Chapter 110 Item Race - It's you, Third Brother Bei!
This is absolutely the most concise and efficient opening line I've ever seen.
After saying those two words, Zhong Jiuli's hands formed a hand seal, and spiritual light flowed from her fingertips. A beam of light shot up from her hands and disappeared into the sky.
Clouds surged and flowed in the sky, and a magnificent gate of light appeared in the firmament.
"The entrance to the Outer Heavens has been opened."
Zhong Jiuli's gaze swept over the white-haired cultivator in the crowd again. Her tone softened as she cautioned, "The Outer Heaven is not absolutely safe. Many cloud beasts lurk in the depths of the cloud sea. I urge everyone to be cautious and take care."
"Once everyone has entered, the entrance will be completely closed. It will reopen in a month. Everyone, hurry up."
Bai looked up at Zhong Jiuli, who was speaking, knowing she was reminding him to be careful. Otherwise, given her personality, she would probably have just said, "The entrance is open, go in."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
The moment the words were spoken, the group of people swarmed toward the portal like locusts in a passing land.
Bai also turned to look at Li Shoumo and the others, and finally instructed them: "Take care of yourselves, wait for my signal. If you are really no match for them, just withdraw from the competition. Survival is the most important thing."
"Don't worry." Li Shoumo waved his hand emphatically, gesturing for her to go inside quickly.
Without further hesitation, Bai transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the portal.
The other cultivators from the desolate state followed closely behind, disappearing into the portal of light. In the blink of an eye, the sky above Dragon Python Rock was empty.
In the sky, a huge light curtain slowly unfolded, clearly revealing the scene of the inner heaven and the outer heaven.
After Bai entered the Outer Heaven, he immediately looked back. The portal he had entered through was no longer visible; only endless clouds were rolling around.
"Looks like I guessed right. It really is random teleportation. Well, if people weren't teleported away, everyone would have punched the dog's brain out at the entrance."
She looked around, and all she could see was a rolling sea of clouds, with floating islands appearing and disappearing within them. "What an amazing place! It really is all sky. Let's look down."
Bai Ye's figure plummeted, plunging towards the sea of clouds below. She passed through several layers of thick clouds, stopping to survey the terrain after each layer. All she could see was the azure sky, the endless sea of clouds, and the biting wind. She didn't see the cloud beast that Zhong Jiuli had mentioned.
"Xiao Wang, do you think there's a bug in the modeling of this place?" Bai asked in his mind.
【Yes, Xiao Wang also finds it amazing. But when you were scouting ahead, I already scanned the nearby islands for you. The islands around here are all very small and not suitable for gathering companions. I suggest you fly forward.】
"Okay." Bai replied and flew forward, breaking through the sea of clouds.
There are quite a few cultivators like Bai Ye. Many young geniuses, upon entering, felt as if they had entered a large amusement park, excitedly wandering through the clouds.
Just as everyone was having a great time, Liu Xianyue's slightly teasing voice rang out again: "It seems you all really enjoy this sea of clouds? Are you having fun?"
"However, I suddenly remembered something important that I seem to have forgotten to tell you."
Everyone's attention was drawn to the sound, and they looked up at the sky.
"There are special rules in the Outer Heavens. You can only fly freely for the first twelve hours. If you haven't found and successfully occupied an island of your own after twelve hours, you'll be... eliminated! Have fun, everyone!"
"Oh, by the way, if your island gets stolen, you're eliminated too~~"
The young geniuses who were just leisurely playing around instantly erupted into chaos.
Originally, many people planned to play it safe at the beginning, avoid the fierce competition in the early stages, and then quietly find an uninhabited island to occupy near the end of the game, so as to secure a guaranteed win.
This sudden time limit rule completely disrupted the situation, and everyone had no choice but to find a suitable island as soon as possible.
Bai also heard the rules, and she almost instantly guessed their purpose. Just like running from the poison gas in PUBG, you have to force people together to create collisions and make it interesting.
