Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 824 Let the Fight Begin!
Outside the blood-red forbidden area, the ancient valley that had witnessed countless secrets and bloodshed was now filled with an unprecedented clamor and chilling atmosphere.

The seven-day agreement has been reached.

The two ends of the valley are clearly distinct.

On one side was the allied forces of the seven factions of the Yue Kingdom.

Thousands of cultivators crowded the hillsides and valleys, their spiritual light shimmering and magical artifacts appearing and disappearing, forming a suppressed, silent tide.

The sixty-odd Core Formation elders in the front row all had grim faces and eyes like icy knives, fixed intently on the opposite side.

Further behind were thousands of Foundation Establishment disciples, their faces a mixture of bewilderment, fear, and a hint of tragic resolve, driven by the overwhelming force of the times.

Everyone knew exactly what was going on.

What kind of "exchange of skills"?
Shit!

This is a life-or-death struggle disguised as a battle of wits.

The loser's bones and scraps will be chewed up and swallowed by the winner, and the entire sect's foundation and thousand-year heritage will have to be changed to the name of Sha Yun.

For those small fry outside the gate, it's just a matter of changing the signboard and kowtowing; life goes on as usual.

But what about those Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators in front of us, especially those living ancestors on the platform?

The sky is really about to fall!

Imagine that in the future, sitting on your head is a stepmother who would love to squeeze every last drop of your marrow dry.

resource?

Don't even think about it!

To be able to live as a beast of burden, a black slave to be whipped, is probably considered a mercy from the bigwigs of the Shayun Sect.

This thought lingered in the minds of every mid-to-high-level cultivator, suffocating them and burning their eyes with rage.

Therefore, the seven factions are united like never before.

The usual backstabbing and sabotage were now suppressed by a fierce, united hatred of the enemy.

Thousands of gazes shot towards the other side of the valley, the resentment and hatred in their eyes almost solidifying, burning several holes in the dark mass of the Shayun Sect army opposite them.

Before the formation of the Shayun Sect, a cultivator dressed in a black brocade robe, with a white face and no beard, slowly walked forward. He was none other than Li Wuyai, the external affairs steward.

He wore a fake smile that seemed to be etched onto his face, like ice crystals. His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold piece of iron scraping through a valley, clearly reaching the ears of every cultivator from the seven sects.

"The rules are simple."

Li Wuyai leisurely stroked his goatee, his eyes sweeping over the seven high platforms with a playful, cat-and-mouse expression. "Our side will send one person, and your side may send one person at will to fight. On the platform, life and death will be decided; off the platform, victory and defeat will be decided. If one side concedes defeat or dies, the game ends. The winner stays on the platform, and the loser is replaced. This continues until one side has no one left to go up."

The rules were uttered, and the valley fell silent for a moment.

Immediately, a huge and unbelievable commotion erupted like a drop of boiling oil being thrown into water, bursting forth among the thousands of cultivators from the seven sects!

"Wh-what?!"

"Wheels? They can still be kept on stage?!"

"Nine against eight! The advantage is on my side! A huge advantage!"

"Hahaha! Trash from the Sha Yun Sect! You've gone too far with your arrogance!"

Ecstasy spread like a plague among the lower-ranking disciples.

The previously oppressive and despairing atmosphere was instantly ignited, and young faces burst forth with the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster and a ferocious excitement.

They didn't understand the suffocating power gap between Nascent Soul cultivators; they only knew the cold, hard number—nine is greater than eight! The rules were in our favor! The scales of victory seemed to have tipped sharply in Yue's favor at this moment!
Laughter, chatter, and gleeful shouts merged into a cacophony that echoed through the valley.

Many people even waved their fists excitedly, as if they could already see the Cloud Sect fleeing in disarray.

however--

On the high platform of the Seven Sects, the faces of the nine Nascent Soul Ancestors representing the peak combat power of the Yue Kingdom, except for Fang Yu, all became even more somber.

Advantage?

What a load of bull!
The brighter the smiles of those little brats below, the heavier the weight on their hearts.

That laughter, that expectant gaze, was like a red-hot iron, burning their faces and roasting their souls over a fire!
It's true that there are nine Nascent Soul cultivators, but of the eight on the other side, four are at the mid-Nascent Soul stage!

Four in total!

And what about our side? All told, only Linghu and the Grand Elder barely made it to the mid-game threshold!
The rest, including that freak Fang Yu, are all in the early stages!
A series of matches? Leaving the winner alive?
That sounds beautiful.

The reality is that if the opponent sends out a mid-game player at will, and our early-game players come in in droves, we probably won't even be able to expend half of their stamina. Even if we manage to kill one of them, who will stop the rest of the mid-game players?

Are you expecting Linghu and the Grand Elder to defeat four opponents together?

Dreaming!
The more the younger generation laughs, the colder the hearts of the elders grow.

The laughter that echoed through the valley now sounded like an ironic death knell tolling for the Seven Factions.

The ground in front of the Shayun Sect's formation trembled slightly.

A figure as large as a mountain of flesh emerged from the crowd, and with each step it took, the valley seemed to groan.

