Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes.
He stood up calmly, tidied his clothes, and walked out of the cabin.
The sky was gloomy.
Although the sun had risen, the light of dawn seemed to have sensed the killing intent from the Seven Blood Pupils, so it put on a gray battle robe. The light that should have been warm turned into darkness after penetrating the clouds and falling down.
In the sky that was faintly forming dark clouds, figures suddenly rushed out from different places in the Seven Blood Pupils port area. They ran along the streets of the port area and headed straight for the altar in the center.
These figures all hid a murderous intent. The coldness exuding from their bodies was like sharp blades. Their cultivation levels were also very high. The weakest among them seemed to be at the sixth level of Qi Condensation.
Among them, there were many who were at the eighth or ninth level or even higher.
After all, any disciple who could raise Gu in such a cruel environment under the Seven Blood Pupils Mountain had their own way of survival. Even if they were originally gentle, they would still be changed by the environment. The price for not changing was death.
Hence, as they rushed out, waves of killing intent that were difficult to suppress spread in all directions and turned into a suppressive force that enveloped the entire city. Most of the civilians in the port area did not go out of their houses.
Even those who went out immediately scattered on both sides of the street to make way for the disciples who were rushing out.
From afar, the dignified voice that reverberated in everyone's hearts was like the howl of a wolf king, causing countless ferocious wolves to gather together with bloodthirst and excitement.
Xu Qing jumped off the Dharmic boat. Without looking back, he waved his right hand behind him. Immediately, the Dharmic boat shone with a black light and shrank rapidly, turning into a stream of light that flew into Xu Qing's storage bag and Dharmic bottle.
He raised his right foot and walked more than 30 feet away. After landing, he took another step.
Although he did not fly, his speed on land was still astonishing. He quickly left the port and stepped onto the streets, getting faster and faster.
Whistling sounds came from beside his ears. It was the sound of disciples flying in midair using flying talismans. There were even more disciples running around him. When he passed by the Hunters Department, Xu Qing even saw the captain.
The captain smiled at him and threw an apple over. When he got closer, he whispered to him.
"Don't pull a long face. No matter which clan our target is, our goal is to get rich. The real important matters are decided by the people on the mountain." The captain winked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing nodded and ran with the captain as if he was flying.
Just like that, the four to five thousand people from the seventh summit who were participating in the tournament gradually approached the altar at the center at their own speed.
From afar, Xu Qing could see that there was a huge circular array at the center of the altar.
This formation was made up of countless large and small runes. Each rune shone with a purple light, causing the formation's light to be blinding. It was as if it could connect to the heavens.
It was at least a thousand feet tall, like a huge plate standing there.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the runes inside were densely arranged in layers of rings. As the rings rotated irregularly, a world-shaking aura faintly spread out from within.
As they got closer, the aura grew stronger and stronger. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed as he sensed how terrifying the aura was, and he slowed down.
By the time they reached the central altar, there were already more than two thousand people there.
All the people who arrived slowed down once they got closer. They stood in the area and waited, instinctively keeping a distance between them. Only the murderous intent connected their auras together, causing the dark clouds in the sky to become even denser at that moment.
Faintly, a shocking figure could be seen swimming through the clouds like a huge dragon. Bolts of lightning appeared in the sky, accompanied by the sound of booming thunder.
Xu Qing took a deep breath and waited silently as well. The time it takes an incense stick to burn was up, and all of the contestants who could make it to the altar had arrived. No one spoke.
Cold gazes were focused on the gigantic Rune from all directions.
At that moment, the spinning Rune suddenly roared.
A purple thread that looked like a ribbon spread out into the air. At the end of the ribbon, a bang could be heard, and a figure appeared.
The Cultivation base of the Foundation Establishment stage spread out from the figure.
Things weren't over yet. Soon, more and more ribbons spread out from the Rune until there were more than a hundred of them.
At the end of each ribbon was the figure of a Cultivator. All of them were of the Foundation Establishment stage.
The arrival of more than a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators caused the aura in the area to grow even more oppressive. All of the disciples down below felt their hearts trembling.
Xu Qing was the same. His heart trembled as thirteen more ribbons of purple thread floated out from the Rune. They were clearly much thicker than the ones from before. They shot up into the sky like thirteen dragons.
Their auras were boundless, and from the thirteen enormous ribbons of purple thread appeared thirteen figures that looked like gods.
There were men and women, and all of their faces were blurry and difficult to see clearly.
Their appearance caused the entire area to tremble. Xu Qing was panting. Although he couldn't see their faces clearly, he could sense the aura of Elder Zhao from the third person.
"Greetings, Elders!"
Up in the sky, the more than one hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators bowed their heads. Their voices were like a tidal wave that roared out in all directions. The thirteen Elders of the Seventh Peak, who were being bowed to by all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, ignored the people down below and bowed their heads.
"Respectful greetings, Peak Lord!"
As their words traveled out, the lightning in the sky exploded like never before. The dark clouds that filled the air were instantly torn to shreds. When they scattered in all directions, the gigantic figure hidden within them was revealed.
