Inside the planar forest, the Canadian contestant Bailey was completely shrouded in silver light, and behind her, a spatial vortex burst open, exuding an intense suction force.
"Heh, trying to leave? Did you ask for my permission?"
Lu Jun shouted in a low, cold voice. He suddenly extended his hand toward the distant Bailey, and at the same time, his will stirred — channeling a vast number of spirit remnants and essences from the White Tiger Pendant into the crimson-black Star River.
Before the watching eyes of all, he restrained the urge to use Space Magic or the divine artifact Triangular Dimensional Mirror, choosing instead to cast the mid-tier Curse Spell with semi-spatial properties — Evil Spider's Trap: Cursed Well.
He intended to raise Evil Spider's Trap to the fifth tier, greatly enhancing its binding power.
Buzz... buzz... buzz! Above the blood-colored marsh, azure starlight flared brilliantly. Twelve Warrior-level remnants, five Warrior-level essences, eight Commander-level remnants, one Commander-level essence, and even one Monarch-level remnant — all gathered from Wind Flame Thunder Roc tribes and the Dark Sword Lord — hovered in the sky.
Among them, five Warrior-level essences and six Commander-level remnants were drawn forth, descending into the forty-nine stars of the Cursed Star River. Aside from the seven stars already elevated to fifth level, the remaining forty-two rapidly expanded, radiating a magnificent glazed brilliance.
Wooo... wooo...
The next instant, the cursed aura around Lu Jun surged skyward. He clenched his outstretched hand, and above Bailey's head, a pitch-black Nether Abyss opened wide. A sinister wind howled, and countless black-and-red spider threads descended like writhing tentacles, wrapping tightly around her body.
Buzz! Bailey screamed in confusion and agony. Pain tore through her body as if she were being sliced by a thousand blades, her voluptuous figure tightening, red marks cutting deep into her skin.
The Nether Abyss expanded, layer upon layer of webbing forming a furnace-like structure that opened downward — a hellish crucible slowly devouring Bailey's body whole.
Behind her, the space vortex she had regarded as her salvation collided with the trap and, unable to withstand the clash, silently shattered into nothingness.
Blood Abyss: Evil Spider's Trap — Infernal Furnace!
This fifth-level Curse Spell was powerful enough to rival ordinary Advanced Magic. Its power surpassed that of Cursed Well in every way, and its most terrifying feature was its ability to draw in souls, imprisoning them within the Infernal Furnace to refine them into Human-faced Soul-Devouring Spiders.
The more souls it captured, the stronger, larger, and more unbreakable the furnace became — its limit nearly infinite.
Of course, Lu Jun was well aware that he couldn't kill Bailey outright. Otherwise, the tournament officials wouldn't let it slide, nor could he afford to offend the powerful faction backing her — one with immense influence in Canada.
"Heh... heh... heh... but don't think you'll get off easy. If they want her back, they can pay her ransom themselves."
Lu Jun sneered coldly. Not only that, he had deliberately inflicted severe damage to Bailey's soul. To recover, she would need an extraordinarily precious Soul Treasure; without it, she'd be crippled for life. Even if her family paid the price, her cultivation would stagnate for years.
To the remaining four or five foreign contestants — Pinoth, Hannah, and the rest — this scene was utterly terrifying.
Pinoth stammered, "Th-the… the tournament's Space Transmission Scroll failed?!"
The American lightning mage Hannah's face turned pale as the grim realization struck her — if that was true, then Lu Jun could now kill freely within the independent realm!
Their courage to provoke the Chinese team led by Lu Jun had all stemmed from the safety guaranteed by those Space Scrolls — the ability to withdraw at any moment.
As long as they escaped the Treasure Realm, no matter the grudges inside, everything would reset outside.
But now, from the moment Lu Jun appeared to the instant Bailey was crushed and sealed within the Infernal Furnace — it all happened in a single breath. The others trembled from head to toe.
Standing proudly beneath the stormy heavens above the forest, Lu Jun looked down upon the remaining enemies still surrounding the battlefield. Then, lifting his head toward the circling Eyehawk in the sky, he smiled brightly — radiantly, almost mockingly.
