Chapter 117: The Crisis of Hong Yi and the Others

"If he weren't burning with rage, how could he have contacted so many groups, large and small, promised them such heavy rewards, and gathered hundreds—even over a thousand including those in the Qi-Induction Realm—just to surround Shangguan Feihong? He must truly want him dead!"

"True. I heard Shangguan Feihong is severely injured and has been cornered by those thousand people in a tiny area. He probably won't last three days before being discovered. Even if he is at the peak of the Qi-Induction Realm, let alone him, even a powerhouse in the Pulse-Opening Realm would have their True Essence drained dry facing hundreds of Pulse-Condensation experts and over a thousand Qi-Induction practitioners!"

"Indeed, Zhao Yan is truly livid; he intends to eliminate Shangguan Feihong entirely!"

As the youths spoke, the sound transmission jade talisman of one of them suddenly lit up. He smiled and said, "Look, speak of the devil! My cousin just sent me the latest update on Shangguan Feihong. Let me see."

As he spoke, he looked at the message. The moment he saw the content, his eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

"This... how is this possible?!"

The youth muttered, his face blank—dazed would be an understatement. The others were bewildered, and one couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Don't tell me that guy Shangguan Feihong was too strong and managed to escape!"

"Impossible! With so many people surrounding him, even a beginner in the Pulse-Opening Realm couldn't have escaped!"

"Exactly, it was a trap with no way out. Could Shangguan Feihong have obtained some rare treasure in the trial space that allowed him to kill many or make an escape?"

"That's not realistic. The trial space holds many opportunities, but those that can provide an instant boost are all one-time-use treasures. Those are located deep in the jungle where the beasts are Tier 4 and incredibly fierce. Very few can pass that trial, and Shangguan Feihong is certainly not among them."

"Besides, we say there are forty thousand of us left, but in this outer region, there are less than ten thousand. Zhao Yan can act like a tyrant here as a late-stage Pulse-Condensation expert, but if you go deeper into the trial space, there are plenty of true masters; he's nothing compared to them!"

"True enough. The teams deep inside are incredibly strong. They might not have as many people as Zhao Yan’s group, but they are often led by several late-stage Pulse-Condensation experts or even Pulse-Opening masters. Zhao Yan’s team can't even compare."

"Those teams don't just hunt students for points; they kill ferocious beasts as well. Honestly, slaughtering beasts is no less efficient than robbing students. You know how hard it is to find students when they hide; finding one in a few days is lucky, and they might only be worth one or two points, maybe a few dozen at most."

"Most of us are still using bronze or silver tokens; gold tokens aren't common, and violet-gold ones are even rarer. Only the top powerhouses—or those who survived after being hunted by many—would have one."

"Those teams in the depths, which mostly have three to five late-stage Pulse-Condensation experts or even Pulse-Opening ones, find hunting students too troublesome. They only attack when they happen upon them. Most of the time, they kill Tier 3 beasts, which is easy for them. They can kill twenty or thirty a day without effort. That’s how they accumulate points, only targeting other teams toward the end to decide the final winner."

"Exactly. Another reason Shangguan Feihong is being hunted is that he possesses a violet-gold token. For someone at the peak of the Qi-Induction Realm to have one is ridiculous! Many Pulse-Opening experts don't even have one. It's a case of 'the innocent are punished for their treasures'!"

"Anyway, Old Hei, what did your cousin send you? Tell us!"

The youths clamored, finally turning their attention to Old Hei, who had received the message. They were dying of curiosity.

Old Hei’s mouth twitched, and he swallowed hard, only then realizing his lips were dry from nerves. He licked them and said with great difficulty, "You might not believe me if I tell you; honestly, I can't even believe it myself!"

"Stop stalling! Just tell us what message your cousin sent!"

Another youth with a fiery temper couldn't help but snap. If he hadn't known Old Hei, he would have slapped him by now.

Gulp!

Old Hei swallowed again as every youth stared at him.

"Everyone who was surrounding and attacking Shangguan Feihong has been eliminated!" Old Hei said, his voice hoarse.

Boom!

The minds of everyone present went blank. They were stunned, and then their faces filled with disbelief.

"Impossible! A team that strong would exhaust even a new Pulse-Opening expert. How could a mere Shangguan Feihong have the power to wipe them out? Impossible! It's impossible!"

