Chapter 183: Strong One

As Han Li found a dense, large tree on the outskirts of the forest and climbed it to recover his energy, the entire forbidden area experienced the first major killing spree of the Blood Trial.

Various formidable individuals revealed their true colors, initiating a widespread purge of the weaker participants nearby. The closer one was to the central area, the more frequent and bloody the killings became.

Of course, occasionally, "masters" of comparable strength would encounter each other but tacitly ignore one another, passing by without incident. It was not yet time for them to clash.

Broadly speaking, the disciples from various sects within the forbidden area could be divided into three categories.

The first category consisted of individuals with extremely weak cultivation, whose techniques only reached the tenth or eleventh level.

They entered the forbidden area for various reasons: some were forced by unavoidable circumstances, while others hoped to opportunistically benefit from the chaos. Regardless of their motives, they occupied the lowest rung of the Blood Trial, destined to be slaughtered by others.

Often, by the end of the first day in the forbidden area, most of these weak individuals would be eliminated, except for a few who were exceptionally cunning or possessed unique self-preservation methods.

Naturally, individuals like Han Li, who could directly contend with fierce opponents using rare treasures, were a clear exception.

The second category included individuals like the bearded man, who possessed decent spiritual power but knew their overall strength was far inferior to that of true masters. They were unwilling to risk their lives fighting top experts for rare elixirs. Instead, they focused on preying on the first category and their own kind, intending to seize this opportunity to kill, plunder treasures, and secretly amass wealth.

These individuals were relatively active during the first two days of the Blood Trial. However, from the third day onward, the survivors among them would automatically disappear within the forbidden area, no longer showing themselves.

They understood very well that the last three days were reserved for insane duels between "masters," and any mid-level practitioners who encountered them during this period would undoubtedly face certain death.

Naturally, some arrogant individuals or those who misjudged their own abilities would rush headlong into the vortex of fighting for elixirs, ultimately meeting a gruesome end with no remains.

However, most of them were quick to recognize danger and withdraw, often becoming the most numerous survivors of the Blood Trial. It was ironic that many powerful individuals perished miserably early on.

The last category was the smallest.

They formed the apex of the pyramid, the most elite disciples from each sect who entered the forbidden area. They were the ones on whom the higher echelons of their respective sects truly placed their hopes, while other fellow disciples served, at most, as cannon fodder to distract other sects.

These elites possessed profound spiritual power and were equipped with top-tier, astonishingly powerful magical artifacts. Their sole objective was to eliminate disciples from other sects and seize enough spiritual medicine.

This initial large-scale slaughter began by their unspoken mutual agreement, specifically to eliminate the "small fry" who aimed to exploit the chaos. This prevented these lesser individuals from interfering with their plans or creating unexpected complications.

Furthermore, they were neither impatient nor panicked about the fact that someone had already entered the central area. After all, getting in was easy, but leaving with spiritual medicine was a different, much harder challenge.

The slaughter continued, but because Han Li was still some distance from the central area, it did not affect him as he recovered his spiritual power.

However, other weaker individuals were not as fortunate as Han Li; many were forcibly drawn into the killings and were desperately trying to break free to save their lives.

Xiao Er of the Blade Transformation Manor was one such person.

Xiao Er, now pale-faced, gazed fearfully at the man before him: a barefoot giant with a massive silver sword on his back.

This man had just consecutively slain two other fellow disciples from the Blade Transformation Manor who had gathered together, doing so right in front of Xiao Er. Under the giant's silver greatsword, no top-grade magical artifact or defensive barrier seemed able to withstand a single blow; they were shattered like thin paper, and ultimately, even the individuals themselves were cleaved in two.

However, it was precisely because his fellow disciples had distracted the giant that Xiao Er, seeing the dire situation, managed to slip away and flee in desperation.

Unfortunately, the giant showed no intention of letting him go, relentlessly pursuing him for several hours until finally cornering him once more here. This plunged Xiao Er into complete despair.

"If you take your own life, I can leave your body intact!" the giant said with a cold, expressionless gaze.

"You... go to hell!"

Knowing his end was near, Xiao Er, in desperation, unleashed a fierce, desperate surge, unleashing both of his only two top-grade magical artifacts in one breath.

"Foolish!"

The giant uttered the single word sparingly. Then, his silver greatsword shot up from his back, effortlessly shattering the two artifacts, and then, in a continuous motion, cleaved Xiao Er into two pieces.

After accomplishing this, the giant immediately turned and walked away without even glancing at Xiao Er's corpse, showing no interest in the other's storage pouch. For him, the silver greatsword alone was sufficient; other magical artifacts and treasures would only distract him and hinder his cultivation.

Similarly, by a small stream near the central area, a female disciple from the Hidden Moon Sect, drenched in sweat, desperately controlled a silk handkerchief-like artifact, struggling to ward off two gleaming red flying daggers. She was clearly on the verge of being overwhelmed.

"Senior Brother from Blade Transformation Manor, can't you spare me?" she pleaded. "I am willing to serve Senior Brother for a night!"

At this critical juncture, the woman finally cast aside her shame, using her ultimate feminine charm to entice her opponent. However, she had no confidence in its success after witnessing his methods.

"Very well, put away your artifact, and I'll agree!" replied an eighteen or nineteen-year-old man in a green robe. He was handsome, with clear eyes, well-defined brows, red lips, and white teeth, exuding the air of a refined young gentleman.

Having said this, the man suspended the two flying daggers mid-air and then smiled as he looked at the woman.

The Hidden Moon Sect disciple was overjoyed. She quickly shot two flirtatious glances at the man, then, after a brief hesitation, slowly lowered her silk handkerchief, retrieving it into her hand. With a slight thrust of her chest, she was about to speak.

Alas, before her cherry lips could part, a murderous intent suddenly appeared on the handsome man's face. He abruptly pointed a finger, and the two red flying daggers, quick as lightning, swiftly crisscrossed downward in a shearing motion. The woman silently collapsed to the ground, her blood spreading across the floor.

"Hussy! How dare a common harlot like you try to seduce Han Tianya!"

The handsome man's face twisted with disgust, and his voice suddenly became sharp. He then pulled out a fragrant handkerchief from his waist and delicately wiped the dust from his face, his movements effeminate and gentle, like those of a noble young lady.

"Time to hurry," he muttered to himself, "Perhaps I'll meet a few more interesting people along the way."

After speaking to himself, the man casually tossed the used handkerchief onto the woman's face and sauntered away with a sway of his hips.

In the mountain forest, a disciple from the Spirit Beast Mountain lay dead on the ground. Nearby stood a middle-aged man in yellow, mumbling something to the sky while swaying his head. Behind him, several extremely ferocious monstrous beasts lay motionless on the ground, seemingly devoid of life.

On a desolate mountain, an ugly man in green was frantically commanding a swarm of giant bees to attack several individuals dressed in Taoist robes.

Thus, incidents of the strong slaughtering the weak were commonplace throughout the forbidden area. Though Han Li did not witness all of it, he could vaguely sense a hint of blood in the air.

However, he paid no mind to investigating the cause, remaining motionless in the treetop as his spiritual power gradually replenished within him.

Time passed quickly, and most of the first night in the forbidden area had gone by. To Han Li's surprise, the night here was as brightly lit as the day, and the sky remained a continuous hazy gray, which he found somewhat unsettling.

Just as Han Li was secretly pleased that his spiritual power was nearly restored, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps and heavy breathing gradually approaching from the distance, as if someone was running towards the large tree where he was meditating.

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