Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"Brother Shangguan."

Huang Xingyun felt the dual pressure from Wu Yunyue and Xue Aotian, and softly called out to Shangguan Tianyang.

Shangguan stepped forward calmly, “Rules are rules, how can they be changed without authorization? The rules of the Holy Land Competition were set by our ancestors. Even if they are to be changed, they must be discussed and voted on in advance. What kind of nonsense is it to change them at the last minute?”

"Hehe, Shangguan Tianyang, what you're saying makes no sense. The Holy Land Competition hasn't even started yet, and we're discussing it right now."

Xue Aotian continued, "Shangguan Tianyang, the reason you cling to this rule is because you're afraid of losing. If you and Huang Laogui don't have the guts to fight, just say so, and Brother Wu and I won't force you. After all, some people are used to winning by sheer numbers."

Hearing Xue Aotian's sarcastic words, Shangguan Tianyang couldn't help but snort angrily, "Xue Aotian, you old bastard, do you really think I'm afraid of you? You say I haven't made any progress? I'd like to see how much your cultivation has improved in the past ten years."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and struck out with his palm towards Xue Aotian. A milky-white palm-shaped energy burst forth from his palm, initially only the size of a hand, but instantly expanding rapidly in a whirlwind.

When this palm strike reached Xue Aotian, it was already a size larger than Xue Aotian himself. Although no energy leaked out, no one doubted the power of this palm strike.

Shangguan Tianyang is considered a veteran Heavenly Emperor. His strength is above average, and with the addition of the Vast and Limitless Set, he is capable of challenging even a God-level expert.

Xue Aotian didn't even blink when facing this palm strike. Only when the palm force was within three feet of him did he unleash a powerful right fist. Everyone could clearly see that his fist was golden, as if it were cast from gold.

With a soft "poof," Xue Aotian's fist easily dispersed Shangguan Tianyang's palm strike. The white light scattered and disappeared, while a golden light rose into the air from the spot, causing the entire entrance to the Crimson Prison to tremble violently as if it had been hit by an earthquake.

The members of the Heavenly Evil Sect resisted the aftershocks with Wu Yunyue at the center, while Huang Xingyun from Youqing Valley retreated to the side with his wife Yun Ruoyu, his face showing a bit of helplessness, but deep in his eyes, a hidden emotion seemed to flash by.

The moment Shangguan Tianyang was at a disadvantage in the initial exchange, the sixty-four experts from the Vast Expanse Palace quickly dispersed and took their positions. Intense fluctuations of heavenly power erupted from their bodies. Shangguan Tianyang, who was at the core of the formation, suddenly overwhelmed Xue Aotian with his imposing aura.

Xue Aotian faced over sixty experts from the Vast Expanse Palace alone, showing no fear. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, with both sides poised for a full-scale battle, seemingly about to erupt at any moment.

"Gentlemen, how about we stop for now?"

Finally, the Crimson Prison Lord, Burning Heaven, couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up. With his fierce roar, at least a hundred red lights and shadows rushed out from all directions.

These figures quickly formed an array in the sky, and a red canopy spread out from the Crimson Prison, covering everyone present.

Just as Xue Aotian said, the Crimson Prison of the Danton Empire is the true host. If it comes down to sheer numbers, none of those present can compare to the Crimson Prison. Moreover, this is right at the entrance to the Crimson Prison's lair, a place undoubtedly riddled with various formations.

Although the people from the remaining four holy lands are all very strong, if Blood Red Prison really has some bad intentions and uses all its resources, it is very possible that it could leave everyone here.

Chapter 549 Conversation with the Evil Emperor

"Lord of the Burning Heaven Prison, everyone was just joking, don't take it to heart."

Xue Aotian squinted and looked around, then deliberately let the matter drop. He was confident in his strength and feared no one, but since he had come alone, he still needed to be careful.

The Blood Red Prison's magic array had only just been activated, and he was still confident he could escape unscathed. However, if he were to confront the people from the Vast Expanse Palace for too long and allow the Blood Red Prison's experts to fully activate the magic array, he would be handing his safety over to the Blood Red Prison. He wasn't that foolish.

Although the Beast Empire and the Denton Empire have never had any conflicts, Snow God Mountain, as the sacred land of the Celestial Beast lineage, has always been rejected by various human forces.

