Grasping the Evil-Chapter 1005: The First Round of the Tomb Seizure
After completing the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique, Ning Fan tore open space and left with Duolan.
All the way, Duolan was in a state of anxiety. Although she managed to keep her life from Ning Fan, her brother’s death and becoming a soul-locked slave were a big blow to her. She was forced to submit due to the constraints of the soul-locking technique, and she even had a strange sense of resignation deep down. However, due to her fear of Ning Fan, she dared not engage in much conversation with him throughout the journey.
Of course, there were some things that needed to be clear, such as the next destination of Ning Fan, which Duolan was quite concerned about. If she hadn’t become a soul-locked slave, by now, she should have obtained the Six-Star Nirvana Mother Stone and prepared for the Holy Mountain competition. Unfortunately, she lost her basic freedom...
"Senior, are you returning to the Xieyang Clan to complete the mission?" Duolan hesitated for a long time and asked with determination.
"Yes, we’ll first return to the Xieyang Clan to complete the mission and then head back to the Tamu Clan to prepare for the Southern Frontier Clan’s competition. In the meantime, stay by my side." Ning Fan replied. He didn’t plan to let Duolan leave his side until he confirmed the effectiveness of the Three Yin Soul Locking Technique to avoid unexpected events.
"Southern Frontier Competition? Senior being a foreign cultivator will not benefit much from participating in the Southern Frontier competition, or does Senior have another purpose for the clan competition, or maybe..." Duolan’s beautiful eyes moved, and she made a guess.
Her response was met with Ning Fan’s slight squinting gaze, a calm look with implicit pressure, "Whether I have intentions with the clan competition is not something you can inquire about. I hope you keep that in mind."
Duolan’s heart trembled, silently cursing her own garrulousness. She bit her lip, forced herself into submission, and said respectfully, "Whatever Senior intends is naturally beyond a junior’s comment. I will certainly pay attention to it and dare not be verbose anymore."
"That’s for the best."
Duolan bit her lip and said again, "I am a Holy Mountain Tomb Guardian, and due to my poor performance in previous Holy Mountain competitions, I have no qualification to enter Holy Mountain for practice... This time, I am well-prepared, and there is a good chance I can re-enter Holy Mountain for practice. When the time comes for the Holy Mountain competition, could Senior allow me to leave temporarily and participate..."
"As far as I’m aware, your Dabei Clan’s clan competition consists of three rounds, correct?" Ning Fan neither affirmed nor denied but asked.
"Replying to Senior, what is called the clan competition is just a name used by foreign cultivators and lower tribes for the ’Tomb-Seizing Battle.’ In the mouths of Holy Mountain cultivators, it is referred to as the Tomb-Seizing Battle. Indeed, it consists of three rounds: the first round is the clan competition in various steppe regions; the second round is the competition in Middle State; the third round is the Holy Mountain competition. The Southern Frontier competition where Senior represents the Tamu Clan is part of the first round of the Tomb-Seizing Battle." Duolan explained.
"Tomb-Seizing Battle..." Ning Fan showed a pondering expression. From the memories of those Sanyan Guards, he had obtained quite a bit of information related to the Tomb-Seizing Battle.
"As Senior knows, our ancestor of the Dabei clan was an ancient saint. After the Saint Ancestor’s death, his remnants transformed into Holy Mountain, containing the Sacred Tomb and opening twelve veins, encompassing the world’s creations..." As she mentioned this, Duolan suddenly covered her head with a painful expression, unable to continue speaking.
"If words related to Holy Mountain violate taboos, you don’t need to say more." Ning Fan’s eyes became slightly serious, instructing her. If he was seeing correctly, Duolan was limited by her cultivation and could not speak excessively about Holy Mountain.
"Yes." Duolan was somewhat surprised by Ning Fan’s understanding, taking a deep breath, she continued, "The Holy Mountain Mausoleum has twelve tomb veins. If cultivators enter these veins, their cultivation speed is exceptionally fast, and many have comprehended a trace of the Saint Ancestor’s remnants from these veins, greatly enhancing their divine skills..."
"Oh? The tomb veins within the Holy Mountain Mausoleum can actually possibly allow cultivators to comprehend the remains of the saints!" Ning Fan’s eyes flickered slightly, showing interest in Holy Mountain for the first time. Saint remnants and the great enhancement of divine skills... If there were no other pressing matters this trip, he truly would want to see this Holy Mountain Mausoleum.
