Outside that special space, on the plain, Bo Xuan and the Grand Elder of the Darkness Hall were directly engaged in a fierce battle with the Three Great Sect Leaders of Yuan Gate.
Bo Xuan, with good intentions, wanted to invite the Three Great Sect Leaders of Yuan Gate to drink together, seemingly with the intention of reconciliation. However, Ren Yuanzi of Yuan Gate didn't appreciate it at all and directly attacked first. Helpless, Bo Xuan had no choice but to subdue them with force.
"Darkness Ancestor Symbol, Darkness Realm!"
On Bo Xuan's forehead, an ancient, pitch-black rune emerged. Immediately afterward, boundless darkness, with Bo Xuan as the center, instantly enveloped the entire space.
The moment they were enveloped by the darkness, the expressions of Tian Yuanzi and the other two changed drastically. They wanted to find each other's positions so they could huddle together for warmth and fight the enemy together.
However, in this boundless darkness, Tian Yuanzi and the others couldn't discern directions at all. Even their senses were completely suppressed, as if the entire world only contained themselves.
The Eight Great Ancestor Symbols each had their own marvels. The Space Ancestor Symbol controlled space, changing endlessly. The Thunder Ancestor Symbol was fierce, the Primordial Ancestor Symbol was powerful, the Devouring Ancestor Symbol was unpredictable, and the Darkness Ancestor Symbol was mysterious.
Once the power of darkness was released, it was like locking opponents in individual dark prisons. Some people with weak minds might go crazy even without an attack.
It was because of the Darkness Ancestor Symbol's mystery that the Lord of Darkness dared to carry a large scythe and directly challenge the Otherworldly Demon Emperor back then. It was just a pity that the Lord of Darkness's comprehension hadn't reached the point where even a powerhouse of the Otherworldly Demon Emperor's level could be trapped in a dark prison, which was why he suffered a crushing defeat.
But even in defeat, the Scythe Spirit of the Darkness Holy Scythe was shattered because it helped the Lord of Darkness block a move, but the Lord of Darkness managed to save his life. This showed the power of the Darkness Ancestor Symbol.
Bo Xuan's comprehension of the Darkness Ancestor Symbol naturally couldn't compare to the Lord of Darkness, but his opponents couldn't be compared to the Otherworldly Demon Emperor either. Moreover, Bo Xuan even had a slight advantage in realm.
If the Darkness Holy Scythe wasn't absent, Bo Xuan alone would dare to directly surround the Three Great Sect Leaders of Yuan Gate, fighting three against one, and wielding his scythe aggressively.
After Bo Xuan used the Darkness Realm to envelop the Three Great Sect Leaders of Yuan Gate, the Grand Elder of the Darkness Hall quietly concealed himself in the darkness.
Although the Grand Elder wasn't a controller of the Darkness Ancestor Symbol, he was, after all, the Grand Elder of the Darkness Hall and had a good understanding of the Darkness Ancestor Symbol. At the same time, with Bo Xuan, who controlled the Darkness Realm, assisting him, the Darkness Realm had almost no effect on him.
In the endless darkness, Tian Yuanzi couldn't sense anything. However, he was, after all, the person who single-handedly established Yuan Gate and led Yuan Gate to lurk until now, so his mental state was naturally firm, and he quickly calmed down.
In his mind, Tian Yuanzi had already begun to recall the positions of the three of them earlier. He remembered that because of the aggressive attacks of Bo Xuan and the Grand Elder of the Darkness Hall, the three of them were directly scattered and could only respond as needed. Before entering the Darkness Realm, Ren Yuanzi was the closest to him, about ten zhang to his right rear.
Thinking of this, Tian Yuanzi estimated the general direction and flew towards the other side. However, Tian Yuanzi quickly realized that something was wrong. He felt that he had flown a sufficient distance, but he hadn't detected Ren Yuanzi's aura.
Suddenly, Tian Yuanzi's expression changed drastically, and without saying a word, he directly struck out with a palm towards his side.
"Boom!"
In the darkness, two palms collided, and violent Origin Power erupted instantly, causing Tian Yuanzi's expression to change slightly. This was because the Origin Power just now was clearly Di Yuanzi's.
"Di Yuanzi, where are you?"
Tian Yuanzi shouted loudly. However, the only response he received was the silence in the endless darkness. It was unknown whether his voice couldn't be transmitted or whether other people's voices couldn't reach his ears.
