206: Encirclement and Slaughter

The dark red sky seemed to press down even lower, and the sulfurous, decaying scent permeating the air became even thicker and more viscous.

The "poison circle" of the Secret Realm was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye, constantly forcing the remaining Disciples toward the core area.

The once vast and deathly silent land now appeared increasingly crowded and dangerous.

Of the hundred elites, only about thirty remained!

Those who could persist until now in this brutal elimination tournament were all true powerhouses!

They were all Golden Core Perfection experts with deep, steady auras and sharp gazes.

They were like beasts lurking in the shadows, wary and fearful of one another.

Intense skirmishes erupted constantly at the edge of the poison circle, with the glow of Spells and the clashing sounds of weapons rising one after another.

Each clash was accompanied by the flashing white light of a jade Talisman, announcing the dismal exit of yet another powerhouse.

On the leaderboard, the situation shifted constantly, yet it was gradually stabilizing:

1. Yao Delong (Luoxia Peak) — 18 points (Top of the leaderboard)

2. Xiao Chen (Spirit Plant Peak) — 12 points

3. Lei Qianjun (Thunder Marsh Peak) — 10 points

4. Liu Ruyan (Pill Cloud Peak) — 8 points

5. Zhao Chen (Heavenly Sword Peak) — 7 points

6. Shi Potian (Tuyao Peak) — 6 points

...

Yao Delong's score of 18 points held the top spot as firmly as a rock, leading by a wide margin!

This was not just a crushing victory in quantity, but an absolute testament to his efficiency and strength!

At this moment, Yao Delong was leisurely strolling along a gentle slope covered in black thorns.

His white robes were as pure as snow, without a speck of dust, clashing with the oppressive and deathly silent environment, as if he were truly strolling through his own back garden.

His powerful Divine Sense rippled outward slowly from him like an invisible tide, covering an area of one hundred and fifty li in radius, clearly reflecting the trajectory of the shrinking poison circle, the battles erupting everywhere, and the powerful auras lurking in the shadows within his Sea of Consciousness.

"The top ten is secure."

Yao Delong looked at the phantom image of the leaderboard appearing in his Sea of Consciousness, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips.

The massive advantage of 18 points was enough for him to ignore any accidents that might occur later.

He no longer deliberately sought out targets to hunt for points; instead, he restrained his aura, like a bystander, quietly sensing the final madness of this Secret Realm.

The remaining top Disciples maintained a subtle tacit understanding with one another.

The top ten ranked individuals, unless they crossed paths in a narrow space where avoidance was impossible, tacitly chose to avoid each other for the time being.

Who among those who made it this far didn't have a few trump cards hidden away?

To fight to the death now and expose all one's methods, even if one won, would inevitably result in severe damage to one's Origin Qi, which would be extremely disadvantageous for the upcoming top ten group stage.

It was better to conserve one's strength and save the real decisive battle for that highly anticipated arena!

However, this tacit understanding did not include one person—Third Prince Xiao Chen!

"Yao Delong... 18 points!"

Xiao Chen, hiding in the shadows of twisted strange rocks, looked at the glaring number on the jade Talisman. His handsome face twisted slightly, and his eyes flashed with bone-chilling jealousy and killing intent.

He had paid a huge price, using coercion and inducement to gather four capable Golden Core Perfection experts to "work" for him. He had even lost one person in the process, who was traded away by a counterattacking Disciple, just to barely stack his points to 12, overtaking Lei Qianjun, yet he was still trailing behind Yao Delong by a full 6 points!

This huge gap was like a loud slap, fiercely striking him, the Third Prince, in the face!

Xiao Chen took a deep breath and retrieved a jade Talisman from his storage ring, which was pitch-black and covered in strange silver patterns.

A flash of heartache crossed his eyes, but then he crushed it without hesitation!

Hum!

An extremely subtle fluctuation, almost completely blending into the surrounding environment, instantly spread out, enveloping the four of them.

Their auras, figures, and even spiritual power fluctuations became extremely faint, as if they had become part of the rocks, making them nearly impossible to detect with ordinary Divine Sense!

This was Xiao Chen's trump card, a concealment and detection-type Magic Treasure of immense value. Now, to deal with Yao Delong, he couldn't care about the cost!

"Let's go!"

Xiao Chen whispered, and the four of them, like ghosts, silently crept toward the general direction where Yao Delong had last appeared.

On the gentle slope, Yao Delong paused his steps.

His radar-like Divine Sense, while sweeping over a seemingly calm, craggy stone forest, suddenly captured a trace of an extremely faint, almost imperceptible abnormal fluctuation!

This fluctuation was not an explosion of spiritual power, but a subtle ripple produced by some advanced concealment method while moving!

"Hmm?"

Yao Delong raised an eyebrow slightly, and his powerful Divine Sense focused instantly!

Like parting the mist, the concealment method immediately revealed its flaw under his terrifying Divine Sense, which far exceeded those of the same rank!

Four blurred figures, carrying clear hostility, were moving at high speed from three directions, surrounding the gentle slope where he was located!

The distance was now less than five li!

"Xiao Chen?" Yao Delong immediately recognized the person in the lead.

"Trying to ambush me?"

A cold glint flashed in Yao Delong's eyes, but he did not panic. Thoughts raced through his mind: 'Four Golden Core Perfection experts... fight head-on? With my current strength, the odds of winning are not small, but I would inevitably expose more trump cards, or even get injured, affecting the subsequent group stage... it's not worth the loss.'

In a split second, Yao Delong had made his decision!

"Trying to surround me? In your next life!"

A mocking arc curled at the corner of Yao Delong's mouth, and the sword light in his hand flashed.

Hum!

The black thorns beneath his feet silently turned into powder! The space rippled violently like water!

Yao Delong's figure suddenly blurred and faded in place, and the next moment, as if completely erased by an invisible hand, he disappeared without a trace!

Only a faint, rapidly dissipating spatial ripple remained in place!

"Where is he?!"

Almost at the same instant Yao Delong disappeared, Xiao Chen and the other three appeared on the gentle slope like ghosts!

Xiao Chen's expression changed drastically. His ferocious Divine Sense scanned the surroundings frantically, but he could no longer capture even a trace of Yao Delong's aura! It was as if the other party had never appeared there at all!

"How is this possible?!"

The composure and killing intent on Xiao Chen's face froze instantly, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief!

He stared fixedly at the spot where Yao Delong had disappeared, feeling the spatial fluctuations that had not yet fully subsided, and cried out: "Teleportation?! I can't even detect him within the area covered by my Divine Sense! He... he can actually teleport over a hundred li away?!"

He had previously thought that Yao Delong's strange movement technique was at most a few li per blink, which was already shocking enough.

So he had used a precious concealment jade Talisman, closing in to within five li before launching the surprise attack, confident that it was foolproof!

But he never expected that the distance of Yao Delong's "teleportation" would far exceed the limits of his imagination!

"Damn it! I still underestimated this bumpkin!"

Xiao Chen's face turned livid, and he punched the black rock next to him fiercely, causing the hard rock to instantly crack.

The carefully planned ambush, which had consumed precious Talismans, had ended without even touching the corner of the opponent's clothes!

This feeling of frustration and defeat made him almost go mad.

"Your Highness, what do we do now?"

A trusted Disciple asked with an ugly expression.

Having lost their target, they were exposed at the edge of the poison circle and could be discovered by other top Disciples at any time.

Xiao Chen took a few deep breaths, forcing down the anger and shock in his heart. His eyes were so gloomy they could drip water: "Retreat! Search for other survivors! As for this Yao Delong... hmph, he's lucky! In the top ten group stage, I will definitely make him pay!"