Chapter 233: Firefly

“No wonder there weren’t any troops stationed here before; some people didn’t consider coming here to stir up trouble. They really sealed it up tight…”

Standing outside the inner valley, the Priestess tapped her staff against the smooth crystal wall, producing a crisp “clang” sound. The mirror not only clearly reflected the image of her party but also showed no signs of shaking from the blow, illustrating its robustness.

As the core of the ultimate magic, this was not a barrier that could be breached by ordinary means.

The things sealed inside, the purpose of the Mirror Valley’s existence, and the reason the fairy island called the strong here… it had become almost blatantly clear.

“It’s almost time.”

Without paying too much attention to this indestructible crystal barrier, Miss Vilyric simply scanned her surroundings.

More and more people were gathering from all directions.

These were true top-tier powerhouses from the Ancient Spirit Realm, and clearly, although they knew the risks of this trip, most of those qualified to compete were still unwilling to give up the chance to go to Lingyin Fairy Island.

Among them, there were certainly many noble souls like that “Yozun” who were committed to the safety of their homes and the world, bravely stepping forward. However, without sufficient benefits and the allure of honor, the number of those who had the courage to come to this “next phase” event would surely be cut in half.

This was likely why Lingyin Fairy Island had to convene the world’s strong in such a formal manner as the “Four Saints Selection Tournament.”

Perhaps in order to start before the fairy island descended, the timing for the latter phase actions was set very strictly. If one couldn’t arrive here by noon today, it meant giving up on the qualification to continue.

Thus, the speed at which people gathered was rapid; many strong individuals even arrived early to wait nearby, sacrificing some points for clearing the “pseudo-mirror.”

Miss Vilyric saw many people—some she recognized, and others were complete strangers.

Disciples from the Jing Shen Sect, the fifth-ranked Yozun Liu Rong in the Ancient Spirit Realm, including the swordsman Cheng Fengqi, and even those unfortunate fellows she robbed during the wilderness survival selection, along with that old guy known as the Xuanmen Daoist, and many other strong individuals who had previously competed with the Priestess and others at the Open Heaven Gate ruins were all here.

They gathered outside the final destination’s gate, their figures resembling a wall of guardians—some were lost, others determined, but they had indeed come.

Whether it was for profit, fame, or the will to protect their homes, at least they did not shrink back in the face of crisis and strong enemies; this courage alone was enough to earn their presence respect.

The Priestess nodded to herself.

Indeed, in any world, there will always be beings bravely standing up for survival.

Such a world should not be destroyed.

Suddenly, a ray of light descended from the sky. The beautiful Lingyin girl, whom Miss Vilyric had seen during the meeting and wasn’t veiled, floated gracefully in front of everyone outside the inner valley wall, while other fairy envoys like Ming Lianyun were nowhere to be found.

She surveyed the over three hundred final contestants, grouped into small teams, and solemnly bowed slightly.

“First of all, thank you for risking danger to come here. I’m sure you’re all aware of the situation, so I won’t elaborate further. The latter half of the finals will begin shortly, but before that, I ask that you hand over the tools used for clearing the ‘pseudo-mirror’ to me.”

Having anticipated this, Miss Vilyric signaled to Miss Le Qiao Qiao, who nodded and stepped forward first with the “vacuum cleaner” she had brought, filled with the black mist collected from dozens of mutated crystals, handing it to the fox-eared girl.

This was a method to calculate the competitors’ merit points by the fairy island, proportional to the amount of black mist collected. Yet only a few could discern exactly what this semi-liquid, semi-gaseous black substance truly was.

High concentrations of “destructive power,” or what is called dark energy, spirit energy polluted by the laws.

But why would such a thing appear in the “pseudo-mirror”?

After quickly recording the collection amount of each team and safely stowing the “vacuum cleaners” into a portable space, the fox-eared girl seemed to confirm something invisible to certain outsiders once more and then gazed up at the sunny sky…

Taking a deep breath.

“Now, please step back three paces and disperse by team.”

Everyone’s expression was serious as they obeyed; the fairy envoy carefully took out a fox-shaped token from her chest and turned around.

Her movements were slow, as if she carried a heavy burden and pressure, and appeared to be praying devoutly to some unknown entity. Finally, she pressed the token firmly against the nearby silver barrier and then cut her arm, letting crimson blood sprinkle onto it.

“Using the name of Lingyin, the time of The End has come! Heavenly Earth Seal Array, open!!!”

“Voom!!!!!!!!”

