Chapter 120: Chapter 115: The Mysterious Profound Yin Illusion Turtle
*HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...*
The world spun around him. By the time his vision cleared, he found himself back in the plaza outside Yuntai Valley.
Yu Changsheng nearly collapsed, gasping for breath. He wiped away cold sweat that wasn’t there, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
In that final moment of teleportation, he had truly felt death’s approach. If he had been even a second later, his body would likely be in pieces right now.
In the last second before he was teleported back, his entire vision had been filled by that colossal snake tail that blotted out the sky... that suffocating feeling...
"Profound Yin Illusion Turtle? What kind of Demon Beast is that? But I clearly saw a Biluo Snake!"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Yu Changsheng shook his head and finally began to survey his surroundings.
As time passed, it wasn’t long before flashes of light began to flicker across the plaza. Whirlpool-like phantoms formed, and one by one, figures were teleported out from them.
Sixty-nine people had entered, but only about fifty had returned. Seeing this, the faces of Elder Chen and the others darkened, but they said nothing.
"What’s going on? Why were we suddenly teleported back?" someone asked, completely baffled.
"I was just fighting a Spirit Beast for a Qi Profound Fruit! I was so close to getting it..." someone else grumbled, clearly displeased.
"Weren’t we supposed to occupy a Cloud Platform alone for the time it takes an incense stick to burn to be considered successful? What’s going on? There were still four or five people on my Cloud Platform. Why did we all suddenly get teleported back?" another person asked, unable to make heads or tails of the situation.
"Ahem! Silence!"
Elder Chen cleared his throat. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it reached the ears of every disciple as clearly as a clap of Celestial Thunder.
The boisterous crowd fell silent at once. All eyes were fixed on Elder Chen, waiting for him to speak.
"Settle down. I know you all have many questions."
Elder Chen cleared his throat again, his expression now calm. "Due to some unforeseen circumstances," he stated flatly, "this trial has ended prematurely. I trust that all of you have gained something from your time inside, one way or another."
"Therefore, the rules for advancement will be adjusted accordingly. Anyone who was teleported from a Cloud Platform—regardless of how many people were on it—will be considered to have passed. Alternatively, anyone who can produce the corpse of a Tier One Ninth Layer Spirit Beast slain within the valley also passes the trial."
As soon as he said this, the disciples who had been on the verge of complaining fell silent. Some were secretly overjoyed, while others looked utterly dejected.
Among the crowd, Fang Cai Feng was beside himself, his face a mask of frustration and regret.
"If I’d known, I would’ve waited one more second before jumping off the Cloud Platform! If I’d just stayed for one more second, I would have passed! AAAAAHHHH!"
It was easy to distinguish between those teleported from a Cloud Platform and those recalled by their Jade Tubes, as the light from the two types of teleportation was different.
Seeing that the disciples had quieted down, a glint flashed in Elder Chen’s eyes, as if he were weighing some matter in his mind. After scanning the crowd, he offered no further explanation for the so-called "unforeseen circumstances."
"Elder Wang, please take a tally of the present disciples."
After giving the order, Elder Chen did not linger. He departed in great haste, as if on urgent business.
By now, Yu Changsheng had fully recovered. Listening to the chatter of the disciples around him, he finally understood what had happened.
’So, this trial takes place in Yuntai Valley, where there are twenty Cloud Platforms scattered randomly. The Jade Tube used for registration also has a teleportation function, allowing a disciple to leave at any time. But doing so means they’re eliminated.’
’The locations of the Cloud Platforms are gradually revealed on the Jade Tubes starting from the second day of the trial, which incites competition... That’s why, based on past trials, this first stage should normally last for about a week.’
This also explained why everyone said the first trial wasn’t supposed to be very dangerous.
Yu Changsheng’s brow furrowed. He took out his registration Jade Tube, looking pensive.
’Aside from teleportation, the Jade Tube also has a simple detection function. It’s meant to prohibit disciples from using any means other than Beast Taming, such as Magical Treasures!’
Of course, the disciples of Beast Taming Peak were all still in the Qi Refining Stage; very few even owned a decent Magical Treasure.
’But why... why was my Jade Tube completely unresponsive in there? I didn’t receive a single message.’
Thinking of the strange mist and the giant snake, a theory began to form in Yu Changsheng’s mind:
’It must have been that Profound Yin Illusion Turtle. It must have interfered with that area, causing the Jade Tubes to fail while only the Cloud Platforms remained functional. That’s why the disciples fighting me for the Cloud Platform never tried to teleport away, even when facing a life-or-death crisis!’
As this thought settled, Yu Changsheng slowly exhaled.
’But there’s still one more problem. If that’s true, then why didn’t Lei Kai teleport away during our duel? That doesn’t make sense!’
’Unless...’ A chill went down Yu Changsheng’s spine.
’Unless that hidden Profound Yin Illusion Turtle targeted me from the very beginning and deliberately interfered to make my Jade Tube fail!’
’But what would be the purpose of doing that...?’
Yu Changsheng fell silent, unable to understand.
’Forget it. I won’t dwell on it. But that last thing the detection showed... what kind of being was that?’
He let out a soft sigh. Though his mind was filled with unanswered questions, Yu Changsheng didn’t get too hung up on them. After all, such matters were still far beyond his reach for now.
’Strength is everything. Besides... it seems that whatever it was, that Profound Yin Illusion Turtle probably didn’t bear me any strong ill will. Otherwise, if it had truly wanted me dead, I never would have made it out of there alive.’
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