The Great Melee Begins!
After noon, the sky became exceptionally dark.
The howling sea breeze carried a chilly, damp air, and birds circled low in the sky, creating an atmosphere of impending storm.
The candidates who intend to go up the mountain to compete for the inheritance have been decided. There are a total of 36 people who came first, including Long Chiyu.
The vast majority of these thirty-six individuals were renowned young talents in their respective regions, while a few were previously unknown. It was later learned that they were actually the unique successors of certain reclusive masters and mysterious immortal sects.
It's worth mentioning that Ao Yu was also among these thirty-six people. He may not be as talented as his exceptionally gifted brother, but he was definitely a genius in his own right. Of course, his enemy, the Little Saint Son, was also among them.
As for those who were stuck outside the threshold and unable to climb the mountain, although they were indignant, they were helpless because of their inferior skills.
Might makes right, that's the hardest truth, and even resistance lost its edge. So those who were blocked at the door had no choice but to start currying favor with the thirty-six people, hoping to place their bets on them.
Their goal was certainly not to expect the winner to share the secret of the Heavenly Awakening Spiritual Light, but rather to become familiar with the contestants and establish a good relationship with the future instigators of the Five Continents.
You Su and Ji Xueruo were the two least noticed among the thirty-six people. Although You Su was somewhat famous, the two of them were only at the Water Condensing Lower Realm, and their performance in passing the test was also a hard-fought victory. No one believed that they would become the final winners.
You Su was delighted with this, and only a few fellow disciples from the Xuanxiao Sect came to greet him. It was from them that he learned that Zi Xun and Si Han were under house arrest on the mountaintop.
Judging from this incident, the Xuanxiao Sect suffered the most. The people of the Xuanxiao Sect were naturally extremely indignant, but they could not stand against the people of the entire island. So-called justice and morality had become a luxury here.
Therefore, the members of the Xuanxiao Sect had no choice but to suppress their anger and resolve to protect the fortuitous opportunity that belonged to their sect. They accounted for eight of the thirty-six members, the most of any force, which boosted their confidence and made them even more united.
These eight people were led by Fu Heng and Duanmu Jin. You Su had already heard of them. The former was a genius in talismanic arts, and the latter was a genius in swordsmanship. Both of them were at the peak of the Water Condensation Perfection Realm.
Ji Xueruo could no longer remain inseparable from You Su, so she joined the Demon Race's ranks. Although she and You Su were at the same cultivation level, their positions within their respective factions differed.
The Demon Race places great emphasis on bloodline theory, and their standard for judging the nobility of bloodlines is the sacred mountain. A race that can live on the Star Zhao Divine Mountain is considered noble and powerful. Of the five Demon Race Demon Cultivator, only Ji Xueruo is a Demon Race from the foot of the sacred mountain.
Clearly, she wasn't highly regarded, and some of the demons who were turned away felt that she had usurped their place. Although she had already made a name for herself among the Demon Race, her bloodline and cultivation level meant that she wouldn't be expected to achieve much.
This is why Ji Xueruo so desperately wanted to bring the snake clan back to the sacred mountain. In the Demon Race, the gap between strong and weak groups is much more severe than in the human race.
After a period of rest and recuperation, these thirty-six cultivators are now fully prepared for battle.
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, making the once vibrant fairy island appear somewhat gloomy. For some reason, everyone felt a sense of oppression, and an inexplicable urge to escape this fairy island arose within them.
Long Chiyu also announced the rules for competing for the qualification to harvest the Three Yuan Purple Gold, which is a free-for-all among individuals.
As the name suggests, thirty-six people will rush together to the altar where the Three Yuan Purple Gold is located. Whoever can seize the Three Yuan Purple Gold first will be the champion, and the rest of the people will be unable to make a move.
This may seem to contradict the original intention of the strongest winning, but it has gained the approval of most people.
Because if the traditional method of drawing lots to determine two opponents to advance to the next round and continue the hard-fought battle is used, it would be too inefficient and difficult to guarantee fairness.
Some people will encounter weaker opponents and won't need to rest at all, while others will fight until they are exhausted before a winner is decided, but then they will be too weak to continue. Some people are clearly very strong, but they just happen to encounter someone whose Cultivation Method is incompatible with theirs and are thus stopped. Such problems are quite amusing. If we want to balance the state of these people, we will probably have to stay on this immortal island for ten days to half a month before a champion can be determined.
Delay meant unforeseen changes. The Fire Armadillo had scattered to who-knows-where, and there were rumors of something strange on the beach. Even the untimely rain made this group want to decide the outcome as soon as possible.
Furthermore, since there is no credible third party to act as a judge here, there will always be people who disagree with the outcome and cause unrest.
Therefore, after discussion, the group finally decided on this plan: a massive melee involving thirty-six people.
Melee combat is on a completely different level of complexity compared to one-on-one battles, but it also tests a person's comprehensive abilities much more.
Everyone will be determined in this competition, and the winner will be someone who stands out from among these thirty-six people!
As the most crucial figure, Zi Xun made the final decision and agreed to the plan. However, at Si Han's behest, she also announced that the battle would begin in a mere quarter of an hour. Moreover, during the waiting period, everyone must remain silent, then return to their original positions and proceed towards the altar from thirty-six different directions.
The purpose is to ensure that everyone is fighting independently and to avoid behaviors that undermine fairness, such as forming cliques.
Many people raised objections, but Si Han and Zi Xun were adamant. The rule was very reasonable, and in the end, those people had no choice but to accept it.
Si Han made this decision after careful consideration. On the surface, it was a big battle among thirty-six people, but in reality, it was initially a struggle between various forces.
Having faced numerous perilous situations and heard many cold taunts from her enemies, she vaguely discerned something peculiar about them. It seemed that even before arriving on the island, these people had already regarded the Xuanxiao Sect as a common enemy.
These days, she and her senior sister have been under so much pressure. Their status as disciples of the Xuanxiao Sect has not become a protective shield for them. On the contrary, it seems to be the reason why these people can be so ruthless as to take action.
Si Han also realized the reason: the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. As the largest and most profound sect in the entire Five Continents, Xuanxiao Sect is absolutely in a class of its own in terms of overall strength. It seems only natural that it has become a public enemy.
Therefore, Si Han would never give these people the opportunity to plot. Disrupting things in this way would actually make her fellow disciples safer.
She believed in the individual abilities of her fellow disciples, especially... that young man.
Everyone was eager to try in their own positions. Some exchanged glances and nodded slightly, seemingly understanding each other; others closed their eyes to rest, focusing solely on themselves...
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and this bloody melee ensued.
It's about to explode!