632: Chapter 632 Ranking of the Grand Competition

Time flowed like water, silently slipping away.

In the final few months, the slaughter within the three Secret Realm stages gradually thinned out.

It wasn't that there were no people left, but that those who were still alive were all hiding.

Nascent Soul Stage —

The remaining dozen or so people from the Heavenly Palace faction hid in a deep mountain.

Yan Feng led the group to set up an illusion array, sealing the entire mountain tightly; they didn't even dare to let their Qi leak out.

Sima Yu leaned against the stone wall, the blood scab on the corner of his mouth not yet dry, his face deathly pale. Sima Jing curled up in a corner, her shoulder wrapped in bandages, remaining silent.

"How much longer until it ends?" Liu Yunge asked.

"Half a month." Yan Feng's voice was hoarse.

No one spoke again.

Deity Transformation Stage —

The remnants of the Heavenly Palace also hid.

They chose an abandoned mine shaft, sealing the entrance with a Formation Plate. Inside, it was pitch black, with only a few Spirit Stones providing light.

Everyone's face had the same word written on it — endure.

Endure until the Great Competition ends, endure until the artifact spirit teleports them out.

Void Refinement Stage —

Qin Han was still wandering around, but after searching for more than half a month, he hadn't encountered a single person.

He squatted on a hilltop, resting his chin on his hands, looking bored.

"Where did everyone hide?" he muttered.

No one answered him. The wind blew through the valley, empty and vast.

The forty-seventh year,

The Great Competition finally ended.

Three bronze ancient mirrors lit up simultaneously, spiritual light shooting into the sky.

The Cultivators still alive in the Secret Realm, regardless of where they were or what they were doing, were enveloped by an invisible force, turning into streams of light that shot out from the mirror surfaces and landed on the plaza.

A dense crowd filled the entire plaza.

Some were in rags, some were covered in wounds, some leaned on broken swords, others supported each other. The air was filled with the smell of blood and scorched items, mixed together, making people want to cough.

No one spoke.

One million people went in, two hundred thousand came out.

Eighty percent of the people remained in the Secret Realm forever.

The plaza was silent for a moment.

Then, sobbing sounds came from the crowd — some were crying, some were laughing, some slumped on the ground, some looked up at the sky, breathing in large gulps.

"Damn it, it's finally over. This year was a nightmare of my entire life."

"Damn it... I was hunted by three bastards for a whole year, those three bastards..."

"Nightmare, it's a nightmare..."

"Sigh, it's good to be alive. I'll just find a place in the Shattered Star Continent and live a peaceful life; I won't get involved in these killings ever again." A Cultivator slumped on the ground, murmuring in a low voice.

"When I go back this time, I'll hold my Dao Companion and child, and I'm not going anywhere." Another Cultivator wiped his tears. "What kind of cultivation? Being alive is better than anything."

More people said nothing, just gasping for air.

Everyone had survived a disaster, feeling that just being alive was quite good.

Elder Qi hovered in mid-air, hands behind his back, his face livid.

He swept his gaze over the disheveled Cultivators on the plaza, taking a deep breath.

"Everyone, take out your competition tokens."

The plaza was silent for a moment.

Then, rustling sounds arose.

Some took tokens from their bosoms, some took them out from their qiankun rings, some fumbled for a long time before pulling them out.

Ninety percent of the Cultivators lowered their heads, clutching one or two tokens in their hands, reluctant to raise them.

Elder Qi's gaze swept across the crowd, from east to west, from south to north.

He watched for a long time.

"Nascent Soul Stage rankings."

His voice wasn't loud, but the entire plaza heard it clearly.

"First place, Qin Yu, two thousand three hundred and twenty-seven tokens."

A sound of gasping echoed through the plaza.

Two thousand three hundred and twenty-seven tokens meant she had harvested over two thousand three hundred Cultivators single-handedly.

Some widened their eyes, some hung their mouths open, unable to speak, some stepped back half a step, as if afraid that this person named Qin Yu would suddenly appear in front of them.

Qin Yu stood in the crowd, her expression calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Second place, Nangong Xue, three hundred and twenty-one tokens."

Nangong Xue stood behind Qin Yu, the corners of her mouth curled high, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

She reached out and tugged at Qin Yu's sleeve, whispering: "Did you hear that? You're the boss, I'm number two."

Qin Yu ignored her.

"Third place, Yan Nuo, two hundred and ninety-eight tokens."

"Fourth place, Tan Yun, two hundred and fifty-six tokens."

"Fifth place, Han Feng, two hundred and thirteen tokens."

Tan Yun, Yan Nuo, Han Feng, Nangong Xue — four people, four rankings, standing close together.

They had followed Qin Yu for a year picking up scraps, and picked their way to second through fifth place in the Nascent Soul Stage.

Some in the plaza were envious, some were jealous, some hated themselves for not following the right person.

Elder Qi continued reading down.

In the top one hundred, there wasn't a single person from the Heavenly Palace.

He had a gloomy face as he continued to announce the rankings for the Deity Transformation Stage.

"Deity Transformation Stage rankings... First place, Jingkong, two hundred and fifty-six tokens."

Someone in the plaza laughed out loud.

That bald monk?

That bald donkey who said "Amitabha" all day?

He took first place?

Jingkong stood in the crowd, hands pressed together, eyes closed, chanting something.

Beside him, Gu Lingshuang glared at him.

"How did you pick up so many?"

"This poor monk was picking them up for Fellow Daoist Yun, but he didn't want them, sigh." Jingkong said with a straight face.

Gu Lingshuang rolled her eyes.

Although Jingkong took first place, everyone knew that the one who truly swept through the Deity Transformation Stage was Yun Xiaozi.

Yun Xiaozi had his hands in his pockets, a smile on his lips, as if he were very satisfied with this result.

He had promised his master — don't be high-profile.

He didn't have a single token himself, so this couldn't be counted as high-profile.

"Second place, Chu Yiyi, two hundred and twenty-one tokens."

Chu Yiyi stood beside Tang Zhan, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up, light in her eyes.

"Third place, Gu Lingshuang, one hundred and ninety-two tokens."

Gu Lingshuang held her head high, looking proud.

"Fourth place, Tang Zhan, one hundred and eighty-nine tokens."

"Wait." Gu Lingshuang frowned, "I'm third? He's fourth? I have fewer tokens than him?"

Tang Zhan was expressionless: "Your math is bad."

"You —"

"Fifth place, Qian Santong, one hundred and forty-seven tokens."

Qian Santong stood in the crowd, smiling and shaking his head.

He was from the Wuji Immortal Sect, and had accidentally ended up with Jingkong's group of four, picking up scraps for over half a year, and picked his way to fifth place.

Elder Qi continued reading down.

In the top one hundred of the Deity Transformation Stage, there was still not a single person from the Heavenly Palace.

After finishing the rankings for the Deity Transformation Stage, Elder Qi's hand paused, his face looking even uglier.