Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"Oh, Your Highness, spare me! This servant was wrong..."

Minghua quickly dodged, and the two girls, who were both over forty years old combined, started playing and joking around like little girls, showing no signs of the tension that was about to begin the competition.

Yan followed the two playfully fighting out of the room and into the restaurant. The other members of the Fei Li team had already gotten up, washed up, and come here for a meal.

Although the prices of various items on Tianzhu Island are quite high, there's a reason for the high prices. After everyone had breakfast, they waited for a while before the people from Tianzhu Island came to pick them up from the hotel.

Once again, led by the staff in white, they headed towards the misty central area of ​​Tianzhu Island.

This route left everyone confused. Could it be that the final of the competition would be held at the Vast Palace, which is currently ranked first among the five holy sites?

They then saw the members of the other three teams participating in the finals. After the three teams of thirty-two people gathered together, they continued to move forward together towards the misty direction.

Yan was walking ahead when he suddenly felt a hostile gaze from somewhere. He turned around and saw Zhan Lingtian from the Zhongtian team.

He didn't know what was wrong with this guy, why he was so hostile towards him. But Yan didn't care; if this guy really dared to provoke him in the finals, he'd just kill him.

The group continued forward, but the atmosphere among the four teams became noticeably tense, with each team rarely glancing at the other.

The central area of ​​Tianzhu Island is not very large. Before long, the clouds and mist floating in the air were right in front of them, and the staff stopped in their tracks.

Shangguan Longyin remained dressed in white, standing against the backdrop of the clouds and mist. Behind him stood ten elderly men, also dressed in white. These men appeared to be over sixty years old, each with a refined and composed demeanor.

Seeing that the members of the four teams had all arrived, the old man nodded and said calmly, "The final of the Heavenly Bead Competition is about to begin. Now, I will explain the rules and format of the final."

"You should have all seen the magical Light and Shadow Gem in the Imprint Palace of my Zhongtian Empire and Tianzhu Island. The location where you will hold the finals is similar to this Light and Shadow Gem. It is called the Light and Shadow Space."

Shangguan Longyin paused at this point, then continued to explain: "You can think of the so-called Light and Shadow Space as a special magic array. This magic array is an ancient one, engraved on Tianzhu Island."

No one knows how it was formed. It already existed when our ancestors from the Vast Expanse Palace arrived on Heavenly Pearl Island.

In a sense, the space of light and shadow is another space independent of our own. It is not very large and is presented in the form of a primeval forest.

In the primeval forest within the space of light and shadow, all sorts of celestial beasts live, ranging from the lowest to the highest level.

Each time this space is opened, the internal conditions of the celestial beasts change to varying degrees. Therefore, even we people of the Vast Expanse Palace don't know exactly where they will appear in the forest..."

Shangguan Longyin introduced the specific situation inside this light and shadow space. Everyone guessed that the final would be held in this light and shadow space, and they all listened attentively to the specific information.

"Everyone, to open this space of light and shadow, it requires ten high-level Celestial Masters of the Space System to inject their Heavenly Power together, and it can be maintained for one month."

Shangguan Longyin continued, "You will all be directly teleported into the Light and Shadow Space, and each person will be randomly teleported to a location within the Light and Shadow Space. The next month will depend on your strength and luck."

Later, we will give each of you a small light and shadow gem and a storage ring for storing living celestial beasts..."

After Shangguan Longyin finished speaking, he waved his hand, and immediately staff from Tianzhu Island came up and gave each person a storage ring and a light and shadow gem.

After giving the items, the old man raised his hand to the ten elders behind him. Ten white figures moved simultaneously, retreating and disappearing into the mist.

These ten individuals were the ten high-level spatial cultivators Shangguan Longyin had mentioned before, needed to activate the Light and Shadow Space. Their disappearance signifies that the competition is about to truly begin.

Team Emery

Eight people were a bit nervous, while the other three teams were in a better position. After all, they experienced this situation every three years, so they were quite experienced.

"here we go."

