Please be my partner.

Xiang Yangui nodded and did not refuse again.

After all, this joint trial was not only a contest between the five factions, but also involved greater interests. So before this, although the four factions had a unified goal to deal with Mellen, they still held back when it came to the main mission of the joint trial.

Now, there is clearly no need to keep it.

Mellen could somewhat guess what the four factions would do next, but he wasn't too worried, because time was on his side. As time went on, his strength would grow and he would gain a greater advantage.

More importantly, as they collect more demonic power, the range of their target will shrink, meaning that these trial participants will encounter each other more frequently, giving Melen more opportunities to intervene.

At this moment, the only thing that bothered Mellen was that none of the ten trial participants had even produced a single basic instance of demonic power.

Three days later, Mellen stood gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Without a sound, his cultivation level broke through and he advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.

Mellen felt that he was becoming more in tune with the world of the Azure Moon Realm. When he used various supernatural powers and spells, he was able to receive more support from the power of heaven and earth, with less consumption and greater power.

Mellen stretched out his finger and gently drew a line in the void in front of him, and a dark spatial rift appeared.

Although Mellen could easily manipulate space before, that was all due to his own supernatural power. But now, tearing through space is the result of his transformation of internal magic power after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, coupled with his enhanced control over the space of heaven and earth. All of these combined have resulted in the power he has gained.

Once native cultivators in the Azure Moon Realm reach the Nascent Soul stage, they can begin learning some void supernatural abilities and crafting special treasures in preparation for ascending to the Immortal Realm.

Mellen took a deep breath, and with his breath, the stars in the sky shone even brighter, and this extraordinary phenomenon was visible for miles around.

At the same time, wisps of blood sea power occasionally emanated from Mellen's body, which lasted for a while before completely disappearing.

Clearly, both the power of the stars and the power of the blood sea have been updated as Mellen's strength has increased.

It would take Mellen approximately two months to raise his strength to the pinnacle of cultivation in the Azure Moon Realm—the Refinement Realm.

After getting a feel for his current strength, Mellen continued to capture the power of the Otherworldly Demons. With a single step, space shifted, and he appeared a hundred miles away.

As time went by, and more and more people found the tricks, the competition became increasingly fierce.

Mellen would frequently encounter other trial participants, and he would not hesitate to seize the power of the alien demons.

However, apart from the four factions, Mellen would not directly kick out the other trial participants. After all, in his eyes, the other trial participants were all excellent seedlings, and it would be too wasteful to harvest them only once.

Thus, Mellen's progress far surpassed that of the other trial participants, but because of this, he was feared by many trial participants, and as a result, Mellen was later ambushed several times by other trial participants.

Of course, all of these ambushes were thwarted by Mellen, so it was quite a fruitful outcome.

Mellen could vaguely sense that these ambushes were not unfounded, but were deliberately organized and instigated by someone behind the scenes. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be the four top experts from the four factions, who also had the ability and connections to do so.

The real purpose is probably not to kick Mellen out of the trial, but to disrupt his progress.

Mellen opened his arms, and six orbs of demonic power floated in his palms, four of which were at the Nascent Soul level and the other two at the Divine Transformation level.

Under Mellen's control, these six clusters of demonic power released subtle fluctuations that were imperceptible to ordinary people. These fluctuations interfered with and overlapped with each other, as if unfolding a real-time map, vaguely pointing to a certain area.

It was a range of mountains.

Mellen predicted that he would only need to obtain two more Nascent Soul level demonic powers to pinpoint the exact location of the Demon King.

However, nearly five months have passed since the start of the joint trial, and the alien demons in the Azure Moon Realm have been almost completely hunted down by these trial participants. Now, not to mention alien demons at the Nascent Soul level, even alien demons at the Qi Refining and Core Formation level have become quite rare.

However, it doesn't matter. Not being able to pinpoint the exact location doesn't mean that the King of the Otherworld can't be found. The area that Melen is pointing to is now extremely small, and with his increased strength, even if he turns that area upside down, it won't take him long.

However, Mellen's next move requires him to conceal his identity. If other trial participants, especially those from the four factions, discover his secrets, he might end up doing all the work for someone else.

Thus, Mellen concealed his presence and searched among the rolling mountains.

Several days later, just as Melron felt he was getting closer and closer to the King of the Others, he suddenly stopped and hid behind a boulder.

