The hundred battles in the Dragon Void Illusory Realm commenced. Every participant on the stage was an elite member of their clan, possessing rich cultivation, divine abilities, magical treasures, strength, and experience.
On the arena, there were not only Golden Immortal Venerables but also over a dozen existences at the Heavenly rank, just like Qing Ling.
For one to be a clan's Saint Child or Saintess, they must be a vigorous member of the clan, able to carry the clan's fortune. Those with weak constitutions or shallow lifespans could not bear such a responsibility. Therefore, each clan selected their Saint Child or Saintess from within a single Yuan Hui. Of course, due to the differing inheritances of each clan's Sages, their cultivation periods varied for this Myriad Clans Saint Sacrifice.
Sages would only abdicate in three situations. The first was naturally when they stepped into the Great Unity cultivation realm, at which point they could no longer serve as a clan's Saint Child or Saintess. The Black Lizard Upper Clan was like this, which is why they had Miao as their new Saintess.
The second was the unexpected death of a Saintess or Saint Child. Although protected by the Twelve Ranks of the Dragon Clan, for the Upper Clans, there were many ways to silently eliminate the Sages of other clans.
The third was when their vital energy waned and their lifeforce was exhausted, or when they carried some ill omen, making them unable to serve as Sages. As for clans whose Great Unity cultivators had all perished, they naturally became clans without Saint Children or Saintesses.
All these signs, in Qing Ling's view, revealed the Dragon Clan's scheme regarding Saint Children and Saintesses, which was a scheme concerning the fortune carried by the Saint Children of each clan!
Qing Ling slightly raised his head, looking at the arena above. Each battle was extremely spectacular; even a Heavenly rank facing a Golden Immortal might not be without a sliver of a chance to win.
He saw the Saintess of the Sky-Equalling Newt clan. Shrouded in a white robe, her cultivation was at the mid-Golden Immortal stage. Simply standing in the arena, as she formed hand seals, illusory white lightning descended with immense power. Her opponent was only at the early Golden Immortal stage and was no match for this mysterious Saintess.
Qing Ling had long noticed this Sky-Equalling Newt clan, also from the Eastern Desolation. This clan possessed extremely hidden strength and was mysterious and uncanny, such that even the three Upper Clans of the Eastern Desolation would not easily provoke them.
As the Sky-Equalling clan grew stronger and the seventy-seven Newt tribes gradually unified, it stimulated the fifty-two Spirit Toad tribes to accelerate their unification process, fearing that once the Newt tribe's integration was complete, the Spirit Toad tribes alone would be the first to be dealt with!
Although the Xi Shan clan was far from the Sky-Equalling Newt clan, they had to be on guard.
The clan leaders and Great Unity magnates present were chatting and laughing in the front, watching the Saint Children of various clans contend.
Qing Ling, standing before Granny Hua Geng, overheard the conversation between Shan Kun and the Granny.
"Clan Leader Hua Geng, this Myriad Clans Saint Sacrifice has many more participants than the last hundred Yuan Hui! I remember last time there were only a little over six thousand clans; this time there are over eight thousand."
Granny Hua Geng smiled and replied, "I don't have as long a history as Senior. I've only lived for eighty Yuan Hui and haven't participated in the last Saint Sacrifice."
"Haha, indeed. Back then, I remember the one sitting here discussing with me was your second clan leader, Xuan Geng. Speaking of which, he had great hope of reaching Great Unity back then. Sadly... if it weren't for being ambushed by some Upper Clan while campaigning against the fiends of the northeastern sea, the Xi Shan clan would likely be an Upper Clan by now."
Granny Hua Geng sighed, her eyes dimming with sorrow.
Seeing this, Shan Kun smiled and changed the subject, "My clan's Saintess, Shan Yao, this time, I've put in a great deal of effort to cultivate her. With her late Golden Immortal cultivation and the enhancement of a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, I believe she can contend for a spot within the top twenty. If luck is on our side, perhaps our clan will even be among the top ten." He said with a confident smile, "Clan Leader Hua Geng, your clan..."