Outside, in the VIP rooms of various nations, the dignitaries abruptly stood up, their eyes fixed on the young man's smile on the screen. There was nothing gentle about it — only an icy, murderous chill that made them shudder.
Lu Jun stood amidst a storm of wind and sand. Above his head floated the black-and-red Infernal Furnace inscribed with countless spider sigils. A chilling aura of slaughter filled the air. His lips moved slightly — and everyone understood his words even without hearing them:
"Next… begins the hunt."
Boom!
In Canada's VIP suite, the governor slammed his fist down and shattered the table in rage. As a fully cultivated Super Mage, a figure of immense global standing, he had just been publicly humiliated by a mere national team member.
His face turned iron-blue as he growled, "That bastard better have some sense and not harm Bailey any further."
Inside the treasure realm, Lu Jun withdrew his gaze, knowing full well his provocation had reached the upper echelons of all fifteen national teams. Then, turning to the American Lightning Mage Hannah and the Spanish Curse Mage Pinoth, he said indifferently,
"Crush them."
Buzz… buzz… buzz!
As his words fell, the two Ghost Fiends beside him moved — their black-and-white spectral figures slashing through the air like streaks of death, appearing before the five foreign mages in an instant.
"Damn it! I don't believe you're invincible!"
Hannah from the American team snapped, nerves breaking under pressure. Facing certain death, she suddenly went mad, flinging out a flurry of spherical lightning orbs. Terrifying explosions echoed through the air, the destructive power of Soul Seed Thunder filling the area, sweeping over even her own teammates without hesitation.
But all her struggle was in vain. The female ghost in white's beautiful eyes shimmered with a soul-stealing light as a vast wave of gray-white radiance spread out. Within a radius of a hundred meters, every brilliant streak of lightning froze inch by inch, disintegrating into fine powder that drifted softly to the ground. Even thunder itself could not escape petrification.
The Rock Element completely restrained the Lightning Element.
Hannah's expression froze, her body following suit.
Boom—Lu Jun summoned the massive black-red furnace above his head. The small mountain–sized Hell Furnace descended with a light tremor and effortlessly drew Hannah inside.
His predatory gaze turned toward Pinoth.
At once, the Spanish core member—who had once fought Lu Jun in the elimination round—felt a chill run down his spine. Vast moisture poured from his body as he prepared to fight back desperately.
Splash—!
But in the next second, Pinoth's body stopped dead. His knees hit the ground heavily. Within his spiritual world, the Water Star Galaxy dimmed, and he couldn't summon a shred of magic energy. Endless black mist surged up, swallowing him completely in a boundless Sea of Darkness.
This was the Northern Dark Domain!
Bang! Without hesitation, Lu Jun sealed Pinoth and the others one after another into the Hell Furnace for suppression.
In just a blink, he had subdued all the National Institute mages who had attacked Jiang Shaoxu and Nan Jue.
Only then did the two women come back to their senses. Seeing Lu Jun descending from the sky like a divine warrior, their beautiful eyes sparkled with astonishment, lips slightly parted in shock.
The tension in their bodies eased at last. Softly, they said, "Lu Jun, you finally came."
He declared domineeringly, "It's my fault you were dragged into this. I'll give you an explanation. This is just the beginning."
Then Lu Jun instructed them, "Hide yourselves as much as possible. I'm going to hunt the young magicians of every nation!"
Immediately, he manipulated the stars. The ground collapsed, shadows squirmed, and a Black Demon Mire emerged. The Nightmare Thunder Dream Beast strode out, crouching low to carry the two women on its back to safety.
Before leaving, Jiang Shaoxu looked back anxiously at Lu Jun's silhouette and shouted, "Be careful! Don't act recklessly—endure for now!"
Hearing this, Lu Jun simply waved his hand. His figure stepped forward into the distance, treading atop boundless waves—charging forth to hunt the National Institute mages of all nations.
For additional chapters
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