Two hours had passed since the Heaven Mountain Blood Pool opened.
Xiao Yan and his traveling companion, after a brief period of getting along, had a preliminary understanding of each other.
The other party was a disciple from the Artifact Sect in the Eastern Region of the Central Plains, named Feng Guang.
The Artifact Sect is good at artifact refining and also likes to collect treasures.
Famous treasure hunters on the Dou Qi Continent specialize in this trade.
"Brother Xiao, the core of the fog is ahead. There might be powerful magical beasts guarding it. Be careful."
Xiao Yan nodded, secretly circulating Dou Qi in his body to raise vigilance.
Swish!
Just as the two continued to advance, a black shadow suddenly leaped out of the fog and pounced straight at Xiao Yan.
"Hmph!"
Xiao Yan was prepared long ago. The Heavy Ruler in his hand swung, and a ball of blazing flame exploded in the air.
The pouncing fierce beast was knocked back by the flame, and at the same time, some facial contours were illuminated by the firelight.
"It's a black tiger!"
Feng Guang quickly hid behind a big tree aside and said: "Brother Xiao Yan, the black tiger has immense strength. Don't fight hard; find weaknesses."
Xiao Yan curled his lips at Feng Guang's timid act of retreating to the side to cheer him on.
Calling him brother so enthusiastically before, but hiding so fast when encountering danger.
Forget it, at least he didn't cause trouble.
A wisp of fire flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, staring closely around the fog.
"Roar!"
A low tiger roar came from the fog, and Xiao Yan felt a bloody aura spreading rapidly.
"Brother Xiao, this is the Blood Fiend Array. Be careful!"
Feng Guang reminded loudly.
However, in the next second, that blood aura flew towards him.
Feng Guang was shocked, then quickly summoned the Compass Spiritual Weapon, struck out an energy shield, and blocked the blood aura outside.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes.
"Formation?"
This black tiger actually knows formations? Could it be that its spiritual intelligence has reached a high level?
Xiao Yan dared not be careless anymore. A circle of soul power spread out from his sea of consciousness.
Under soul vision, he saw a monkey wearing golden clothes and holding a blood gourd sitting on the giant back of the black tiger in the fog, shaking its head and casting spells to set up the formation.
"So it's a monkey!"
Xiao Yan locked onto the target with soul power, stepped forward, a circle of fire waves flew up, and the Fallen Heart Flame spread from his palm to the Heavy Ruler.
The formation is weird. If trapped, it will take more effort, so it's best to decide the victory with one blow.
"Flame Splitting!"
In the fog, a dazzling firelight lit up.
"Tsunami Ruler!"
The flame blade exploded. The black tiger and the monkey had no time to dodge and were blown away together.
The unformed Blood Fiend Array slowly dispersed.
"Brother Xiao has good skills!"
Feng Guang jumped out again, applauding and cheering for Xiao Yan.
"Just two mere initial-stage Rank 6 magical beasts."
Xiao Yan was speechless.
This Feng Guang is really a clever little ghost. Once the crisis was resolved, he ran out immediately.
"These are not ordinary Rank 6 magical beasts. Those who can take root deep in the Heaven Eye Mountain Range are not simple."
Feng Guang walked to where the black tiger and the monkey fell, struck out a stream of Dou Qi, and saw the two magical beasts lying on the ground just now turn into flying ash and dissipate.
"This..."
Xiao Yan was shocked.
"As Brother Xiao saw, they are not dead. The corpses on the ground are just a diversion. In fact, they used formations to escape."
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes.
"Since you knew, why didn't you come out to stop them before?"
"Oh my, killing those two magical beasts is useless. If we fight them desperately, it's hard to guarantee no accidents will happen. Just repelling them is enough."
Feng Guang patted his thigh.
"Come, come, come, look at the treasure I found this time."
He walked to a huge cyan stone aside, looked left and right, then took out strange props and started chiseling.
Xiao Yan put away the Heavy Ruler and watched Feng Guang's movements silently.
Suddenly, a spiritual light shot out from the huge cyan stone.
Rich wine aroma overflowed, and Feng Guang sucked in a breath of cold air fiercely.
"Monkey Wine!"
Xiao Yan couldn't help but lean over at this time.
"This is Monkey Wine? Why is it in a stone?"
"Who knows? Anyway, it's good stuff!"
Feng Guang took out two special containers, divided the Monkey Wine stored in the cyan stone into two portions, and sucked it all in.
"Brother Xiao, our old rule, fifty-fifty!"
Xiao Yan smiled gently and took one of the wine containers.
"Okay!"
Although he did the work of repelling enemies, finding treasures indeed relied on Feng Guang's skills.
Anyway, he is not short of that little opportunity. Fifty-fifty is just right.
Both had smiles on their faces, obviously satisfied with the harvest this time.
Monkey Wine is a rare thing, but it also depends on quality. The quality of the Monkey Wine obtained this time is absolutely not lower than Rank 6 High Level spiritual medicine.
Drinking a mouthful of Monkey Wine, all limbs and veins are clear.
