Chapter 115: Chapter 84: Gathering at the City Lord’s Mansion, the Hope of Clearing the Trial

Those words made Han Yu lift his head. Longxi Peak’s first-place ranking came into view, and their score of over 9,800 points far surpassed that of his Dharma Seal Peak.

In fact, the combined scores of his Dharma Seal Peak and Cuixiang Mountain still didn’t add up to Longxi Peak’s.

As he looked up, Yi Yunya’s cold, arrogant voice rang out once more.

"Only those with equal strength can speak of an alliance. Compared to our Longxi Peak, your strength is far too lacking. You aren’t worthy of even using the word."

"We will only accept your submission!"

Yi Yunya’s cold, arrogant tone was more than Han Yu could bear.

"Heh heh, your Longxi Peak has such a high point ranking... Don’t you know perfectly well how you got it?"

This was Han Yu’s counterattack, implying there was something suspicious about Longxi Peak’s ranking.

Yi Yunya, however, didn’t get angry.

An attack only stings when it hits a nerve, but Yi Yunya knew with perfect clarity that her peak’s points and ranking had been earned through sheer strength.

Therefore, Han Yu’s slander couldn’t harm Longxi Peak in the slightest, much less bother Yi Yunya.

She then turned to Su Lingya with an intrigued expression.

"Miss Su, this gentleman here doesn’t believe in Longxi Peak’s strength. What about you?"

"Junior Sister, of course, won’t either—"

Before Han Yu could finish, Su Lingya’s voice rang out.

"Of course I believe in Longxi Peak."

"Hm?!" Su Lingya’s reply stunned Han Yu.

"You really believe them? Longxi Peak doesn’t even have a single expert. How could they—"

Before he could finish, Su Lingya’s expression turned stern. "Senior Brother, please watch your words. This trial is being supervised by Elder Wei of the Law Enforcement Hall. That man has always been honorable and just. He would never tolerate cheating."

Since Su Lingya had brought up an elder, Han Yu didn’t dare say more.

However, just as he was preparing to swallow his anger, Yi Yunya’s infuriating voice rang out once again.

"To think you’d say Longxi Peak doesn’t have a single expert... Tee hee. Senior Brother, has it ever occurred to you that it’s not that we don’t have one, but that you’re just too pathetic to detect them?"

"CRACKLE..."

At her words, Han Yu’s aura flared menacingly again, and a wind began to swirl around him.

He looked ready to attack.

At this, not only was Yi Yunya unafraid, she actually looked forward to it.

She knew perfectly well that her senior brother was nearby.

If Han Yu dared to strike first, he would certainly die here.

To Yi Yunya’s disappointment, Han Yu... actually held back in the end.

"Hmph. I won’t lower myself to your level."

With that, he gave up on Longxi Peak and the obstinate disciples of Cuixiang Mountain, turning his gaze to Bamboo Forest Peak, who had followed him over.

"Junior Brother He, we can cooperate..."

...

While Han Yu tried to win over He Ming of Bamboo Forest Peak, Yi Yunya focused her attention on Su Lingya.

"Senior Sister, what is your decision? Will you pledge your allegiance to us?"

"My apologies, but I am the lead disciple of Cuixiang Mountain for this generation. I could never submit to another’s authority."

Hearing this, Yi Yunya was somewhat disappointed.

She had genuinely hoped Su Lingya would bring her people to their side. After all, unlike Han Yu and his delusions of being the leader, Su Lingya understood her own place.

Besides, in the previous battle, though few of Longxi Peak’s disciples had died under Zhong Ming’s protection, many had been injured.

If these people received treatment from the disciples of Cuixiang Mountain, they could fight again.

If worst came to worst, they could even use their lives to buy Zhong Ming time against a powerful enemy, even if only for a second.

—Unlike Zhong Ming, Yi Yunya had not cultivated his mentality of ’Let ten thousand techniques assail me; I will cut them all down with a single sword strike.’

Sensing the trial’s difficulty, she only wanted to add more combat strength to their team and provide another layer of insurance for Zhong Ming.

Unfortunately, Su Lingya’s pride had not yet been completely broken.

Just as Yi Yunya was feeling a pang of regret, a scorching wave of fire suddenly swept in from the distance. Amidst the flickering flames, the figure of Yan Chen appeared.

