Zhu Hongzhang tapped his storage bag and took out another powerful remnant treasure named "Thunder Hammer."
He raised the Thunder Hammer high and then struck out suddenly.
The Thunder Hammer, carrying surging power filled with lightning energy, drew an arc in mid-air.
"Bang!"
In an instant, the Thunder Hammer collided with the spear formed by the Myriad Transformation Immortal Fire.
After flashes of lightning, the mountains shook and the earth trembled.
Seeing that he was at a disadvantage, Yan Yan immediately switched from offense to defense. The Myriad Transformation Immortal Fire transformed again, burning into a giant shield.
The Thunder Hammer struck the fire shield. The surface of the shield trembled slightly and then returned to its original state. Yan Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
The next moment, Yan Yan launched a counterattack. The fire seed of this Myriad Transformation Immortal Fire shot out like lightning, transforming into a giant fiery red arrow as it flew, heading straight for Zhu Hongzhang.
Seeing this, the excitement in Zhu Hongzhang's eyes grew even more intense. He tapped his storage bag again and took out another treasure he had never used before, "Tianyi True Water."
Tianyi True Water was one of the Nine Great True Waters in the cultivation world.
The Tianyi True Water transformed into waves of water that surged out, immediately suppressing the Myriad Transformation Immortal Fire in Yan Yan's hand.
...
By now, the two had fought for dozens of rounds. Strictly speaking, both Yan Yan and Zhu Hongzhang were "second-generation immortals." The treasures and trump cards in their storage bags were endless.
Therefore, their battle lasted much longer than that of others.
During this process, after fighting for a day and a night, and engaging in hundreds of fierce rounds, Zhu Hongzhang, who had tested all of Yan Yan's trump cards, had a flash of brilliance in his eyes and shouted, "Yan Yan, surrender!"
Zhu Hongzhang threw the Immortal Blood Spear in his hand. The spear drew an arc in mid-air, broke through the various treasures protecting him, and struck Yan Yan directly.
Having exhausted all his trump cards, Yan Yan could not withstand this blow and voluntarily conceded.
...
Thus, Zhu Hongzhang, a direct descendant of the Zi Mansion stage, became the first place winner in this grand competition.
Yan Yan was the second place winner.
Wu Tao was the third place winner.
Mo Wen was the fourth place winner.
Chu Jiayi was the fifth place winner.
Ximen Jingxue was the sixth place winner.
Lu Yi was the seventh place winner.
Xue Rou'er was the eighth place winner.
...
Meanwhile.
The cultivators watching from the floating city and palaces never imagined that the victor of this grand competition, the top inner disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, would be a child of thirteen or fourteen years old.
After all, the previous prodigies had shown such power and dominance, leaving a deep impression on them.
Yet, so many prodigies had fallen to a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, which was a devastating shock to them.
"This brat is quite dark, going all the way to the end, even taking down Yan Yan," someone in the palace remarked.
"Exactly, exactly. I doubt anyone expected this," someone replied immediately after the speaker finished.
"Look, even many of the inner sect elders of the Taiyi Immortal Sect maintaining order in mid-air are stunned!"
"Heh heh, they probably didn't expect the winner of this competition to be a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, not their carefully nurtured direct disciple."
Tang Hu, the peak master of Feilai Immortal Peak, who was responsible for maintaining order, was somewhat dazed. This was rare for him since reaching the Core Formation stage.
The result of Mo Wen ranking fourth in the grand competition had impacted him so greatly that he could not believe his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
He shook his head, his expression turning grim. The first place in the grand competition meant more than just fame and resources. It also represented the attitude of the highest echelons of the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
This was indispensable for Feilai Immortal Peak and for Mo Wen personally, yet it had been snatched away by someone else. Tang Hu felt a surge of anger with nowhere to vent.
Tang Hu and Mo Wen's relationship was complicated. Mo Wen himself didn't know that he was Tang Hu's son.
Although he was an illegitimate child, he was still his son.
...
Meanwhile.
Shangguan Yujie, the peak master of Sword Peak, was not particularly disappointed. She had never expected to win first place in the grand competition, nor had she even thought about it.
This was because she had not given Wu Tao any peak-guarding treasures. Wu Tao's ability to reach third place in the grand competition on his own, with just his sword, had already exceeded her expectations.
Luo Wenjiu, the peak master of Immortal Bow Peak, was as unwilling as Tang Hu to see his disciple Ximen Jingxue ranked sixth in the grand competition.
However, he had no power to change the outcome.
...
Feng Junyi, who had just entered the Nascent Soul stage and was stationed in the defense zone, looked at his nephew, who had ranked second in the grand competition. He shook his head but said nothing.
The circles of Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators were different. As someone who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, Feng Junyi had advance knowledge of some inside information. Therefore, he was not particularly disappointed by his nephew's failure.
He was just a little unwilling.
