222: There are so many talented people, no flying here

Above the ruins, a gloomy wind swept through, kicking up a cloud of deathly silent dust.

Liu Qingqing looked at Lin Fan, the tear stains on her face, which was filled with worry and fear, not yet dry.

“Elder Lin, are... are you all right?”

Her voice carried a sob as she tightly gripped the corner of Lin Fan's robe, as if he were her only reliance in this desperate world.

“What... what did they do to you?”

Lin Fan slowly regained his senses.

He looked down into the young girl's clear yet terrified eyes, and the fire within his heart—the fire that belonged to a death-seeking maniac—burned even more intensely.

A smile that looked worse than crying, filled with resolution and tragic heroism, surfaced on his face.

“It's nothing.”

His voice was raspy, carrying a weight that felt like destiny.

“It's just... I received an invitation I couldn't refuse.”

...Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

For Liu Qingqing, these ninety days were the most agonizing period of her life.

From that day on, Lin Fan never again took the initiative to “go and die.”

He became silent, often standing alone on high ground, gazing into the distance with a layer of unshakeable solemnity shrouding him.

Liu Qingqing knew that the so-called “Blood-Colored Invitation” was a death warrant.

She wanted to ask about it countless times, yet she didn't know how to begin.

The only thing she could do was silently stay by his side, refining all the Spiritual Plants she gathered into healing Medicinal Pills and stuffing them into his Storage Pouch.

For Lin Fan, these three months were his rare “sage time.”

On the surface, he was full of worry, playing the part of a death row prisoner about to head to the execution grounds.

Deep down, however, he was cautiously planning his next “grand death-seeking scheme.”

That so-called “Blood Trial” was, in his eyes, practically a super experience dungeon tailor-made for him by the System.

For a trial organized personally by a being of that level, how strong would the “mobs” inside be?

How bountiful would the rewards be?

He was even becoming a bit impatient.

Finally, the appointed day arrived.

The blood-colored mark between Lin Fan's brows, which had been dormant for three months, suddenly became scalding hot.

An irresistible pulling force came from the Void Realm, enveloping the two of them.

The next moment, space distorted.

Stars shifted and positions changed.

When the scene before them became clear again, the blinding blood-colored light caused Liu Qingqing to instinctively close her eyes.

A thick scent mixed with rust, decay, and sulfur entered her nostrils, making her almost want to vomit.

What reached her ears were countless spiteful shrieks, violent beast roars, and the sharp clanging of weapons clashing.

These sounds merged into a noisy background, as if they were placed in a never-ending Asura battlefield.

She slowly opened her eyes and was immediately shocked by the sight before her.

They were standing on the edge of a massive island floating in the sky.

The entire island displayed an ominous dark red color, as if it had been soaked in fresh blood for billions of years.

The sky was a bizarre dark red dome without sun, moon, or stars; there were only massive space cracks like scars, with currents of Chaos occasionally erupting from within.

Below the island was a bottomless blood-colored sea of clouds; as it churned, one could vaguely see countless massive chains extending from the bottom of the island and disappearing into the depths of the clouds, as if they were imprisoning some terrifying giant beast.

Suspended Blood Hell Island.

The name of this place naturally surfaced in Lin Fan's mind.

“Is this... the starting point of the Blood Trial?”

Liu Qingqing's voice was trembling; everything here exceeded her scope of understanding.

Lin Fan did not answer.

His gaze had long been drawn to the crowd gathered on the massive plaza in the center of the island.

There were at least a thousand people gathered there.

Every single one of these people had a powerful aura and was high-spirited.

They wore various magnificent dharma robes, with precious light flowing around them; one could tell at a glance they came from extraordinary backgrounds.

Some rode ferocious exotic beasts that spat flames; with every glance, their overbearing aura was revealed.

Some stood upon a simple Flying Sword, eyes closed to nourish their spirit, their Sword Intent piercing the heavens.

There was even a woman surrounded by nine brilliant star rings, like a goddess descending to earth, drawing countless gazes.

The cultivation of every single person was at least at the Soul Transformation Stage.

Experts of the Refining Void Realm were also everywhere.

Compared to them, the appearance of Lin Fan and Liu Qingqing was exceptionally abrupt.

The two of them wore the ordinary Elder and Disciple robes of the Cuiyun Sect, and their auras were not outstanding; mixed among this group of Saints, Saintesses, and Prodigies, they were like two common chickens that had accidentally wandered into a flock of Phoenixes.

Instantly, countless gazes filled with scrutiny, contempt, and undisguised disdain fell upon them.

“Where did these two hicks come from?”

“Cuiyun Sect? Never heard of it. Does a third-rate little sect even deserve to participate in the Blood Trial?”

“Look at that girl, she's actually quite pretty. What a pity; following such a piece of trash, she probably won't survive an hour.”

Various discussions laced with Divine Thoughts rang out around their ears without any reservation.

Liu Qingqing's cheeks flushed red, and she instinctively shrank back behind Lin Fan.

She had never experienced such a scene, nor had she ever been looked down upon by so many powerful beings with such naked contempt.

Lin Fan, however, did not change his expression.

His heart remained calm; he even felt a bit like laughing.

A bunch of walking experience packs.

I just wonder which one is more durable for killing.

