Hu Liena, Qian Renxue Meet Again!

This scene unfolded in its entirety before the eyes of everyone on the Douluo Continent.

At Shrek Academy's training ground.

Yu Xiaogang looked at Xiang Zhili on the screen, a scornful sneer curling across his lips.

"See? I told you so."

"This old man is nothing but a con artist who knows how to talk."

"At a time like this, he was still using vague, mystifying words to hide his guilty conscience."

Dai Mubai nodded in complete agreement.

"The Master is right."

"Elder Hongfu and that Elder Li Huayuan were both there just now. They're Core Formation experts."

"If this old man really were some hidden powerhouse, could he have escaped the notice of two Core Formation elders?"

"Neither elder even gave him a glance. That proves the energy fluctuations in his body really are only as weak as those of the Qi Refining stage."

Tang San looked at Xiang Zhili's solitary figure sitting in the corner, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.

"In a cruel place like the cultivation world, those without strength who still like to put on airs die the fastest."

"That old man was lucky to fool Qian Renxue with talismans before."

"Once he enters the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land and encounters the true geniuses of the great sects, his little tricks won't keep him alive for even the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

Within Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu had also completely dismissed their doubts about Xiang Zhili.

In their eyes, he was merely a lowly independent cultivator mocked by the entire sect and ignored even by Core Formation elders.

He was simply not worth their attention.

All their focus was now on the impending Blood-Colored Forbidden Land.

On the screen, Qian Renxue stood not far away, her gaze lingering on Xiang Zhili for a moment.

Although everyone around her was mocking the old man, her instincts told her that his words seemed to conceal some indescribable deeper meaning.

But now was not the time to investigate such matters.

The flying vessel let out an earth-shaking roar.

Its enormous hull pierced through the thick fog of the Great Yue Mountain Range, transforming into a streak of light as it shot toward the border of the Yue Kingdom.

At the prow, Elder Hongfu and Elder Li Huayuan stood side by side.

The two watched the roiling sea of clouds ahead, their expressions exceptionally grave.

"Three years."

Li Huayuan let out a sigh.

"The three slots in the Azure Origin Sword Sect... who knows how much bloodshed they will stir up."

Hongfu said nothing, merely tightening her grip on the whisk in her hand.

The Blood-Colored Forbidden Land lay ahead.

The flying vessel traveled through the sea of clouds for two full days and nights.

At last, a stretch of barren mountains appeared on the horizon ahead.

This was the border of Jian Province in the Yue Kingdom, and also the most desolate region in the entire Yue Kingdom.

There were no birds or beasts, and even the vegetation had taken on a sickly, withered yellow hue.

The only thing that shrouded this place year-round was an icy, gloomy fog that never dispersed.

Accompanied by a low rumble.

The flying vessel slowly descended onto the summit of a bare, desolate mountain.

Several thousand cultivators had already gathered atop the mountain.

Their colorful robes represented the other major cultivation sects of the Yue Kingdom.

Qian Renxue stood on the deck, her gaze calmly sweeping across the crowd below.

She could clearly sense that none of the spiritual pressure emanating from these peers was below the tenth level of the Qi Refining stage.

There were even over a hundred whose auras were deep and enduring, having clearly reached the great completion of the Qi Refining stage.

These people were all elites painstakingly selected from their respective sects.

For the sake of those three opportunities to rise to the heavens in a single step, the killing intent in their eyes was undisguised.

Suddenly, a melodious immortal melody drifted over from the far end of the sky.

Immediately afterward, the clouds filling the heavens were violently torn apart by an immense invisible force.

A colossal jade vessel radiating seven-colored auspicious light from its entire body slowly emerged from the rift like a moving immortal palace.

This jade vessel was several times larger than all the flying vessels of the Yue Kingdom's seven great sects combined.

Ahead of the jade vessel, a massive brocade banner embroidered with cloud patterns fluttered in the wind.

"That is... the emblem of the Falling Cloud Sect!"

Among the crowd below, some well-informed senior cultivators cried out in alarm.

Elder Hongfu and Elder Li Huayuan exchanged a glance, their expressions turning somewhat grim.

"Who would have thought that even a sect from Stream Kingdom, tens of thousands of miles away, would come meddle in this?"

Li Huayuan snorted coldly and clenched his fists.

Yet he could only grumble verbally and did not dare step forward to stop them.

The Falling Cloud Sect was a colossal force with two Nascent Soul ancestors, its foundation far surpassing that of Yellow Maple Valley.

What was more, this time the decree had come down from the Azure Origin Sword Sect. Every sect in the Southern Heaven Region was qualified to participate.

The seven-colored jade vessel slowly came to a halt above the barren mountain.

A gentle voice carrying vast pressure emerged from within the jade vessel.

"Song Yu of the Falling Cloud Sect has brought her disciples here by order to gain experience. Fellow Daoists of Yue Kingdom, please forgive the intrusion."

