72: Chapter 72: The Final Choice

The incense burned slowly, a third of it already gone.

The battlefields everywhere were incredibly brutal.

Relying on his exquisite Formation mastery, White Bone Scholar set up the Nine Nether Maze Formation near the Stone Forest, trapping four contenders and quietly taking a token that had fallen into a rocky crevice.

He then quickly concealed his aura and moved closer to Li Tianxing's direction.

Clearly, he intended to rendezvous with Li Tianxing to look out for one another.

Jian Wuchen and Fairy Youyue fought fiercely for the same token, with Sword Qi and cold energy crisscrossing the air.

Ultimately, Jian Wuchen braved a frostbite wound from Profound Ice on his left arm to force Fairy Youyue back with a single sword strike, seizing the token into his hand.

Tyrant Blade fell into a frenzy, leaping into the lake to fight a bloody battle against three Loose Cultivators who were skilled in water.

Eventually, covered in blood, he burst out of the lake clutching a token, but he immediately fell into an ambush by five Cultivators, leaving his situation precarious.

Liu Ruyan roamed the edges of the battlefield, using illusions and poison needles to covertly kill a Nascent Soul Cultivator who had obtained a token.

Just as she got the token, she was targeted by two demonic Cultivators and fell into a bitter struggle.

As the second Saintess of the Supreme Dao Palace, Su Qinghan possessed exquisite Daoist techniques and remarkable Magic Treasures.

She chose a token that had fallen in a relatively open area and engaged in a fierce battle with several Cultivators.

Ultimately, she successfully defeated her opponents and seized the token.

The remaining two tokens constantly changed hands amidst a chaotic melee of seven or eight Cultivators, with screams rising one after another.

...

Half of the incense had burned away.

The situation on the battlefield became increasingly clear, but also more bloody.

There were seven people who had temporarily obtained a token and managed to hold onto it.

Li Tianxing, Ling Jianxin, White Bone Scholar, Jian Wuchen, Liu Ruyan, Su Qinghan, and Tyrant Blade.

A token that had been constantly changing hands during the melee was now luckily seized by a Nascent Soul middle stage Loose Cultivator who excelled in escape techniques.

He was fleeing desperately into the distance, his face filled with wild joy.

Right at that moment, a sudden change occurred.

Three figures that had been hidden for a long time suddenly launched an attack like lurking venomous snakes.

Their target was precisely that Nascent Soul middle stage Loose Cultivator who had just succeeded and was excitedly fleeing.

"Leave the token behind!"

Blood Buddha Ku Chan shouted loudly.

He had somehow sneaked ahead of the Loose Cultivator, and a Blood Buddha Great Mudra struck down without warning.

This palm strike contained his lifelong cultivation and carried an evil power that corroded the Divine Soul.

The Loose Cultivator was scared out of his wits and hurriedly sacrificed a Magic Treasure to defend, but he was struck by the palm print, coughing blood as he and his Magic Treasure were sent flying.

"And this old man!"

Poison Doctor Old Ghost Yan drilled out from the ground on the right, scattering a handful of green poison sand directly at him.

The Loose Cultivator barely managed to prop up his protective spiritual light, but the poison sand corroded the light with a sizzling sound, and his face instantly turned green.

The third attack came from behind; Jade Flute Young Master Liu Wuyin appeared silently.

With a tap of his jade flute, an invisible sound wave pierced directly into the Loose Cultivator's Sea of Consciousness!

The killing moves of three old Nascent Soul monsters struck the Loose Cultivator in an instant.

"Pfft!"

The Loose Cultivator's Divine Soul was severely shaken, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and the token in his hand flew out.

Blood Buddha Ku Chan snatched the token and laughed maniacally.

"Hahaha! The Immortal-Demon Inheritance! This is the Opportunity for this old monk to extend his life and ascend to immortality!"

The three old monsters chose to strike at the Middle Stage, ambushing a target who was not at their peak and was alone.

Having succeeded in one strike, they did not linger and turned to flee.

Their movements were as fast as ghosts and their cooperation was seamless; clearly, they had been planning this for a long time.

"Old thieves! Put down the token!"

Several nearby Cultivators roared and pounced.

"Blood Buddha · Thousand Hands!"

Blood Buddha Ku Chan struck back, and countless blood-colored palm prints covered the sky.

Although they were shattered, they managed to hinder the pursuers for a moment.

The three old monsters gathered together, back-to-back, warily watching the several people surrounding them, their eyes filled with madness and delight.

Their Lifespans were nearly exhausted, and this trip was a desperate gamble; now that they had succeeded, their hearts were filled with wild joy.

...

Only the last quarter of the incense remained.

The appearance of the three old monsters added more variables to the already chaotic battle.

Liu Ruyan was being pushed into a life-threatening situation by two Nascent Soul demonic Cultivators, drenched in fragrant sweat.

Tyrant Blade leaned on his saber, gasping for breath, as three more people surrounded him.

Jian Wuchen swallowed a Medicinal Pill, trying his best to suppress his injuries and the cold energy.

Meanwhile, Su Qinghan also received a secret signal from Ling Jianxin and began to move slowly toward him, preparing to rendezvous.

Xiao Ran knew that the Opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived!

His gaze was firmly locked on the token that Blood Buddha Ku Chan had just snatched and tucked into his robes.