According to both ancient and modern records, true prodigies who dominated their eras, in their early stages of growth, would exhibit extraordinary potential. They could easily break conventions, create miracles, and be invincible, never losing to those of the same level.
However, if such a prodigy failed even once during this process, the lost fortune could never be regained.
On the Kyushu Continent, countless people were stuck at bottlenecks due to lacking just a little bit of luck.
Another ancient text recorded that a person who walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, never losing to anyone of their generation, even without prodigy-level potential, had a chance to reach the highest realm.
Conversely, a person with infinite potential, if they failed too many times, would have their fortune and potential diminished, gradually sinking into obscurity.
If Yan Yan had undoubtedly taken first place in the grand competition, his future destiny would have been entirely different, and he would have taken many fewer detours.
Of course, the same applied to Wu Tao, Mo Wen, and others.
The competition for the Great Dao was sometimes so cruel. Ten thousand people vied for the top spot, and only one could ascend.
...
Meanwhile, the senior sisters of Sword Peak were happy for Wu Tao, as even third place in the grand competition was a very good achievement.
A third-place ranking would also garner significant attention and resource allocation from the sect, which would be highly beneficial for his future.
...
While some were happy, others harbored malicious intentions.
Song Daoyi, the head of the Song family, a large cultivation family, sat in a secluded corner, his eyes fixed on Wu Tao with intense killing intent.
After his clone was destroyed, Song Daoyi had used his family's connections to easily discover who had ambushed his son that day.
Watching Wu Tao steadily climb to third place in the grand competition, Song Daoyi sneered inwardly.
He thought to himself at that moment.
"Enjoy your triumph now. The more triumphant you are, the more painful your death will be."
Song Daoyi's gaze swept over an outer sect gray-robed elder in the Demonic Region.
After making eye contact with Song Daoyi, the gray-robed elder nodded slightly. The tacit understanding between them seemed complete.
As it turned out, although Song Daoyi had discovered that Wu Tao was the one who killed his son, he lacked direct evidence to have Wu Tao killed within the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
Therefore, he found Zheng Qianqiu, who also held a grudge against Wu Tao.
The two of them struck an agreement.
Song Daoyi would use his connections to facilitate the action, while Zheng Qianqiu would be responsible for killing Wu Tao.
"Kid, you're dead!"
Song Daoyi sneered inwardly, but outwardly, he remained composed, even applauding.
...
Just then, the small world suddenly underwent a drastic change.
The heavens and earth shifted, time became chaotic, and the world began to tremble.
A towering pillar of spiritual energy surged forth.
Faintly, they could sense that the terrifying aura that caused the heavens and earth to change color was emanating from this towering spiritual pillar.
In a trance, everyone seemed to see a colossal face, covering the sky, suddenly appear before the top eight inner sect disciples.
The colossal face, so immense it inspired dread, raised its head and opened its mouth, which was a hundred zhang wide.
And within the giant mouth, a vortex formed at a visible speed, like a black hole, continuously drawing power from the small world.
"This is the Sea of Origin within the small world..."
The sect leaders of the other nineteen major ruling forces saw this scene, their pupils constricted, and their expressions changed dramatically. They stood up in alarm.
Exclamations of surprise erupted from their mouths, spreading in all directions.
Legend had it that both in the great world and in the small world, there existed a place that stored the power sustaining the operation of the entire world.
And this place was called the Sea of Origin.
The Sea of Origin contained unimaginable treasures, and entering it would bring immense benefits.
...
"So enviable. The younger generation of the Taiyi Immortal Sect is already extremely strong. If they emerge from this Sea of Origin, their strength will undoubtedly increase significantly."
"They might break the record that the cultivation world has not broken in ten thousand years, and be able to contend with Foundation Establishment stage cultivators!"
"Heavens, this is too unfair."
"Why don't I have such an opportunity..."
For a time, there was a cacophony of voices. Many observing cultivators showed expressions of envy and jealousy, including many Nascent Soul cultivators.
The Sea of Origin was no ordinary place. Even the Sea of Origin of a mere small world was a treasure land that countless people dreamed of.
Upon entering the Sea of Origin, one would undergo a complete transformation. The extent of their progress would depend on their individual talent and ability.
Zhu Shenzi, the sect leader of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, spoke to these eight individuals.
"The entrance to the Sea of Origin is only open for a brief three minutes. Hurry inside and do not miss this rare opportunity."
"Perhaps this will be the only chance in your lives..."
Before long, the top eight disciples of the grand competition disappeared.
After everyone had vanished into the vortex, the colossal face tilted upwards, circled the sky above the small world twice, and disappeared, no longer visible to outsiders.
...
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
The sect leaders of the other nineteen major ruling forces exchanged glances, expressing their extreme astonishment at the Taiyi Immortal Sect's grand gesture.
(New book is being updated, please collect, please recommend tickets, please forward, give more, thank you friends, your support is my motivation!)