The newcomer was a tall, fat man with a shiny, oily face and a sickeningly greasy smile, looking like a freshly cooked, still-steaming, glistening Buddha.

But those small eyes, embedded in his fat, gleamed with undisguised greed and mockery, fixed intently on the Seven Sects' high platform, especially on the Grand Elder of the Hidden Moon Sect.

The middle stage of Nascent Soul!

These four words, like nails hardened with ice, pierced the hearts of every Nascent Soul patriarch from the seven sects.

The four mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators on the other side were like four insurmountable giant mountains exuding an aura of ice, pressing heavily on everyone's souls.

Now, one of them has been pushed directly to the front lines, blocking all attempts to take shortcuts.

On the high platform, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, and even the flow of spiritual energy seemed to be frozen.

"We can't send any early-stage attackers!" The bare-chested patriarch of the Giant Sword Sect's voice was like sandpaper scraping, carrying a simmering resentment and fierce determination. "Sending any of us early-stage attackers is tantamount to suicide!"

The old Taoist priest from Qingxu Sect stroked his short beard, his face ashen: "Everyone understands the principle... but if Fellow Daoist Linghu or the Grand Elder go first, the energy expenditure will be too great, and what about those three mountains behind?"

"We still have to hold on!" The patriarch of Tianque Fortress gritted his teeth and roared, his eyes bloodshot. "We've already been overwhelmed in the early game by a mid-game opponent? Our morale has collapsed! What's the point of fighting after that!"

Linghu Patriarch's cloudy old eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on the aloof, moon-white figure beside him. His voice was dry: "Fellow Daoist, this fiend's aura is sinister and restless, I fear there are weaknesses. You know I am skilled in the art of health preservation. As for fighting..."

The Grand Elder of the Hidden Moon Sect had a somber expression, his cold gaze as still as a deep, icy pool, only revealing a hint of murderous intent deep within his eyes.

She nodded slightly, not looking at anyone, and squeezed out a single, icy word through gritted teeth: "I'll kill them." Her moon-white figure flickered, like a streak of cold moonlight, and instantly landed in the center of the valley, facing the mountain of flesh from afar.

The tall, fat man's small, beady eyes suddenly lit up, as if a fly had seen excrement. He let out a strange "heh heh" laugh, the greasy sound carrying spiritual energy, echoing unrestrainedly throughout the valley.

"Tsk tsk! Good! Good! The old beauty from the Hidden Moon Sect has personally joined the fray? That's awesome! I love this kind of well-prepared beauty! That figure, tsk tsk, is even more appealing than the eighteen concubines I've recently taken in my cave! After we're done fighting, how about coming back to the Cloud Chaser Sect to warm my bed? I guarantee I'll let you taste what 'ooh-ooh' means!"

The foul language abruptly stopped, turning into a scream of pain filled with shock and anger!

The Grand Elder was too lazy to waste words.

Just as the fat man was about to utter his last word, she pointed her fingers like a sword and suddenly pointed them towards the sky!
"Zheng——!"

A piercing sword cry, sharp enough to pierce the soul, suddenly erupted! It was as if the wailing of countless vengeful souls from the deepest hell was echoing!
A streak of blood shot into the sky from her sleeve!

That wasn't the aura of a flying sword, but a pillar of light that was so thick it couldn't be dissolved, as if it were blood plasma just dredged from a pool of hell!
The pungent, nauseating stench of blood, like a real plague, instantly permeated the entire valley!

Disciples with lower cultivation levels felt as if their internal organs were churning, and illusions were appearing before their eyes, as if they were in an endless sea of ​​blood and a mountain of corpses!
The blood-red light subsided, revealing a long sword.

The sword was dark red, covered with twisted, dark patterns that looked like they were alive. Thick drops of blood kept seeping out from the blade and dripping onto the ground with a hissing sound, corroding small pits that emitted black smoke.

Bloodthirsty Soul-Slaying Sword!
It's also called the Blood Demon Sword!

The lewd smile on the fat man's face from the Shayun Sect instantly froze, his greasy fat trembled, and for the first time, horror appeared in his beady eyes!

The aura of this thing is ferocious and venomous, as if it has devoured the souls and essence of billions of living beings!

This isn't a sword at all! It's clearly a peerless weapon that's been sealed away for countless years!
Is this old woman insane?! She actually concocted this kind of thing that backfires on its master?!

"Die!" The Grand Elder's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth, as if it came from the cold winds of the deepest hell.

The blood sword hummed, carrying a monstrous aura of resentment, and transformed into a dark red streak that tore through space, rushing straight towards the fat man!
"Roar!" The fat man roared, no longer daring to underestimate him. His fat body trembled violently, and a thick, earthy yellow spiritual light burst forth, condensing into a huge stone shield covered with cracks in front of him. At the same time, he swung his fists, and countless giant fists made of earth and stone smashed towards the blood shadow like a meteor shower!
"Boom! Rumble—!"

Blood and light clashed, strangled, and annihilated the earth and rocks in a frenzy!
Each impact was like a landslide, the violent shockwaves carving deep, bottomless ravines into the valley floor.