Monkey Wine has a peculiar effect on improving meridian aptitude. Putting it up for auction will definitely fetch a good price.
Of course, cultivators who get it will generally choose to use it themselves, and give it to their descendants when the effect is not so obvious.
The two packed up their things and were about to leave when Feng Guang's face suddenly changed.
"Not good, the monkey group is chasing us!"
Xiao Yan was stunned upon hearing this. Soul power spread, and he also vaguely felt a chattering monkey sound coming from a distance.
How did he perceive it before me...
Xiao Yan glanced at Feng Guang, thinking complicatedly in his heart.
Feng Guang immediately took out the compass and began to find the direction.
"Hurry up!"
Xiao Yan sensed the monkey group getting closer and closer, almost right in front of them, and hurried urged.
"Doing it, doing it, don't rush me!"
Feng Guang also had a headache. Didn't expect the monkey group to catch up so fast.
"Found it! This way!"
Feng Guang immediately flew towards the front left, and Xiao Yan followed closely behind.
Less than ten seconds after the two left, a large group of monkeys appeared in the original place.
They looked at the broken cyan giant stone and let out piercing screams.
Hearing the screams from the monkey group, Xiao Yan and Feng Guang sped up one after another.
Although the strength of the monkey group shouldn't be that great, being surrounded by a group of magical beasts is also quite annoying.
"Brother Feng, fortunately, you sensed the monkey group in advance; otherwise, we would be in trouble."
Xiao Yan looked at Feng Guang and said suddenly.
"Where, where, Brother Xiao flatters me. Even if we are caught up by the monkey group, with Brother Xiao here, it's just a matter of a few moves."
Feng Guang's flattery skills are perfect, backhanding a flattering remark.
"Brother Feng is too modest. Your current soul realm must have reached the Spirit State, right?"
"Oh my, Brother Xiao, you are flattering me too much. If the Spirit State were so easy to reach, those noble alchemists wouldn't be stuck before Rank 8 for a lifetime."
Alchemists are qualified to refine Rank 8 pills only when their soul realm steps into the Spirit State. Otherwise, no matter how much they hone and improve their alchemy skills, it is futile.
Same for alchemy, same for artifact refining and formations.
Before soul power reaches the Spirit State, any skill is mundane. Only by breaking through the Spirit State is there a possibility of becoming a grandmaster.
After probing a few sentences, Xiao Yan didn't continue.
The two just teamed up temporarily, taking what they needed, each hiding secrets in their hearts without exposing them.
Wandering around, the two arrived at a secret place below the mountainside.
"Brother Xiao, above should be the place for the final competition for opportunities, Heaven Mountain Platform. Want to go up and have a look?"
"Of course. Wouldn't it be a wasted trip not to see the geniuses from all over the Central Plains?"
Xiao Yan said.
Feng Guang chuckled.
"Brother Xiao is right. Although the chances of us mid-level Dou Emperors winning are not big, we can also gain some knowledge, right?"
After speaking, the two walked towards the Heaven Mountain Platform.
At this time, many people had gathered on the Heaven Mountain Platform.
The leading Feng Qing'er and Mu Qingluan stood side by side. Although the two didn't fight, everyone present could feel the anxious aura between them, seeming ready to fight in the next second.
Xiao Yan and Feng Guang came to the rear of the crowd, found a position with a broad view, and chatted.
"There are really quite a few people this time."
Feng Guang lamented.
Although there are layers of checkpoints in the Heaven Eye Mountain Range, which have eliminated most people, there are still many young talents who came to the Heaven Mountain Platform.
The next competition will probably be more intense than the previous checkpoints.
"Brother Xiao, do you want to try?"
Xiao Yan shook his head.
"I won't try. Everyone seems very strong."
Feng Guang nodded.
"Then I won't go either. Even Brother Xiao finds it tricky; I have even less chance."
"Brother Feng's realm should be higher than mine, right? Go up and try; maybe there is a chance."
Xiao Yan looked at Feng Guang, wanting to provoke him.
"Let's see, let's see first."
Feng Guang looked at the mountain peak, a look of longing in his eyes.
Heaven Mountain Blood Pool, which Dou Emperor doesn't want to bathe in it?
Unfortunately, there are only a few quotas, and powerful geniuses appear in every generation. For people with mediocre aptitude, missing the chance once means high probability of no chance.
Time passed minute by minute. The powerhouse of the Gold Swallowing Mouse clan guarding the passage to the mountain peak finally spoke: "Time is up, assessment begins!"
Everyone's body trembled slightly, all concentrating their spirits, ready to listen to the content of the assessment.
The Gold Swallowing Mouse clan powerhouse waved his sleeves. On both sides of the passage behind him, Gold Swallowing Mice instantly emerged one by one, staring at everyone with bean-sized eyes.
"The assessment this time is not difficult. You just need to pass this Mouse Tide Sound Wave Array within the time limit to pass."
The Gold Swallowing Mouse clan powerhouse looked around and said: "But I want to remind everyone, do what you can. The power of the Mouse Tide Sound Wave Array gets stronger towards the end. If you can't hold on and fall from halfway, it will be miserable."