As her words fell, the formation's light screen around the jade vessel slowly parted to either side.

Song Yu wore elegant, unadorned palace robes and stood upon a white cloud.

Leading more than a hundred elite disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect, she slowly descended onto the mountaintop.

At Song Yu's side followed a golden-haired girl in moon-white robes.

The instant the girl appeared, an eerie silence fell over the summit of the barren mountain.

It was as though every sound had been drained away by some invisible magic.

Countless gazes converged uncontrollably upon the girl.

She had neat, short golden hair and features so gorgeous they defied description.

Her Innate Seductive Bones, combined with the ethereal aura she had gained after her body had been cleansed and remade, gave her a fatal allure that made anyone who looked at her unable to resist falling under her spell.

Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall.

Xie Yue looked at his sister, who was shining brilliantly within the light screen, and trembled with excitement.

"It's her!"

"She came too!"

Bibi Dong looked at Hu Liena's current state, her eyes filled with gratification.

Not only had Hu Liena reached the great perfection of the Qi Refining stage, but her Innate Seductive Bones physique, bolstered by cultivation techniques from the world of immortals, had already transformed to a terrifying level.

Even the male disciples of Yue Kingdom's seven great sects, despite their strong composure, now had somewhat dazed looks in their eyes as they watched Hu Liena.

"Vixen."

Within Yellow Maple Valley's ranks, several female disciples muttered curses under their breath, their voices dripping with jealousy.

But under the cruel laws of this cultivation world, charm capable of making others lose themselves was the most terrifying killing weapon.

Qian Renxue stood at the back of Yellow Maple Valley's crowd.

The moment she saw the girl in moon-white robes, her body jolted.

Hu Liena.

The Holy Maiden who had always been regarded as her rival in Spirit Hall.

She had actually come here too.

Qian Renxue's gaze passed through the crowd and settled on Hu Liena.

At that moment, it was as if Hu Liena had sensed an aura from the same source.

Hu Liena, who had been lowering her head as she followed behind Elder Song Yu, suddenly looked up.

Her gaze crossed the sea of people and met Qian Renxue's eyes with unerring precision.

Their eyes met.

Separated by several hundred zhang and standing in two different camps, they gazed at one another from afar.

In an instant, an undisguisable flash of shock passed through Hu Liena's moist eyes.

Qian Renxue's peerless face and that distinctive long golden hair were simply far too recognizable in this cultivation world.

"Young Mistress..."

Hu Liena silently repeated those two words in her heart.

She had never imagined that the lofty young mistress of Spirit Hall would also become an explorer of the Heavenly Screen.

And judging by the clothes she wore, she had clearly joined Yellow Maple Valley of the Yue Kingdom.

Qian Renxue's gaze remained as calm as still water.

She looked at Hu Liena without nodding or making any gesture of greeting.

In this place, fraught with danger at every turn, any action that revealed their relationship could invite unnecessary trouble.

Hu Liena was a clever woman and instantly understood what Qian Renxue meant.

She quickly withdrew her gaze, pretending nothing had happened as she obediently followed at Song Yu's side.

Yet the fighting spirit in both their hearts was thoroughly ignited at that moment.

On Douluo Continent, one was the Pope's personal disciple, while the other was the young mistress of the Elders Hall.

Though both belonged to Spirit Hall, they had always secretly competed against each other.

Now that the Azure Origin Sword Sect had offered only three spots.

For these three opportunities to rise to the heavens in a single step, a battle between them had become unavoidable.

Outside the light screen, everyone from Douluo Continent watched the two supreme geniuses stare each other down from afar, their hearts tightening.

Within the Papal Hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Qian Daoliu closed his eyes, his hands clasped behind his back.

"This is fate."

"The Southern Heaven Region is so vast, yet they had to meet in the same trial."

Bibi Dong's face was cold as her fingers lightly tapped against her scepter.

"Survival of the fittest."

"Whoever can walk out of that forbidden ground alive and obtain a spot."

"Will be the true favored daughter of heaven."

At the summit of the barren mountain, the atmosphere grew increasingly grave.

The elite disciples of the various sects all eyed their potential opponents.

Amid this tense, drawn-bow atmosphere.

A short, plump old man in a tattered yellow robe squatted at the edge of the crowd, lowering his head to tidy his worn straw sandals.

Xiang Zhili patted the dust from his shoes.

He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Qian Renxue and Hu Liena.

"One bears the light fire of utmost yang and unyielding force."

"The other possesses naturally formed Heavenly Fox Seductive Bones."

Xiang Zhili stroked the few goatee hairs on his chin, a meaningful curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

"Both girls carry karmic laws that do not belong to this realm."

"It seems the waters of this mortal realm are about to be muddied."

His voice was very quiet, and the howling mountain wind scattered it at once.

A young Yellow Maple Valley disciple standing beside him heard the sound and turned his head impatiently.

"Old Xiang, what are you muttering about over there?"

