Chapter 697 - 331: All-out Brawl! (Part 2)

More people, like You Su, confidently believe they can rush to the front and watch from the sidelines as others fight each other and weaken themselves.

The battle grows increasingly fierce. Zixun and Si Han, surrounded by people guarding them, watch the battlefield with concern.

"Please don’t hit me! I want to go home!"

On the battlefield, a delicate young girl suddenly squats down, clutching her head and sobbing, about to tear the Teleportation Talisman in her hand.

Si Han and Zixun immediately tense up, feeling a sense of empathy, realizing even on this battlefield there are those trapped against their will. They sigh at the fact that she has a way to retreat, whereas they do not.

But in the next moment, they are stunned, eyes wide in shock.

They see the delicate and gentle young girl suddenly show a ruthless gaze, as a golden staff shoots from her palm directly towards someone’s back.

It turns out her act of tearing the talisman and crying were just a performance. Her pitiful appearance was all feigned. The cultivator behind her, intending to spare her, had already turned away but fell victim to the girl’s deceit and was fatally struck before he could even pull out his own Teleportation Talisman.

Zixun’s lips slightly parted, momentarily at a loss for words.

Indeed... at this point, who would be willing to stop here? If they were too frightened to proceed, they wouldn’t have climbed to the top of this mountain in the first place.

This is an opportunity that could change anyone’s life, after which they could rise to the very peak, becoming someone superior, an immortal among immortals!

Such a great opportunity fuels tremendous desire. Only now does Zixun fully understand that the Qiankun Bag she carries might hold a key to heaven’s path, or a cursed box that turns people into demons.

The battle on the battlefield continues!

Bodies lie strewn across the ground, becoming stepping stones for newcomers. From an original thirty-six participants, a chaotic melee has reduced the numbers to just twenty-three, yet no one has crossed the halfway point.

Conveniently, these twenty-three have also stopped, as the next phase beyond halfway is heavily obstructed, making further progress extremely difficult, suggesting that the outcome might be decided in this middle stage.

Furthermore, these remaining twenty-three quickly formed alliances after the earlier clashes. Many were not focused on rushing individually to the center of the altar, but rather on finding partners to collaborate.

Rather than rushing alone and becoming a target for others, obviously forming alliances to collectively fend off outside interference offers the best chance to traverse the Restriction Technique and reach the endpoint.

Indeed, this free-for-all has inevitably evolved into a second phase, group warfare.

In the field, there are six major forces: each of the Five Continents makes up one, and the last is a force composed of scattered individuals from various places, though there are still some lone individuals.

Ji Xueruo blended in with the geniuses of the Demon Race, not hurriedly taking action but ensuring her safety while keeping pace with the larger group.

She glanced around, taking a long time to find You Su, only to see this blind man constantly trailing everyone.

She silently cursed him as a pervert, liking to always stare at everyone’s backsides.

In fact, she knows in her heart this must be You Su’s strategy, deliberately downplaying his presence so that the label of the Condensed Water Lower Realm keeps others off guard, allowing him to ’steal the chicken’ unexpectedly.

It’s a very reasonable strategy, but it also requires confidence in one’s own abilities.

She, being so proud, still chooses to follow the main flow, using the surrounding larger force of her kin to safely get closer to the Sanyuan Purple Gold before finding the right moment to strike.

Yet You Su did not join with the few from the Profound Sky Sect but opted to fight alone, which obviously comes with more unpredictable dangers.

Don’t let yourself fall and expect me to save you... Ji Xueruo worries lightly in her heart.

"There are many Zhongyuan Continent people! Let’s kill the Zhongyuan Continent people first!"

Suddenly, someone within the Nanyang Continent camp shouted.

The Profound Sky Sect members immediately furrowed their brows, sharp gazes gathering on these cultivators in luxurious Taoist robes.

"Tong Hui! Do you have the guts to challenge one-on-one! What kind of skill is it to incite others!" a senior brother from the Profound Sky Sect cried out angrily.

"Is this incitement? Am I not stating the facts?!" retorted Tong Hui, the Nanyang Continent cultivator, without hesitation.

Looming at the front of the Profound Sky Sect, Fu Heng and Duanmu Jin’s expressions became even more grim. In any regular setting outside, Tong Hui wouldn’t dare utter such obviously provocative words, unable to handle the wrath of the Profound Sky Sect.

