Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Battle of Towns was starting. A chariot pulled by four massive birds appeared in the sky above. All four of the birds were Demon Kings; their demonic auras were imposing and mighty, causing all the people below to be awestruck.
A few people were seated on the chariot. They had solemn expressions, sharp gazes, sturdy bodies, and extraordinary bearings. These were the big shots that had arrived from Cloud Margin City. All of them were Skysoar Realm cultivators. At their appearance, the elders of the numerous towns all led their disciples and saluted them deferentially.
A gorgeously dressed middle-aged man on the chariot spoke and said, "The once every three years Battle of Towns is going to start soon. I am here on behalf of the city lord to check on your progress during the past three years. The disciples will all enter the Golden River Valley. There, the disciples will be killing gold serpentine crocodiles for points, and one month later, the ranking of the disciples will be decided based on their points. The top 10 disciples will be handsomely rewarded and will also be given the chance to become outer disciples of the Cloud Margin Pavilion. The overall points of the disciples will also determine the ranking of the academies, and the top 10 academies will be handsomely rewarded."
After that announcement, the numerous disciples started talking among themselves.
"The top 10 disciples can become outer disciples of Cloud Margin Pavilion? That...is such a generous reward!"
"Yeah. The Cloud Margin Pavilion is the place where all geniuses of Cloud Margin City gather. It is said that after joining, one will be supplied with numerous cultivation resources, and even king-grade battle techniques are abundant there."
"But only 10 spots will be open. I'm afraid only those from the top towns will have a chance."
"Don't think too much about it. I would be happy just leaving the Golden River Valley alive. We shouldn't even think about the rewards."
After the King Realm cultivator made his announcement, someone started giving out jade plates to the participants. These jade plates would record the number of gold serpentine crocodiles each disciple killed. The plates were also capable of determining the actual killer of the gold serpentine crocodiles, preventing the disciples from cheating.
Soon, the disciples headed toward the Golden River Valley, and they grew excited. The Golden River Valley was not far ahead of them; they only needed to sail along the river for about an hour. But upon arrival, their excitement turned into bitterness.
Swish! Swish!
When the numerous ships arrived beside the Golden River Valley, the river beneath them was no longer as gentle as it was. The river had fierce currents and was filled with a large number of golden serpents known as goldwater serpents. They weren't necessarily high-leveled beasts, but their sheer quantity was enough to overwhelm anyone with fear.
The long golden serpents were swimming everywhere. From their triangle-shaped heads and their tongues that they stuck out every now and then, it was very obvious they were an extremely poisonous species of serpent.
Apart from that, a bunch of gold crocodiles had also appeared. Sharp spikes ran along their thick skin, and when they opened their massive jaws, numerous sharp fangs could be seen. It was undeniable that these were fearsome beasts.
The goldwater serpents and gold serpentine crocodiles were the demonic beasts inhabiting the outer fringe of the Golden River Valley. As for the gold serpentine crocodiles that inhabited the inner fringe of the valley, they were the new species resulting from the interbreeding of the goldwater serpents and the gold crocodiles.
The young disciples started killing the beasts. There were a lot of goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles here. These beasts would not leave them alone. Rather, they would even hop onto the ships. Thus, without killing these beasts, the disciples wouldn't be able to actually enter the Golden River Valley proper.
The Martial Hall Palace's ship was also a target of these beasts' attacks. Even goldwater serpents at the Intermediate Demon realm were hopping onto the ship. Currently, the ships were no longer guarded by the elders. Thus, the disciples could only rely on themselves.
As the leader, Mo Zhu stood on the very front and faced the incoming beasts. He ordered, "Protect our wings, do not get dragged down, and prioritize entering the Golden River Valley."
Killing these goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles was in fact a waste of their time since it would give them zero points. As for people like Lu Xiaoqing and Xia Liuhui, they were completely filled with fear at this moment.
They had very little combat experience. Without the baptism of blood, the strength they had was like an empty shell, as they wouldn't be able to properly utilize their full strength. Right this moment, a tiny goldwater serpent jumped over and opened its jaws wide, trying to bite Lu Xiaoqing's face.
"AHHHH!"
She lost her mind in fear and did not even remember how to attack. She merely stood there and screeched.
Sphhlt!
Xiang Shaoyun drew his sword and slashed the goldwater serpent into two. Then, he shouted, "These beasts feast on human flesh. If you don't kill them, you will end up their food. Don't fear them. Fight with all you got."
Xiang Shaoyun's Golden Wolf Sword danced through the air, slashing one beast after another, dying the river red with blood. After Lu Xiaoqing and Xia Liuhui heard Xiang Shaoyun's words, they immediately calmed down, mustered their courage, and joined in the fight.
Soon, some of the ships managed to break off from the beast blockade to enter Golden River Valley proper. There were also some ships that had been completely taken over by the beasts and had turned into beast dens.
In those ships, not one disciple survived. They had all turned into beast fodder, painting a spectacle too horrible to be seen. Fortunately, the Martial Hall Palace's ship was able to pass through the blockade safely.
Although the Martial Hall Palace was not one of the top 10 academies, they had still placed twenty-third during the previous Battle of Towns. If they couldn't even break through this blockade, they could forget about entering top 10.
For some reason, after passing through the blockade, the river turned calm again. The goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles also did not bother pursuing them. In fact, when they looked in the direction of the inner fringe, their eyes were filled with fear.
Inside the Golden River Valley proper, numerous ships docked at the bank, and the disciples were getting off the ships. The so-called Golden River Valley proper was in truth an island. On the island, boulders of odd shapes, trees, flowers, numerous other plants, and dilapidated buildings could be seen.
From afar, apart from the fact that everything on the island was gold, it did not look like anything special. But this was also the place where the gold serpentine crocodiles resided. The gold serpentine crocodile was a mutation that was a result of interbreeding between goldwater serpents and gold crocodiles, and it had fearsome combat power.
It was rumored that there was even a gold serpentine crocodile king here, but nobody knew if that was true. The disciples immediately scattered and started hunting for gold serpentine crocodiles.
Some of the smarter disciples headed straight toward those dilapidated buildings. They heard from their elders that those dilapidated buildings were left behind by the organization that was once the strongest power in Cloud Margin City. Perhaps they would be able to chance upon some fortuitous encounter.
"Everyone, to me. We need to work together and kill the gold serpentine crocodiles together. Be sure to not work alone!" Mo Zhu said.
Mo Zhu was a fine leader. Thus, a large number of them were willing to listen to him. Right this moment, someone cried out in alarm, "Where's Xiang Shaoyun? Why is he missing?"
Everyone finally looked around and found that Xiang Shaoyun had gone missing.