“Too strong, this defence, this power, I’m simply no match. If I keep entangled, I’m afraid I’ll be done for in an instant.”
Ling Xiao drew a sharp breath, secretly relieved at his own luck. He had only encountered this creature after retrieving the Heavenly Vein Divine Stone. Otherwise, he might not have had the chance to obtain such a treasure today.
Roar!!
The giant centipede let out a deafening howl and chased after him again.
Boom!
Its speed was so great that it caused the air to explode with a cracking sound, dispersing the black mist.
Ling Xiao didn’t dare look back. He was already at the edge of the basin, just one step away from escaping.
As the giant centipede flew, the vegetation around the basin shattered, simply due to the terrifying waves of true essence it released.
The mountains crumbled continuously, as if an earthquake were imminent.
Pfft!
Ling Xiao couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
His heart trembled with shock. With the resilience of his body, he was still in such a dire state against this giant centipede. If it were someone else, survival would be unthinkable.
The reason Ling Xiao was desperately fleeing was the sense of mortal danger he felt.
This was the Giant Beast Prison, a place capable of trapping ancient giant beasts. If he died here, would he truly perish?
Though it was just his speculation, he didn’t dare test such a thing. If he really died, regret would come too late.
So, even if he were to be killed by this centipede, it would have to be after escaping the Giant Beast Prison.
When he was just over ten metres from the exit of the Giant Beast Prison, Ling Xiao suddenly felt immense pressure from behind.
He glanced back and nearly fell from the sky in fright.
On the giant centipede’s body, a hundred densely packed eyes had appeared, each glowing with green light, as if gathering some kind of power.
Buzz!
The next moment, a hundred beams of green light shot towards Ling Xiao simultaneously.
…
At Yuehua Sect, everything remained as usual.
The tower-climbing ceremony had been ongoing for fifteen days.
Apart from Ling Xiao, the other forty-nine disciples participating in the ceremony had all been eliminated.
First, Shangguan Lei broke the record, followed by Leng Hao setting a new one.
Then, Tantai Lingzi and Dai Yuling created even more impressive records.
People waited for Ling Xiao’s appearance with confusion, anger, jealousy, and anticipation.
Three days had passed, yet there was still no sign of Ling Xiao.
However, the Yuehua Treasure Pagoda continued to glow, indicating the ceremony was still ongoing. Ling Xiao was definitely not dead, for if he were, the ceremony would have ended.
This tower-climbing ceremony had set numerous records, even miracles, and changed many things.
Among the participating disciples, many had broken through their own cultivation, greatly increasing their strength.
Dai Yuling, Leng Hao, Shangguan Lei, and Tantai Lingzi, in particular, achieved remarkable results.
However, for various reasons, Shangguan Lei was imprisoned, Leng Hao was confined, and Dai Yuling could only rely on Wu Xiang’s protection.
Perhaps finding such waiting too dull, under the leadership of Sect Leader Chang Yueying, the top ten core disciples were re-ranked.
Ren Xingtian remained first, overwhelmingly powerful;
Bai Feifei defeated Lan Yuer, taking second place;
Lan Yuer dropped to third;
Tantai Lingzi defeated Yue Ren, ranking fourth;
Yue Ren fell to fifth;
Leng Hao, with his terrifying strength, became the sixth-ranked core disciple;
Ming Tian, relying on the immortal-grade treasure stolen from Shangguan Lei, top-tier golden martial arts, and a more perfectly fused beast form, ranked seventh;
These two geniuses, one at the invincible seventh mortal realm, the other at the peak of the seventh mortal realm, both defeated opponents above their level, preserving their reputation as geniuses.
The eighth and ninth ranks were held by previously high-ranking core disciples, but this time, they were defeated by Leng Hao and Ming Tian, pushing them lower.
Meng Yuan was once again squeezed into tenth place.
As for Shen Tianlin, he was completely pushed out of the top ten.
Dai Yuling and Shangguan Lei were barred from participating in the challenge, so they received no ranking.
Regardless, this was the most tumultuous reshuffling of the top ten core disciples, with three newcomers breaking in.
More importantly, these three newcomers, all participants in the tower-climbing ceremony, had not yet fully digested the benefits gained from the Yuehua Treasure Pagoda, yet were already so formidable. If they fully absorbed those benefits, who knew how powerful they would become?
The original top ten core disciples felt immense pressure.
The sect’s higher-ups, however, were overjoyed.
Newcomers replacing the old indicated greater talent and potential!
Next, they would deal with Ling Xiao’s matters.
No matter what Ling Xiao brought out, they planned to strip him of all his items and distribute them to Ming Tian, Bai Feifei, Tantai Lingzi, and others. This way, their cultivation would improve faster, and their progress would be greater.
This was the thought in the minds of Chang Yueying, the Supreme Sect Leader, and others.
However, Wu Xiang would be a tough hurdle, not to mention the Moon Maiden.
Regardless, the effects of this tower-climbing ceremony had been achieved, so they were relatively satisfied.
“Everyone, our Yuehua Sect was once among the top one or two of the twelve sects, with a long history, born alongside the Holy Dynasty of the Human Race, unlike the other eleven sects, whose histories have been interrupted,” Sect Leader Chang Yueying said with emotion, looking at the glowing Yuehua Treasure Pagoda. “Yet today, our Yuehua Sect ranks among the lowest of the twelve sects, which is somewhat frustrating. However, this generation of disciples might truly restore Yuehua Sect to its former glory!”
The higher-ups nodded in agreement.
Though they had issues with certain disciples, the results of this tower-climbing ceremony were undeniably the best ever.
“Well said, Sect Leader! In just over seven months, it will be the Holy Dynasty’s Ancestral Worship Ceremony. Though the Holy Lord worships ancestors annually, the grand ceremony occurs only once every ten years. At that time, not only will ancestors be worshipped, but the strength of each sect’s disciples will also be tested in the so-called ‘Martial Arts Festival’,” the Supreme Sect Leader said with a slow smile. “For roughly ten thousand years, our Yuehua Sect has always ranked last in the Martial Arts Festival. This time, we absolutely cannot let that happen again. With these outstanding disciples, we can surely achieve better results.”
“Indeed, in my opinion, the most outstanding disciples under thirty are all in our Yuehua Sect,” Elder Jin said with a nod and a smile.
“Everyone, let’s not aim too high. Before the Martial Arts Festival, we must first take the top spot at the Four Factions Martial Assembly,” Heavenly Eye Venerable said slowly.
The Four Factions Martial Assembly!
At those words, even Chang Yueying and the other higher-ups furrowed their brows.
