all mixed together. But when he looked around and saw Evelyn casually butchering his members, and Liang standing tall like an immovable wall... his heart sank.

’Damn it...! If I fight any longer, the White Flame Guild will be annihilated!’

Grinding his teeth until they bled, Felix finally raised his hand weakly. "I... surrender my points!"

The instant he did, the rankings shifted—Martial Palace had taken the lead once more.

"What a way to begin the last day," Liang said with a calm smile.