The material-ambiguous token absorbed the Lingyin blood, immediately melting into the mirror wall. Soon, a surge of energy resembling the ancient turmoil—symbolizing the ultimate truths of the world—howled from the inner valley, becoming a silver aurora that darted into the sky, transforming into shadows!

It turned out to be a magnificent and ethereal Nine-Tails fox!

The illusory seal above the Mirror Valley vanished in this moment. The aurora surged against the shadows, breaking through the sky and the clouds, leading to the Ancient Spirit Realm’s vast land where bright lights sprang up one after another.

In total, there were twenty-four, each serving as the core from the four cardinal points, transforming into slightly lesser but still awe-inspiring twenty-four towering silhouettes of mythical beasts!

The Qilin of the West raised its head beneath the inner sea.

The Bai Ze of the East roared from deep within the mountains.

The Xuan Bird of the South spread its wings at the lofty mountaintop.

The Pi Xiu of the North stepped across the desolate wilderness.

The phantasms of the twenty-four powerful spirit beasts encircled the Nine-Tails fox above the Mirror Valley, forming nodes like a vast array, connecting invisible lines to completely illuminate this world!

The originally sealed silver crystal barrier right before Mis Vilyric, the exact location where the white fox girl pressed the token, suddenly opened a massive gap several paces wide, releasing a robust, overpowering stench of “destruction” that erupted forth!

However, the fairy envoy seemed to have anticipated this; she immediately raised her hand and tossed a pile of pristine silver crystals. As they scattered on the ground, they exuded a tempting sweet scent akin to cheese, instantly absorbing large amounts of the destructive energy and transforming into twisted silver-gray space portals!

At least more than half of the dissipating destruction aura was captured by those crystals, with only a fraction dispersing towards the unblocked sky, floating away. The white fox girl seemingly had no intention of worrying about those leftovers; she yelled to the strong present!

“Quickly! Each team choose a portal, and enter to exterminate the evil demons! The larger the portal, the stronger the enemies it represents; act according to your strength and don’t overreach or lose your life unnecessarily!”

Everyone’s expression tightened; even if they couldn’t comprehend the fairy envoy’s magical operations, they understood what “danger” and “evil demons” meant. They looked around at one another, seemingly contemplating which door to enter.

After all, the bigger the door, the more merits would come with a successful extermination, making it easier to secure a spot on the island, but it was inevitably more dangerous—facing evil demons, the outcome of failure was almost certain death.

Just as the powerful were hesitating and unable to determine a selection standard, a thunderous, booming laughter suddenly echoed in the previously empty sky now freed from the seal!

“Hahaha! The young folks nowadays are really timid! Since that’s the case, this great hero won’t be polite with you!!!”

A lithe figure flew in on a flying sword, trailing streams of colorful light, crashing into one of the largest portals at lightning speed and instantly disappearing.

Miss Vilyric didn’t know him, but several people present immediately gasped in shock.

“Master, Master?!”

“That’s the third of the Ancient Spirit Realm’s top hundred, the Ten Thousand Swords Sovereign Wan Chen?! How, how did he end up here?”

“Hey, hey, the Ten Thousand Swords Sovereign didn’t participate in this tournament, so how will the spots be calculated…?”

“Hehe ~ you juniors, just do your own thing; we don’t even deem it worth competing for those little opportunities.”

Another figure in black-and-white robes seemed to quietly step out from the heavens, appearing next to a larger portal, calmly entering.

“Heavens… Am I dreaming? Was, was that previous figure really the Heavenly Mysterious Holy Venerable, second of the Ancient Spirit Realm, who is said to have existed since the last era?! He hasn’t shown himself for nearly three hundred years…”

Amidst the crowd’s astonishment, more figures radiating terrifying auras emerged from the sky, rushing into the largest portals, undoubtedly the true top-tier powerhouses of the Ancient Spirit Realm summoned by Lingyin Fairy Island to handle this situation.

“We are blessed by the graces of this world and have achieved our current levels through fortuity. Now that the Ancient Spirit Realm faces a crisis, we must step forward to resist the powerful enemies! What are you all waiting for?!”

Yozun Liu Rong, ranked fifth in the top hundred of the Ancient Spirit Realm, shouted loudly as he led the charge towards a twisted doorway!

“Yozun is right! Let’s give it our all, what are we afraid of?!”

“Go!!!”

“Damn it, why is everyone running so fast? Don’t overestimate yourselves; leave the big door for me!”

   

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