Yan's senses were sharp, and he quickly looked at a certain location where spatial fluctuations were faintly flowing, indicating that ten high-level Heavenly Sects had activated their abilities.

Before long, the thick fog covering the Vast Palace gradually changed color in front of the 32 players from the four teams. The original white fog began to reveal a faint silver light, and the strong spatial energy fluctuations also became significantly more intense.

An incredibly rich concentration of primordial energy swept out, and a gentle breeze washed over everyone, giving them a feeling of complete comfort. Judging from this, the concentration of primordial energy in the opposite place was high and active, making it an absolute treasure land.

As Yan made his judgment, the silver light in the fog ahead grew stronger and stronger. Gradually, this silver mist began to spiral behind Shangguan Longyin.

A blinding silver light burst forth from the center of the vortex, gradually turning from silver to gold. At the center of the vortex, it was as if a portal had been opened. If you focused your attention, you could almost sense the existence of another world on the other side of the golden light.

Before Shangguan Longyin could speak, all the teams sprang into action. The Zhongtian team, relying on their familiarity with the area, was the first to move, and the eight of them quickly disappeared ahead.

Yan arranged for the eight members of the Fei Li team to be at the back, and even left mental marks on Ming Hua and Cai Cai to make it easier to find them. As for the other rough men, he had no interest in helping them. Anyway, if they failed, they could admit defeat and be eliminated, and their lives were generally not in danger.

Finally, it was the turn of the Emerald Team. Mingyu was the first to step in, followed closely by Lin Jiang. Yan, Minghua, and Caicai were the last to enter.

"After you go inside, don't wander around. Find a safe place to stay as soon as possible, and then wait for me to come and meet you."

Before leaving, Yan gave instructions to Minghua and Caicai, then stepped into the golden light mist. Instantly, he felt dizzy and everything around him seemed unreal, as a huge suction force pulled his body.

In a flash, countless sounds filled my ears, as if I had traveled through countless distances, and countless images flashed before my eyes. Then, the scene before my eyes changed many times.

He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly a bright golden light shone forth, and Yan quickly closed his eyes. The next moment, his body tensed, a pulling force came, and the feeling of reality returned; his feet touched solid ground. The weightlessness he felt upon landing almost made him kneel.

Yan observed his surroundings. It was a forest, and no ordinary forest at that. Trees were everywhere, their trunks as hard as refined iron. Any creature that could survive in such a forest could hardly be ordinary.

This is a lush primeval forest, with trees all around us that are over twenty meters tall and have dense foliage.

The plant environment here is also very special. Many plants that are common on the vast continent are rare here, or rather, most of the plants here can be considered rare species, possessing considerable research value. Yan, of course, didn't hold back and made them all his research material.

"The air quality here is excellent, and the natural energy here even surpasses that of Tianzhu Island. The temperature is just right, and with so many plants growing together, it's not a rainforest landscape at all; it's a true paradise on earth."

As Yan walked along, he couldn't help but sigh. This was a near-perfect place, perfect for living. He even had the urge to build a treehouse here for a vacation.

"I'll go look for them. Minghua is in this direction, and Caicai is in this direction. They haven't wandered off. If all goes well, I'll be able to meet up with them soon."

Yan quickly composed himself and prepared to carry out his mission. He first expanded his senses as much as possible in place, sensing everything in the forest. His powerful mental abilities allowed him to resonate with the two distant marks very quickly.

After confirming the two people's location, he began his search. He encountered no trouble along the way and did not encounter a single celestial beast for half an hour. Just as he was about to relax his guard, something suddenly happened in the distance.

"Huh! Which unlucky guy ran into such a powerful celestial beast?"

Yan stopped in his tracks and saw that the sky in the distance had suddenly turned red, followed by a burst of fiery red light that shot into the sky, almost encompassing the entire sky.

The air temperature suddenly became scorching hot, and a scorching airflow flashed overhead, instantly turning several particularly prominent branches into ashes, while a leaf at the top of the canopy turned withered yellow.

Chapter 512 Encounter

"Damn, this unlucky guy is actually from the Feli Empire."

