Fang Zheng and another Immortal Crane Sect elder, leading over a dozen disciples, entered the competition venue.
Outside the arena, a buzzing hum filled the air. Over a thousand Gu Masters sat on the elevated platforms surrounding the grounds, waiting for the eighth round of matches to begin while carrying on hushed conversations.
But with so many people gathered, even the faintest whispers merged together into a tremendous din.
"That's the Immortal Crane Sect's elder and disciples." The moment Fang Zheng's group came into view, the surrounding Gu Masters couldn't help but fix their gazes upon them, instinctively lowering their voices.
Compared to the various smaller and larger factions, the members of the Central Continent's Ten Great Ancient Sects were like princes walking among commoners.
"That young man is actually wearing an Immortal Crane Sect elder's robes—am I seeing things?"
"Keep your voice down. He's a Fifth Transformation Gu Master, and his aura is the real deal!"
"What's all the fuss about? It's not as if Gu Insects that preserve youthful appearance don't exist…"
"Look over there—those are Myriad Dragon Dock's disciples and elders."
The next moment, everyone's attention shifted to yet another group.
This contingent of Gu Masters numbered twice as many as the Immortal Crane Sect's. Four elders led them, and among their disciples were quite a few elite cultivators.
"Myriad Dragon Dock…" The Immortal Crane Sect elder's gaze narrowed slightly upon seeing them.
Among the Ten Great Ancient Sects, Myriad Dragon Dock had recently stolen more than its fair share of the spotlight. The reason behind it all was Fierce Thunder Villain.
Fierce Thunder Villain, though only a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal, possessed combat strength that was truly outstanding.
After secluding himself for over two years, he comprehended the Immortal Path killing move Thunder God Child. Upon emerging from seclusion, he traveled across the Central Continent, challenging countless Gu Immortals along the way. He won the vast majority of these bouts, drew rarely, and seldom lost.
The more Fierce Thunder Villain won, the greater his momentum grew. Through the spoils of his competitive duels, he had amassed considerable resources—so much so that the number of his Thunder God Children had, contrary to expectation, increased rather than diminished. He now possessed three of them!
Even before obtaining the Thunder God Children, Fierce Thunder Villain had already achieved the remarkable feat of fighting Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals to a standstill.
Now, with three Thunder God Children at his disposal, his combat power had surged dramatically—even surpassing that of ordinary Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals. Among his challenge records, numerous Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals had fallen to him.
Defeating Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals with only Sixth Transformation cultivation was an exceedingly rare feat. What made it all the more remarkable was that Fierce Thunder Villain had done so again and again, defeating Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals time after time. His fame became unmatched in a short period, and his sect—Myriad Dragon Dock—rose in reputation as well.
To the extent that the entire Central Continent's Gu Immortal community had begun to tacitly acknowledge Fierce Thunder Villain as the foremost combatant among Sixth Transformation cultivators of the current era. Certain warlike elders of Myriad Dragon Dock grew even more fired up, boldly proclaiming that Fierce Thunder Villain was the next Shi Lei, the next Feng Jiuge.
Upon hearing this, Fierce Thunder Villain immediately sent back a sharp rebuke: "Shi Lei is one thing, but Lord Feng Jiuge is not someone I can compare myself to. Cut out talk like that in the future!"
The implication was clear—Shi Lei was someone he could still challenge.
The Immortal Monkey King, Shi Lei, was a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal of the War Immortal Sect. His combat strength was remarkably prominent, yet he had always been firmly suppressed beneath Feng Jiuge, unable to overturn that ranking.
Feng Jiuge—that freak of nature. Such a talent emerged only once in several thousand years. The Ten Great Sects of the Central Continent had been beaten into submission by him, forced to acknowledge his supremacy, filled with both reverence and fear.
The string of consecutive victories in his challenges fueled Fierce Thunder Villain's arrogance, and he began publicly calling out Shi Lei.
The people of the War Immortal Sect were naturally incensed, yet Shi Lei—despite his characteristically hot-tempered and straightforward nature—strangely maintained his silence.
This, in turn, only bolstered Myriad Dragon Dock's momentum further. They felt that Shi Lei, when facing Fierce Thunder Villain, had lost all confidence in his ability to fight back—had turned into a turtle hiding in its shell.
Of course, anyone with even a cursory understanding of the underlying situation knew that Fierce Thunder Villain's challenges were merely a probe by Myriad Dragon Dock against the War Immortal Sect. The War Immortal Sect had discovered the Myriad Star Grotto-Heaven and the Dream of the Star Constellation Immortal Venerable hidden within, and had already been secretly advancing their plans. Because they needed to pull Gu Immortal combat strength from various fronts, this large-scale movement had already been faintly detected by the other nine sects.
But these secrets behind the scenes were known only to those at the Gu Immortal level.
Therefore, when this group of Myriad Dragon Dock elders and disciples encountered Fang Zheng and his party, they carried themselves with considerable arrogance.
"Oh, so it's the Immortal Crane Sect."
"Heh heh heh, what brings you here this time? Come to watch your elder fail?"
"It's no use. Our Myriad Dragon Dock's Dragon Head will definitely be the final victor—of that, there is no doubt!"
The moment the Myriad Dragon Dock Gu Masters opened their mouths, sarcasm and mockery poured forth.
The competition among the Central Continent's Ten Great Ancient Sects was particularly fierce, and the two factions had never gotten along.
The Immortal Crane Sect had long been weak, and the emboldened members of Myriad Dragon Dock looked upon them with even greater contempt.
The Immortal Crane Sect disciples felt a surge of stifled anger, but unable to retort, they maintained their silence as they passed by the Myriad Dragon Dock group and eventually settled into their assigned seats.
"Tch, a bunch of cowards," someone sneered.
Others jeered, "Ha ha ha, that's the Immortal Crane Sect for you, alright."
The expressions of the Immortal Crane Sect party darkened even further.
The onlookers, witnessing this scene, were filled with questions, and someone asked: "Both the Immortal Crane Sect and Myriad Dragon Dock are members of the Ten Great Ancient Sects—so why is Myriad Dragon Dock so arrogant?"