Chapter 401 - Sacred Warrior Leaderboard
Chapter 401: Sacred Warrior Leaderboard
It was time for the monthly Sacred Warrior Leaderboard to be posted again. The strongest warrior leaderboard of the entire insectoid race was nothing but a list that interested parties did out of boredom, not done out of ill intent, but who would have thought that the rankings this time would shake this intergalactic society?
In a bustling society, things would either be done for fame or fortune, so why would it be any different for these insectoid Sacred Warriors?
There were many such lists everywhere in the Pan-human Alliance. After all, humans had always been adept at hailing elites via fame and fortune since times of old, but in the insular insectoid race, these were very rare. The moment the leaderboard was out, they very quickly drew the attention of the masses. The lower ranked warriors were of course dissatisfied, thinking of how they could challenge the stronger warriors. Meanwhile, those who were ranked high were pleased with themselves, assuming the postures of martial arts masters to everyone. Even their steps would become a lot lighter after.
The way of the warrior was custom to the insectoid race, so which warrior out there would not wish to take a spot in the leaderboard? Anyone could ascend to the heavens, and the moment their name got listed, the warrior and their tribe would attract plenty of attention from the entire race, basking in the limelight!
Sacred Warriors would often batter and bruise themselves fighting for the chance to be ranked on the leaderboard. Though it was unavoidable for some to die, it would indeed promote the martial arts spirit of the entire insectoid race.
After many years, the Sacred Warrior Leaderboard slowly developed into a specialized ranking company. Copyright fees must be paid if the list were to be reposted anywhere, and a handful of these insectoid hobbyists, who had created the leaderboard, ended up profiting greatly from this.
With the death of Mengen, one of the Seven Sacred Champions, and the disappearance of Kikiger, Laresh, Goxan, the Sacred Guild’s Twelve Wings and even the guildmaster Duabi, several insectoids who were already on the leaderboard, as well as those Sacred Warriors who were dedicated to getting themselves up on the leaderboard, actually cheered when the news leaked!
At present, only Mengen’s death had been confirmed, while the disappearance of Duabi and the other fifteen apex warriors were still just rumors.
Practically everyone had their eyes glued on the leaderboard today. The moment these insectoids were featured on the rankings, then there would be no need to announce it to the entire race, since that meant the death of the three Sacred Champions and the Twelve Wings were all but confirmed.
The list of 100 Sacred Warriors lost seventeen names overnight. It was actually the first time something like that had happened since the Sacred Warrior Leaderboard had been created!
If the warriors on the leaderboard had been killed in action, then other warriors still alive would immediately take over the spot. A minority of strong warriors hoped that they could get on the leaderboard with this chance or perhaps increase in their rank from this. Even more were waiting to witness the spectacle. After all, to lose a platoon of apex experts in one go was a great event that rarely happened in a thousand year.
They prayed and hoped that the heavens would show the way, so they could see their names appear on the leaderboard which symbolized absolute strength and supreme glory.
Actually, they should be thanking Xia Fei more, since his appearance was what had caused Mengen’s death as well as the tragic fate that befell Duabi and the others. He was like a butterfly softly flapping its wings, causing a tsunami wave of change that came crashing down all over the insectoid’s martial arts world!
…
On a certain secluded planet, there was a large encampment where rows upon rows of barracks were set up. Various training facilities like gyms, battle venues and the ilk were provided. This was the location for a famed mantis army affiliated with the Border Defense Forces. Their numbers went well over 100,000, and due to the lack of any strong aliens around in this part of space, this army would usually spend their days on reconnaissance or patrol duties.
As an army composed entirely of warriors of the mantis species, though they were not as plentiful in numbers as the ant species, they were still substantial within the insectoids, and that should not be ignored. Mantis warriors were the best at close quarters combat, and the average grade and combat capabilities of the warriors are topnotch. They could be considered to be a main force in the army when engaged in battle.
Now that the insectoids and the Pan-human Alliance were at an all-out war, a majority of these defense forces had been transferred to join the main fleets, taking part in the attacks against humanity. The soldiers who were left guarding barely hit ten thousand, which was not even ten percent of the total numbers in their heyday. That was why the entire encampment felt empty.
A green-skinned mantis general was sitting in front of a computer, concentrating hard, anxiously awaiting the Sacred Warrior Leaderboard update.
His finger would tap the screen to refresh every second, and this had been happening for over the past hour. Unfortunately, for some reason, the refresh rate of the leaderboard today was clearly much slower than before.
His name was Tantu, and he was an elite warrior who was ranked eighty-seven on the Sacred Warrior Leaderboard. He had a cultivation equivalent to an Advanced Legendary rank by human standard and was an illusive blade ability user who also happened to be a commander of the mantis army.
“Could Duabi and the others have really died? Is that why these d*mn leaderboard still isn’t being updated?” Tantu muttered under his breath, his fingers still constantly tapping on the screen, all the while feeling even more anxious as the seconds passed.
“General, there’s no need for you to be so flustered. All you have to do is set it to automatic refresh; why go through the trouble of having to tap it like that?” The crisp voice of a green-skinned mantis woman beside Tantu tinkled. She was nestled in Tantu’s chest, reaching out with the intention of helping Tantu set the automatic refresh.
“Get away from me, d*mn woman!” Tantu gruffly shoved that woman several meters away. She was originally physically weak, so of course she went flying after he shoved her using so much strength. Her head struck the wall and a thick and viscous liquid began flowing out immediately.
The woman sat herself up dumbly, letting the green liquid flow ceaselessly. She had even forgotten to scream or cry from the pain, still in a daze that this insectoid she just had intimate relations with last night had so quickly experienced a change in mood.
“You b*tch, trying to mock me for being unable to use a computer? Screw you! Men! Come and drag this d*mn woman out of here!” Tantu bellowed.