Within the space of light and shadow, Yan suddenly stopped, because he had determined who the guy who had been frantically fleeing and was eventually teleported away was—it turned out to be someone from his own team.

Before being eliminated, this guy sent a message warning everyone not to fly in the sky casually. When Yan saw this message, he was speechless.

With his formidable strength, he remained vigilant and didn't run around recklessly from the start. Who would have thought that the weakling would dare to go up into the sky? Look at the other three seeded teams; they're definitely experienced, and none of them have run into trouble yet.

"Roar~~~"

Yan muttered a couple of complaints to himself, then quickly and cautiously approached the place filled with red light. Just as he was hurrying along, a roar resounded through the heavens and earth, and then an extremely large creature rushed out of the mountains and forests and hovered in mid-air.

This creature was a hundred meters long, covered in dark red scales, with a pair of huge wings spread out on its back. It resembled a large lizard, with huge claws and a massive dragon head. It was a dragon, a Western dragon.

"The dragons of the Vast Continent seem a bit too strong. They should have reached the level of gods! But why do I feel that this level of gods is so weak?"

Yan stopped and carefully observed the dragon, which was over a hundred meters long. The energy fluctuations on its body surpassed those of Shangguan Tianyue, whom Yan had observed before. If there were no surprises, it should have reached the peak of the mortal realm in this world, the level of a celestial god.

According to Yan's previous speculation, a Celestial God level should be equivalent to a level 99 existence in Douluo Continent. However, when he actually faced it, Yan discovered that this giant dragon did not have that kind of strength. At most, it was only slightly above level 98, still far from a true Limit Douluo.

"My previous speculation may have been somewhat problematic."

Yan pondered to himself, "The Vast Continent shouldn't be compared to the Douluo Continent in terms of pure realm. The Condensed Form Sets in this world greatly enhance combat power. A set of nine or more pieces gives one the ability to fight across realms."

Therefore, the benchmark for combat power in this world should be humans at the same cultivation level who possess a sufficient number of solidified equipment. A Heavenly King level cultivator needs a solidified set of equipment to be on par with a Titled Douluo. And a Heavenly God level cultivator also needs solidified equipment to be comparable to a level 99 Limit Douluo.

As for the transformation from the Celestial God level to the Celestial Transformation level, it should be a major transformation with multiple stages, just like an ordinary level 99 or a level 99 limit demigod. Theoretically, they are still in the same realm, but in reality, the difference is huge. That should be the situation.

Based on this calculation, aside from a few celestial beasts with special bloodlines, celestial beasts of the same level are completely no match for human celestial bead masters of the same level who are equipped with gear. They might even be able to easily defeat lower-level beasts. No wonder the imprinting palaces of various major powers can seal celestial beasts of god-level power.

On the edge of the endless sea of ​​fire, Yan hid alone in a shadowy corner, pondering silently. Comparing the information he had gathered, he became even more certain of his guess.

The celestial beasts of the same level on the vast continent seem to be in a rather miserable state. In the original story, when Zhou Weiqing fought a great battle with Gu Yingbing, the Lionheart Prince, the inheritor of the Sacred Flame Lion lineage of Snow God Mountain, he was no match for her. The Silver Emperor Sky Falcon, a peak-level celestial beast equivalent to the peak of the Nine Beads cultivation, stepped forward to protect its master, but was easily killed by Gu Yingbing.

At that time, Gu Yingbing was only at the eighth level of cultivation, yet she was able to easily defeat a nine-bead peak celestial beast, which shows how much a solidified equipment can boost combat power.

"The Soul Master system in Douluo Continent is basically top-tier among its peers, because each advancement requires absorbing the essence of a Soul Beast, which is far more beneficial than imprinting Heavenly Beast skills in this world."

Yan thought to himself, "As for the Condensed Equipment, it is definitely not as good as the Soul Bone Set. However, most Soul Masters cannot obtain Soul Bones at all, so on average, the average level of high-level Soul Masters is actually lower than that of high-level Heavenly Jewel Masters. The equipment advantage is too great."