"The Tomb-Seizing Battle opens once every millennium, and the ownership of the twelve tomb veins changes each millennium. How they are allocated depends on the results of the Holy Mountain competition... My Chu Lie lineage now occupies the ninth vein among the twelve tomb veins because in the last Tomb-Seizing Battle, our overall performance ranked ninth, securing ten slots for entering the veins for practice. Unfortunately, my individual performance was poor, so among the Chu Lie lineage’s ten slots, I did not qualify... This time is another Tomb-Seizing Battle; I am a Chu Lie Tomb Guardian and also the Chu Lie Holy Maiden. If possible, when the Holy Mountain competition begins, could Senior allow me to leave temporarily to participate..."
Duolan bit her lip, pleading earnestly.
Ning Fan looked deeply at Duolan, his voice hard to discern joy or anger, "The Holy Mountain competition is the third round of the Tomb-Seizing Battle, whereas the Southern Frontier competition is the first round. There’s still a lot of time until the third round, so you need not rush."
The implication was neither agreement nor outright rejection.
Duolan was somewhat disappointed, yet felt the result was reasonable. If she were this Ning Fan, she would make the same decision. Moreover, Ning Fan didn’t explicitly refuse the matter, which meant there was still hope. In this case, she only needed to perform well and satisfy Ning Fan, then there might be a chance of getting permission to participate in the Holy Mountain competition.
As they talked while flying over several continents, suddenly, Ning Fan’s escape light paused, lightly exclaiming, and a strange expression appeared on his face shortly after.
"Why did Senior stop... hiss, this is..."
Duolan released her spirit sense, then gasped in shock, "What happened to this continent! Such a large-scale toxic mist outbreak! This is rarely seen!"
The toxic mist on the Fierce Domain Continent is extremely poisonous. If it leaks, even some True Immortals dare not come into contact without preparation.
At this moment, the Fierce Domain continent was engulfed in white mist. The mist looked very ordinary, but only those trapped within understood its terrifying and persistent nature!
At the deepest point of the toxic mist, seven or eight cultivators had already fallen, all from the Xieyang clan. Only five or six could still stand, among them the Xieyang clan’s Young Chief — Xianyu Chun, who had a sullen face.
The surrounding mist was too dense, and by working together, the Xieyang clan and others barely opened a several-yard-wide vacuum area but could only maintain it with difficulty. Attempting to escape from the deep mist was beyond their cultivation capabilities, leaving them helplessly trapped there.
"Young Chief! Lie Lugu was knocked unconscious by the ground gas poison, and his life is in danger!"
"Lie Lugu saved my life... Use my Grass Returning Pill to save him! Don’t hold back on the pills, feed him hard. For goodness sake, wake him up, or I’ll skin you!"
"Young Chief! Alande has also fainted..."
"Then why bother talking! Use my Grass Returning Pills to save him! Alande, Alande, I promised his mother to keep him safe for life... Hurry up! Lives are at stake! They are all my subordinates! Not one should die!"
"Young Chief! Nuoweizhen also..."
"Use my Grass Returning Pills to save him!"
"Hass also..."
"Use my Grass Returning Pills to save him!"
"Young Chief, there is one thing the little one must report..."
"What is it!"
"Senior, you didn’t actually bring any Grass Returning Pills today..."
Ten breaths passed.
Twenty breaths passed.
Xianyu Chun suddenly slapped his forehead with a bewildered look of realization, "Oh dear, haha, I really seem to have forgotten to bring it."
Haha...
Hahaha...
"Laugh, my ass! Without those expensive pills saving us, aren’t we all going to die here!"
At this moment, Xianyu Chun was really quite anxious. His cultivation level was higher, so he could hold on in this place for a few days more, but those subordinates of his couldn’t sustain it!
"Young Sect Leader, if I may say something I shouldn’t, you really shouldn’t have entered this Fierce Realm; how mighty that Ning Immortal Venerable is, surely he doesn’t need you to deliver the Compass, and now look, we’re all stuck here..." complained a tribal cultivator from the Evil Sheep Sect.
"Shut up! Babbling like a woman!" Xianyu Chun coldly glared at that subordinate, scaring him into silence.
