As the last disciple of the Beast Taming Sect was teleported out, the sect's ranking on the points leaderboard plummeted like a kite with a severed string. It finally came to a precarious halt in the third-from-the-bottom position—only slightly better than the already-bottom-dwelling Wuji Sect, which had suffered a complete wipeout earlier, but it was still a pathetic sight.
Qin Lie's figure solidified in the elimination zone. His face was livid, and his chest heaved violently. Clearly, he had not yet recovered from the frustration and rage of being "sent out" by Mu Wenyan in such a manner.
He scanned his surroundings. A significant number of disciples from various sects had already gathered in the elimination zone, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
Just then, his gaze landed on a figure in the corner—Ji Yanzhi.
Ji Yanzhi sat alone in the corner, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip ink. A low-pressure aura radiated from him, screaming for everyone to stay away.
As the first Nascent Soul cultivator to be eliminated in this edition of the team battle, one could only imagine the strange looks he had endured and the internal torment he was suffering.
Their eyes met.
Qin Lie was stunned for a moment. Then, a subtle, indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
So... I wasn't the only Nascent Soul to be eliminated?
And it looks like this fellow, Ji Yanzhi, was eliminated even earlier than I was?
Thinking about it that way...
Qin Lie suddenly felt the stifling air in his chest dissipate by more than half for no apparent reason.
He even felt that although he had been tricked into coming out, he had at least fought Mu Wenyan one-on-one, and he had been carrying injuries at the time. It was perfectly justifiable!
Compared to Ji Yanzhi... it seemed... he wasn't so embarrassed after all?
A strange sense of superiority arose within him.
Looking at Ji Yanzhi’s miserable appearance, Qin Lie’s originally livid face actually pulled into a tiny, uncontrollable arc of disdain and pity.
He even subconsciously straightened his somewhat messy robes and stood taller.
Ji Yanzhi keenly caught Qin Lie's complex gaze, which seemed to say, "Oh, you're here too? Faster than me, I see?" He was instantly so enraged he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!
Bastard! What's with that look?!
We’re both eliminated Nascent Soul cultivators. What are you acting all superior about?!
Didn't your Beast Taming Sect almost get wiped out too? Is your ranking really any better than our Wuji Sect's?!
Ji Yanzhi roared inwardly, his facial muscles twitching. He wished he could rush over and fight Qin Lie right then and there!
But ultimately, he still cared about his dignity. He could only glare fiercely at Qin Lie before turning his head away—out of sight, out of mind.
Receiving Ji Yanzhi's glare didn't anger Qin Lie; instead, it only reinforced his subtle sense of balance.
He gave a light cough, found a place to sit, and began to calmly regulate his breathing. However, that faint, lingering smirk on his face was incredibly punchable.
Inside the secret realm.
The members of the Five Elements Dao Sect quickly finished cleaning up the battlefield from their fight with the Beast Taming Sect, yielding a rich harvest.
"It's a pity we didn't run into anyone from the Sword Heart Sect or the Xuan Tian Sect," Duan Xianxing remarked with a regretful smack of his lips.
"That was just an experiment. Our targets were originally the Xuan Tian Sect and the Sword Heart Sect. The Beast Taming Sect just had bad luck and ran into us," Li Nanzhu said with a giggle, clearly very satisfied with the success of her flag tactic.
"Next, we will focus on searching for the Xuan Tian Sect. It would be even better if we could find some isolated Sword Heart Sect disciples," Mu Wenyan said.
The group continued their careful investigation within the gradually shrinking final circle.
During this time, they successively encountered teams from the Water Moon Sect and the Shenmu Sect.
The leader of the Water Moon Sect was Chu Chenzhou.
When he saw Liu Qingyang—who was hiding behind Mu Wenyan, peeking out with a guilty and fawning smile—the corner of his usually expressionless mouth twitched imperceptibly.
The expressions of the Water Moon Sect disciples behind him were even more vivid.
