Chapter 411: Explosive Troop Strategy, Soul Tree, Firefly Tree, The Emperor's Gaze

The demonic and hostage populations on the Myriad Monster Star Continents have been fully deployed!

On the Initial Star Continent, beneath a crystal-clear, seemingly transparent tree suspended in mid-air, Zhao Xing sharply opened his eyes.

"It has begun!"

"Both the demon race and the human race have been deployed. From now on, it's the crucial moment."

Zhao Xing gazed into the distance, where numerous Star Continents floated through the starry sky. Pillars of light shot up from these continents, only to quickly dissipate.

The积分排行榜 (Points Leaderboard) has opened. Your current rank: 2,705,121.

"Over 2.7 millionth place?"

In the blink of an eye, his rank dropped by another two or three thousand.

"More than twenty million Sinoong are participating in the third stage, but only about three million chose our True Self Faction's combat division."

"Hmm? Someone's already earning points?"

Zhao Xing checked the top one thousand names on the leaderboard and saw that points had already appeared.

First Place: Tuo Sen, Points: 21,204Second Place: Ji Xingchen, Points: 17,546Third Place: Han Qiye, Points: 12,145Tenth Place: Lian Rong, Points: 3,521Hundredth Place: Pu Ying, Points: 1,821Thousandth Place: Shi Ge, Points: 514

"So fast. It just started, and these people have already traversed the starry sky and made gains," Zhao Xing mused.

"They had three years to gather troop types. Some geniuses definitely don't need three years; they can acquire a powerful troop lineup and have been waiting at the edge of the Initial Star Continent."

"The moment deployment was complete, they instantly flew to the nearest Star Continent using Void plants."

"Or perhaps their Cultivation Domain's reach has already attained the Solar Rank, allowing them to attack from a distance even from the Initial Star Continent."

To achieve such a level, there were many methods, but one needed the capability.

"According to the map displayed on the Star Mirror, combined with the spiritual energy index and chaos coefficient I've observed and summarized, if I rely on my own flight, it would take at least twelve days to reach the nearest Myriad Monster Star Continent."

Undoubtedly, those with greater speed would gain more points than others.

The Star Mirror showed ten thousand Myriad Monster Star Continents, uniformly distributed around the Initial Star Continent.

It displayed three rings: low, medium, and high. Stronger demon races were distributed further away.

"The difference is too great. Twelve days for one Star Continent; they can get to a thousand Star Continents in just over ten thousand days. The top-ranked geniuses are truly powerful."

"I must shorten my travel time to have more time to earn points."

At the Beihe Lord's Mansion in the Manya Star System, Qiao Song and Lord Yang Lin of Beihe were closely monitoring the competition.

"Lord, Zhao Xing's flight speed is approximately 20 times the speed of light."

"Even flying on his own at 20 times the speed of light, it would still take him twelve days to reach the first Star Continent."

"Among the more than two million geniuses in our True Self Faction's combat division, his level isn't particularly high; it's merely upper-middle," Qiao Song reported.

Lord Beihe couldn't constantly monitor the situation. He only checked on the twelve Sinoong from his Star System after the points leaderboard opened.

When he saw Zhao Xing, Qiao Song, who had been observing him, immediately reported the situation.

"The Life Array Technique is the fastest. It allows for single-direction, one-time teleportation by setting up teleportation arrays using Void-type plants."

"Tuo Sen from the Imperial Capital Star System set up a teleportation array early on with twelve Void plants. The moment deployment was complete, he immediately appeared in a high-tier Star Continent region."

"He completed the kill, so his efficiency is the fastest."

"Most other geniuses also used similar methods."

Lord Beihe nodded, then asked, "Can Zhao Xing shorten his travel time?"

If it took twelve days to reach one Star Continent, then in thirty years, the number of Star Continents Zhao Xing could visit would be limited.

If he killed too few, he wouldn't be able to advance to the fourth round.

"He should be able to," Qiao Song replied.

"Should?"

Qiao Song explained, "I don't recognize many of the plants because the Primal Realm uses a lot of derivative species, so I can't judge them by appearance."

"However, I've seen Zhao Xing subdue quite a few Void plants, so he should be able to shorten distances and improve efficiency."

At the edge of the Initial Star Continent.

"Although I don't practice the Life Array Technique, I've also subdued quite a few Void plants—Astral Wanderer Vine, come forth."

As Zhao Xing flew to the edge of the Initial Star Continent, he immediately released a vine that was entirely dark silver with small black pores and no leaves.

The Astral Wanderer Vine had only one main stem and no branches. Rumor had it that it was a descendant of the Thousand Star Vine.

A mature Astral Wanderer Vine was in the Great Divine Power Realm. It had little offensive power, possessing only one divine ability: Void Shuttling.

Zhao Xing's main body had expended considerable effort to capture this Great Divine Power Realm Astral Wanderer Vine, as it constantly scurried around the Initial Star Continent, its position never fixed.

Furthermore, the Primal Realm had set it to only stay in one location for three breaths of time, leaving little opportunity for preparation.

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Xing entered the front part of the Astral Wanderer Vine's top. The vine's tip then pierced through the void like a sharp sword.

As simple as piercing a piece of paper, in the next second, it emerged from the other end of the void, carrying Zhao Xing with it.