Ultimately, the genius competition should lead to a fight. If everyone stays put and doesn't fight, what's the point of the competition?
...
Outside, in the major cities of the Nine Provinces, countless cultivators were watching the grand spectacle of this genius competition through light screens.
In the city of Blazing Fire in Xizhou, Bai Duanhong, holding a wine jug, pointed at the white-haired figure that flashed by on the light screen and laughed at the unfamiliar cultivator beside her, "See that? That little brat, in my opinion, she's the undisputed champion of this year's Nine Provinces Grand Competition!"
A remote, desolate prefecture, a small town on the border.
Outside the Wanxiang Pavilion, crowds thronged together, craning their necks to watch the scene inside the light screen.
This light screen was specially opened by Liu Xianyue using her authority; otherwise, in a small place like Bianzhen, how could anyone watch the live broadcast of the Nine Provinces Grand Competition?
The screen was filled with a jumble of figures, but Dayueniang and Aunt Wu still managed to spot their child at a glance.
The two kept wiping their eyes, choking back tears as they exclaimed, "They've grown up...they've really grown up, I almost didn't recognize them."
"Look, isn't that our clan leader?" Aunt Pang exclaimed, pointing at Bai Shu who flashed by on the light screen.
"Oh my, it really is our clan leader!" Dayue Niang immediately beamed with joy. "Even our clan leader has gone to participate in the Nine Provinces Grand Competition. He really brings us honor."
The aunties immediately started chattering, their faces beaming with pride.
In their excitement, they made no attempt to control their volume, and their laughter attracted the attention of many people around them.
Many passersby cast disapproving glances, thinking these simply dressed women must have lost their minds. Otherwise, why would they point at the privileged children on the screen, calling them "my child" and "our family head" in such a serious and convincing manner?
Aunt Pang was the first to notice the strange looks coming from all around. She quietly tugged at her old friends' sleeves and whispered, "Let's keep our voices down, those people are glaring at us."
Upon hearing this, the aunties toned it down a bit, but still couldn't suppress their excitement and continued to huddle together, whispering excitedly.
"See? I told you they were crazy. Now they're feeling guilty." Undisguised sneers rang out from the crowd.
Just then, the grand gate of Wanxiang Pavilion slowly opened, and the manager, dressed in a brocade robe with an abacus hanging from her waist, stepped out. Her gaze swept across the crowd and quickly settled on Aunt Pang and the others. She walked towards them with a smile.
"Are you all aunties from the White Tiger tribe?"
"Oh, yes, young lady, is there something you need from us?" Aunt Wu stepped forward somewhat awkwardly to answer. This was a big shot from Wanxiang Pavilion, and they dared not offend him.
The steward stepped aside and invited, "By order of our Pavilion Master, please come into the private room inside the pavilion to watch the competition. Tea, snacks, and soft couches are prepared there, and you can see it more clearly."
Aunt Wu asked with a puzzled look, "Why did your sect leader invite us?"
“Our sect leader and your young clan leader are good friends,” the steward replied with a smile.
Upon hearing that it was a friend of their young clan leader, Aunt Wu and the others' worries vanished instantly, and they happily followed the steward into the Wanxiang Pavilion.
The group of people who had just been mocking the women for being fools were instantly dumbfounded. They watched as the women were respectfully invited inside by the manager of Wanxiang Pavilion, and for a moment they felt their faces burning with shame, as if they were the blind fools.
"Wait, I think I remember now, the White Tiger tribe had a child with a Heavenly Spiritual Root a few years ago, what they said is true." A voice exclaimed from the crowd.
However, by this time, the women were no longer concerned about the gossip outside. They were comfortably enjoying hot tea and snacks in the private room, watching the competition with great contentment.
"Hey, isn't this our young clan leader? Look at that head of white hair, I recognized him at a glance," Aunt Pang said, pointing to Bai Ye in the light screen.
Dayueniang leaned closer for a closer look and said with a beaming smile, "It's definitely her! Oh my, our young clan leader is so impressive!"