"The forbidden ground formation is about to open. You'd better stay close—don't become demon beasts' food the moment you enter."

Not only did Xiang Zhili not get angry, he instead put on an honest smile.

He nodded repeatedly and cupped his hands toward the young disciple.

"Thank you for the reminder, Nephew. Once this old man enters, I'll certainly find a safe place to hide and gather herbs. I won't cause trouble for the sect."

Seeing Xiang Zhili's utterly hopeless appearance, the young disciple snorted coldly and ignored him.

The sky gradually darkened.

The temperature atop the barren mountain suddenly plummeted, while a dense scent of blood spread from the void ahead.

Elder Hongfu stepped onto the high platform and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Core Formation elders leading the other six sects of the Yue Kingdom.

Together with Elder Song Yu of the Falling Cloud Sect.

Eight great Core Formation cultivators made their move at once.

Eight pillars of light, each a different color and as thick as water vats, shot into the sky.

They violently slammed into the void ahead.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, space seemed to shatter like a mirror.

A bottomless black vortex slowly took shape in midair.

The edges of the vortex flickered with an eerie dark-red glow.

Like a primordial beast with its bloody maw wide open, waiting to devour these young lives.

"The Blood-Colored Forbidden Land has opened!"

"All disciples, enter the formation immediately!"

Following the elders' unified shout, the elite disciples of the major sects turned into streaks of light and charged into the black vortex without hesitation.

Qian Renxue clenched her fist within her sleeve.

She looked up at Hu Liena in the distance.

At that moment, Hu Liena happened to turn around and glance at her as well.

Neither of them exchanged a word.

The next instant, they both transformed into escaping lights and vanished into that eerie blood-red passage.

A dizzying sensation of the world spinning around her swept over her.

This kind of teleportation through a spatial formation left one lightheaded, as though their organs were churning.

Qian Renxue shut her eyes tightly and forced down the discomfort in her stomach.

When she felt solid ground beneath her feet again, an overpowering stench of rot instantly rushed into her nostrils.

She immediately opened her eyes and pushed the spiritual energy within her to its limit.

All around her was a gray, hazy world.

The sky was shrouded beneath a thick layer of dark-red gloom. The sun was nowhere to be seen, leaving only an oppressive dimness.

Beneath her feet were puddles emitting poisonous fumes and pitch-black mud, while strange black shrubs grew everywhere around her.

Qian Renxue had just been about to inspect her surroundings.

When the muddy water in a black swamp to her right suddenly exploded.

A gigantic python as thick as a water barrel, covered in black scales, opened its fang-filled bloody maw and shot toward her neck like an afterimage.

A demonic beast!

The demonic beasts in this forbidden land had long been nourished by blood qi and were far more vicious and savage than demonic beasts of the same rank outside.

Faced with this sudden attack, Qian Renxue did not panic in the slightest.

She did not shout out the name of a soul skill as she had in Douluo Continent.

Over the past three years, she had long understood that in the world of cultivators, opening one's mouth meant leaving an opening for the enemy.

She lightly tapped the edge of a puddle with her toes, her body gliding backward several yards like a flying swallow.

At the same time, she curled her right hand in the air.

A golden longsword, formed entirely from pure spiritual energy, instantly appeared in her palm.

This sword had already transformed into a solid entity of pure yang spiritual energy converted through her cultivation technique, carrying terrifying heat.

With a flick of her wrist, Qian Renxue sent a dazzling golden sword qi slicing through the dim air.

"Sshk!"

The sword qi cut into the giant python's open mouth with perfect precision, as easily as slicing through tofu.

Golden flames erupted from within the python's body, instantly burning its internal organs to ash.

The massive serpent body crashed heavily into the mud. After struggling twice, it lost all signs of life.

Qian Renxue had barely let out a breath of relief.

When every hair on her back suddenly stood on end.

A deadly sense of danger, like being watched by a venomous snake, came from the dense black thicket on her left.

Almost on instinct born from long years of battle, Qian Renxue lunged to the right and rolled across the muddy ground.

"Clink! Clink! Clink!"

Three poison needles gleaming with a ghostly blue light grazed past her shoulder and deeply embedded themselves in a section of deadwood where she had just been standing.

The deadwood visibly blackened and rotted away, releasing wisps of white smoke.

"Oh? Your reactions are rather quick."

Accompanied by a cold, surprised murmur, a sinister-looking young man dressed in Yellow Maple Valley robes emerged from the shadows of the thicket.

He toyed with a cylindrical magical artifact in his hand, his greedy gaze sweeping over Qian Renxue's graceful figure, still alluring despite being splattered with mud.

"A fellow disciple?"

Qian Renxue rose to her feet and looked at him coldly.

The sinister youth could not help but sneer at her words.

"Junior Sister, is this your first day cultivating?"

"In the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, everyone except yourself is prey."

"Who cares whether you're fellow disciples or not?"