Zhao Xing looked back, and the Initial Star Continent was already the size of a pearl.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

With continuous piercings, the void seemed like a cloth, and the Astral Wanderer Vine acted like a sewing needle, darting in and out.

Each entry and exit allowed Zhao Xing to traverse a significant distance.

In less than three days, the pale blue Star Continent, designated Ant Tribe 996, appeared before Zhao Xing.

"He shortened the distance by nearly six times. Not bad." In the Eris Star System, Meng Wu and Wu Tian were also observing Zhao Xing's actions through the Star Mirror.

"If he flew, it would take him over ten days, but now he's reached Ant Tribe Continent 996 in less than three."

"I told you earlier, this kid can do it," Wu Tian said with a slight smile.

"Brother Meng, it seems we must bid farewell."

"Don't be so full of yourself," Meng Wu shot a glance at Wu Tian. "There are still a hundred thousand people ahead of him."

"It's too early to talk about you transferring to a prison."

Glancing at the Star Mirror, Zhao Xing saw that nearly one hundred thousand people already had points, at least one.

This meant that one hundred thousand True Self Faction Sinoong were no slower than him in traveling.

Tuo Sen, ranked first, had already accumulated fifteen million points.

The top ten all had several million points.

The top one thousand people also exceeded a million points. Up to the ten thousandth rank, the points were very close.

After the ten thousandth rank, there was another distinct gap, with only tens of thousands of points.

After the one hundred thousandth rank, points were less than ten thousand.

"They're going to different regions. Many are probably very confident, heading straight for high-level demon regions from the start. Tuo Sen's exaggeration clearly shows he doesn't regard demons below the Dao Domain Realm as a threat."

Killing a Lesser Divine Power Realm demon grants 1-100 points.A Great Divine Power Realm demon gives 1,000-10,000 points.A Five Elements Dao Domain Realm demon gives 10,000-1,000,000 points, while a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm demon consistently gives 100,000,000 points.

In just three days, there was such a large point disparity. This clearly indicated different choices and also proved that these individuals rushed to the battlefield very quickly.

"There are truly many geniuses in the Empire."

Zhao Xing put away the Star Mirror and swiftly descended onto Ant Tribe Continent 996.

"Low to mid-tier demon Star Continents give fewer points, but the quantity is large."

"Ant tribes are communal. One Star Continent might have approximately one to two million ants."

Everyone had different priorities. Zhao Xing had now collected many troop types and could challenge slightly weaker Five Elements Dao Domain Realm demons.

However, if he went to high-tier regions, his plant troops could get injured, and he himself could get injured, which would consume a lot of time for recovery.

On low-tier Star Continents, he had a certain assurance of remaining unscathed.

"Each Star Continent cannot be destroyed. After landing, one will be suppressed by the earth veins, severely reducing speed."

"Some choose to focus on killing high-strength monsters, while others choose quantity."

He now employed a Troop Swarm and Clone Style, not a style focused on extremely powerful individual combat strength.

However, his efficiency was not necessarily worse.

Based on his style, it was natural to choose locations with large quantities for slaughter to gain points.

Zhao Xing cast the "Three Realms Void Art," projecting his plant troops from his Origin Space.

"Rumble!"

A vast forest, like a small Star Continent, descended, pressing down on the eastern region of Ant Tribe 996.

The earth seemed to become fluid, and different plants began to shift their positions.

Soon, a plant-based castle began to take shape.

"Multiply!"

Zhao Xing's body immediately released dense swarms of clones, each emitting a faint fragrance.

All of them were Ant Fern clones.

Simultaneously, at the outermost edge of the forest were fragrant Ant Fern Grass plants, with potato-like roots and tender green leaves.

"Fern Family, Ant Fern Genus."

"The outermost row of the forest consisted entirely of Staghorn Ferns, Spirit Fragrance Lotuses, and Polypodiaceae."

"Even the straw man clones were crafted from them."

Zhao Xing stood on the crown of a towering tree in the center of the forest, starlight dappling down from its canopy.

He covered his eyes with a leaf, and his vision instantly changed. The earth seemed to become transparent.

Rocks, mountains, and mist all vanished, and on the horizon, a crimson tide suddenly appeared.

"They're here," Zhao Xing's face showed a hint of excitement.

He didn't even need to search for the Ant Demons. These gathered plants alone were enough to lure the ant tribe out.

Because this was their favorite food!

"Quite a lot of them," Zhao Xing was relaxed at first, but his expression gradually grew serious.

"At least five hundred thousand ant tribesmen, all in the Lesser Divine Power Realm!"

"Most are early to mid-stage, with a small portion being late-stage or perfected."

"Taking out this wave should net at least 500,000 points, possibly even several million."

As his vision sharpened, Zhao Xing's clones quickly obtained specific data using their interface.

Ant Tribe - Gold-Devouring AntRealm: Lesser Divine Power Realm (Early Stage)Innate Divine Ability (Lesser): Geng Metal Sharp Teeth, Tier 3A passive divine ability. Its teeth condense Geng Metal essence, capable of cutting through all matter.Innate Divine Ability (Lesser): Star-Shifting Colossal Strength, Tier 3A passive divine ability. A special life structure grants Gold-Devouring Ants immense power, allowing them to move Star Continents!

"For the Gold-Devouring Ant tribe, the difference lies in some having higher-tier divine abilities."