Lu Tingyun's eyes widened. He pointed at Liu Qingyang and opened his mouth as if to shout something, but another disciple beside him gently pulled on his sleeve.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Liu Qingyang shrunk his neck, gave a dry laugh, and whispered, "First Senior Brother... what a coincidence..."
A brief silence fell over both sides.
With neither side having the intent to fight nor the need for pleasantries, the atmosphere was awkward and tinged with a hint of bizarreness.
Finally, Chu Chenzhou's gaze swept over Liu Qingyang again. His eyes were complex and hard to read, filled with helplessness and a headache, which eventually dissolved into a nearly inaudible sigh.
He gave Mu Wenyan another slight nod before leading the Water Moon Sect disciples past the Five Elements Dao Sect team without a word, quickly disappearing down another fork in the path.
From beginning to end, Chu Chenzhou did not say a single word to Liu Qingyang.
It wasn't that he didn't want to handle it; it was just... he couldn't handle it, and there was no way to handle it.
Fight? They couldn't beat the Five Elements Dao Sect's current lineup.
Persuade? Looking at Liu Qingyang's state of 'having the time of his life and forgetting home,' there was no way he would listen.
Forcefully take him back? Would Mu Wenyan even agree?
Forget it. Out of sight, out of mind.
As long as he's safe, let him be... Chu Chenzhou thought to himself. Feeling a sense of frustration and powerlessness, he quickened his pace to leave.
Once the Water Moon Sect group had gone, Duan Xianxing nudged Liu Qingyang and winked. "Hey, Redhead, it looks like your first senior brother doesn't want you anymore."
Liu Qingyang stiffened his neck. "What do you know! First Senior Brother trusts me! It's called free-range parenting! Get it?!"
The crowd burst into laughter.
After parting ways with the Water Moon Sect, they soon encountered the Shenmu Sect team, led by Jiang Zhi.
Unlike the previous subtle atmosphere, the meeting between the two sides was much more peaceful, as they still shared the friendship from their previous drinking session.
They parted amicably, each choosing a different direction to continue their exploration.
After saying goodbye to the Shenmu Sect, the Five Elements Dao Sect group's luck turned for the better. They finally found one of their targets—a remnant team of the Xuan Tian Sect!
Even better, the Xuan Tian Sect disciples who had previously been with Cang Dongqing of the Sword Heart Sect were nowhere to be found. Li Nanzhu guessed that Cang Dongqing had likely eliminated them after meeting up with her own sect members.
The remaining Xuan Tian Sect disciples were few in number and had low morale.
This time, Li Nanzhu didn't even need to use any clever tricks. Mu Wenyan personally stepped forward, and in just a few moments, the remnant Xuan Tian Sect team was entirely eliminated. Their points and flags changed hands once again!
The Five Elements Dao Sect's points jumped up another notch!
However, as they searched and fought, time quietly slipped away. Less than three hours remained before the secret realm closed.
The final circle had already shrunk to a small core area, but the main force of the Sword Heart Sect had seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
"Where on earth are the Sword Heart Sect people hiding?" Liu Qingyang frowned. "And those from the Tianyan Sect are nowhere to be seen either."
"They might have found an extremely well-hidden sanctuary or possess special means to evade detection," Zhu Yinxi analyzed calmly. "Continuing to search blindly might not leave us enough time, and it's easy to fall into a trap."
Mu Wenyan looked up at the sky, then sensed the speed at which the elimination zone was shrinking. He analyzed coolly, "Searching blindly is time-consuming and exhausting, and it makes it easy to expose ourselves. Qi Yunze's strength is on par with mine. If we have a frontal encounter, the outcome will be unpredictable. Even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory. It's better to act steadily."
Everyone nodded, agreeing with their first senior brother's judgment.
Risking a search for the Sword Heart Sect could lead to losing everything if they failed.
Right then, Li Nanzhu blinked as she looked at the several flags in her hands. She glanced at the darkening sky and then toward the faint, flickering boundary of the final elimination circle in the distance.
A bolder, more whimsical concept began to take shape in her mind.
There was actually a loophole in the rules. And now, with the little time remaining, it was the perfect moment to exploit it!
Rate on N.U.