Before long, two dim streaks of light flew past the mountains. They were not fast, and Mellen could easily see the figures in the streaks of light, which were none other than You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui.

Mellen's lips curled into a smile; he hadn't expected to run into the two of them here.

However, this is not hard to understand. After all, once the four factions have completely exchanged information, the amount of demonic power they have collected is certainly no less than that of Melen, so it is only natural that they can lock onto this area.

Mellen raised his palm, and streams of energy converged, quickly forming a chaotic sphere of light.

When You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui flew to the closest position to Mellen, Mellen gently blew a breath, and the chaotic light sphere exploded, causing invisible spatial ripples to spread out, forming an illusory ripple in reality.

You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui sensed something was wrong almost simultaneously and immediately used their respective methods to defend themselves.

The gourd beneath You Tianyi's feet suddenly grew larger, its lid opened, and rivers, lakes, seas, mountains, and rivers spewed out from it.

This treasure gourd is a natal magic weapon crafted by You Tianyi. It not only contains the Three Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains, but also refines thirteen top-grade spiritual veins, making it a superior item among immortal artifacts.

Unfortunately, refining spiritual veins in this way in the Immortal Realm would be frowned upon, so You Tianyi dared not act recklessly and could only put in the effort in the Outer Heavens. This is the fundamental reason why You Tianyi travels to the Outer Heavens for many years and rarely returns to the Immortal Realm.

If the treasure gourd can be refined to contain ninety-nine top-grade spiritual veins, and combined with some other methods, it can complete its transformation and advance to the innate level. At that time, You Tianyi will also receive great benefits.

These Three Rivers and Five Mountains are not ordinary rivers and mountains, but rivers formed by the divine water of the Three Lights and mountains formed by the fusion of myriad stars. Even if You Tian could only summon the phantoms of the Three Rivers and Five Mountains, it would be enough to create an independent space to protect him within it.

Xiang Yangui's sword box lit up, and three divine swords flew out from it, forming the Three Talents Sword Formation around him. Countless sword lights appeared, which had a mysterious quality of giving birth to all things.

Moreover, each of these divine swords is meticulously crafted, with Xiang Yangui spending countless efforts and resources to create them. Any one of them would be enough to attract the attention of a true immortal.

"Buzz!~"

The spatial ripples spread by, but they could not affect You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui in the slightest; the large area of ​​space around them was as solid as a rock.

However, Mellen never intended to do anything to the two directly; his goal was simply to trap them in the void realm to prevent them from escaping.

Mellen appeared, smiling broadly, and said, "Gentlemen, it's a pleasure to finally meet you all..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mellen's expression froze. You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui probably knew they were no match for Mellen, so they had no intention of communicating with him at all. Without saying a word, they directly used various methods to try to break through the void domain.

Then, mountains and rivers converged around You Tianyi, transforming into a shimmering radiance. This radiance was both profound and ethereal, both dazzling and gentle, like stars in the sky and like the warmth of human life, filled with a contradictory harmony.

Xiang Yanggui's sword flashed, and two more divine swords flew out of the sword box. The Three Talents Sword Formation smoothly transformed into the Five Elements Sword Formation, the transition was extremely smooth and without the slightest stagnation.

The dense sword shadows returned to the divine sword like swallows returning to their nests, and the five elements of sword light converged, transforming into a single point of sharpness.

The fluorescent light and sharp edge erupted simultaneously, tearing open huge cracks in the void. You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui's eyes lit up as they prepared to flee the area.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; before Mellen could even finish his sentence.

Seeing this, Mellen's smile remained unchanged, and he lightly snapped his fingers.

The snap of fingers spread at a speed far exceeding the changes in space, instantly cutting through the cracks. Behind these cracks, like mirrors extending out, layers of space reflected each other, transforming into infinite dimensions.

Of course, 'infinity' is just a figurative expression; in reality, there are only a dozen or so layers. But just like two mirrors facing each other, they reflect overlapping images. The dimensional division here follows a similar principle.

You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui broke through one layer of the void realm, but due to the effect of dimensional division, there are still more than ten layers of void realms waiting for them. If they want to truly escape, they must break through all of these void realms.

The superposition of powerful supernatural abilities and immortal techniques is never one plus one greater than two, but rather an exponential surge!

