Forced to become a pure and innocent female pharmacist in order to cultivate immortality.

"Hahaha, Tianyi, you've encountered such a strange thing again. I wonder if I can help you?"

As soon as the voice fell, the space at the entrance suddenly cracked open, and a young nobleman who looked to be in his early twenties walked out of the spatial rift with a smile.

Upon seeing this person, Tianyi Ancestor and the others were somewhat surprised. They quickly stood up and bowed to the newcomer.

"Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Indeed, the newcomer is none other than Li Yutang, the King of the South, the strongest expert in the Southern Ridge.

Of course, this time, he must have changed his appearance to restore himself to his youthful look.

Once you reach the Nirvana Realm, you can freely control the changes in your age.

"Uncle Wang, what brings you here?" Li Muyun stood up in surprise, then came to Li Yutang and bowed.

Li Yutang was a member of the royal family and held a very high position.

"Oh, it's Mu Yun. I didn't expect the Holy Land to release you. It seems you've reached an agreement with them," Li Yutang said with a smile.

Among the descendants of the Li family, in terms of talent, Li Muyun was undoubtedly number one, so Li Yutang valued Li Muyun highly.

“Yes, I’ve been in the Holy Land for decades and haven’t seen the world. I’m almost out of touch with it,” Li Muyun murmured.

Li Yutang is a cultivator who stopped caring about worldly affairs a thousand years ago. Li Muyun claims to be his descendant, but the blood relationship is no different from that of strangers; they are too far apart.

“No need to be so reserved. I also came to see the Nanling Grand Gathering. I just didn’t expect that such an outrageous change in the heavens and earth would happen tonight. I was in Tianyi City at the time and clearly sensed the changes in the laws here,” Li Yutang said.

Li Muyun nodded, then returned to her seat and sat down.

"This? Your Highness, what power caused my disciple to become demonic tonight? As a powerful figure in the Nirvana Realm, you should have a clearer understanding than we do, right?" Ancestor Tianyi welcomed Li Yutang to the seat of honor and then asked.

Li Yutang didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly before replying.

"How should I answer this question? I can only say that it seems that there is no source, but I have a vague feeling that there is a mysterious force that is mobilizing the laws of heaven and earth. Unfortunately, I have been investigating for a long time but have not been able to lock onto the target."

“However, one thing is certain: this person is in the disciple market, and his cultivation level is likely above mine. The incident in the Black Wind Mountains last time should also be related to this mysterious expert,” Li Yutang replied.

That's an interesting statement.

"You mean this powerful figure is in the market? Could he be disguised as a participating disciple? Or perhaps a disciple of our Supreme Response Sect? That's impossible. If this mysterious expert could easily change the rules of heaven and earth, why would he bother participating in our Southern Ridge Grand Gathering? Isn't that pointless?" Ancestor Tianyi wondered.

Li Yutang was also clueless.

"It's hard to say. Actually, the higher one's cultivation level, the more one enjoys traveling the world. You should know this. The Tang Kingdom we are in is just the tip of the iceberg of the Divine Continent."

"This place seems to be isolated by the power of the Holy Land, prohibiting cultivators from entering and leaving at will, but in reality, if the strongest people from the outside want to come in, the Holy Land cannot stop them."

“If the Divine Continent is a vast world, then the Tang Kingdom is a small world. Once you reach the Nirvana Realm, you will realize that there are always people more capable than you, and heavens beyond heavens. If you don’t leave the Tang Kingdom, you will only be like a frog in a well, with a limited view of the sky,” Li Yutang sighed.

In fact, the Heavenly Ancestor and the others knew this, after all, the Supreme Response Sect had produced saints in the past.

The continent where the Tang Kingdom is located can be described as the back garden of the Nine Heavens Holy Land. Everything in this country is dominated by the Nine Heavens Holy Land, and no one can change it unless you can rise above the Nine Heavens Holy Land.

