"Whoever makes the first move will become the target of everyone's criticism."
Xiao Chen whispered to Shi Tou, "Everyone is afraid that when they step forward, they will be attacked from behind."
The struggles in the cultivation world are devoid of morality. There is only one secret treasure, and whoever makes the first move will have to endure the covetousness and attacks of everyone. No one wants to be the first to act.
The stalemate lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Lin Jingxing finally slowly opened his eyes and took a step forward.
The golden spiritual energy around him grew increasingly dense, forming a distinct protective shield. This not only demonstrated his strength but also seemed to declare, "I'll go first. Anyone who wants to make a move should think twice about their strength."
As the third young master of the Lin family, he had the confidence to be the first to act. The Lin family's power was undeniable, and no one dared to provoke them easily.
Seeing Lin Jing take action, the others couldn't hold back any longer. Luo Qingyang opened his eyes, lightly waved his whisk, and followed like a flowing cloud.
The remaining cultivators also circulated their spiritual energy and cautiously approached the stone platform, their eyes still scanning the surroundings warily, guarding against possible sneak attacks.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou followed.
As soon as they stepped into the sea of clouds, a domain force several times stronger than before instantly enveloped them, as if countless invisible hands were pulling and squeezing them, and every step required a large amount of spiritual energy.
"Thump!"
A cultivator in the early stage of the Dao Proving Realm had only taken a few steps when he trembled violently, spat out a mouthful of blood, and staggered backward, his face deathly pale: "No... this domain power is too strong, I can't get in!"
He struggled to try again, but was repelled by the domain force once more, and could only retreat unwillingly to the edge of the sea of clouds, watching the others continue to move forward.
In the short time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, three cultivators were forced to withdraw because they could not withstand the domain power.
Xiao Chen circulated his spiritual power, drawing upon the intent of his spear to protect himself and the stone. His steps were neither fast nor slow, neither rushing ahead nor falling behind.
He knew very well that the stone platform and the domain power might be the "screening mechanism" of the secret treasure—only those who could make it to the end were likely to be recognized by the secret treasure, and rushing to the front would only expose their weaknesses.
Lin Jingxing and Luo Qingyang walked at the front, their speeds were similar, clearly indicating that they were both at the peak of the Dao Proving Realm, and the Domain Power had the least impact on them.
Just then, a fierce voice suddenly rang out: "Get out of my way! This treasure is mine!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a cultivator dressed in black suddenly leap up, a black claw shadow condensing in his hand, grabbing at the back of a cultivator in green robes in front of him!
The black-clad cultivator was named Lu Mingyuan. He was the young master of a force in the Chaotic Star Zone and had reached the mid-stage of the Dao Proving Realm. He had been hiding among the crowd, but now that he was getting closer and closer to the stone platform, he finally couldn't resist launching a sneak attack!
The ambush victim, a cultivator in blue robes named Qi Huan, was also in the mid-stage of the Dao Proving Realm. He had no idea that someone would suddenly attack from behind, and in his haste, he could only condense his spiritual power to form a shield.
"Bang!"
The black claw shadow tore through the shield and gripped Qi Huan's back tightly!
"puff--!"
Qi Huan coughed up blood and staggered forward, nearly falling into the sea of clouds.
"Lu Mingyuan! How dare you ambush me!"
Qi Huan steadied himself, turned around, his eyes filled with rage, and took out a healing pill from his storage bag and swallowed it.
His spiritual power surged instantly, and he even unleashed a secret technique, condensing his azure spiritual power into a long sword, which he fiercely slashed at Lu Mingyuan. "If I don't kill you today, I, Qi Huan, swear I'm not human!"
"Kill me? You think you can?"
Lu Mingyuan sneered, and the black claw shadow condensed again as he charged forward. "There's only one secret treasure. If you want to snatch it, you'd better be prepared to die!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The cyan sword light clashed with the black claw shadow, and violent spiritual energy scattered everywhere, stirring up the sea of clouds. The surrounding cultivators retreated to avoid the aftershocks of the battle.
"Damn it, someone's started killing!" Stone clenched his fists, his eyes wary. "Senior Brother, should we get some distance away?"
Xiao Chen shook his head, his gaze fixed on the secret treasure on the stone platform, then looked at the two fighting figures, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "There's no escaping it."
There's only one treasure; once someone makes the first move, the others will only become more frantic.
No sooner had he finished speaking than two more figures suddenly clashed. A cultivator tried to take the opportunity to bypass the two fighting figures and climb onto the stone platform ahead of time, but was stopped by the people next to him. The two started fighting without saying a word.
The chain reaction was like dominoes, exploding instantly.
That's my spot!
"Want to steal the treasure? You'll have to get past me first!"
"Kill! Anyone who stands in my way will die!"
The once calm sea of clouds instantly descended into chaos. The sounds of colliding spiritual energy, screams, and roars mingled together. More than a dozen cultivators split into several factions, fighting each other, each wanting to take the opportunity to eliminate their opponents and seize the secret treasure for themselves.
Lin Jingxing and Luo Qingyang exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes, but they did not stop. Their goal was the secret treasure, and as long as no one provoked them, they would not participate in the melee for the time being.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou stepped aside and watched coldly. Xiao Chen knew very well that now was not the time to make a move. Only by waiting for these people to fight to the death could they make their move and seize the secret treasure at the lowest possible cost.
Amidst churning clouds and flashing swords and claws, a bloody battle over a spatial treasure has officially begun.
The transparent ball of light on the stone platform continued to circulate silently, as if coldly observing the battle that it had caused, waiting for the one who would ultimately be "chosen".
"Go to hell!"
Lu Mingyuan roared, and the black claw shadow surged again, condensing into a giant claw several meters in size. With the power to tear through space, it slammed down towards Qi Huan's head!
He knew that a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous and wanted to finish the fight quickly, but he didn't control his strength well, and the aftershocks of the giant claw spread like a whirlwind.
It sent two cultivators who couldn't dodge in time flying. One of them was even hit by the claw wind, his shoulder bleeding profusely, and he screamed as he withdrew from the melee.
"You're insane!"
Qi Huan was both shocked and furious. He condensed a sword aura over ten feet long on his cyan longsword and clashed head-on with the giant claw. "Do you want to die together with me?!"
"boom!"
The sword energy collided with the giant claw, and the violent spiritual energy spread outwards like ripples from an explosion.
The cultivators, who had been holding each other back, were either caught in the aftershocks or forced to retaliate, turning the previously fragmented battle into a chaotic free-for-all.
It turned into a chaotic, indiscriminate battle where everyone became an enemy. The fewer opponents you had, the better your chances of winning the treasure!
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