"Our Soul Beasts face a heavenly tribulation once we reach a hundred thousand years of cultivation. If we can't withstand it, we die."
"Even we can't live forever. What makes people in that world think they can?"
Da Ming looked at Er Ming, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"Perhaps there really are worlds beyond our own."
"If there are beasts in the Renegade Immortal World, I wonder how strong they are compared with our Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Which side would be stronger?"
Hearing Da Ming's question, Er Ming gave a disdainful snort and patted his solid chest.
"Big Brother, who cares what kind of Renegade Immortal World it is!"
"If they dare come here, I'll smash them into meat paste with one punch!"
"The rules of the Star Dou Great Forest were forged through strength."
Da Ming said nothing more. He simply gazed quietly at the Sky Screen.
Yet deep down, he had a feeling that the peace of this world would soon be shattered.
While the various forces across Douluo Continent were speculating and debating,
the quarter-hour countdown finally ran out.
Immediately afterward, that grand voice rang out in everyone's mind right on time.
[Countdown complete!] [Randomly selecting explorers for this expedition to the Renegade Immortal World!]
The light on the Sky Screen began to flicker violently, countless scenes flashing past like flowing water.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the sky without blinking.
Whoosh!
Soon, the first image came to a stop.
A young man with a dark complexion appeared in the image, a hoe in his hand.
He wore rough hemp clothes and stood in a field, staring at the sky in bewilderment. Beside him, an old yellow ox was grazing.
[Explorer One: Commoner of the Heaven Dou Empire, Li Tie, no Soul Power.]
Seeing this, countless Soul Masters couldn't help but sigh.
Such a precious spot had gone to an ordinary commoner who didn't even possess Soul Power.
The second image froze right afterward.
This time, a young man in a Spirit Hall uniform appeared. A large character for "soul" was engraved on the badge on his chest. He was fairly handsome, with a hint of arrogance between his brows.
[Explorer Two: Spirit Hall deacon, Su Yuntao, Level 26 Soul Grandmaster.]
As soon as the image appeared, many people in Spirit Hall recognized him.
"It's that kid Su Yuntao! He's really lucky."
At Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang saw this and once again wore a smug smile.
"See? I told you I was right."
"There's no logic to this selection at all. Even a Soul Grandmaster could be chosen."
"If this were a true trial of opportunity, how could it not select those geniuses?" Yu Xiaogang lectured Tang San and the others.
Meanwhile, the third image on the Sky Screen soon came to a stop as well.
To everyone's surprise, the figure in the image this time wasn't human.
It showed a dark, damp forest. A huge spider, over three meters long and black all over, clung to an enormous web.
The white markings on its abdomen formed what looked like a hideous human face.
[Explorer Three: Outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider.]
Seeing that even Soul Beasts could be selected, the entire continent erupted into an uproar.
The selection really did cover every living creature.
[Selection complete. Beginning transmission!] [Live broadcasts commencing simultaneously!]
As the voice fell, three dazzling beams of light descended from the Sky Screen, landing on Li Tie, Su Yuntao, and the Man Faced Demon Spider.
The next second, the beams vanished, and the three explorers disappeared from Douluo Continent.
The enormous screen in the sky split into three, becoming three separate live feeds.
Everyone across Douluo Continent looked up at the Sky Screen, eager to see what this supposedly miraculous "Renegade Immortal World" was really like.
Soon, the images gradually brightened, and the three of them appeared in completely different places.
But two of the three screens suddenly blurred, as if some force had obscured them.
Only the screen on the far left gradually lit up with a clear image.
The people of Douluo Continent focused their attention on this one screen.
In the image, the commoner Li Tie gripped his hoe tightly, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He had been transported into a primeval forest where ancient trees towered into the sky.
The trees here were absurdly tall. Every one of them stood dozens of meters high, and moss covered their thick trunks.
A rich, refreshing fragrance filled the air. After taking just a few deep breaths, Li Tie felt the exhaustion from a whole morning of farmwork vanish, and it seemed as though his body was brimming with endless strength.
"Th-this is an immortal's paradise?"
Li Tie swallowed, and his nervousness eased a little.
Summoning his courage, he took two steps forward and scanned his surroundings. Soon, his gaze was drawn to a plant in the grass ahead.
It looked like a morning glory, but its petals gave off a faint red glow. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary plant.
Li Tie knew nothing about heavenly treasures, but he knew that if he took this glowing thing back to the Heaven Dou Empire, he could sell it for a handsome price—enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
At the thought, greed gradually replaced the fear in Li Tie's eyes.