"Old Hei, your cousin must be pulling your leg. Send him a voice message and tell him to quit playing around!"

"Yes, it’s completely unrealistic. I’ll tell you a joke: imagine a boiled duck suddenly turning into a dragon and eating you—would you believe that?"

The youths shook their heads like rattles, refusing to believe a word, spraying their objections at Old Hei.

"Shangguan Feihong had already eliminated over 130 students—110 in the Qi-Induction Realm and over 20 in the Pulse-Condensation Realm. He was injured and his energy was exhausted, on the verge of being eliminated himself, when reinforcements arrived!"

"Thirteen mountain peaks descended, violent and overwhelming, instantly eliminating over 30 Qi-Induction students in front of Shangguan Feihong and forcing the others back. Then, the newcomer charged like a tiger into a flock; their sword light was heavy and unstoppable. Not even the early-stage Pulse-Condensation experts could withstand a single blow."

"Two sharp sword beams shot from afar. A man and a woman walked out of the dense forest hand-in-hand, both in white robes. The man was dashing and extraordinary, the woman breathtakingly beautiful—like an immortal couple."

"But their faces were filled with killing intent. Their swords flashed as they cut through the crowd, guarding Shangguan Feihong’s rear!"

"At that moment, Shangguan Feihong had a steadfast, resolute man in front of him, his sword light sweeping across the field, and the dashing man and woman protecting his back."

"Then, a tiger's roar echoed, the sky over the flank seemed to darken, and a violent, surging aura of bloodlust pressed down. A phantom of a snow-white beast appeared in the sky."

"Next, fists erupted with the sound of thunder. Wherever they passed, countless student experts were shattered, white lights flashed, and many were eliminated from the trial space."

"Zither music rang out, sounding like an army of thousands charging into the fray. The music grew high-pitched, white light flickered, and many students were struck by terrifying attacks before they even knew what was happening. Their token arrays activated, and they lost their eligibility."

"With the steadfast man in front, the handsome couple behind, the strong, overbearing youth on the left, and the scholarly youth playing music on the right, in just a brief moment, dozens of mid-stage Pulse-Condensation experts, hundreds of early-stage ones, and over 500 Qi-Induction students were eliminated!"

"The attackers wanted to retreat, realizing these newcomers were unexpectedly powerful. They had only agreed to help Zhao Yan for a reward, not to lose their qualification for the trial."

"But..."

Old Hei stopped there, a look of horror on his face.

"But what? Tell us, tell us!"

The youths urged him frantically. Even though they were just listening as bystanders, they felt their blood boiling. These people must have been Shangguan Feihong’s life-or-death comrades. Otherwise, no one would risk their own qualification to step into such a deadly trap! Such brotherhood was enviable, making them even more desperate for the conclusion.

"But just as some started to retreat, a fat man and a little girl in red appeared. The fat man charged into the crowd with a long blade; his strikes were fierce and relentless, just as lethal as the others."

"What was even more terrifying was the little girl in red. As she walked through the crowd, whether they tried to attack her or not, everyone within ten feet of her collapsed to the ground—it didn't matter if they were mid-stage, late-stage, or peak Qi-Induction, or early, mid, or late-stage Pulse-Condensation! None were spared!"

"Her figure moved like a ghost. Though she seemed to walk slowly, in an instant, her red silhouette was everywhere among the crowd. Her expression was calm, yet she was stunningly beautiful. Amidst the flashing white lights of people being eliminated, she looked like a hellish blood lotus blooming in heaven."

"Everyone was paralyzed, unable to even hold their weapons. The resolute youth, the handsome couple, the scholarly youth, the brawny youth, the fat boy, and even Shangguan Feihong all stepped forward, one by one, to finish the job. Of the remaining five hundred, not a single one was left—all were eliminated!"

Old Hei finally finished, exhaling. Such a powerful group was truly terrifying. If his cousin hadn't been watching from a distant mountain, he probably would have been eliminated too!

"In that battle, the points of thousands of students were divided among these youths. Their tokens went from silver and gold to violet-gold! Everyone else’s violet-gold tokens were a pale purple, but the little girl’s—her token was so dark it was almost black. That’s the sign of breaking the nine-thousand-point threshold."

"However, because they held so many points, they have now attracted the greed of the teams deep in the trial space. Some teams have already launched an operation against them, cornering them at the Eternal Dam!"