There were also other Void Arts level passive abilities, and even Source Arts, which differentiated the various worker types within the ant colony.

For instance, some Gold-Devouring Ants possessed a burrowing Void Art, but those talents hadn't reached the Divine Power Realm, so they weren't worth Zhao Xing's attention.

"Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!"

The sound of countless ants crawling echoed, faint at first, but as they drew closer, it became an overwhelming torrent.

"Treasure Mountain Divine Ability, Pillar Supporting the Heavens!"

Zhao Xing immediately leaped from the great tree, sinking his feet into the ground to stabilize the earth veins and prevent the Gold-Devouring Ants from burrowing.

Since the ant tribe's burrowing talent had not reached the divine ability level, Zhao Xing easily closed off the underground battlefield.

The ant tribe's intelligence was low. Since they couldn't burrow to get food, they simply advanced on the surface.

Thus, large numbers of Gold-Devouring Ants emerged from underground, making the scene even more spectacular. A dark gold surge, like flowing water, enveloped the forest.

"Glowfly Fire Tree, move in!"

Seeing that his lure had succeeded, Zhao Xing immediately activated the Three Realms Void Art, drawing the outermost row of Ant Fern plants inward towards the forest.

The ground rippled like water, and soon new plants were moved to the front line.

Upon seeing their food try to escape, the Gold-Devouring Ants grew even more agitated. Like addicts craving their fix, they charged forward recklessly.

"Almost there."

Zhao Xing activated his Three Divine Soul Palace, controlling the two thousand Glowfly Fire Trees on the outer circle.

Its entire body was dark red, its bark and leaves were red, and only its canopy was silver.

Each of its leaves was curled, but when Zhao Xing willed it, all millions of leaves on each plant straightened, like a drawn bowstring.

"Release!"

A gleam flashed in Zhao Xing's eyes, and countless leaves instantly turned into streaks of light, shooting outwards.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The leaves fell like scattered stars, starting as tiny specks of light, but upon landing, they rapidly expanded like miniature suns.

Hemispherical flames spread outwards, resembling blooming petals, unleashing the Tier 6 innate divine ability – Fire Tree Silver Flowers.

"The Glowfly Fire Tree is a fire-element plant troop. Its innate ability causes each leaf to condense Nine Heavens Profound Fire. The fire element perfectly counters the metal attribute of the Gold-Devouring Ants."

"Tier 6 against Tier 3 talent. Let them all be refined!"

Flames surged to the sky, reflecting crimson on Zhao Xing's face.

The world outside the forest transformed into an ocean of fire, and the Glowfly Fire Trees at this moment became bare.

"Retrieve!"

Zhao Xing stored the two thousand plant troops back into his Origin Space, no longer letting them fight.

It would take half a year for them to regrow their leaves.

However, he had plenty of contingencies. Due to his cultivation of the Three Divine Soul Palace and Spirit-Sight from Heaven, Zhao Xing commanded a large number of troops.

Some people controlled only a few exceptionally powerful troops, but Zhao Xing developed in the direction of vast quantities.

Many players in his previous life favored the Troop Swarm style, mainly because they lacked funds to acquire valuable goods, so they opted for more affordable ones.

Also, because the Xuanhuang Realm possessed the Divine Evolution Art, a soul cultivation method, most Sinoong preferred the Troop Swarm style.

Of course, practitioners of the Troop Swarm style would never admit to being poor.

Don't ask why; they'd just say they enjoyed diverse tactical combinations and being micro-management masters.

You killed an Ant Tribe Lesser Divine Power Realm (Early Stage) and gained 1 point.You killed an Ant Tribe Lesser Divine Power Realm (Mid Stage) and gained 25 points.You killed an Ant Tribe Lesser Divine Power Realm (Late Stage) and gained 50 points.

The point tally on the Star Mirror began to rise significantly.

The Primal Realm could monitor everything, and every kill Zhao Xing made was displayed on the Star Mirror.

"Lord, Zhao Xing has entered the top 80,000 on the leaderboard. In just this one wave, he's gained almost 300,000 points!" Qiao Song's eyes lit up.

"The Troop Swarm style has many contingencies. It seems there's a good reason he chose to operate on low-tier Star Continents."

Zhao Xing's rank was originally at the very bottom, but he suddenly surged into the top 100,000.

For the third round of the Primal Realm assessment, the top 150,000 would pass, so Zhao Xing's chances were looking very good.

"To subdue and control so many is also a skill," Lord Beihe nodded in approval.

The troops Zhao Xing currently commanded were not particularly strong, but they were not weak either, and their numbers were vast!

From his operations, it was clear he had his own combat strategy, and his efficiency in gaining points was remarkably high!

"However, he probably won't be able to finish harvesting the points from this wave of ants," Qiao Song said, pointing at the Star Mirror. "The Ant Queen has come out to command; efficiency will probably not be as high now."

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Xing leaped onto the central great tree. Through its leaves, he peered through the chaotic sea of fire and also discerned the number of Gold-Devouring Ants still alive both above and below ground.

This was a Spirit Nurturing Tree, at the peak of the Great Divine Power Realm!

Like the Astral Wanderer Vine, Zhao Xing had spent considerable effort to acquire it.

The Spirit Nurturing Tree had a common name—the Soul Tree—belonging to the Soul Species.