He hurried over, crouched down, and reached out with his rough, callused hand, intending to pull the flower up by its roots.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the petals,
a gray shadow suddenly shot out from behind a nearby tree.
It was too fast!
Many Soul Masters on Douluo Continent at the Soul Elder level couldn't even make out what it was.
Li Tie only saw a blur before a sharp pain shot through his chest.
He looked down, staring blankly at his chest.
A fist-sized hole had been torn through it, and blood gushed out like a spring.
Only then did the gray shadow come to a stop on a rock a few meters away.
It was a gray-furred rabbit, no bigger than a wild dog.
But the rabbit's eyes were blood red, and a sharp horn protruded from its forehead, dripping with warm blood.
Li Tie didn't even have time to scream. His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
This was the first drop of blood shed by an explorer in the Renegade Immortal World.
In less than half an incense stick's time, a living person had perished just like that.
With Li Tie's death, his screen instantly turned gray and faded away into the sky.
This scene sent a brief wave of startled cries across Douluo Continent.
Many commoners turned deathly pale, their legs going weak.
They had just been imagining themselves going to that world to seek opportunities. Now, it seemed like nothing less than hell.
In Heaven Dou City, many nobles frowned, finding the scene rather bloody.
But to the high-and-mighty Soul Masters, Li Tie's death didn't attract much attention.
On the training field at Shrek Academy,
Ma Hongjun patted his chest and curled his lip. "I thought it was some powerful monster. Turns out it was just a rabbit with a horn. Li Tie was so unlucky."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai couldn't help but sneer. "Exactly. An ordinary person without even a trace of Soul Power would naturally be doomed when faced with a wild beast like that."
"If it were me, one White Tiger Intense Light Wave would roast that rabbit alive."
Listening to the students' discussion, Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, looking completely at ease. His face wore an expression that said he had expected exactly this.
"Everyone, quiet down."
Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat, and the teachers and students around him turned to look at him.
He raised a finger and pointed at the Sky Screen. "You all saw that just now."
"That so-called Renegade Immortal World isn't anything special."
"And that rabbit was, at most, a low-level Soul Beast of around a hundred years."
"Li Tie was a helpless commoner, so being killed by a wild beast is perfectly reasonable."
At this, Yu Xiaogang gave another cold snort. "The Sky Screen made such a grand spectacle of this, yet the monsters inside are only this strong."
"That proves my theory exactly. This so-called high-dimensional world of immortal cultivation is nothing but an exaggeration!"
Hearing this, Tang San nodded thoughtfully. "Teacher is right."
"That rabbit was fast, but if I activated the Purple Demon Eye in advance and used the Shadowless Needle, I could kill it before it got close."
After hearing these confident claims, the people of Shrek gradually relaxed.
After all, in their eyes, the Renegade Immortal World was just a slightly larger version of the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. There was nothing to fear.
While everyone on Douluo Continent debated among themselves, the Sky Screen changed once again.
With Li Tie's image gone, the screen in the middle, which had been blurred, began to brighten.
The perspective of the second explorer, Spirit Hall deacon and Level 26 Soul Grandmaster Su Yuntao, was now live.
In the image, Su Yuntao stood on a flight of steps paved with blue-gray stone.
The mountain path wound uphill, lined on both sides with lush, towering ancient trees. A thin veil of mist drifted through the mountains, carrying the fresh scent of plants and trees.
This was the area outside the mountain gate of the Hengyue Sect, a cultivation sect in the Zhao State of the Renegade Immortal World.
As soon as Su Yuntao arrived, he couldn't help taking a deep breath.
He discovered that the energy in the air here was far denser than in Spirit City.
After breathing it in, he felt refreshed, and even the Soul Power within his body grew somewhat more active.
"This place really is something. It must be a blessed land."
Su Yuntao straightened his Spirit Hall uniform, the one that marked his status, and smiled confidently.
Though he had been inside the beam of light during the transmission, he had vaguely heard some of the Sky Screen's rules.
He knew that the entire continent was watching him live right now.
This was a golden opportunity to show off!
If he made a good impression, perhaps the Pope herself would receive him when he returned and give him a promotion and a raise.
At the thought, Su Yuntao straightened his back and started up the steps.
Just then, faint footsteps came from above.
Su Yuntao looked up and saw two young men in white robes walking down the steps.
They looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. Both had handsome, clean-cut features, and each carried an ordinary wooden sword on his back.
Su Yuntao sensed them with his Soul Power.
He found that neither young man had even the slightest trace of Soul Power.
"Two ordinary people?"