Entering the Ancient Castle
Under the night sky, the ink was as black as if it had been washed.
The Floating Continent is far from the earth, floating in mid-air, very close to the starry sky.
Standing on it, the crowd had the illusion that they could reach out and pluck the stars from the sky.
But no one cares about the stars now; everyone is staring at the Ancient Castle.
The Wooden Man's words cheered everyone up.
They originally thought they would be no less formidable when competing on the same stage as the founder, but now it seems they can also bully the weak.
Li Jiusheng overheard someone whispering beside him, "I used to practice Secret technique, and within the Grandmaster Realm, I was invincible. But after breaking through to the Great Grandmaster, I gradually became mediocre, and the Secret technique's follow-up disappeared. I couldn't continue it, which is why I couldn't improve myself. If I could participate in the Grandmaster Realm arena, with the power of the Secret technique, I would definitely be able to win a place and obtain a portion of Pure Yang Energy."
"That's right, that's what I thought too. Within the Great Grandmaster Realm, I painstakingly cultivated Martial Dao and tempered my physical body for decades, thus missing the best opportunity to break through to the Venerable realm. I thought it was a mistake in the past, but I never expected it to come in handy today." A Venerable was beaming with joy, his past experiences giving him hope for the possibility of obtaining Pure Yang Energy.
"You all pin your hopes on the Grandmaster Realm and Great Grandmaster Realm, but little do you know that others think the same way. I even suspect that some patriarchs might be affected." Some people are pessimistic, believing that even if they wanted to lower their realm, it would be difficult to obtain Pure Yang Energy.
Li Jiusheng strongly agreed with this person's viewpoint: in a contest between the Grandmaster Realm and Great Grandmaster Realm, a Patriarch must inevitably be involved.
There's no other reason than that there were definitely more than ten patriarchs present. How should those patriarchs who were beyond those ten conduct themselves?
They had no choice but to condescend and come to the arena of the Grandmaster Realm, Great Grandmaster Realm, and Venerable Realm.
This puts even more pressure on those who pin their hopes on lower-level arenas.
"However, since the patriarch has lowered his cultivation level and come to the Grandmaster Arena, can they defeat me?" Li Jiusheng's lips curled up, and boundless confidence arose in his heart.
Within the same realm, he never feared anyone.
Even the founders.
"The Patriarch has only taken a step ahead in terms of realm. As fellow Grandmasters, Great Grandmaster, or Venerables, I will forge ahead without hesitation." This was not arrogance on Li Jiusheng's part, but rather his absolute confidence.
"Junior brother, which arena do you want to participate in?" Li Jiusheng asked.
After a moment's thought, Li Qingshan said in a deep voice, "I will go to all four arenas."
Li Jiusheng chuckled to himself, thinking, "This is the kind of decision a normal person would make."
If all four arenas are opened up, the amount of Pure Yang Energy obtained will be much greater than if only one arena is opened up.
Moreover, opening up all four arenas would greatly help in the final battle for the Pure Yang Energy River.
The Jin Family Ancestor nodded. "I'll also go to all four arenas."
Jin Jiuling did some calculations and said, "I'll participate in the Grandmaster Arena and the Great Grandmaster Arena."
Although he was a Venerable One, he was only at the Third Heaven, and his combat strength was far inferior to those of the older Venerable Ones.
They are far inferior to Li Jiusheng, a peerless powerhouse who could directly confront a patriarch even within the Venerable Realm.
Therefore, he could only focus his attention on the Grandmaster and Great Grandmaster Arena.
At this moment, everyone was calculating in their hearts which arena they could obtain a portion of Pure Yang Energy from.
In the distance, the small Ancient Castle trembled, and its long-sealed gates slowly opened.
The Wooden Man stretched out its hand above the Ancient Castle, inviting everyone in. "Please come in, everyone."
Rumble!
A large open space was revealed inside the Ancient Castle, and the remaining houses and buildings were moved back, like building blocks, creating a whole arena area.
Within the arena grounds, four arenas were generated, each corresponding to one of the four realms.
