Han Xuanji immediately realized that someone must have been there just now.
The other party most likely heard the commotion of his battle with the Azure Sky Python and came over, originally planning to wait until he and the Azure Python were both exhausted before taking them both down, but they didn't expect him to kill the Azure Python so quickly.
It is estimated that he only witnessed the final hunting of the green python, and then, fearing being discovered, he quickly fled, thus revealing his presence.
The man concealed his presence well and showed no signs of killing intent.
Of course, if he and the Green Python were to both be severely injured, this person might reveal his murderous intent.
"The other trial participants probably lack confidence in their own abilities."
Han Xuanji made a judgment in his mind: this person's strength should not be as good as his, but his stealth skills are good. In this primeval forest where perception is greatly suppressed, he can conceal his aura to the point that he is almost integrated with the grass and trees.
That makes sense; anyone who can enter this place must be quite capable, even the weakest among ordinary large cities.
Han Xuanji naturally did not give chase. In this dense forest where perception was greatly suppressed, rashly pursuing an enemy skilled in stealth was no different from blindly stepping into a trap.
He even suspected that the other party deliberately left behind this trace of scent to lure him after them.
Who knows what traps are hidden deep in that dense forest, or whether there are other people waiting for him to come to them.
Han Xuanji withdrew his Divine Sense and temporarily put the matter aside.
The Ten Directions Sacred Domain actually encourages trial participants to kill each other; killing a trial participant will grant you all the Ten Directions Sacred Light within them.
This is also a way to quickly collect the Ten Directions Sacred Light.
However, it should also be noted that there is no absolute hatred between the trial participants; they can form alliances to fight together.
The most urgent task right now is to find out what's going on with the sacred tree.
Han Xuanji moved swiftly, leaping onto a towering ancient tree. He turned his gaze back to the majestic divine tree piercing through the clouds in the sky. From this distance, the outline of the divine tree became clearer. The palace complex winding among the branches was solemn and majestic under the pale golden light, making one feel involuntarily insignificant.
"Maybe I can sign in over there? And I can hunt Variant along the way."
Han Xuanji pondered for a moment, then a flash of pale golden light appeared beneath his feet, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the direction of the divine tree.
He planned to approach the sacred tree first, and then see if there were any places along the way where he could sign in.
Years have passed, and the situation inside the Ten Directions Sacred Domain is vastly different from when Leng Qianshuang entered it. Intelligence records are ultimately dead; only seeing it with one's own eyes counts.
If you discover Variant, you can also try hunting it.
The rewards aren't just the loot; you'll also get a significant amount of experience points.
Meanwhile, deep in the dense forest.
A figure flashed past like Startling Swan, its toes silently touching the vines and bushes with incredible speed, yet not even a single leaf was disturbed.
Only after completely leaving the area filled with poisonous fog did Jin Feiyang stop behind an ancient tree that required ten people to encircle it. He pressed his back against the rough trunk and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
His heart was still beating a little fast, and there was a thin layer of cold sweat on his palms.
As a direct descendant of the Jin Household in Seven Stars Prefecture, he has rarely been forced to retreat by anyone's mere aura throughout his cultivation.
But while the Azure Sky Python lurked in the shadows, he also hid in the bushes for a long time, intending to wait for the Azure Sky Python to lower its guard before finding an opportunity to escape and call for his companions to hunt it down.
Unexpectedly, a newcomer entered the Ten Directions Sacred Domain and ran into the Azure Sky Python first. Even more unexpectedly, not only did the newcomer fail to be ambushed, but he also managed to kill the Azure Sky Python head-on despite being at a complete disadvantage under the influence of the poisonous fog.
Are you kidding me?
This was definitely not a match for him, so he turned and left without even thinking.
Those capable of hunting down Variant alone are absolutely not to be trifled with in the Ten Directions Sacred Domain.
Jin Feiyang knew his own limitations very well.
Although he has some fame outside, in the Nine Mysteries Saint Realm where geniuses abound, this fame is not even a stepping stone.
Genius is merely the threshold to becoming a top-tier prodigy, and Jin Feiyang is just someone who has barely crossed that threshold.
With his strength, even if he joined forces with others to kill the weakest Variant, he would have to fight with all his might, and a slight mistake could result in the loss of manpower.
He came seeking fortuitous opportunity, not to die.
Although dying only means temporarily exiting the Nine Mysteries Saint Realm, dying in this situation will result in losing 10,000 points.
He completely concealed his presence, then changed direction and circled around for a long time until he was sure there were no traces of tracking before flying towards a secluded valley at the edge of the forest.
The valley was hidden behind a waterfall, the roar of which completely drowned out all other sounds within.
Passing through the waterfall's curtain of water, one is suddenly confronted with a clearing carved out by human hands, surrounded by several simple yet practical array flags that separate the inside from the outside.
Several monks were sitting around a stone platform in the center of the open space, talking in hushed tones. When they saw him enter, they all looked up.
Jin Feiyang strode to the stone platform, bowed to the young man sitting in the center, and said in a low voice:
"Brother Hanzhou, I just returned from the Southern Forest Area and discovered traces of the Azure Sky Python."
"Oh? This should be good prey."
The young man he called Hanzhou was named Jiang Hanzhou, and was a descendant of the Jiang Household.
The Jiang Household is no ordinary family. One of Jiang Household ancestors was once the Ninth Holy Hall of the Sacred Court, holding a high position. To this day, many members of the Jiang Household hold high positions in the Ninth Holy Hall. Jiang Hanzhou, despite his young age, has already been reserved by the Ninth Holy Hall.
Once he steps into the Eternal True God, he can become a disciple of the Ninth Holy Hall.
You have to understand, this identity is already quite difficult to obtain.
As one of the nine supreme powers on the Eternal Continent, the Sacred Court controls eighteen major domains. The Saint Emperor is in charge of everything, and the Four Saint Venerable assist him. It also has Twelve Sacred Halls under its jurisdiction.
Within the Sacred Hall, ranks from lowest to highest are: disciple, elite disciple, deacon, elder, deputy sanctuary master, and sanctuary master.
Even the most ordinary disciple is a formal member of the Sacred Court, enjoying extremely high treatment and benefits. When traveling outside, they have an extra layer of protection. In some small and medium-sized cities, even the most ordinary disciple is a guest of honor.
Elder Meng, for example, held the position of elder and had the authority to propose stripping the city lord of a large city. He also had the right to speak and vote in the internal council of the Sacred Hall and could participate in the decision-making of many important meetings.
Jiang Hanzhou has great ambitions. He entered the Ten Directions Sacred Domain with the intention of achieving the first clear record, which would be a huge bargaining chip.
Once he breaks through to the Eternal True God, through the Jiang Household's influence, he can easily become an elite disciple based on this achievement and gain the attention of some important figures in the Ninth Holy Hall.
"However, this Azure Sky Python has already been hunted down..."
Jin Feiyang nodded obsequiously.