113 Netherworld Gate

"I will be taking charge from now on," Van said loudly, "If there is anyone here not from the Zephyr Sect who opposes this then speak now!"

The battling figures below were already unhappy with the Zephyr Sect's twins when they had neglected the Silver Cutter Eagle and now this matter of the Midnight Oil Scorpion had cemented their dissatisfaction. They were afraid that – since the twins gave no thought to the defence of the crystal and only pursued points for themselves – that the crystal would fall sooner or later and they would all lose out.

No one spoke up.

Cordelia and Daphne looked at him with angry gazes but they felt that their mouths were stuffed with cotton; they could not refute his words.

Van did not pay them any more attention. He gathered his battalions and gave them firm instructions. They assembled neatly around the crystal.

From then on, the flow of the battlefield was completely controlled by Van.

Cordelia and Daphne were not stupid enough to incite further hatred from the other sects so they settled down.

A strange equilibrium fell over the battlefield.

Now that Van had unleashed his second-most powerful move within his Dark Seals Palm manual, he was not afraid to show off his power. The beast horde was an opportunity for him to ignite his potential while earning points for the sect at the same time, after all.

Cordelia, Daphne and the disciples from the Star-Cutting Sword Sect and Boulder sect who were in the 7th rank could easily wipe out large swathes of enemies but there were just too many beasts in the 5th monster wave. If they were all just in the 5th rank like the panthers they might have been okay, but every time a 7th ranked beast appeared their focus was consumed by it. This caused large gaps to form in the defensive ring around the giant crystal.

[Tide Swallows the Earth!]

A dark tidal wave swept over the battlefield and immediately killed about a dozen 5th rank beasts with one shot. The most shocking part was that each was slightly blue – as if frozen – and covered with lacerations.

With Van at the helm, the rest of the fifth wave passed by in a far quieter fashion. No beast reached the crystal a second time. Not only that, Van was far more magnanimous and attentive than Cordelia and Daphne were in terms of the other sects in the battlefield. When a particular area of the formation around the crystal was struggling, Van would send use 'Tide Swallows the Earth' to clear several monsters as once. For Van, this was one stone killing two birds. Not only was he able to rack up the points, he also was able to protect the integrity of the formation.

The participants who were bloodied and exhausted from struggling against endless waves of demon beasts felt gratitude in their hearts as the last thing they wanted to do was be eliminated. Who didn't know that the points earned in later rounds were double or triple those earned in the first five waves?

Jaded participants recognized Van's actions as those looking out for the reputation of the Cedar Sect above all, but in their hearts, they felt this was already better than the Zephyr twins who did not know how to coordinate a battlefield. The knowledge and experience Van gained leading a small troop of people in the Ice Caves really started to shine through. After learning from Van for five rounds now, the Cedar Sect's battalions were calmer and obeyed orders obediently and efficiently. Those from other sects saw this and could only sigh in their hearts that good leadership really made a difference.

______

Outside of the battlefield, the audience was praising the performance of this unknown youth from the Cedar Sect. He did not have Wang Hao's indomitable sword spirit or Yun Hai's sophisticated power, nor did he have Tetsuya's unpredictability or the straightforward firepower of the Zephyr Twins. However, on the virtue of his leadership ability and foresight alone one could see that this young man was worth nurturing. After all, firepower alone is not enough to continue the legacy of a Sect.

Elder J's lips were pursed as he looked at this red-haired youth but his eyes held a glimmer of appreciation. Earlier, when those two twin's words were stuffed back into their faces - he nearly leapt up and danced a little jig. Elder J remembered Madam Sophia's barely hidden disdain for the Cedar Sect and how she had brought out those two little girls to show off to him - and felt even happier with Van's actions. Kekeke, this kid's schemes were precisely his taste! After all, those who benefit from the sect's resources should naturally uphold and defend their sect's honor.

Tutor Lumia was not paying Elder J's crazed cackling any attention. She was gripping the edge of her seat, staring at Wang Hao's bloodied face with worry in her eyes. In front of the upright swordsman, a white-haired youth stood with a dark look on his face. Yun Hai leaned forwards and his lips were concealed behind the curtain of his hair. Tutor Lumia could not read his lips but she saw Wang Hao's face drain of blood.

