Chapter 5264: Consolation Prize
However, Mo Chengzhou was reluctant to give up just like that.
“Damn it! I’ll just give it a try then.”
Making up his mind, he flicked his mind and sent his martial power manifested as a silver needle toward Chu Feng. He had concealed the aura of the silver needle, but it still wielded terrifying might. Even an early True God level cultivator wouldn’t have stood a chance against it.
The silver needle pierced through the barrier and the palace walls without any problem, but it dissipated just a split moment before it was going to pierce through Chu Feng.
Mo Chengzhou had stopped in the nick of time. He was just probing the situation; he didn’t really intend to hurt Chu Feng.
Nevertheless, Chu Feng still noticed the anomaly and turned to look in the direction of the silver needle.
“What’s wrong, Chu Feng?” Long Xiaoxiao asked.
“It’s nothing,” Chu Feng replied with a shake of his head.
He had sensed something penetrating his protective barrier earlier, and for a moment there, he felt death looming over him. Yet, when he looked at his protective barrier, it was still intact as if he had hallucinated it.
Of course, he knew better than anyone else that it wasn’t just a hallucination.
“Chu Feng, it looks like there are powerful experts here,” Eggy said.
“You sensed it too?”
“I don’t know if I sensed as clearly as you did, but I felt death looming close for a moment earlier.”
“Yes, the other party is an extremely powerful cultivator. It would have been easy for them to kill me.”
“Why didn’t they make a move? Are they trying to warn you?”
“I’m not sure. That could be the case…”
Chu Feng didn’t know what was going on, but the earlier attack did seem like a warning to him. There were many prodigies here, so it wouldn’t be surprising for there to be hidden experts protecting them. It might be a warning to remind him not to get too arrogant.
After all, he was from the Holy Light Galaxy and this was the Totem Galaxy.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Mo Chengzhou burst into hearty laughter, though his voice could only be heard by Ningyu Shangren.
“No one is protecting him at all. It turned out that the lad is just blind reckless, but that’s exactly the kind of people I like! Ningyu Shangren, that lad is mine now. I was the one who probed that there isn’t anyone protecting him!”
Mo Chengzhou was so overjoyed that he took out his wine gourd and gulped down huge mouthfuls of wine.
Ningyu Shangren looked at Chu Feng with doubtful eyes as she murmured under her breath, “Did he really manage to get this far without anyone’s protection? Haa…”
She sighed in regret.
Had she known that this would be the case, she should have said that she wanted to take Chu Feng in as her disciple when Mo Chengzhou tried to sound her out. After what had happened, there was no way Mo Chengzhou would give Chu Feng up to her anymore.
Other than Chu Feng and Eggy, no one else was aware of the actions of the two experts. The mountain peak was still buzzing about Chu Feng. What had happened earlier had completely changed their perception of the Holy Light Galaxy.
Time swiftly passed by.
Soon, it was the day for the commencement of the Trial of the Strongest. Experts coming from all places gathered in the plains where the event would be held, filling it with a sea of people.
Chu Feng and Long Xiaoxiao were amidst the crowd too.
Mo Chengzhou and Ningyu Shangren were also hidden above the sky, observing Chu Feng’s group.
“Why haven’t you taken Chu Feng in as your disciple yet?” Ningyu Shangren asked.
“What’s the hurry? The time isn’t ripe yet,” Mo Chengzhou replied. A moment later, he hurriedly added, “To be very clear, I will be taking Chu Feng in as my disciple, so you better not get any ideas about him. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to turn on you.”
Those words were spoken in a joking tone, but Ningyu Shangren could tell that he meant it.
“Rest assured. I won’t snatch him from you since you were the one who took the risk to probe his background. But what kind of timing do you need to take in a disciple?” Ningyu Shangren asked.
“Daoist Wang Xi is known to be extremely protective of his disciples. Now that one of his disciples had been killed by Chu Feng, there’s no way he would let Chu Feng off. I’m waiting for Daoist Wang Xi to make a move so that I can step in and curb him. That would make me appear like a hero in Chu Feng’s eyes. By then, he would surely accept my offer to become my disciple,” Mo Chengzhou said.
“Didn’t Chu Feng say that even rank two Half-God level cultivators aren’t a match for him? Daoist Wang Xi wouldn’t be a match for him unless he has reached rank three Half-God level,” Ningyu Shangren said.
“Would you believe that he’s invincible just because he says so? A White Dragon God-cloak World Spiritist is only comparable to rank one Half-God level cultivators. It’s impressive that he’s able to rival rank two Half-God level cultivators, but that’s only at the level of rivaling them. There’s no way he could actually be a match for them,” Mo Chengzhou said.
“So, what are you driving at?” Ningyu Shangren asked.
“I think that Chu Feng is bragging,” Mo Chengzhou said.
A golden light suddenly shone from the distant horizon, dyeing the white clouds golden. Without any hesitation, all of the cultivators immediately bowed toward the sky.
The Totem Dragon Clan had arrived.
An elder stepped out and addressed the crowd.
“It’s finally the day the long-awaited Trial of the Strongest commences. Our Totem Dragon Clan has spent much time and effort preparing for it. To ensure the highest level of fairness, we have divided the tournament into four categories. As long as you’re sufficiently outstanding, you’ll have a chance to claim the champion seat regardless of your cultivation level.
“All four champions will receive the same prize—a Death Exemption Plate. You can use it to save your life once as long as you are in the Totem Galaxy. As long as you have not committed unspeakable atrocities, even if you have killed a Totem Dragon Clansman, our Totem Dragon Clan will side with you as long as you have a legitimate reason behind it.
“Other than that, the four champions will also receive a Dragon Inner Pill each.”
Those words sparked a commotion amongst the crowd.
