Taixuan Heavenly Venerable's voice echoed over the vast expanse of blue waves.
Four ancient dragon-entwined pillars radiated thick, earthen-yellow light, shielding the entire Black Profound Battle Platform.
The warships of the major powers hovered a thousand zhang overhead. Cultivators crowded their bows, craning their necks to watch the proceedings below.
Everyone understood that whoever stepped onto the platform first to defend it would draw the full attention of every power present.
Without sufficient strength, taking the stage would not merely mean failing to hold it. It would make them the target of every arrow, crushed in turn by one formidable opponent after another.
Whoosh!
The sound of something tearing through the air abruptly rang out.
At the bow of the Shushan Warship, Chen Changqing leaped into the air.
His blue Daoist robe snapped and billowed in the fierce wind.
Chen Changqing landed squarely in the center of the Black Profound Battle Platform, his footing steady, without stirring so much as a speck of dust.
The Immortal-Slaying Sword rested on his back, its ancient, unadorned sheath pressed against his spine, faintly emanating boundless ripples of the Great Dao.
"Chen Changqing, ranked first in secret realm points, stands here to defend the platform."
His clear voice carried outward.
The defensive barrier surrounding the platform rippled faintly.
"That brat actually dared to go up first!"
"He just took a strike from True Person Kongwu head-on. Even with the Nine-Turn Body Refining Art, his blood and vital energy couldn't possibly have settled completely!"
"Going up first is courting death. Which of the Holy Sons wouldn't want to trample his reputation underfoot and make a name for himself?"
On the Ji Clan's warship, several senior elders huddled together, their faces dark with malice.
Ji Xuan had died in the secret realm, and Ji Changkong had