Regarding the stance against Snow God Mountain, Blood Prison didn't openly support Vast Palace like Valley of Affection did. However, just by looking at their transactions with Heavenly Pearl Island and Vast Palace, it's clear that these three holy lands are on the same side, and he has no interest in gambling with his own safety.

"Brother Shangguan, why don't we enter the Crimson Prison first and then have a proper chat?"

Xue Aotian took a step back, and Fen Tian turned to persuade Shangguan Tianyang. Shangguan Tianyang had no intention of starting a full-scale war right now, so he nodded slightly, and the storm temporarily subsided.

"Activate the formation to welcome our distinguished guests."

Seeing this, Fentian nodded, raised his hand and shouted loudly. The intertwined red light formation changed, and a round of red light enveloped everyone present.

"This is the Crimson Prison?"

As the red light faded, the people from the five holy lands appeared in a huge meeting place inside the Crimson Prison. Yan mingled with the Heavenly Evil Sect's group and surveyed the environment of the Crimson Prison.

The Crimson Prison is located in a huge abyss valley. Looking up, you can see smooth cliffs of unknown height all around. Although the terrain is low, the temperature here is unusually high, or rather, the surrounding environment is extremely hot.

Yan looked down at the ground. The crimson floor was probably made of some special material, shimmering with a faint red glow. The environment here made him feel very comfortable.

Yan glanced around and found that everyone was in a huge square. The Heavenly Evil Cult had been placed in a building on the west side of the square by the Blood Red Prison, which served as their temporary residence.

As soon as the members of the Heavenly Evil Sect settled down, the disciples of the Crimson Prison came over and delivered the fruits, wine, and food that had been prepared beforehand.

This grand competition is held once every ten years, and each holy site that has hosted it is considered experienced, so naturally they made corresponding preparations well in advance.

"Please be mindful that when it comes to food and supplies, it's best to use what you bring yourself."

After the disciples of Blood Red Prison left, Wu Yunyue gave everyone a few words of advice, and then called Yan to another room to talk.

These powerful figures from the holy lands never let their guard down. After all, the actual relationships between the major holy lands are generally not very good. Even though the Valley of Affection and the Vast Palace have a nominal alliance, they are wary of each other and will never give the other any opportunity to take advantage of them.

"Young Master Yan, I have actually wanted to meet you for a long time."

Inside another house provided by the Crimson Prison, Yan and Wu Yunyue sat facing each other. This famous evil emperor of the Vast Continent was quite polite at this moment.

"Is the Evil Emperor trying to invite me to join the Heavenly Evil Cult? I'll say it again: cooperation is fine, but joining the cult is out of the question. I'm not an Evil Bead Master, and I can't be the rightful leader of the Heavenly Evil Cult."

Yan shook his head slightly at Wu Yunyue. He had seen the sincerity of this evil emperor, but the current leader of the Heavenly Evil Sect could not change certain rules, after all, he was a beneficiary of this ruling system.

Wu Yunyue remained silent for a moment before tentatively asking, "What does Young Master Yan think of my daughter?"

Yan smiled faintly, "Miss Wu is very nice, I like her very much, but recently she's been throwing a little tantrum at me."

Wu Yunyue sighed and said, "After Yuehan was born, I encountered some problems in my cultivation and was unable to protect her well."

"Young Master Yan should have seen it too; the Heavenly Evil Sect is currently suffering from a severe shortage of talent. Although Yue Han has good talent, it would be extremely difficult for her to reach my current level, while she is already the most talented person of this generation in our Heavenly Evil Sect."

When Wu Yunyue said this, she couldn't help but sigh. The Heavenly Evil Sect was not weak, especially among the older generation of its leaders. Wu Yunyue was considered the strongest person after Xue Aotian and Shangguan Tianyang. Even without the Vast and Limitless Set, Shangguan Tianyang might not be his match.

However, due to the joint suppression by many holy sites and the inability to obtain resources through Tianzhu Island, the Tianxie Sect is now facing a major problem in talent cultivation.

The little witch's talent is not bad, but at most it is about the same as Shen Xiaomo's. However, Shen Xiaomo can only barely rank third in the Crimson Prison.

Among the remaining holy lands, Blood Prison is the weakest. Even if they cultivate the next generation, they are still much stronger than the Heavenly Evil Cult. This shows how much talent the Heavenly Evil Cult has lost.