On the other side, after exchanging blows, Di Yuanzi also discovered Tian Yuanzi's trace. He also shouted Tian Yuanzi's name loudly, but he didn't receive a response either.
This result caused Tian Yuanzi and Di Yuanzi's hearts to sink. If they couldn't join forces, the three of them would most likely be defeated one by one in the Darkness Realm, unless they could find a way to break the Darkness Realm.
"Damn it!"
Tian Yuanzi cursed inwardly. This discovery made Tian Yuanzi feel that things were very bad. If they couldn't find a way to deal with it in time, they would only be able to ask Seven Kings Hall for help. At that time, they would probably not be able to escape a round of punishment.
Just after cursing, Tian Yuanzi's expression changed again. He raised his hand and circulated his Origin Power, directly striking out towards the other side.
"Boom!"
The moment the two palms collided, an extremely terrifying energy fluctuation, carrying a rich Reincarnation Realm aura, directly surged into Tian Yuanzi's body, sending Tian Yuanzi flying.
In the darkness, after Tian Yuanzi stabilized his figure, he couldn't help but groan. The Reincarnation Realm power from that palm directly broke through the defense of the Origin Power in his body and rushed into his body, causing him a bit of injury.
Although these injuries don't seem significant, Tian Yuanzi is well aware that if they persist, he will be at everyone's mercy.
Not only did Tian Yuanzi realize this, but Ren Yuanzi was even more aware of the problem, because he was the one being particularly targeted by the Grand Elder.
"Bang!"
Another palm strike sent Ren Yuanzi staggering backward, his face paling. But immediately after, Ren Yuanzi's expression changed again as he forcibly twisted his body, sending a palm strike towards his side.
"Boom!"
Tian Yuanzi!
The powerful force caused Ren Yuanzi, caught off guard, to be injured again. But what made Ren Yuanzi even more uncomfortable was this damned darkness. In here, it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Everyone had to be treated as an enemy.
This was already the sixth time Ren Yuanzi had fought with his own people. What was even more hateful was that this time, he had even been directly struck by Tian Yuanzi's palm, causing him to cough up blood.
Of course, Ren Yuanzi was also very clear that this couldn't be blamed on Tian Yuanzi. It was all the fault of that damned old thing, Bo Xuan, and that old codger from the Darkness Hall who had one foot in the grave.
"Damn it, Bo Xuan, have the guts to come out and fight me one-on-one!"
After another exchange of blows, Ren Yuanzi, spitting blood, directly roared in exasperation. Tian Yuanzi and Di Yuanzi couldn't hear him, but Ren Yuanzi believed that Bo Xuan definitely could.
"Hehe, if I didn't let others help, this old man could beat you, Ren Yuanzi, into a left and right Yuanzi!"
Bo Xuan couldn't help but sneer upon hearing this. This Ren Yuanzi was just good at shouting. If it weren't for Tian Yuanzi and Di Yuanzi, why would his Martial Uncle need to take action to deal with a mere Ren Yuanzi? He alone could easily cut off Ren Yuanzi's head and kick it like a ball with a scythe.
Ren Yuanzi was enraged by these words and wanted to retort, but the next moment, a withered hand attacked again from his side. Sensing a trace of danger, Ren Yuanzi raised his hand to meet it once more.
"Boom!"
The violent power stirred up ripples in the darkness, but before they could spread, they were suppressed by the power of darkness.
This was the reason why Bo Xuan didn't personally take action. With him controlling the field in the dark, Tian Yuanzi and the other two were like three headless flies trapped in the Darkness Realm, only able to fly around aimlessly, unable to break out, and even less able to join forces.
Moreover, Bo Xuan was also very clear that they couldn't kill the Yuan Gate Three Great Sect Leaders. So, he would just catch these three old dogs and beat them to death, just to avenge his good disciple. Who told these three old dogs to bully Lin Dong last time, causing his precious disciple to hold a grudge?
"Ah!!!"
Ren Yuanzi, who was knocked flying again, felt extremely aggrieved. Deep in his heart, there were bursts of tyrannical aura constantly raging.
He had had enough. That old, undying thing in the dark always ambushed him when he wasn't paying attention. The most crucial thing was that the old codger was really insidious, always running away after a single palm strike, never engaging in a prolonged fight with him. This led to him having to strike first every time he sensed someone.
Ren Yuanzi was very clear in his heart that this was the brilliance of that old, undying thing. In this way, the three of them had to be wary of each other. Whoever didn't strike first would allow the old codger to disguise himself and then directly launch a surprise attack, seriously injuring them.