Suddenly, Xianyu Chun showed a happy expression, as he sensed strong cultivator auras beyond the miasma, indicating that they might be powerful enough to rescue his group. After a moment of hesitation, he used his full mana to loudly ask beyond the miasma,
"Xianyu Chun of the Evil Sheep Sect is in distress here, requesting aid from two seniors; if spared, there will be great rewards!"
Ning Fan revealed a strange expression; with his strong spirit sense, he could easily perceive everything happening here through the layers of poisonous fog.
A person of his character usually does not interfere much, but given how Xianyu Chun has served him loyally, he might not wish to take this person as an apprentice, but he would not let him die.
What amused him was that Xianyu Chun was trapped here because of him, as he came to deliver the Compass for Ning Fan.
This lad probably rushed upon receiving the report from his subordinates to bring the Compass, yet sadly, Xianyu Chun didn’t know, Ning Fan had no need for the Compass at all.
"Senior, do you intend to rescue this person? Duolan advises against it... this person should not be saved." Duolan suddenly advised against it.
"Oh? Why should this person not be saved?" Ning Fan asked faintly.
"The miasma leakage of the Fierce Realm continent is extremely rare, and whenever it occurs, it’s usually caused by man. Duolan suspects that these Evil Sheep Sect cultivators are trapped here due to human manipulation..." Duolan explained.
"Are you saying someone plotted against Xianyu Chun, causing him to be trapped here?"
"Indeed, I had my suspicions, but upon sensing the existence of this object here, I immediately confirmed my guess."
In her eagerness to gain Ning Fan’s favor, Duolan hurriedly, and with multiple hand signals, released a crimson wolf shadow from her Tian Ling.
"Beast-shaped Medicine Soul..." Ning Fan showed a serious look; these tribal Bei cultivators indeed had a unique approach to medicine soul cultivation. The Medicine Soul of Duolan, before him, was of Nine-Turns Lead Grade. This presence in Eastern Heaven was probably akin to a shocking Alchemist, yet it wasn’t unusual among the Bei Clan.
Duolan suffered severe injuries from the days of attacking by the Sanyan Guard, yet even in her weakened state, she still forced herself to unleash this Divine Skill fully. The crimson wolf shadow suddenly let out a piercing howl, and the entire world turned red, revealing a fissured space from which an object dropped.
That was a golden Immortal Talisman with a swastika symbol!
"Buddhist talisman..." Ning Fan’s gaze slightly sharpened; the existence of this talisman was profoundly hidden, evading even his senses unless deliberately searched for.
Once the talisman appeared, large areas of golden light immediately wiped away the crimson veil. Duolan sighed, knowing someone indeed plotted against Xianyu Chun. The golden light illuminated the miasma layers and shone on Xianyu Chun and his followers, who first were stunned and then grew furious.
"This is... a Medicaster Terrain-Control Talisman! It controls the land, reversing celestial phenomena... I see, I see! No wonder the miasma suddenly leaked, I was tricked!" Normally not the brightest, Xianyu Chun had an epiphany like divine aid allowed him to piece it together.
This was a unique talisman of the Pharmacist lineage, and since it appeared here, it implied that someone from the Pharmacist lineage plotted against him...
Damn it! How can I not remember offending cultivators from the Pharmacist lineage!
Xianyu Chun, somewhat hopelessly sighed; he knew these were the Pharmacist lineage’s talismans, and surely the two seniors outside recognized them too—would they dare rescue us? Rescuing them would definitely offend the Pharmacist lineage...
"These two seniors remain unmoving, likely unwilling to offer aid." A cultivator from the Evil Sheep Sect expressed utter despair.
"It’s a unique talisman from the Pharmacist lineage; its presence signifies that members from the Pharmacist lineage plotted against the Evil Sheep Sect cultivators. The Pharmacist lineage is the strongest line in the Holy Mountain; if the senior rescues Xianyu Chun, they may offend certain members of the Pharmacist lineage..." Duolan implied.
In her view, Ning Fan, cautious as he was, would surely avoid offending the Pharmacist lineage.
Ning Fan slightly furrowed his brow; indeed, he preferred not to antagonize the Bei Clan but under certain conditions. Xianyu Chun came because of him and got trapped due to him—if he left him in peril, he wouldn’t be Ning Fan. As for the Pharmacist lineage, perhaps they wouldn’t know who rescued him!
