106: The sect competition is about to begin

"I am..."

The voice was extremely hoarse, completely unlike Qing Ming Old Ancestor's original voice. It seemed he hadn't spoken for too long, as he struggled with his words, stuck on 'I am' for a long time without finishing the sentence.

Meanwhile, the three people in front of him were incredibly noisy.

He didn't even stand up; he simply raised his right hand casually and made a grasping motion toward the three Great Emperors rushing at him.

Boom—!

Boom—!

Boom—!

Three successive explosions rang out. The bodies of the three Great Emperors were crushed as if by an invisible, gargantuan force. They stiffened in mid-air before exploding into three clouds of blood mist, their Souls and bodies utterly destroyed before they could even scream!

Those were three Great Emperors!

Among them, Withered Abyss Old Ancestor was at the Late Stage Great Emperor... and yet, he died so easily?

Huyan Bao froze on the spot, the color draining from his face as his entire body shook like a sieve.

Gulp...

Huyan Bao's throat bobbed as he unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

Extreme terror made his instincts scream for him to run, but the last shred of logic in his mind stopped that foolish thought instantly. He fell to his knees with a 'thud', kowtowing repeatedly like a pestle grinding garlic, and said in a trembling voice, "Demon Ancestor Lord... please, don't kill me! I am willing to be your servant..."

Jie jie jie...

'Qing Ming Old Ancestor'—or rather, the Demon Ancestors Split Soul—slowly stood up. He stretched his new body and spoke in a hoarse, disgusted voice: "This body... no good... too... too weak..."

He didn't even look at the three clouds of blood mist; his cold gaze landed on Huyan Bao. "You... not bad..."

Hearing this, Huyan Bao's heart skipped a beat.

However, he still didn't dare move. His head remained pressed against the ground, his body trembling, not daring to make a sound.

A cruel arc curled at the corner of 'Qing Ming Old Ancestor's' mouth. With a flick of his finger, a blood-colored demon rune as thin as a hair instantly sank into Huyan Bao's forehead.

Huyan Bao let out a shrill scream, clutching his head and rolling wildly on the ground. He felt as if his Soul was being seared by a branding iron, marking him with an indelible Slave Seal.

A moment later, the pain subsided slightly. He lay paralyzed on the ground, panting like a dying dog, his eyes filled with nothing but utter submission and fear.

"This seat needs more soul blood stones to restore my power."

"Within three years, one hundred soul blood stones..."

"Fail... and die!"

The voice 'Qing Ming Old Ancestor' spoke in seemed to be a Yao Race language that did not belong to the Cangxuan Realm.

But with the Slave Seal etched into his Soul, Huyan Bao could miraculously understand it. He knew very clearly that if he didn't follow 'Qing Ming Old Ancestor's' orders, no matter where he fled, 'Qing Ming Old Ancestor' would find him and kill him.

Huyan Bao kowtowed repeatedly, his voice shaking: "Mas... Master, rest assured! I... I will definitely do it! I will definitely do it!"

Glancing at the three clouds of blood mist out of the corner of his eye, Huyan Bao felt a wave of bitterness.

Everything was fine, how did it turn out like this... but now, no matter how much he regretted it, it was useless.

Jie...

After Huyan Bao left, 'Qing Ming Old Ancestor's' Aura weakened at a visible rate.

It seemed that slaying three Great Emperors was not as effortless as it appeared on the surface.

He had waited for over two hundred thousand years for this opportunity.

He had deliberately created the illusion that only a sliver of consciousness remained to lull Qing Ming Old Ancestor into a false sense of security. Just when Qing Ming Old Ancestor thought he had completely erased his consciousness, he struck suddenly, wiping out Qing Ming Old Ancestor's Divine Soul in one fell swoop.

However, he had been sealed for too long, and his Divine Soul was incredibly weak.

Wiping out Qing Ming Old Ancestor and those three Great Emperors had exhausted his Soul Power. If Huyan Bao had known, he could have easily killed him.

But... Huyan Bao was terrified and had willingly become his servant.

As long as he had one hundred soul blood stones, he could restore one percent of his true self's strength. Then, by devouring the heavenly dao origin of the Cangxuan Realm, he could recover to one-tenth of his Peak strength.