But knowing was one thing; this was simply an unsolvable problem, a blatant scheme. They had to do it this way, so they also had to endure the result of 'killing each other' while being ambushed.
And to break this situation...
"Roar!!"
Ren Yuanzi's expression turned fierce, and then, he raised his head and roared. Immediately afterward, the demonic energy hidden in the deepest part of his body erupted instantly.
In an instant, Ren Yuanzi, who had originally looked like a human, had completely transformed into a hideous, ferocious, evil, and tyrannical Otherworldly Demon.
The demonic energy that suddenly erupted in the Darkness Realm directly alarmed Tian Yuanzi and Di Yuanzi, but before the two could pinpoint the location of the demonic energy, that mass of demonic energy was isolated by the darkness.
Outside the Darkness Realm, a smile couldn't help but appear on the corner of Bo Xuan's mouth. The result he wanted had been achieved. From the beginning, he hadn't been thinking about achieving any great results. All he wanted to do was stop Tian Yuanzi and the others, and preferably make these Demon Spawn expose their identities themselves.
However, one wasn't enough. It would be best if he could also make that old fox, Tian Yuanzi, reveal his true colors.
"Grand Elder, from now on, there's no need to target Ren Yuanzi. I'll try my best to isolate Ren Yuanzi and prevent them from joining forces!"
Bo Xuan immediately transmitted his voice to the Grand Elder hidden in the Darkness Realm. The Grand Elder didn't refute upon hearing this. Now that the Otherworldly Demons have appeared, they naturally follow the Hall Master's lead. Moreover, their Hall Master has some connection with the Ancestral Stone's spirit.
Dao Region, Dao Sect, central area.
Today is the day of the Dao Sect's Palace Examination. Almost all Dao Sect disciples have gathered in the central area, as every Palace Examination is held here.
On the largest giant peak in the center, there is a huge platform. Countless Dao Sect disciples have gathered on the platform, and above, Dao Sect powerhouses led by Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui are seated in rows.
In the arena, Lin Dong and Wang Yan are fighting. Both of them are extremely strong. Wang Yan has had many fortuitous encounters, while Lin Dong possesses countless high-level Martial Arts. Their fight is truly spectacular.
Chen Zhen, the Desolate Hall Master, watched Lin Dong's match and nodded in satisfaction, smiling as he spoke to Qi Lei.
"What do you say, Senior Brother Qi? How is the strength of my Desolate Hall's disciple? Does he meet your standards?"
While speaking, Chen Zhen's eyes constantly glanced towards Ying Xuanzi, causing Qi Lei to roll his eyes beside him, saying with a hint of disdain.
"Your Desolate Hall only produced one Lin Dong, what's there to be proud of? Don't forget, Sword Saint is a disciple of my Heaven Hall."
Upon hearing the title of Sword Saint, Chen Zhen's breath hitched, and he quickly added.
"Sword Saint doesn't count. He doesn't belong to the ranks of the Four Halls' disciples. It's just that someone is thick-skinned and insisted on adding Sword Saint to your Heaven Hall's disciple roster."
When Lin Xuan joined Dao Sect, he was nominally a disciple. Since he was a disciple, he naturally had to be assigned to one of the Four Halls. Lin Xuan didn't care about these things, and Ying Xuanzi didn't ask about them. Frankly, it was just a formality, and no one would treat Lin Xuan as a Dao Sect disciple.
Then, Qi Lei secretly added Lin Xuan's name to their Heaven Hall. By the time Chen Zhen and the others found out, there was no way to argue.
But now, Chen Zhen was somewhat regretful. He knew that he should have fought for it back then. Even if he couldn't enter their Desolate Hall, he shouldn't have entered their Heaven Hall, right?
Qi Lei wasn't annoyed by this. Instead, he smiled and followed Chen Zhen's words, continuing to say.
"Alright, even if we don't count Sword Saint, my Heaven Hall still has Xiao Xiao. Besides Xiao Xiao, there's also Wang Yan. Lin Dong's strength is indeed extraordinary, but defeating Wang Yan is probably his limit. He can't possibly be Xiao Xiao's opponent!"
After hearing Qi Lei's words, Chen Zhen subconsciously looked towards the cloud-white figure standing at the forefront of the Heaven Hall disciples.
The current Ying Xiaoxiao is vastly different from before. She no longer has the sharp edge she once had, but instead exudes a gentle temperament, with a kind of warm and moist quality like water.
