Chapter 447: Evil (First Update)

Yuwen Tianye seemed to be waiting for someone.

For the people from the Southern Border who had been staying around him, noticing this was actually not a difficult thing.

Because ever since arriving before the Heaven Gate, Yuwen Tianye's expression had clearly changed, gradually shifting from his usual calm as an ancient well to one of eagerness.

It was obvious he was excited.

He was waiting for someone to arrive.

But who exactly was Yuwen Tianye waiting for?

This answer, aside from being clear in his own heart, was unknown to everyone else.

Because Yuwen Tianye had never mentioned a single word about it; even if someone took the initiative to ask, he would be indifferent and pay them no mind at all.

Therefore, the others did not even have a target to guess, and could only rely entirely on their own imaginations to speculate at will.

Finally, they cast their gazes toward the most likely figure.

Fifty feet in front of the Heaven Gate, a slender yet upright figure was sitting cross-legged there with eyes closed.

They already knew that person's identity: the Ninth Princess of the Northern Qian Dynasty, Li Qiushui, who was currently fighting on behalf of the Sword Casting Hut.

She sat there alone, and no one in the surroundings dared to approach.

It was not just out of fear of her reputation, but also because of the faint Sword Intent coiled around her body.

That Sword Intent stirred the sword marks on the ground, and its lethality reached the astonishing Void Refining Realm; although it was not enough to be invincible in this place, no one was willing to approach easily.

This created a strange phenomenon.

Spreading outward from the Heaven Gate as the center, there were four layers: Li Qiushui sitting alone, Yuwen Tianye with one hundred Divine Guards, the people of the Beiming Sect, and the Southern Border prodigies with the remaining two hundred Divine Guards.

After arriving at the Heaven Gate, the Southern Border Divine Dynasty quickly occupied the surrounding key passages and trapped everyone within them.

No one knew why they had to make such a move, but everyone understood that they definitely did not have good intentions.

To say nothing else, the mere fact that "the Southern Border Divine Dynasty is suppressing the heroes of the Beiming Divine Continent" was enough to make all the Beiming Sects unable to hold their heads up.

It was not that they had not thought of resisting, and some people had even taken practical action.

The master of a sect that was still somewhat famous in the Beiming Divine Continent simply could not bear this overbearing behavior of the Southern Border Divine Dynasty, so he rose up in resistance and took several Elders to scatter and flee outward.

They did not choose to clash head-on with the Divine Guards, but even so, the result was still cruel.

Regarding their sudden counterattack, the Divine Guards remained indifferent and were not surprised; they simply dispatched fifty Divine Guards to surround and annihilate them.

Although the number sounded smaller than the hundred Divine Guards at the Earth Gate before, they were now in their full, unsuppressed state, and their true strength far exceeded what it had been before by many times.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the sect master and the Elders were captured.

The Divine Guards did not deal a fatal blow; they just beat them into dead dogs and then tossed them away at will.

With such severe injuries, they were naturally unable to continue participating and were forced to withdraw from the stage of this Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

And this scene caused the others, who had originally been restless, to fall into silence immediately.

The attitude of the Divine Guards was clear: they were controlling you, and if you stayed honestly, there was still a possibility of entering the next round.

But if you were not honest... for any resisters, they would not only drive them away from the vicinity of the Heaven Gate, but directly strike them from the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

Regarding such an arrogant attitude, the sects of the Beiming Divine Continent simply could not accept it.

It was bullying too far.

These animals of the Southern Border Divine Dynasty actually dared to be so arrogant and domineering on the land of my Northern Qian!

If this can be tolerated, what cannot!

Let us unite!

We will surely be able to teach them a good lesson!

They exchanged glances, waiting only for the first shot to ring out, and then they would attack in a swarm.

But... regrettably, in such an atmosphere of shared hatred against the enemy, the horn of counterattack was ultimately never blown.

They lowered their flags and silenced their drums, finally bowing their heads in humiliation.

In terms of numbers and combat power, these three hundred Divine Guards were actually not a match for the sects; as long as they dared to fight and struggle, they could certainly drive them away with at most a sacrifice of fifty percent of their combat power.

But the problem was, these people were not all in the same boat.

If there really had to be a sacrifice, who would sacrifice? Who would rush to the very front?

Why should it be me and not you?

Giving minimal effort, fishing in troubled waters, or even simply remaining silent while waiting to reap the fruits of others' labor.

The sects had these and those concerns, but the Southern Border Divine Guards did not have this trouble.

They were soldiers, heartless weapons who could howl and charge to their deaths at the Divine Emperor's single command.

One side was willing to die, while the other side was not even willing to get hurt; the two sides were already far, far apart in momentum alone.

But, if one had to say it, there was actually no way to blame the people of the sects; one could not force them to die heroically.

What did they come to the Immortal Sect Grand Competition for?

Was it to fight to the death with the Divine Guards of the Southern Border Divine Dynasty?

No!

Did they not come here to be able to stand out from the many chaotic sects?

If they died inexplicably in a place like this, what meaning would there be in them coming here?

Would these two hundred years of preparation and two hundred years of hardship not all be in vain?

They could fail, but they could not be defeated so humiliatingly.

As long as they waited a few more days, they would be able to enter the second round, which was the truly competitive segment.

When that time came, they would be able to display their divine might and let the whole world see their brilliance.

Therefore, for the sake of their own sect's future, the sects of the Beiming Divine Continent could not be impulsive.

They could only endure the humiliation, biting their lips in unwillingness as they watched the Divine Guards show off their power there.

Under such oppressive moods, the emotions of many among them had become somewhat distorted.

They gazed at Li Qiushui, who was experiencing an epiphany at the very center of the layers of encirclement, and their eyes were not right.

By what right must we suffer such grievances, while you can sit there safe and sound!!?

Is it just because you are a Princess?

Have your Northern Qian Dynasty and the Southern Border Divine Dynasty been engaged in some shameful dealings behind our backs!?

They all speculated with malice, attempting to alleviate the sense of humiliation in their hearts through such means.

No one knows just how malicious human malice can truly become.

But no matter how they speculated with malice in their hearts, it would not improve the reality of the situation.

Li Qiushui remained immersed in the Sword Intent and had not yet awakened, and Yuwen Tianye had not waited for the person he was waiting for.

Time slowly slipped away amidst their unwillingness to accept this.

Slowly approaching the Jiu Ri...

On the night of the Jiu Ri, a hidden cave in the Central Region suddenly emitted a soft sound, followed by weak coughing from within.

"Cough... cough! Damn it!"

Gu Manhua, who had disappeared for several days, walked out of the cave with staggering steps and a weak aura.