64: end

With his mature appearance restored, Commander Duan Junyou's expression remained calm.

He gazed at the tranquil star sea within the light screen and spoke softly; though in the conference room, his voice resonated in the flagship's command center.

“Initiate Level One Alert.”

At his command,

Inside the command center, the high-ranking officers and strategists of the Judgment Corps all adopted solemn expressions and began to busy themselves.

The entire star sea appeared utterly peaceful, yet some preparations had long been made.

...

Star God Forbidden Zone.

Somewhere.

Accompanied by a dull thud, a figure flew backward, landing on the ground.

It was a man, not heavily injured; after propping himself up with his arms, he remained silent, quietly taking out a healing elixir and swallowing it to suppress his injuries.

In the distance,

A petite figure stood with a retracted fist.

She appeared to be about 1.5 meters tall, female, with a baby face and a scornful gaze; after retracting her gaze from the fallen man, she looked to the other side.

“He’s already lost, Chen Zhiwu, now it’s your turn.”

A somewhat crisp voice rang out.

Chen Zhiwu, a male with a square face, wearing a combat suit resembling ancient martial arts attire, now frowned slightly and said calmly, “Ning Zhi, your talent is indeed not bad, you could even be called naturally strong, but with just that, you’re still not my opponent.”

“I advise you to save your strength and honestly assist me in venturing deeper into the Forbidden Zone.”

“That way, when the Heavenly Selection ends, it will be easier to report back.”

Judging by his words, these three clearly belonged to a single squad, yet now they were clashing with each other.

Ning Zhi’s scornful expression did not diminish; she raised her hand, clenched her fist, and her fighting aura surged.

“Whether I can win, we’ll only know after fighting.”

“Chen Zhiwu, you’re not chickening out, are you?”

“Chickening out?”

Upon hearing that, Chen Zhiwu sneered and shook his head, “It seems you haven’t recognized the gap between us at all.”

As his voice fell,

Life energy surged, spreading from around his physique; he seemed to be clad in an armor that glowed faintly.

On the other side,

The scorn in Ning Zhi’s eyes vanished, replaced by intense interest.

Her aura climbed; her physique was petite, yet it contained an indomitable will.

As both accumulated power, a great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

It was at this moment,

As if sensing something, both of their gazes turned back, suddenly looking in the same direction.

From there, a roar came.

“This kind of commotion isn’t human.”

“Energy constructs almost never move over large areas, so that means… a transcendent creature is approaching.”

While making this judgment, Chen Zhiwu looked at Ning Zhi, “It seems our battle will have to wait.”

“Let’s first see the strength of the approaching transcendent creature, then decide.”

Ning Zhi did not respond, but her gaze was fixed on the direction from which the commotion came, clearly tacitly agreeing to his plan.

The third person, who had been defeated earlier, was also recovering from his injuries and entering a battle-ready stance.

Approximately ten seconds later,

In the trio’s line of sight, a Saber-toothed tiger with surging lightning around its fangs approached with swift leaps; upon sensing the presence of Ning Zhi and the others, its roar, like thunder, rang out!

Amidst the deafening sound, the Saber-toothed tiger gazed at them from afar with fierce eyes, but did not attack, continuing in its predetermined direction.

In a flash,

It had already disappeared from sight.

“I didn’t see wrong, did I?”

“There was a person on that transcendent creature?!”

The third member of the squad murmured.

“You didn’t see wrong.”

Ning Zhi’s voice rang out, her tone fluctuating, “That guy, in this Forbidden Zone, tamed a tiger-type transcendent creature.”

Transcendent creatures possess intelligence; defeating them is more difficult than defeating constructs.

Taming them is infinitely more difficult than slaying them.

Beside her, Chen Zhiwu’s eyes also held a look of shock, wondering what he was thinking.

Just then,

Ning Zhi’s aura receded, and without speaking, she suddenly turned around, preparing to continue forward.

“You’re not fighting anymore?”

Chen Zhiwu frowned slightly.

“You’re too ordinary.”

Ning Zhi shook her head, her tone unceremonious, “If I’m going to fight, of course, it has to be with a master of that level.”

“I don’t want to waste my strength on you.”

After speaking, she leaped up, and with a few accelerations, had already disappeared from sight.

Beside him,

The third member of the squad looked at Chen Zhiwu, “Brother Chen, what should we do?”

Chen Zhiwu waved his hand, and his furrowed brows relaxed.

“You should return directly.”

He turned around and chased in the direction Ning Zhi had left, “The Heavenly Selection competitors remaining in the Forbidden Zone will become stronger and stronger; this place… is no longer suitable for you.”

Leaving that last sentence, his figure also disappeared within a few breaths.

Only the third person remained in place.

His face twitched twice, and he finally turned back, walking in the direction from which they had come.

“Pah, two show-offs.”

“It’ll be hilarious when they get beaten badly deeper inside.”

After leaving that last remark, his figure completely disappeared.

...

Western part of the Forbidden Zone.

Yun Luoshan was setting up the last recording point.

This Corona Sect squad, after the initial bloody battle, rarely encountered other squads.

The Forbidden Zone was vast, and without guiding methods, specifically searching for one squad was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

With the last recording point set up, supported by his teammates, Yun Luoshan stood up; this pale-faced man, at this moment, was like a flickering candle in the wind, looking as if he could perish at any moment.

“Ding Que.”

His voice trembled slightly as he forced himself to speak, “Now, the mission is complete; you can do what you want to do.”

Ding Que’s tall figure was hidden by his cloak; he gazed at Yun Luoshan and spoke to the teammate supporting him, “Take him back to the base quickly.”

“Since the mission is complete, the Sect must at least preserve his life.”

After speaking,

With a flick of his cloak, he turned his body and burst into full speed, striding towards the Forbidden Zone’s core.

...

Seeking enemies, hunting.

As time passed, Qin Jin, riding the Saber-toothed tiger, hunted constructs; the special power within his physique gradually increased, and he continuously ventured deeper into the Forbidden Zone.

The Star God Forbidden Zone had several entrances; the situations encountered within the Forbidden Zone differed, and each squad’s progress also varied.

Now,

With the help of the Saber-toothed tiger, Qin Jin had become the undisputed leader.

He did not actively target other squads.

The other teams, as well as the Forbidden Zone’s environment, would naturally help him complete this step, performing the selection.

After defeating another construct, Qin Jin sensed the repulsive force within the Forbidden Zone and nodded slightly.

“That’s about enough.”

The special power contained within his physique could already be described as abundant.

“No need to search for constructs anymore.”

Transmitting the command mentally, Qin Jin looked up at the front.

The Thunder God Tree, standing between heaven and earth, appeared increasingly vast as the distance closed.

It seemed to be within arm’s reach.

“Other squads couldn’t possibly have made progress as fast as mine.”

With a thought, Qin Jin rode the Saber-toothed tiger and set off again.

His destination…

The very core of the Forbidden Zone.

The birthplace of the Star God!