Jiang Ke’er and Qian Yue once again entered the Strange Elder’s room.
The Strange Elder first transported them to the 13th floor.
There, Jiang Ke’er encountered Emperor Taizong of Tang and the others.
“How come there are only two of you left?”
The Demon Revival Society’s camp was now fully assembled, their equipment as lavish as the Heaven’s Gate Team’s, if not more so.
They noticed that the Tai Ming Sect’s group was reduced to only Jiang Ke’er and Qian Yue; the rest were nowhere to be seen.
“Senior Brother Xuanyang joined the Heaven’s Gate Team, the others died,” Jiang Ke’er said.
“Be careful of Senior Brother Xuanyang, he’s very powerful. You’d better prepare a helmet to deal with him.”
“Don’t worry,” Emperor Taizong of Tang flashed the Time Stop Ring on his hand.
“We will definitely claim first place and win it back for you.”
“That’s hard to say,” Jiang Ke’er smiled faintly.
“Maybe it’ll be us who wins.”
Emperor Taizong of Tang chuckled lightly and shook his head, taking Jiang Ke’er’s words as a joke.
“We’re heading off now. Keep it up,” Changsun Qingyue said.
“There will be a fierce battle on the 14th floor. It’ll hold up most teams, and if you’re fast enough, you might still catch up…”
“Too late, we’re only on the 10th floor,” Jiang Ke’er replied.
“Enough talk, you guys go.”
Meanwhile, Emperor Taizong of Tang and the others arrived at the 14th floor, where the Heaven’s Gate Team and the Fireblade Squad had already taken position.
Following closely behind the Demon Revival Society, the Dan Sect Alliance’s elite team also arrived—five members, fully equipped and prepared.
“Come help us!” the Fireblade Squad captain shouted urgently. “If we don’t take this thing down, no one will pass!”
An eighth-rank Gongshan Beast.
The name alone sent shivers through the Five Elements Realm cultivators present.
Judging from the monster’s strength, any team hoping to wait and reap the benefits without engaging would only face complete annihilation, never having a chance to clear the floor.
Only by pooling the power of all teams together to defeat the Gongshan Beast could they have a chance.
The Demon Revival Society joined the siege, but their strength was still far from enough—the situation remained dire.
Fortunately, as time passed, more and more teams arrived at the 14th floor, bringing with them treasures and magic items gained along the way, gradually shifting the tide of battle.
As the First Floor Elder had said, this was a brutal and desperate fight.
More than a dozen cultivator corpses lay trampled on the ground, crushed into pulp beneath the massive beast.
Even the Fireblade Squad and Heaven’s Gate Team each lost one member, and the Demon Revival Society lost two.
The Dan Sect Alliance team had already been forced to use Resurrection on all members; half of their lizard tails hung bloodied behind them—no chance left for a second Tail Severance Survival.
The number of combatants had nearly halved, yet the Gongshan Beast remained lively and undiminished in strength.
“Why haven’t you used your Time Stop Ring yet?” the Fireblade Squad captain, bloodied and grimacing, glared fiercely at Emperor Taizong of Tang.
“If you don’t use it now, by the time we die, you won’t be able to beat it either!”
Emperor Taizong of Tang’s expression was calm and unmoved.
Using the Time Stop Ring could kill or severely wound the Gongshan Beast in one stroke, but doing so would forfeit their chance to proceed further.
The Time Stop Ring was reserved for controlling the other teams after the monster was defeated, ensuring they could secure first place steadily.
But the other teams weren’t fools.
They knew Emperor Taizong of Tang held such a powerful magic treasure, so they wouldn’t reveal all their trump cards until forcing him to use the ring.
“Everyone, if we don’t force them to use the Time Stop Ring, winning is pointless; we’d only be making their victory easier,” Heaven’s Gate Team captain Zhuo Feng said.
“Rather than that, we might as well team up to take them out first, then plan carefully afterward.”
Emperor Taizong of Tang’s face changed dramatically.
What a cunning move!
“I agree!” the Heaven’s Gate Team captain sneered at Emperor Taizong of Tang.
“Agreed,” the Dan Sect Alliance members also expressed their support.
They turned their weapons away from full assault on the Gongshan Beast and instead aimed at the last three members of the Demon Revival Society.
“Fine, fine!” Emperor Taizong of Tang’s eyes blazed with fury.
“As you wish! Time Stop Ring… freeze!”
The Gongshan Beast’s movements suddenly halted.
“Quick, use ranged spells! Set traps!”
Emperor Taizong of Tang was forced to use the Time Stop Ring because without it, he wouldn’t survive the next round of attacks, let alone defeat the beast and proceed to the Top Floor.
These opponents were sharp and shrewd.
All the cultivators unleashed their full strength; spells filled the air around the Gongshan Beast, hovering about five meters away.
The spells, too, were stopped by the time stop, but their momentum was preserved and would release once time resumed.
During the brief pause, spells and flying swords densely surrounded the Gongshan Beast, leaving not a patch of skin visible.
Then, the time stop ended.
“Boom—”
All the spells simultaneously regained momentum and struck the Gongshan Beast.
The beast toppled onto its back, the sudden massive damage far beyond the Five Elements Stage level.
Coupled with the tower’s terrifying magic treasure enhancements, even this eighth-rank Elder Gongshan Beast couldn’t endure, suffering grievous injuries on the spot.
Before the beast could recover, sacrificing seven or eight cultivators, they managed to sever its spine.
What followed was a merciless finishing blow.