Bai, inside the light screen, was also surrounded by a group of people. She moved like lightning, quickly weaving through the crowd. With each swing of her sword, several people were sent flying backward.
In just a short while, a group of young cultivators collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless and the island was definitely not going to be defended, Sun Xi didn't want to get another beating, so he quickly raised his hands and shouted, "Wait, don't hit them, they're our own people!"
Bai paused in her sword-wielding hand, looked up at the girl who had called out. She seemed somewhat familiar, and after scrutinizing her for a moment, she hesitated and asked, "Are you... Miss Qin's little follower?"
"Uh... if you say I'm a lackey, then I'm a lackey." Sun Xi shrugged helplessly. "This island is yours now. Don't beat me up, I'm leaving."
As she spoke, she darted into the clouds like a nimble little rabbit and disappeared without a trace.
Bai didn't chase after them. Her goal was simply to seize the island, and since she had already achieved her objective, chasing after them would be a waste of time.
This floating island was the largest she had encountered after entering the Outer Heavens. There was only one solitary peak in the center of the island, and all four sides were steep cliffs with no vegetation. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it a perfect stronghold for the people of the Wilderness State.
She nodded in satisfaction, took out the signal flare that Li Chengfeng had given her years ago from her storage ring, and pulled the fuse into the air.
The signal flare shot into the sky with a "whoosh" and exploded, transforming into a red arrow that pierced the clouds and lingered for a long time.
"Tsk, this signal flare is quite well made. It's a shame that someone with this skill isn't selling fireworks; why is he practicing swordsmanship?" Bai muttered under his breath.
Upon seeing the sword piercing the sky, the scattered cultivators of the desolate state immediately set off and flew towards the direction from which the signal came.
The cultivators from other states naturally noticed this conspicuous signal as well. Each sect has its own unique communication signal, but no one would choose to send a signal in this outer heaven to gather their companions.
On a floating island about a thousand miles away, Zhang Daoquan, who had just recovered from his injuries, gazed up at the crimson sword shadow. He looked at the woman beside him and said, "Bei Qianxue, this is a signal flare from the Heavenly Sword Sect. The one daring to be so arrogant must be Bai Ye. Don't you want to go and meet her?"
“She has utterly trampled on the face of our Northern State.”
The woman called Bei Qianxue turned around at the sound. She was dressed in a black outfit, her dark hair was tied up high, and a few strands of hair fell in front of her forehead, obscuring her cold and sharp eyes.
She glanced at Zhang Daoquan indifferently, her gaze as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth. "This island is mine."
"Get down."
Zhang Daoquan's face stiffened, and he was about to argue, "How can you..."
Bei Qianxue's figure flashed, and she unleashed a lightning-fast whip kick. Zhang Daoquan only had time to raise his hand to protect his chest before being sent flying backward by the immense force, crashing into the churning clouds below with a cry of pain.
......
After Bai went to the summit to check around, he returned to the foot of the mountain and found that the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground were still there.
She approached one of the bodies and kicked it. "Are you awake or not? If you are, get up. If you are not, you don't need to wake up."
The man she kicked slowly woke up from his unconsciousness. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a black sword blade hanging above his forehead. He immediately exclaimed and scrambled to sit up. "I'm awake, I'm awake. Let's go."
As the man fled, he didn't forget to wake up his companions, and the group of them ran away from the floating island where Bai Ye was in a panic.
Bai watched those people walk away before returning to the summit and sitting down. He then placed his palm on the rock and released his divine sense to imprint his mark.
The next moment, the entire floating island trembled slightly, and a flash of light appeared, as if it had been turned on.
At the highest point of the solitary peak, a screen of light illuminated a massive battle flag unfurled in the wind, fluttering loudly. The flag bore only the three large characters "Barbarian State," standing proudly between heaven and earth as if declaring sovereignty.
Across the Nine Provinces, on all the live-streaming screens, behind the bare words "Barbaric Province," finally appeared one hundred points.