"The fifth monster wave has concluded!" The announcer shouted.

The crowd in the coliseum buzzed.

"The fifth round is just too tough. Did you see? The fourth battlefield was almost completely wiped out because they let an 8th rank Steel Drone Wasp touch the central crystal. A 9th rank demon beast is just too fearsome!"

"Sigh. If they all cooperated with each other they might have been able to handle the 9th rank Steel Drone Wasp… but it is just too difficult to coordinate such a large battlefield when everyone is from a different sect. When the 7th rank Gloom Hydrangea attacked the crystal and ranked up, the formation topped and the fourth battlefield lost over 70% of the remaining participants. Now they have less than thirty people in the entire battlefield."

"That's just too little. Who's left?"

"The Star-Cutting Sword Sect's Sinclair and his battalion, as well as a few from here and there."

"That's a good thing for the Star-Cutting Sword Sect, isn't it? All the points from the ensuring rounds will be theirs!"

"Indeed, it's not bad. Starting from the 6th wave, the other battlefields will all face a big dilemma!"

"A big dilemma?"

"Yes. To kill, or not to kill."

"Killing?"

The crowd gasped. They pondered this fellow's words and couldn't really understand. So far, it seemed that the Mausoleum rewarded those who were able to cooperate and strategize well with others.

"Yes. The first five waves can only be survived with many people fighting against the monster waves. After that… the resources and points become more concentrated in fewer, higher-levelled monsters. The more people there are, the less resources you are able to obtain. Hence, the only solution is… to kill!"

The crowd's anticipation hiked up a notch. They wanted to see these proud disciples face off against each other in order to gain the highest prestige in the Monster Mausoleum!

The announcer's voice broke the cacophony of noise in the coliseum.

"The current point leaderboard is-!"

"The Star-Cutting Sword Sect, the overall leader with 1003 points!"

"In second place, the Cedar Sect with 950 points!"

Once more, noise filled the mausoleum. The Star-Cutting Sword Sect's result was not surprising, but the fact that the oft-ridiculed Cedar Sect was still hanging onto such a high rank was astonishing and unbelievable. Not only that – the point difference was only 53!

Those that had belittled the Cedar Sect previously could only shut their mouths obediently in the face of the facts. When the Cedar Sect had shown such a stunning result in the first round, they had accused the Cedar Sect of cheating or manipulating the results. They even credited the result to sheer dumb luck. Now they could only watch while gritting their teeth!

Some were still not resigned – especially those that had bet money against the Cedar Sect. They sat with their hands folded across their chests, just waiting for the Cedar Sect to fall back down into the mud. After all, the Cedar Sect's points might look good now but the situation in the first and third battlefields were still unclear!

______

[In the second battlefield.]

The moment the ghostly voice announced the conclusion of the fifth wave, a faint speck of dark light appeared in the giant crystal. A moment later, the giant crystal became completely black.

Hummmm

The crystal vibrated and slowly began to pulse, bright then dim. The pulsing became faster and faster until at last a dark gate appeared in the middle of the battlefield. It seemed that all the spiritual power remaining in the crystal was used to open this big, obsidian gate.

"The first five waves of the Mausoleum of Monsters have been completed. Competitors will step through the Netherworld Gate and enter the second stage, the "Underworld Labyrinth." The Underworld Labyrinth is an infinitely large space where rewards and traps are plentiful. The longer you can survive, the better your score. A monster wave will try to kill you at the end of each day. Therefore, each day you remain in the Underworld Labyrinth counts as another wave survived. As the days increase, so shall the strength of the monsters. "

As the voice faded away, the dark crystal gate opened with a deathly creaking noise. Swirling darkness was the only thing that could be seen.

Van looked at the Netherworld Gate. The ring in his mindscape analyzed the arrays on the gate and quickly informed Van of its purpose.

Van turned to the Cedar Sect battalions standing behind him, "From now on, we will all be separated. Take care."