Chapter 98

But Situ Nan told him that the Infancy Stage is a process during which the Nascent Soul undergoes mutation. During this process, the Nascent Soul will grow larger and larger, but the physical body will not change. Only when the Nascent Soul leaves the body will such a transformation occur.

Wang Lin sat cross-legged on the ground, took out a spirit flask, and drank a large mouthful. He then began to practice breathing techniques to advance to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. The reason he was cultivating here was because Situ Nan had once said that it would help with his recovery.

Time passed bit by bit, and before they knew it, the qualification matches for the Domain Battle were about to reach their final deadline. A month ago, many cultivators had already started to gather outside the Jue Ming Valley. Some of them searched for the best locations, their eyes keenly focused on the only exit of the Jue Ming Valley; others wandered around the nearby market towns.

As more and more cultivators arrived, the area outside the Jue Ming Valley gradually became bustling. Naturally, there were also enemies who met and engaged in fierce battles.

Within a thousand miles of the Jue Ming Valley, numerous market towns had sprung up due to this grand event that occurred every hundred years. The opening of the Domain Battle basically gathered the majority of cultivators from the entire Zhao Kingdom. With so many cultivators gathered here, these market towns had essentially become the largest trading markets in the Zhao Kingdom, held every hundred years. In these market towns, cultivators from various sects came and went in a steady stream, making them extraordinarily lively.

Many materials and magical treasures that were rarely seen in the past began to appear one after another.

One day, countless cultivators from various small and large cultivation sects within the Zhao Kingdom gathered outside the Jue Ming Valley.

Apart from the major sects that each occupied a specific area, the rest were mostly scattered together. Among them were small sects, small families, and mostly independent cultivators.

These small sects, families, and independent cultivators did not have the qualifications to enter the Domain Battle. They came here to witness the grandeur. The opening of the Domain Battle occurred only once every hundred years, and it was said that at the moment of its opening, a large amount of spiritual energy would be released from the passage. Inhaling a single breath of this spiritual energy was equivalent to several times the amount of spiritual energy one would normally absorb.

As the time for the opening of the Jue Ming Valley approached, the people in the market towns began to find places to settle down outside the Jue Ming Valley, waiting for the opening.

At noon that day, the sky was clear and cloudless, the sky like a blue silk curtain hanging above. The midday sun shone down, and the temperature around gradually increased.

Soon, the temperature became very hot, but the cultivators outside the Jue Ming Valley paid no attention, all of them staring intently at the exit of the Jue Ming Valley.

Experienced cultivators knew that noon that day was the time for the Jue Ming Valley to open.

If one looked down from the sky, one could see that the entire Jue Ming Valley was shaped like a gourd. The gourd's mouth was the exit of the Jue Ming Valley, where two towering peaks stood solemnly. Between them was a small path, and at the end of the path was a huge octagonal array.

At this moment, the array suddenly lit up.

Not far from the ancient valley, several Nascent Soul cultivators from the various sects of the Demon Path gathered together. The moment the array lit up, they all stared intently, and among them was the emaciated figure of Teng Huayuan.

His eyes revealed a hint of excited killing intent as he stared intently at the array inside the passage.

The array became brighter and brighter, and slowly, eight people walked out from inside.

Teng Huayuan's eyes showed a look of disappointment. He then flipped his right hand and took out a black banner, pinching it. Instantly, the soul sealed inside the banner was destroyed.

Seeing the eight people who walked out, the cultivators from the Zhao Kingdom outside the Jue Ming Valley immediately buzzed with discussion, pointing and gesturing.

"Someone's come out, quick, look. Usually, the first sect to come out has lost their qualification. I wonder which sect it is this time."

"Hey? Why are there so many people this time? According to past precedent, the first sect to come out usually has the fewest people."

"They've come out, I see Zhou You. He is a disciple of the Ethereal Sect..."

"The Ethereal Sect failed in the last qualification match as well. If it's like this again, it seems that even the major orthodox sects are not much better. If our Fuguan Sect had entered, we might have been stronger."

"Brother Zhang, your sect's highest cultivation is only at the early stage of Core Formation. The Ethereal Sect could easily wipe out your sect with just one of their grandmasters. In my opinion, the reason the Ethereal Sect failed this time is because the Demon Path disciples were too strong."

At this moment, the eight major sects of both the orthodox and the demon paths were present, except for the Extinction Sect, which did not participate due to the death of its Nascent Soul cultivator and the lack of a token. The grandmasters of the other seven sects had all arrived.

Xin Hai, the grandmaster of the Ethereal Sect, had a dark expression as he stared at the exit of the Jue Ming Valley, saying nothing.

At the exit, the eight people from the Ethereal Sect walked out with strange expressions. Seeing the dense crowd outside the ancient valley and the occasional words being passed around, these eight people turned red in the face and walked dejectedly to Xin Hai's side.

Xin Hai suppressed his anger. He had invested a great deal this time, sending twenty-five disciples, including three at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, eight at the middle stage, and the rest at the early stage. He had also provided a large number of magical treasures. He had been determined to obtain the qualification this time, but now, only eight out of the twenty-five had survived.

Xin Hai glanced at the eight people. At this moment, Shangguan Yun, one of the grandmasters of the Yuantian Sect, standing beside him, said with a smile, "Brother Xin, not obtaining the qualification is nothing. The cleanup work in the Domain Battle is also very dangerous. In the past, out of ten people who went in, only one would survive. So, Brother Xin, there's no need to take it to heart. It's just a hundred years, after all."

Xin Hai sneered, "Brother Shangguan, you don't need to say such cold words. If we lost, we lost. I won't cheat. I will naturally abide by our agreement." He then stared at the eight disciples and said in a deep voice, "Is your eldest brother dead?"

One of the disciples knelt on the ground with a thud and said in a low voice, "Grandmaster, they're all dead... All the other disciples are dead except for us."

The other seven disciples also knelt down, their faces showing fear.

Shangguan Yun sneered inwardly but showed a look of pity on the surface, shaking his head without a word.

Xin Hai's face was as cold as water, and he sneered, "So many people died, good. Which sect killed them?"

The disciple who knelt first hesitated for a moment. At this moment, Xin Hai waved his hand, and a light barrier immediately covered the Ethereal Sect disciples. Shangguan Yun looked up and sneered inwardly.

After blocking others' spiritual senses from probing, Xin Hai gestured for the disciple to speak. The disciple opened his mouth and quickly transmitted a message. After listening, Xin Hai was stunned, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. After a long time, he coldly snorted and said, "You stand behind me. I want to see who this mysterious person is." He then waved his hand again, and the light barrier dissipated.

Shangguan Yun, standing beside him, suddenly said, "Brother Xin, I wonder why Xumei Daoist didn't come?"