With this thought, Ning Fan pointed his finger towards the heavens, and shot out a flare that instantly burned the Buddhist talisman to ashes. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a powerful invisible force split the pervasive miasma, creating a vacuum path.
Amid the locked poisonous mist, suddenly there was a path to survival; Xianyu Chun and others, even if dim-witted, knew the mysterious senior had intervened to rescue them, all rejoicing while dragging their fainted companions, hastily escaped from the area. Having escaped, Xianyu Chun wanted to offer his gratitude for lifesaving, but unfortunately couldn’t spot the rescuer’s silhouette.
Upon saving Xianyu Chun and the others, Ning Fan immediately departed, not taking such trivial matters to heart.
Duolan was completely taken aback, never expected Ning Fan to dare rescue them at the risk of offending the Pharmacist lineage, and for the first time, changed her impression of Ning Fan.
"This Bei Clan, not necessarily a pure land... Tribal cultivators’ minds are largely incomplete; thus, compared to ordinary people, they have few calculations, yet more simplicity. But that doesn’t mean this place lacks cunning cultivators, first Duolan, then Xianyu Chun; upon entering the Fierce Realm, they were schemed against, indicating that the greatest danger here isn’t the hidden Corpse demons or Fierce Beasts, but human hearts..."
Ning Fan sighed slightly, also putting away his carefree attitude upon entering the Tamu Clan; during the Fierce Realm journey, he gained a comprehensive understanding of the Bei Clan through Soul Search, but had yet to learn anything about the whereabouts of Jiuli Ritual Vessel, requiring further searching.
Ning Fan naturally returned to the Evil Sheep Sect before Xianyu Chun and his followers.
The Evil Sheep Sect remained bustling and peaceful, with no concern from any sect member about their Young Sect Leader’s delayed return.
The Bei Clan cultivators were all large-hearted; unless witnessing Xianyu Chun’s corpse firsthand, none would worry unnecessarily. This led Ning Fan to greater insight into the peculiar nature of the Bei Clan.
"Haven’t seen the Young Sect Leader in days, truly miss him..." a shepherded youth told another youth.
"Heard the Young Sect Leader went to the Fierce Realm, so many days have passed, still hasn’t returned; could he be in danger?"
"Of course, there’s no danger, hahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
"Enough about the young chief. Look! I’ve picked up a strange stone!"
"That’s dry sheep dung..."
"I don’t believe it!"
"If you don’t believe me, I’ll taste it for you... Ugh, see, it’s really sheep dung, it’s so disgusting, how could I lie to you!"
"I still don’t believe it, you must be tricking me! I will taste it myself to confirm..."
Seeing the peacefulness of the Evil Sheep Sect, Ning Fan felt speechless. Do these **** youths know that your young chief nearly died in the Fierce Realm...
He arrived at the task dispatch center and handed in the tasks. During this trip, Ning Fan completed 51 human-tier tasks and 7 earth-tier tasks, thereby completing the divine, demon, and devil tasks. With the three honors and six penalties concluded, he now just needs to obey the Dabei Clan’s Twelve Prohibitions to avoid any trouble.
The 51 human-tier tasks earned nearly a million Medicine Soul Stones in total. Earth-tier tasks granted two million Medicine Soul Stones, along with other rewards.
Twelve Nine Revolutions Silver Pills, all of which enhance Truth-Transcending cultivation, and unlike the Four Heavens Pills, the Dabei Clan’s pills greatly enhance cultivation. According to Ning Fan’s estimate, any one of these pills could rival the efficacy of an Enlightenment Dao Fruit! That’s somewhat terrifying! It made Ning Fan look forward to the pills that enhance Abandon-Void cultivation.
Three acquired treasures, mostly just first or second grade Nirvana treasures; these were inconsequential.
Seven plants of five-million-year-old spiritual herbs, a Fate Immortal Realm Corpse servant, and a War Spirit Technique manual.
The spiritual herbs were a variety Ning Fan had never seen, and even more eye-opening for him was the Dabei Clan’s secret technique for controlling Corpse servants. The Dabei Clan seemed to excel at manipulating Corpse servants, and Ning Fan noticed that his acquired Corpse servant wore a golden hoop on its head, which was precisely what restricted the Corpse servant, ensuring the low-intellect Corpse followed Ning Fan’s orders.
