Another Supreme
The blade flashed and arrived in an instant. Before the two black snakes could react, they were sliced in two and fell to the ground.
Picking up the black snake from the ground, Yang Tianyou ignited the Scarlet Bright Demon Fire in his right hand, refined all the venom within, and then stuffed it directly into his mouth to eat.
He also used flames to refine the impurities in the two First-Tier Middle-Grade Inner Cores, turning them into pure Essence Qi, which he then absorbed.
Feeling the warm current rising from his abdomen, Yang Tianyou nodded to himself. Although his Spiritual Power and physical strength were being consumed several times faster, as long as there was enough food, it wasn't a big problem.
The key now is still Merit Points; his goal isn't just to pass the levels, but to achieve the Supreme Rating.
He speculated that out of 5,000 people, only those in the top ten had a chance of getting the Supreme Rating, and to be on the safe side, the top three would be the best.
Hunting Cultivators is the fastest way to gain Merits.
Moreover, although the storage Law Artifact is sealed, the contents inside will not simply disappear into thin air.
Hunting down enough Cultivators can yield a considerable amount of resources.
"The Hunting Grounds..."
With a silent murmur to himself, Yang Tianyou's figure flashed and disappeared from the spot.
The assessment will last for a month. The first half month, or even the first twenty days, is not a good time to hunt, because the Cultivators at this time do not have much Merit. Even if they kill, they will only get some resources.
Suddenly, Yang Tianyou, who was running, looked down at the back of his hand. The White Tiger Mark glowed slightly, and a message was transmitted.
Current number of cultivators: 4999
"One person has fallen so quickly; this Hunting Grounds is truly unfriendly to outsiders!"
Three days passed quickly!
Whoosh!!
A pebble flew out and pierced the head of a bull not far away.
After letting out a mournful cry, the latter collapsed to the ground, blood flowing out and filling the air with the stench of blood.
Yang Tianyou appeared, first using Law Technique to dispel the smell of blood, then dragging the bull's corpse away quickly.
In a secluded tree hollow, Yang Tianyou devoured the perfectly cooked beef in front of him, occasionally glancing at the White Tiger Mark on the back of his hand.
Current number of cultivators: 4837
Over the past three days, he has basically figured out the basic rules of this Hunting Grounds, and some of his original assumptions have been overturned.
First, this Hunting Grounds is not of a fixed size, but has boundaries, and those boundaries are shrinking inward.
This means that the likelihood of encounters between cultivators will increase over time.
Secondly, he originally thought that by killing Cultivator, he could obtain the cultivator's Storage Ring and acquire some Cultivation Resources.
This conjecture was refuted after he killed a Cultivator.
After the Cultivator died, half of the Merits went to Yang Tianyou, but his Storage Ring disappeared, leaving only a wisp of residual Law Power.
The Four Symbols Sect made its move, directly seizing the deceased's Storage Ring.
This is not good news for cultivators like Yang Tianyou who stand at the top of the pyramid.
However, for other cultivators who are not very strong, this undoubtedly increases their chances of survival.
Without the lure of resources, only a handful of top-tier cultivators would be willing to hunt down enemies if they wanted to earn the Supreme Rating solely on Merits.
Other mid-to-high-level cultivators, to avoid being caught off guard, might not intervene, and it's even possible they could take the lead in organizing a cultivator Alliance.
A day earlier, Yang Tianyou had encountered a small group of five cultivators.
These people are quite powerful. Even he couldn't easily kill them if they joined forces; it would take some effort.
Since he hadn't accumulated many Merits in the early stages of the level, he didn't make a move. Instead, Concealment in the shadows and quietly watched his opponent walk past him.
Thirdly, there's the rate at which Spiritual Power and physical strength are consumed.
As time goes on, this rate of consumption continues to increase.
The Hunting Grounds seemed to have become a greedy black hole, devouring all the energy within the Cultivators' bodies.
As a result, Yang Tianyou's appetite has been increasing over the past three days. Just like now, he has swallowed an entire bull, which was digested in no time.
He estimated that he would need to hunt again in no more than half a day to satisfy his physical needs.
"Fortunately, my ranking in terms of Merit merits is not low!" Yang Tianyou glanced at the mark on the back of his hand, and a message was conveyed.
Name: Xiu He
Merits: 350
Rank: 7
"Let's wait a bit. In the last few days, we'll release the Fengling and the others to hunt together. We should be able to climb to number one in the rankings very quickly, since no one else has so many Bonded Spirit Beasts, right?"
Twenty days later!
On a wide meadow, two figures were locked in a fierce battle.
Bang!!
One thick and one thin arm collided, a Blade Cry rang out, followed by wisps of crimson flames rising up.