He glanced at Qing Ling, who was to his front right, and after appraising him, who was only at the late Heavenly rank, he chuckled awkwardly and said, "He is truly a handsome young man. With good luck, he might reach the top five hundred. If he's noticed by a Dragon Princess with his appearance, it's very possible. That would be a good outcome."
Granny Hua Geng quickly emerged from her previous melancholy and smiled faintly, "That still depends on their own fortune. We can only lend them a bit of help."
Elder Shan Kun, seeing Granny Hua Geng so composed, figured she had accepted their ranking. After all, no matter how powerful a Heavenly rank was, could they contend with the Golden Immortal Venerables and geniuses of various clans?
In the sky, the Saint Children and Saintesses displayed their skills, all striving for victory. Although the battles on the arena were only at the Golden Immortal Venerable level, they were still filled with peculiar techniques, refreshing even the Great Unity magnates.
The hundred battles were decided within a single day. The next round of the arena began. The victors would proceed to the next round, and the losers would be directly eliminated. The rankings would continue to be determined by each clan's position. There was no point in competing further, as those who lost in the first round were from clans ranked outside the seven or eight thousandth place, making their further struggles insignificant.
After several rounds of elimination, finally, after more than a month, it was Qing Ling's turn to fight. He turned back and smiled calmly at the Xi Shan clan members, putting their minds at ease.
Granny Hua Geng also smiled. The opponent in the first match was merely an appetizer for Qing Ling; she was very confident.
Venerable Du and Venerable Chi placed great hope in Qing Ling, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Qing Ling leaped forward, flying straight into the air, his golden divine bead carrying him into the Dragon Void Arena.
As soon as he entered the arena, he felt a lightness all over his body. The heavenly laws here must be different, but his cultivation was too low to articulate it precisely.
Qing Ling bowed respectfully to a Great Unity's dharma clone standing by the arena.
A moment later, a golden light flashed below, and a woman in red appeared. Qing Ling glanced and found her to be only at the mid-Heavenly rank, which eased his tension.
Even though he knew the first round of arena battles would generally not be too intense, seeing it with his own eyes reassured him.
Qing Ling stepped forward and said with a faint smile, "Eastern Sea, Eastern Desolation, Xi Shan Snake Clan."
The woman in red was momentarily stunned by Qing Ling's handsome appearance. A blush crept onto her face. She curtsied and replied, "Southern Li Hundred Valleys, Li Die Clan."
After they introduced themselves, the Great Unity clone, enveloped in light, said, "Very well, the battle begins now and will only end when one party is forced out of the arena or voluntarily surrenders."
Qing Ling did not make the first move, waiting for the woman in red to attack. However, the woman in red seemed extremely shy, her face flushed, and she occasionally stole glances at Qing Ling.
Seeing this, Qing Ling couldn't help but smile faintly and said, "Esteemed Daoist, please make your move."
"I know my strength is inferior to yours, Daoist. Please make the first move. I only hope you will go easy on me and not let my defeat be too embarrassing."
As she spoke, her eyes showed a hint of unease, as if a young maiden's shyness captivated by his appearance, or perhaps the anxiety of a weaker individual. Her body trembled slightly, exuding a delicate and alluring posture that made one's gaze linger.
The Great Unity clone beside them remained unmoved, observing coldly, showing no intention of intervening.
Qing Ling, seeing such a woman, let out a soft sigh. He took a few steps forward, intending to approach. The woman in red, however, nervously retreated a few steps, looking at him with a hint of haste. She slightly raised her head, her eyes seeming to hold a hint of affection or perhaps deep-seated fear, a faint red glow flickering within them.
Qing Ling sighed, "Daoist, we must eventually determine a victor. Please make your move quickly, or we will only be left gazing at each other with longing."
