Chapter 71 Conspiracy and Reclaiming the List

As the person in the black robe finished speaking, his subordinates trembled in their Divine Souls and hurriedly knelt down, shouting obedience to the Young Lord's command.

Surrounding them were hundreds of withered corpses, each body twisted, their faces etched with terror, as if they had suffered endless torment before death.

"I can hardly wait to see the expressions on those old guys' faces when they find out about this," the person in the black robe chuckled cruelly.

...

You Tan was completely immersed in the picture album, deaf to everything happening in the outside world.

If Ye Fan hadn't called her to 'flee the poison zone,' she probably wouldn't have snapped out of it.

Ye Fan searched outside for a day but found no trace of any signal, suggesting there was still some distance between him and Murong Wan.

You Tan snapped back to reality, her alluring, delicate face flushed red, and for a moment she dared not look into Ye Fan's eyes.

"I really didn't expect Little Brother Ye Fan to be so two-faced; he actually knows so many... hmm... novel things," You Tan coquettishly chirped.

Ye Fan did not want to dwell on this issue, pretending he hadn't heard, and reminded You Tan that it was time to leave.

"A whole day? Time really flies."

You Tan stood up and stretched, causing the swells in front of her to tremble incessantly, even Ye Fan couldn't help but glance a couple more times.

"Damn... you really put what you learned into practice."

"Hehe, Sister has learned quite a few new things. Does Little Brother Ye Fan want to try it out right now?"

You Tan beckoned with her finger, her flaming red lips slightly parted, inviting fantasy.

If not for the restraint of the immortal binding rope preventing her from going too far, she would have already been unable to resist testing the effects of the new version of the Bewitching Charm Technique.

Ye Fan had no mind to waste time and stated directly that if they didn't leave, they would be eliminated. He turned and left the cave.

"Stinky little brother, you have no sense of romance at all."

You Tan smiled and followed, the two of them moving rapidly through the night, so fast that ordinary people couldn't even catch their shadows.

...

As expected, the next day's shrinking circle led to another massive brawl, and the rankings on both lists changed drastically within one hour.

Ye Fan's first place ranking was surpassed during the day, and after the night's melee, he even dropped out of the top sixty.

In contrast, Murong Wan consistently hovered around the top ten, even surging into the top five at one point. This achievement made Qing Mingzi beam with joy.

The Joyous Union Sect's performance in the last few Heavenly Pride Assemblies had been poor, with both lists lingering in the lower-middle ranks.

Murong Wan breaking out this time undoubtedly brought great honor to the Sect Head.

As for Ye Fan, he was just considered an anomaly; no one expected him to create a miracle without guidance.

Comparatively, Qingyun Sect's Chu Nanxing had already fallen beyond the fortieth place, which made Dao Xuan's expression increasingly grim.

"I'm sorry, Sect Head Dao Xuan, it seems my Joyous Union Sect has gained a slight advantage again today," Qing Mingzi stated unapologetically.

"Hmph, it's only a temporary lead. In my opinion, by tomorrow she will reveal her true colors, just like that Ye Fan."

"Ye Fan's cultivation is lower, so having such a result isn't unexpected. Instead, that Chu Nanxing of yours seems to have already dropped below the fiftieth place, right?"

The arguments between the two families weren't new; everyone was long accustomed to it.

But just as Dao Xuan was about to say something more, the Kill Count List experienced another astonishing change.

"How is it Ye Fan again?!"

Ye Fan, who was previously outside the fiftieth spot, rapidly climbed, reclaiming the top position in the blink of an eye, with his points exceeding one hundred, putting him nearly thirty points ahead of the second place.

Everyone quickly flipped through the magic array to search, but ultimately found no trace of Ye Fan, infuriating Dao Xuan until his old face almost turned green.

"Cheating! The one surnamed Ye is definitely cheating!" Dao Xuan roared in fury.

Qing Mingzi understood immediately and immediately retorted, and the two families fell back into an argument.

Su Ningxue watched from the side, always feeling that something was amiss, yet she couldn't articulate it immediately.

Last time, it could be explained away by him successfully using a lightning seal for a sneak attack, but what about this time?!

A few minutes earlier, Ye Fan and the other person were slowly moving along the poison zone, trying to avoid the other trial Disciples to survive a few more days. But they hadn't gone far before running into a melee involving dozens of people.

These people had encountered each other while fleeing the poison zone. Initially, there were only three or five people fighting, but the sound of battle quickly attracted other Disciples, gathering more and more until it became the massive brawl before them.

Ye Fan saw this and urged You Tan to leave quickly; he didn't want to waste time on these people.

"Leave? Why leave? So many points are right in front of us; not taking them would be too wasteful, wouldn't it?"

Before Ye Fan could voice his refusal, You Tan's figure transformed into a lotus flower and vanished, reappearing moments later in the middle of the chaotic fight.

"You all are having so much fun. How about adding Sister to the mix?"

The Demonic Sound from Beyond the Heavens struck their ears, and the fiercely fighting crowd instantly froze, staring blankly at You Tan, who descended like a fairy.

The eyes of everyone quickly became vacant and infatuated; in just one or two breaths of time, they became her puppets.

"This illusion technique is truly a great weapon for group battles."

But just as Ye Fan thought this, You Tan actually controlled the crowd and charged towards him. This sudden turn of events made him frown.

"What are you doing?"

"Little Brother Ye Fan, don't be nervous. Sister is just sending you some points," You Tan giggled coquettishly.

"I don't need them."

Ye Fan originally didn't want to pay attention to her, but who knew You Tan would escalate? She controlled dozens of Cultivators and attacked without warning, every move aimed at vital spots.

Ye Fan directly activated the immortal binding rope and tied You Tan up like a zongzi (rice dumpling), but the controlled people still showed no intention of stopping.

"Little Brother Ye Fan, it's useless. They've been hit by my Demonic Sound from Beyond the Heavens. Unless the commanded objective is achieved, even I cannot stop them," You Tan said with a helpless smile.

"You..."

It was too late for Ye Fan to say anything else; dozens of Cultivators had already lunged at him. He could only strike to finish these people.

The red lotus sword shot out, its fire burning the firmament, instantly slaying dozens of Qi Refining Realm Disciples. Ye Fan regained the top position on the list.

"Little Brother Ye Fan is so powerful! Hurry up and untie Sister."

You Tan wore a look of seeking praise, but what she received was the red lotus sword pointing directly at her throat.

"This is the last time. In the future, you are not allowed to act without my permission."

Ye Fan's tone was extremely cold; although the killing intent wasn't strong, it was incomparably pure.

You Tan even had the feeling that if her next sentence displeased him, Ye Fan would truly kill her.

"Little Brother Ye Fan is really fierce. Fine then, Sister will listen to you from now on and won't act recklessly."

You Tan said helplessly.

Ye Fan wasn't some saint, nor did he reject killing; he just didn't want to be used as a tool by You Tan.

"Remember what you said, or our cooperation can be canceled at any time."

Ye Fan released the restraint of the immortal binding rope. The two finally reached a safe zone before the end of the Zi hour, finally able to rest for a while.

Only two days into the trial, over twenty percent of the Disciples had been eliminated, and the casualty rate was far higher than in previous sessions.

Although the various Sect Heads felt some doubt, they didn't take it to heart, only thinking that the competition this session was fiercer, completely unaware that a shocking conspiracy was quietly approaching.