Battles in the combat space were not uncommon, but the most shocking ones usually occurred in a few specific locations. The area where Zhou Yan was fighting was the most astonishing of all, because when Zhou Yan chose to act, it was always a swift, decisive kill.
His immense combat prowess and terrifying strength had drawn the attention of many.
They saw that Zhou Yan had already made his move, actively attacking others.
Zhou Yan's attacks were incredibly simple. His phantom-like figure transformed into a string of afterimages, appearing before someone and bringing his hand down with a palm strike.
"Boom!"
The opponent plummeted downwards at an astonishing speed, crashing heavily onto the ground and creating a deep crater. He was violently killed in that single blow.
One by one, they all met the same fate, struck down by Zhou Yan, defeated by his single move. He was like a reaper on the battlefield. In mere seconds, dozens of powerful lords were felled by Zhou Yan and eliminated from the competition.
After being teleported out, those dozens of individuals stared blankly at Zhou Yan on the screen, still questioning how they had been defeated so easily.
Upon seeing Zhou Yan's afterimages flash across the screen, and then a figure falling to the ground, they instantly understood how they had lost.
They never expected to face such a formidable opponent who treated everyone like a ball to be played with.
Within a mere minute, hundreds had been eliminated, exiting the arena in a daze.
"How did I lose?"
"I'm out already?"
"I just felt a colossal force strike me, and then... nothing."
"I didn't even see who it was, and I was out like that?"
...
All of them turned their gaze to the screen, witnessing the powerful figure within. Each one fell into deep contemplation.
How could this person be so fast, possess such strength, and exhibit such terrifying power!
The atmosphere within the entire combat space began to shift. Everyone watched as Zhou Yan struck down others, without a second move, without any other manner of defeat.
The space within was also rapidly shrinking. The rate of elimination was simply too fast, something no one had anticipated. If this pace continued, the competition might conclude within half an hour.
The organizers, seeing this situation, were at a loss. They convened an emergency meeting.
"What do we do now? He's going to take care of this entire battle by himself."
"Have you found any information on this person?"
"We have! He's a lord from Shen Long Kingdom. Oh, gods, he's that number one under heaven, Zhou Yan!"
"What!"
"What! It's him!"
"He's participating in this competition too? We absolutely cannot afford to offend him. He's too terrifying. We must not cross him!"
Upon discovering Zhou Yan's identity, the organizers immediately ceased any rash actions. News about Zhou Yan had already spread throughout the entire Lord Continent, and indeed, across the Myriad Realms Lord Continent.
A figure who was proclaimed number one under heaven had emerged from the Cang Lan Continent, having annihilated tens of thousands of lord alliances. Who would dare offend such a person?
Their humble arena establishment certainly wouldn't dare to cross someone as formidable and enigmatic as Zhou Yan.
They hadn't anticipated someone as heaven-defying as Zhou Yan appearing. If the battle concluded this quickly, it would likely displease the audience, which was far from ideal. With hundreds of thousands of spectators, they couldn't afford to alienate them, lest they lose customers.
The organizers already had a solution in mind. If this battle concluded, they would have to add another match. Of course, they would not allow someone like Zhou Yan to participate again.
They would seek to have a proper discussion with Zhou Yan, as someone of his immense power was simply unsuitable for this type of competition.
His strength was far too overwhelming.
However, they dared not offend Zhou Yan and had already devised a plan, which they would implement after the competition concluded.
...
"Zhou Yan's strength is just too immense," said Niu Ren, watching Zhou Yan. This wasn't a competition; it was a massacre, a blatant bullying of others.
In the eyes of many, Zhou Yan was simply bullying the others.
These were lords from the ninety-ninth heaven and above, yet they were being eliminated as if they were being batted around like balls. If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, who would have believed such a thing could happen?
Out of tens of thousands of lords, half were eliminated in the blink of an eye, and several thousand of them were eliminated by Zhou Yan alone.
Many attempted to band together to eliminate Zhou Yan, but they failed. No matter what attacks they launched at him, Zhou Yan would appear behind them and strike them down.
No one could stop Zhou Yan. It was like watching a game of catch, with these individuals appearing as weak as infants in Zhou Yan's hands.
It wasn't that they weren't powerful enough, but that Zhou Yan was simply too terrifying.
Zhou Yan's combat power completely crushed any opponent below the demigod level. Who among them could resist him?
After half an hour, the entire combat space finally fell silent, as Zhou Yan had single-handedly ended the battle.
Zhou Yan had, almost single-handedly, concluded the entire competition.
Zhou Yan was then teleported out, met with the astonishment of countless individuals.
The angelic host approached the stage and addressed everyone, "This is truly shocking. I never imagined that Cang Lan Continent's number one under heaven would participate in this competition. Everyone saw it, didn't you? This is the strength of Cang Lan Continent's number one under heaven. It's utterly astonishing."
The spectators in the audience, some in shock, others who had already looked up Zhou Yan's identity, erupted into enthusiastic applause. Regardless of the circumstances, Zhou Yan had won the battle through sheer power.
"So he's the number one under heaven."
"He's younger than the legends say. I heard he's not even twenty."
"Such a young number one under heaven. His cultivation speed is truly rapid."
"As expected of the number one under heaven. No wonder so many couldn't defeat him."
...
"This is the prize for the victor. Let us congratulate Mr. Zhou Yan for winning this championship!"
After the angelic host finished speaking, the entire venue cheered, erupting into even greater applause.
Although the battle had concluded a bit too quickly, they had still witnessed the emergence of a legendary figure.
Zhou Yan collected his prize and left. Subsequently, the organizers invited Zhou Yan to sit with them, an invitation he did not refuse.
The angelic host then announced, "Distinguished audience, please bear with us for a moment. Due to the swift conclusion of this battle, our organizers have decided to hold an additional match. The prize will be a barracks of equivalent quality. Lords wishing to participate have thirty minutes to register. Therefore, please wait for half an hour. For the next thirty minutes, we will entertain you with song and dance performances..."
The surrounding audience, who thought the event was over, were surprised to hear about another match. They hadn't seen enough, but Zhou Yan had won his prize fair and square, so they felt their trip was not in vain. However, the unexpected addition of another match surprised them all, and they began to wait patiently.
But they were curious: would Zhou Yan participate in the next match?