"Bo Ren, it's me, Zhu Yuanzhang! Quickly, join me in taking down that Mongolian archer. With your archery skills, you're no weaker than Zhebie. If we team up, we've got a ninety percent chance of winning!" Zhu Yuanzhang was being hunted by Zhebie.
In this kind of arena, archers clearly held a significant advantage.
Especially during a chase—just one stray arrow could be fatal. At a critical moment, Zhu Yuanzhang spotted a young man and called out with clear joy in his eyes.
Bo Ren—that was Chang Yuchun, one of the founding generals of the Ming dynasty, an expert in mounted archery and a natural-born commander.
Zhu Yuanzhang had already spotted Chang Yuchun's figure on the field. Without hesitation, he called out.
Chang Yuchun hesitated briefly when he heard the call, but in the end, he still raised his bow and loosed an arrow toward Zhebie. Though there was hesitation in his movements—in this new world, he no longer belonged to any empire or dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang might have been his monarch once, but now, they were separated by tens of thousands of miles. Without this secret realm, they likely would never have met again.
Loyalty was meaningless here—mere words no longer held weight.
They were no longer sovereign and subject.
But there was still a bond between them, and Chang Yuchun made his move.
His arrow, though not equal to Zhebie's, was still infused with true qi, shot with lightning speed, and carried deadly threat—a bullseye from a hundred paces.
It forced Zhebie to split his attention, no longer able to focus solely on Zhu Yuanzhang.
On the racecourse, scenes of intense pursuit played out one after another.
To surpass the competitors ahead, participants unleashed all kinds of supernatural powers without hesitation—sneak attacks or frontal assaults—whatever it took to make others fall, and themselves rise to the top.
Though it sounds long, all of this happened in a mere instant.
The frontmost group of cultivators had already dashed past the prairie zone, charging straight into a dense forest.
The forest was incredibly thick. Massive trees, vines, and brambles blanketed the area. Running was difficult, and even walking cautiously was a challenge—one had to constantly assess, duck, weave, and squeeze through narrow gaps.
This forest was a primal jungle, and crossing it was no small feat. If one wanted to avoid being delayed, there were only a few viable methods.
"Charge through!" a cultivator riding a rhinoceros beast shouted with a crazed look, raising a massive broadsword. With a mighty swing, he hacked through a large tree, slicing it clean in half. He slashed through vines and thorns, forcibly carving a path. His rhino mount was savage, its eyes brimming with wild rage.
Boom boom boom!!
As it crashed into the forest, trees shattered on impact, exploding into fragments that flew in all directions. Though slowed somewhat, the rhino still charged forward relentlessly.
Thump! Thump! Crack!!
And he wasn't the only one. Other cultivators behind him also chose to force their way through. No one had time to waste on these obstacles. The only choice was to cut and tear a path through—maintaining maximum speed.
This wasn't a leisurely stroll—it was a deadly race.
The outcome depended on one's cultivation and strength.
Stronger cultivators could cut a quicker path, slashing through every obstacle in their way. Weaker ones fell behind in the process. Of course, those at the front had the hardest time, while those behind could take advantage of the paths already carved out.
Life's not fair—and neither is this race.
The luckiest were those with flying mounts. In the sky, they could advance freely, unimpeded by terrain.
But even the forest held hidden dangers.
Some triggered traps and were immediately bound by countless vines, their bodies ripped to shreds. Others were snared and hung upside down, easily overtaken or even killed by competitors.
In some places, the ground turned to swamp, swallowing the unlucky whole.
Many traps sent chills down the spines of onlookers.
A faint sense of dread crept in.
Every moment, participants were being eliminated. Some simply turned into light and vanished.
The massive number of contestants began shrinking rapidly.
Whether due to bad luck or weak strength—eliminated meant eliminated.
This was a swift and brutal culling.
