If Tianming didn’t act now, he would have to run.
"Soon, there’ll be more experts coming, including those from the Nonahall Ghost Sect. There’s no time. Get ready!”
He made a prompt decision to take a monumental risk. Concealed in the sea, he slowly approached the tribulation pattern formation from below. The closer he got, the more clearly he could see.
"There’s at least fifteen thousand of them, all fifth- or sixth-grade! It doesn’t matter who placed the manna here or who set up the formation. That’s not important anymore.”
Tianming grit his teeth. Birds die in pursuit of food, and man dies in pursuit of wealth. This time, he would risk it all.
...
There were more than two hundred middle-aged and elderly tribulation elders in the formation, all of whom had seen many treasures. Many of their own lifebound beasts had more than six hundred stars.
But even so, their breathing had grown heavy at the sight of so many fifth- and sixth-grade tribulation manna. The expansion of a divine realm and plundering of resources was dependent upon its power—this would be a great contribution!
Right now, there were a total of three parties present, drilling inward from three directions. Keeping to the principle of fair and friendly competition, they focused on their own efforts and played it clean.
In truth, fighting was bound to occur once they broke into the formation, but they were still pretty friendly for now, all of them concentrating on moving forward.
The tribulation pattern formation was known as the Galactic Clashdragon Formation. When they had first discovered it, it was densely covered with stars and resembled a sea. When the first person charged in, the stars condensed into dragons and slammed right into them.
If their lifebound beasts were released within the range of the formation, they would be immediately forced out. Only the beastmasters could move forward. If they wanted to pass through the formation, they must fight the dragons.
Fighting the dragons involved the beastmaster holding onto their horns while they fought it with their power and physical strength. Those who advanced did so step by step by pushing the star dragon further into the formation.
The obstruction appeared more like a test, which seemed ridiculous. However, the cultivators wrestling the dragons didn’t think that at all. They were using all their strength.
Some people were thrown out by the dragons, while others pushed forward. But the point was that the deeper they went, the more stars combined and the stronger the dragons’ power grew.
Cheap tricks wouldn’t work in this struggle. Because of that, no one had been able to pass through the formation so far. If they didn't abide by the test and forcibly broke in, they would be bombarded by the Galactic Clashdragon Formation and possibly killed.
At present, there were three people who had reached the deepest part, and they happened to come from the three different forces. From the Quadform Oceanic Sect was a blue-haired young man. Bare to the waist, he was covered in muscles and resembled a strong beast. Although he was bulky, he wasn’t ugly. Given his height, his proportions were perfect. He looked much younger and more powerful than those around. Hence, he was the closest to the tribulation manna.
At the moment, his muscles were strained and his body surged with tribulation force, much like a dragon. Filled with the vast power of the sea, he grabbed a giant dragon’s horns and continued advancing forward. Throbbing veins covered his face and he roared with rage from time to time. His name was Long Yichen, and he was only fifty this year.
Judging from his lifespan, he was equivalent to someone in their twenties from Vermilion Bird. Long Yichen was Long Xiaofan’s older brother and the eldest son of the seadragon king. The man’s face was contorted, his eyes staring at the tribulation manna as he exploded with amazing power, pushing the dragon forward.
There were two other people whose progress was second only to him. The first was Changsun Tianheng of the Heptastar Aerial Sect, and the other was Feng Wenjing of the Hexapath Sword Sect.
Over a hundred years old, Changsun Tianheng was a middle-aged, scholarly man with shimmering stars in his eyes. He was also letting out roars and forcing a dragon forward, disregarding his image.
Feng Wenjing was only slightly older than Long Yichen. From her appearance, she was actually close to Bai Zijin’s age. Dressed in blue, she appeared elegant. However, her hair was disheveled at the moment and her clothes were torn. But she could only grit her teeth, despite her miserable appearance—she was also a disciple of the Hexapath Swordfiend.
In fact, Feng Qingyu had many disciples. Jiang Wuxin was just the only one he had attentively guided. Even so, as Feng Qingyu’s disciple, Feng Wenjing had a high status within the sect. They were the Feng clan of the Tai'e House of Jian, the greatest clan of the Hexapath Sword Sect.
Except for those three, the rest were still far away. If they continued persisting, they were the most likely to pass through the formation. Those who entered first would have the best harvest. Long Yichen was already approaching the manna.
"After discovering the manna, I immediately sent people back to report. Support should be coming soon. But if I’m able to take most of the tribulation manna before they arrive, I’ll have a more important position in father's heart, and I’ll gain more in the future! This is an opportunity for the entire Quadform Oceanic Sect to rise. This tribulation manna is extremely important to us. Fan is gone and the old man has many heirs. If I want to stand out, I must suppress this group of dragons. This is the best opportunity I’ll get...."
Long Yichen’s entire body was numb. Although he felt useless, he persisted, fueled by his thoughts. His will made him resilient and deranged, like a mad dog. As he roared to bolster himself, he fiercely held on to the dragon in front of him that was growing bigger and bigger.
"I must win! My current performance will determine whether I become a miserable dog or the emperor of the Quadform Divine Realm! Don’t forget how mother died! Don’t forget the women who harmed her! They’ve gotten away with their crimes, and are still bossing me around! If I, Long Yichen, ascend to the position of seadragon king one day, I’ll be grateful for the man I was today. Keep going!”
He roared, the image of the night of his tenth birthday reverberating in his mind. The woman he loved and respected the most was poisoned to death by others. She stared at him with longing and pain. The heartbreak he felt at that moment was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Manna! Manna!”
He felt like he was getting closer and closer. All of a sudden, he heard exclamations coming from behind him.