The moment of wild joy after the three old monsters succeeded was exactly the time for him to act.

Xiao Ran turned into a dark shadow and crept up, mingling with the surrounding people and feigning an attack.

One hundred meters—exactly within the effective range of the secret technique.

Xiao Ran's hands rapidly formed seals within his sleeves, turning into an invisible and intangible fluctuation.

"Hundred-Meter Soul-Chasing Command!"

This secret technique was silent and soundless; the fluctuation crossed space and landed on the token in Blood Buddha Ku Chan's possession.

Blood Buddha Ku Chan was focused on guarding against the surrounding Cultivators when he suddenly felt the token in his robes vibrate slightly.

The Soul imprint he had just placed seemed to be erased by something invisible.

"What?"

He was greatly alarmed and hurriedly circulated his magic power to stabilize it, but he felt that the erasing force originated from the token itself, making it eerily difficult to defend against.

Three breaths!

Only three breaths!

His connection with the token was severed!

"No! My qualification!"

Blood Buddha Ku Chan screamed in terror, clutching the token tightly and frantically circulating his magic power, but he could no longer re-imprint it.

This sudden and bizarre turn of events threw his mind into chaos.

Almost at the same time, Xiao Ran sent a signal to Li Changsheng.

"Now, to the northeast, Liu Ruyan is heavily injured."

Li Changsheng had been roaming the edges of the battlefield.

Upon receiving the signal, his gaze instantly locked onto the northeast.

Liu Ruyan was sent flying by a demonic Cultivator, and the token fell from her hand; another demonic Cultivator grinned hideously as he reached for it.

Now!

Li Changsheng's movement technique suddenly accelerated, as if he were also going to snatch that token, and he shouted:

"Demonic girl, how can I allow you to defile the token!"

A clear stream of Sword Qi shot out, aimed directly at the wrist of the demonic Cultivator reaching for the token, the timing perfectly gauged.

The demonic Cultivator was startled and pulled back his hand to defend.

Li Changsheng had already cut in like a swimming fish, seemingly about to grab the token in the air.

However.

Although Liu Ruyan was heavily injured, her reaction was extremely fast.

She gritted her teeth and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and her Pink Silk Ribbon coiled like a venomous snake toward the token and Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng was struck by the silk ribbon, let out a muffled groan, and his figure staggered.

By a stroke of luck, he happened to fall near a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

That Cultivator held the last token.

The moment Li Changsheng landed, he performed the secret technique shared by Xiao Ran.

Then, he successfully seized the token.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator's face instantly changed, but by then Li Changsheng had already fled far away, retreating to Ling Jianxin's side.

...

Only a tiny bit of the incense remained, about to burn out.

The rosy light from the Heavenly Gate intensified, emitting a rumbling roar as its attraction suddenly increased.

At the final moment, everyone was fighting for their lives!

With the assistance of a Sword Qi strike from Ling Jianxin, Su Qinghan and Li Changsheng successfully rendezvoused.

White Bone Scholar and Li Tianxing stood side by side; no one dared to provoke them.

Among the three old monsters, Blood Buddha Ku Chan was still futilely trying to claim ownership of the token, looking like he had gone mad.

The incense burned away its last wisp of blue smoke.

"Time is up!"

Within the Heavenly Gate, the vast voice rang out again.

Nine thick Guiding Light Pillars, ignoring distance and obstacles, crashed down from the Heavenly Gate, accurately enveloping the nine qualification holders recognized by the rules.

The first one enveloped Li Tianxing.

The second one enveloped Ling Jianxin.

The third one enveloped White Bone Scholar.

The fourth one enveloped Jian Wuchen.

The fifth one enveloped Tyrant Blade.

The sixth one enveloped Su Qinghan.

The seventh light pillar went straight past the still-roaring Blood Buddha Ku Chan, sliced through the sky, and landed on Xiao Ran, who was in the shadows in the distance.

The token in Blood Buddha Ku Chan's arms flew out and shot toward Xiao Ran.

"No! That's mine! Mine!"

Blood Buddha Ku Chan's eyes were nearly bursting as he frantically lunged at the light pillar, only to be violently repelled by the power of the rules contained within it, vomiting blood as he tumbled away.

The eighth one enveloped Liu Ruyan.

The ninth one enveloped Li Changsheng.

With this, the nine people were confirmed.

"Why? Why isn't it me!"

"Little thief, I'm going to kill you."

Blood Buddha Ku Chan, Liu Wuyin, and Ghost Elder Yan were completely maddened, but they were powerless to change the outcome.

Within the light pillars, the figures of the nine people rapidly blurred, pulled toward the Heavenly Gate by a powerful suction.

Ling Jianxin's gaze swept over Xiao Ran and Li Changsheng, pausing for a moment on Li Changsheng with a deep look in his eyes.

Li Tianxing gave Xiao Ran a slight nod.

Xiao Ran calmly met the gazes from all sides, finally having a brief exchange of looks with Li Changsheng in mid-air.

The rosy light of the Heavenly Gate swallowed the figures of the nine people.

In the next moment, the Heavenly Gate slammed shut, slowly fading into nothingness, finally vanishing into the horizon.

By the shore of the Lake of Oblivion, only a mess remained, with countless corpses, blood, and the desperate, unwilling roars of the three old monsters.

The Immortal-Demon Trial had officially begun.