"Pfft, you think you're qualified to tell us what to do? Do you even represent the heroes of the Jianghu?"
"You claim to have a sword that can move mountains? Are you some kind of mountain-moving monkey?"
"What nonsense is this? Is your head filled with excrement?"
"You're really blowing your own horn, aren't you?"
This person, successfully diffusing the awkward atmosphere, selflessly ignited the burning embers in everyone's hearts. With his life, he officially kicked off the martial arts tournament.
After drawing blood, the "heroes of the Jianghu" unleashed their killing intent and ferocity, turning their weapons upon those around them.
"Liu Bo'an, I've had it with you for a long time. Come and take my life!"
"Yu Xiaoxin, you shameless dog, pay for my master's life!"
"You bastards of the Qi Tian Gang, today I shall avenge my entire village!"
"Li Danghui, your wife is too beautiful. Come and take my life!"
In the blink of an eye, these so-called heroes of the Jianghu transformed into the dog-thieves, bastards, and scoundrels that others would call them, drawing their blades against those nearby.
Some were old enemies, others simply disliked each other, and many were driven by greed for treasures or attractive wives.
Where there are people, there is the Jianghu.
Where there are people, there are grudges.
In short, as long as one wanted to fight, a reason could always be found.
The battlefield quickly devolved into a chaotic free-for-all, with constant casualties as the melee erupted.
Those who died also had relatives and friends watching from outside. Upon witnessing their loved ones fall, the onlookers could no longer stand idly by. They grabbed their swords, sabers, and cudgels, and charged into the fray.
"Dog thief, you dared to kill my father, I will kill you!"
"Pay for my brother's life, you die for me!"
"Don't panic, big brother, your little brother is here to help!"
"Pay for the life of my neighbor's sister-in-law's uncle's third nephew's cousin, kill!"
The number of fallen soared, and the web of relationships became increasingly entangled. Those outside could no longer remain passive, and they too rushed into the battle, clashing with their perceived enemies.
Initially, people were systematically seeking out their personal enemies.
However, with so many engaged in combat, and with all of them being martial arts masters, accidental injuries were inevitable, further expanding the scale of the conflict.
As the fighting reached its zenith, people lost their minds, their eyes bloodshot, slashing at anyone within reach.
Hatred and greed consumed their hearts.
Blood and violence stimulated their nerves.
They hacked at others with abandon, or were hacked at with abandon themselves.
Chaos.
Utter chaos.
Wan Lei watched the tens of thousands of people hack at each other, marveling in disbelief.
He had experienced large-scale warfare too many times to count, but even in the most chaotic battles, it was always opposing forces fighting each other. Soldiers would fight to the death against enemies while protecting their comrades.
Battlefields, one could say, were places that amplified human bestiality to an infinite degree.
But even with their beastly nature unleashed, soldiers would never turn their blades upon their own people.
Yet, the individuals before him were engaged in indiscriminate slaughter. Everyone present was an enemy, to be killed on sight. Only by killing others could one survive.
People who, moments before, were mostly strangers to each other, had instantaneously become mortal enemies.
This pattern was somewhat similar to the Ten Thousand Prodigy Ranking.
But the Ten Thousand Prodigy Ranking merely dispersed people across an entire commandery, and it had rules against more than two teams ganging up on others.
Here, tens of thousands of people were crammed into an area of tens of miles, surrounded by people everywhere, and killing was required everywhere.
Wan Lei observed the expressions of Buzhihuo Qingwu and Xiren Yuanjun. He found their faces to be entirely relaxed, unfazed by the bloody scene before them.
Firstly, it was because they had recently concluded a war where millions had died, a far more tragic affair than this.
Secondly, they were quite pleased to see the demise of these roving heroes.
These roving heroes, who disregarded laws and regulations, formed their own codes, and were not controlled by officials like themselves, had always been a source of hidden danger and chaos for local security.
Now that there was an opportunity for a significant portion of them to perish, they were naturally willing.
Ideally, all these roving heroes would be wiped out, leaving no one to defy their rule.
Earlier, when Buzhihuo Qingwu had made her appearance, Zhou Fu had stared at her lecherously for a long time, fantasizing about his own frail body overpowering the plump beauty and savoring the taste of this exquisite woman.
But now, he had no such thoughts. His only desire was to escape this inferno and survive.
Everywhere he looked, there were people.
These people were divided into two categories:
One was those who could move, actively engaged in frantically slaughtering others.
The other was those who could not move, having already been killed by others.
He had regained his senses, abandoning the fanciful dreams of inheriting the Sacred Fire, becoming the number one powerhouse of the Great Jin, and living in harmony with Buzhihuo Qingwu and Xiren Yuanjun.
This place was simply too terrifying, too terrifying. I shouldn't be here. I need to escape... escape...
Zhou Fu desperately ran northward. Along the way, he casually killed three people who blocked his path and were engaged in combat with others. Finally, he saw the Cao family army to the north.
Zhou Fu was overjoyed. He knew he would survive.
Suddenly, a sharp phoenix cry echoed from the northern sky.
The sound attracted Zhou Fu's attention. He couldn't help but look up. On the northern horizon, a colossal fire phoenix, its body seemingly composed of countless rocks, with molten lava flowing through the cracks between them, roared towards them.
The Lava Giant Phoenix rapidly descended upon the battlefield. Before its body even touched the ground, it opened its massive maw and spewed forth a world-devouring flame that blotted out the sun.
Zhou Fu's eyes widened in horror, completely forgetting to dodge.
Even dodging would have been futile. The flames instantly engulfed the entire battlefield.
This was a trap, a deception. Our desperate struggle was merely an appetizer before the main course was served.
This was Zhou Fu's final thought before he perished.
Then, along with tens of thousands of people around him, he turned into dust.
The tens of thousands within the arena only had time to register expressions of terror. They were incinerated before they could even utter a scream.
The earth returned to its tranquility. No one, no bodies, only a vast expanse of black, clean, and level ground.
It was as if, mere moments before, a bloody, brutal, and inhuman melee had not taken place here.
The onlookers, whether roving heroes or soldiers, were all stunned into silence, forgetting even to question or cry out.
What had happened?
Wasn't this the martial arts tournament?
While the ensuing free-for-all was not the kind of duel the roving heroes envisioned, it was at least a battle, a fight, where a victor could be determined.
But with the arrival of the fire phoenix, the combat had transformed into a massacre.
We came to participate in the martial arts tournament, not to be fertilizer for the land.
People raised their heads to look at the giant phoenix.
"Silence," boomed the fire phoenix, halting in mid-air. Its eyes blazed with fire as it sternly roared,
"Where is Li Mei Xian? Come out!!!"