This is only an improvement at the application level. However, if we reach the Dao Lord's unity of all things, it will be a more fundamental fusion and sublimation.

Looking at You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui, who stood silently in the void, already knowing they couldn't escape, Mellen smiled and said the sentence he hadn't finished earlier: "...You've really been looking for me!"

You Tianyi said expressionlessly, "The victor is king and the loser is villain. If this were the Immortal Realm, I could defeat you in a single move."

Before Mellen could respond, Xiang Yangui said calmly, "Alright, there's no need to say more of this nonsense. A loss is a loss. Any more reasons are just excuses and will only make people laugh."

"But, it's only the two of us who lost. It doesn't mean you'll win in the end. Mellen, our bet isn't over yet."

Mellen raised an eyebrow, suddenly sensing something was wrong.

The sea of ​​blood engulfed layer upon layer of the void realm. Even though they knew they were no match, You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui did not give up. The battle lasted for several hours. They used all their skills and fought until the very last moment when they were exhausted before finally releasing the sealing immortal techniques on their bodies.

Watching You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui being teleported back to the Immortal Realm, Mellen sighed helplessly. His ominous premonition had come true. After the two left, there was no trace of demonic power left behind. Clearly, they had anticipated the worst-case scenario and hidden the demonic power in advance.

Moreover, although Mellen had carefully concealed his presence during the battle, the two were indeed skilled, and their fighting aura was eventually leaked out.

This essentially pointed out the approximate area of ​​the Otherworldly King to everyone else, eliminating Melron's advantage and putting everyone back on the same starting line.

Chapter 731 A Mistake and Overbearing Power

Mellen tapped his head lightly and let out a helpless sigh.

Things don't always go as planned. Even though Mellen had a clear advantage before, after You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui's commotion, although they successfully drove the two back to the Immortal Realm, all their previous gains were wiped out. It's hard to say whether they gained or lost.

However, to be honest, the scales of victory still tipped in Mellen's favor.

With the loss of You Tianyi and Xiang Yangui, the four factions are missing two important pillars of support. Meanwhile, Shen Chuyi and Cong Yuanhua are being held back by Jun Tianqi and are unable to attend to anything else. In Mei Lun's view, the other True Immortals are not a concern.

Of course, "not worth worrying about" does not mean there is no chance at all. Just as Xiang Yangui said, the outcome is still uncertain until the very last moment.

Thinking of this, Mellen closed his eyes and focused his mind. When he opened his eyes again, his aura was rising steadily, like the sun rising, and he had already reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, nearing its peak.

At this time, it had been less than two months since Mellen achieved the Nascent Soul stage. Such a speed of improvement in strength would be unbelievable not only to other True Immortals, but even to True Immortal Trialists who had previously come to the Azure Moon Realm and laid a solid foundation.

Now that he had been exposed, Mellen naturally did not hesitate to show his thunderous methods. Even if he could not directly intimidate the other trial participants and prevent them from coming, he could at least make them hesitant to act and could only hide from him, thus reducing their search efficiency.

Meanwhile, Mellen began a reckless search.

As more and more areas are excluded by Melron, the hiding place of the Otherworldly King is gradually shrinking.

But not long after, another change occurred. Waves rippled through the void, and Mellen received a message from Jun Tianqi.

From Yuanhua, it's gone!

Or rather, the one Jun Tianqi had been keeping a close eye on, Cong Yuanhua, was actually a Dao body released by the latter, and his true body had been switched at some point.

The Dao Body is a more advanced supernatural power than the Body Body or the Incarnation Body. Even Jun Tianqi was deceived for a long time before he noticed some clues.

It is highly likely that this was a scheme devised by the four factions from the very beginning to mislead others. In fact, Shen Chuyi's behavior of acting like a straightforward sword cultivator and constantly challenging Jun Tianqi was also a cover for Cong Yuanhua, diverting Jun Tianqi's attention and energy.

Now, Yuanhua should have already brought the power of the alien demons collected by the four factions to the vicinity and is secretly searching for the king of alien demons.

Furthermore, it is highly likely that Mellen's actions at this moment have already fallen into the eyes of Yuanhua.