"This golden hoop is called the Devil Subduing Hoop; once worn, it can easily subdue demonic creatures, effective not only on Corpse servants but also on demons, Ancient Chaos Grand Emperors, and all magic practitioners in the world. It’s the ultimate treasure for subduing demons among Buddhist disciples..." The task keeper Tuolong explained to Ning Fan when handing out the rewards.
Of course, Ning Fan didn’t need a Fate Immortal Realm Corpse servant, so he resold it to the Evil Sheep Sect for a large number of Medicine Soul Stones.
The War Spirit Technique was a Seventh Revolution-grade soul skill, suitable for Seventh Revolution Pill Masters. Although the soul skill’s level was comparable to Void Fragmentation spells and not particularly high, the Dabei Clan’s soul skills held a mysterious quality that broadened Ning Fan’s horizons.
For instance, the Seventh Revolution soul skill Ning Fan acquired, called "Soul Enhancement Technique," was a sustained-consumption skill. Once activated, it could enhance an Alchemist’s Medicine Soul spirit, modestly improving the Pill quality during alchemy. Although the soul skill’s grade wasn’t exceptionally high, it was practical, and such Medicine Soul skills were exceedingly rare in the Four Heavens...
"As for the earth-tier task, only the Innate Soul-Nourishing Spiritual Medicine’s reward cannot be directly redeemed. You need to personally find the two adults Pi Xiong and Duolan and exchange ten Six-Star Nirvana Mother Stones for the reward. However, since you are traveling with Duolan, you’ll likely handle the reward exchange yourself, so I won’t concern myself," Tuolong casually remarked.
"Pi Xiong is dead, killed by the evil Sanyan Guards..." Duolan lied, her eyes slightly reddened.
"Damn those Sanyan Guards! Adult Duolan, don’t be sad. Once the Holy Mountain reopens, your master will surely avenge Adult Pi Xiong!" Tuolong comforted.
"Hopefully..." Duolan glanced at Ning Fan, but saw him calmly flipping through the Soul Enhancement Technique manual, showing no guilt over Pi Xiong’s death. Just as her impression of Ning Fan had started to change, she once again considered Ning Fan cold-hearted.
Of course, Ning Fan wouldn’t feel guilty for someone dead; what’s done is done. Pi Xiong was the only one to blame for seeking his own demise; Ning Fan had already forgotten about it. After several readings, he had memorized the Soul Enhancement Technique, stored the scroll, and left the Evil Sheep Sect with Duolan, returning to the Tamu Clan.
Duolan left sullen the entire way, but Ning Fan naturally didn’t care about her mood, returning to the Tamu Clan without concern.
Upon seeing Ning Fan return, the Tamu Clan Leader Tageli could almost cry with joy!
The rules for the Southern Frontier Contest were for each large clan to send twenty people to participate, ranking results based on overall performance. For this Southern Frontier Contest hosted by the last contest’s top-winning clan, the Summon Wind Clan, there were only three days left until the contest, and yet Tageli was still worried about the team list!
As it turned out, Burying Moon, Wu Laoba, and Ouyang Nuan were not in the Tamu Clan!
"In urgent times, borrow your sister Nuan for three months, return her after the Middle State Contest. The Southern Frontier Contest is equally important; we must achieve first place... Your sister Nuan will return unscathed, trust me!" This was the Sound Transmission Jade Slip left by Burying Moon.
"Husband, I’m going with Sister Burying Moon to rescue an old friend of hers. If successful, it could benefit the search for the Offering Vessel." This was Ouyang Nuan’s message.
"Master! Burying Moon has news of the Offering Vessel. Little Ba is with her, accompanying her to find the Offering Vessel for you! Little Ba isn’t doing it for your reward, but out of loyalty and passion..." A ton of nonsense, this was Wu Laoba’s message.
Thus, Ning Fan understood the whereabouts of Burying Moon and the others. Their messages were left when he just entered the Fierce Realm, meaning they had been gone for nearly a month and were already in the Middle State.
Without following, he naturally worried about Ouyang Nuan’s safety. But knowing Burying Moon was accompanying her, and having solemnly promised, Ning Fan was confident Burying Moon would keep Ouyang Nuan safe. After all, if Burying Moon had to fight hard, she could manifest the full Immortal Emperor cultivation...
