The Western Nether Alliance Leader and the Beichen Alliance Leader led their parties away.
Before long, all the others were dispatched on assignments.
Dispersing, they slipped away quietly in various directions.
In the end, only the two alliance leaders remained.
The Beichen Alliance Leader turned back to look toward the mountain where the Dongji Alliance Leader was, and said calmly, "After scheming for so many years, the time has finally come to reel in the net! Who would have thought this final main sacrificial altar was hidden so deeply—actually sealed by the Four Sages inside the Trial Realm for the Core Formation stage? Only after figuring out the grand formation's complete pathways could we confirm the altar's location. Fortunately, the Trial Realm was cobbled together by the Four Sages from immortal restrictions and the Inner Hall's original secret realms; it isn't an unbroken, seamless grand formation, so flaws were inevitable. We can leave this place to Fellow Daoist Baili. The other two main sacrificial altars are equally treacherous ground—we should make our move as well."
The Western Nether Alliance Leader nodded, her figure vanishing into the depths of the mountains.
The Beichen Alliance Leader watched her depart, pondered for a moment, and flew off in another direction.
***
The Trial Realm.
Qin Sang entered the final trial.
The moment he was teleported out, he felt the ground vanish beneath him. Finding himself suspended in midair as though falling from the sky, he hastily circulated his movement technique to steady himself.
*Hiss!*
Qin Sang abruptly sucked in a cold breath.
A little over a hundred zhang directly ahead of him, a narrow sliver of silver radiance hovered in the void—a spatial rift!
"In a Trial Realm meant for Core Formation cultivators, there are actually lethal perils like spatial rifts! I wonder how a secret realm like this was even constructed."
Qin Sang stayed where he was, not daring to make any reckless moves.
Looking into the distance as far as his eyes could see, he discovered more than one spatial rift drifting in the void. Still, they were not numerous; while they looked terrifying, one wouldn't easily collide with them so long as one remained cautious.
Next, Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to confirm there were no invisible or wandering spatial rifts—the most dangerous kind—nearby.
Compared to the depths of the Storm Belt, this place was relatively safe.
However, that did not mean other areas were clear. Qin Sang kept the Heavenly Eye Butterfly on guard outside, then surveyed his surroundings and flew to a nearby mountain peak.
Mingwei was nowhere to be seen, nor could he spot any other cultivators.
Qin Sang knew that everyone was dropped in different locations. He and Mingwei were likely among the first cultivators to enter, so not running into anyone was only natural.
They still had plenty of time; as long as they met up before the Soul-Cleansing Liquid appeared, it would be fine.
*First, I need to determine my location...*
Qin Sang had learned that the entire Trial Realm was divided into four regions, each featuring distinct terrain and landscapes, while the Hundred Treasures Pavilion sat at the very center of the four regions.
The treasures within the Hundred Treasures Pavilion were limited in number; only those who arrived first would be able to claim them.
"Is that a lake over there?"
Gazing into the distance, his eyes passed several mountain ridges, catching the faint glint of rippling water covering what seemed to be a sizable expanse.
His interest piqued, he was just about to fly over for a closer look when the mountain beneath his feet suddenly jolted violently. The ground heaved and churned like a quagmire.
After a series of thumps, several earthen-yellow stone balls leaped out from beneath the earth, each several zhang in diameter.
It was as though miniature mountains had materialized around Qin Sang out of nowhere, casting him into deep shadow.
*Crack, crack, crack...*
The stone balls began breaking apart while bouncing into midair.
Dust billowed up in all directions.
Amid the swirling plumes of dust, the stone balls underwent a radical transformation, turning into massive ape-like creatures. Their surfaces were pitted and uneven, formed entirely of angular stones.
Yet they possessed all four limbs, their forms and postures closely resembling apes, and moved with complete agility.
On the head of each stone ape, two hollow socket eyes gleamed with ferocious light, glaring fixedly at Qin Sang.
*Screeech, screeech!*
*Thump! Thump!*
Beating their chests, the stone apes let out shrill, piercing shrieks—harsh and distinctly hostile.
"Stone apes!"
Qin Sang's pupils constricted as he realized where he was.
These stone apes were earth spirits born from rock, creatures unique to the Wutu Region of the Trial Realm. Known as the guardian beasts of the Trial Realm, each of the other three regions possessed similar entities.
These stone apes possessed immense strength and exceptionally keen senses.
Dwelling underground and blending seamlessly with the rocks, they were exceedingly difficult to detect. Cultivators taking part in the trials could easily blunder into their territory by accident and find themselves besieged.
Evidently, Qin Sang had stepped into a stone ape's territory and provoked them.
Before they appeared, he had swept his divine sense across the surroundings without noticing the slightest abnormality—proof of how brilliant their concealment was.
Enraged by the intruder, the stone apes shrieked loudly.
Meanwhile, down below the mountain in the lush sea of trees, the canopy began swaying like rolling waves. A rustling sound echoed up, followed by wave upon wave of beastly roars.
At the sight of this, Qin Sang cursed under his breath.
These stone apes could actually command the surrounding vicious beasts to join them in the hunt. Vicious beasts cared nothing for the demon qi he disguised himself with; once a beast tide formed, tearing himself free would take considerable effort.
*Boom!*
A sword ray flared to life, slashing fiercely toward a stone ape directly ahead.
Thunder rumbled as the sword ray struck like lightning.
Striking with full force, Qin Sang caught the stone ape completely unprepared. Just as it raised both fists to smash down, the ebony sword was already cleaving across its chest.
*Bang!*
The ebony sword carved a deep sword mark into the stone ape.
Failing to sever it in two with a single strike came as a slight surprise to Qin Sang, highlighting just how tough these stone spirits' defenses were.
Shifting his hand seal, the ebony sword blurred and split into more than a dozen sword lights, all slashing into various parts of the stone ape's body, targeting primarily its vulnerable joints.
The stone ape froze, its entire body abruptly shattering to pieces and crashing to the ground as rubble.
Then, an astonishing scene unfolded. The dismembered stone ape hadn't died. Its shattered pieces dissolved into the ground upon landing, and before long, the earth bulged upward again. The outline of a new stone ape took shape before Qin Sang's eyes and slowly rose to its feet.
These stone apes were actually immortal!
*Indeed difficult to deal with, and this one isn't even the strongest among them. Still, while they can regenerate, it takes some time. That window is my chance to break free.*
Thoughtful, Qin Sang discerned the stone ape's characteristics.
By now, the other stone apes, infuriated by their comrade's destruction, swung their heavy fists and swarmed in. Below, the mountain forest descended into chaos as beastly roars echoed one after another in response to the stone apes' shrieks—there was no telling how many there were.
Hesitating no longer, Qin Sang gestured toward the ebony sword.
A sword wheel erupted right in the midst of the stone apes.
As the stone apes staggered haphazardly, the phantom image of phoenix wings and a flood dragon manifested around Qin Sang simultaneously. Spotting an opening, he burst through the encirclement, effortlessly leaving the stone apes behind.
Qin Sang's escape art was something none of these vicious beasts could match, moving like wind and lightning.
Unable to keep up, the stone apes beat their chests and stamped their feet, roaring toward the heavens. Some vicious beasts charged out from the surrounding woods to intercept him, only to be slain on the spot or shaken off with ease.
Chapter 1029