“This is bad! We’re too unlucky. How did we run into something like this? It looks like we have no choice but to retreat!”
Heavenly Eye Venerable frowned tightly, turning to order everyone to withdraw.
However, at that moment, a butterfly appeared on Ling Xiao’s shoulder. With a gentle flap of its wings, the ferocious Black Demon Shadow vanished completely.
The butterfly appeared quickly and disappeared just as fast.
Ling Xiao only faintly noticed it, let alone the others.
Everyone simply thought they were lucky, as the Black Demon Shadow inexplicably vanished, allowing them to escape a disaster.
“Look over there. That’s the True Demon Forbidden Land!”
Heavenly Eye Venerable pointed at a massive black tornado in the distance.
It was said that the True Demon Forbidden Land could only be entered when this black tornado opened, and its opening coincided with the Holy Dynasty Martial Arts Festival.
In fact, the festival was held during this time precisely because of the True Demon Forbidden Land’s opening.
Near the massive black tornado, many figures could be seen. Though too far to discern clearly, it was certain that most of the twelve sects’ members had already gathered.
“The True Demon Forbidden Land might open in a few hours. Let’s head over.”
Wu Xiang waved his hand, and everyone quickened their pace, using their movement techniques to approach the black tornado.
Soon, the Moonlight Sect group arrived near the tornado.
Ling Xiao looked up. The black tornado was like a black divine dragon, seemingly piercing the sky. It was hundreds of metres tall, its top invisible, and its diameter was likely over a thousand metres, indicating a vast space inside.
Many sects had already set up camp near the tornado, as the preliminary rounds could last two days or more. They couldn’t sleep out in the open.
The final round’s date depended on the preliminaries, typically set for the day after a one-day rest.
This was because the preliminary rounds’ duration was uncertain. Some emerged moments after entering, while others took one or two days.
The True Demon Forbidden Land felt somewhat like the Moonlight Pagoda, but it was clearly more dangerous. People could actually die here, unlike the pagoda, where death meant being teleported out.
With so many participants, the chances of accidents were even higher.
In terms of numbers, there were already thousands of people near the black tornado. Some were disciples participating in the preliminaries, others were leading experts, all dressed differently. Though some wore similar colours, the styles and emblems on their clothes varied, indicating their different sects.
The Sword King Sect had arrived much earlier than the Moonlight Sect, but only a few disciples were participating.
Chen Meng and Jian Feng were among them, along with a few core disciples who had been in seclusion during the Four Factions Martial Assembly.
Jian Wuji wasn’t present, nor did he need to be. As one of the Holy Dynasty’s Six Young Masters, he had already passed the True Demon Forbidden Land’s preliminaries and could directly enter the finals.
The Beast King Palace was also there, including Ying Wuya, Ba Tianhu, She Jiao, Wang Lang, and Li Hu.
Ying Wuya felt completely different. The young man had become more reserved, exuding a sharp, terrifying aura.
“Fifty percent Half-Step Heavenly Venerable! How did he advance so quickly?”
Lan Yuer exclaimed in shock.
“Look, he’s missing an eye and an arm. He must have undergone some extremely dangerous trial. Such sacrifices come with rewards. This guy is tough. His strength now is likely far greater than Chen Meng or Ba Tianhu. Senior Sister Lan, if you face him, don’t fight head-on.”
Ling Xiao warned.
“Mm.”
Lan Yuer had no doubts about Ling Xiao’s words. He had never misjudged anything.
That said, while Ying Wuya was strong, many unfamiliar faces were even more formidable.
Among the nearly thousand young disciples in the preliminaries, aside from the Moonlight Sect, all were above the Ninth Layer of the Mortal Realm.
Seventy percent had reached the Half-Step Heavenly Venerable realm.
Over thirty percent had achieved fifty percent Half-Step Heavenly Venerable strength.
Most surprising to Ling Xiao was that over a dozen had reached seventy or eighty percent Half-Step Heavenly Venerable strength.
This was truly a gathering of talents, a cloud of experts.
For a mere preliminary round to have such a level, what would the finals be like?
No, his cultivation had to improve!
Ling Xiao looked at the black tornado. Whether he could gain a greater edge in the finals depended on what benefits he could gain inside.
Wu Xiang suddenly said to the group with a serious expression, “When you enter the True Demon Forbidden Land, be extremely careful. If you encounter an unbeatable opponent, retreat immediately. As long as you don’t die, the secret scroll will bring you out. I never expected a mere preliminary to have so many experts.”
“Senior Brother Wu, with Senior Sister Lan’s strength, what rank could she have achieved in the last Martial Arts Festival?”
Ling Xiao asked cautiously.
Wu Xiang replied, “In the last festival, the top hundred were at least fifty percent Half-Step Heavenly Venerable. Within the top fifty, all were seventy percent Half-Step Heavenly Venerable. Within the top twenty, all were above eighty percent. The Holy Dynasty’s Six Young Masters, except Jian Wuji, were all ninety percent Half-Step Heavenly Venerable.”
“No wonder they’re so strong!”
Ling Xiao gritted his teeth. This was indeed a gathering of powerhouses. Any of the Six Young Masters could break through to the Heavenly Realm during the festival, making them truly invincible.
According to the festival’s rules, anyone under twenty could participate. If someone reached the Heavenly Realm, they would undoubtedly be the strongest of the new generation.
“Junior Brother Ling, I’ve been thinking about this for a while and feel I should say it. You want to challenge the Six Young Masters, but that’s only if they haven’t reached the Heavenly Realm. If they do, your chances are slim.”
Wu Xiang said after a moment’s silence.
“I understand.”
Ling Xiao nodded.
He had considered this, but worrying was pointless. If it came to it, he could only rely on the power of the seal.
Of course, for a friendly competition like this, he would avoid using the seal, as it felt too underhanded.
“Good that you understand. If you can’t defeat that Saint Child, I’ll find a way to help you.”
Wu Xiang patted Ling Xiao’s shoulder and said, “I won’t let you become that girl’s servant.”
“No!”
Ling Xiao shook his head. “Senior Brother Wu, I made the oath, and I won’t break it. Besides, rest assured, I said I’d beat her, and I will!”
He couldn’t let Wu Xiang clean up his mess. That would be too disloyal.