Looking at Ying Xiaoxiao's figure, Chen Zhen couldn't help but recall the scene of Ying Xiaoxiao's previous attack, which was also very different from before. Even the Great Sky Demon Cloud Sword she used was completely different from before.
And what surprised Chen Zhen and the others the most was Ying Xiaoxiao's strength. She had quietly crossed the threshold of the Nirvana Realm Peak at some point and had already entered the Life Profound Realm.
"Junior Niece Xiaoxiao's strength has indeed improved greatly recently."
Wu Dao shook his head gently. Even though he knew that Lin Dong possessed the Devouring Ancestor Symbol, he didn't think that Lin Dong would be Ying Xiaoxiao's opponent.
"Xiao Xiao seems to have changed her cultivation method recently, and her progress is rapid. It seems that Sword Saint is not only talented and has monstrous comprehension, but his ability to give guidance is also far beyond ordinary people!"
Qian Laogui, who was sitting in the middle, couldn't help but chuckle, causing a flash of light to appear in the eyes of Chen Zhen and the others, not knowing what they were thinking.
"Let's watch the competition. It seems that Lin Dong is about to win!"
Ying Xuanzi said with a light smile, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Upon hearing this, Chen Zhen and the others refocused their attention on the competition in the arena. Soon, they all revealed a hint of surprise.
In the arena, after Lin Dong and Wang Yan exchanged blows, they once again distanced themselves. Then, Lin Dong extended his five fingers, and the void behind him shattered again. In the void, that tall and vast figure walked out again.
"Great Desolate Imprisoning Sky Hand!"
Lin Dong didn't waste any words, immediately launching a fierce attack, directly slamming a palm towards Wang Yan in front of him.
"Boom!"
As Lin Dong's palm struck down, the light figure in the void behind him also extended a palm, gently pressing down on Wang Yan. However, that seemingly light palm, when it fell, had an incomparably huge palm, appearing out of thin air, exuding an overbearing aura, pressing down on Wang Yan.
At the same time as the palm struck, a strange demon eye quietly emerged from between Lin Dong's eyebrows. Immediately afterward, a monstrous gray light burst out from it, actually summoning a Desolate Beast Spirit.
"'Whoosh!'"
The huge single eye on the top of the Desolate Beast Spirit's head quickly opened, and then, a gray beam of light, as if piercing through heaven and earth, shot out from that single eye.
Above the sky, that huge palm print and that gray light beam fell towards Wang Yan at the same time. That kind of vast momentum made countless people's scalps tingle.
Below, Wang Yan looked up at the terrifying palm print and the strange gray light, a look of solemnity flashing in his eyes. It was hard to imagine that such an offensive was launched by Lin Dong, who was only at the Six Yuan Nirvana Realm.
The next moment, Wang Yan slammed the heavy sword in his hand into the ground, and then quickly formed hand seals with both hands. Amazing fluctuations swept out from Wang Yan's body.
"Emperor Heaven Scripture, Emperor Heaven Bell!"
The Origin Power between heaven and earth quickly converged towards Wang Yan, forming clouds of energy. Immediately afterward, countless clouds of energy quickly gathered together. Soon, a huge, ancient bell covered with cloud patterns appeared out of thin air, completely enveloping Wang Yan's figure within it.
At the moment the Emperor Heaven Bell was formed, that terrifying giant palm and the strange gray light also fell one after another, and finally, under the gaze of countless Dao Sect disciples, bombarded the giant bell.
"Dong!"
In an instant, a dull bell sound echoed between this heaven and earth, and powerful energy ripples swept out again. But before that terrifying energy could wreak havoc, two invisible forces smoothed out all the energy ripples.
Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui tacitly took action to prevent the two little guys from ravaging their Dao Sect's blessed land.
Qi Lei, Chen Zhen and others beside the two were all watching the competition in the arena closely. Although Ying Xuanzi had just said that Lin Dong would win, Qi Lei and Chen Zhen didn't really believe it. The main reason was that their Sect Leader made mistakes a bit too often, not as accurate as the Sword Saint's judgment.
"Crack!"
Under the gaze of Chen Zhen, Wu Dao and others, the surface of that huge ancient bell, after enduring such a terrible attack, burst out with cracks, and finally, with a 'bang', it exploded.
Watching the exploding ancient bell, Lin Dong gently exhaled a breath. If it were his previous opponent, Qing Ye of the Earth Hall, he would not be able to withstand his moves at all. But Wang Yan was able to withstand it unscathed, showing how difficult this guy was.
