The outer sect disciples performed admirably, leaving Tongtian immensely satisfied. The battles of the inner sect disciples also caught his eye.
Duobao Daoren, as Tongtian's premier personal disciple, had also encountered a Desolate Beast and engaged it in combat.
Duobao moved with lithe, agile grace, charging toward the Desolate Beast like a hunting leopard. The magic treasure in his hand blazed with a brilliant radiance, radiating a suffocating pressure. The Desolate Beast was massive and ferocious, its fangs as sharp as blades and its roar earth-shattering, as though it could tear heaven and earth apart. Duobao's gaze was resolute as he brandished his treasure; every strike carried the crushing force of a thunderbolt, imbued with matchless power. When the magic treasure collided with the beast's body, it produced a cataclysmic crash. The beast lunged madly at Duobao, its sharp claws flashing with a cold glint as it tried to tear him apart. But Duobao sidestepped with fluid agility, instantly launching a counterattack with the speed of a gale that left the beast scrambling to respond. The battle was exceptionally fierce; the figures of Duobao and the Desolate Beast crossed and intertwined in the air, every movement filled with the aesthetic of power and skill. Duobao's attacks fell as dense as a torrential storm, while the Desolate Beast met them with stubborn resistance. Their clash felt like a life-or-death duel, with neither willing to give ground. Living up to his name, Duobao casually conjured a treasured sword, which pierced straight through the Desolate Beast's chest with a sharp whoosh. The battle ended, and Duobao continued on his way toward the center.
For a time, battles broke out everywhere, filling Tongtian with a sense of deep gratification.
In a certain corner of the miniature world, yellow sand filled the sky and howling winds raged. Our Lady of Golden Spirit stood poised and spirited in one area, gripping the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi as she faced a roaring Desolate Beast ahead. The beast was gargantuan, its entire body covered in black scales that exuded a terrifying aura. Flames spewed from its mouth, and its eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty gleam as it closed in on her step by step. Our Lady of Golden Spirit wore a solemn expression, yet her gaze was steadfast. Knowing the perils of this battle, she felt not a trace of fear. Channeling the spiritual power within her, she caused the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi to flash with dazzling light as she braced for the beast's assault. The Desolate Beast opened its cavernous maw, unleashing a searing torrent of flames toward her. Sidestepping to evade the blow, Our Lady of Golden Spirit swept the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi through the air, sending a golden sword Qi slicing straight toward the beast. The sword Qi and the flames collided with a deafening roar, kicking up a billowing cloud of dust and smoke. Struck by the sword Qi, the beast cracked its scales and bled profusely. It let out a painful roar and lunged at her with even greater frenzy. With a flash, Our Lady of Golden Spirit dodged the attack, swung the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi once more, and unleashed another slash of golden sword Qi. Sensing the formidable power of the sword Qi and daring not take it head-on, the beast sidestepped to avoid it. Seizing the opportunity, Our Lady of Golden Spirit moved with lightning speed, instantly appearing right before the beast and driving the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi straight into its eye. The beast reacted too late to block the blow. As the Ruyi pierced its eye, it let out a shrill, miserable scream and collapsed to the ground, its massive body dead. Our Lady of Golden Spirit let out a breath, and with a flick of her Ruyi, she severed the beast's head. The battle over, she stood upon the battlefield, looking down at the carcass with a heart full of emotion. Dangerous though it had been, she had ultimately triumphed over the Desolate Beast.
Yunxiao had exceptional luck; she encountered no Desolate Beasts along her entire path and drew ever closer to the combat arena. Disciples at the Daluo Golden Immortal realm were few in number after all, and all were elites of Jiejiao; winning a one-on-one fight against a mindless Desolate Beast posed no problem.
Compared to the other disciples, Guiling was utterly unlucky, directly teleported right into a Desolate Beast nest and instantly surrounded with nowhere to run. Fortunately, Guiling had achieved her breakthrough through the Dao of Defense, and being of the Profound Turtle clan herself, she possessed immense defensive power. Only under the protection of her Turtle Shell did she manage to endure wave after wave of Desolate Beast assaults, though her situation remained precarious. As the shockwaves of battle spread further and further, more and more Desolate Beasts converged on the spot. Yet Guiling was still fighting bitterly to hold on, entirely unaware of the impending crisis.