However, the condensed equipment of the Heavenly Jewel Masters is very resource-intensive, especially precious resources. Currently, only the Heavenly Jewel Island has not been fully developed. Without the precious resources on the Heavenly Jewel Island, even a force like the Heavenly Evil Sect, one of the five great holy lands, cannot gather many sets of condensed equipment.

This contrast will reverse tens of thousands of years from now, once things like artificial soul bones, soul master battle armor, and mechs have developed. Overall, soul masters still have greater potential; it's just that the resources and equipment on the Douluo Continent are currently inadequate.

Yan compared the situations on the two continents and found that, in general, the system on the Douluo Continent was superior. He himself was a good example. Shangguan Tianyue was probably no match for him, and the same was true for the dragon in the sky. However, he did not intend to make a move now to disturb the dragon.

"Oh! The second unlucky guy has appeared."

Just as Yan was about to take a closer look at the giant dragon in the sky, he suddenly noticed a stranger nearby. His eyes flickered, and a smile gradually spread across his face.

"rustle……"

At the edge of the forest, where crimson light was constantly engulfing the trees, a figure was trying to detour around the burning dense forest ahead. He moved very lightly and quickly, and when he walked through the forest full of dead branches and leaves, there was only a slight rustling sound.

Who...?

The man carefully avoided the area that might attract the attention of the giant dragon in the sky. Just as he was about to continue on his way to reunite with his companions, his ears twitched and he sensed a rapid gust of wind. Before he could even shout out his question, he felt a sharp pain all over his body and was sent flying.

"Boom!"

The unlucky fellow crashed into a big tree and bounced to the ground. After rolling around a few times, he only had the strength to groan on the ground. He was hit hard in the chest and back, and his whole body was numb and in pain, so he lost the ability to fight.

"You unlucky guys from the Zhongtian team, you must know a lot of information, tell me about it."

Yan's upper body came into the man's line of sight. Just as he was about to use the Light and Shadow Gem, Yan stepped on his wrist. The intense pain made the man extremely uncomfortable, but he was also quite tough and did not intend to compromise at first.

Yan casually kicked aside the light and shadow gem, took out a jar of liquid with a sweet smell, and said, "Young man, there should be ants in this light and shadow space, right? You mean if I pour this sugar water on you and then find an anthill..."

"You... I mean..."

The Zhongtian team member instinctively shuddered, completely unprepared for the wickedness of human nature. Seeing Yan about to pour a jar of sugar water over him, he was ready to shout for compromise.

"Very good, you are a smart person."

Yan put away his torture tool, a jar of sugar water, then grabbed the light and shadow stone and the person from the ground, and instantly disappeared into the forest filled with red light.

"You, you, can you let me go now? I've told you everything I know."

In a corner of the forest, a member of the Zhongtian team, who looked as if he had been ravaged, whispered tentatively, genuinely afraid of the person in front of him.

Yan glanced at the guy who was no longer a threat. "I have another question. What's the deal with Zhan Lingtian? He keeps provoking me for no reason. Is it the order of the higher-ups of the Zhongtian Empire? Is it Shangguan Longyin?"

"No, no, Zhan Lingtian is targeting you because he discovered that you've been paying attention to the eldest and second young ladies. And he's always liked the eldest young lady, so he's become hostile towards you."

The man said tremblingly, "Zhongtian City is, after all, the territory of our Haomiao Palace. You have been keeping an eye on the two young ladies on the platform these past few days and even arranged for people to inquire about them. Naturally, we found out when we were investigating intelligence."

"I see. It seems I wasn't discreet enough."

Yan nodded upon hearing this, then tossed the light and shadow stone away. "You should know what to do, right? Don't say anything carelessly after you get out. If you're seen as a traitor, the consequences won't be good."

The man's eyes flickered, and he hesitated, wanting to beg Yan not to eliminate him. But when he looked at the smiling Yan in front of him, he was suddenly filled with fear and chose to use the Light and Shadow Stone to teleport out of the Light and Shadow Space.