The top three spots in the final rankings went to Ling Feng'er, Chen Gong, and Zhang Ergou.
As Liu Xun presented the awards, his face was grim, even bordering on gritted teeth.
This was because his scheme had not only been thwarted by Zhang Ergou.
It had also turned the plan to deplete the strength of the Misty Sect disciples into a joke.
The entire Liuhai Sect had become the biggest laughingstock in front of these sects. Although the elders of the Misty Sect had instructed Zhang Ergou and Chen Gong to go easy on Ling Feng'er,
To secure Ling Feng'er the first-place ranking.
But in Liu Xun's eyes, this was a blatant insult. Their Liuhai Sect's ranking was actually being bestowed by charity.
This was not the most important thing. The most crucial point was that the secret realm was set to open in three days.
Yet, the disciples of the Liuhai Sect were all injured.
They would certainly not recover in the short span of three days, and the primary contributor to all of this was Zhang Ergou.
Therefore, the moment Liu Xun saw Zhang Ergou.
If it weren't for the elders of the Misty Sect watching from not far away, Liu Xun would have wanted to kill the brat with a single palm strike.
This brat not only made Liu Xun lose face in front of all the cultivators attending the Grand Competition between the two sects.
But also caused considerable losses to the Liuhai Sect.
All of this greatly increased Liu Xun's anger towards Zhang Ergou.
Originally, Liu Xun and his group had already suspected Zhang Ergou of being involved in the demise of Sect Elder Cai Chao.
Now that Zhang Ergou had put the entire Liuhai Sect in such an awkward position, it was no wonder Liu Xun couldn't stand to look at Zhang Ergou.
Zhang Ergou, however, paid no mind to these matters.
He also had no good feelings towards the Sect Leader of the Liuhai Sect.
Without Liu Xun's orders, Cai Chao would not have tracked him, nor would he have kept an eye on him.
He would not have had to reveal some of his secrets to Heavenly Dao Elder under duress, in order to lure Cai Chao out.
Although Heavenly Dao Elder had said nothing for now.
Zhang Ergou did not believe that Heavenly Dao Elder would let him off the hook just like that.
This caused Zhang Ergou's hatred for the Liuhai Sect to double. They had no prior grudges, yet he was first imprisoned,
And then a Nascent Soul cultivator was sent to keep an eye on him.
Now, he could say that his feud with the Liuhai Sect had deepened considerably.
After all, from the perspective of the Liuhai Sect members, Cai Chao's demise was inextricably linked to him. This could be seen from Liu Xun's sinister expression.
Zhang Ergou met Liu Xun's gaze directly, showing no trace of fear.
"A formidable young man," Liu Xun uttered a cryptic remark, cast a deep glance at Zhang Ergou, and then left the award stage.
With this, all the events of the Grand Competition between the two sects concluded.
The secret realm was scheduled to open in three days, and people from various sects began to withdraw from the competition venue.
Time flew by, and three days had passed.
On this day, Zhang Ergou and the others, led by Heavenly Dao Elder, arrived at the summit of a spiritual energy-infused mountain peak.
By the time Zhang Ergou and the others arrived, the place was already crowded with people. Su Dan Novel Network.
Clearly, not all of these people were contestants entering the secret realm, but disciples and elders from various sects who had come to witness the grand spectacle of the secret realm's opening.
In the center of the mountain peak's summit, there was an area that looked somewhat different from the surroundings.
This area was flat, and the perimeter formed an Eight Trigrams formation. Liu Xun and the others were currently standing on the outer edge of the formation.
Upon seeing the arrival of the Misty Sect group, a hint of ferocity flashed in Liu Xun's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"Fellow Daoist Heavenly Dao, the time is nigh. Let us proceed with the ritual to open the secret realm's teleportation array."
Liu Xun addressed Heavenly Dao Elder, who was leading the Misty Sect group.
Heavenly Dao Elder nodded slightly and instructed the Misty Sect disciples behind him to step back.
Following this, four elders emerged from both the Misty Sect and the Liuhai Sect, including Heavenly Dao Elder and Liu Xun themselves.
They took their positions in different directions.
Then, Liu Xun's voice boomed, "Everyone, please exert your full strength and jointly open this teleportation array."
Zhang Ergou and the others then witnessed an astonishing sight. As the eight elders unleashed their power, the flat ground, which had merely been inscribed with an Eight Trigrams diagram, erupted in a brilliant radiance.
For a moment, the entire world was illuminated by this beam of light, and even the sun in the sky seemed to lose its brilliance.
First, a red light appeared.
Then, an orange glow.
A yellow light...
Green...
Cyan...
Blue...
Purple...
Finally, these seven beams of light converged, transforming into a single white light, so blinding that Zhang Ergou and the others could not open their eyes.
The dazzling light persisted for the duration of an incense stick before slowly fading.
*Crack!*
Then, the sound of something opening reached their ears, and everyone's spirits lifted as they eagerly looked towards the center of the light beam.
Indeed, a fissure had appeared in the center of the Eight Trigrams formation.
The fissure then widened, quickly becoming a zhang wide.
Once the fissure reached a width of three zhang, it stopped expanding further.
*Crackling, rumbling...*
However, this was not the end. A strange sound arose.
From the wide fissure, an Eight Trigrams stone platform emerged, identical to the one inscribed on the ground.
However, the stone platform was slightly smaller than the Eight Trigrams formation etched in the center of the summit.
It stopped rising once the stone platform was level with the ground.
At this point, observing the eight elders from the Misty Sect and the Liuhai Sect, fatigue was evident on each of their faces.
Only the more profoundly cultivated Heavenly Dao Elder and Liu Xun fared slightly better.
However, their condition was not much better either; they were only marginally stronger than the others.
"Disciples who possess the qualification to enter the secret realm, step forward and line up on the stone platform in the center."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ergou and the others stepped out from the crowd and, under the guidance of an elder, lined up one by one on the stone platform.
Once on the stone platform, Zhang Ergou and the others began to feel the spiritual energy contained within it.
"Close your eyes, and do not open them until you feel yourselves landing. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."
Liu Xun said sternly. The stone platform not only held disciples from other sects.
But also disciples from their own Liuhai Sect. He naturally had to convey the necessary precautions to these disciples.
Zhang Ergou and the others immediately closed their eyes.
Then, they felt a wave of dizziness, as if the entire world had shifted.
A feeling of nausea surged in their chests, but Zhang Ergou suppressed this discomfort.
Fortunately, this discomfort did not last long. Within a few breaths, Zhang Ergou no longer felt the intense discomfort.
Then, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, and the world grew still.
Zhang Ergou waited for a moment, and finding no abnormalities, he slowly opened his eyes.
However, upon opening his eyes, he discovered that he was utterly alone. Those who had stood on the stone platform with him were nowhere to be seen.
He was the only one around...