Hundred Sects Battle

The morning mist had yet to disperse from the main peak plaza of Xuan Yuan Sect.

Qin Yuan and the other four stood in the center of the plaza. Behind them was a dark mass of sect disciples, while before them stood Sect Master Lu Xuanfeng and the elders of every peak, solemnly lined up atop the high platform.

Today was the day the Hundred Sects Battle began.

"Everything that needed saying has been said over these past few days." Lu Xuanfeng's gaze swept across the five of them, his tone grave. "Within the battlefield, life and death are left to fate. Everything you do will be seen by us outside. But remember—staying alive is what matters most."

Battle intent burned in Chu Wuyue's white pupils. "Rest assured, Sect Master. We will not disgrace our mission."

Yun Qingyao said softly, "This disciple will keep it in mind."

Han Bing and Ye Guying silently nodded.

Qin Yuan's expression remained calm, as though he were merely heading off to an ordinary trial.

As Lu Xuanfeng watched them, a trace of gratification flashed through his eyes, along with a trace of worry. He turned to the disciples below the platform and declared in a ringing voice, "The Hundred Sects Battle is Qingzhou's grand event of the century. Though our Xuan Yuan Sect is weak, this generation has these five!"

His voice spread across the plaza, stirring wave after wave of cheers.

"Senior Brother Qin! Senior Brother Chu! Senior Sister Yun!"

"Raise the name of Xuan Yuan Sect!"

"Return in triumph!"

The cries surged like a tidal wave.

Among the crowd, Zhou Ming and Zhao Tiezhu clenched their fists, their eyes slightly red. They knew that once they left, it might be a final farewell.

Lu Xuanfeng raised a hand, suppressing the clamor. "The Hundred Sects Battlefield is an independent secret realm left behind from ancient times. You will be randomly teleported to different locations. Before sunset, you must find a 'safe zone.' Otherwise... you will face the 'purge' of the night."

He paused, then added, "Each sect sends a different number of people. Powerful sects such as Vajra Sect and Spirit Sword Sect may send twenty. As for our Xuan Yuan Sect... five are enough."

The meaning behind his words was blunt—if one was weak, sending more people would only mean sending more to their deaths.

The five fell silent.

"The time has come." Lu Xuanfeng looked up at the sky.

The morning sun had risen to the center of the sky, its light spilling over the formation diagram in the middle of the plaza. The diagram spanned thirty meters in diameter and was carved with intricate spatial runes, which were gradually lighting up.

Lu Xuanfeng formed seals with both hands, pouring vast Spiritual Energy into the formation diagram.

"Open!"

BOOM—!!!

The formation diagram erupted with a blinding white light. A massive pillar of light shot into the heavens, tearing apart the clouds!

At the heart of the pillar, space twisted and formed a spinning vortex.

A terrifying suction force burst forth from within!

"Enter!" Lu Xuanfeng shouted.

Qin Yuan and the other four leaped into the vortex at once.

Everyone in the plaza held their breath as they watched their figures vanish into the pillar of light.

Lu Xuanfeng gazed at the sky and murmured, "Come back alive..."

The instant he passed through the vortex, Qin Yuan felt as though he had been thrown into a tumbling drum, the world spinning around him.

He had no idea how long passed before his feet finally touched solid ground.

He opened his eyes.

Before him stretched a boundless expanse of yellow earth.

The sky was dark red, like congealed blood. There were no clouds, no birds—only several black fissures cutting across the heavens. The earth was cracked and scorched yellow, without a blade of grass in sight. As far as the eye could see, there were only scattered bones and broken weapons planted in the soil.

The air was thick with a pungent smell of sulfur, mingled with a faint scent of blood.

Qin Yuan took a deep breath, his brows drawing together slightly.

Besides the thin Spiritual Energy in the air, there was another presence mixed within it—cold, strange, and brimming with malice. It seemed alive, slowly seeping into his skin and attempting to corrode his Spiritual Energy.

"Ominous Aura..." Qin Yuan immediately circulated his cultivation art, forming a faint protective glow around his body and shutting that presence out.

He looked up at the sky.

There was neither sun nor moon in the dark-red sky, but judging by instinct, it should be afternoon. At most, two hours remained until sunset.

"I must find a safe zone before sunset." Qin Yuan recalled Lu Xuanfeng's warning.

The "purge" of the night—he did not know what it was, but it was certainly nothing simple.

His Spiritual Sense spread out, extending ten kilometers in every direction.