"Okay, let's do it again!"
The imposing Zhu Zhuyan laughed excitedly.
His upper body was bare, with flame patterns interwoven on it, vaguely forming the shadow of a majestic god.
Across from him, Yang Tianyou also wore a fighting spirit, staring intently at Zhuyan.
Having been in the Foundation Establishment for so long, this was the first time he had seen someone who, like himself, had achieved Great Achievement of understanding of the Dao of Heaven and Earth and Intent Realm at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Although Zhuyan's Way of Fire has only just reached the Great Achievement Perfection stage, his physical strength is much greater than Yang Tianyou's.
Even among those at the same Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, there can be significant differences in strength due to variations in foundation, aptitude, and physique.
Zhuyan was born with a strong physique, or more accurately, a rich bloodline.
His Zhu Rong Blood is so concentrated that it definitely ranks among the top five of the younger generation in the tribe.
The bloodline of the Witch Tribe provides a considerable boost to physical strength.
This race is similar to the Barbarian Tribe, both being born with Body Cultivator. However, unlike the former, each of the twelve branches of the Witch Tribe possesses a unique elemental power.
For example, the fire element of the Zhu Rong Lineage, the water element of the Gonggong Lineage, and the earth element of the Houtu Lineage.
This is the biggest difference between the Witch Tribe and the Barbarian Tribe. They are more like the bloodline Aristocratic Clan of the Human Race, and are born with the ability to cultivate Dual Cultivation of Spell and Body. Apart from their weak fertility, the Witch Tribe is definitely an extremely powerful race.
Clang!~
The clear, melodious Blade Cry rang out again, and the exceptionally sharp blade energy swept out like Storm, snapping grass and tearing the earth open with small cracks.
This time, Yang Tianyou made the first move.
"Haha, well done!"
Zhuyan laughed heartily and strode forward.
His muscles bulged, his veins throbbed, and streams of fiery Blood Qi condensed above his head, forming a phantom image of a Deities.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two clashed fiercely, with Yang Tianyou gradually gaining the upper hand.
His Blade Intent had already progressed far on the path to Great Achievement. Even though Zhuyan's Fleshly Body was stronger, he was still only at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement. Over time, he would not be able to withstand the cutting Blade Intent.
Roar!!
The roar of a beast rang out, and the two combatants immediately stopped fighting. After exchanging a glance, they simultaneously scattered and fled.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A Giant Beast, six zhang tall, strode in, its imposing aura demonstrating its strength Second-Tier Upper-Grade, and that it had already reached the pinnacle of this realm.
His strength is comparable to Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, or even False Core Cultivator.
Such strength is absolutely beyond the Cultivators like Yang Tianyou, whose cultivation levels are suppressed, to contend with.
These Giant Beast only appeared on the tenth day of the level.
They specifically target the top 100 cultivators on the Merit list, especially the top ten, who are often hunted down by Giant Beasts.
Yang Tianyou guessed that this was a special rule formulated by the Four Symbols Sect to curb the number of Cultivators dying. With these Giant Beasts chasing after them, Cultivators could be tested on the one hand, Cultivator indirectly protected on the other hand.
The Four Symbols Nine Trials are designed to attract Cultivators. If too many cultivators die each time, fewer and fewer people will come, which contradicts the original purpose of setting up the Nine Gates.
Its bluish-black nose twitched slightly, and a hint of human-like contemplation flashed in the Giant Beast's brownish-yellow eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, it still chased after Zhuyan.
This guy has even more vigorous Blood Qi and energy; he must taste delicious.
Zhuyan, who had fled hundreds of feet away, saw the Giant Beast chasing after him. His face turned green, and he cursed under his breath, quickening his pace to escape.
It's always the same; the Giant Beast always seeks him out.
As for the reason... Zhuyan's face darkened.
In the past, he was the one who hunted all kinds of beasts in the tribe, but today, he unexpectedly encountered karma!
In the distance, Yang Tianyou stood on a tree branch, watching Zhuyan flee with a smile in his eyes, not at all worried that he would be caught.
Although this Giant Beast has thick hide and incredible strength, its speed is a major weakness. Whether it's Yang Tianyou or Zhuyan, they can escape by using some Secret Method.
"Twenty-three days have passed now, and there are seven days left. It's time to release the Fengling!"
As the thought crossed his mind, Yang Tianyou waved his right hand, and the four Bonded Spirit Beasts, including Fengling, appeared before him.
After explaining the basic rules of the Hunting Grounds to them, the Spirit Beasts dispersed, preparing to hunt down Cultivators and seize Merits.
