Golden Armor Turns White, Armor Powder Mixed with Water to Drink

In the Celestial Valley, one fierce battle after another raged relentlessly.

This round, far too many teams had landed at the Celestial Bridge.

One after another, squad after squad.

And of course, there were plenty of reckless hotheads among them.

They died, resurrected at the bridge, and dove right back into the fight.

Water tornadoes, sandstorms, the Eye of the Nethergod, the Black Colossus…

Countless slashes of blades and surges of sword energy, alongside earth-shaking skills, echoed endlessly through the valley.

At that moment, Zhong Yi and his two companions were crouched in the grass atop a ridge west of Celestial City, quietly observing the chaos below.

"So this is how the team that wiped us out last round felt…" Zhou Yue mused, stroking his chin with satisfaction.

The thrill of watching the tigers fight from a safe distance was downright exhilarating!

All they had to do was wait for the battle below to reach its climax—then, against a bunch of battered, exhausted survivors with no ultimates left, the fight would be a one-sided slaughter!

Just as Zhong Yi had explained in his strategy:

"Guaranteed victory!"

"Senior Brother Zhong, when do we jump in? I can’t wait any longer!" Mu Yawen rubbed his fists together, restless energy coursing through him as he unsheathed his broadsword and slashed at a nearby massive waterwheel.

The blade struck, making the wheel shudder.

Luckily, the teams below were too busy fighting, explosions and clashes drowning out the noise.

"Shh! Don’t move recklessly! If we’re spotted, it’s over!" Zhong Yi raised a finger to his lips and yanked Mu Yawen back.

Down in the valley, over a dozen black soul cairns now littered the ground.

After wave after wave of ultimate skills, the clashes were finally dying down.

Only three battered teams remained, locked in a desperate struggle—and they were inching closer!

"Now’s our chance!"

Zhong Yi seized the moment and unleashed his ultimate: [Stellar Transposition].

In simple terms—a teleportation array.

When he first read the skill description, Zhong Yi had immediately recognized its potential for ambushes and retreats.

A massive Eight Trigrams formation bloomed beneath their feet.

"By the decree of the heavens!" Zhong Yi flicked his horsetail whisk.

Countless talismanic symbols swirled around the trio.

The anchor point?

Right in the middle of the three battling teams.

"Junior Brother Mu, unleash your ultimate the second we land!"

"Got it!"

"Old Zhou, if you let even one escape, I’ll never let you live it down!"

"Hahaha! I feel like my blood’s about to boil over!!"

Just as they were basking in their impending victory—

Below, amid the chaos, someone—no one knew who—pulled out a cannon and started firing wildly in every direction.

Explosions rocked the valley.

No one noticed…

The wooden frame beneath the enormous waterwheel at the valley’s edge had been blasted loose, teetering on the verge of collapse…

Zhong Yi’s trio materialized right in the center of the three teams.

"Hahaha! Victory is ours!!"

The moment the words left Zhong Yi’s mouth—

A deafening "BOOM" roared behind them.

"Wait… Since when did Junior Brother Mu’s ultimate sound this terrifying?" Zhong Yi thought, only to glance over and see Mu Yawen still clutching a swirling sandstorm in his palm—unreleased.

The three spun around in shock—

Just in time to see the colossal waterwheel break free like a wild stallion, barreling toward them with unstoppable force.

"What the—?!"

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

"Senior Brother, don’t panic! I’ll just cut it—"

Before they could react, the waterwheel crushed them flat.

Celestial Valley…

No, the entirety of Celestial City… fell into dead silence.

......

"Zhong Yi, look at the fantastic ultimate you just dropped!"

"Ahaha… miscalculation, miscalculation! But don’t worry—I’ve got another plan! Foolproof this time!"

"Spit it out!"

"The peddler sells Netherbane Talismans. We’ll use those when we third-party the next fight—"

......

"GODDAMN IT!! WHY DO MY OWN TALISMANS KEEP TARGETING ME?!"

