Chapter 272: Alliance Hunt Begins!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Alliance of the Hengliu galaxy was made up of 52 sects.
The Lightning Sword Sect, the Jihan Sect, the Tiansong Sect and the Yunyue Sect were just four out of the 52 premier sects in the Alliance, and they made up less than ten percent of the entire Alliance.
The sect leaders and high ranking elders of the four sects all did not mention the battle between Zhou Donghuang and Mo Yitian when they were interacting with the sect leaders and elders from the other 48 sects. As a result, the other 48 sects did not know how powerful Zhou Donghuang currently was… their understanding of Zhou Donghuang still remained at the point where he had defeated Han Yuzheng, the talented disciple of the Thunder Knife Sect, with just a single blow in the past.
As a member of the Alliance, the Thunder Knife Sect was present as well at the Alliance Hunt.
Han Yuzheng had come as well.
From the looks of it, Han Yuzheng seemed to have matured since the last time where he had visited the Lightning Sword Sect.
When he saw the group of people from the Lightning Sword Sect, his eyes landed on Zhou Donghuang, his eyes filled with a murderous glint.
However, noticing the animosity in his eyes, Zhou Donghuang only casually glanced at Han Yuzheng, then did not pay him any attention at all.
Seeing this, Han Yuzheng was even more furious.
He felt as if he had been looked down upon once again!
“This Zhou Donghuang… does he really think that just because he’s mastered Dharma-body integration, he is the most powerful man in this universe? Does he not know that I am already a late Dharma adept?”
However, although he felt extremely displeased, Han Yuzheng was still well aware that since he had reached the late Dharma stage, it was possible that Zhou Donghuang had reached the same stage as well.
After all, Zhou Donghuang was no less talented than he was.
“Ladies and gentlemen.”
The 52 sects of the Alliance had nominated three people to host this Alliance Hunt. These three were the most prominent and the most experienced among the Alliance.
“I believe we do not have to explain more about the Guiyao planet. As for the rules of the Alliance Hunt, I’m sure you have informed all your disciples about them.
“Now, we will check the formations that have been put in place on the Guiyao planet to make sure that there are no Primordial Soul and above adepts or beasts within the planet. After that, our hunt may begin.”
After one of the three hosts had spoken, the three of them immediately flew out in three different directions, like comets streaking through the night sky, straight towards the Guiyao planet.
To the group of Lightning Sword Sect disciples, including Zhou Donghuang, they had been expecting the hosts to do this.
A long time ago, the Alliance had turned the Guiyao planet into a training arena for disciples of all sects in the Alliance and had set up many formations within the planet… of course, the Alliance still lacked the power to set up a defense or attack formation that covered the entire Guiyao planet, but could only set up smaller formations around the planet… if there were any men or beasts at the Primordial Soul stage or above on the planet, the formations would sense them.
If any person or beast tried to enter the Guiyao planet, the formations would also be destroyed.
Now, the three hosts of the Alliance Hunt had left to check if the formations surrounding the Guiyao planet had been destroyed… once they found out that the formations had been damaged, it would mean that a person at the Primordial Soul stage or above had entered the Guiyao planet. The seniors of the different sects would then have to head into the Guiyao planet to find the intruder.
If it was someone from outside the Alliance who did not know better or a beast that had trespassed onto the planet, that could be forgiven.
However, if it was someone from one of the sects in the Alliance, that would mean that the person was most likely trying to help others from his sect cheat. In this case, based on the rules of the Alliance Hunt, the intruder would have to be killed!
Of course, if one of the sects of the Alliance had bribed some person or beast to enter the Guiyao planet, once this was discovered, everyone would be punished by death!
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Zhou Donghuang saw three bright sparks appear on the surface of the Guiyao planet, then turn into three bright shimmering streaks of light that flashed through the night sky like comets, disappearing in the distance.
Noticing Zhou Donghuang’s quizzical gaze, He Mengxi explained, “Those three elders entered the Guiyao planet and touched the formation… any beings at the Primordial Soul stage or above would produce such an effect if they enter the formation. Hence, once they can confirm that there are no persons or beasts at the Primordial Soul stage or above on the planet, we can officially begin the Alliance Hunt… During the hunt, there will always be people from the different sects of the Alliance outside the planet, and if anybody at the Primordial Soul stage tries to enter the planet, this will happen.
“Those three elders are all Divine Transformation adepts, and their Divine Will is so powerful that it can cover a vast piece of land of the Guiyao planet… within half a day, they will be able to check the entire planet,” said He Mengxi.
“Mm,” nodded Zhou Donghuang.
At this point, Da Zhuang, who had been standing at the side, could not help but frown and ask, “Sister, those three elders went in, but what if they themselves cheat? If there are Primordial Soul adepts of their own sects inside the planet, can they make an agreement not to expose each other?”