After the ancient bell exploded, Wang Yan's figure slowly emerged, and there was a bit more complexity in his eyes as he looked at Lin Dong.
Just as Lin Dong was preparing to meet Wang Yan's next move, Wang Yan ignored Lin Dong, but turned around and cupped his fists towards Ying Xuanzi and others sitting at the head, and said.
"In this battle, Wang Yan admits defeat!"
"'Splash!'"
As soon as Wang Yan's voice fell, a burst of uproar erupted around him. Countless Dao Sect disciples looked at Wang Yan's back in confusion, and so did Lin Dong.
"Senior Brother Wang Yan, you..."
Lin Dong opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He could feel that Wang Yan still had trump cards that he hadn't used. Although he also had them, Wang Yan's admission of defeat was something Lin Dong hadn't expected.
Wang Yan ignored Lin Dong, and didn't even look at Ying Xuanzi, but stared at Qi Lei, and then made a move that stunned countless people.
"Pa!"
Wang Yan knelt directly on the ground with both knees, bowed deeply to Qi Lei, and said in a deep voice.
"Master, this disciple knows his mistake, and asks Master to be merciful and allow this disciple to serve Master!"
Qi Lei had not expected Wang Yan to do this suddenly. For a moment, the somewhat lonely figure before his eyes gradually overlapped with the spirited young man from back then, and instantly, his eyes turned red.
Back then, he had also been a spirited middle-aged man. His two disciples were more outstanding than the other, and they were even siblings. He had even told the Sect Leader early on that he would directly pass the positions of Heaven Hall's Main and Deputy Hall Masters to them in the future.
But fate didn't go as he wished. Almost overnight, Uncle-Master Qi Lei, who always had a smile on his face, lost his two beloved disciples, one was killed, and the other went far away.
Wang Yan encountered many dangers outside, and Dao Sect secretly sent people to help him. This wasn't done by Ying Xuanzi, but of course, he tacitly approved of these things. After all, what was the Sect Leader's status? How could he ask about everything and arrange everything? These were all done by Qi Lei.
Several times, Qi Lei opened his mouth, but he found that he didn't dare to speak at all, because he was afraid that he, the dignified Heaven Hall Master, would choke up in front of countless disciples.
Chen Zhen, who was beside him, sighed softly, reached out and patted Qi Lei's arm, and took the initiative to say to Wang Yan.
"Alright, get up. Your master was just saying angry words back then. Now that you know you were wrong, then come back!"
Hearing this, Wang Yan slowly straightened up, but didn't get up immediately. Instead, he looked at Qi Lei. After seeing Qi Lei nod, he slowly got up, glanced at his teacher, who seemed to have aged a lot, with guilt, and then, he seemed to have noticed something.
Qi Lei, whose eyes were red, saw that this rebellious disciple dared to look at him so blatantly, and glared back at him, snorting coldly.
"Humph! If you lose, go back to your own courtyard and cultivate properly. Do you still want me to come forward and help you get revenge? Kneeling in public, what are you kneeling for? Your master, I'm not dead yet, you're just embarrassing me here!"
Hearing this, Chen Zhen and the others lowered their heads, trying hard not to laugh out loud. This thick-skinned old thing, Qi Lei, actually knows shame!
Seeing this, Ying Xuanzi couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. These old guys are the same as they were back then, except for the lack of Zhou Tong, that unruly kid. Otherwise, it might be even more lively.
"Alright, since Wang Yan admits defeat, then Lin Dong advances. The last match, Lin Dong versus Ying Xiaoxiao. I see that you are all in good condition, so let's continue the competition."
Ying Xuanzi said with a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation. He wanted to see Lin Dong's strength, and he also wanted to understand the strength of his daughter.
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Hearing this, Lin Dong cupped his fists in response. Then, he turned to look at Ying Xiaoxiao, who came out from the Heaven Hall disciple team. The two looked at each other, cupped their fists in salute, and prepared to make a move.
Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui also watched with smiles, looking forward to the next competition. But in the next moment, Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui's expressions changed at the same time, because they noticed that one of their talismans had been crushed.
Turning their heads to look at each other, after exchanging glances, Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui's expressions became even more serious. The fact that they both crushed their talismans at the same time meant that it must be an extremely urgent situation.
What made Ying Xuanzi and Qian Laogui even more uneasy was that the place where the message came from was actually the Primordial Hall!