Chapter 225

“Strength is everything; the powerful dominate the world—this is the rule!”

Atop Yuanwu Mountain, outside the Yuanwu Immortal Domain, all the true disciples of the top ten sects gathered in the plaza in front of the grand hall.

The great competition had just wrapped up, and the barriers on the path to immortality had vanished.

Everyone now had the chance to ascend to the summit of Yuanwu Mountain without the threat of divine punishment raining down.

In ten days, the Yuanwu Forbidden Domain would seal itself once more, only to resurface sixty years later.

However, Yuanwu Mountain would not disappear into the void.

It would always remain, as it was the only access point to the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

The Qingyang Sword Sect was set to replace the Fuyiao Sword Sect in this domain.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the Yuanwu grand hall was tense and oppressive.

All disciples stood silently in the plaza, their gazes fixed on the enormous light screen hovering above.

At this moment, the results of the competition were revealed instantly to everyone.

No suspense at all.

Xiao Yang claimed victory, returning from a previous life, he once again emerged as the most unexpected dark horse in the competition.

Li Xingyao came in second.

The seemingly harmless Ye Ling’er snagged third place.

Surprisingly, the Supreme Dao Child narrowly defeated Lu Fusheng, taking fourth.

Lu Fusheng was left with fifth.

Ning Shu and Dan Yangzi battled for sixth, with Ning Shu ultimately prevailing.

Dan Yangzi’s misfortune was palpable; he was defeated by both Ning Shu and Nie Ruhua of the Heguan Sect, then once more by Hua Mengli, and finally fell to Chu Guixi.

In the end, even Li Fan Yin bested him, knocking him out of the top ten entirely.

Nie Ruhua of the Heguan Sect unleashed incredible power, finishing in seventh place.

And the eighth position—who would’ve guessed? It was none other than the Carefree Palace’s saintess, Hua Mengli.

Following closely were Ling Xian’er and Li Fan Yin, securing ninth and tenth places, respectively.

As for the poorly-fated Wang Ao, he too faced defeat after defeat, eventually vying for eleventh place against Dan Yangzi and Chu Guixi but ended up beaten by both.

Chu Guixi of Guiyuan Martial Sect finished eleventh, with Dan Yangzi trailing in twelfth.

The Holy Son of the Refining Sect shockingly ended up thirteenth in this competition.

This time around, the standings sent shockwaves throughout the North, with the Dan Ding Sect, Refining Sect, and Guiyuan Martial Sect all ousted from the top ten.

For the first time in centuries, Qingyun Sect clawed its way back into the top ten of the great competition.

Ling Xian’er was undeniably the biggest dark horse this time.

The most fortunate faction, however, was undoubtedly the Beast Control Manor.

If it weren’t for Ye Ling’er, who dropped out of the top ten, the Beast Control Manor’s name would surely have surfaced among the ousted clans.

This great competition led to a complete reshuffling of power dynamics in the North.

The ascendance of the Heguan Sect, Carefree Palace, and Qingyun Sect left countless onlookers stunned.

Alright, Carefree Palace was okay as the eleventh force in the North, but what on earth was up with the Heguan Sect and Qingyun Sect?

Especially Qingyun Sect, which only had two members!

Indeed, the current Qingyun Sect consisted solely of Sect Leader Liu Qingyun and Ling Xian’er.

Yet, these two managed to break into the North’s top ten.

Is this still fair play?

Everyone felt utterly bewildered.

Especially when Ling Xian’er revealed her stunning abilities; she was the Saint Body of the Taiyin.

This kind of cultivation physique hadn’t been seen for ages.

The tension in the Yuanwu grand hall was palpable.

Not just Fuyiao Sword Sect, but even the Guiyuan Martial Sect, Dan Ding Sect, and Refining Sect, who’d all been knocked out of the top ten, were reluctant to yield.

Xiao Yang’s unexpected surge left everyone dumbfounded.

In that moment, he appeared to have no dantian, his aura completely suppressed within his body, not giving off a single vibe of martial prowess.

To the eyes of the gathered dignitaries, Xiao Yang looked like an ordinary person, devoid of any martial energy.

Indeed, it seemed Xiao Yang had turned into a waste.

Everyone lamented his fate.

Standing behind Jiang Qitian, Qin Fei, however, wore a smug grin looking at Xiao Yang.

Xiao Yang, oh Xiao Yang, look at you now.

Qin Fei reveled inwardly, envisioning himself in the glorious position of Holy Son of the Qingyang Sword Sect.

After all, the Qingyang Sword Sect was far different now than it used to be.

Now, it was the top sect in the North, poised to invade the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

What awaited him were the best cultivation sanctuaries and resources in the North—all within his grasp.

And to think, it was all thanks to Xiao Yang’s self-sacrifice for the sect.

The most delightful twist for Qin Fei was that Xiao Yang’s self-explosion of his dantian left all that glory up for grabs for him.

As these thoughts raced through Qin Fei’s mind, he could hardly suppress a laugh.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ting looked at Xiao Yang with a heart full of pain.

“What, can’t you all handle a loss?”

Xiao Yang’s voice echoed through the grand hall.

He turned his attention to the pedestal where Li Fuyiao, the leader of the Fuyiao Sword Sect, sat.

“Are you really so unwilling to accept defeat?”

Liu Qingyun shot a cold glare at the various sect masters seated in their thrones.