Some Soul Species could store souls, some could heal soul injuries, and others were offensive... Zhao Xing's particular tree was a support type.

Its function was to amplify the owner's soul-type divine abilities.

Practitioners of the Troop Swarm style invariably brought a 'Soul Tree' because it could expand their controllable troop limit, which was essential for tactical combinations and micro-management.

Zhao Xing first subdued the Soul Tree, amplifying his soul and willpower divine abilities, making it much easier to capture other troops.

For now, it was a small-scale battle, so Zhao Xing only needed to stand on the tree and use its leaves for amplification.

If it were a life-and-death battle, he would directly jump into the tree's center and use the Great Divine Ability 'Spirit Sight Star River' or even 'Soul Burn' to enhance himself.

"Of the more than five hundred thousand ants, over a hundred thousand have been eliminated."

"Are they retreating?"

"Oh, the Ant Queen has emerged."

Zhao Xing's gaze pierced through the sea of fire and spotted a pure gold, chrysalis-like creature on a distant hill, surrounded by a swarm of perfected Lesser Divine Power Realm Gold-Devouring Ants.

She had two antennae that emitted light, and it was the Ant Queen's appearance that suppressed the tribe's greed, preventing them from mindlessly rushing towards the food.

The Ant Queen began to command her tribe.

Originally, the Gold-Devouring Ants had swarmed forward without any formation. Now, they were orderly, divided into different phalanxes.

She left a portion to cover their retreat, shielding the main force as it withdrew.

Another portion, in rings, used Void Arts to manipulate the Earth Vein Gold and Earth Vein Earth energies.

Since the outer earth veins were not affected by the 'Pillar Supporting the Heavens' divine ability, they quickly erected numerous barriers.

Two to three hundred thousand ants forming barriers using Void Arts was also terrifying.

The Ant Queen was also trying to micro-manage?

Zhao Xing smiled.

"You can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple."

"Giant Sun Clones, deploy!"

The Giant Sun Clones, crafted from Three Yang Green Wood, immediately appeared, replacing the bait clones previously made from Ant Fern materials.

There were only five hundred clones, utterly insignificant compared to the ant army.

However, each clone wielded a whip covered in sharp thorns.

"Thorn Family, World-Stinger Vine!"

The World-Stinger Vine's innate divine ability was best suited for breaking formations and barriers; its physical defense was not particularly outstanding.

Zhao Xing's Giant Sun Clones were not there to kill enemies, but merely to break the barriers.

The five hundred Giant Sun Clones flew up, cutting a path through the sea of fire, and, aided by the Three Realms Void Art's concealment, charged towards the ant army.

"Snap, snap, snap!"

The Giant Sun Clones swung their whips. Each of the five hundred clones swung just once, successfully breaking the barriers.

"Boom!"

As the Giant Sun Clones moved, Zhao Xing decisively shifted his territory forward, moving his Origin Projection.

The moment the barriers were broken, he precisely entered optimal attack range.

At the same time, he unleashed a second batch of 'Glowfly Fire Trees' to attack.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The bombardment began once more.

Even a layer of the earth veins was scorched through!

"There's another row of fire trees?" Qiao Song was surprised. "Just how many troops has Zhao Xing subdued in these three years?"

"Zhao Xing's efficiency is incredible."

"If he keeps this up, his rank will be unpredictable."

On Ant Tribe Continent 996, Zhao Xing ascended into the sky, retracting his Origin Projection.

"The ant colony in the eastern part of this Star Continent has been mostly eliminated. The remaining ones are too dispersed; chasing them isn't worth it."

After all, a Lesser Divine Power Realm demon only gives 1 point. Chasing scattered remnants wasn't worth the time.

"I've killed over 400,000 ants on the eastern continent, taking a total of three days. The remaining tens of thousands fled in different directions."

"I'm already in the 70,000s."

"It's good that there are no hostages here, so I can act boldly and without restraint. Next, I'll go south and continue clearing them out!"

The large number of ant demons allowed for quick kills, which suited his Troop Swarm and Clone Style.

If it were another style, efficiency against the ant tribe wouldn't be as fast. If surrounded by so many ants attacking together, it would be terrifying.

Other styles, facing such a massive number of enemies, might not be able to kill so many, or it would be time-consuming and exhausting.

For example, if Tuo Sen, ranked first, came, it would be like using a cannon to kill mosquitoes. In pursuit, he might not even be as fast as Zhao Xing, because the ants only had so much strength; overflowing power was useless.

In terms of versatility, the Troop Swarm and Clone Style was undoubtedly the strongest.

"Whoosh!"

Twelve days later, Zhao Xing manipulated the Void plant, 'Astral Wanderer Vine,' and left Ant Tribe Continent 996.

When he left, Qiao Song couldn't help but cheer.

"In twelve days, he gained over 4 million points!"

"Such high efficiency! He's already in the 60,000s, and it's only been half a month. There's still so much time left."

Zhao Xing's performance, rising from over 2.8 million Sinoong to a rank in the 60,000s, somewhat exceeded Qiao Song's expectations.

Currently, nearly half of the Sinoong still had no points!

Because they hadn't even flown to their first Star Continent yet!

In another assessment world, Xilin had just finished clearing a Star Continent and was preparing to leave using a Life Array Technique.