Molten Fire Peak had arrived.

Upon his arrival, Yan Chen looked at the Cultivators from Longxi Peak, Dharma Seal Peak, and Cuixiang Mountain. His eyes flickered, and he looked eager for a fight.

He wanted to start a fight.

However, they were all from the same sect and facing a common ’crisis,’ which meant that even someone as arrogant as him couldn’t just drop all pretense and attack.

Besides, there was no time for internal strife.

"BOOM!"

Just as the disciples from Cuixiang Mountain, Longxi Peak, Dharma Seal Peak, and the three great families all arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from within.

Then, as if provoked, an endless black mist violently surged out from the City Lord’s Mansion.

"HUMMM..."

The black mist blotted out the sky. At the same time, a vast number of monsters poured out from the City Lord’s Mansion.

Among them were more than a few Demons and Evil Spirits at the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

The overwhelming demonic aura made everyone’s hearts clench.

But no one present had any thought of retreating. Instead, they stared at the monsters with burning intensity.

Even Su Lingya of Cuixiang Mountain was no exception.

This reaction wasn’t because Zhong Ming and the others were all battle maniacs.

Rather, it was because after entering the Heaven-Filling Array Map, despite the increased difficulty, the strategists on every major team had all come to the same conclusion.

’The sect would never arrange a situation for us that means certain death.’

’In the previous stage of the trial, we had a chance to clear it—survive past the second day. It was difficult, but there was still a chance to live.’

’The current situation must be the same.’

’The sect is testing our ability to survive, but simply hiding is not the optimal solution. What the elders want to see is us relying on our strength and wisdom to find a sliver of hope in a desperate situation and seize victory. The rule that multiplies our points by ten for surviving past the second day is the best proof of this.’

’Therefore, we must search for that opportunity.’

’And to find that path to survival, we need to find clues.’

’The City Lord’s Mansion is the heart of the city. If the sect hid clues anywhere, it would be there. Therefore, we have to go to the City Lord’s Mansion.’

On Zhong Ming’s team, all of this had been analyzed along the way by the quick-witted Yi Yunya.

After her analysis, she had also admitted frankly, "This is all just my speculation. It might not be accurate."

Zhong Ming had replied, "But it’s worth a try. If you’re wrong, we’ll only have wasted some time. But if we don’t go and someone else figures it out, we’ll have to hand over first place."

Now, the sudden activity at the City Lord’s Mansion gave Zhong Ming and the others a sense of hope that they could clear the trial. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

And the movements of the disciples from the various peaks of the Seven Profound Sect made Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng, who was watching from outside, nod in satisfaction.

’So they’re not just trying to survive, but want to fight for a sliver of hope? You’ve chosen the right path. But just because the path is right doesn’t mean it’s easy.’

’Let’s see which of you can be the first to kill a monster at the late stage of Qi Cultivation and grasp that glimmer of hope.’

He was filled with anticipation. The others on the viewing platform noticed his expression and realized something.

This, in turn, made the members of the Seven Peaks and the three great families feel an unavoidable tension as they looked up at the sky-screen.

Ning Yunlu thought, ’Lingya, you have to succeed.’

The lead disciple of Dharma Seal Peak thought, ’Han Yu, whether you’re worth investing in all comes down to this.’

’Yan Chen, show the world your true strength! Let the people of Jade Lake City know that Artifact Cultivators are in no way inferior to Sword Cultivators!’

Monsters at the late stage of Qi Cultivation would undoubtedly test the mettle of the Seven Peaks Disciples.

And so, everyone watched with anticipation.

At the same time, at least half of the Cultivators on the viewing platform were focused on Longxi Peak.

’This time, you can’t hide anymore. Let us see what kind of strength you truly possess—the one the Seven Profound Sect has kept hidden, the one used to set a trap for everyone else!’

Apart from the ordinary guests, Dong Jinhai and Qin Rou of the Golden Jade Tower also sat up straight. They too wanted to know just how powerful Zhong Ming’s talent truly was to have drawn so much of Yi Qing’s attention.

"ROAR!"

And so, amidst this feverish anticipation, the chaotic battle between the Demonic Fiends and the Cultivators of the Seven Peaks began!