Although still ranked last, it still drew cheers from the cultivators of the Wilderness State. Previously, the other states' points had been steadily increasing, while the Wilderness State remained barren. Although no one spoke, the disappointment was palpable.
Inside the private room of Wanxiang Pavilion, Aunt Pang excitedly pointed at the light screen and exclaimed, "Oh my, we have this point too! Although we're still in last place, at least we have it, haha!"
Aunt Wu chuckled softly upon hearing this, "Yes, we'll accumulate more and more points later on."
Above Dragon Python Rock, Zhong Jiuli and the team leaders from each state were also watching the rankings flashing on the screen. Undoubtedly, the top spot belonged to the deeply rooted Central State, closely followed by the Ancient State.
The geniuses of Zhongzhou had clearly already discussed their strategy, and they occupied hundreds of floating islands in the Outer Heavens in groups of two or three.
Most of them were led by disciples of the Sanqing Sect, who joined forces with disciples from major sects such as the Tianji Pavilion or the Wanxiang Pavilion, forming a powerful combination with excellent teamwork.
The Sanqing Sect alone has already earned a terrifying nearly ten thousand points for Zhongzhou. The ever-increasing number on the screen demonstrates Zhongzhou's unshakeable hegemonic status.
Seeing this, the team leaders from various states all cast envious glances at Zhong Jiuli.
Jiang Lian smiled and said, "The Central Plains is indeed extraordinary, and the disciples under Sect Master Zhong are all exceptional."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Jiuli chuckled and said, "Why is Island Master Jiang in such a hurry to draw conclusions? This competition has only just begun."
"The final outcome is still uncertain."
With Bai Ye around, Zhong Jiuli didn't believe she would obediently stay on the island, especially since this battle wasn't so simple.
......
Outer Heavens, a stronghold in the Wilderness State.
Most of the cultivators from the Wilderness State have arrived at the floating island occupied by Bai Ye.
After Li Shoumo and his team arrived, they swiftly took over the defense work, surveying the terrain and setting up defensive arrays. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
With her around, there's no need for Bai Ye to worry about these things. Her only task is to guard the flag on the summit.
The competition had just begun, and no one had rushed to seize the flag yet. Bai was happy to be idle, sitting alone on the edge of the steep cliff, his long legs dangling in mid-air, watching his companions bustling about in the distance.
Li Chengfeng walked over and sat down beside her, mimicking her posture. "What are your plans next? We can't just stay here admiring the scenery forever, can we?"
"No rush," Bai replied lazily. "Knowing Boss Liu's nature, she's definitely hiding some rules, waiting to catch us off guard."
“That’s right, but don’t just sit here doing nothing. Come on, let’s get to work together.” Li Chengfeng laughed heartily, and without further ado, pulled Bai Ye to his feet and walked towards the busy crowd at the foot of the mountain.
The busy time flew by, and once the twelve hours were up, Liu Xianyue's familiar voice once again resounded throughout the entire outer heavens:
"It seems everyone has found their own little haven. Now, please look up!"
Everyone looked up at the sound and saw countless points of light suddenly falling from the clouds, like a dazzling meteor shower, slowly descending downwards.
As the light approached, Bai caught a falling ball of light. The ball of light quickly dissipated in her palm, leaving only a talisman drawn in cinnabar.
Upon seeing the words drawn on the talisman, Bai Ye hesitated, "This is... a one-time explosive talisman?"
Ah Yu excitedly held up his talisman and shouted, "Mine is a one-time flight talisman!"
"Mine is an invisibility talisman, and it's a one-time use one."
"This is an earth-遁符 (earth-遁符, a type of talisman that allows one to burrow underground)."
A cacophony of voices arose from the crowd, and everyone received a talisman with a different function.
"La la la, to keep everyone from getting too bored, this is a little surprise that the sect leaders and I specially prepared for you~" Liu Xianyue's cheeky voice came again, "Aren't you happy? Aren't you surprised?"
"Although you can no longer fly freely in the Outer Heavens, you can still visit other people's islands by using these flying talismans. For example, don't underestimate these talismans; one explosive talisman can blow up a small island."
