Chapter 1271: Beaten

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Wind Rises in Kyushu

The cultivators secretly observing clearly recognized many of the figures, including Gu Yulou, and thus grew excited and expectant.

Lu Yiye had already faced three challengers from the top ten. Baoshi was utterly defeated, Mokedo retreated after a single strike, and Youping couldn't seem to find a suitable moment to attack. What kind of performance would Gu Yulou deliver?

Historically, confrontations between the first and second ranked individuals have always been the most anticipated. If Lu Yiye could defeat even Gu Yulou, his position at the top of the rankings would be unshakeable, cementing him as the true champion of this Divine Sea competition. Everyone was keenly interested to see what kind of sparks would fly between these two.

Under the watchful eyes of many, Gu Yulou, spear in hand, walked directly to the pile of shattered rocks. He gazed at the rubble for a moment in silence before looking up at Baoshi: "Were you killed?"

Baoshi, arms crossed, calmly affirmed, openly admitting his defeat without any hint of embarrassment.

Gu Yulou nodded, planted his spear in front of him, and sat down cross-legged.

Youping raised an eyebrow, perplexed by this action, and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you here to challenge him? Why aren't you making a move?"

Gu Yulou lowered his gaze and replied calmly, "I can't win."

Baoshi, from the side, looked at Youping with amusement: "Why does a ghost from the Northern Netherworld concern herself with Gu Yulou's affairs?"

The number of people gathering around Lu Ye increased, and a quiet atmosphere began to settle. The Divine Sea competition in the Primordial Realm, held once a century, had never seen such a bizarre scene in its final stages. Instead of hunting to increase their spoils, several top-ranked prodigies sat quietly, waiting.

Baoshi chuckled, voicing her thoughts: "You just want to sit back and reap the benefits while others are locked in a fierce battle!"

Such a formidable lineup was enough to inspire awe in anyone.

There were no agreements or discussions, just a spontaneous and natural gathering, yet the group seemed to coexist quite harmoniously. According to the Reincarnation Tree's revelations, those gathered here included several of the top ten, with the rest generally falling within the top eighty.

In this small area, seven figures had gathered. Excluding Yu Yaorao, the remaining six were all ranked among the top ten. The first, seventh, and eighth ranks were all represented. Even Baoshi, despite his rank as first, did not truly reflect his full strength. If assessed purely by strength, his ranking would undoubtedly be higher than first.

The active area within the Primordial Realm had already shrunk to a final ten-thousand-mile radius. But the struggle had not yet concluded, as the final hundred candidates had yet to be determined.

Youping was visibly exasperated: "Yao Xiangjun, you're from the Yao family. If you don't bring back first place, how will your elders ever forgive you?"

Gu Yulou looked as if he couldn't be bothered to explain. Instead, Baoshi chuckled from the side: "I've fought him, so I know he can't win!"

Regardless of whether they would encounter each other as allies or adversaries while traversing the starry skies in the future, their meeting here today was a form of destiny, and everyone tacitly agreed to this unspoken rule.

Not only Youping found it uninteresting; the cultivators observing in secret, who had anticipated an earth-shattering battle, were equally disappointed.

Therefore, the gathering of these individuals was a welcome sight for other cultivators. It meant they no longer had to worry about encountering formidable opponents like Huanglongjie or Youping in their subsequent pursuits, much less the ruthless Lu Yiye from the Four Heavens Realm.

Not just anyone was qualified to join them; those who dared to integrate into such an exclusive group at this time were without exception top-tier prodigies who had already accumulated substantial gains. In other words, even without any further accomplishments, they were already guaranteed a high-ranking position.

Cultivators ranked outside the top eighty simply lacked the courage to join this gathering.

With that, he sat down, idly twirling two short blades between his fingers.

She could only try to minimize her presence. Fortunately, Lu Ye was sitting not far from her, and his not-so-tall figure provided her with constant, invisible protection. For these young prodigies, whose cultivation was currently limited to the Divine Sea realm and who were on the verge of advancing to the Constellation realm, this was undoubtedly an invaluable experience. Lu Ye was forced to drink a lot of wine by her, yet he couldn't say anything.

While there was lively chatter and drinks flowing freely here, other parts of the Primordial Realm harbored hidden dangers and constant conflicts. Under the same sky, these two starkly different situations created a striking contrast.

She seemed convinced that there was some undisclosed arrangement between Lu Ye and Yu Yaorao. How else could two cultivators from different realms come together? And the stronger individual was constantly sheltering the weaker one.

Youping immediately looked exasperated, asking angrily, "You haven't even fought him, how do you know you can't win?"