The passage leading to the mountaintop behind is very steep. If a Dou Emperor falls under normal circumstances, it's completely fine because they can fly with wings.
But under the Mouse Tide Sound Wave Array, don't even think about flying. Not fainting counts as being able to withstand it.
If falling from a height in a coma without any defense, one might be seriously injured or die.
After all, others are not so kind to give you a hand.
Hearing the words of the Gold Swallowing Mouse clan powerhouse, Feng Guang felt a slight tightness in his heart.
He knows his own strength. Whether he can pass the Mouse Tide Sound Wave Array is an unknown problem.
Xiao Yan noticed Feng Guang's expression and smiled gently.
"No harm in trying later. If you fail, considering we got along quite happily on the way, I will catch you."
Xiao Yan said.
Hearing this, Feng Guang was somewhat touched.
"Then I'll rely on Brother Xiao. If you go up later, I will also guard for you below."
"Okay, we help each other."
After explaining the content clearly, the Gold Swallowing Mouse powerhouse looked at everyone.
"The Sound Wave Array is about to open. From now on, within two hours, anyone who can reach the top of the mountain will be considered qualified to enter the Heaven Mountain Blood Pool."
Before the passage, the first person attempting to pass soon appeared.
A Five-Star Dou Emperor from the Bone Transformation Sect gathered enough Dou Qi and rushed towards the mountaintop.
However, in the next second, endless sound waves bombarded him.
The Dou Qi wrapping his body dissipated visibly to the naked eye. In less than a minute, the Bone Transformation Sect Dou Emperor began to resist with his physical body.
When he walked to one-third of the distance, his face was already as pale as paper. In the next second, his chest churned constantly, he spat a mouthful of blood violently, was blown away by the sound waves, and fell downwards.
Another person from the Bone Transformation Sect flew forward to catch him. After landing, he found the other party was unconscious.
"This Mouse Tide Sound Wave Array is so terrifying!"
Fear arose in everyone's hearts.
No wonder the Gold Swallowing Mouse clan can occupy the Heaven Mountain Blood Pool in this Heaven Eye Mountain Range. This sound wave formation is simply unbearable for ordinary people.
Although everyone had more fear, the temptation of the Heaven Mountain Blood Pool still encouraged everyone to step forward and try one by one.
But most ended in failure.
Until Feng Qing'er appeared. She turned into a lightning bolt and rushed to the mountaintop. The sound waves along the way were forcefully repelled by her. The first person to successfully reach the top appeared.
Then it was Mu Qingluan. She hummed a wonderful sound wave, directly neutralizing the sound waves of the Gold Swallowing Mice, and walked steadily and powerfully to the peak. Her calm posture and Feng Qing'er's vigorous and resolute style are two concepts.
With the successful examples of the two, Feng Guang was eager to try.
But the next one to appear was Tang Ying of the Ten Thousand Sword Gate. He stepped on a flying sword, breaking the Sound Wave Array with one sword, showing the unique sword control style of the Ten Thousand Sword Gate.
"Amazing!"
Xiao Yan applauded below.
"Sword control technique is indeed a major feature of the Ten Thousand Sword Gate."
Feng Guang said.
In their Eastern Region, the disciples of the Ten Thousand Sword Gate are seen most on ordinary days.
So Feng Guang was relatively calm about this.
After another moment, six people had already successfully reached the top. Xiao Yan patted Feng Guang's shoulder and encouraged: "Go, if you don't go, there will be no chance!"
Feng Guang took a deep breath, nodded, and hesitated no more.
He stepped onto the steps to the top, sacrificing the Compass Spiritual Weapon in his hand, blocking in front of him.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Endless sound waves attacked, and Feng Guang blocked them one by one.
Seems okay!
Feng Guang felt the speed of Dou Qi consumption in his body and was happy in his heart.
Following this progress, he has hope to reach the top!
On the Heaven Mountain Platform, Xiao Yan watched Feng Guang climbing step by step, smiling and nodding.
"Still have some skills."
However, just as the voice fell, Feng Guang was suddenly shocked by the sound waves and fell down.
"Holy cow!"
Xiao Yan quickly closed his mouth and flew forward to catch Feng Guang.
Because of the spiritual weapon protection, Feng Guang was not seriously injured, but after failing, he looked disappointed.
"Just a little bit, just a little bit..."
There was a combined sound wave at the back of the Mouse Tide Sound Wave Array. He couldn't withstand that attack.
Otherwise, he would be among those reaching the top now.
"Brother Xiao, go try quickly; time is running out."
Feng Guang said.
"I won't try. I'll stay here with you."
Xiao Yan took out a healing pill and handed it to the other party.
Feng Guang was very moved inside.
"Brother Xiao..."
Xiao Yan smiled gently. In Feng Guang's eyes, his smile was so warm.
A moment later, the bell rang, and the assessment time ended.
Feng Guang sighed, as if comforting himself: "It's fate. Forget it, our harvest this time is not bad, and I made a good friend like you. Worth it."