She took a moment to check the points ranking. Xilin's expression was indifferent and emotionless.

It was only when she saw a familiar name that her expression softened slightly.

"Only in the 60,000s, hmph."

Xilin merely glanced at it before putting it aside.

Her rank was 824!

With her Great Spiritual Divine Power, combined with the Life Array Technique, Xilin went directly to the high-tier regions to hunt.

Her Great Spiritual Divine Power allowed her to quickly pinpoint the locations of demons and then lure Dao Domain Realm demons into her arrays to kill them, which was remarkably fast.

"Roar!"

A divine turtle swung its iron hammer-like tail, then violently smashed it into the head of a Five Elements Dao Domain Realm Heavenly Rhinoceros Demon.

"Bang!"

The Heavenly Rhinoceros Demon let out a mournful wail, attempting to flee, but in front of it appeared rows of lush, golden bamboo.

"Ssssh, ssssh, ssssh!" The bamboo emitted a bell-like sound, simultaneously blowing gusts of chilling wind.

Confusion flickered in the Heavenly Rhinoceros Demon's eyes, then, filled with renewed killing intent, it charged at the divine turtle once more.

After three days of fierce battle, the Heavenly Rhinoceros Demon finally succumbed to exhaustion and crashed to the ground with a thud.

"1 million points." Xiao Xuan reverted to his human form and began to ravenously devour black fruits as large as small mountains.

"Hmm? My rank is only in the 30,000s?"

Xiao Xuan immediately sped up.

"It's quite difficult to reincarnate into the Crimson Star Empire and enter the third round of the Primal Realm assessment."

"I wonder what's going on with Tuo Sen, ranked first. He already has a billion points. Is he a newborn genius or an old expert reincarnated?"

Xiao Xuan let out a turbid breath, then leaped into the sky, immediately seeking his next hunting ground.

On Fox Demon Continent 5, a young man sitting in the pistil of a flower stared blankly at the starry sky above.

His flower was rooted in the corpse of a great demon, its rhizomes devouring the essence of flesh and blood.

At the same time, many white lights ascended around him; these were the 'rescued' hostages.

The young man's eyes gradually cleared, finally revealing a hint of realization.

"So, the reason I cultivated so quickly for over six hundred years is because I was a Reincarnation Realm expert in my previous life."

"So my name was Han Chuchen, a Reincarnation Realm expert from the Origin Heavenly Palace, and because I interfered with the affairs of the Reincarnation Divine Temple, I was forced into reincarnation..."

"Du Yun, oh Du Yun, you brat, you've truly brought me so much trouble!" Han Chuchen immediately cursed aloud.

"I only charged you five trillion, which is just the price of a low-grade Origin Divine Weapon, and it caused such a huge disaster?!"

"What was the client's name again? Something like Zhao... Can't remember," Han Chuchen sighed deeply, then a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

"Why, why was I punished to such an extent for such a small matter?"

Han Chuchen felt a headache, so he could only stop thinking about it.

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

One-third of the Myriad Monster Star Continent assessment was over.

At this point, Zhao Xing was already on his way to the high-tier demon regions.

"My rank dropped out of the top ten thousand again," Zhao Xing mused, checking the Star Mirror while traveling.

In the first year, his rank remained stable within the top 70,000 range.

After that, it rose by about 10,000 places each year.

In the sixth year, Zhao Xing first broke into the top 10,000.

"The competition in the top ten thousand is too fierce," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "I've pushed for over three consecutive years, but each time I can't maintain my position. Just the travel time causes me to be overtaken and fall back out of the top ten thousand."

"On the low-tier Star Continents, there aren't many easy-to-kill demon races left, yet I still can't push further."

Zhao Xing understood that he had to go to higher-level regions to achieve a better rank.

"Sailing against the current; no progress means falling back."

Even if he killed all the demons on the low-tier Star Continents, Zhao Xing estimated he wouldn't be able to maintain his rank.

The remaining difficult-to-kill demons were problematic because there were too many 'hostages'. His Troop Swarm style, suited for large-scale battles, could easily cause collateral damage to hostages.

Getting points deducted too severely would significantly reduce his efficiency.

Therefore, Zhao Xing had no choice but to step out of his comfort zone and compete.

And going to medium-tier Star Continents with Great Divine Power Realm demons was not as good as going to high-tier Star Continents with Dao Domain Realm demons.

Because Great Divine Power Realm demons were not necessarily easier to handle than Dao Domain Realm demons.

"Great Divine Power Realm demons certainly possess innate Great Divine Abilities, but Five Elements Dao Domain Realm demons might not."

"Five Elements Dao Domain Realm demons have stronger conventional combat power than Great Divine Power Realm ones, but they lack burst power."

"At the same time, there might be a threat from Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm demons on the Star Continents."

Therefore, the points for Great Divine Power Realm and Five Elements Dao Domain Realm demons were not significantly different.

Considering his options, Zhao Xing still chose to go to the high-tier regions.

After all, his Troop Swarm style was quite vulnerable to burst-oriented styles. If he, the Sinoong, were instantly killed, no matter how many troops he had, it would be useless.

As long as he remained unharmed, stacking damage to kill a Five Elements Dao Domain Realm demon would only waste a little time.

If he got injured, even more time would be lost.

You have arrived at 'Water Demon Continent 12'.