From the crowd’s discussions, Chu Feng learned that the Dragon Inner Pill was an incredibly precious cultivation resource. Even within the Totem Dragon Clan, only clansmen with the highest level of talent were entitled to it.
Additionally, those who displayed outstanding performances would receive honorary tokens and other prizes.
“I know that you have cultivated hard for so many years in order to win glory, and our Totem Dragon Clan will be providing you you a platform to show the world what you are capable of. This is your opportunity to shine. Rise above the others and claim glory with your own hands!” the elder roared.
Four spirit formation gates surfaced right after, each of them containing four words—Early Martial Exalted Level, Late Martial Exalted Level, Early Half-God Level, and Late Half-God Level.
“Xiaoxiao, safety should always take precedence. Don’t recklessly dive into dangerous situations,” Chu Feng said.
“I should be the same saying that to you,” Long Xiaoxiao replied.
“Do I seem like a reckless person to you?”
“You’re surprisingly lacking in self-awareness.”
“…” Chu Feng was rendered speechless, but he was unable to refute her words. He did often land himself in dangerous situations, though most of them were calculated risks.
“You have already promised me to visit my master with you. I’ll hold you to your promise.” Long Xiaoxiao was telling Chu Feng that he had to make it out alive.
“Of course,” Chu Feng replied with a chuckle.
However, Cheng Tianchan and Zhao Yunmo heard their conversation.
“Did he just say that he’s going to meet our master? Is he really not worried about Liang Feng’s master at all?” Zhao Yunmo asked.
“I don’t believe that he dares to carry through with it, but if he does, that’s even better for us,” Cheng Tianchan said.
In his view, Chu Feng would die if he dared to continue harassing Long Xiaoxiao.
It was then that the Totem Dragon Clan’s Elder announced with a resounding voice, “I hereby announce that the Totem Galaxy’s Trial of the Strongest has begun!”
Shoosh shoosh shoosh!
Countless people immediately surged into the air as they made their way toward the four spirit formation gates. There were so many participants that they covered up the sky, looking almost like a locust plague.
Chu Feng entered the ‘Late Martial Exalted Level’ spirit formation gate, where he passed through a short passageway before finally arriving at a forest suffused with the aura of the Ancient Era.
“It isn’t just a realm made out of spirit power. It’s a real realm.”
Chu Feng could tell right away that it was a real realm, but it was baffling to him why they would opt for that. After all, it would have been much easier for the Totem Dragon Clan to control the situation if they had used a realm out of spirit power instead.
Why would they prepare for thousands of years only to use a real realm?
There has to be a reason for it, and I’m guessing that the answer lies here, Chu Feng thought to himself as he assessed the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Cheng Tianchan and Zhao Yunmo were standing a distance away, their eyes fixed on Chu Feng.
In particular, Cheng Tianchan had a sharp glint in his eyes. Even though he decided against having a life-and-death battle with Chu Feng the other day, he didn’t think that Chu Feng was really stronger than him. Rather, it made him more determined to teach Chu Feng a lesson should an opportunity arise in the future.
And this was a good opportunity to do so.
Hu!
The forest suddenly swayed intensely as a furious tempest rushed in their direction.
Alarmed, Cheng Tianchan hurriedly steadied his posture to stand against the wind.
Uwa!
Cries could be heard as large groups of people were swept away. They had barely stepped onto this land when they were blown back through the spirit formation passageway.
“Senior, are you struggling to withstand the tempest too?”
Zhao Yunmo looked at the struggling Cheng Tianchan in incomprehension. Considering how he was weaker than the latter but was still barely able to withstand the wind, the latter should have been able to do it without any problem.
Yet, there was a strained look on Cheng Tianchan’s face.
“The strength of the tempest appears to vary for each individual according to their cultivation level,” Cheng Tianchan replied.
It was fortunate that the tempest didn’t last too long before it dissipated.
The Totem Galaxy had countless late Martial Exalted level cultivators, and there were many who wanted to try their luck with the Trial of the Strongest. As a result, there were at least a few million cultivators who had entered the spirit formation gate.
Yet, there were only tens of thousands of them left now.
The tempest formation itself had eliminated most of the participants.
“Chu Feng is nowhere to be seen. Has he been eliminated too?” Zhao Yunmo asked.
“He must have. He’s a weakling, after all,” Cheng Tianchan sneered.
It was then that a voice echoed.
“Congratulations on standing your ground. While you aren’t fated to compete for the strongest title, you’re qualified to compete for the Elite Token. There are a thousand Elite Tokens in total, and they were divided into bronze, silver, and golden. Those who manage to obtain an Elite Token will obtain additional prizes.”
A spirit formation gate appeared before the crowd, and a suction force pulled everyone in before they could react.
Upon entering the spirit formation gate, Cheng Tianchan and Zhao Yunmo found themselves inside an intricate labyrinth. This was where they would be competing for the Elite Token. However, both of them had awful looks on their faces.
“Elite Token? What does he mean by that?” Zhao Yunmo asked.
“It’s likely to be a consolation prize for participating in the trial,” Cheng Tianchan replied.
“What the hell! Doesn’t that mean that we’ve been eliminated? But why? Didn’t we hold our ground against that formation?” Zhao Yunmo was unwilling to accept the outcome.
“There must be a reason behind it, but it doesn’t matter. We don’t stand a chance against the top prodigies anyway, so obtaining the Elite Token isn’t too bad either,” Cheng Tianchan said.
“It’s still frustrating to think that we’re placed in the elimination group right from the start, qualified only to compete for the consolation prize,” Zhao Yunmo said.
“You should be satisfied with that. At least we have a chance to compete for the consolation prize. This is much better than Chu Feng and the others, who got blown out of the tournament,” Cheng Tianchan replied.
“That’s true.” Zhao Yunmo’s mood improved considerably.