His gaze swept rapidly through the crowd like an experienced old farmer inspecting his soon-to-be-ripe wheat fields, evaluating which stalk grew the sturdiest and would yield the best harvest.

Right at that moment.

“Get lost.”

A cold and arrogant voice sounded in front of them.

A young man wearing a star-patterned Daoist robe, with handsome features but an expression full of perversity, was riding a lion whose entire body burned with golden flames, walking unhurriedly towards them.

He seemed to be heading to a certain spot in the plaza, and Liu Qingqing happened to be blocking his path.

Liu Qingqing's face turned pale, and she was about to pull Lin Fan to quickly get out of the way.

But the young man had already lost his patience.

He didn't even bother to take action himself, merely letting out a cold snort.

The flaming lion beneath him opened its mouth and spat a surge of scorching air towards Liu Qingqing.

It wasn't a lethal attack, but it carried a very strong impact and a sense of humiliation.

If hit by this airwave, even if Liu Qingqing wasn't injured, she would definitely be sent flying and roll pathetically on the ground.

In the blink of an eye.

Lin Fan took a step forward, shielding Liu Qingqing.

Bang.

The scorching airwave slammed solidly into him.

Lin Fan's body shook violently, and he slid back several yards, his feet leaving two deep gouges in the hard stone ground.

His blood churned in his chest; he let out a muffled groan, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

He looked up at the young man, his face showing just the right amount of dread and panic as he cupped his hands.

“Senior, please appease your anger. We didn't mean to offend you; we'll move right away.”

The young man glanced down at him from above, his eyes filled with disdain.

“An ant also deserves to bring a female companion?”

“Take your dead weight and die somewhere far away.”

After saying that, he didn't look at Lin Fan again, riding the flaming lion straight past them.

A wave of low snickering came from the surroundings.

Liu Qingqing hurriedly supported Lin Fan, her eyes instantly turning red.

“Elder Lin, you're hurt...”

Lin Fan waved his hand and wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, his expression still that of endurance and heaviness.

“I'm fine.”

Deep in his heart, an invisible little notebook had already been opened.

[Nine Luminaries Star Palace, arrogant youth, flaming lion mount.]

[Death Package A reserved.]

[Drafted method of death: Bitten to death by the lion, then head crushed by the owner's foot.]

[Estimated Rating: A-grade.]

Very good, the first high-quality death material has been found.

Just then, the entire Suspended Blood Hell Island shook violently.

Above the vault of heaven, the dark red sky rippled like the surface of water.

Following that, an incredibly massive golden light screen slowly unfurled, covering the entire sky.

Lines of cold, cruel, blood-colored text appeared on the screen.

[Blood Trial, rules are as follows:]

[1. Survive on Suspended Blood Hell Island for one month; the trial ends after one month.]

[2. All flight Spells and Magic Treasures are restricted within the island.]

[3. Points can be obtained by hunting exotic beasts, gathering Spirit Medicines, or... hunting other trial-takers.]

[4. When the trial ends, the top one hundred point earners will gain the qualification to enter the 'Supreme Void Holy Land.']

[5. The rest are left to fend for themselves.]

Boom.

The moment the rules were announced, the atmosphere of the entire plaza changed abruptly.

Where there was previously only mutual disdain and wariness, now, the gazes of almost everyone toward those around them carried a hint of undisguised killing intent and greed.

Hunt others to gain points.

These few words revealed the cruel essence of this trial in a bloody manner.

This wasn't a treasure-hunting Secret Realm, but a colosseum where only a hundred people could survive.

Liu Qingqing's delicate body trembled at the sight, her entire being turning cold.

Lin Fan's eyes, however, lit up at this moment.

On the surface, he still maintained his solemnity and unease, but internally he was excited to the extreme.

Good rules.

These are simply the best rules possible.

This is practically the authorities encouraging internal competition and mutual harm.

He could already foresee that in the coming month, countless S-rank death achievements would be beckoning to him.

At the end of the light screen, a line of small text slowly appeared.

[Trial Begin.]

The moment the words fell.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The thousand or so figures on the plaza turned into a thousand streaks of light, shooting madly toward all directions of the island.

Some rushed toward the Spirit Medicine production areas marked on the map.

Some rushed toward the mountain ranges where exotic beasts dwelled.

There were also those who directly locked their targets onto the trial-takers around them who appeared weak; the slaughter had already begun in the very first second of the trial.

“Elder Lin, where... where are we going?”

Liu Qingqing asked nervously; seeing the plaza suddenly become empty and dangerous, she felt a wave of helplessness.

Lin Fan's gaze swept over a simple map that appeared on the light screen.

Various regions were marked on the map.

Resource zones, safe zones, and... extremely dangerous lands marked with blood-red text.

His finger finally landed on a place in the southwest corner of the map marked with a skull symbol.

Ten Thousand Beasts Pit.

That was the area on the entire island where exotic beasts were most dense and violent, listed as a death trap with no chance of survival.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and took Liu Qingqing's hand.

“Let's go.”

The direction he chose was not any resource zone, nor was it the relatively safe-looking peripheral areas.

He headed toward the direction countless others were avoiding, striding toward that area representing death.

Liu Qingqing was pulled along, stumbling after him, her heart filled with immense confusion and bewilderment.

Elder Lin, what does he want to do?