The dark red aura of bloodlust intertwined with the heavy earth elemental spiritual power, forming a chaotic and destructive domain where space itself was violently distorted and groaning under the strain.

The fat man appeared bulky, but his movements were strangely swift. He dodged left and right as Blood Sword pursued him, sometimes transforming into a mudslide to charge forward, and sometimes disappearing into the earth to launch a hundred-foot wave of earth in retaliation.

But the Grand Elder relentlessly pursued him, like a rat trying to run away from a bridge. Under her control, the Blood Sword moved as nimbly as a venomous snake, each piercing carrying a bone-chilling, soul-destroying bloodthirsty power, constantly eroding the fat man's protective aura and essence.

This battle lasted for several hours!

The sunlight slid from the blazing sun overhead to the western mountains, turning the valley into a blood-red sunset.

finally--

"Pfft!"

A dark red sword light, like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, eerily pierced through the fat man's hastily constructed rock barrier and stabbed him hard in his thick left shoulder!

It wasn't a vital spot, but the terrifying bloodthirsty power attached to the sword was like billions of bloodthirsty venomous insects, instantly and frantically burrowing in!

"Ugh—!"

The fat man let out a heart-wrenching scream as his entire left arm, along with half of his shoulder, shriveled, withered, and rotted at a visible speed!
The excruciating pain and the fear of his very life being devoured instantly overwhelmed his will.

"I admit defeat! I give up!"

The fat man was terrified and roared with his last bit of strength. At the same time, his obese body burst out with unprecedented speed, like a deflated ball of flesh that had been kicked away, rolling wildly toward the Shayun Sect!
As long as you can get out of this area, you can survive!

Just as his body was about to roll out of bounds, a twisted smile of relief even appearing on his face—

A cold, resolute figure appeared as if teleported in front of his tumbling trajectory!

The First Elder's face was as pale as paper, and a trace of black blood even spilled from the corner of her mouth. Clearly, the price of wielding that vicious sword was extremely high, but her eyes were colder than ice that had stood for ten thousand years!

The blood-dripping demonic sword in his hand, carrying an overwhelming resentment that vowed not to rest until the beast was slain, was unhesitatingly aimed at the fat man's right wrist, which was clawing at the ground, trying to roll faster—

Slashing downwards at an angle!

"Tsk-!"

There was no clanging of metal, only the dull, teeth-grinding sound of flesh being instantly corroded and separated!

A large, severed hand, still wearing a storage ring, flew high into the air, accompanied by a spurt of thick, black, foul blood!
“Ouch——!!!”

The fat man let out a scream ten times more shrill than before, clutching his severed wrist with his remaining right hand. He rolled and crawled, like a huge, punctured garbage bag oozing oil and blood, leaving a long, shocking trail of filth in front of the Shayun Sect formation.

"it is good!!!"

"Well done!!"

The seven factions erupted in a roar that had been suppressed for a long time, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down!
Countless disciples were so excited that their faces turned red, and they waved their magical weapons as if they wanted to shout out all the humiliation and fear they had just felt!

The Grand Elder's actions were tantamount to slapping the Sha Yun Sect in the face, sweeping away all the frustration it had caused!

That's so satisfying! That's fucking satisfying!
However, on the high platform.

Linghu Laozu stared intently at the solitary figure in the arena, his face showing no joy whatsoever, but rather filled with deep, unyielding worry.

He saw clearly.

The Grand Elder's figure, sword in hand, swayed slightly in the setting sun. Though extremely subtle, the forced weakness and the flickering aura like a candle in the wind were palpable.
At its last gasp!

That blow that severed her hand, though seemingly ruthless and satisfying, was actually the last bit of power she could unleash.

In order to kill or at least severely injure one of the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, she used a weapon far exceeding her own capacity, fought fiercely for several hours, and then unleashed a devastating blow that severed her hand.
At this moment, her dantian and qi sea are probably nearly exhausted, and her soul has been severely damaged by the backlash from that vicious sword, possibly leaving indelible Dao injuries!

On the opposite side, within the Shayun Sect's formation, the three Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators who had not yet appeared gleamed with eyes like venomous snakes, and undisguised sneers appeared on their lips.

Next.
All that's needed is to reach the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
No, even if it's just a perfectly healthy early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator going up to expend some energy.
Linghu Laozu's heart sank to the bottom.

The defeat is set.

While it seemed like they had turned the tide at the start, they actually traded one of their strongest units for a mid-game opponent who was not in good condition, but this exposed the serious losses of their core players.

Meanwhile, the opposing side also has three mid-stage players who have been conserving their strength and are eyeing them covetously.
This game seems hopeless.
The ending has already been written.

However, in a corner where no one was paying attention, Fang Yu was frowning and thinking, saying strange things that no one could understand.

He says
Judging from the Grand Elder of the Hidden Moon Sect's level...

"With my Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Rinnegan, and Flying Thunder God Technique, beating her would be like bullying a kid, wouldn't it?"

"turn out to be."

"I'm so strong?"

(End of this chapter)