......

In just two and a half hours…

Zhong Yi’s squad had already dropped into Celestial City 28 times.

This round made it 29.

Not once had they claimed victory.

And yet, they couldn’t get enough.

Sure, they got third-partied. Ambushed. Outplayed.

But damn, was it fun!

Fighting—pure exhilaration!

The more they fought, the more they craved it!

So much so that they’d completely forgotten why they were here in the first place—to compete for the Mask of Immortality.

[The Dark Zone is expanding!]

The system’s announcement rang in their ears for the third time.

Zhong Yi could feel it—the violet-black energy of the Netherrealm was growing more corrosive.

This round, the safe zone had spawned in the map’s top-right corner.

By the time the Dark Zone first expanded, only a sliver of Celestial City remained inside—and they were still busy fighting.

By the time they escaped the city, they had no choice but to sprint through the encroaching darkness.

"Junior Brother Lu’s illusionary realm design… it’s genius!" Zhong Yi muttered, watching his health bar plummet.

At first, he’d wondered—

With such a vast battlefield and only a hundred participants, how could a winner ever be decided?

What if someone just hid in a corner forever?

But after experiencing the shrinking zone mechanic, he was awestruck.

"Senior Brother, got any armor powder to spare? I’m worried about the next fight…"

Mu Yawen stared at his backpack stuffed with ropes, his face twisted in frustration.

Zhong Yi opened his own pack, splitting the last two packets of white Armor Powder in half before handing one over.

"Here. Make it last..."

"Got it..."

Mu Yawen accepted the powder with solemn care, tucking it into his bag as if it were priceless treasure.

If the illusion realm allowed it, he’d have diluted the powder with water and stretched it into ten portions!

Behind them, Zhou Yue stood rooted in place, knees bent in a horse stance as he cycled his breathing.

With each steady inhale and exhale, his health bar slowly crept upward.

"Old Zhou, you done with that Soul Jade yet? Hand it over if you are—I’m barely hanging on here..."

Zhong Yi urged impatiently.

Zhou Yue’s breathing technique for health recovery came from a special Soul Jade called [Breath Control Art].

By standing still and regulating his breath for a while, he could gradually restore his condition.

Of course, given Zhou Yue’s abysmal luck, he’d never have obtained such a treasure himself—it was Mu Yawen who had looted it and contributed it to the team.

At first, Zhong Yi had dismissed the jade as useless trash and nearly tossed it away.

Only when they started fleeing the encroaching poison did they realize it was an absolute game-changer...

Thanks to taking turns with the Breath Control Art, the trio had managed to survive the deadly miasma.

In terms of skill, these three were undeniably formidable.

The Celestial City had held at least thirty combatants, yet they’d fought their way out—still at full strength.

Zhou Yue alone had slain fourteen, earning himself the title of "War God."

But when it came to luck? They were downright pitiful.

Take Mu Yawen, for instance—not a single healing potion to his name, rationing Armor Powder like it was liquid gold.

Then there was Zhou Yue, who’d only managed to scavenge a single blue-tier weapon since landing—and it was a ranged one.

But the undisputed champion of misfortune was Zhong Yi.

He’d started with a golden blade and golden armor, convinced he was destined for glory.

Then, in the opening moments, an opponent parried his strike, snatched his prized weapon, and bolted from the Celestial City...

Later, while retreating from the shrinking zone, he was ambushed and left for dead in the outskirts, his golden armor stripped clean by looters...

So now, the once-gilded Zhong Yi was reduced to plain white gear.

"Don’t worry, our luck’s about to turn," Zhong Yi reassured the others, eyeing the safety zone just ahead.

"Once we’re out of this Dark Domain, nothing can stop us!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a furious roar erupted from the violet grass at the domain’s edge:

"Rage of the Sandstorm!"

"..."

Zhong Yi’s lip twitched violently, his entire body trembling with outrage.

"Are you KIDDING me?! Another ambusher?!"

"Give us a BREAK already!!!"