Turning to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm: there were not many disciples at this level. Aside from Wuyunxian, all the attending immortals shared this cultivation realm, along with disciples like Qiongxiao and Bixiao.
Most of the attending immortals had joined Jiejiao midway and belonged to the Demon race, having accumulated no small amount of karmic retributions during the Lich War. Although they switched to practicing the Shangqing Immortal techniques after joining Jiejiao, such deeply ingrained karma could not be cleansed so easily. Moreover, a leopard cannot change its spots; a few of them still secretly fed on the human race, not to mention Chang'er Dingguangxian, who would ultimately betray him. This touched upon Tongtian's bottom line. However, how to handle the matter required tact, lest it contradict his own teachings.
Next came the Golden Immortal realm. The most relaxed were the Ten Celestial Masters. They were elite disciples of Jiejiao and also disciples Tongtian favored quite dearly, having inherited his teachings on the Dao of Formations. The Ten Celestial Masters deployed the Ten Absolute Formations, based on the numbers of the Ten Heavenly Stems: the Heavenly Extinction Formation, the Earthly Destruction Formation, the Wind Howling Formation, the Icy Cold Formation, the Golden Light Formation, the Blood Dissolving Formation, the Blazing Flame Formation, the Soul-Catching Formation, the Crimson Water Formation, and the Crimson Sand Formation. Each formation possessed its own unique profound mysteries, acting as mutual counterparts and complementing one another.
Within the Heavenly Extinction Formation, ghostly winds howled and black mists swirled, hiding profound and unpredictable mechanisms inside.
The Earthly Destruction Formation was a churning inferno of roaring flames and erupting magma, searingly hot and entirely unapproachable.
In the Wind Howling Formation, violent gales raged and flying sand and stones filled the air, making it difficult even to stand.
The Icy Cold Formation was a world of ice and snow with a bone-chilling frost that made people shiver.
Inside the Golden Light Formation, dazzling golden brilliance flashed so blindingly that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Within the Blood Dissolving Formation, a miasma of blood hung thick in the air, reeking of a nauseating stench.
The Blazing Flame Formation was an endless sea of fire, burning fiercely enough to make anyone flinch and turn back.
The Soul-Catching Formation was fraught with ghostly auras that made one's hair stand on end.
The Crimson Water Formation and the Crimson Sand Formation used water and sand as mediums to unleash all sorts of wondrous spells that proved impossible to counter.
These ten formations echoed one another with endless variations, dazzling the eyes and defying comprehension.
The ten formations formed their own spatial realms. The Desolate Beasts lacked intelligence and kept charging endlessly into these dimensional spaces, only to be slaughtered without a single survivor by the complementary Ten Absolute Formations. Yet the Desolate Beasts were inexhaustible, and the Ten Celestial Masters ultimately possessed lower cultivation realms, making it difficult to sustain their spiritual power. They were currently seeking a method to fight while retreating.
The twenty-eight constellations, the Four Saints of Jiulong Island, Lü Yue, Luo Xuan, and others at the Mystic Immortal realm also performed exceptionally well.
Some disciples at the True Immortal realm and below also showed impressive displays, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the flood of Desolate Beasts. Feeling as though their bodies were being torn apart by the beasts, they would vanish in a flash only to reappear right back in their original spots. As it turned out, Tongtian had used his vast magical power to pull them out just in time, incidentally letting them experience life and death. Though many broke out in cold sweats, their cultivation levels all grew significantly—within life and death lay both great terror and great fortune. The disciples all bowed in profound gratitude. Waving his hand, Tongtian released a surge of spiritual energy to help them up, saying, "Look at the performance of your senior brothers and learn from them." With another grand wave of his sleeve, the final hundred disciples to emerge were all rewarded with immortal pills, and the first-place winner received a magic artifact as well, prompting another round of grateful bows.
Tongtian waved his hand with words of encouragement, then led them on to watch the performance of the remaining disciples.