“In reality, even if everyone chooses to travel across the surface of the Nine Dragons Phenomenon Ridge, it still comes down to sheer strength, only the most powerful can reach the end first. For the weak, there’s still no chance.”
“Sigh, looking at it this way, this year’s selection seems a bit too simple, a bit too dull.”
At this moment, many felt deeply disappointed, no matter how they looked at it, the new rules for the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection seemed overly straightforward.
Though the crowd didn’t dare voice their complaints, Wuming Ken could sense their thoughts. Far from being annoyed, he gave a cryptic smile, clapped his hands, and said, “Let’s begin.”
As he spoke, several Venerable Realm experts from the Starfield Master Realm appeared.
They soared upward, swiftly reaching the summit of the Nine Dragons Phenomenon Ridge.
They stood in an orderly formation, as if arranging an array.
Then, each held a jar, tore off its seal, and aimed the opening toward the ridge below.
*Swish, swish, swish—*
Instantly, beams of light shot downward from the jars.
As the light hit the ground, the earth trembled, accompanied by roars.
“What’s that?”
Many in the crowd stirred, their gazes sharpening.
The beams from the jars unleashed colossal beasts, massive in size and ferocious in appearance.
“Ancient ferocious beasts, such powerful ancient ferocious beasts! The strongest ten are at the Venerable Realm!!!”
Soon, the crowd recognised these creatures.
They were ancient ferocious beasts from a bygone era, far stronger than ordinary beasts but devoid of intelligence, driven solely by a lust for slaughter. They’d attack any living thing in their range, except their own kind.
*Roar—*
Hostile roars echoed as the beasts landing on the ridge sensed the people around them.
Some charged forward, others took to the air, baring gaping maws as they lunged at the crowd.
Some even spat wind blades, lightning, or flames, their killing intent surging as they launched ranged attacks.
*Swish—*
At that moment, Wuming Ken tossed an object.
It was a small bell, but as it left his hand, it expanded rapidly, emitting a piercing clang, a tolling sound.
As the bell rang, the ancient beasts seemed controlled, their faces twisting in pain. They halted their attacks, collapsing to the ground.
Almost simultaneously, the bell, once the size of a fingernail, grew to blot out the sky. It descended, sealing all the beasts and covering a vast swath of the Nine Dragons Phenomenon Ridge.
This was no mere bell, it was a colossal, awe-inspiring great clock.
“Isn’t that the Starfield Master Realm’s treasure, the Qiankun Great Clock?”
“This clock is extraordinary, an ancient treasure, said to be inescapable unless you’re a peak Venerable.”
“I’ve heard it’s not just a powerful seal, it can also house arrays, not barrier arrays, but ones formed by martial power.”
The sight of the Qiankun Great Clock sparked fervent discussion, it was indeed a renowned treasure across the Ancestral Martial Starfield.
Legend had it that, roughly ten thousand years ago, a junior from the Starfield Master Realm, travelling the starfield, stumbled upon a war between two clans.
He tried to intervene, but no one listened, and his limited cultivation couldn’t stop the conflict. Fortunately, he carried the Qiankun Great Clock.
With it, he sealed the battlefield, using its internal arrays to separate the clans, preventing casualties.
Rumour also held that this junior, named Wuming Jiangnan, was now a Supreme Realm expert, one of the Starfield Master Realm’s six Supremes.
Though Wuming Jiangnan was now a towering figure, back then, as a junior, his strength was modest. Yet with the Qiankun Great Clock, he halted a clan war, a testament to its immense power.
“Wait, how does this supposedly impervious Qiankun Great Clock have doors?”
Those facing the clock’s front and back could clearly see two doors, one on each side.
The doors weren’t large, only ten metres tall and three metres wide.
But they were peculiar, one faced Chu Feng and the other juniors, while the other aligned with the ten raised mounds for the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars.
“Now, do you still think the choice outside the hidden paths is easy?” Wuming Ken asked loudly.
“So that’s it!”
The crowd suddenly understood, after all this, the Qiankun Great Clock was the alternative to the hidden paths.
The clock already contained arrays, making passage difficult, and now it housed countless ferocious beasts.
Heavenly Immortal and Martial Immortal beasts were one thing, but Venerable Realm beasts, even if only First Rank and numbering just ten, were clearly beyond any junior present.
Compared to the hidden paths of the Nine Dragons Phenomenon Ridge, this open road was the true challenge.
“The open road means a clear path, so I’ll make it plain, the Qiankun Great Clock has arrays, if you enter, you can avoid the ancient beasts, but… it’ll take time, how long depends on your strength and wits. Of course, if you’re unlucky and meet a beast you can’t handle, no one can save you.”
“As for the hidden paths of the Nine Dragons Phenomenon Ridge, many have heard of them, but they’re unpredictable, what happens inside is anyone’s guess.”
“The choice is yours,” Wuming Ken said.
In truth, after seeing the beasts, the crowd had already decided, they’d choose the hidden paths, even Chu Feng opted for them.
His reason was curiosity about the secrets of the Nine Dragons Upper Realm’s depths. Since the ridge’s hidden paths were tied to it, Chu Feng wanted to explore them.
*Rumble—*
But at that moment, a deafening boom erupted from the sky.
“What’s that?”
Everyone’s expressions shifted, even experts like Master Liangqiu frowned slightly.
The clear sky suddenly darkened with dense clouds, blanketing the heavens, plunging the world into a darkness deeper than night.
*Rumble—*
Another massive sound rang out, a thunderclap, its flash illuminating the darkened world.
“What is it?”
A trace of shock flickered in everyone’s eyes, more or less.
This thunder was extraordinary.
Ordinary lightning flashed and faded, but this lingered, writhing as if alive, coiling and spreading across the sky.
The thunder grew, illuminating the heavens brighter than before.
Most strikingly, it began to transform, no longer mere lightning, but taking shape… as thunder dragons!!!
Nine colossal thunder dragons wove through the endless clouds.
Their size was indescribable, they simply… filled the sky.
The spectacle captivated Chu Feng and the juniors, even the elders couldn’t tear their eyes away.
It was utterly breathtaking.
The thunder dragons were vivid, like nine living beings with true, world-shattering might, as if they could tear the sky apart, as if they could destroy the entire martial cultivation world!!!
“What are these, a phenomenon?”
Wuming Ken gazed upward, even he, with his vast experience, was uncertain whether this was a phenomenon.
His doubt stemmed from the sheer overwhelming power of the sight!
