Chapter 221

“Kill!”

The disciples of the sacred families roared in unison, charging forward to engage in a chaotic battle with the rogue cultivators.

But soon, they began to falter.

The rogue cultivators were not as weak as they had imagined. In fact, they were stronger than the average sacred family disciple.

This was because the disciples of the sacred families lacked rich combat experience, rarely engaging in life-and-death struggles.

In contrast, the rogue cultivators’ combat experience had been honed through countless brushes with death.

If the battle were based on divine abilities and magical treasures, the sacred family disciples would not be at a disadvantage.

But in a purely physical fight, they stood no chance against the rogue cultivators.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out, and blood splattered everywhere. The sacred family disciples were no match at all, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half of them had fallen.

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

“Kill…”

The remaining rogue cultivators charged forward like madmen, their eyes fierce and filled with killing intent, like wolves.

For a moment, the air was filled with screams, howls, and shouts.

The sacred family disciples, meanwhile, kept retreating, their faces pale and their eyes filled with fear.

This was the pride of the sacred families, their glory.

Yet now, it was being trampled underfoot by these beggars.

“What do we do? These rogue cultivators have gone mad!”

“Should we use our divine abilities? Even if we lose our qualifications, I don’t want to stay here any longer!”

“Senior Brother Jian Chen! Brother Qi! Think of something, quick!”

The disciples of various sacred lands and aristocratic families surrounded Qi Mingdao and Jian Chen, their faces filled with urgency.

While the disciples of the sacred lands and aristocratic families were numerous, this was only relative to the unorganized rogue cultivators.

Once the rogue cultivators united, the numerical advantage between the two sides would reverse.

Seeing this situation, Qi Mingdao’s gaze turned icy.

As a candidate for the position of Holy Son of the Ziwei Sacred Land, he knew more than others.

Although the Sacred Court had King Realm elders overseeing the trial, they could not directly intervene and could only influence the trial through the Sky Patrol Mirror.

In the chaos of battle, large numbers of cultivators were forcibly expelled from the trial grounds for using spiritual power.

“Everyone, don’t panic. With the Sky Patrol Mirror here, as long as we use our spiritual power, we can leave the trial grounds. Once we’re out, we can report the situation here to our respective elders and ask them to take action, eliminate these rebellious rogue cultivators, and then restart the trial!”

Qi Mingdao spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

Hearing this, the crowd began to calm down.

“Then I’ll take my leave first!”

With that, a disciple from the Ziwei Sacred Land activated his spiritual power, forming a massive fist in the air that smashed down fiercely towards the rogue cultivators.

However, what everyone expected did not happen.

The disciple from the Ziwei Sacred Land remained standing in place, his face filled with confusion and bewilderment.

“This… what’s going on?”

His heart pounded violently, his face filled with fear and unease.

Not just him, but the other disciples who saw this scene were equally panicked.

“What’s happening? Why can’t we leave?”

At the same time.

Amidst the chaos of battle, screams continued to ring out, and bodies fell from the sky, crashing to the ground with dull thuds.

“Not good, the Sky Patrol Mirror is malfunctioning!”

“This can’t be, how could this happen!”

Clouds of blood mist spread around, turning this area into a living hell.

At this moment, more and more people discovered that the Sky Patrol Mirror was malfunctioning. They tried to activate their spiritual power, but the forced teleportation mechanism of the Sky Patrol Mirror still did not trigger.

“Wuwuwu… Sister! I’ve avenged you!”

“You stole my Dao companion back then, but today you’ve fallen into my hands. Die!”

“Hahahaha! Brothers, kill! Kill all these scum from the sacred lands and aristocratic families!”

“Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill…”

One by one, the rogue cultivators laughed maniacally, their weapons gleaming with a cold light as they thrust them fiercely into the chests of the disciples from the sacred lands and aristocratic families.

“Damn it! How could this happen?”

Seeing this, Qi Mingdao and Jian Chen’s pupils constricted, their faces filled with disbelief.

In the sky.

King Yuanying’s face was filled with helplessness.

Although he had been tasked with overseeing the trial grounds, the Sky Patrol Mirror, which executed the specific tasks, and its fixed mechanisms were beyond his authority to make significant changes. At most, he could only advance or delay certain steps within the specified procedures.

Therefore, even if the Sky Patrol Mirror failed, he had no way to fix it.

“No, I must intervene. If the disciples of the sacred lands and aristocratic families are truly wiped out, I will be held accountable and likely torn apart by the Sage Tower!”

King Yuanying’s expression fluctuated between dark and light, and he quickly made a decision.

With a flash, he flew towards the trial grounds.