Yang Tianyou glanced at the White Tiger Mark, and the information on it flowed into his mind.
Name: Xiu He
Level: Battle Pass C
Number of Merits: 4235
Rank: 8
Number of Cultivators: 4061
With the appearance of the Giant Beast, the rate at Cultivators perished has noticeably slowed down. At this rate, the number of survivors will certainly exceed two thousand.
Five more days passed, and with the help of his four Bonded Spirit Beasts, Yang Tianyou's Merit merits skyrocketed, quickly placing him in first place.
That day, Yang Tianyou, who was gnawing on a Golden Light Beast leg, suddenly turned cold.
He hurled the beast leg in his hand with a fierce gust of wind, smashing it towards a ghostly figure not far away.
A chilling breeze stirred, leaves drifted down, and the Ghost Tribe's Youjue slowly appeared.
"You still won't hand over that crow? I can exchange it for other resources!" A hoarse, low voice came out, rough and cold, unlike that of a living person.
Clang!~
With a flash of blade light, Yang Tianyou didn't speak, but immediately attacked.
Seeing this, Youjue vanished in a phantom mist, saying nothing more.
"Annoying flies!" Yang Tianyou said coldly.
Two days ago, Black and White accidentally encountered Youjue while hunting a group of Cultivators.
The latter immediately recognized the immense power of the Curse within Black and White's body and made a move to capture it.
However, Black and White was not someone to be trifled with. Although he was slightly inferior to Youjue, it was wishful thinking for the other side to capture Black and White alive.
After the two fought for a while, Yang Tianyou and the other three Spirit Beasts arrived. Seeing that the situation was not good, Youjue immediately fled.
However, he never gave up on the Black and White. He first tried to threaten them, and when that failed, he resorted to bribery.
We need to find a way to kill him!
Yang Tianyou lowered his eyes. The best way to solve trouble is to destroy the source of trouble directly.
He couldn't be sure if Youjue had placed any tracking mark on Black and White.
While the Four Symbols Nine Trials can certainly clear some of a cultivator's memories, in this world, there are always more solutions than problems.
The lack of memory did not prevent Youjue doing other things.
After pondering for a moment, he contacted Tongming in the Spirit Beast Bag, asking if there was any good way to track down Youjue. The latter's whereabouts were too elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and it would be difficult to locate him without a special tracking method.
Fifteen minutes later, Yang Tianyou obtained a Secret Method from Tongming.
The Nether-Seeking Ghost Detection Technique!
It is specifically used to Detection the location of Ghost Cultivators, Ghost Tribe, and the like, but its range is limited, only able to Detection areas within a radius of a thousand miles.
Normally, this is a somewhat useless Law Technique, since the range is too short—what can you do with a thousand miles?
However, in this restricted Hunting Grounds, the Nether-Seeking Ghost Detection Technique is absolutely a divine skill for finding the Youjue.
Immersed in the Dao Comprehension Space, Yang Tianyou mastered the Secret Method in a day, and then began to Detection the location of Youjue.
Half a day later, in a valley, Youjue was absorbing the Essence Qi of a giant crocodile when suddenly his expression changed.
His body instinctively dodged, but he was still a step too slow. Starlight flashed, and with the enhancement of the brilliant Blade Intent, with a clang, half of Youjue's arm was severed.
Severely injured, the ghostly mist surrounding the latter swayed for a moment, then suddenly contracted, transforming into a wisp of black wind, and was about to escape.
Buzz!!
Unexpectedly, a layer of Formation barrier firmly trapped him within a radius of a hundred feet.
Seven-Star Heaven-Sealing Formation!
Yang Tianyou asked Yunhua to create a combined attack Formation specifically tailored to his and the seven Spirit Beasts ' conditions.
Although there are only one person and four beasts at present, and the Formation is incomplete, it is still more than enough to seal Youjue.
Half an hour later!
The roaring sounds inside the valley gradually subsided, Youjue was annihilated.
First, his soul was shredded by Yang Tianyou's Blade Intent.
It was burned by Yuan Ba's Scarlet Bright Demon Fire for quite a while.
Finally, Black and White used the power of Curses to spread throughout the valley, ensuring that the guy was completely dead, before Yang Tianyou left with his four Spirit Beasts.
Another half day passed, and Array Mark appeared in the sky above the Hunting Grounds, which had shrunk to a diameter of a thousand miles. Many cultivators, who had been looking anxious, felt a pulling sensation from all parts of their bodies and Shen Yi.
Yang Tianyou looked at the light screen in front of him and obediently followed the Law Power, leaving the Hunting Grounds.
Name: Xiu He
Level: Battle Pass C
Final ranking: First
Rating: Extreme