Chapter 3212 - All Eyes On Tianming

Meow Meow was fully focused on helping Tianming escape. Fortunately, the empty battlefield was extremely large, which made it convenient for him to use Fiveway Blitzrun. He avoided the attacks of the thousandface Suishen Zhao by flashing to a different location every time.

"He’s strong, but he can’t figure it out so he won't attack the lightning array!" It was good news for Tianming, who had already determined his opponent’s strength. Suishen Zhao’s current combat power was equivalent to a second-level foundationeer.

"Time’s of the essence, but I shouldn’t rush!" Haste was no use against an opponent like the thousandface idol. All Tianming could do was dodge and find a pattern behind his attacks.

In the vast emptiness, 'Suishen Zhao' sent all ten of his fiery totems after Tianming, his mask continuously changing. He tirelessly attacked, each move more ferocious than the last.

The totems transformed into ten blazing fiend lords. Under the cover of the vital origin flaregod, every punch and kick from the raging Suishen Zhao shook the void as the flames exploded, sweeping across the battlefield.

Tianming continued dodging while looking for opportunities to attack his opponent. With the grand lexicon wonder obstructing Suishen Zhao, he finally found an opening and used his lifebound beasts’ abilities to create a path. He went in with a feint, then attacked with the Grand-Orient Sword, unleashing Imperator’s Mural backed with the power of ten totems and nine cosmic impulses. But to his dismay, even that lethal combination was easily thwarted by the masked Suishen Zhao.

Attacking Suishen Zhao put Tianming in even greater danger than before. He almost dropped his sword when his opponent’s terrifying power came shooting toward him, cosmoforce shaking his astrons and blood seeping from wounds that appeared all over his body.

Keeping his gaze on Tianming, the masked Suishen Zhao roared and quickly pursued victory. There was nothing Tianming could do except use Fiveway Blitzrun to buy time.

He must have a weakness! And it must coincide with some special part of me that the thousandface idol hopes I possess!

Tianming had already tried, and failed, to find an opportunity for a head-on confrontation. He racked his brains for a solution. Fiveway Blitzrun gave him time to think. Otherwise, he would have been eliminated long ago.

Unbeknownst to him, Yumo Yuanni had just been eliminated, placing him at eleventh on the ranking. Yumo Yuanni was frightened out of his wits when he saw his opponent: the dead Huang Daosheng, who appeared wearing a mask and fought with strength that far surpassed a second-level foundationeer.

Eleventh place!

It was originally the best result he had envisioned, but he drew no attention due to Tianming's outstanding performance. When he turned around, he could immediately tell that Tianming was still fighting. Although Suishen Zhao’s body was no longer shining, lightning still surged through Tianming’s body. Despite the hatred he felt, there was nothing Yumo Yuanni could do.

Some time later, Qitian Jian’s team became the first to pass the thousandface idol and took first place, as everyone expected. The beastmasters of Myriadpath Valley were thrilled; as the largest group in Myriadpath Valley, the beastmasters, who far outnumbered other cultivators, cheered the loudest.

"Let’s see how Suishen Yao and Suishen Shuang do!"

Suishen Yao was still ahead of Qitian Jian after the fifth trial, but not by much. With Qitian Jian's superb performance in the sixth round, the more time Suishen Yao took, the greater the possibility of him securing first place was.

"Yumo Xue’s team is the second one to pass!"

The thousandface idol tested combat power, and the two specters were stronger than Suishen Yao in that aspect. But fortunately, Suishen Yao and Suishen Shuang didn’t take too long. Shortly after Yumo Xue passed the round, the girls came out panting. It was obvious they had just fought a hard battle.

At that moment, everyone fixed their gazes on the Midsky Myriadpath Stele. The top three places had been determined.

"Damn it!" Suishen Yao's eyes turned red. She was still ranked second on the Fortuna Path. Although she hadn’t performed as well as Yumo Xue had in the sixth trial, her advantage in the first five trials gave her team a total score that still surpassed the specters. However, Qitian Jian had defeated her yet again! What frustrated Suishen Yao the most was the fact that their total time was just three breaths more than Qitian Jian’s team.

“A narrow defeat!”

Many totemancers, including those from House Suishen, were satisfied, and even proud of their performance. But the thought of only being three breaths away from taking first place and truly proving herself in Myriadpath Valley made Suishen Yao livid. Fortunately, Qitian Jian and the other beastmasters kept to themselves instead of provoking her or she would have felt even more uncomfortable.

"Yaoyao, we may be three breaths behind, but we performed better than expected. At least we suppressed House Yumo and saved House Suishen from embarrassment," Suishen Shuang comforted.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"But we were only three breaths away! This sucks!" Suishen Yao said with tears in her eyes.

"This is how it is. One breath can change everything," Suishen Shuang helplessly said.

Suishen Yao still refused to give up. Gritting her teeth, she said, "It isn’t over yet! All those who pass the sixth trial will challenge the ancestral idol next. No one on the Fortuna Path has ever succeeded, but what if we do? We’ll be the first ones to ever pass!"

On the Prehistoric Path, the number of idols defeated was of most significance, followed by the total time taken.

"The ancestral idol?" Suishen Shuang was speechless. Her best friend dared to dream, but she was more rational. Perhaps Tianming could defeat the ancestral idol, but Suishen Yao stood no chance. Her talent and strength were only above average compared to the rest of House Suishen throughout its long history.

"Okay, let's work together!" said Suishen Shuang.

According to the rules, the participants would continue until they were eliminated. As long as they passed the sixth round, they could definitely challenge the next idol. However, most people believed that no one on the Fortuna Path could pass the seventh trial. It was just a 'closing ceremony' that wouldn’t affect the ranking. On the maniverse side, however, the ranking was still uncertain.

"It looks like the Fortuna Path’s ranking has been determined." That was what everyone thought.

Several teams had been eliminated before Qitian Jian and the others emerged. Yumo Yuanni was the first to be eliminated, followed by several other teams. By the time Suishen Yao defeated the thousandface idol, most of the teams had already determined the results.

It was simple—either pass the trial or be eliminated. Those eliminated would take fourth to eleventh place while the six who moved on to the next round would be ranked in the top three according to the total time taken. The rewards would be determined accordingly.

However....

"Huh? Li Tianming’s position is still uncertain."

"He’s just a cosmic cartographer, but he’s still fighting the thousandface idol?"

"Even Qitian Hai, who’s seventh on the Fortuna Ranking, has been defeated!"

All two million spectators were amazed. Although they acknowledged his extraordinary talent, the thousandface idol was a test of combat power. Minor Pathkeeper Qitian Hai, who was almost five hundred years old, had failed, yet Tianming, the young man under a hundred years old and forty-fifth on the Fortuna Ranking, was still going. How was that possible?

At the moment, no one cared about the results on the maniverse side; all eyes were on Tianming.