"What is it?" Dodoria's face contorted with ferocity as he repeated the question. "Do I need to waste my breath on scum like you?" He roared and unleashed a Ki Blast with a wave of his hand.

Boom—

A thunderous explosion erupted, followed by a cloud of dust.

At this close range, a surprise attack was nearly impossible to dodge. Forget a middle-aged man with a power level of five, even Frieza, with a power level of over 530,000 (in his first form), might not have been able to react.

Before the dust stirred up by the Ki Blast could settle, Dodoria was already preparing to leave, convinced that… the middle-aged man was 200% vaporized.

However…

"I say…" Two seconds later, the middle-aged man's voice echoed from the dust, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Wh-wha?!" Dodoria exclaimed in shock upon hearing the voice.

"You suddenly flew down from the sky and stood in front of me," the middle-aged man continued. "Then, without any politeness, you called me scum…" As he spoke, the dust gradually dispersed. "And then you suddenly attacked me…" He paused. "If you don't explain yourself properly, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

"This guy…" Dodoria didn't answer the question. After calming down slightly, he retreated a short distance and pressed a few buttons on his scouter. But… the numbers on the scouter didn't change, still showing "5".

"You've got to be kidding me…" Dodoria muttered grimly. "A man with a power level of five… how could he have survived that attack…?" He thought for a few seconds and arrived at a self-deceiving conclusion. "Could it be… that I was careless… and missed?" Due to his limited intelligence, the more he thought about it, the more correct his conclusion seemed. So, "Heh… that's right… that must be it…"

"Um…" The middle-aged man looked at the muttering Dodoria with a hint of impatience. "There's still time to apologize, you know."

"Damn it!" Dodoria roared, "You expect the great Dodoria to apologize to a power-level-of-five trash like you?" As he spoke, he used Bukujutsu (Levitation Technique) to ascend into the air, gathering his energy. "This time, I won't miss… I'm going to blast you to smithereens!"

"I see…" The middle-aged man looked up at Dodoria and calmly said, "Although I don't know what your purpose is, since you've gone this far… then I won't hold back…"

As his words fell, the middle-aged man's figure… vanished from Dodoria's sight.

"Huh? Wh-what's going on?" Dodoria was once again bewildered. "Where did he go?"

Lacking the ability to sense ki, Dodoria relied primarily on sight to track his opponents during battle. Now that the other party had suddenly disappeared from his sight, his first reaction was to consult his scouter.

And in that instant… he saw an unbelievable number on the scouter.

Bang—

The number flashed for only a second before the scouter exploded due to data overload.

In the same second, the middle-aged man's figure appeared directly in front of Dodoria.

A straight punch… a very simple, straightforward punch.

This was the middle-aged man's first and last move in this duel…

The middle-aged man couldn't fly. He simply jumped up, leaping in front of his opponent and launching a nearly skill-less attack at his face.

But the next second, Dodoria's head exploded like a smashed watermelon… with a "splatter," brain matter and fluids gushing out, signaling the end of his life.

A warrior with a power level of twenty-two thousand met his end here.

The middle-aged man who killed him was named Ling Gui… and he was 88 years old, a humanoid demon from the Demon World.

From the outside, Ling Gui looked like an ordinary middle-aged office worker (from the Demon World).

In his daily life, Ling Gui was humble, steady, gentle, and courteous. At home, he was a good husband and a good father; at work, he was a good senior colleague and a role model…

However, when necessary… Ling Gui could unleash a combat power that could be described as "invincible."

…………

Turning our attention to Sabo and Dong Zhuo.

The two, rushing towards Gu Zhi Castle, soon arrived at the drawbridge guarded by Date Masamune.

Dong Zhuo had no intention of negotiating with the enemy. He hid in the distance and ordered Sabo to eliminate Date, who was blocking their path.

Sabo didn't mind. Killing a few people was nothing. As a capable subordinate of Frieza, he had participated in countless "Planet Eradication Operations." Not to mention the hundred or so people at the bridgehead, even hundreds of thousands, millions, or even billions… were just numbers to him.

Therefore… Sabo didn't hesitate to fly into the air and unleash a devastating Ki Blast towards the bridgehead.

Such a blast could probably destroy half a city on Earth in the Dragon Ball universe. But in this alternate dimension, the attack's power could only affect an area with a radius of one hundred meters at most.