“Strength is revered. When it comes to power, my Fuyiao Sword Sect is the number one in the North. Who else dares claim the right to sit on the throne of the North’s top sect?”

From behind Li Fuyiao stepped forth an elder of the Fuyiao Sword Sect, his voice ringing out in the hall for all to hear.

“What…?”

Liu Qingyun, Nie Ruyin of the Heguan Sect, and Hua Linglong of the Carefree Palace were all left shocked and enraged by this declaration.

Jiang Qitian couldn’t help but fume.

What does the Fuyiao Sword Sect mean by this? The competition has ended, and according to the rules, they should withdraw from the Yuanwu Immortal Domain and concede their title of the North’s number one sect to the Qingyang Sword Sect.

By all accounts, the Qingyang Sword Sect should naturally take their place in the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

Choo Zhenbei, the leader of the Guiyuan Martial Sect, along with Wang Ao of the Refining Sect and Tai Xuan Daoist of the Dan Ding Sect, all coldly observed the scene.

The Fuyiao Sword Sect had held the number one spot in the North for a millennium; they wouldn’t easily relinquish it.

Especially regarding the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

They’d been entrenched there for over a thousand years!

Just walk away? No way.

The Fuyiao Sword Sect wasn’t giving up without a fight.

And Li Fuyiao, their sect master, tacitly approved of the elder’s actions.

“Li Canghai, what exactly are you implying?”

Liu Qingyun snapped at the elder of the Fuyiao Sword Sect.

“What do you mean? You’re not aware?”

Li Canghai retorted coldly.

“So, you really think you can bully us with your strength, disregarding the rules of the great competition altogether?”

Liu Qingyun said frostily.

“So what if we do? Strength is everything, and the powerful rule. That’s the rule!”

Li Canghai scoffed.

“Fine, fine, fine, you Fuyiao Sword Sect is powerful, but don’t forget, we are under the watch of the will of the Immortals here. No matter how strong you are, it won’t matter.”

Liu Qingyun erupted with rage.

At this, Xiao Yang recalled the vague phantom he’d encountered within the Hall of Immortals.

The faces of the various sect masters darkened in unison.

Li Fuyiao frowned as well.

“Ha ha…”

Li Canghai laughed heartily, disregarding the concern.

“The will of the Immortals? To hell with that! Who has seen this immortal will in the last thousand years? The so-called great competition is merely an automatic operation of a divine array!”

Li Canghai’s words were laced with disdain.

For a millennium, the Fuyiao Sword Sect had secured first place in the great competition, firmly maintaining their title as the North’s top sect.

Yet they had never once encountered this “will of the Immortals.”

As time passed, doubts crept in regarding the very existence of such a thing in the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

What if Li Canghai really was onto something?

What did he mean by this?

“What…?”

All in the grand hall were left dumbfounded by Li Canghai’s audacious assertion.

This guy dared to question the existence of the will of the Immortals?

The great competition held every sixty years was merely a result of a divine array’s automatic operation?!

Could it be true?

No way!

But many began to accept Li Canghai’s proposition.

After all, the Fuyiao Sword Sect had been entrenched in the Yuanwu Immortal Domain for over a millennium!

Had they perhaps discovered some secret about the Yuanwu Immortal Domain?

Otherwise, why would Li Canghai bold enough to make such claims?

The Yuanwu Immortal Domain was the most coveted cultivation sacred ground in the North!

In the plaza before the Yuanwu grand hall, countless eyes were fixed on the hovering light screen, all stunned by the sight of the uproar in the hall.

Could the Fuyiao Sword Sect really dare to question the will of the Immortals?

This was utterly unheard of!

Everyone’s expressions were one of shock and disbelief as they stared at Li Canghai.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yang maintained his calm demeanor.

“So you’ve really become a waste?”

Ling Xian’er suddenly remarked to Xiao Yang.

“What do you think?”

Xiao Yang’s lips curled into an enigmatic smile.

Ling Xian’er studied him, deep in thought.

Many eyes from the hall turned toward Xiao Yang.

Only Xiao Yang knew the truth—the will of the Immortals certainly existed.

Thus, he sat back, ready to watch the show unfold.

He couldn’t wait to see if the Fuyiao Sword Sect could handle the wrath of the Immortal will.

Since that will had brought him here, it must be aware of all that transpired.

“Is the existence of the Immortal will debatable? Who really knows?”

Another elder from the Guiyuan Martial Sect stepped up.

Choo Zhenbei, the leader of the Guiyuan Martial Sect, remained silent, clearly condoning this elder’s actions.

Weighty elders from both Dan Ding and Refining Sects began to support the Fuyiao Sword Sect.

The entire handover ritual devolved into a farce, now led by the Fuyiao Sword Sect questioning the Immortal will.

Xiao Yang cast a cold gaze at this chaotic scene.

At the root of it all was the reluctance to part with vested interests.

Especially for the Fuyiao Sword Sect, they still wanted to claim the number one spot in the North.

Even after losing the great competition, the Fuyiao Sword Sect refused to vacate the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

In terms of martial strength, the Fuyiao Sword Sect stood unchallenged in the North.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to all gathered, the skies above Yuanwu Mountain grew dark, clouds swirling ominously, and the world dimmed.

Countless attendees gazed up in shock, unsure of what was happening.