The problem is that the Nine Heavens Holy Land is the ruler of a country, and with a single word from them, the fate of a sect can be changed.

Of course, it cannot be said that the Nine Heavens Holy Land is domineering, because there are quite a few forces of the same level as the Nine Heavens Holy Land on the Divine Continent. They basically control one or more countries.

In order to consolidate their position, they prohibited other forces from having too many supreme experts, so the talents within the Tang Kingdom would eventually end up in the Nine Heavens Holy Land.

"Sigh! Well, I didn't expect that even His Highness the Southern King couldn't do anything about it. We can only hope that there won't be too many unexpected changes in the three trials the day after tomorrow." Ancestor Tianyi was also at a loss.

"Don't worry, if anything unexpected happens again, I will take action," said the Prince of the South.

The Southern King's words were a bit strange. He usually didn't like to interfere in the affairs of the cultivation world, so his sudden offer to help the Supreme Response Sect prevent unexpected events was somewhat unusual.

However, the Heavenly Ancestor and others would certainly not refuse.

The next day, in the morning, Ye Liuyun and the others received a notification from Qin Yi, telling them to gather at Murong Huan's residence.

After all, the final three rounds of the competition will take place tomorrow, and such an outrageous thing happened last night, so Qin Yi naturally had to come over to cheer on and encourage her disciples.

However, as soon as she arrived, Qin Yi asked Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue what had happened last night.

"Aoxue, I heard that you had a conflict with the disciples of the Taishang Ganying Sect at the market last night, right?" Qin Yi asked.

Ye Liuyun was embarrassed; he hadn't expected that Qin Yi already knew about this.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. The Supreme Response Sect would definitely inform Qin Yi.

"Yeah, I ran into a shady shop that looked down on people, and I couldn't help but take action," Lin Aoxue replied directly.

Qin Yi already knew what had happened, but she had no right to say anything more. After all, Lin Aoxue was there to help their Yun Sect, and the two had a cooperative relationship.

"Sigh! I know most of what's going on with you, including Liu Yu. But I don't want to say much about these things. However, we're about to enter the final three trials, and such a big thing happened yesterday. People from the Flower Sect, Sword Sect, and Dao Sect have all been corrupted by the strange changes in the world yesterday."

"According to statistics, at least 30% of the participants have been demonized this time, so there may be some unexpected changes in tomorrow's hunting trial. You should be extra careful."

"Also, I have to remind you that the next three trials won't be held in the trial space. That's why they need to stop and prepare. The seventh trial is dangerous, so please be extra careful, especially the four major sects of the Northern Region and the cultivators of the Reverse Immortal Alliance who are hiding in the shadows. They are much more dangerous than suppressing demonic beasts." Qin Yi explained about the hunting trial.

The expressions of everyone turned serious. The first six levels were not life-threatening, but the seventh level was. This was no joke.

"What does the sect mean by this? Why not continue the competition in the trial space, but instead hold the competition in the outside world?" The crowd couldn't quite understand.

"I've already asked about this. According to the sect leader, only a true life-or-death struggle can unleash a person's potential and reveal their true abilities. As you all know, in the trial space, you won't die, so naturally, you won't use your full strength."

"Of course, but you can rest assured that there will still be referees to protect you in the next three trials. As long as there are no major accidents, there should be no danger to your lives. However, it's best if you cooperate with each other during the hunting trials. From the eighth trial onwards, it will be a solo show for you. You can each use your own skills to the fullest," Qin Yi instructed.

Murong Huan and the others nodded in unison.

After Qin Yi finished speaking, she left.

Meanwhile, the remaining contestants from Yunzong also began to look for teammates on the spot. They couldn't do without teammates in this round; they couldn't be too arrogant, as one person's strength is ultimately limited.

"Junior Sister Lin, Junior Sister Ye, shall we team up?" Tantai Mingyue asked.

Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue exchanged a glance and then shook their heads, because they had better teammates.

"No need, we already have teammates, you should know that," Lin Aoxue said with a smile.