But just as he was about to pass through the Sky Patrol Mirror, it was as if he had collided with an invisible barrier. No matter how hard he tried, he could not pass through.

“What… what is going on?!”

King Yuanying gnashed his teeth in frustration!

He had merely taken on the routine duty of overseeing the trial competition, yet he found himself entangled in a mess of troubles.

At this moment, if he couldn’t stop the disciples of the sacred land families from being killed, his only option was to leave as quickly as possible.

He couldn’t seek support from the Holy Academy, as doing so would expose his connection to the Tower of Sages.

If it were just about overseeing cheating in the trial competition, the worst that could happen would be expulsion from the Holy Academy.

But now, with the Sky Patrol Mirror malfunctioning, the Holy Academy would undoubtedly hold him accountable. What awaited him could very well be the complete annihilation of his body and soul!

In an instant.

A single word flashed through King Yuanying’s mind:

Escape!

Without hesitation, he turned and immediately left the trial grounds.

As for his identity as a Holy Academy elder or the threats from the Tower of Sages, to hell with them all!

He wanted to leave the Eastern Pole and start a new life!

Chaos continued to reign in the trial grounds.

The disciples of the sacred land families and royal dynasties huddled together in groups.

The frenzied rogue cultivators relentlessly attacked them.

Various divine abilities filled the sky. Although they could now use spiritual power and magical treasures, the disciples of the sacred land families were still helpless against the sheer numbers.

While they were strong in one-on-one combat, against the tide-like onslaught of rogue cultivators, they could only barely hold their ground by forming defensive formations.

Strangely, however, a few sacred land families did not stand with them but remained aloof.

At this moment.

Disciples from a handful of sacred land families, such as the Lin Clan of Yangzhou, the Su Clan of Dongling, and the Boundless Sacred Land, gathered together and did not join the fray.

When the rogue cultivators saw them, they merely exchanged glances before moving on.

Lin Wanqiu and Ye Ruoshui were also among them.

After a brief period of healing, Ye Ruoshui had regained consciousness.

“What’s happening?” Ye Ruoshui asked weakly, her voice soft.

“The Sky Patrol Mirror has failed, and the rogue cultivators are fighting with the sacred land families…” Lin Wanqiu briefly explained the situation.

If one were to trace the root of this chaos, it might very well lead back to Ye Ruoshui.

Though she was merely the spark, Lin Wanqiu couldn’t help but worry.

Lin Wanqiu feared that the sacred land families might vent their anger on Ye Ruoshui.

After all, this had started because of her.

While it was clear to any discerning eye that the conflict between the rogue cultivators and the sacred land families had been brewing for a long time, there were times when some people simply refused to be reasonable.

The battle between the rogue cultivators and the sacred land families gradually began to show a clear victor.

The death of disciples from the sacred sects and aristocratic families was not a bad thing for the rogue cultivators. On the contrary, it excited them even more, driving them to kill the sacred sect disciples with reckless abandon, as if they wanted to exterminate all the rogue cultivators.

Although the sacred sect disciples also fought back with all their might, the disparity in numbers was too great. Soon, most of them were dead.

The remaining sacred sect disciples huddled together, surrounded by a large number of rogue cultivators, with no hope of escape.

“Damn it! Do you know what you’re doing? How dare you massacre us, the disciples of the sacred sects and aristocratic families?”

One of the sacred sect disciples shouted fiercely, his voice trembling slightly.

“Kill! Kill them all!”

“Exterminate these damned beasts from the sacred sects and aristocratic families!”

“I’ve wanted to kill them for a long time!”

The rogue cultivators roared insanely, their eyes bloodshot, their killing intent overwhelming.

These sacred sect disciples were too domineering, bullying others with their power, committing all sorts of evil deeds, which had long been deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.

If the difference in strength hadn’t been so great, the rogue cultivators would have probably been unable to endure the frustration and anger in their hearts and would have charged at them to fight to the death.

But now that such an opportunity was before them, how could the rogue cultivators give it up?

“If you kill us, the saints of our Taichu Sacred Sect will surely crush you to dust, obliterating both your body and soul!”

The sacred sect disciple sneered.

Hearing about the saints of the sacred sects, many rogue cultivators felt fear in their hearts, but they quickly calmed down.

“Brothers, since we’ve already started, we must kill them all! At worst, it’s just death!”

“I’ve done enough in this lifetime, what does death matter?”

“Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!”

A rogue cultivator raised his blood-stained sword and shouted loudly, boosting morale.

“Kill!!”

As soon as these words were spoken, they stirred up a thousand waves.

The faces of the sacred sect disciples changed.

