Serpent Ancestor

All eyes present were drawn to the sudden explosion of the spaceship that had barged in. The panda, now charred black all over, became the center of attention.

”This piloting skill is on par with Hei Huang’s,” Xu Hei muttered to himself.

At this moment, the panda climbed out of the wreckage, dusted off his clothes, and scanned the clouds above, seemingly searching for someone.

Yu Jianqiu had already hidden behind the clouds, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. It was so damn embarrassing.

”Master, stop hiding, I can see you!” the panda shouted, pointing at a spot.

Yu Jianqiu had no choice but to step out, angrily asking, ”Who let you in?”

”I don’t know. As soon as I got close, the door opened by itself,” the panda replied.

Yu Jianqiu glanced at the senior members, who all shook their heads, indicating they wouldn’t take the blame.

Now, Yu Jianqiu had a headache.

”This is none of your business. I order you to leave immediately,” Yu Jianqiu scolded.”Haha, since he’s here, why not let the little guy participate?” The Water Kylin said with a bright smile.

”Exactly, since he’s here,” Old Master chimed in.

Yu Jianqiu’s mouth twitched. These two old fellows were definitely behind this!

Yu Jianqiu sighed, rubbed his forehead, and lay back down.

He knew in his heart that Xiong Dabao had come on his own accord, and these two old guys had merely opened the door for him.

In any case, no matter what happened, his plan wouldn’t change. As a sword cultivator, his will must remain steadfast, even if his disciple was present!

Seeing that Yu Jianqiu didn’t object, the Water Kylin nodded slightly and announced loudly, ”Now, let me explain the rules for this year’s annual meeting!”

”As in previous years, it’s a one-on-one knockout on the stage. Each victory earns a point, and rankings are determined by points.”

”However, given the large number of participants this time, there will be a preliminary test first. Only those who pass can enter the stage competition.”

”Now, everyone, step onto the stage!”

With the Water Kylin’s command, disciples from both sides rose and flew to the central stage, which was a hundred miles wide, more than enough to accommodate them.

On the demonic beast side, there were a total of five hundred, while the human side had slightly fewer, with two hundred.

”I will activate the most basic formation, called the Spirit Pressure Formation. During this time, I will continuously increase the spirit pressure. Those who can’t withstand it will be ejected from the stage until only thirty-two remain!”

”Anyone who makes it into the top thirty-two will be rewarded with five thousand contribution points. The top sixteen will receive ten thousand! The top eight will get thirty thousand, plus additional rewards!” the Water Kylin announced.

Seven hundred participants, but only thirty-two would advance!

However, the rewards were extremely generous. Just advancing guaranteed a minimum of five thousand contribution points, which was a considerable fortune for Core Formation cultivators.

It’s worth noting that participating in a black mission usually earned around five thousand contribution points.

Xu Hei wasn’t too concerned about the contribution points; he had spent countless points already. What he cared about were the extra rewards for the top eight.

Because it was a mixed battle between humans and demonic beasts, the competition would be much fiercer this time.

”Begin!”

With a thought from the Water Kylin, a powerful repulsive force appeared at the center of the stage.

The cultivators on the stage were involuntarily pushed backward, and in an instant, a large number of figures were ejected from the stage, landing outside.

In just one moment, half were eliminated!

The remaining cultivators clung to the ground with all four limbs, their nails digging deep into the surface, or they used magical treasures to anchor themselves.

Everyone used their own methods to stabilize themselves.

”Oh? Half of them withstood the first wave. The quality of this year’s disciples is quite good!” Meng Sheng remarked with a smile.

The other senior members nodded slightly. Many of them hadn’t watched in years, and just this first scene was far better than in the past.

As time passed, the spirit pressure increased, and the repulsive force nearly reached the level of the late Core Formation stage.

Another group couldn’t withstand it and was ejected from the stage. In an instant, only about a hundred figures remained, evenly split between humans and demonic beasts.

To be honest, this bare stage terrain was very disadvantageous for some sea-dwelling demonic beasts, which also led to a higher elimination rate for them.

Yet, there were still dozens of figures standing motionless, the powerful repulsive force like a gentle breeze, not even causing a sway.

Their cultivation had all reached the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage.

Xu Hei used the Turtle Breathing Formula, appearing to be at the mid-stage of the demon core. He also made a show of almost being ejected, pretending to be struggling against the pressure.

Suddenly, Xu Hei felt a hostile gaze.

He was now very sensitive to such external gazes, and almost immediately, he locked onto the source.

He didn’t need to look to know that the gaze came from a robust, blue figure—a half-human, half-fish demonic beast.

The Merman Clan!

”Is it him?”

Xu Hei had heard of this person, a Chosen of the Merman Clan named Gong Tianhe, nicknamed Aquaman. Rumor had it that he had over three hundred stars in the Trial Tower, making him an Extreme Realm expert of the Core Formation stage.

This also indicated that this person’s contribution points were almost inexhaustible.

It’s worth noting that challenging over a hundred times would cost about three hundred thousand contribution points. Without support from elders in his clan, it would be impossible!

Similarly, Gong Tianhe could easily obtain Enlightenment Tea and other precious resources, with resources no less than Xu Hei’s.

Xu Hei quickly analyzed the opponent’s information in his mind.

”Boom!!”

Just as Xu Hei was pondering, Gong Tianhe suddenly attacked, striking a nearby person.

”Ugh!”

The human cultivator spat blood, his arms shattered, and he was sent flying out of the stage.

”What? The merman just attacked directly!”

The crowd was in an uproar.

But when they saw that the senior members turned a blind eye, they immediately realized that the rules didn’t prohibit fighting!

They could completely rely on their own strength to knock other competitors off the stage; they didn’t have to rely on the formation.

After this strike, everyone on the stage was on high alert, summoning their magical treasures and preparing for battle, ready to fight at any moment.

Now, they not only had to guard against the repulsive force of the formation but also their opponents nearby.

This greatly increased their pressure, and soon, another dozen figures were ejected.

”Get out! Useless trash!”

Gong Tianhe grabbed again, sending two more demonic beasts flying out of the arena, each strike vicious, aiming to severely injure his targets.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he was heading towards Xu Hei, knocking away demonic beasts along the way.

”Trying to make a move on me?” Xu Hei squinted his eyes.

Gong Tianhe seemed to be attacking indiscriminately, but in reality, his target was clear—it was Xu Hei.

What he did along the way was just a cover.

Xu Hei thought of the blue frog Yuan Hua from before, but Yuan Hua hadn’t participated in the competition and was nowhere to be seen. In his view, someone like Yuan Hua, who had been kicked out, shouldn’t be able to enlist Gong Tianhe, right?

”Get lost!”

Three more demonic beasts were sent flying, one of them having its limbs broken, in a miserable state, unable to even escape.

Unknowingly, Gong Tianhe had arrived not far in front of Xu Hei, his gaze locked onto him.

”Will you get off yourself, or should I do it?” Gong Tianhe said coldly.

His upper body was human, his lower body a fish tail, covered in azure scales, wearing a crown of the sea, with shark-like gill lines on his face, giving him a somewhat heroic appearance at first glance.