X-Dragon Era

In this way, on the surface, the spiderweb formation was arranged according to the Eight Trigrams, but in reality, hidden behind the Eight Trigrams was the Seven Stars Killing Formation. The combined power of these two formations was far from a simple addition.

The more she contemplated, the more excited Yan Qingying became. Seeing her ecstatic expression, Xin Yun said no more and chose to leave silently. He had already pointed out everything that needed attention—what came next would depend on her own comprehension.

During the following days, Xin Yun returned to the Heavenly River Abyss to continue his cultivation and refine the Thunderbolt Mace. It wasn't until the end of the year approached that he returned to the main hall of the sect headquarters.

A year had passed since the group last gathered. While things appeared the same on the surface, Xin Yun keenly noticed that everyone's attitudes had become much more serious, no longer as carefree as before. After all, this was the headquarters' main hall, a solemn place for discussions where unruliness had no place.

Upon inquiry, it was revealed that Yi Luo Xiang had already reached Diamond-Tier Ten Stars. In fact, she took only half a year to accomplish this, dedicating the remaining six months to mastering the Meridian Cosmic Light Disk. By now, she had achieved significant advancements in its use.

As for Yan Qingying, she had finally untangled the mysteries and successfully mastered the Sky Net and Spider Silk Entanglement! Notably, the Spider Silk Entanglement wasn't just about ensnaring opponents—it also carried terrifying venomous threads. Once someone got caught, they'd be forced to shed layers of skin to escape, or worse… losing limbs wouldn't be surprising.

Despite the Giant Dragons' immense size, the Sky Net wasn't named lightly. While it couldn't completely block the skies, compared to it, even the Giant Dragons appeared as mere flies.

The so-called Sky Net was actually short for the Heavenly Net. Though its full potential was yet to be seen, given some time for Yan Qingying to perfect her skill, its unleashed power would undoubtedly astonish anyone!

Everything afterward proceeded smoothly. Yi Luo Xiang stepped into the arena with elegance and summoned the Four Great Sword Dragons—purple, blue, black, and white—and set up the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation. Under the power of the formation, the strength of the Four Great Sword Dragons instantly rose to King Mid-Tier levels. In a fight between Dragon Kings of Mid-Tier and Diamond-tier opponents during a prearranged moment and setting, there was no suspense in victory. It was akin to an adult overpowering a child—effortless annihilation.

From the moment the battle began, Yi Luo Xiang unleashed the Four Great Puppet Sword Dragons to the corners of the battlefield. As soon as the Sword Formation activated, the Four Dragon Kings danced through the air in an overwhelming spectacle, ending the fight instantly. The scene was far from thrilling—it was more like a diamond-tier combatant overwhelming an amethyst-tier one, wiping them out with a mere brush of power.

By now, Yi Luo Xiang had become one of the strongest members of the Sky-opening Sect, second only to Xin Yun. Her position rivaled that of Ming Xuan and even had a slight edge over him. After all, facing Yi Luo Xiang left Ming Xuan utterly struggling!

At this point, among the Sky-opening Sect's core members, Yan Qingying was the only one left untested in competition. Yet by now, the outcome was already certain. After receiving the Diamond Fruit from Yi Luo Xiang and the Measuring Heaven Ruler from Xin Yun, she once again secluded herself to break through to Diamond-Tier Ten Stars.

As cultivation progressed, time seemed to pass faster than ever, especially during deep focus. A year felt like a single day. After spending a period cultivating in the Heavenly River Abyss, the end of the year arrived, marking the imminent participation of the last sect member in the competition to claim the sixth top seat!

The battle itself wasn't worth describing. The instant it began, Yan Qingying swiftly dealt with five opponents. They couldn't really be blamed for rushing headlong—the primary issue lay in Yan Qingying's eerily unpredictable combat style.

At the onset of the match, the five contestants recklessly charged with full force, accelerating at incredible speed. However, they hadn't advanced far before crashing into the Spider Silk traps Yan Qingying had laid beforehand. Traveling at such extreme velocity, hitting the exceptionally tough silk meant predictable results—being torn apart in mid-air, dying gruesomely.

Having witnessed the tragic fates of the initial five, the remaining three opponents grew cautious, avoiding such reckless motion. Yet even with their prudence, it was futile. Before they could understand the situation, one by one, they became entangled in massive Sky Nets spanning over a hundred meters in diameter!

Like helpless flies, they hung suspended mid-air, ensnared by the gigantic webs. As soon as they were immobilized, eerie projections manifested and began spitting threads to bind the three unlucky contestants tightly together!

Initially, this level of entanglement could have been manageable, but the real problem was Yan Qingying's ability to channel venom into their bodies through the web. At the same time, she could extract energy from her opponents using the Spider Silk, transferring it into herself to enhance and replenish her own power.

Consequently, the victims couldn't even muster a proper attack, let alone resist her. Within moments, they were swiftly defeated without leaving even a shred of suspense.

With that, all six members of the Sky-opening Sect completed their intended objectives in the competition, securing victories in the first six rounds and topping the world rankings as six of the greatest contenders!

After claiming victory, Yan Qingying handed the Diamond Fruit to Xin Yun. So far, Xin Yun was the only member who hadn't consumed the fruit. It was well known that the Diamond Fruit would benefit anyone at the Diamond-tier, though each person could only consume one—any more would be wasted.

Despite already being a Diamond-Tier Ten Stars expert, Xin Yun could still experience energy enhancement by consuming the Diamond Fruit, though his star level wouldn't increase further. Exactly how much his energy would improve could only be determined after eating it.

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A new book ("A Life Created By Code") has been released, book number 1514296 (To be continued. For details on what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters available—support the author, support legal reading!)