Upon entering the medium-tier Star Continent, Zhao Xing quickly received a notification from his Star Mirror.

From space, Water Demon Continent 12 appeared like a giant bowl, with mountains only at its edges and a vast expanse of seawater in the middle.

"Let's test the waters first." Zhao Xing expanded his Origin Projection, and then a green mushroom slowly emerged.

Green Poison Empress (Self-named Derivative Species)Quality: King-tierType: Aquatic SpeciesRealm: Great Divine Power Realm (Perfected)Status: Peak StageInnate Great Divine Ability: Three-One Water Essence DispersalPoison-type Great Divine Ability: Releases an extremely wide-ranging poison. The toxin will devour water-element origin energy for fission transmission. Each dose of toxin will erupt upon invading a living body, completely draining the life's water-element origin energy within thirty-one breaths.Innate Great Divine Ability: Five Elements Soul-Stinging NeedlePoison-type Great Divine Ability: When Three-One Water Essence Dispersal reaches its limit, it will continuously form poisonous qi needles from the Five Elements origin energy within the living body. These needles will pierce the soul, causing irreversible soul decay.

After a hundred years of training and progress in his Cultivation Domain, from Taiyin Rank Six to Taiyin Rank Nine, Zhao Xing finally grasped a trace of the Grand Dao of Life within his Origin Space.

When applied to a Lesser Divine Power Realm poison-type mushroom, it could, in one out of ten thousand attempts, give birth to an extremely potent Great Divine Power Realm mushroom.

Since it was a derivative species, a new variant, Zhao Xing named it 'Green Poison Empress.'

The Green Poison Empress was only a hundred meters tall, miniature compared to the tens of thousands of miles in size that some creatures could reach.

The toxins it condensed were so potent that Zhao Xing dared not get too close, always releasing the Green Poison Empress from a considerable distance.

"I wonder if it can poison an entire ocean the size of this Star Continent," Zhao Xing mused.

The Green Poison Empress was an aquatic species, meant for underwater combat environments.

Zhao Xing's Troop Swarm style effectively embodied the True Self Faction's philosophy: possessing combat capabilities in any environment, rather than just blindly mass-producing disposable troops.

"Even if it can't kill them, reducing their combat power is good enough."

Zhao Xing's cautious demeanor immediately drew Qiao Song's attention.

"This is the first time he's been so careful."

"Could that mushroom be his trump card?"

Qiao Song recalled the nickname Zhao Xing received in the second round, as well as the tower-like mushroom he had once seen.

"He always has new tricks. It seems the mushroom is his signature troop."

The Green Poison Empress silently entered the water, and the calm ocean showed no ripple.

Zhao Xing, with his naked eye, couldn't discern when the Green Poison Empress released its toxins or where they went. Yet, he instinctively sensed a threat.

So, he retreated again and again, reaching the very edge of the Star Continent, taking refuge within the Soul Tree.

At the same time, an outer five-element barrier, composed of lotus-type plants, activated, providing layers of defense.

"Even while inside the Soul Tree, with my divine abilities amplified dozens of times, I still can't tell how the Green Poison Empress releases its toxins, or where the toxins go."

Zhao Xing could only marvel at the profound and mysterious methods of plant life.

"Even Emperor-tier Sinoong, exhausting centuries of time, cannot fully understand the life characteristics of all native species, let alone the infinite possibilities of derivative species."

"This path truly has no end."

When the Green Poison Empress entered the water, Zhao Xing quickly saw the results.

The ocean began to boil at the third breath. By the tenth breath, roars erupted from all four directions—southeast, northwest—as Water Demons broke the surface.

Zhao Xing counted, roughly spotting fifty-odd Five Elements Dao Domain Realm Water Demons.

By the fifteenth breath, half of the Water Demons had lost their lives and began to sink to the seafloor.

By the twentieth breath, the ocean's water level began to drop significantly.

At this point, Zhao Xing discovered that the number of Five Elements Dao Domain Realm Water Demons that had died had reached 214!

By the twenty-fifth breath, the water level dropped significantly again. Simultaneously, Zhao Xing retreated into the starry sky, looking down from afar.

"There's probably a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm Water Demon in there," Zhao Xing thought, his expression grave. If he encountered such a great demon, he would have to flee, otherwise, he risked elimination.

He didn't sense the aura of a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm demon, and his gaze swept back and forth, but he didn't see any great aquatic demons emerging.

His judgment was based purely on the significant drop in water level, which meant that both of the Green Poison Empress's great innate divine abilities had been triggered!

"The water-element origin energy significantly decreased, followed by the mutual generation of the Five Elements. The spiritual energy index of the entire Water Demon Continent 12 rapidly dropped."

"It started at 86, and now it's fallen to 24, and it's still dropping."

Consuming so much spiritual energy origin was, of course, due to the triggering of the second divine ability, the Five Elements Soul-Stinging Needle.

If it weren't for the condensation of poison needles, such a massive consumption would be impossible.

The reason for condensing poison needles was clearly to deal with a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm Water Demon!

"Moooo!"

Suddenly, a sorrowful sound, as if crossing through space and time, emanated from the seawater.

Zhao Xing's eardrums immediately bled, and illusions appeared before his eyes.

"Slaughter Thought-Blade, Mind Bell!"

He immediately ascended, simultaneously activating his mental defense.