And because Date's position was right on the edge of the barrier, the power of Sabo's Ki Blast was partially negated by the barrier. So… after a dazzling explosion, the demon soldiers at the bridgehead were all wiped out, but Date only suffered minor injuries.

After this sudden attack, Date didn't say a word. He tucked his tail between his legs and ran towards Gu Zhi Castle… He understood that the opponent before him was not someone he could handle. He knew when to retreat and wouldn't sacrifice his life in vain.

"Hahahaha… Date sure runs fast." After the bridgehead was cleared, Dong Zhuo shamelessly caught up and laughed triumphantly, "He must have been scared by Mr. Sabo's strength."

"Hmph…" Sabo chuckled coldly. "So, the 'Unparalleled Demon General' who betrayed Orochi is nothing more than this…" He nonchalantly flicked his hair and said, "It seems that… besides Orochi, all the other guys are worthless…"

"Haha… that's right." Dong Zhuo laughed. "I also think that… with the combat power of those guys, there's no need for King Frieza to take action. Mr. Sabo, you can take care of them all by yourself."

"Heh… you flatter me, General Dong." Sabo spread his hands, closed his eyes, and shrugged. "There are still quite a few of those small fries with power levels ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand… it will still take some effort to wipe them all out."

The two exchanged a few boastful remarks and then continued on their way, heading towards the Yan Wu Stage (Martial Arts Stage) a few kilometers ahead…

…………

At the same time, on the Martial Arts Stage.

"The martial arts demonstration is over. The victor is Wang Tanzhi. The loser is Nene."

A duel had just come to an end.

The entire duel was uneventful… After a few brief exchanges, Nene chose to concede.

As a ninja, it was disadvantageous to engage in a direct martial arts contest on a stage. Nene wasn't the type to fight to the death out of stubbornness. She knew very well… that her strength probably wouldn't rank among the top ten present. So, she only exchanged a few symbolic moves with Xiao Tan. After confirming that his speed was no less than hers, she decisively surrendered.

"Well, little brother, you have to work hard for my share too. I'm rooting for you." After the results were announced, Nene even smiled kindly at Xiao Tan and said these words.

"Heh… hehe…" Xiao Tan scratched the back of his head and said with a forced laugh, "I'll do my best."

On the other side…

Compared to the harmonious scene on the stage, undercurrents were surging beneath the stage.

At this moment, many Unparalleled Heroes who had sensed the invasion of Frieza's group into this space had gathered around Cang and were discussing countermeasures together.

Many others had come to help after hearing about the situation, including Feng Bujue.

Of course, Brother Jue's enthusiasm to "help" naturally had his own personal motives… As a player, his starting point when strategizing was bound to be different from these NPCs.

However, at first glance… his strategy seemed quite reliable.

"Yes… Brother Feng's plan of 'using one tiger to devour another' is indeed the best strategy."

"That's right. If this plan succeeds, Orochi and Frieza will surely suffer, with one either wounded or dead."

"No matter which side loses in the end, Orochi's demon army will inevitably be weakened. This is a great opportunity for us to capture Gu Zhi Castle…"

"As long as the demon king is killed and the curse seal in the city is destroyed, our space can be fully restored."

After Feng Bujue's series of deceptions, many experts, including Cang, expressed their approval of his strategy.

"Then, for the time being, we will follow Brother Feng's plan… While preserving our own strength, we will let Frieza and Orochi fight each other like tigers and wolves… and then we will seize the opportunity to act." As Cang spoke, he looked in the direction opposite the stage. "But… there is an urgent problem to solve…" He paused, then turned to look at Feng Bujue and asked solemnly, "How should we deal with the approaching powerful enemy?"

"Oh~ that one." Feng Bujue replied with a relaxed expression, "The negotiation… I'll take care of it."

Just as they were talking, the figures of Sabo and Dong Zhuo had appeared within sight…

"Next match…" The bronze lion statue responsible for announcing the matches at the side of the stage didn't care about any of this. As long as the Martial Arts Tournament was still in progress, it would announce whatever it was supposed to announce even if the sky was falling. "By…"

Unfortunately… this time, it was unable to fulfill its mission.

Humm—

The sound of energy whistling through the air tore through the sky.

Sabo, flying in from the sky, raised his hand and released an orange-red Ki Blast that struck the announcement statue at the side of the stage, causing a violent explosion.

This strike shattered the announcement statue and shattered the order of the Martial Arts Tournament.

The prelude to a chaotic battle… had begun!