Two of his guards standing outside immediately marched into Tantu’s office and dragged that female insectoid out without another word. These guards were already used to such incidents occurring. In fact, the woman was lucky that Tantu did torture her to death today; these guards practically had to haul out dozens or more dead bodies from Tantu’s room every month, and it was actually quite surprising that someone got put out of there alive today.
With a cold harrumph, Tantu continued using his stupid method to refresh his screen. He licked his lips; he was not revolted by the smell of blood staining the wall; rather, it actually got him even more excited. He enjoyed the sanguine taste in the air, for he found the scent of fresh blood to be as intoxicating as a bottle of good wine.
*Boom!*
All of a sudden, a loud sound could be heard coming from outside. Tantu raised his head and looked out the window. All he saw was a thick plume of smoke, which was rapidly rising in the northwest, as if something in this military encampment had exploded.
“What the heck is going on now?” Tantu was enraged. The sudden explosion had disturbed his refreshing of the leaderboard, and he was extremely dissatisfied with the interruption.
A mantis guard pushed open the door and rushed in, panicking. “General! Someone has barged into the encampment from the northeast!”
Tantu was momentarily stunned before he laughed, asking, “Are you g*dd*mn dreaming or something? This is a Border Defense Forces camp! Who would dare barge in?”
The guard was somewhat aggrieved as he replied, “But general, there really is someone who broke into the encampment, and he’s currently killing hundreds of our comrades!”
“Just who would dare? Is it our rival, the head crickets?”
“He… He seems to be… a human.”
Tantu was shocked. The Sacred Warrior circle was not particularly large or small, and there had long been rumors that Mengen, one of the Seven Sacred Champions, was killed by a human warrior. However, Tantu did not take such an incident to heart as he refused to believe that the humans would audaciously break into the insectoid territory and even launch such an attack in such an overbearing manner.
*Kaboom!*
An even more jarring explosion sounded in the southeast direction of the encampment. That was where their heavy warships were situated. Billowing dark smoke was covering the landing apron, where hundreds of warships of various types were parked around. The raging flames of the conflagration had dyed half the sky red!
How did their attacker cover tens of kilometers in just a span of a few seconds?
Tantu was somewhat astonished!
*Rumble!*
A series of explosions began to sound all around the encampment. One moment it was from the west, the next the east; it was erratic and lacked any form of patterns, as if not just a single man was assaulting the base but several people from every direction, instead!
“Quick! Report to the defense headquarters and ask for assistance! Tell them that we’re presently under assault from a large enemy army!” Tantu boomed.
The guard scrambled anxiously to send the call for assistance. Tantu turned around and took a pair of green warswords down from the weapons rack mounted on his wall. This was his famed weapon, Unparalleled Viridian!
This pair of Legendary-grade warswords was as pristine and clear as precious jade. The back of the blades had a row of sharp razors, weighty in his hands and looking particularly savage!
Many knew that Tantu was able to rank eighty-seventh on the Sacred Warrior Leaderboard mostly due to the prowess of this pair of Legendary-grade weapons. Without them, Tantu would surely be incapable of making it to the Top 100.
Actually, the warswords were not as mystical as rumored. They merely had one unique characteristic, and that was their sharpness! The keenness of the blades was unmatched!
No matter how sturdy the steel was, Unparalleled Viridian could easily break through!
No matter how great the defensive capabilities a combat suit had, it was still unable to stop the attack of Unparalleled Viridian!
Picking up the two warswords, Tantu made his way downstairs, cursing his way through.
At the moment, the military encampment was already laid to waste by the twin assault from Xia Fei and Furball!
Furball was standing on Xia Fei’s shoulder, taking in everything around it with a cold regard. As it was consciously joint with Xia Fei, his master’s rage was naturally affecting its action as well.
Xia Fei had not said a single word from the beginning of this attack, and Furball was the same, too.
They merely barged into their campground and began reaping all the pathetic little lives around them. Like clearing out the wild grass out in the wilderness, neither felt any compassion nor pity for these insectoids.
*Whoosh—*
Xia Fei’s figure flashed as he appeared in front of a huge structure, where hundreds of soldiers were standing guard. This was where the firearms of the encampment were located, and the three hundred soldiers garrisoned here were already prepared. It was a heavy responsibility to guard the firearms depot, and even if the entire encampment was already in a state of chaos, none of them was able to run out and lend a hand. All they could do was watch as the devastation unfolded right before their eyes.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Celestial Moon was like the most violent meteor shower, crashing down to the ground from up in the sky repeatedly!
Meanwhile, October Flying Snow in Xia Fei’s hand was like a little white snake, very swiftly piercing through this troop of mantis warriors!
The former was of immeasurable power, while the latter was sharp and fierce!
Furball was constantly spitting out silver energy balls from its mouth, turning anything that touched these projectiles into nothing! Not even their corpse remained!
A single human and a ball were throwing this entire military encampment into a bloodbath, taking away thousands of elite mantis warriors’ lives in the blink of an eye!
It must be said that these mantis soldiers were known as the elites among elites, and their combat strength was definitely among the top three in the entire insectoid race as a species. However, in front of a high-level speed ability user like Xia Fei, the difference in their level was akin to a large divide. They could not even see Xia Fei’s features before they would die on the spot!
*Kaboom!*
A huge blaze of flame shot up to the sky!
Xia Fei had set that firearms depot on fire!
Against the bleary red glow of fire, the look Furball and Xia Fei were giving appeared particularly malevolent!
Xia Fei did not even spare a glance at the still raging inferno behind him. He strode away in the direction of the command center.
“I’m done with my warm-up. Time for us to look for the person in charge of this place,” Xia Fei coldly remarked.