BXBX NOVEL Chapter 858: Advancing Without Retreating
After Chen Fei finished watching, Tang Shouchang and several others took turns reading through the contents, seizing this excellent opportunity to understand the vast landscape of the Mountain Sea Realm experts in Sacred City.
“Screech!”
Suddenly, a fierce roar of monsters echoed from afar, followed by what seemed like a dark cloud rushing swiftly towards the central hall.
Everyone instinctively looked up, watching as hordes of monsters approached.
As they drew closer, these monsters transformed into human forms and landed in front of the central hall.
Chen Fei’s gaze shifted, briefly pausing on the figures of several monster kings mentioned prominently in the jade slips earlier.
Rumored to have the bloodlines of divine beasts, their strength was indeed formidable.
Whether they truly possessed the blood of divine beasts was uncertain, but the power of these monster kings was undeniably immense.
At this moment, Chen Fei only gauged their aura and understood that the jade slips purchased earlier still held some information.
Half an hour later, just as the time was nearing, over thirty figures appeared in mid-air.
A tremendous force instantly pressed down on everyone’s shoulders, but the pressure dissipated as quickly as it came, as if everything was just an illusion.
Zhan Xuming nodded slightly to the surroundings of the Sun Moon Realm and the Monster Emperors, then took a step forward, looking towards the crowd and the Monster Kings in front of the central hall.
“Today’s selection is for the duel with the Black Divine and the other races one month later! This duel will be all in, no retreat. Therefore, today’s selection does not require everyone to participate.”
Zhan Xuming’s voice drifted slowly into everyone’s ears, carrying a strange power that involuntarily focused everyone’s attention.
“However, here I can promise on behalf of the Sacred City, that anyone who enters the top twenty in the rankings will receive full support in all necessary resources for the next month!”
Zhan Xuming’s voice was not loud, but when these words were spoken, the minds of everyone in the Mountain Sea Realm indeed stirred.
To receive full support from the Sacred City was a privilege previously only granted to figures of the Sacred One level.
Chen Fei’s gaze fluctuated, confirming his earlier speculations with Zhan Xuming’s words.
“In addition to resources, those on the list can also nominate three spots to enter the Sacred Land. Regardless of their talents, as long as the Sacred Land exists, their cultivation resources will be fully supported!”
As Zhan Xuming spoke, the gazes of many in the Mountain Sea Realm truly changed.
What did this represent? It directly considered your future worries.
In the battle against the Black Divine and the other races, one misstep could lead to death. Therefore, the resources obtained in this month are as fleeting as a mirage.
Sending three people to the Sacred Land ensured your lineage didn’t truly come to an end. Moreover, these three individuals essentially served as a protective talisman for their original sect.
In the future, anyone daring to provoke this sect would be challenging the prestige of the Sacred Land.
The eyes of many in the Mountain Sea Realm, with several decades of life left, gradually sharpened.
Many there that day had come merely to watch the excitement, but Zhan Xuming’s promise had changed the dynamics somewhat.
“All right, enough said. Those willing to participate can now enter.”
As Zhan Xuming’s voice fell, four arena areas slowly rose before the central hall.
Each arena wasn’t large, seemingly insufficient for a crossing in the vast Mountain Sea Realm.
However, within each arena lay another dimension, opened up by profound treasures, sufficient for those in the Mountain Sea Realm to fully unleash themselves without fearing damage beyond.
The selection rules had been disseminated a few days prior.
It was a system of single-victory advancement!
Win against one person, and you could step down. After all participants in the selection had fought once, the winners would then pair up and compete until only five remained in each realm, marking the end.
If someone stood on the platform for more than half an hour without anyone willing to come up and challenge them, they would also be considered the victor and move on to the next round.
Zhan Xuming waved his hand, and beside the platform, a large quantity of elixirs and spiritual materials appeared, all for healing injuries and restoring elemental energy.
As long as injuries weren’t too severe, after completing a round of combat, one could quickly recover in a short time without affecting the next round of battles.
According to the Sacred Land’s intention, today they would determine the list of twenty names, aiming to elevate them as much as possible over the next month.
Of course, many in the Sun Moon Realm actually favored disciples of the Sacred Land.
After all, the cultivation techniques they practiced daily and the guidance they received far surpassed those of other factions.
Looking at the platforms ahead, for a moment, no one moved. At this moment, being the first one to step up seemed somewhat disadvantageous.
“Since you all are so modest, then I’ll go first.”
Laughter echoed as a figure appeared on the platform of the Fourth Rank Early Stage.
“It’s Chen Changzhi from the Green Egg Sacred Land.”
“He broke through to the Mountain Sea Realm in less than thirty years. I didn’t expect him to participate.”
Chen Changzhi’s appearance caused a slight rise in everyone’s spirits present, and at the same time, other figures appeared on the other three platforms.
There were humans as well as monsters.
Those who dared to be the first on the platform naturally possessed extraordinary strength. They were all renowned figures, and the vast majority of the Mountain Sea Realm would be familiar with them.
Therefore, after half an hour passed without challengers, these four automatically advanced to the next round.
As agreed, immediately after these four stepped down, representatives from the Sacred Land and monster kings with suspected divine beast bloodlines took the stage, followed by another round of empty platforms.
This pattern repeated several times, with everyone in the Sacred Land who wished to participate having already taken the stage once. Finally, it was the turn of the Mountain Sea Realm elites from the top forces.
Many hesitated to engage with the disciples of the Sacred Land in the first round, but the elites from the top forces were not among them.
Those who dared to participate in this selection, with average talents or martial arts skills, would never dare to step onto the stage because they simply wouldn’t stand a chance.