The reason for this situation is mainly due to the special nature of the evil attribute and the suppression of the Heavenly Evil Cult in various ways.

Among the four sacred attributes of the Vast Continent, the evil attribute is the most special. Only the evil attribute awakened by the first generation of evil bead masters can barely reach the level of a sacred attribute. Subsequent evil bead masters generally cannot reach that level.

This unique characteristic led to the decline of the evil attribute after being passed down through generations, resulting in the weakening of the powerful descendants of the Heavenly Evil Cult.

In addition, when the Heavenly Evil Cult was at its peak, it was considered the number one holy land in the world. The Evil Pearl Master was also prone to extreme actions, which led to the hostility of many forces. This is why many holy lands joined forces to suppress it.

"What exactly is the Evil Emperor trying to say?"

Yan listened to Wu Yunyue ramble on and on without ever getting to the point, and he became a little impatient and asked her a question.

Wu Yunyue remained silent for a while before speaking again: "Yuehan is a gentle and weak child, unsuitable and unable to shoulder the burden of the Heavenly Evil Sect. I originally wanted to find a new first-generation evil soul master in the last days of my life, but this is undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack."

However, Young Master Yan's appearance has given me a new option. I hope that Young Master Yan can support Yue Han in inheriting the Heavenly Evil Sect, so that your descendants can inherit the position of Heavenly Evil Sect Leader and lead the Heavenly Evil Sect to continue to grow stronger.

Furthermore, it would be best if you and Yuehan were mutually in love. I owe that child too much and don't want her to suffer any injustice..."

After Wu Yunyue finished speaking, Yan nodded gently, "I agree to this. I will treat Yuehan well and support her in becoming the next leader of the Heavenly Evil Cult."

Yan didn't expect his conversation with Wu Yunyue to go so smoothly. Although he was interested in becoming the son-in-law of the three holy lands, his contact with Wu Yuehan was the latest, and his development should have been relatively late.

But unexpectedly, this evil emperor had such good judgment, taking the initiative to match him with Wu Yuehan. With the approval of this father-in-law, how could that little witch possibly escape?

"Yuehan is a bit temperamental, so please be patient with her!"

After a moment of silence, Wu Yunyue changed the subject, "What are your thoughts on this Holy Land Grand Competition?"

After thinking for a moment, Yan replied, "The various holy lands are testing each other, and the situation on the continent will likely change in the next decade."

"That's right. In this Holy Land Competition, all my old friends are hiding their true intentions."

Wu Yunyue nodded, "Our Heavenly Evil Sect's next plan is to develop in the western part of the continent. We have people in both the Baida Empire and the Feili Empire. As long as we can find an opportunity to control one of them, our Heavenly Evil Sect can develop again."

The one from Snow God Mountain, not content with being the strongest in the world, is trying to dethrone the Vast Expanse Palace from its position as the number one holy land. The Vast Expanse Palace's intentions are not hard to guess; they brought so many people this time to demonstrate their power and solidify their position.

As for Youqing Valley and Blood Red Prison, those two guys, Burning Heaven Old Monster and Yellow Old Ghost, are also dissatisfied with being dogs of the Vast Expanse Palace all this time. However, they are probably still looking for an opportunity and won't easily show themselves.

In a few words, Wu Yunyue analyzed the relationships between the five holy lands: the Vast Palace, the Valley of Affection, and the Crimson Prison had united to occupy the mainstream 'righteous path', the Heavenly Evil Sect had been labeled as a heretical sect, and the Snow God Mountain was simply considered to be outside our race.

The Vast Palace's dominance over the world has been maintained for a long time. Thanks to the Vast and Boundless Set, their position has remained relatively stable. However, with the powerful rise of the Snow God Mountain Lord, this dominance is expected to be broken.

Currently, among the various forces on the mainland, with the exception of the Vast Palace of the Central Heaven Empire, almost all powerful forces hope for a change in the situation on the mainland. This trend is still brewing, but it is clear to everyone that a major shift in the situation is only a matter of time.

"The five holy lands each have their own agendas. The situation on the continent will change sooner or later. The balance of power among multiple strong forces will generally need to be maintained. However, five holy lands seem a bit too many."

Yan agreed with Wu Yunyue's words, and based on what he knew, he also offered some opinions: "Blood Prison and Valley of Affection are not going to stay put. We can try to find a way to kick them out of the game."