The group exchanged bewildered glances. Some wondered, with the Ancient Castle gates open, could they possibly enter?
Could this be a trap set by the Wooden Man?
Some people didn't care at all, got up on the spot, and walked directly towards the Ancient Castle.
Then, in front of everyone, he entered the Ancient Castle and went to the arena.
Nothing happened.
"Let's go in too," Li Jiusheng said to the Jin Family Ancestor.
The Jin Family Ancestor nodded, and the four of them left the stage.
Not only them, but everyone else also made their way towards the Ancient Castle, with the patriarch being the fastest to move.
The Wooden Man is very strong; it hasn't reached its limit at all.
With a single sword strike, he could slay the patriarch; if he wanted to attack anyone present, none of them would escape.
Many of the patriarchs had long accepted this fact, so they entered the Ancient Castle without any psychological burden.
Li Jiusheng also entered the Ancient Castle. As he stepped inside, he sensed something and looked up. In his eyes, the Ancient Castle and the land around it were filled with strange fluctuations.
"These are all Formation, with the patterns of the Great Dao Array Patterns intertwined, winding around like silk threads. Even a piece of land is part of the Formation." Li Jiusheng carefully comprehended and came to an astonishing conclusion: the entire ancient Ancient Castle appears to be made of stone and wood to the naked eye, but upon closer examination, it is actually the embodiment of the Dao, a Formation manifestation of the interwoven formations.
Li Qingshan also noticed that although Li Jiusheng was not as insightful as the patriarch, his understanding and sensitivity to the Dao Rhyme were in no way inferior.
"No wonder the Wooden Man is so powerful and unfathomable. It turns out it controls the operation of the entire Ancient Castle. The Ancient Castle is an inexhaustible source of energy for it. Standing here, even Strong Grandmaster might not be able to defeat it," Li Qingshan murmured, his face very serious.
Strong Grandmaster refers to someone who has cultivated their skills for many years within the Ancestor Realm, surpassing ordinary realms and becoming incomparably powerful, but has not yet broken through to the next realm.
These kinds of masters can easily manipulate Rebirth masters.
Just like Wooden Man holding the Insect Race Grandmaster.
Previously, some people speculated that the Wooden Man stood at the Ancestor Realm, while others said it surpassed the Strong Grandmaster, and no one could convince the other.
After all, it was just Puppet made according to Luban Technique, and no one knew where its limits lay.
One by one, everyone entered the Ancient Castle, and the area around the four arenas was packed with people.
Everyone was waiting for the Wooden Man to start the arena.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the Ancient Castle gates slammed shut.
Then, the Formation above the Ancient Castle flowed, Dao patterns emerged, Spiritual Qi surged, and Pure Yang Energy overflowed, transforming into pure energy that poured into the Dao patterns of the Ancient Castle.
This change startled many people, who all looked up at the Wooden Man above the Ancient Castle.
"The arena is about to begin, please prepare yourselves." The Wooden Man spoke calmly without offering any explanation.
"Wait a moment, I have another question." At this moment, one of the patriarchs spoke up.
The entire audience calmed down and looked at the patriarch.
Li Jiusheng also looked at him. He was an old man with white hair, which was neatly combed and braided into three braids at the back of his head. His beard was also braided into a braid. His face was indifferent, and he completely ignored the people around him, staring at the Wooden Man above the Ancient Castle.
"Speak!" The Wooden Man's tone remained unchanged, simple and clear.
"If rankings are based on actual combat, I've just finished a battle. If someone challenges me, should I immediately accept? If this happens multiple times, wouldn't those who fought earlier be at a disadvantage?" the white-haired patriarch questioned.
Upon hearing this, many people nodded in agreement.
This is indeed a problem.
The Wooden Man, "Your concerns are quite reasonable. Naturally, I won't be so casual. I will use Pure Yang Energy to imprint the traces of your battle and simulate your own power to the greatest extent possible."
"Anyone who comes later and wishes to challenge you must first defeat the illusory image of the imprint before they can challenge you directly," the Wooden Man added.