Therefore, Mountain Sea Realm elites from top forces couldn’t enjoy the same treatment as those from the Sacred Land.
Chen Fei glanced at the figure on the Fourth Rank Mid Stage platform, his figure flickered, and he stepped up ahead of everyone else. Other Mountain Sea Realm participants who hadn’t yet stepped onto the platform were blocked by the arena’s barrier.
“Sir, impressive agility!” Ren Bairin saw Chen Fei and narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression turning serious.
Chen Fei’s information was recorded in the jade slip.
The introduction was actually quite vague, but the fact that he had single-handedly defeated two peers who had defected to the Black Divine Loyalists spoke volumes on its own.
“You flatter me!” Chen Fei chuckled.
“Ren Bairin of the Wusha Sect, please,” Ren Bairin gestured respectfully.
“Chen Fei of the Primordial Sword Sect, please,” Chen Fei responded with a similar gesture.
As Chen Fei finished speaking, Ren Bairin’s figure suddenly disappeared, and then dozens of Ren Bairin figures appeared from all directions around Chen Fei.
Ren Bairin praised Chen Fei’s agility, yet Ren Bairin himself belonged to the top tier in terms of agility, a skill rarely achieved by average Mid-Stage Mountain Sea Realm cultivators.
Not only was he fast, but dozens of his figures were vividly lifelike, seeming all fake at first glance, but each one turned out to be real upon closer inspection.
The line between reality and illusion blurred in that moment.
In Ren Bairin’s hands, his sword suddenly unsheathed, instantly splitting into dozens of blades that slashed toward Chen Fei.
In the audience below, Zhao Ruizheng and others’ expressions suddenly turned serious.
The so-called clearer perspective from bystanders did not apply here. Even from their vantage point below the stage, they couldn’t discern which one was Ren Bairin’s real body.
Just as they thought they had identified one as his real body, suddenly another nearby seemed even more real.
In a battle, such a distraction would mean losing the initiative, which was precisely the essence of Ren Bairin’s technique.
“Great technique! Coincidentally, I have a similar one,” Chen Fei said with a smile on his face.
His figure moved slightly, and dozens of images of himself appeared.
Thousand Illusions Sky Travel!
Ren Bairin saw Chen Fei transform into the same number of figures as himself. The key was that Ren Bairin couldn’t distinguish which one was Chen Fei’s real body at this moment.
Normally, having practiced a similar technique would provide significant resistance against similar techniques, making it easy to spot flaws in others’ techniques.
But Ren Bairin couldn’t see it at this moment!
“Boom!”
With a muffled sound, Chen Fei’s sword struck Ren Bairin. Although Ren Bairin reacted in time, blocking with his sword, he was ultimately half a beat too slow.
Ren Bairin was overwhelmed by the immense force, involuntarily flying backwards. Before Ren Bairin could discharge the immense power within his body, Chen Fei had already appeared in front of him, sword slashing down once again.
“I concede!”
Ren Bairin hesitated for a moment, then sighed. With those words, he was promptly moved off the stage.
Chen Fei’s wrist paused slightly as he retracted the blade.
Whether in the selection or in the ensuing battles to the death, one could only use weapons of their own realm. Therefore, the sword in Chen Fei’s hand was not the Qianyuan Sword at this moment.
Instead, it had transformed directly from the Concealment Bell, now known as the Concealment Sword.
The Concealment Bell was originally a defensive spiritual treasure. Transformed into a sword, it naturally didn’t enhance sharpness but emphasized overwhelming force and power.
It suited Chen Fei’s current path quite well, bearing some resemblance to his previous Qianyuan Sword. Therefore, Chen Fei hadn’t specifically sought out other middle-grade spiritual treasures.
Looking down at Ren Bairin on the stage, Chen Fei bowed respectfully, then also flew off the platform.
In mid-air, Jian Xuming glanced at Chen Fei.
He still remembered this Mountain Sea Realm cultivator, but the last time they met, Chen Fei had only just condensed his fourth Divine Palace and had just entered the mid-stage of the Mountain Sea Realm.
And this time, he had already condensed six Divine Palaces.
Jian Xuming looked at Chen Fei, his brow twitching slightly as he sensed a trace of dream power.
Thoughts flickered through Jian Xuming’s mind, settling on a profound technique that had echoed through the entire Middle Continent thousands of years ago—the Dream Entry Technique.
Jian Xuming’s expression eased slightly. Whether it was the Dream Entry Technique would become clear after today.
Back in the ranks of the Qianyan City team, Zhao Ruizheng and the others wore smiles on their faces. Chen Fei’s effortless victory naturally brought them joy.
Chen Fei glanced at the other three platforms. The most intense battle seemed to be on the platform of the Peak of the Fourth Rank.
Whether it was the peak of the Mountain Sea Realm or the peak of the Monster King Realm, both were at the highest level of the Fourth Rank. Without breaking through to the Fifth Rank, their strength had reached its peak, so they focused on refining their power application methods.
No one at the peak of the Fourth Rank was easy to deal with, so the battles at this moment were exceptionally fierce.
Chen Fei observed the battle on the platform of the Fourth Rank Peak, while on the platform of the mid-stage of the Fourth Rank, there were finally no new challengers, whether human or Monster King.
Although the conditions offered by the Sacred Lands were generous, it was clear that those willing to step onto the stage were still in the minority.
As the battle with the largest number of participants in the early stage of the Fourth Rank concluded, the four platforms officially entered the second round of competition.
Compared to the first round, this time, whether willing or not, everyone would have to collide with disciples of the Sacred Lands or Monster Kings with divine beast bloodlines..