The Solitary Path to Divinity

After some deliberation, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Palace decided to keep disciples from the same peak together in teams, leveraging their familiarity for better cooperation.

They allowed disciples with magic artifacts—mostly blood relatives or direct disciples of Foundation masters—to choose their teammates first, stepping in only to resolve any remaining assignments. Leo's heart chilled at the arrangement, though he couldn't fault it. Prioritizing those with magic artifacts maximized benefits for their patrons' heirs.

"Senior Brother Chive, Junior Brother Fuson, this Leo is an old acquaintance. Could you leave him for my team?" Sylas addressed two young men of similar cultivation.

"Of course, Junior Brother Sylas. We can grant you that favor." Chive and Fuson exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

"Thank you, Senior Brothers." Sylas thanked them and turned to Leo, expecting fear or dread. To his disappointment, Leo remained composed, as if he hadn't heard. Sylas fumed inwardly. Just wait until we're inside, with no Foundation seniors watching. Then we'll see.

Over the next two days, more disciples from various sects arrived one after another. Major sects like Ancient Sword and Verdant Pill Palace had giant flying warships. Medium sects like the Palace of Heavenly Apex and Supreme Clarity sect had smaller vessels. The smallest sects arrived on spirit birds—by comparison, the Palace fared well.

Ancient Sword and Verdant Pill also divided their disciples into teams to search separately. Some minor sects wanted their disciples to stay together, risking smaller hauls but ensuring survival. Leo witnessed the major sects' high-handedness: since their disciples were in small teams, encountering a large group from a minor sect could spell trouble. They simply overruled the minor sects' decisions. Ultimately, all sects adopted the same approach.

"All Golden Core elders, assemble on the Ancient Sword Sect's warship to discuss activating the great teleportation array!"

A resonant voice boomed from the Ancient Sword warship. Dozens of beams of light soared through the air, converging on the largest vessel.

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Every Foundation and Qi Refining cultivator watched, awestruck. A single Golden Core elder was a rarity in their own sects; now, dozens gathered before them.

Half an hour later, the elders returned to their ships and led their disciples down to the ground.

Ten Golden Core elders from various sects, led by Ancient Sword and Verdant Pill, floated in midair. With a unified shout, their overwhelming aura swept outward like a hurricane. Leo was stunned—even a thousand meters away, he could barely stand. Some weaker disciples slid across the ground, about to be blown away.

Thorne smiled and raised a massive light barrier, shielding them from the storm.

The ten elders struck together, sending a dazzling seven-colored beam toward the green mountains below.

With a thunderous roar, the mountains shuddered violently. The earth split open.

Amid the trembling, a stone platform dozens of meters across rose slowly from underground. Bathed in the seven-colored light, it seemed to warp time and space. Leo's spiritual sense wavered; he quickly looked down. When he looked up again, the area for dozens of miles around the platform had collapsed, revealing a winding cyan stone staircase leading to it.

Leo gasped. The Golden Core elders' power was earth-shattering. This must be the legendary teleportation array, like the one Hann had used to escape. This one would teleport them elsewhere.

"The teleportation array will remain active for about an hour. All disciples must enter the Bloody Battlefield within that time. In six months, the array will reopen. Golden Core elders from all sects will take turns activating it, but only for one day. If you're not out by then, you'll be trapped inside forever. Remember this well." Greenbeard announced. "Enough talk. Five hundred at a time. First group, from the left. Enter now!"

At his command, hundreds of disciples, excited, curious, and somewhat fearful, boarded the platform.

When five hundred stood on it, the seven-colored light flared intensely. In an instant, they vanished. The remaining disciples marveled. A teleportation array moving five hundred at once was unheard of.

Leo was in the seventh group. A brief dizziness, then darkness.

"The spiritual energy here is incredible—several times denser than even Azure Lotus Peak! If I could cultivate here, I'd have reached peak Qi Refining three years sooner."

As their vision cleared, everyone marveled at the rich spiritual energy. Sylas, nearby, spoke first.

"Sunrise Grass! So much Sunrise Grass!" Several minor sect disciples spotted a hillside covered in the herb and rushed toward it eagerly.

"Pathetic, distracted by second-grade herbs." A stern blue-robed youth from Ancient Sword Sect snorted. "Ancient Sword disciples, follow me."

"Verdant Pill disciples, with me. Crowding together, there's not enough of this Sunrise Grass to go around." A thick-browed youth from Verdant Pill shrugged.

Other disciples laughed. The minor sect disciples, humiliated, abandoned their harvest.

Sylas and his companions laughed especially loudly. Leo watched coldly. They, born into privilege with Foundation masters for parents, couldn't understand the struggles of those who rose from ordinary loose cultivators.

The Bloody Battlefield seemed a separate realm—dense forests, rolling hills, spiritual energy several times richer than outside, and abundant spiritual items. Otherwise, it resembled the outside world. Sylas hadn't immediately targeted Leo, but Leo already planned to escape the team at the first opportunity.