The rogue cultivators feared no death, so how could they be intimidated by the threat of death?

But they were all core disciples of this generation from the sacred sects and aristocratic families, how could they easily die at the hands of these lowly rogue cultivators?

At this moment, Qi Mingdao took a deep breath and raised his voice, “Everyone, I have a communication treasure that can bypass the blockade of the Heavenly Mirror and contact our elders outside. However, it requires a fellow Daoist to pay a small price.”

“Senior Brother Qi, stop beating around the bush. At this point, our lives are almost lost. No matter how small the price, we must pay it!”

Wang Yan said anxiously.

“Senior Brother Qi, whatever you need, my Sword Tomb will comply!”

“Our Taichu Sacred Sect will do the same!”

“Our Murong family will do the same!”

“I…”

Qi Mingdao scanned the crowd and slowly said, “This treasure was obtained by my master from a demon. It has mysterious and unpredictable power, capable of traversing between major worlds. But with my strength, I can only drive it back to the Ziwei Sacred Sect to send a message to my master about our predicament.”

“But to activate this treasure, it requires a fellow Daoist to pay… the price of their life!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.

This price was too heavy.

Who would be willing to sacrifice their own life?

“This…”

Everyone looked troubled.

Qi Mingdao sighed softly, his gaze complex as he spoke, “The demonic artifacts are inherently evil, and the conditions required to activate them are utterly abhorrent. However, this might be our only chance to survive. I won’t speak hypocritically. If any fellow Daoist is willing to sacrifice themselves, I will personally take care of your family.”

With his five fingers pointing towards the sky, Qi Mingdao solemnly declared:

“I, Qi Mingdao, hereby make a Heavenly Dao oath. If I achieve great cultivation in the future, even if I must venture into the depths of the Netherworld, I will retrieve your soul imprint and help you live a second life!”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present turned grave.

A Heavenly Dao oath carried immense weight. If one failed to fulfill it after making such a vow, those with weak minds would be plagued by inner demons, making their cultivation path fraught with difficulties. Every breakthrough would be threatened by the chaos of these inner demons, risking their very lives.

“Senior Brother… I am willing!”

With trembling steps, Wang Yan stepped forward, his face pale and filled with fear.

The others’ eyes were also complex, but no one stopped him. They simply nodded silently.

They too hoped to escape this place through such means.

As for sacrificing one person to save the rest…

In such a situation, no one could truly act selflessly.

For them, Wang Yan’s willingness to step forward was undoubtedly the greatest surprise.

“Junior Brother Wang…”

Qi Mingdao’s gaze was complicated. He hadn’t expected that Wang Yan, who was usually timid and fearful, would actually be willing to step forward.

“Junior Brother Wang, are you truly certain about this?”

“Senior Brother, say no more. I stake my life on this, only asking that after I’m gone, you take good care of my younger sister and give her a bright future!”

Wang Yan raised his head, looking at Qi Mingdao with determined eyes.

“Very well!”

Qi Mingdao immediately responded, then took out a fist-sized diamond-shaped shuttle from his sleeve.

“Everyone, step back!”

As his voice fell, the disciples from the various sacred lands and noble families scattered like a tide, leaving a large open space.

Wang Yan stood there, alone.

Qi Mingdao sighed softly, then threw the shuttle into the air.

Whoosh!

The shuttle instantly expanded to a size of several feet, its surface covered with intricate and mysterious runic patterns. A moment later, it emitted a burst of light, transforming into a crimson blood-red curtain that enveloped Wang Yan.

In the next moment.

“Ah—!”

A piercing scream echoed as the blood-red light surged upwards, instantly shooting towards the distant sky.

Its speed was so fast that it nearly exceeded the spiritual perception of everyone present.

When they looked back at the spot where Wang Yan had stood, not even a drop of blood remained.

Only the lingering scent of blood hung in the air.

Amid the silence, Qi Mingdao spoke:

“The Blood God Shuttle is extremely fast. Within a few breaths, our master should receive my plea for help!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Mingdao suddenly felt a tremor in his body, as if something had lost connection with him.

However, he quickly recovered and breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the Blood God Shuttle had successfully escaped the blockade of the Heavenly Mirror.

Qi Mingdao’s gaze shifted, looking towards the sky.

The rogue cultivators were still relentlessly attacking the formation, causing ripples to reverberate in the void. The entire formation swayed unsteadily, as if it might collapse at any moment.

“Fellow Daoists, hold on a little longer. The sage from our Ziwei Sacred Land will arrive shortly!”

Qi Mingdao rallied his spirits, tossing a large number of spirit stones into the formation’s core.