130: Entering the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range

The next morning, Xu Sanyan followed Luo Yu and a large group of people towards Tongxin Mountain, as the Saint Child Competition was set to officially begin today.

Tongxin Mountain was bustling with activity at this moment, with many people standing in the wide plaza, gathered in their respective small groups.

At the very front stood three groups of people. One group was the largest, roughly forty people, which should be the Qi Liang faction of Tongxin Mountain.

To their left stood another group of about thirty people. Both men and women were dressed in blood-red robes, exuding a fierce aura, and were presumably the Tu Wanshan faction of Blood Refinement Mountain.

On the other side, there were about twenty people, mostly women, but with varied styles; some were enchanting and alluring, while others possessed an ethereal beauty, likely the Dream Butterfly faction of Hehe Mountain.

Behind them were smaller and larger groups, each around a dozen people, with the smallest having only eight.

Xu Sanyan stood in the center of the crowd, looking up at the three individuals facing them: two men and one woman. One of them was precisely the Mad Daoist who had kidnapped him and brought him up the mountain; he was currently holding a wine gourd and gulping down wine.

These three were the three Hall Masters of the Tongxin Demon Sect: the Hall Master of the Blood Refinement Lineage, Venerable He Yu; the Hall Master of the Union of Joy lineage, Flower Maiden; and the Hall Master of the Chixin Lineage, the Mad Daoist.

This Saint Child Competition was presided over by these three. As for the Sect Master, Xu Sanyan had never met him. According to Chi Yu, the Sect Master had not appeared for nearly a hundred years.

The Mad Daoist kept pouring wine into his mouth, and it was unknown how much his small gourd could hold, as it never seemed to empty.

Flower Maiden simply busied herself with her fingernails, even beckoning a Disciple from behind her to her front. The two whispered and discussed something about the fingernails, occasionally covering their mouths and chuckling softly.

Venerable He Yu looked at the two unreliable individuals beside him, sighed helplessly, and spoke loudly, "Presumably, you all understand the rules. This Daoist will not elaborate further. There is only one restriction this time: you must not use Spirit Treasures."

Xu Sanyan quietly asked Chi Yu beside him, "Senior Brother Chi, what is a Spirit Treasure?"

Chi Yu replied softly, "Some Magic Treasures with immense power, like our Saint Sect's ultimate treasure, the Zhenmo Pagoda, are Spirit Treasures."

"Zhenmo Pagoda?" Xu Sanyan was taken aback. Aren't they a Demon Sect?

I suppress myself?

Chi Yu seemed to notice his confusion and explained, "That Zhenmo Pagoda was originally a treasure of the 'Tianyi Fumo Temple' and was snatched by us, which is why we are still at odds with those bald donkeys to this day."

Xu Sanyan understood. If you snatch someone's ultimate treasure, do you still expect them to treat you with courtesy?

"The Saint Child Competition will end in one year, regardless of the final outcome." Venerable He Yu waved his hand, "Go."

"Yes."

Everyone descended the mountain in order. Xu Sanyan even saw familiar faces in the crowd: the two individuals he had first seen upon entering the sect, one tall and one short, a pair of good buddies.

The person at the very front of this group wore a gray robe, appearing to be around forty years old, with a somewhat gloomy face. His eyes constantly scanned his surroundings, as if deep in thought.

The tall and short duo had originally guarded Red Dragon Mountain, so they must have been from the Chixin Lineage. Since they appeared here, they must also be participating in this Saint Child Competition, and since they weren't part of Luo Yu's faction, they must certainly be part of Zhou Longsheng's faction. This was easy to deduce.

Xu Sanyan, as if by a ghost's prompting, turned his head to look at the three Hall Masters. Inadvertently, his eyes met the Mad Daoist's. The Mad Daoist's eyes were hazy, and he subtly pulled at the corners of his mouth, giving him a slight smile.

Xu Sanyan quickly turned his head back, not daring to meet his gaze. If such a powerful Cultivator felt offended, even if he were killed, it would be his just deserts.

