Chapter 528: No Man’s Land! The Island in the Abyssal Sea

Chapter 528: No Man's Land! The Island in the Abyssal Sea

"In a couple of days, those elite squads will return. Given Team Leader Ling's situation, the members of those squads are bound to come and test him out."

"After all, Team Leader Ling has climbed the rankings incredibly fast. Originally, the top fifty had little change, but now, due to his entry, many have dropped a spot."

Zhou Xue'er provided this explanation.

The merit rankings here come with rewards.

And earlier today, when the rankings refreshed at noon,

Zhou Xue'er, Ying Tong, and Zuo Junyu, three of the squad's top talents, also saw their rankings updated.

Especially Zhou Xue'er.

As the vice-captain, the merit rewards she earned from missions were just slightly below Ling Zhan's.

Thus, her rank in the Sky List also saw significant improvement.

Of course...

Her ranking didn't attract much attention, as she had only just entered the top hundred.

Now, all eyes were on Ling Zhan, not her.

"Vice-captain Zhou, I get what you're saying now—they're just looking to spar with Ling Zhan."

"And I can definitely relate to that."

At this moment, Ji Wuming suddenly spoke up with a grin.

Currently, Ji Wuming had agreed to the marriage alliance arranged by his family.

He understood he could never be with Zhu Yaoguang in this lifetime.

So, he had let go of his unrequited feelings and agreed to the family's marriage arrangement.

It was rumored that Zhu Yaoguang, however, had rejected her family's marriage proposal, causing a rift with them.

Her rejection, of course, was because of Ling Zhan.

Anyone in the squad could see Zhu Yaoguang's intentions.

Hearing Ji Wuming's words, Hell, Temuris, and the others smiled bitterly.

They hadn't forgotten how, back at Tianyan Academy, they had all scrambled to challenge Ling Zhan, only to be soundly beaten.

For them, it was nothing short of a nightmare.

Their confidence had taken quite a hit during that time.

After all, Ling Zhan's domination over them as a non-specialist was clear: "I can beat you without a class transition."

"Don't worry, for Ling Zhan, this doesn't even count as a minor inconvenience."

"Trust me, if those elite squad members come knocking, Ling Zhan will definitely show them their place."

Catwoman Xia whispered.

Ling Zhan's power had left a permanent mark on their minds.

Besides...

Honestly, they had never seen Ling Zhan lose!

Even after the freshman exchange competition, when a conspiracy erupted and he faced the tier-four Night Empress alone, not only did he escape, but he returned unscathed.

This was what had stunned everyone.

Since then, they believed that no one below tier four could defeat Ling Zhan.

Even if someone could, they certainly wouldn't be able to subdue him.

After all, Ling Zhan was the guy who survived an encounter with the Night Empress herself!

Back then, he had no backup, relying solely on himself.

They were all intensely curious about what had happened at that time.

Unfortunately, they couldn't witness the events of that night.

But the story had become a legend.

Especially at Tianyan Academy, where Ling Zhan had become an idol to many students.

His battle footage was even used in the academy's practical classes, studied by students.

Previously,

the footage they showed featured epic battles of alumni who had already graduated.

Never before had they used a freshman's footage as teaching material.

But Ling Zhan's combat videos had been shown multiple times by instructors, who analyzed each tactical detail.

Now, the freshmen, sophomores, and even juniors at Tianyan Academy were Ling Zhan's admirers.

Of course...

A small number of jealous individuals still believed Ling Zhan was overhyped.

They silently resented him, unwilling to acknowledge his strength.

After some discussion,

Zhou Xue'er and the others returned to their quarters.

...

...

Meanwhile,

in a dark, ominous no man's land.

This was a vast island,

located beneath the Abyssal Sea, an uncharted shadowed island that had never seen daylight, still undiscovered by any Kingdom.

Yet now, this island was home to numerous outposts.

Figures in black robes moved through the outposts,

and if Ling Zhan were here, he would immediately recognize that these robes bore the signature emblem of the Demon Arrival Organization.

At the heart of the island,

lay a sunken valley.

In the valley was an enormous altar.

Standing around the altar were figures radiating terrifying auras.

One was a hawk-headed, human-bodied beastman in a war armor adorned with demonic patterns.

Another was a towering woman, over three meters tall, with black wings at her waist, exuding a mature, seductive aura.

Next was a frail, haggard elder in a tattered robe.

There was also a bloated figure, a pig-headed beastman, constantly stuffing food into his mouth.

And seated cross-legged at the center of the altar was a middle-aged man in a suit with black-and-white hair.

All five of these figures exuded an aura above tier four!

The hawk-headed figure was named Avid.

A level-100, tier-four War God.

The tall, alluring black-winged woman was the Night Empress, Andrea.

As a divine creature, the Golden Crow, she had no class.

The disheveled elder in robes was named Jin Yuchun,

a level-100, tier-four Grand Heavenly Master.

Previously, the Sun and Moon Rotation Talisman in Sun Ze's possession during the freshman exchange came from this elder.

He was also a notorious traitor from Longhu Mountain.

This elder had contributed significantly to the recent holy artifact theft.

Jin Yuchun's eyes glinted lecherously at Andrea, his demeanor openly perverse.

Meanwhile, the pig-headed figure was named Herman, a level-100, tier-four Battle God.

He, too, stared at Andrea with eyes filled with lust and greed.

And the man in the suit near the altar...

appeared to be the most composed of these tier-four powerhouses.

He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man with an air of wisdom.

His name was Jiang Huo.

Several centuries ago, he was renowned.

For he was the cousin of Jiang Cuo, the Immortal Lord of Myriad Laws, and a level-100, tier-four Sword God himself.

Since then, he had completely disappeared from the public eye.

Who would have thought that he had joined the Demon Arrival Organization?

And had risen to become the organization's Vice Bishop.