"Then you can both die together, isn't that fun?"
Bai was speechless, internally cursing, "What the hell? Who put Liu Xianyue in this competition? Why is she even playing a props-based game?"
"But Xiao Wang thinks this prop race is quite fun, more fun than fighting," Xiao Wang said weakly.
After examining the talisman in her hand, Li Shoumo instantly came up with a solution. She looked around; the floating island was bustling with activity, everyone excitedly discussing the talismans in their companions' hands.
She spoke in a low voice: "Quiet down."
The noisy floating island fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Li Shoumo.
Li Shoumo said, "Everyone, please hand in your talismans first. I will count the number and then make arrangements."
"Yes." The crowd responded in unison, handing over their talismans without hesitation. For the cultivators of the Wilderness State, as long as they could win this battle of geniuses, they were willing to obey orders unconditionally.
The Xuanjia Guards behind Li Shoumo quickly stepped forward, collected the talismans from everyone's hands, and counted their quantity.
She handed Bai Ye a pile of neatly categorized talismans: "Here you go. I've counted them; there are over two hundred explosive talismans. That should keep you entertained for a while."
Bai also took the thick stack of talismans and carefully examined them. Most of them were explosion talismans and invisibility talismans, with fewer flying talismans, and there were also many strange and unusual talismans mixed in.
"What's this? A dancing talisman?" She pulled out a talisman with a comical dance design, her expression indescribable. "After use, it can make everyone within a ten-zhang radius dance. This talisman..."
Li Shoumo said with a smile, "We stumbled upon this by chance, which brought everyone together in one place and allowed us to obtain enough talismans. The cultivators from the other states should still be scattered at this time. If we act now, we have a great chance of success."
Bai nodded in agreement, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You're right. We're going to take advantage of the time difference and stir things up from the start."
"Be careful," Li Shoumo instructed. "I have already set up a defensive formation. As long as it's not a team of more than a hundred people attacking, I can hold the position."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Even if I can't hold on, I can still take over new territory. Don't worry, I'm here for you."
Bai only took the explosive talisman and the dancing talisman, returning the rest of the talismans to Li Shoumo. "I'm leaving."
After she finished speaking, she vanished into the sea of clouds in a flash.
Outside, above Dragon Python Rock, the senior leaders from various states, upon witnessing the pile of explosive talismans in Bai Ye's hand, all felt a sense of foreboding.
After leaving his floating island, Bai did not rush to go on an expedition. Instead, he first started a thorough cleaning operation around the base.
Within a radius of a thousand miles from the base, Bai delivered explosive packages to every floating island that had been occupied by others. Loud rumbling sounds rang out one after another, and bursts of fire bloomed in the clouds, clearing a safe zone for his own base.
After doing all this, she flew away into the distance with peace of mind.
On a floating island not far away, Bei Qianxue stood quietly beside the large flag, silently watching the explosion in the distance.
With such a commotion, it was obvious that it must be Bai Ye. She stood with her sword in her arms, like a hunter waiting for his prey, guarding the banner of the Northern State that fluttered in the wind.
Bai was completely unaware that someone was waiting for her. She continued to leisurely flap her wings, searching for targets nearby. When she saw the particularly eye-catching Northern State flag, she took out an explosive talisman without thinking and threw it at the floating island.
Before the talisman could even land on the island, a sharp and unparalleled sword beam arrived first. With a "rip," the explosive talisman was split in two by the sword energy, and the spiritual light on the talisman instantly dissipated, slowly drifting down like two pieces of waste paper.
"!?" Bai also stared intently into the depths of the clouds and mist, and saw a tall woman dressed in black walking out slowly, carrying a long sword in her hand. Without even thinking, he knew that she was the one who had cut off his talisman.
"Bai Ye!" The woman in black called out Bai Ye's name directly.
"It's me. Who are you?"
"Bei Qianxue," the woman said calmly.
"Oh~~~ It's you, Bei Laosan~" Bai also smiled slyly.
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