Wu Yunyue was taken aback by Yan's words and asked in surprise, "You mean to deal with Youqing Valley and Blood Red Prison? Their strength has never been particularly strong, there's no need to specifically target them!"

The main reason for our current predicament is the suppression from the Vast Expanse Palace. The same applies to Snow God Mountain. The Vast Expanse Palace controls Heavenly Pearl Island and is accustomed to using its power to oppress others. The key to changing the situation and breaking the deadlock lies with the Vast Expanse Palace.

“Master, under normal circumstances, your idea is certainly correct. But I know some things. If the Blood Prison and the Valley of Affection’s secret plot succeeds, what they want is the entire Vast Continent.”

Yan's voice deepened, "The Vast Expanse Palace, Snow God Mountain, and the Heavenly Evil Cult will all be their targets. Their plan has already begun, and we must prepare early to minimize our losses while reaping sufficient benefits..."

Chapter 550 The Grand Competition Begins

On the west side of Crimson Prison Square, in the territory of the Heavenly Evil Cult, just as Yan and Evil Emperor Wu Yunyue were talking, a series of commotions suddenly arose outside, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the center of the square.

The Holy Land Grand Competition is about to begin.

Crimson Prison Lord Burning Heaven arrived at the center of the square under the watchful eyes of countless people. As the host of this gathering of holy lands, he naturally became the host of this grand competition.

After arriving at the center of the plaza, the Crimson Prison Lord, Burning Heaven, surveyed the surrounding area, looking over the more than one hundred people from the other four holy lands. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "Everyone, this Holy Land Grand Competition will proceed according to the old rules. The competition will still be held in the air..."

Burning Heaven briefly introduced some of the rules of the Holy Land Competition. Unlike previous Holy Land Competitions, Blood Red Prison has chosen to unite with Vast Palace and has not chosen to join forces with the Heavenly Evil Sect and Snow God Mountain to change the rules of this Holy Land Competition.

While Fentian was explaining, Wu Yunyue, from the Heavenly Evil Cult camp on the west side of the square, also explained the rules of the Holy Land Grand Competition to Yan.

The rules of the Holy Land Grand Competition are somewhat peculiar. Each of the five Holy Lands must send ten people to participate in the first round of the competition. The order of appearance is determined by drawing lots. Representatives from the five Holy Lands take turns performing, with losers eliminated and winners continuing to face challenges. The Holy Land whose ten participants are all defeated is considered eliminated.

The ranking is based on the order of elimination. The top two holy sites will then engage in a team battle with no limit on the number of participants, and the winner will be declared the number one holy site in the world. During the competition, there are no rules; the winner takes all.

These rules sound simple, with no cultivation level restrictions and no comprehensive competition rules. However, this has led to the fierce competition in every Holy Land Tournament, with battles often escalating to a point of full intensity.

The five holy lands are constantly vying for power and harbor some grudges against each other. When they start fighting in this holy land competition, none of them will hold back.

Death is as commonplace as eating a meal. Over the many Holy Land Grand Competitions, countless powerful figures have lost their lives, which has made the relationship between the various Holy Lands increasingly tense.

In the center of the square, the Crimson Prison Lord, Burning Heaven, said in a deep voice without expression, "The various holy lands can now send their first contestant."

He glanced at Xue Aotian as he spoke, then continued, "Brother Xue, you can save your move for the final round."

Xue Aotian nodded slightly. This time he didn't bring too many people south. Even if he gave up the team competition, he was confident that he could win the individual competition even if he was alone, because he was confident that no one present was his match.

"I'll go get a lottery ticket first."

Beside Yan, Wu Yunyue suddenly whispered something, then stepped out of the Heavenly Evil Sect's camp and flew into the arena. The leaders of the other four holy lands did the same.

The order of appearance in this gauntlet battle is determined by drawing lots, but since everyone here is a top expert in this world, they certainly won't just draw lots honestly. That's why Wu Yunyue said earlier that she was going to try to win a lot.

Five figures, representing the five most powerful holy land lords on the continent, stepped into the void almost simultaneously. The Crimson Prison Lord, Burning Heaven, unleashed a palm strike, and five streaks of light shot into the sky, the five, including the seemingly indifferent Xue Aotian, moving together.