Within that range, there was only deathly silence. No living creatures, no buildings—nothing but yellow earth and bones.

He chose a direction and began moving forward.

After walking for roughly half an hour, something changed ahead.

From behind a raised earthen slope came deep, guttural snarls.

Qin Yuan did not slow down as he climbed over the slope.

Below, three demon beasts resembling enormous wolves were tearing apart a corpse. The corpse wore cultivator robes, and a huge hole had been ripped through its chest. It had clearly died only moments ago.

Sensing Qin Yuan's aura, the three demon beasts lifted their heads at the same time.

Their eyes were blood-red, viscous saliva dripped from their jaws, and black scales covered their bodies. Their auras had astonishingly reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage!

Three Nascent Soul Realm demon beasts!

In the region where Xuan Yuan Sect was located, a single Nascent Soul Realm demon beast would be enough to reign as a local overlord, requiring several elders to join forces before it could be suppressed. Yet here, three had appeared as casually as that!

The demon beasts let out low growls, abandoning the corpse as they pounced toward Qin Yuan.

They were incredibly fast, turning into three streaks of black light and reaching him in the blink of an eye!

Qin Yuan did not move.

Only when the foremost beast's claw was about to smash into his face did he raise his right hand, extend one finger, and tap lightly.

"Bang."

His fingertip touched the demon beast's forehead.

Its forward charge stopped abruptly, then its entire head exploded! Its headless body crumpled to the ground.

Seeing this, the other two demon beasts showed a flash of fear in their eyes. Yet their ferocity only grew as they lunged from the left and right!

Qin Yuan struck out with both hands. As though plucking flowers and leaves, he pressed a palm against each beast's chest.

Puff! Puff!

Two muffled impacts rang out. Both demon beasts' chests caved in simultaneously, their organs shattered as they collapsed and died.

From the first strike to the end, only three breaths had passed.

Three Nascent Soul Realm demon beasts—all wiped out.

Qin Yuan walked over to the cultivator's corpse and crouched to inspect it.

The corpse wore purple robes embroidered with a crescent moon upon the chest—it was a disciple of Moonlight Sect. Moonlight Sect ranked in the middle among the hundred sects and was far stronger than Xuan Yuan Sect.

This disciple had also been at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, yet had died beneath the combined assault of three demon beasts.

"The battlefield... truly is cruel." Qin Yuan rose and continued onward.

After another half hour of walking, the sounds of battle and an angry woman's shout came from ahead.

Qin Yuan extended his Spiritual Sense, and his brows lifted slightly.

Ten kilometers away, in a dry riverbed, four figures were engaged in fierce combat.

Three cultivators in golden robes were besieging a woman in purple.

That woman was Zi Ling of Zi Xiao Sect.

She was in a sorry state. Her left shoulder bore a wound deep enough to expose bone, blood staining half her robes red. She wielded a dagger in her right hand, purple light flashing around it, but the combined technique of the three attackers suppressed her relentlessly.

The three golden-robed cultivators—two men and one woman—were all at the peak of the Nascent Soul Early Stage. They worked together seamlessly: one led the assault while the other two supported him, sealing off every route of escape for Zi Ling.

"Fairy Zi Ling, why struggle?" The lead attacker was a sinister-looking young man holding a golden longsword. His sword light was sharp and fierce. "Hand over the Zi Xiao Token obediently, and we can grant you a quick death."

Zi Ling gritted her teeth. "People of Golden Sword Sect... shameless!"

"Shameless?" The other woman sneered. "On the battlefield, there is only life and death. Where is this talk of shamelessness? If you must blame someone, blame your bad luck for being alone when we found you."

The third was a short, stout man wielding a pair of bronze hammers. He said in a muffled voice, "Big Brother, stop wasting words on her. Take her down, and the Zi Xiao Token will be ours. Then we can trade it for plenty of resources in the safe zone!"

The three pressed their assault even harder.

Zi Ling struggled to fend them off, danger closing in from every side. She excelled at assassination to begin with and was not adept at direct confrontation. Surrounded by the three of them, she gradually began to falter.

Puff!

The golden longsword opened another wound across her right arm, and her dagger nearly flew from her hand.

"It's over." A vicious glint flashed through the sinister youth's eyes as his longsword thrust straight toward Zi Ling's heart!

Just as the sword tip was about to touch Zi Ling—

A hand appeared from thin air before the blade.

The hand was pale and slender, looking utterly ordinary.