Chapter 1222: Third Eye

An alarmed look appeared on Chu Zhong's face, and the aura that was currently surging out of Han Li's body was so incredibly formidable that Chu Zhong was barely able to work up the will and courage to oppose him.

In this moment, he felt as if he were facing an almighty primordial beast rather than a human cultivator.

He took a deep breath to compose himself, then curled his fingers before wrenching his hands apart.

A sharp, screeching sound instantly rang out across the platform, and black light converged from all directions, causing the entire space to cave in toward the center.

Under the effects of his gravitational law powers, the space on the platform had become completely warped, and as Han Li descended from above, he felt as if an insurmountable barrier had appeared before him, while a burst of immense power was compressing toward him from all directions.

He hurriedly channeled his Heavenly Baleful Purgatory Arts, and the light radiating from his profound acupoints brightened even further, while the starlight around him materialized itself into a sharp sword that pierced through the space down below.

A loud crack rang out as a rift was sliced into the surrounding black light, allowing Han Li to pass straight through.

All of a sudden, Chu Zhong's spirit domain faded away, as did the ink wash mountain.

His head was raised to the sky, and he was rooted to the spot in mid-air, while Han Li was suspended in the air directly above him in an upside-down fashion with his middle and index fingers pressed against Chu Zhong's glabella.

"I surrender," Chu Zhong sighed.

Han Li immediately removed his fingers from Chu Zhong's glabella, then turned himself upright as he cupped his fist in a salute.

After another wave of raucous cheers, the spectators on the plaza quickly turned their attention to the other ongoing battles, while Zhou Xianyang turned to the dejected Zhao Yuanlai with a gloating smile as he chuckled, "This junior martial brother of mine sure is full of surprises, isn't he?"

"With just one more victory, your sect will receive a Bodhi Token. Let's see if Fellow Daoist Chang can stand the final test," Zhao Yuanlai replied with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

As the two of them were conversing with one another, the officiating elder declared Chang Qi's victory, and Han Li and Chu Zhong exchanged a salute with one another before departing from the platform.

This time, instead of immediately returning to the Prominent Mountain Sect branch, Han Li stayed to watch the other battles.

In the wake of his battle against Chu Zhong, Han Li had come to realize just how severe a handicap it was to only be able to use his powers as a Profound Immortal, and only by learning more about his potential opponents for the next round could he maximize his own chances of securing victory.

There were going to be no slouches advancing to the final round, so he had to be as prepared as possible.

After some examination, Han Li discovered that the twelfth platform was already empty. That was the platform where Sikong Jian had taken part in his second round battle, and it had concluded prior to Han Li's battle.

At the same time, the other battles were also nearing their conclusions, and all of the combatants were making their final push for victory.

Among them, Lou Yuanshan of the Azure Remorse Forest, Wen Changtian of the Skyloom Sect, and Celestial Maiden Ziluo of Serene Celestial Lake had been of particular interest to him.

Wen Changtian possessed the most advanced cultivation base of the trio, having already reached the pinnacle of the early-Great Encompassment Stage, so all that was left for him to reach the mid-Great Encompassment was to sever a corpse soul.

Celestial Maiden Ziluo's law powers were the most special of the three. She had mastered the extremely rare laws of amethyst, which were a derivation of earth law powers, but took advantage of the refractive quality of amethysts to create mystifying illusions.

As for Luo Yuanshan, he was a human cultivator with a green birthmark on his face, and what had been most noteworthy about him to Han Li was the brutality that he had displayed in battle.

His opponent was someone that he had no bad blood against, but he had beaten them to the point that their cultivation foundation had almost been completely destroyed. If it weren't for the officiating elder's intervention, there was a very good chance that he would've beaten his opponent to death. ŗå₦𝔬฿ЁⱾ

By the time the final battle drew to a conclusion, it was already close to nighttime, and Han Li returned to the Prominent Mountain Sect branch.

An uneventful night passed by.

On the third day, Han Li arrived at the venue with the Prominent Mountain Sect cultivators.

This was the final day of competition, and there were far more spectators than on the previous two days. On top of that, a sixth figure had joined Daoist Master Chun Jun and the others at the center of the semi-circular stone platform, and to Han Li's dismay, it was none other than Chi Meng.

The two of them had only recently faced off in a battle against each other, and she was extremely sharp and observant, so he was going to have to be extra vigilant to ensure that she didn't see through his facade.

Before long, the officiating elder's voice rang out.

"All contestants, please step forward to draw lots for the third round."

"Junior Martial Brother Chang, I leave everything in your capable hands," Zhou Xianyang said to Han Li with a solemn expression.

With just one more victory, he would be able to secure a Bodhi Token.

"You can count on me, Senior Martial Brother," Han Li replied with a confident smile, one that was very reassuring to Zhou Xianyang.

As he stepped forward to draw lots, Han Li took a subtle glance at the surrounding area.

The selection event was going to conclude on this day, yet he still had no idea what Wu Yang, Wyrm 3, and the Reincarnation Palace were up to.

He cautioned Weeping Soul and Xiaobai to be on their guard through voice transmission, then stepped onto the platform with the other twenty-three contestants.