After a flurry of strikes, the Gongshan Beast finally died.
Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, a dark indentation on the wall slowly lit up with the glow of a teleportation portal.
This was the place all teams dreamed of—the only path to victory and rapid ascension!
Whoever passed through the Victory Gate first would permanently gain the Trial Tower’s abnormal enhancements, securing the sole true victory!
【Congratulations on successfully defeating the 14th floor guardian.】 The Elder’s voice echoed from behind the door.
【Next, rewards will be distributed in order of arrival at the Top Floor. First place will be able to take away part of the magic treasure enhancements and select one ultra-rare magic treasure…】
Charge!
Every team had only one thought in their minds.
At all costs! Charge!
“Whoosh—”
Several bodies blurred into afterimages, moving at insane speeds, and in an instant, they reached the gate!
“Goodbye, everyone~”
The Dan Sect Alliance members had never shown such speed before, saving their strongest trump card for this moment!
One’s nose was less than a centimeter from the gate…
“Time Stop!”
Suddenly, an enormous Time Stop Ring radiated from Emperor Taizong of Tang, the aura rippling outward, instantly freezing every cultivator on the floor.
A sly smile appeared on his lips. “Magic treasures can be upgraded, you forgot that.”
He could never have missed the other teams’ intentions.
They would force him to use the Time Stop Ring—he had known this from the start, so he had been playing along all along.
He had pretended reluctance just for this moment! To make them overlook the extra, super-large area Time Stop effect he had gained, lulling them into a false sense of security.
That would give the Demon Revival Society a guaranteed chance to win!
“Sorry.”
“Crack—”
A shattering sound near his ear froze Emperor Taizong of Tang in place.
Faces that were almost at the gate quickly dodged down to the side.
“Too bad, we guessed it.”
The Time Stop Ring’s power was too overwhelming.
After being humiliated once early on, the Fireblade Squad had been searching for a countermeasure.
Not only was Emperor Taizong of Tang acting, they were acting too… they had already obtained magic treasures granting immunity to time stop!
That terrifying power immediately sent the entire Demon Revival Society flying.
Everyone could only watch helplessly as three Fireblade Squad members swaggered through the teleportation gate, turning into white light and disappearing.
It was over. First place was gone.
However, rewards were distributed by rank.
Though first was lost, the fight continued—they had to strive for as high a place as possible!
The Time Stop effect ended, and the chaotic melee erupted again.
All teams rushed madly toward the Victory Gate.
“What a display of unique talents, each showing their own skills,” Emperor Taizong of Tang smiled bitterly.
“Fascinating.”
The Demon Revival Society seized second place during the time stop.
Then the Dan Sect Alliance, using their speed advantage, took third.
Finally, the Heaven’s Gate Team, their faces as dark as the bottom of a pot.
The remaining small teams, after fierce fighting, all stepped into the portal as well.
“Hahaha, first place! We’re first!”
The three Fireblade Squad members were ecstatic, looking around the hall, hugging each other with tears of joy as they savored their hard-won victory.
They could already imagine the glory after bringing out the Soul of Infernal Fire.
From now on, the Sect Tournament wouldn’t stop at the top thirty-two—they’d firmly hold first place!
They would stand on the Champion’s Podium, basking in cheers from all over the world! Just like now!
Soon, other teams arrived in the hall, but the Fireblade Squad’s members were filled with disdain—too late, losers.
First and second place are worlds apart; you’ll never catch up to us.
That’s the difference between genius and ordinary people!
“Where’s the old man? Time for the awards! Where is he?” the Fireblade Squad captain shouted impatiently.
The awarding was moving far too slowly.
They looked around.
But instead of the Shopkeeper dwarf elder, there was only a scrawny, smirking face standing in the center of the hall.
The thin man grinned, holding a large bundle of white strange eggs in his arms.
“Now begins the distribution of clearance rewards,” the thin man waved his hand, and with a ‘splat’, an egg crashed to the ground.
The eggshell cracked open, releasing a black mist that rapidly took shape, with two glaring blood-red lantern-like eyes shining from within.
“What are you doing?” everyone looked at the thin man in horror.
The thin man relaxed his grip, and all the strange eggs shattered, transforming into differently shaped black mist.
At the same time, the surrounding Victory Gate slammed shut with a rumble.
Only then did the Fireblade Squad realize the environment looked very familiar.
It seemed like they had been here before…
More precisely, all the teams had been here before.
Twenty-four doors, an empty hall.
This was…
The first floor???
What the hell?!
What was happening? Had time reversed?
Emperor Taizong of Tang slapped his forehead, suddenly recalling the earlier sense of incongruity.
When the Fireblade Squad passed through the teleportation gate, they turned into white light and vanished—unlike before, where they simply disappeared into the portal.
Turning into white light—that was the effect of Transcendent Transmission!
Moreover, he clearly remembered feeling the ground beneath his feet loosen slightly and sink when he approached the gate.
At the time, he didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just tiles loosened by battle.
But now, he seemed to understand.
“Little Junior Sister asked me to pass on a message to you all…”
Xiao Ri’s face was full of undisguised smugness and schadenfreude, so irritating that every team present wished they could tear him to pieces.
But Xiao Ri didn’t need them to act.
His body gradually vanished into smoke.
Surrounded by eight ultra-powerful beasts summoned by the Strong One’s Egg, he was doomed.
Yet he didn’t care, even deliberately drawing a dagger to his own heart.
“…The game is just beginning!”