After thinking for a moment, Tantai Mingyue and the others quickly remembered the two Earth-rank cultivators who lived with them.

Although these two were not highly skilled, everyone knew of their abilities, especially Murong Huan, who was constantly being chased around by Yan Yu.

“Alright, but we’ll still help each other out during the seventh round,” Tantai Mingyue said.

No one had any objections to this, after all, this round wasn't exactly an individual competition.

Let's take a look at the other points where forces converge.

For example, in the Eight Desolate Supreme Palace, their elders are instructing their remaining disciples, and it seems there's some conspiracy at play.

These four sects couldn't just sit idly by and watch the Supreme Response Sect recruit so many outstanding disciples. So, they would definitely create some unexpected events in the lower levels of the organization.

Lin Aoxue and her two companions must be on their list of targets.

I just don't know how they managed to do these things right under the noses of the Taishang Ganying Sect.

After returning to their residence, Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue immediately gave Chen Yao and Yan Yu a batch of pills.

"Eldest sister, second sister, these are the pills I refined. This is a healing pill, this is a strength-restoring pill, this is a power-enhancing pill..." Ye Liuyun gave each of them a portion of the general-purpose pills and patiently explained their effects to them.

After hearing about the effects of Ye Liuyun's pills, Yan Yu and Chen Yao immediately understood why Ye Liuyun was so wealthy.

Each of these pills is extremely valuable, yet Ye Liuyun was able to give them away so easily, and in such large quantities.

"Sigh! I'm completely confused. Third Sister, who exactly are you? It seems like none of the pills you have are ordinary." Yan Yu and Chen Yao exclaimed.

Ye Liuyun was very pleased to hear this.

"That's right, my pills are just that outrageous. Anyway, you'll get used to it eventually. Just like I said, don't tell anyone about my affairs," Ye Liuyun instructed.

Yan Yu and the other man were certain they wouldn't do something so self-destructive, so they swore again that they wouldn't tell anyone else about it.

Having said that, the matter is basically settled.

Wan Ye Liuyun and the others received a notification from the Taishang Ganying Sect, informing them to gather at the market's teleportation transfer station the next morning.

This time, their hunting trial will not take place at the Supreme Response Sect, but within the Heavenly Ridge.

There is a training ground over there that is completely controlled by the Supreme Response Sect, called the Ancient Forest.

The monsters in this area are basically controlled by the Supreme Response Sect. The Supreme Response Sect can create any monster they want in this area, and that monster will be available in this area at any level.

During this period, they have been clearing out the overly powerful demonic beasts in this area, leaving only those at the early stage of the Four Extremes Secret Realm and those at the Dao Palace Realm.

Even so, the early-stage demonic beasts of the Four Extremes Secret Realm are invincible in this training ground, and it is basically impossible for a trial participant to hunt them down on their own.

At dawn, Ye Liuyun and his companions arrived at the central square of the disciples' market, following the instructions of the Taishang Ganying Sect. The transit station was located here.

These past few days have been too rushed. This disciple market is huge, and they haven't had much time to explore it. However, the other failed cultivators have already used this place to go to other factions to participate in the assessment.

Nalan Yan is currently undergoing assessment at Medicine Peak. Given her alchemy skills, she should be able to catch the eye of Medicine Peak.

"Wow, there's such a big plaza here! Those palace buildings and passageways around here must be the entrances to the teleportation array, right?" Ye Liuyun and the others exclaimed in amazement after arriving at the transit plaza.

This place feels more spectacular than their train stations and airports on Earth.

"Liu Yun, take a look at your masterpiece." Lin Aoxue only glanced at it, and then showed Ye Liu Yun the demonized cultivators in the crowd. At this moment, everyone was sizing up these people.

Because everyone is curious. They're curious about how things are different after they've been transformed into demons, or whether they can use demonic powers after becoming demons.

