In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 231 The Trial Begins

[Tuanzi, has the spiritual energy in this world become so scarce?]

I haven't heard of them either; you should look at other people.

Ning Xiaoxi turned to examine the other Celestial Masters, picking out the ones with the highest quality. She was shocked by what she found. Damn, those were the good ones! There were even some claiming to be level seven, but actually only level two. Level two? Wasn't that just offering themselves up for slaughter?

Sending a bunch of level two or three monsters to fight level seven or eight monsters would be a disservice to those demons who were captured and sent to their deaths if they didn't all die.

Even now, Wang Ting is still thinking about eradicating the Celestial Master families. Now that he's arrested high-ranking Celestial Masters and cut off the supply to mid-ranking ones, Wang Ting is severing the very foundation of the Celestial Master Pavilion!

[In the future, there will be fewer and fewer demons. Even if the Celestial Master Pavilion is gone, there will still be the Spirit Guard and the Shadow Guard, both of which are of Celestial Master bloodline and can eliminate demons.]

Ning Xiaoxi sighed. It seems the Celestial Master Pavilion is in a pretty bad state!

Elder He emerged from the nearby tent, walked to the edge of the trial barrier, glanced at the densely packed Celestial Masters, felt a pang of unease, and had no desire to speak. He simply turned around, placed his hand on the barrier, and a ripple spread across it, causing an entrance to gradually form at the edge of the barrier, eventually becoming a large gate.

The Taoist priests outside the arena no longer showed any excitement; they all seemed to be facing certain death.

From the excitement of the raid on the camp the day before yesterday, to the casualties among the mirage demons, to the casualties again from the sand ant ambush at night, their confidence has been completely shattered. Those were just monsters, monsters! Not even real demons. If they suffered casualties, how could they possibly win against the demons in the trial grounds?

A somber atmosphere spread, fear began to creep in, and the pace of entry slowed again. Once one person entered, two, then three.

Finally, one of them turned and ran away, leaving his family waiting outside stunned.

"Deserter in the face of battle, kill!" The aged voice was ruthless, and a flash of light appeared.

"puff!"

"what!"

His running body was severed at the waist, his upper body lurching forward due to inertia before he crashed to the ground and screamed. His hands slid limply forward before coming to a stop. His family didn't even dare to collect his body; they all turned and left with tears in their eyes.

Two of the celestial masters in the group, who had also raised their feet, quickly turned around and ran into the barrier.

Ning Xiaoxi walked forward at a steady pace, without even glancing at what had just happened.

Sui Lanting and Su Yu stood silently in the distance, watching Ning Xiaoxi walk into the barrier, their faces showing no sign of worry.

The moment Ning Xiaoxi stepped into the barrier, she raised her hand high and shook it twice.

Sui Lanting and Su Yu couldn't help but laugh. Ning Shuguan was young, but he was still quite capable and would definitely be able to get out of the trial grounds.

Thinking of this, the two looked at each other and ran together to Tianji.

Tianji glanced at them and said, "No guts."

The two were overjoyed. "Thank you, sir!" they said, and then quickly ran towards the west coast. They were going to the finish line to wait for Ning Xiaoxi to come out.

After Ning Xiaoxi stepped into the barrier, she did not rush forward. She saw that many people around her had the same idea as her, and they all wanted to stay put if they could avoid it.

After quietly sensing it for a moment, Ning Xiaoxi frowned. After all, these were demons with ranks, and they had actually formed an alliance of offense and defense in such a short time.

The sand beneath my feet seemed unchanged, but after another three zhang (approximately 10 meters) it stopped. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a fixed formation. Combined with the structure of the barrier above, it appeared that this entire trial ground was a massive formation, enclosing the area as a hunting ground.

The Celestial Masters have gradually calmed down. Some of them were together before entering the barrier and are now exchanging ideas, all wanting to expand their teams. Gradually, those around them also started to move, abandoning their previous idea of ​​going it alone. Why stand out when you can stick together?

However, Ning Xiaoxi's appearance is not very advantageous, and no one has been willing to come up and talk to her.

"Brother Yun, why don't we ask her? She's been with Lord Tianji's subordinates these past few days, so she shouldn't be too bad off, right?"

"She's only at the mid-level 5, while our team's lowest level is 6, so it's inconvenient for us to team up with her."

"Brother Liang, that little girl has been staying at Lord Tianji's camp for the past three days."

"No need to pay attention. If it really was Lord Tianji who brought her, he wouldn't have failed to find her a team. It seems she's just benefiting from his influence."

"Young Master Wu, we have the most people, why don't we let her come along as cannon fodder?"

"We are both Celestial Masters. If we pass the trial, we may become colleagues. Whether we survive or not depends on our luck."

Some random, fragmented conversations reached Ning Xiaoxi's ears; she heard them, but paid no attention.

Ning Xiaoxi's senses extended forward along the barrier, and one demon array after another appeared in her mind. There were four demon arrays in total, one every hundred miles, one for demons and one for monsters, with a fairly clear division of labor.

The Celestial Masters began to move forward, in groups of seven or eight, some with more than twenty members. Ning Xiaoxi was the only single person among them.

Ning Xiaoxi followed slowly at the back. After the losses of the previous two days, only ninety-one Celestial Masters remained on this side. It was truly ironic; just from demonic beasts, nine Celestial Masters had been lost.

As soon as the crowd moved, the scout of the first demon formation ahead detected the movement and sent a falcon back to report.

As the sun gradually rose, the temperature inside the barrier also gradually increased; the scorching sun was not a pleasant experience.

After traveling for more than ten miles, the temperature continued to rise, and there was still no trace of demonic energy. The Taoist masters relaxed considerably, and the fear and tension caused by the deaths of their colleagues before entering the area gradually disappeared.

Ning Xiaoxi tensed up. She had sensed demons forming an array before, but now it seemed there were others that liked to roam freely outside of it.

As light and shadow pierced through, the temperature of the sand rose higher and higher. In the bright white space, even the air we breathed was scalding hot. Drinking large gulps of water did not relieve the heat; in fact, it made us even thirstier.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and all the Taoist masters couldn't help but rouse themselves.

A green meadow appeared in the distance, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to shimmer with light. Was there a lake there?

I quickened my pace, and I could see the swaying shadows of the trees. A gentle breeze brought moisture, and I could see fish leaping in the lake.

Everyone couldn't resist going over to feel the coolness and taste the sweet lake water.

Closer, closer.

Several people suddenly stopped, their bodies flashing with runes, and their eyes no longer held any trace of fascination.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

"It's a demon!"

"Stop!"