Lu Ye was equally bewildered by what was happening. The resting place he had chosen gradually evolved into a gathering point for the powerful. First, Baoshi lingered, refusing to leave; then Youping and Huanglongjie arrived, joining their ranks. As time passed, more figures gradually converged from all directions, each quietly taking a seat.

As his mind grew hazy from the alcohol, Lu Ye felt utterly confused. Why had the situation here developed this way? He had simply remained here, waiting for challengers, because Yu Yaorao needed to recover from injuries, and he was too lazy to hide. This was a display of his confidence in his own strength, but he hadn't anticipated that by sheer coincidence, he would attract so many top-tier prodigies to gather. The prodigies who dared and were able to gather here at this moment were all individuals virtually guaranteed a winning spot, and they were all highly ranked. They had no intention of participating in further competition, which was not necessarily a bad thing for other cultivators.

Everyone was content to forge connections with like-minded cultivators here. They could broaden their horizons and witness things they would rarely encounter otherwise.

Yao Xiangjun calmly stated, "Gu Yulou's first place isn't something that depends on this one instance from you."

After a few more attempts at persuasion, seeing that Huanglongjie remained utterly unmoved, Youping finally sighed, "How dull!"

But judging solely from the outcome, it still seemed pretty good. Youping couldn't help but glare at him: "None of your business!"

At this final juncture, conflicts intensified everywhere, becoming more frequent than ever, and cultivators' battles upon encountering each other grew even more brutal.

In less than two days, the number of cultivators gathered here had already surpassed ten, and the count continued to rise.

However, Lu Ye could shatter Baoshi to pieces when facing him as an opponent. With such a clear comparison, no further direct confrontation was needed for Huanglongjie to gauge Lu Ye's strength.

Yu Yaorao felt an immense, mountainous pressure!

Youping, intent on seeing Lu Ye and Huanglongjie inflict mutual destruction upon each other so she could exploit the situation, brazenly approached Lu Ye. With one arm around his neck and the other holding a goblet larger than a human head, she poured wine into Lu Ye's mouth: "Drink up, stop pretending! I can't stand hypocrites like you, who act righteous but are full of hidden schemes!"

Youping earnestly urged, "But Yao Xiangjun, you are, after all, a symbol. How can such a symbol be tarnished under your watch? As the most outstanding Divine Sea realm cultivator of this generation from Gu Yulou, you must demonstrate your responsibility and bring another first place back for Gu Yulou. That is your duty!"

Aside from the Reincarnation Tree's Primordial Realm, where else could so many cultivators from various races across the starry skies gather simultaneously? Even if they were to ascend to the Constellation realm and traverse the starry skies in the future, they would certainly never have a similar experience again.

Huanglongjie didn't seem overly concerned with achieving first place in this competition, but Youping was exceptionally keen. However, she had no confidence in ambushing and defeating the two individuals ranked above her. But if those two were to engage in a fight, it would be an invaluable opportunity for her. She might just be able to manipulate the situation and eliminate both.

For any cultivator, such an experience was incredibly rare.

An opponent capable of defeating a monster like Baoshi was, in all likelihood, another monster. Huanglongjie had no desire to contend with such a monster.

Some hospitable individuals retrieved fine wine and delicacies from their own realms from their storage bags, sharing them with others. Prodigies from different realms, who by rights should have been rivals, had oddly achieved a state of harmonious coexistence here.

The number gradually increased, and a few days later, over seventy cultivators had gathered in this small area, each exuding a profound aura.

Within such an atmosphere, even the solitary Huanglongjie was inevitably drawn in.

No one had expected that upon Huanglongjie's arrival, he would not engage in any conflict with Lu Yiye. He merely exchanged a few words, then quietly took a seat nearby.

No one withdrew! They had all persevered until this point, just a step away from ultimate victory. Who would willingly withdraw? Everyone was gritting their teeth and holding on, hoping to outlast the others!

The words sounded a bit convoluted, but Youping still grasped Baoshi's meaning. Huanglongjie had clearly clashed with Baoshi previously, though the exact outcome remained unknown. But judging from the current situation, that battle was likely evenly matched; even if Huanglongjie had a slight advantage, it was probably a limited victory.

Unfortunately, Huanglongjie remained completely unmoved, dismissing all persuasion as mere whispers. For a powerful individual like him, once he made up his mind, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to sway his beliefs or resolve. Staying in such a gathering place of top-tier prodigies, she always felt a bit out of place. She knew that her own strength didn't truly qualify her to remain in such an unspoken arrangement, but at this point, even if she had the courage to leave, she couldn't.

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