"Damn it, what's so interesting about this? I'm warning you, if you keep staring at me, I'll break the rules and kill you all during the competition!" The demonized cultivators who were being watched roared angrily.

Nobody likes being treated like a monster.

"Calm down, the cult leader and the others said it's only temporary, it won't last forever," their companion quickly reassured them.

"Shut up! It's not like you've turned into a monster. Of course you can calm down. Look at me, do you think I can stay calm?" A cultivator who had turned into a wild boar monster shouted angrily. Indeed, some monsters were quite good-looking, but some monsters were quite ugly.

Ye Liuyun carefully examined the factions to which these demonized cultivators belonged. Some were from the Supreme Response Sect, while others were from the other four major sects. There were virtually no other sects among them.

After a while, the Moon Fairy arrived at the place with several cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage.

Moreover, Li Bai also arrived, and Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue were stunned when Li Bai arrived.

"Hey? Aoxue, look, isn't that Mr. Li? He's actually a cultivator from the Supreme Response Sect?" Ye Liuyun said, quite surprised.

However, Lin Aoxue didn't seem to find anything strange about it.

Li Bai looked lazy and out of place with the others. Moreover, Li Bai had already spotted Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue. He waved to them from afar as a greeting.

Chapter 369 Hunting Trial (Part 1) (4500 words + 400 monthly votes bonus chapter)

Li Bai's behavior really doesn't seem like that of a Nascent Soul expert. He simply lacks the demeanor of a strong person. According to Ancestor Tianyi, he has no proper posture when sitting or standing.

"Huh? Who is that senior greeting? I think he's waving at us. Is there someone he knows among us?" Everyone present was a little puzzled.

Seeing the contestants discussing amongst themselves, the Moon Fairy immediately glanced at Li Bai beside her.

"Junior brother, you should be more serious in this situation," the Moon Fairy reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Li Bai's expression instantly fell, and he could barely stand up. He then secretly transmitted his voice to Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue.

"Haha, you two fellow villagers, you didn't expect to meet again, did you?" Li Bai's voice rang in their ears.

Ye Liuyun and Lin Aoxue quickly used their divine senses to communicate with Li Bai.

"Yes, I didn't expect that you, Mr. Li, are actually a cultivator of the Supreme Response Sect. With your cultivation level, you must be a master of the upper sect," Ye Liuyun asked.

Li Bai chuckled.

"What 'master' or 'master'? Since you know my deeds, you should know that I'm a very easygoing person. I'm not one of those old-fashioned people. By the way, Lin girl, after you join the Supreme Response Sect, you'll be my disciple. You shouldn't have any objections, right?" Li Bai suddenly told Lin Aoxue something she didn't know yet.

This was quite a surprise.

Lin Aoxue paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Ye Liuyun, looking somewhat surprised.

While the two chatted happily with Li Bai, the Moon Fairy began to explain the rules and requirements of the seventh level to everyone.

"Fellow participants, I will now explain to you in detail the competition format for the seventh round. This round is somewhat dangerous, so please proceed with caution. Moreover, the competition will not take place in the trial space, as you are already aware of."

After saying this, the Moon Fairy began to explain in detail.

This competition will eliminate half of the participants, meaning there are currently 10,000 people left, and the seventh round will eliminate 5,000.

How can you be eliminated? This stage has a time limit of only one day. Then, the top 5,000 in individual points will advance to the next stage.

Also, the points are calculated based on the level of the monsters you hunt. This level won't show how many monsters you've hunted. You'll give them a magic item later, and the monsters you hunt will be directly added to the special magic item.

There's also this stage, where you can steal prey from other cultivators. If a participating cultivator loses their fighting ability or dies, they are eliminated early.

Once you are eliminated, your points will be reset to zero. However, if you are eliminated by a cultivator, your points will go to the person who eliminated you.

So, in this level, while hunting monsters, you also have to prevent yourself from being eliminated. You are both the hunter and the prey, much like the monster hunting tournament in the Cloud Sect.