What intrigued him even more was Burying Moon having found news of the Jiuli Ritual Vessel; it seemed the acquisition of this news hinged on her rescuing an old friend...
"What a bold woman, daring to act on her own while I’m gone." Ning Fan shook his head in resignation; regardless, Burying Moon’s intentions were probably good, wanting to help him get information on the Offering Vessel. After spending time with her, Ning Fan had built a certain trust in her, feeling assured in her handling matters. He was certain she wouldn’t betray him, especially for Mu Weiliang’s sake.
"Younger Brother Ning, they’re all gone, but you can’t leave. If you leave, our Tamu Clan will place last again!" Tageli nearly knelt before Ning Fan.
"Don’t worry, I’m not leaving." Remembering Burying Moon’s reminder, Ning Fan decided to strive for first in the Southern Frontier Contest this time. If it weren’t important, Burying Moon wouldn’t have particularly reminded him.
Upon hearing Ning Fan wouldn’t leave, Tageli felt revitalized. Although Ning Fan was the only foreign cultivator participating from the Tamu Clan, Tageli believed that with Ning Fan on their side, their clan wouldn’t end up in bottom placement, especially as several clans didn’t have a single Shedding Void participant.
Of course, Tageli completely abandoned the thought of vying for first. Many clans had more than one Shedding Void cultivator, and with Ning Fan’s cultivation sealed, he could only utilize Shedding Void abilities. Ning Fan was the only one able to compete with other clans with Shedding Void cultivators. The Southern Frontier Contest ranked based on the scores of twenty people; could Ning Fan alone contend against entire teams for first place?
The Tamu Clan cultivators’ overall cultivation was simply too weak...
"Now that I think of it, Younger Brother Ning, you brought back a Holy Mountain Tomb Guardian! Chulie Duolan... It’s said she has many pursuers; could she have taken a liking to Younger Brother Ning? Otherwise, why would the proud Tomb Guardian demean herself before Younger Brother Ning... Remarkable, remarkable! Being a foreign cultivator, to have conquered the fiercest she-wolf on our grassland, haha..." Tageli didn’t know what he was envisioning, suddenly laughing impishly.
Three days later, the day of the Southern Frontier Contest!
On the Summon Wind Clan’s grassland, streams of light arrived from afar, all for attending today’s grand event.
Once every millennium, the battle for the tomb, once every millennium, the Southern Frontier contest!
For the vast majority of Southern Frontier tribes, their main concern is just not ranking last in the contest, as once they do, they will be punished to guard the Sacred Monument, unable to leave their post for a thousand years.
For those powerful Southern Frontier tribes, this contest is aimed at claiming the number one spot in the Southern Frontier.
"I wonder which tribe will emerge victorious and take first place in this Southern Frontier contest."
"I think this contest will still have the Summon Wind Clan in first place. I’ve heard that two people from the Summon Wind Clan have broken through to the Shedding Void Realm within this millennium..."
"I actually think the Xieyang Sect has a good chance. The Young Chief of the Xieyang Sect has a unique mastery of the Soul Fusion Technique. In the last contest, the Xieyang Sect secured third place in the Southern Frontier, relying solely on Xianyu Chun, and over the millennium, Xianyu Chun’s Soul Fusion Technique is said to have improved further."
"Haven’t you heard! Minghai, the mage from the Sea Soul Sect, is already half a step into Void Fragmentation! The Sea Soul Sect’s overall strength is only moderate, but with this person..."
"I actually think Tamu Clan also has a chance of winning..."
The tribal cultivator who said Tamu Clan would win was laughed at by several people before he could finish his sentence.
Tamu Clan? They’re just getting outside help, but those outside cultivators have been trapped by the Six Penalties, unable to utilize much of their cultivation. At most, they can keep Tamu from being at the bottom. To even think of taking first place is ridiculous!
"I reckon that Tamu Clan, this time, can barely break a thousand points, but that’s all. After all, in the last contest, Tamu Clan only scored 45 points..."
points, an embarrassing score!
In the last contest, even the second-to-last Hanzhen Clan scored over two hundred points!
There were more than a dozen tribes with scores exceeding a thousand! The number one Summon Wind Clan, on the other hand, scored over seven thousand two hundred points, more than a hundred times that of Tamu Clan!