By the twenty-seventh breath, Zhao Xing recovered.

Through the amplification of the Soul Tree, he finally saw clearly that there was indeed a giant beast beneath the ocean.

A colossal aquatic beast slowly floated and sank in the water. Its body was one percent the length of the Star Continent.

Its entire body was covered in luminous scales, each one like an exquisitely carved giant shield, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

The beast's head resembled a dragon's, yet it bore a pair of massive horns, curved like hooks, incredibly sharp, as if they could tear through the void. Its eyes, once shining like beacons, were now dim and filled with pain and resentment.

At some unknown point, a deadly poison had silently invaded its body. The toxin, like a swarm of mad specters, wantonly surged through its massive form, destroying all vitality in its path.

The beast's body began to develop patches of bluish-black patterns, like an evil curse spreading across it.

"So it's a 'Minyuan Mochu'," Zhao Xing realized, upon seeing the giant beast's form.

Minyuan MochuRealm: Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm (Early Stage)

"The Minyuan Mochu possesses the innate Great Divine Ability 'Bone-Shedding Rebirth'."

"Is it using this technique now to evade the Green Poison Empress's attack?"

Zhao Xing could see the Minyuan Mochu vigorously thrashing its thick, powerful tail, attempting to dispel the toxins within its body.

At the same time, from its head, a smaller Minyuan Mochu emerged from its original body.

However, this toxin wasn't targeting the physical body but the soul.

So even if it completed Bone-Shedding Rebirth, the toxin would still remain in its soul.

It was just that the degree of poisoning was relatively lighter.

The seawater was churned as if boiling, and massive whirlpools continuously formed and dissipated around it.

Because the Star Continent's ocean was too small, it couldn't quickly escape after rebirth.

Demons were not allowed to leave the designated areas set by the Primal Realm.

"It will experience this process of Three-One Water Essence Dispersal followed by Five Elements Soul-Stinging Needle again and again," Zhao Xing mused.

If it couldn't escape the ocean of Water Demon Continent 12, then it would remain in a pool of poison.

Repeatedly infected and poisoned.

"Death is only a matter of time."

Zhao Xing used the Void plant, Astral Wanderer Vine, to ensnare the Green Poison Empress and pull it back.

Thirty-one breaths had passed. The Green Poison Empress turned from green to white; its toxins had been fully released, and it no longer needed to stay there.

"Leaving."

Zhao Xing saw no need to stay and confirm the death, directly leaving Water Demon Continent 12.

"Moooo!"

The Minyuan Mochu roared in agony, its voice causing the seawater to hum, as if the entire ocean trembled with its pain.

Its four limbs thrashed forcefully, but gradually lost their former strength, each struggle becoming progressively weaker.

As time passed, the toxin raged more fiercely, and the Minyuan Mochu's life force continuously dwindled.

On the 25th day after Zhao Xing left, its movements became increasingly sluggish. Finally, its massive body, like a collapsing mountain, slowly sank towards the seabed.

Along the way, its scales began to peel off, scattering into the gloomy blue seawater, like fragments of lusterless treasures.

When it heavily crashed onto the seabed, it stirred up vast clouds of mud and sand.

A Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm aquatic overlord was, simply because it couldn't leave, brutally taken down by the Green Poison Empress.

"Hiss!"

Qiao Song had been continuously monitoring the Minyuan Mochu's situation. Seeing the colossal body on the seabed, he couldn't help but gasp.

Zhao Xing actually defeated a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm giant beast?

What kind of monster had he created?

"If I were in there..." A Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm martial general beside Qiao Song involuntarily put himself in the creature's place. "If I were in there, I probably wouldn't have survived either."

"Abnormal, truly too abnormal!"

"He lives up to his nickname, the Mushroom King. It's well-deserved."

Everyone under Lord Beihe's command began discussing it.

The combat power of True Self Faction Sinoong had always been recognized as strong, but an instance of a Great Divine Power Realm expert defeating a Yin-Yang Dao Domain Realm expert was relatively rare.

Now, they had personally witnessed an example. Although it occurred under specific limited conditions, it was still shocking, as the gap between the Dao Domain Realm and the Origin Realm was quite large.

"This is Zhao Xing, a genius from our Beihe Star System!"

"Look, his rank is already about to enter the top five thousand."

In the Primal Realm, within an ancient green city, Zuo Qiyu's true body was drinking and playing chess with an old man dressed in dark green robes.

A Star Mirror lay between them. While one contemplated their move, they would occasionally glance at the unfortunate scenes of the participants, seeking a moment of relaxation.

As Zuo Qiyu was pondering his move, the Five Poisons Emperor looked up at the Star Mirror.

"Hmm?" The Star Mirror in front of him flashed with countless images. The scenes of slaughter on the high-tier Star Continents over the ten years of the Primal Congress's third round were all taken in by him.

"Oh? There are a few promising talents who use poison," the Five Poisons Emperor immediately became interested. "Old Zuo, come look."

"What's all the noise? Don't disturb my concentration," Zuo Qiyu said impatiently.

The Five Poisons Emperor burst into laughter: "Hahaha, Water Demon Continent 12, was that arranged by your disciple? I remember you were in charge of many affairs this session, right?"

"So what if it was?"

"You're too incompetent! Look, over three hundred Water Demons on Water Demon Continent 12 were actually defeated by a single mushroom."

