"Who is it this time?!"
Hongye's face turned green with rage as she let out an unwilling roar.
"Just a nobody."
Hovering in mid-air was a woman clad in a bright red robe, riding on a Windwyrm. Her voluptuous figure was accentuated by her garb, and as she turned her head, a breathtakingly cold and beautiful face came into view. A vermilion mark adorned her brow, and her icy phoenix-like eyes swept across Hongye with indifference.
With a flick of her fingers, a silver needle shot through the air like lightning, piercing straight toward Hongye's chest.
The needle was so small and so fast that it was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, it was already in front of her—too fast to react.
The needle struck her chest—right where her heart was.
Yet it failed to pierce her body. A crisp clang rang out. Beneath Hongye's robes, a flash of treasured light appeared, deflecting the needle and preventing it from penetrating.
"An inner armor."
The red-robed woman glanced coldly and muttered those two words. Without turning back, she seemed entirely uninterested in making a second attempt, as if one failed strike was not worth her effort. The Windwyrm beneath her soared forward rapidly.
This was a race, not a duel. The priority was to reach the front.
"That needle was terrifying! I couldn't even see its shadow. Who is she? Her speed is unreal. Thank goodness for my treasure armor—otherwise that thing would've gone right through my heart. That kind of needle is impossible to guard against. Even seeing it wouldn't help. Only something like the legendary Little Li Flying Dagger could be this deadly."
A chill of fear lingered on Hongye's face.
"Such exquisite needle technique—using Qi to control the needle, ghostly and elusive. Truly, one must never underestimate anyone. That woman's cultivation is deep."
Yao Yue also frowned inwardly, though her face remained calm. Rather than fear, she felt an urge to compete.
As a fellow woman, she believed she was no less than anyone.
Even on the Eternal Continent, she would be among the strongest.
Pride glinted in Yao Yue's eyes as she gazed toward the retreating figure in red, her heart stirring with the desire to face her in a true battle.
"I'll leave the item with you for now. I'll come back to retrieve it later."
Without hesitation, Hongye slapped the Blast Ape beneath her and leaped forward, dashing off at high speed.
"So sly, that Hongye."
Only a breath or two later, the tornado in mid-air completely vanished. Clearly, Hongye had sensed this and knew she had no more chances to kill Yi Tianxing. She fled rather than face his wrath directly.
"You lecherous bastard—DIE!!"
Yao Yue's expression turned icy as she slashed a sword toward Yi Tianxing. The sword light was like a ribbon cutting across the air.
"Yao Yue, you can't entirely blame me for what happened. If you hadn't attacked me without reason back then, I wouldn't have… well, offended you. But now's not the time to argue. The race is more important. Let's deal with it after."
Yi Tianxing shattered the sword light with a single thrust of his spear. With a flap of the Golden Roc's wings, he shot forward at high speed. He had no intention of fighting Yao Yue now. Not only was this not the right time, but also, since she had just helped block a Heaven-Shattering Thunder Bomb, he couldn't bring himself to strike her seriously. His battle skills were all about one-strike kills—if he couldn't go all out, he wouldn't fight at all.
"To speak such nonsense—don't think you can escape!"
Yao Yue's face grew colder. That incident was her greatest humiliation, and to hear him mention it again only enraged her more. Without hesitation, she urged her Moonlight Butterfly to follow.
Despite the dense forest, their mounts were not ordinary beasts but powerful ferocious creatures, slicing through the trees like butter. Their speed was terrifying.
Before long, the front-runners neared the forest's edge, on the verge of breaking free.
"Good—we're about to exit the woods. I wonder what dangers await ahead."
Yi Tianxing, riding the Golden Roc, was among the fastest in the race. As he neared the forest's boundary, he couldn't help but ponder. The track was riddled with dangers; many cultivators had perished mysteriously before his eyes, their forms vanishing into white light.
Contestants were dwindling rapidly.
Woooo—
Just as they approached the forest's edge, a strange howling wind echoed from the sky. It pierced their ears like a demon's wail, filling them with a foreboding sense of doom.
"Not good…"
A shadow crossed Yi Tianxing's mind. Looking ahead, he saw a terrifying black wind suddenly appear, blotting out the sky like a deathly fog. It surged forward like a tide, emerging out of thin air.
Wherever it swept, towering trees withered at visible speed. Leaves fell like rain, and then the trunks withered, their life drained unnaturally fast. In just a few breaths, it was as if spring had turned to autumn.
Leaves danced in the air, and then even the trees shattered into powder, becoming black smog in the air.
The scene was horrifying.
"What kind of wind is this?! Even the forest is turned to dust?!"
Someone turned pale with fright.
"Damn, even fierce beasts are getting blown to bones—no, bone dust! What is this wind?!"
The black wind was too terrifying.
"Dear viewers, this marks the first catastrophe of the race—the Wind Calamity. But this isn't just any wind—it's the Bone-Corrosion Yin Wind. It seeps into your body through your 108,000 pores, enters and exits, and with every cycle, it saps your life force. Flesh rots, bones decay, and organs disintegrate. If you can't resist it—you die."
Xiaosa-ge shouted passionately.
"If you can't pass through the Wind Calamity, then forget about continuing. Only the strong can survive. This wind isn't beyond the capabilities of the Divine Sea Realm. If your strength is enough, you can make it."
Black Handsome raised his head and declared.
Although terrifying, this Wind Calamity was still within the Divine Sea Realm's limits. A true Wind Calamity would obliterate them instantly. Even this version, however, inspired deep fear.
There was no retreat now.
The only option was to charge forward.
Screee!
The Golden Roc let out a sharp cry and flapped its wings, charging straight into the black wind without hesitation.
Woooooo—!!
The Bone-Corrosion Yin Wind tore through them. Though the Golden Roc tried to stir up its own wind to resist, it was utterly overpowered. The black wind burrowed into its body, causing its feathers to soften, and with a pained screech, the roc lost balance and plummeted.
Boom!!
The Golden Roc crashed to the ground, rolling and throwing both Yi Tianxing and Green Emperor off.
"Golden Roc! Are you okay?"
Yi Tianxing immediately activated his cultivation technique. True Dragon Qi surged through his meridians, and his body was quickly covered by a mystical battle armor.
From head to toe, divine light radiated from the armor, clashing violently with the wind. The Bone-Corrosion Yin Wind slashed at the armor like countless ghostly blades, eroding its power by the breath.
Life Aperture—Mystic Armor!!A full-body armor that shone with divine brilliance. Even the Yin Wind couldn't penetrate it directly. Although it rapidly consumed Yi Tianxing's True Qi, his Divine Sea constantly replenished it from his Divine Spring, allowing him to persist for a while.
The consumption was fast, but he could hold on—for now.
"Jade Radiance True Qi!!"
Yao Yue charged into the Yin Wind, her expression tightening. With a soft incantation, a snow-white barrier of True Qi enveloped her body.
Once a cultivator reached the first level of the Divine Spring Realm, their twelve main meridians and eight extraordinary vessels would be fully connected, allowing True Qi to manifest externally as Qi Shields. Only with a Divine Spring could such a Qi barrier be sustained.
Even her Moonlight Butterfly emitted a faint glow that resisted the corrosive wind.
"This Yin Wind corrodes True Qi fast—much faster than normal. I wonder how long it'll last. If it goes on too long, I might not hold out."
Yao Yue frowned slightly. Her Jade Radiance True Qi was depleting far too quickly.
Refueling it fast enough was nearly impossible.
"Mmm~ What a comfortable breeze!"
Meanwhile, Green Emperor stood on the ground, thoroughly enjoying himself.