"Oho! My esteemed audience—what we're seeing now is the race entering its most intense phase. That grassland earlier? Just a mere appetizer. Now they've entered the jungle stage. Much more dangerous!" Xianshuage grinned, addressing the audience of cosmic powerhouses.
"Already, we can see a huge number of eliminations. The total has dropped by more than a tenth. Doesn't matter if it's bad luck or poor skills—out is out. Even the strong can fall to bad luck. And let's not forget—luck is part of strength too." Hei Dashuai spoke coolly.
"There are still the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations ahead. Only then will they understand true despair. This? This isn't even the real purge. When the Three Calamities begin, even the lucky ones without strength will be sent packing!" Xianshuage said excitedly.
"Green Emperor, get up here! Jinpeng—fly over the forest!"
Yi Tianxing reached the forest's edge and waved his hand. With a flick of his Yin-Yang Lock, he pulled the Green Emperor onto Jinpeng's back. Jinpeng looked displeased at the weight but didn't shake the dog off. With a flap of its wings, it soared above the forest canopy.
Seeing the chaos in the forest—like a category-10 typhoon—Yi Tianxing felt a surge of relief.
"Good thing I found a flying mount. Otherwise, I'd be risking a lot more weaving through that jungle."
Boom!!
Just as he sighed in relief, Jinpeng suddenly collided with something invisible. A tornado erupted in midair, sweeping both him and the bird up into a spinning vortex.
"Damn! A trap in midair? Not even the sky is safe? They really covered everything!" Yi Tianxing frowned, alarmed.
It was easy to laugh at others caught in traps, but when it happened to him—it was no joke. Caught in the whirlwind, he spun violently, completely disoriented, unable to control his body. His combat power dropped to a fraction—maybe two or three-tenths at most.
"Fellow Daoist! You've triggered a trap—allow me, Hongye, to release you from your suffering!"
In the treetops, a massive Blast Ape leaped across the canopy, bounding dozens of meters at a time. Riding its back was none other than Mr. Hongye.
No one knew how he escaped earlier, but somehow, he'd even contracted a Blast Ape.
Leaping through the treetops, he was faster than most on the ground.
Seeing Yi Tianxing trapped in the tornado, his eyes gleamed.
"My Monkey Wine! I've been heartbroken ever since I lost it. That guy must have space treasures on him—if he dies, they'll probably drop. That wine must be inside. Heaven is giving it back to me!" he thought gleefully.
"Let me use a Heaven-Shaking Thunder Bomb to disperse this windstorm!"
He pulled out a golden orb, about the size of a child's fist, emanating a deadly aura.
As he shouted, he hurled the Heaven-Shaking Thunder Bomb toward the tornado without hesitation.
"Hongye, if you want to kill me, just say so! Cut the crap! Disperse the wind? You're trying to blow me up!" Yi Tianxing sneered coldly.
He'd known the moment he took the Monkey Wine that Hongye wouldn't let this go. This came as no surprise.
With a thought, he activated his Black Armor Life Aperture, summoning armor that cloaked his body in black divine radiance.
Shing!!
Boom!!
Just before the thunder bomb hit, a blade of sword-light slashed through the air, striking the orb directly.
The bomb exploded midair, thunder and lightning engulfing the area in destruction.
"You want to kill this pervert? You'll have to ask me first. If he dies, it'll be by my hand!" came a cold voice.
In white court dress, Yao Yue arrived swiftly, riding a Moonlight Butterfly, glaring at Hongye with disdain. As she said—if Yi Tianxing were to die, it would be by her hands, not some sneak attack.
"This fellow Daoist, if you call him a pervert, he must be a scumbag. Let me kill him for you. Here, another Heaven-Shaking Thunder Bomb!"
Hongye chuckled and pulled out two more bombs, hurling them like hidden weapons with cunning precision.
Whoosh whoosh!!
But just as the bombs flew through the air, two flashes of silver light pierced into them, detonating them early.
A bright crimson figure streaked through the sky—