The spell's range covers the entire territory of China? Hand it over to the state.

Old Li leaned closer and took a sniff, his eyes widening instantly: "Such pure life energy! And its structure is extremely stable, with no side effects whatsoever! This... this is what was refined in that large cauldron just now?"

"I suppose so." Su Yun handed the pill forward. "This thing doesn't have any other use, except to nourish the body and prolong life. The three seniors have worked hard for the country for half their lives, and their bodies are severely depleted. This thing is just what they need."

"To nourish the body?" Old Wang was a straightforward person, and he picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth. "Then I'll try it. I didn't eat enough for dinner."

Zhang Daoxuan and Elder Li exchanged a glance, then, without any pretense, picked up the pills and swallowed them.

The elixir melts instantly upon entering the mouth.

next second.

boom!

Three visible shockwaves suddenly erupted from the three elderly people.

"Holy crap! It's so hot! I'm dying of heat!"

Old Wang let out a strange cry, and his loose Tang suit suddenly made a crisp "rip" sound.

His previously hunched back straightened rapidly, as if inflated. Beneath his withered skin, muscles like steel cables bulged quickly, stretching his clothes to the point of bursting.

The wrinkles on her face were smoothed out at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her snow-white hair began to turn black rapidly from the roots.

In just half a minute.

The old man, who was supposed to be nearing the end of his life, has disappeared.

Instead, there was a burly man who was 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles all over his body, and looked to be no more than 40 years old.

Beside him, Zhang Daoxuan's transformation wasn't as dramatic, but his aura became unfathomable. His eyes shone brightly with every blink, and his already clear eyes now flashed with lightning-like light, as if they could pierce through illusions.

The changes in Mr. Li were more internal. He felt that the fog in his mind caused by aging was instantly blown away, and his dull thinking became sharp and keen again, even faster than when he was young.

"This...this is hardly nourishing!"

Old Wang looked at his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, and tried to throw a punch, which produced a loud popping sound.

He exclaimed with ecstasy, "I feel like I'm twenty again! No, even more powerful than when I was twenty! If I ran into those foreign devils from back then, I could take on ten of them at once!"

"This is rejuvenation, a leap in the level of life." Zhang Daoxuan took a deep breath and bowed solemnly to Su Yun. "Little Su, this gift is too heavy."

"What's so important about it? We're all family."

Su Yun waved his hand, looked past everyone, and returned his gaze to the countdown on the screen.

Five minutes left.

"It's not enough for just three people to become stronger."

Su Yun's eyes turned cold. "Since they want to put on a show and intimidate us, we can't afford to lose the battle."

He flipped his wrist.

The pure white "Fallen God Bone" appeared in his hand.

The moment the bone appeared, the temperature in the command hall plummeted by several degrees, and the lingering power emanating from the high-ranking creature sent chills down everyone's spine.

"If they want to build a stage in the sky to put on a show, then we'll erect a monument for them on the ground."

Su Yun gripped one end of the bone and, without the slightest hesitation, activated the ability of the national shaman to communicate with the nation's destiny.

Target locked: The central axis of the capital city, directly opposite the void below the "Arena of the Gods".

"go!"

Su Yun threw it suddenly.

The divine bone transformed into a pale white streak of light, instantly bursting out of the command hall and soaring into the sky.

When it reached an altitude of 10,000 meters, which is directly below the arena, the divine bone suddenly stopped.

Immediately afterwards, under Su Yun's mental control, the bone began to grow and deform wildly.

It is no longer a bone.

It turned into an upside-down platform.

It was entirely white, and every step looked as if it were made of the bones of some kind of creature, exuding a chilling and ferocious aura.

On the high platform, there were no ornate decorations, only rows of sharp, barbed bone spikes pointing straight to the arena in the sky.

This is a thorn.

A barb stuck deep under the noses of the gods.

At the same time, Su Yun's voice, connected by the nation's destiny, spread to every corner of the world in this quiet morning, and also reached that high and mighty arena.

"It not only distinguishes between superior and inferior, but also determines life and death."

"Now that we've started this event, let's establish some rules."

Su Yun's voice was calm, yet it sounded like thunder.

"When a god dies, his bones remain, and his soul enters the Investiture of Gods Platform."