Just then, Qi Liang, who was at the very front, stopped and turned to face everyone. Everyone looked at him, wondering what he was about to do.

A hint of arrogance appeared on Qi Liang's handsome face. He showed no sign of guilt despite being stared at by everyone; instead, he spoke, "I only want the first token. I hope you all act wisely."

Everyone exchanged glances. Even based on their apparent strength, Qi Liang's side was undoubtedly the strongest in this Saint Child Competition, but he was far too arrogant.

Tu Wanshan curled his lips in disdain, "Heh... No one here is easily intimidated. What's the point of saying all this? Do you really expect someone to find a saint child token and hand it over to you?"

Dream Butterfly raised her sleeve to cover her mouth, chuckling softly, finding Tu Wanshan's words quite amusing.

Qi Liang, however, did not get angry. He merely curved the corners of his mouth into a slight smile and turned to leave.

His purpose in saying this was to declare that he only wanted one token, so as to prevent everyone from ganging up on him first. Although he appeared to be the strongest, he couldn't withstand a concerted attack.

Although everyone present seemed very young, in reality, except for Xu Sanyan, the youngest were already fifty or sixty years old. Some outward arrogance might just be a disguise.

As teams successively entered the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, the Saint Child Competition officially began.

Xu Sanyan and his group followed Luo Yu deeper into the mountain. Although the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range was vast, the three Hall Masters couldn't hide the saint child token too secretly. If no one could find it, the Saint Child Competition would lose its meaning.

Luo Yu took out a compass from his embrace. Xu Sanyan glanced at it, seeing three needles of varying lengths pointing in different directions on the compass.

Chi Yu had followed Luo Yu the longest and knew some of his methods. He whispered to Xu Sanyan, "This is Senior Brother Luo's treasure. It can sense the aura of Demonic Beasts. There are countless Demonic Beasts in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, so we should try to avoid them."

Xu Sanyan nodded. At this moment, the struggle had just begun, and no one wanted to deplete their strength.

As long as the saint child token had not yet appeared, everyone could maintain a facade of peace. Once the first saint child token was found, the struggle would immediately intensify.

While following the group, Xu Sanyan cast a glance at Xiang Tan. He wanted to see what tricks this woman was planning.

Xiang Tan also noticed Xu Sanyan looking at her. She extended her rosy tongue to lightly lick her lips and playfully blinked.

Luo Yu stopped, then turned and walked to another side, saying to Chi Yu behind him, "Junior Brother Chi, make a note: there's a Foundation Establishment Realm Demonic Beast ahead."

"Understood, Senior Brother." Chi Yu marked it on a simplified map.

As they went deeper, Luo Yu became increasingly cautious. There were countless Demonic Beasts deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, even many Mystic Path Realm and even Soul Refinement Realm Demonic Beasts, so he had to be careful.

Demonic Beasts are roughly divided into eight tiers, corresponding to the Refining Essence to Void Amalgamation Realm. Cultivators usually categorize them by their own Realm, which is more intuitive.

Xu Sanyan looked up at the sky. The day quickly passed, and the mountain grew darker. A few Demonic Beasts flew by occasionally.

Luo Yu whispered, "Demonic Beasts are more active after dark. We should find a place to hide for the night."

No one had any objections. When it came to their own safety, being too careful was never a bad thing.

"Here will do, Junior Brother Chi." Luo Yu pointed to an open space not far away.

Chi Yu nodded, pulled out a square Formation Plate from his Storage Pouch, and recited an incantation. The Formation Plate emitted a soft white light, instantly enveloping everyone, then the light gradually receded.

Chi Yu's face visibly paled. He quickly took out a Medicinal Pill, put it in his mouth, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to adjust his breathing.

Xiang Tan walked at the back of the group, her eyes flickering. She quietly pulled out a fingernail-sized jade stone from her Storage Pouch. With a flick of her wrist, the jade stone was flicked far away.

If Xu Sanyan hadn't been constantly watching her, he probably wouldn't have noticed her small action.