"Alright, begin," the officiating elder declared as he tossed twenty-four glowing balls up into the air, and everyone claimed one each.

This time, Han Li's ball carried the number eight, and a faint chuckle rang out from beside him.

He turned to discover that Sikong Jian was looking at him with an eager smile, holding the seventeenth ball in his hand.

Zhou Xianyang's heart immediately sank slightly upon seeing this.

Of all people, it just had to be Sikong Jian!

He knew that Han Li was a Great Encompassment cultivator, but given that he had to keep up his facade as Chang Qi, he wouldn't be able to unleash anywhere near his full power.

To compound his woes even further, Sikong Jian was already an extremely seasoned Great Encompassment cultivator, and judging from the ease with which he had come out on top in his prior two battles, it seemed that he had become even more formidable than before.

With the odds firmly stacked against him, could Han Li really emerge victorious?

The other Prominent Mountain Sect cultivators weren't aware of Han Li's true power, so they were even more concerned than Zhou Xianyang.

"Looks like Fellow Daoist Chang's luck has finally run out. Then again, given his powers, surely defeating Sikong Jian would be a piece of cake, right?" Zhao Yuanlai smirked.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Zhou Xianyang harrumphed coldly and offered no response.

At this point, there were only twenty-four contestants left, so all twelve battles for the round could take place at once.

Han Li and Sikong Jian's battle was set to take place on the eighth platform.

"I must say, this Sikong Jian has some really thick skin to be personally participating in the selection even as the master of the Lone Sun Peak," Immortal Lord Heavenly Star chuckled.

"There are no rules against that. Us cultivators should champion objectivity and practicality above all else. Only short-sighted fools would pass up such an opportunity for inconsequential things like humility and reputation," Huo Yuan harrumphed coldly.

On the surface, sects like the Prominent Mountain Sect and the Lone Sun Peak adopted a stance of neutrality, but under the surface, all of them had ties with the Sun Moon Alliance, the Hundred Creations Mountain, and the other superpowers.

Given the turmoil that was beginning to arise in the greater Golden Origin Immortal Region, it was very difficult for these sects to survive without powerful backers.

The Prominent Mountain Sect was on very good terms with the Sun Moon Alliance, while the Lone Sun Peak was very close with the Hundred Creations Mountain, so there was naturally some animosity on the subject between Immortal Lord Heavenly Star and Huo Yuan.

"There are indeed no rules prohibiting the participation of sect leaders in the selection event, but I don't think the outcome of this battle is going to be as clear-cut as everyone seems to think," Daoist Master Chun Jun remarked.

"Oh? Who do you think will come out on top, Abbot Chun Jun?" Lu Chuanfeng asked with an intrigued smile.

Daoist Master Chun Jun took a glance at Lu Chuanfeng while internally cursing the latter for his clear attempt to stir up conflict. On the surface, this was only a battle between Chang Qi and Sikong Jian, but in reality, it concerned the competition between the Sun Moon Alliance and the Hundred Creations Mountain, so no matter what he said, he ran the risk of offending one or both of those two superpowers.

"It's hard for me to say. I think you're much better equipped to answer the questions that you've posed me. Your Jade Void Divine Eyes are among the sharpest ocular abilities in existence. When it comes to observation, only Immortal Envoy Feng Tian and Fellow Daoist Chi Meng can compare with you," Daoist Master Chun Jun replied, choosing not to take any sides.

A pleased look appeared on Immortal Envoy's Feng Tian's face at Daoist Master Chun Jun's flattering words.

"My Jade Void Eyes are nothing compared with your Three Talents Qi Observation Technique. All of us are eager to hear your analysis, so don't be so modest, Abbot Chun Jun," Lu Chuanfeng countered.

"I'm not trying to be modest, I'm merely stating the facts. It would be downright comical of me to flaunt my observation abilities in the presence of the three of you. Immortal Envoy Feng Tian, Fellow Daoist Chi Meng, what do you two think?" Daoist Master Chun Jun asked.

"Both of these combatants are quite formidable. They could perhaps best even some of the cultivators nurtured by our Heavenly Court," Immortal Envoy Feng Tian replied in an ambiguous manner.

"You're far too kind, Immortal Envoy Feng Tian. The Heavenly Court presides over the entire True Immortal Realm, so there's no way that these cultivators of our Golden Origin Immortal Region can hope to compare with those of the Heavenly Court," Daoist Master Chun Jun said.

"The cultivators of the Heavenly Court are naturally nothing to be scoffed at, but the Golden Origin Immortal Region is extremely abundant with resources, so it's no surprise that it's home to so many elite cultivators. If only all of them were truly loyal to the Heavenly Court," Chi Meng remarked.

Everyone instantly fell silent as they turned to Daoist Master Chun Jun with peculiar looks in their eyes.

"There must be some misunderstanding, Fellow Daoist Chi Meng! We are not under the direct jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, but our loyalty to the Heavenly Court has never wavered!" Daoist Master Chun Jun hurriedly said.

"There's no need to get so serious, I was just fooling around," Chi Meng giggled, and the tense atmosphere was instantly eased.