This intricate calculation made Murron feel a little uneasy. In fact, Murron himself was the same kind of person. He always wanted to have more contingency plans and more backup plans. If he could bully the weak, he would never consider defeating the strong with the weak.

Now, having encountered someone even more cautious than himself, Murren is experiencing the same frustrations that his former enemies had.

Mellen sighed, for when he thought of all of the above, he realized that he had completely lost the initiative, and that the Yuanhua Society had found the King of the Otherworldly Demons before him.

This is the extraordinary ability that Xiao Li's Circular Principle bestowed upon Mellen.

Of course, while the principle of the circle can shake time and glimpse the past and future, it is not omnipotent. It is also subject to interference or guidance from factors such as fate and divine secrets. Otherwise, Murron should have seen through the fog long ago, instead of figuring out the cause and effect before he could understand it.

At that very moment, less than a hundred miles from Mellen, another radiant light rose up in a grand manner. This light was filled with thousands of auspicious rays, and simply standing there, it seemed as if it were the center of heaven and earth, protected by the entire world.

Mellen's gaze pierced through layers of illusion and saw a figure in the radiance. It was a gentle-looking young man in purple robes with delicate features. He wore a black jade hairpin in his hair, stood on a nine-colored auspicious cloud, and held more than ten demonic powers in his hands. It was none other than the True Man Xiaoyun, Cong Yuanhua, whom Mellen had met once before.

Yuanhua noticed Mellen's gaze and, just like last time, smiled and nodded at him.

The next moment, the demonic power in Yuan Hua's hand was activated simultaneously, and chaotic waves spread out. Below him, in the seemingly ordinary ravine, a wisp of demonic energy appeared out of nowhere.

The moment this demonic energy was born, it grew wildly like a wildfire, and even, through some mysterious connection, it continued to devour all the demonic power in the Azure Moon Realm.

Yuan Hua twitched his brow, layering seals over all the demons in his hand, but it was useless. Although it weakened the connection between the demons and the Demon King, the power of these demons continued to drain away, only at a slower pace.

Mellen naturally took similar steps to prevent the Otherworldly King from reclaiming his power, but to little avail.

Yuan Hua's slightly amused voice came through: "Brother Mellen, you've conceded. You've lost this round."

After a moment of silence, a smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Mellen's mouth. He said, "Brother, I just heard something that makes a lot of sense."

"Oh?" Cong Yuanhua said with a smile, "I'd like to hear the details."

"It's too early to predict the outcome until the very last moment," said Mellen.

"Not until the very last moment?" Cong Yuanhua said with a hint of amusement, "I've already found the King of the Otherworldly Demons before you. This trial is over. Isn't this the end?!"

Mellen's tone became calm, and he said decisively, "Of course..."

"Boom!~"

An immense aura surged from Mellen, causing the sun and moon to reverse, stars to appear, blood energy to permeate, and a sea of ​​blood to overflow.

An excessive amount of starlight and blood sea power surged from Mellen's body, and his aura rapidly increased in a very short time, quickly reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Then, he took another step forward and achieved the Void Refinement stage.

That is to say, the true pinnacle that the Azure Moon Realm can contain!

Then, the second half of Mellen's sentence drifted over: "...It doesn't count!"

Yuan Hua's eyes widened in astonishment as he asked, "You don't mean to...? Are you insane?! That's the King of the Otherworldly Demons! A being comparable to a Dao Lord!!"

Mellen said calmly, "The ultimate goal of the joint trial is to find the King of the Otherworldly Demons, but we can still do more on that basis. According to the trial rules, our speed of cultivation adaptation, the number of Otherworldly Demons we recover, the number of lives we save in the Azure Moon Realm, and so on can all be considered as factors in the assessment."

"If we're just comparing these things, with the resources of the four factions concentrated, I might not be much ahead. Plus, you were the one who found the Demon King first, so it's safe to say that in the subsequent trial rankings, I'll definitely be inferior to you."

"However, among the above additional considerations, there is an even more important one, and that is the King of the Otherworldly Demons himself!"

"If we can make the already injured Demon King even more severely injured, I'm sure we'll get a lot of points from you Dao Lords, right?"

Yuan Hua said helplessly, "That's why I said, are you crazy? You? I don't mean to underestimate you, but you think you can hurt the King of the Otherworldly Demons?"

Mellen laughed and said, "How will you know if something will work if you don't try?"