A thousand points is already seeing Tamu Clan in an extremely favorable light, considering that over the long history of Tamu Clan, there have been very few contests where they exceeded this score.
Most of the Southern Frontier cultivators who arrived early would engage in mutual greetings, but only a few weak tribes like Tamu Clan, upon their arrival, were met with no inquiries and did not seek anyone out for conversation.
Tageli and the others huddled isolated in a corner of the steppe, with no one to associate with, and no attempts to talk to anyone.
As a tribe consistently at the bottom over the years, attempting to make conversation generally results in self-inflicted humiliation and ridicule; it is better not to try. Each Tamu man flushed red in their face, building up momentum, wanting to win respect for their tribe in this contest, even if it meant dying for it!
This atmosphere was also flowing among several other weak tribes.
Ning Fan swept his spirit sense across tribe after tribe, helplessly discovering that it was no injustice for Tamu Clan to be consistently at the bottom. For tribes like Summon Wind Clan, the number-one tribe, not to mention those at Shedding Void Stage, even the Truth-Transcending Cultivation Level participants had almost none with cultivations below Enlightenment. As for clans like the Xieyang Sect, almost none were below the Guixuan Level. And Tamu Clan? Above the Truth-Transcending Cultivation Level, there were only four people, and that’s including Ning Fan and the Tamu Sect Leader. According to the competition rules, sect leaders cannot participate, so that’s one more Truth-Transcending participant Tamu Clan has to lose...
Not even twenty Fate Immortals could be gathered; among the participants this time, there was even a first-step cultivator...
Too weak! With such overall strength, how could they not be at the bottom of the grand contest!
"You, are you the outsider Tamu Clan invited? Named Ning Fan?"
Suddenly a voice interrupted Ning Fan’s thoughts.
It was a big man with a bare upper body, a bald head, with a strange bird-like beast totem tattooed on his head, a totem of the Summon Wind Clan, the Wind Falcon, their Summon Wind people’s faith! And this bald man was currently the strongest cultivator of the Summon Wind Clan, Nan Zhilong!
"Tamu Clan, mere ants, this contest, my Summon Wind Clan will lead Tamu by ten thousand points!"
Nan Zhilong laughed heartily and returned to his own lineup.
People from other tribes gradually came to their senses. The Shedding Void powerhouse of the White Ghost Sect, the White Ghost Sorcerer, also stepped to Ning Fan and the others, shouting, "In this contest, my White Ghost Sect will lead Tamu by two thousand points!"
The Forsaken Corpse Sect shouted, "If we don’t lead Tamu by fifteen hundred points, we’ll crawl back!"
There was also the Yanan Sect, the Heishan (Black Mountain) Sect... Tribes regardless of strength or weakness all came forward at this moment, shouting insults laced with intent to humiliate.
Contrarily, the Xieyang Sect, who have been a constant adversary to Tamu, inexplicably stayed silent, with no one picking on the Tamu cultivators this time.
Tageli gritted his teeth quietly, aware that these tribes sought favor with the Emperor Lou Tuo of Middle State! Since Emperor Lou Tuo targeted Tamu Clan, there were countless tribes wanting to trample Tamu!
Each Tamu man flushed red in their face, but did not argue. Tamu ranking last year after year was a fact, and arguing would leave them speechless!
Yet everyone was unwilling! Unwilling to be used as a stepping stone to curry favor with Emperor Lou Tuo!
They had to prove themselves, had to use this Southern Frontier contest to wash away the shame of being the weakest in Tamu!
Ning Fan’s gaze turned somewhat cold, not because he had deep feelings for Tamu, but because this experience of Tamu resonated with him!
On the Southern Frontier steppe, the number of cultivators seeking to step on Tamu to please Emperor Lou Tuo was countless!
In Eastern Heaven, the number of people wanting to step on Ning Fan to please the Dark Clan was just as countless!
How similar! How humiliating!
"Brother Ning, I’ve let you witness a joke. My Tamu Clan is indeed incapable, to the point where even unsavory tribes dare to laugh at us freely..." Tageli said with a bitter smile, in which lay unwillingness and rage!
"It’s nothing, I, Ning Fan, will use facts to silence this group of people!"
Ning Fan’s gaze had already returned to calm. Just then, a loud horn sounded, hoarse like an old dragon’s roar, finally resonating across the field...