It was a pitch-black giant lizard over a thousand zhang long. Its golden eyes were emitting a sacred aura. Every single black scale on its body emitted a terrifying ripple, causing the Heavens and Earth to lose their color and the wind to blow wildly.
It was as if a flap of its wings could cause tsunamis. It was as if a single roar from its mouth could cause great suffering.
Furthermore, rows upon rows of luxurious palaces could be seen growing out of its back.
They were grown, not built, as if they were part of the lizard dragon itself!
Atop the tallest of the palaces was a figure standing in a pavilion.
Because it was too far away, Xu Qing couldn't see it clearly. However, he could sense that the figure emanated a shocking pressure that could suppress anything.
Compared to him, the thirteen Elders seemed to dim. The three thousand meter long lizard dragon beneath his feet seemed docile. Such power … exceeded anything Xu Qing knew. It was impossible to describe, and could only bow his head.
"That's the manifestation of the Peak Lord's wings!" At the instant Xu Qing lowered his head, the captain's voice beside him reached his ears.
"Our Dharmic Boats are divided into four levels: Boat, Ship, Warship, and Wheel. However, above these four levels is the legendary Great Wing …"
Xu Qing's heart trembled. He was about to ask about it when the first of the thirteen Elders beneath the lizard dragon spoke in a low voice. His words were like thunder that exploded in all directions.
"Tell the disciples of the Seventh Summit that the Merfolk Clan, as an ally of our sect, betrayed our trust and are ungrateful. They colluded with the mortal enemy of the Seven Blood Pupils, the Sea Corpse Clan, and touched the reverse scale of the Seven Blood Pupils. The Seven Blood Pupils' Summit Masters have decided to change the location of the Seventh Summit's competition and change it to the Merfolk Clan.
"You will be rewarded with ten thousand contribution points for each Merfolk Tribe member you kill. The higher the Merfolk Tribe member's cultivation base, the more contribution points you will receive.
"The person who comes in first place in the end will still be given the right to become a core disciple!
"During this period of time, all of you can harvest your own spoils of war. There is no need to report it!
"The Seventh Summit's tournament begins!"
As the words were spoken, the Rune instantly rumbled. The rings of runes within it spun rapidly, causing the circular Rune Formation to shine with a brilliant light.
The lizard dragon in the sky let out a deafening roar. It was the first to charge out, charging straight into the Rune Formation and instantly entering it.
After it entered, the Rune Formation suddenly expanded several times. It covered the altar in the center and also the sky.
As the sky changed color, the figures of the more than one hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the thirteen Elders, and the thousands of Seventh Summit disciples in the central square were instantly covered by the light of the Rune Formation.
Xu Qing was among them. As the sea of light enveloped them, everyone disappeared in an instant!
At this moment, in the Endless Ocean, everything was normal around the Merfolk Tribe.
The location of the Merfolk Tribe's four islands surpassed the Southern Phoenix Continent in terms of strategic importance. It was the same in terms of trade and transportation.
It was located between the Southern Phoenix Continent and the Ancient Wangu Continent. Its central and western parts were close to the Xishan Islands, and its northern parts were close to a forbidden area in the Endless Ocean.
And to a certain extent, the geographical location of the Merfolk Tribe also determined their character.
They were fickle and rebellious. If the enemy was strong, they would bow and scrape without hesitation. They would even smile sincerely while they were being beaten. But once an opportunity presented itself, they would also turn against the enemy without hesitation. They would bare their fangs and bite the enemy mercilessly.
Thirty years ago, they had been like this. They had provoked the Seven Blood Pupils, and after being suppressed by the Seven Blood Pupils, they had immediately submitted. They had to bow and scrape and become allies.
Now, thirty years had passed, and the Sea Corpse Tribe had shown signs of rising. That was why they had started to collude with the Sea Corpse Tribe in an attempt to turn against the Seven Blood Pupils.
This was something the Seven Blood Pupils could not tolerate.
At this moment, the sky above the Merfolk Tribe's four islands was originally clear, but in an instant, wind and thunder rumbled. Dark clouds suddenly filled the air and rolled in all directions, covering the sky and the sun. Darkness and oppression instantly descended in all directions.
The sea was even more turbulent. Waves rose and fell, as if there was an endless might that was driving the waves forward.
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. This strange phenomenon immediately attracted the attention of the Merfolk Tribe.
They also knew that today was the day of the competition between the Seven Blood Pupils and the Seventh Mountain. Although they had investigated the other party's destination before, they were still on guard.
However, no matter how vigilant they were, under the will of the Seven Blood Pupils, they were still caught off guard!
In an instant, the sky above the Merfolk Tribe was filled with thunder and lightning. A purple light appeared and immediately spread in all directions.
In an instant, it covered the sky above the Merfolk Tribe's four islands and turned into a sea of purple light.
Following an earth-shattering dragon roar, a black lizard drilled out from the sea of purple light. It let out an earth-shattering roar toward the shocked Merfolk Tribe below.
As it roared, it spat out a purple bead.
The bead looked very small from afar, but it was actually hundreds of feet wide. The moment it appeared, the world rumbled and countless bolts of lightning surrounded it. A shocking pressure tore through the void and suddenly fell on the four islands below.