"That person didn't even bother to check if the Minyuan Mochu was dead. Heh heh, that's what I call confidence. Truly my style."

Provoked by the Five Poisons Emperor, Zuo Qiyu couldn't help but shift his attention and glance at it.

"The one named Zhao Xing? I think I escorted him before. He's from the Beihe Star System. What, are you interested?"

"Of course, who doesn't like promising talents?" The Five Poisons Emperor chuckled. "Besides, poison-wielding troops are rare."

"That's good, but can you please stop secretly moving pieces?" Zuo Qiyu turned his head to look at the Five Poisons Emperor.

"Nonsense!" The Five Poisons Emperor immediately bristled. "Which eye saw me move the board?"

More than a dozen of Zuo Qiyu's heads suddenly emerged from outside the door, silently watching the Five Poisons Emperor.

At the same time, a rhombic mirror played a recording of the Five Poisons Emperor cheating.

The Five Poisons Emperor: "..."

Zuo Qiyu reached out, restored the chessboard, and then made his move.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle."

"If you play like this, the next Primal Congress might start before you even finish this game!"

The Five Poisons Emperor was even more impatient than Zuo Qiyu. He directly flipped the chessboard. "Rush, rush, rush, you short-lived ghost! I'm not playing anymore, get lost!"

"Not playing?" Zuo Qiyu sneered, a swipe of his hands restored the chessboard to its original state. Simultaneously, ten thousand Zuo Qiyu figures rushed from behind him, surrounding the city.

"Today, you will play whether you want to or not! Otherwise, your old man will dig up fifteen of your Emperor seeds. Choose wisely!"

"Hahahaha, go ahead and dig if you dare!" The Five Poisons Emperor laughed loudly. "I've hidden them away long ago."

Zuo Qiyu was instantly enraged. The entire city began to be uprooted. This city was, astonishingly, also a plant city.

"Five Poisons, Qiyu, stop." Just then, a voice echoed through the room.

Both Zuo Qiyu and the Five Poisons Emperor froze, stopping their actions simultaneously, because the owner of the voice was Guluo River, who surpassed them in seniority, status, and strength.

The voice quickly spoke again: "Five Poisons, since you said you want to take disciples, then truly go and take disciples. You are to participate in disciple recruitment this session."

"Yes, I will definitely participate," the Five Poisons Emperor stood to receive his instructions.

"Qiyu, you also participate in disciple recruitment," the voice commanded again.

"Yes," Zuo Qiyu agreed, despite his inner reluctance.

You rescued 12,325 'hostages', gaining 10 points.

In the final year of the Primal Congress assessment, on a parched Star Continent, Zhao Xing watched as rays of light soared away, figures visible within the glow.

Of course, many of these were determined to have been 'killed' by Zhao Xing during the rescue process, incurring significant point deductions.

"Let's check my rank." Zhao Xing opened his Star Mirror.

Current Rank: 4,295

"Still over four thousand... Do all four thousand-plus people ahead of me possess Solar Dao Domains and master multiple Great Divine Abilities? Are they all peerless geniuses?"

"This session is truly too competitive," Zhao Xing couldn't help but shake his head.

He had given his utmost. Even with the Green Poison Empress's assistance, he couldn't push past his peak of nearly 3,000th place.

Because the Green Poison Empress, his biggest trump card, also had a cooldown. Once it entered cooldown, his efficiency in Dao Domain Realm demon regions would sharply decline.

To deal with slightly stronger Dao Domain Realm demons, crushing them directly with the Five Finger Mountain was actually the fastest method.

"This session truly has a multitude of powerhouses. And yes, Mutation Arts, World Arts, Dao Domains, Parasitic Arts, Life Array Techniques... there's still so much I don't know or haven't mastered. There's plenty of room for improvement. Many geniuses enter the Great Divine Power Realm in a few hundred years, then spend one to two thousand years specifically researching divine abilities."

Zhao Xing couldn't help but marvel at the sheer number of geniuses in the Crimson Star Empire, especially in this session.

"I wonder if all the Reincarnation Realm experts from the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom have reincarnated into the Crimson Star Empire," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "But I've definitely passed this third round."

With over four thousand points, even if he did nothing for the next year, he wouldn't drop out of the top 150,000.

"Forget it, no more intense competition," Zhao Xing, unable to achieve a higher rank after several attempts, began to earnestly study another direction.

That was rescuing hostages.

"Next, I'll try to save as many hostages as possible. In these years, I've been judged to have accidentally killed more than I've saved. That won't do."

"If, during the Primal Realm's disciple recruitment phase, some deviant sees me accidentally killing so many hostages and thinks I'm also a deviant, and takes me as a disciple, that would be a huge joke."

No one wants to have a deviant for a teacher. Even encountering a teacher like Gong Fa would make Zhao Xing uncomfortable.

However, unbeknownst to Zhao Xing, due to his repeated use of the Green Poison Empress, he had been noticed by someone named the Five Poisons Emperor.

Thirty years passed in a flash.

The third round of assessment has ended. Zhao Xing of the Beihe Star System, your rank in the Manya Star System, True Self combat division assessment is: ____.

Congratulations on entering the fourth round. The fourth round will be held in the Primal Realm.

Upon exiting, you will immediately proceed to the Primal Realm to prepare for the final trial.