But on this lawless island, he dares.

Fu Heng and Duanmu Jin boldly surmise that these words were not just Tong Hui’s intention, but rather the intention of the leader of Nanyang Continent, or perhaps the collective will of all leading cultivators of the other four continents, with Tong Hui merely being a sacrificed fool.

"Miss Long, are you also planning to attack our Profound Sky Sect?" Duanmu Jin, a robust and handsome man, looked at Long Chiyu with complex eyes.

Everybody knows that he is one of the many admirers of Long Chiyu.

Long Chiyu’s red lips parted slightly, but before she could speak, the young Saint from the West Wilderness Continent interjected to answer for her, his smile sinister:

"Duanmu Jin, stop deceiving yourself. Wasn’t she the first to strike against your Profound Sky Sect?"

Duanmu Jin’s face turned cold, while Long Chiyu hesitated to speak, eventually only softly saying:

"Long puts the Sect’s interests first."

Fu Heng, with a square face and honest demeanor, had a string of talismans on his shoulder. Judging by his appearance, he was likely the eldest among those present, leading to him being more steady and thoughtful.

He said lightly, "Think about it, everyone. If we from Zhongyuan are to be the main target now, who will be next once we Zhongyuan cultivators retreat? Don’t become the blade borrowed by others only to be discarded afterward."

As he spoke, his gaze subtly swept over the demon cultivators’ position, hinting at a deeper meaning.

"Why does Mr. Fu keep looking at me? Is he trying to warn me that we of the Demon Race will be the next target and wants to win me over?"

A robust man from the Demon Race, named Kui Hanyin, laughed contemptuously, being one of the most powerful among the demon geniuses.

Interestingly, he had only his right arm, being a member of the famous Kui Ox Race from the Star Shining Divine Mountain, naturally missing two feet and horns, even in human form retaining this incomplete trait.

But no person or demon dares to underestimate this race, which has occupied a seat on the Divine Mountain since its inception.

"But has Mr. Fu considered that by eliminating your Profound Sky Sect, my Demon Race will lose a strong rival?" Kui Hanyin retorted with a grin.

Upon hearing this, Fu Heng secretly clenched the talismans in his hand.

Though obsessed with talisman arts, few know about his extensive battle experience. To support his talisman expenses, he frequently took on high-reward tasks.

Understanding that in chaotic battles, the most needed element is a target—a target that can rally everyone to attack.

Chaotic combat brings immeasurable loss and gain to every faction. Still, leading to the elimination of one force offers tremendous gain, while losses are shared among the other factions.

It’s an extremely cost-effective choice, and Tong Hui’s shout merely articulated the silent wishes of others.

"It’s the Profound Sky Sect that has many people, not just Zhongyuan Continent! It is the Profound Sky Sect that should be destroyed first!"

Someone suddenly stepped out, leaving the team to distance themselves in a bid to dissociate.

In Zhongyuan Continent’s faction, with the Profound Sky Sect as the backbone, there were also other Immortal Sects’ individuals. Considering the external threats from other continents, someone could not withstand the pressure and attempted to retreat, infuriating the remaining members. Yet, doubt crept into the minds of these ’outsiders’ from the Profound Sky Sect.

Fu Heng’s face darkened as he gazed deeply at the cultivator who first left the team. Zhongyuan Continent initially had the strongest forces, not without a chance to fight back. But with this retreat, undoubtedly, the morale of Zhongyuan Continent would waver significantly.

Currently, the situation is unprecedentedly dire, and for the Profound Sky Sect, almost intolerable.

"You are bullying us!"

Zixun cursed loudly, wanting to cause a ruckus, but she couldn’t stir up any waves among the surrounding cultivators.

Duanmu Jin had already drawn his long blade, his eyes burning with intense battle intent. Fu Heng took a deep breath, and the insignia on his shoulder showed faint signs of glowing.

Yet, just as the major battle was about to erupt, a figure flashed like an arrow through the various factions stationed in place!

"A thief!" someone loudly alerted.

Ji Xueruo frowned upon spotting that figure’s back, whispering in her heart:

"Why couldn’t he hold back anymore..."