"One comes, we kill one."

"Kill one, and we'll seal off another on this platform."

"I'd like to see whether you have more gods, or more positions on this Conferring Gods Platform!"

boom--!!!

As the last word fell, the pale white "Consecration Platform" suddenly erupted with a crimson light, rivaling the golden light in the sky and refusing to yield.

The world is silent.

crazy.

This Longxia man has gone mad.

Faced with the judgment of the gods, he did not beg for mercy or explain. Instead, he used the other party's bones to build a platform and sealed the god inside.

What blasphemy!

How incredibly... domineering!

At that moment, countless Westerners who had been kneeling on the ground subconsciously raised their heads and looked at the Eastern country with complicated expressions.

That place truly seems to be humanity's last backbone.

"Arrogant!"

The voice from heaven finally roared in anger.

The countdown has reached zero.

"Round One, Begin!"

With a command given, the gates of the suspended arena swung open.

"roar--!!!"

A roar powerful enough to shatter eardrums rang out.

A monster as large as a small mountain crashed onto the arena.

This is a lion.

But it is not an ordinary lion.

This is a lion that seems to have come from purgatory.

Its size wasn't just as large as a small mountain; it was more like a living, breathing steel fortress. Its fur had completely mutated, each hair displaying a chilling dark gold hue, standing upright like a halberd, exuding a cold and hard metallic texture. With its movements, the hairs rubbed against each other, producing a crisp, clanging sound like weapons clashing.

It was as if a live volcano was sealed within its body. With each heavy, bellows-like breath, dark red, scalding lava and pungent sulfurous fumes continuously spewed from its mouth, nostrils, and between its teeth. The viscous lava dripped onto the arena, instantly burning through the hard rock with a sizzling sound and rising plumes of white smoke. Centered on it, the surrounding air was wildly distorted by the extreme heat, making its form appear even more ferocious and illusory.

Beneath the towering, granite-sculpted muscles, it seemed not blood flowed, but rather molten iron. The contraction and relaxation of each muscle contained an explosive power capable of shattering a mountain with a single blow. This pure and violent aesthetic transformed into a tangible, terrifying pressure, sweeping in like a tidal wave, instilling an uncontrollable despair and trembling in the soul of everyone who beheld it.

[First Round Participant: Olympus Pantheon - Trial Beast: Nemean Lion]

[Characteristic: Absolute physical immunity. No metal weapon or kinetic energy attack can penetrate its defenses. Only divine power can destroy it.]

The atmosphere in the command hall suddenly turned somber the moment the monster was seen.

"The Nemean Lion..." Qin Shuangyue's expression turned grave as she quickly pulled up the data. "This is one of the twelve trials of Hercules in Greek mythology. Legend says its fur is indestructible, impervious to swords and spears; even Hercules couldn't pierce it, and could only be strangled by brute force. It's like a living tank!"

"Moreover, this monster looks even more powerful than those in mythology; it should not be underestimated!" Zhang Daoxuan frowned.

The confidence I had just gained from improving my skills vanished instantly.

Everyone looked at Su Yun.

This first battle is of paramount importance.

If we lose, not only will our morale collapse, but we will also be stripped of our foundation.

Su Yun looked at the giant lion on the screen, which was roaring and provoking the camera, and a strange smile appeared on his lips.

"Invulnerable to swords and spears?"

"Physical immunity?"

"That's because they haven't seen Longxia's 'physics'."

Su Yun slowly closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the depths of the system.

Since it's a competition, and since it's about comparing strengths and foundations...

Then let me show you what a true "ancestor" really is.

His thoughts swept over the skill icons one by one, finally settling on the skill called [Martyrs' Protection].

"System, skill activated."

"Designate summoning direction—"

Su Yun suddenly opened her eyes.

"In this world, when it comes to fighting big cats like tigers and lions..."

"Who can compare to my second master, who dares to slay a dragon with his sword after just two ounces of wine?"

"Or perhaps..." Su Yun paused, his gaze fixed on the arrogant lion on the screen.

"Who was that hero who dared to run wild on Jingyang Ridge with his bare hands, and who killed the white-browed tiger with three punches?"

"Give me...please have your ancestors possess you!"