"No, you make the first move, Daoist." The woman in red stubbornly shook her head.
Qing Ling was helpless. He had no defense before him and took a few more steps forward, saying as he walked, "Don't be afraid. As the Saint Son of a clan, how could I be so lacking in magnanimity?"
As he spoke, he advanced a few more steps, the red light in his eyes flashing in unison with the woman's pupils.
The woman in red seemed somewhat disbelieving, "Is that true? This is the Dragon Void Arena, and we must eventually..."
As she spoke, she looked at Qing Ling, who had approached and whose eyes were now filled with red light. Her gentle facade gradually receded, replaced by a cold sneer. "We must eventually, and one of us must fall. Only..."
"Pfft," a sound suddenly rang out. The woman in red's words were abruptly interrupted. A green thread had, at some unknown time, shot into her Dantian. The Innate Dao Seal's封禁 (fēngjìn - sealing) ability immediately sealed her Dantian's magical power.
Then, the green thread flashed, wrapping around her entire body. Following that, Qing Ling unleashed a palm strike. The immense spiritual energy instantly sent the woman in red, who had not yet reacted, flying out of the arena.
Qing Ling withdrew his hand and sighed, "A pity, I'm not interested in you, so why would I be tempted by you?"
The Great Unity clone seated nearby had a surprised expression, seemingly caught off guard. A man who was moments ago a lovestruck individual being ensnared by illusionary techniques, and then in the next instant, ruthlessly destroying his opponent without hesitation.
After his astonishment, he stood up, extended his hand, and collected the red-clothed woman's golden magic bead. He then declared, "Xi Shan Snake Clan wins!"
Qing Ling bowed to the Great Unity clone before stepping off the arena.
He was not an inexperienced, pure-hearted male snake who would be swayed by the mere illusionary techniques of a red butterfly. The reason he played along was that Qing Ling wanted to conceal his methods in the early stages to surprise his future opponents!
Qing Ling emerged from the Dragon Void Illusory Realm and returned to the Xi Shan team.
Venerable Du couldn't help but chuckle and transmit his voice, "I didn't expect your Saint Son to be so cunning. Truly terrifying."
Qing Ling merely smiled at him and said no more, still standing at the forefront.
Elder Shan Kun, the old ape, chuckled and said, "Clan Leader Hua Geng, your young fellow is quite interesting."
Hua Geng also smiled, "Low cultivation has its own tactics. It cannot compare to the powerful clan members of Senior."
Qing Ling sat down cross-legged, ignoring the external noise, and slowly calmed the ripples in his primordial spirit. The illusionary divine ability of that Li Die clan member had truly targeted the wrong person. His primordial spirit had already condensed the virtual images of the Heavenly and Human flowers, only slightly weaker than a late Golden Immortal Venerable. Why should he fear such a mere Heavenly rank illusion?
Among the Great Unity cultivators of the Dragon Clan, a blue-robed Great Unity cultivator saw Qing Ling and transmitted his words to the golden-robed elder presiding at the front for a while.
After two more months, the Saint Selection battle finally concluded its first round. At this point, only over 4,800 Saint Children remained.
The golden-robed elder once again publicly assigned opponents for the second round. Countless lights flashed within the golden radiance. After a few breaths, the golden-robed elder declared, "The second round of the Dragon Void Arena battles has been assigned and will commence tomorrow!
As there are 4,813 Saint Children and Saintesses in this round, one will receive a bye, which is the Saint Son of the Xi Shan Snake Clan!"
Upon hearing this, Qing Ling was stunned. His luck was this good? Out of 4,813 people, he was the only one so fortunate.
Qing Ling turned around and saw Granny Hua Geng's smiling eyes, which put his heart at ease.
Beside him, Elder Shan Kun, the old ape, twitched his mouth, but he couldn't help but sincerely exclaim, "Clan Leader Hua Geng, your clan truly has extraordinary fortune!"