At that time, no one would be able to stop him.

"Just wait, this seat will fight my way back..."

'Qing Ming Old Ancestor' looked up at the Void Realm, his demon eyes flickering with the light of destruction and greed... Over half a year later.

The massive stone gates of the great dao spacetime pagoda slowly opened, and a dull rumble echoed through the clouds.

One by one, powerful figures stepped out. Their eyes were sharp, and their bodies were brimming with Spiritual Qi. A hundred years of bitter cultivation inside the pagoda had brought about a transformative change in every Disciple.

Three figures were the first to walk out.

Each of these three exuded an extraordinary Aura; they were Shi Tian, Xiao Bufan, and Su Muhuang.

Shi Tian had broken through from Late Stage Void Refinement to Early Stage Undergoing Tribulation.

Meanwhile, Xiao Bufan and Su Muhuang had both cultivated to Peak Integration Stage.

"Heavens..."

"As expected of Personal Disciples. Even though we all cultivated, their speed is just too terrifying!"

"Indeed, in just a short hundred years, they've broken through nearly two major Realms!"

"Who would believe this if it were told!"

"..."

Other Disciples also filed out of the great dao spacetime pagoda. Everyone's cultivation had improved significantly, but when they felt the Aura emanating from the three, they couldn't help but cry out in admiration, utterly impressed.

The three Personal Disciples were all personally chosen by the Sect Master, without going through a recruitment assembly.

But who would dare question the Sect Master's eye for talent?

At that moment, two figures in the crowd also walked out behind the others.

Lu Zhiming and Ye Feng.

These two also had excellent talent. After a hundred years of hard cultivation in the pagoda, both were now at Peak Spirit Transformation.

When one's Realm is lower, improvement is naturally faster.

The higher the Realm, the harder it is to advance.

However, their speed of improvement was also remarkably fast, drawing strange looks from the crowd.

"I never noticed their talent was this good before. They're almost catching up to the three Personal Disciples!"

"In this Sect Competition, the ones with the best chance of taking first place in the Inner Sect should be these two!"

"You're right, I've got my eye on them too!"

"..."

The crowd burst into waves of exclamations.

But these two only had eyes for each other, secretly competing.

In this Sect Competition, only the first place in the Inner Sect would have the chance to become the Sect Master's Personal Disciple, and their biggest rival was each other!

Just then, a bell chimed three times: 'Dang, Dang, Dang'. As if receiving a signal, everyone set off together toward Snow Peak.

In an instant, streaks of light in various colors flashed across the sky, a truly beautiful sight.

Upon arriving at Snow Peak, they saw nine massive arenas floating in mid-air amidst the snowy landscape, stabilized by powerful Formations. Even if Supreme experts fought with all their might inside, they wouldn't be able to destroy the arenas, let alone the battles between these Disciples.

Spectator stands surrounded the area, packed with people. Not only were all the Disciples present, but even Xu Zhishan, the Ancestor of Wonderful Elixir Valley, and even the newly joined Ling Wuying, Yue Qingtian, and other experts were all in attendance. The atmosphere was both enthusiastic and solemn.

Sect Master Lin Chen reclined lazily in his seat, his gaze casually drifting over the crowd.

Behind him, Liu Ruoxi stood in attendance, ready for Lin Chen's orders at any time.

Chu Nansheng sat in the seat below Lin Chen, looking as cold and elegant as a banished immortal.

Yu Xuanji didn't like such lively and crowded scenes, so she didn't come to join the fun. As for Old Ancestor Li Tiangang... he was still immersed in cultivation, completely unaware of what was happening outside.

"Ah?!"

"The Sect Master actually came in person!"

"Heavens, is the Sect Master looking at me?"

"I must perform well this time. If I can catch the Sect Master's eye, I'll soar to the heavens in one step!"

"In your dreams!"

"The Sect Master is clearly looking at me!"

"..."

Just as the Disciples were buzzing with excitement, Chu Nansheng stepped into the void. The noisy Snow Peak instantly fell silent as everyone's gaze focused on her.

Chu Nansheng spoke slowly: "I am Chu Nansheng, the Chief Elder of the Wending Sect Inner Sect. On behalf of the Sect Master, I declare that this year's Sect Competition has officially begun—"