Once the words left Da Zhuang’s mouth, both Zhou Donghuang and He Mengxi looked at him in surprise.
“Da Zhuang, this brain of yours… when did it become so scheming?”
He Mengxi expressed Zhou Donghuang’s shock. “I can’t believe you even thought of that.”
“Hehe,” laughed Da Zhuang quietly.
He Mengxi continued, “Actually, you do not have to worry about this at all. Because at every Alliance Hunt, for the three hosts who entered the Guiyao planet to check, no matter the score that any disciples of their sects have achieved in the end, as long as anyone suspects foul play, they can challenge it. If you win, you will exchange points with the other person.
“For example, if it was our Lightning Sword Sect who sent someone in to check, and Little Brother emerged as the champion of the Alliance Hunt… if anybody from the other sects suspected anything, they could challenge him. If they managed to win the challenge, they could become the champion immediately. And if Little Brother loses, he will have to take the points of the other person and exchange positions with the person who had challenged him.
“So, this task of searching and checking the Guiyao planet before the hunt begins is a difficult task with no benefits… this time, it just happened to be their turn. Otherwise, who would volunteer to do this?”
After hearing He Mengxi’s explanation, Da Zhuang understood everything and was no longer worried.
He had asked this because he had been worried that someone would do something to Zhou Donghuang’s disadvantage. Because to him, in this Alliance Hunt, if nobody cheated, his little brother would definitely emerge as champion… he was absolutely confident in his little brother!
Just as He Mengxi had said, within half a day, those three elders had emerged once again.
However, they did not bring anyone else out with them.
Clearly, there were no intruders on the planet.
“We can begin.”
After the three hosts had returned, they looked at each of the sect leaders in the Alliance, and one of them stepped forward and declared, “Now, I seek the assistance of the sect leaders to allow your Dharma adepts to enter the Guiyao planet in an orderly manner.”
“After three months, which is ninety days from now, everybody must return. By then, we will only wait for a day.
“Those who do not come out within a day, no matter how many brains they bring out, will not receive any points at all.”
The three hosts came from three different sects of the 52 sects of the Alliance and were considered among the senior elders of the three sects. Any of them was at least in the mid Divine Transformation stage… precisely because of this, they did not spend too long before they managed to search the entire Guiyao planet. Based on their superior level of skill and their corresponding Divine Will, they were able to accomplish this easily.
With that, the 52 Sect Leaders of the Alliance got to work.
The Dharma adepts of each of the 52 sects were directed to enter the Guiyao planet.
Each sect had forty people, so in total, the 52 sects had more than two thousand people.
A group of two thousand people gathered together seemed like a huge crowd, but once they were dispersed within the Guiyao planet, it was not considered much.
As for Zhou Donghuang, he entered the Guiyao planet together with He Mengxi, Da Zhuang, and the rest of the Dharma adepts of the Lightning Sword Sect.
Because the whole group of them were only at the Dharma stage, when they were sent to the Guiyao planet, they did not cause any disturbances in the formation set up surrounding the planet… they were like fish that leaped out of the surface of the ocean, then sinking back into the vast ocean, as if nothing had happened at all.
“Zhou Donghuang, why don’t you give me a lift?”
The Spring Valley disciple and the only son of the Spring Valley Head, Liu Lang, came up to Zhou Donghuang with a wide smile plastered on his face. “It does not have to be too long… just a few days, how about that?”
To him, as long as he stuck close to Zhou Donghuang, it would not only be safer for him, but more efficient as well.
Of course, he was just an early Dharma adept, while Zhou Donghuang would surely be targeting late Dharma beasts and above, so he could not possibly gain points through him.
The rules of the Alliance Hunt stated that if an early Dharma adept killed a beast in the late Dharma stage or above, besides bringing the head of the beast back, the adept would also have to display the power necessary to kill such a beast in front of everyone… for that, a group of people would follow him into the Guiyao planet to witness him kill a beast of that level.
Only after that could he gain any points.
This was the case for mid Dharma adepts as well.
You could take a beast that someone else killed, but it could only be a beast of one level above your own skill level.
To gain the points from a beast two levels above yours? You would have to display that you were capable of killing it by yourself.
After all, an early Dharma adept would gain a thousand points by killing a late Dharma beast, and ten thousand points by killing an ultimate Dharma beast.
In such circumstances, if Zhou Donghuang killed an ultimate Dharma beast and gave the head of the beast to Liu Lang, he would be able to easily gain ten thousand points, and who would be able to compete with him?
This was clearly against the initial intentions of the Alliance Hunt.
To kill a beast just one skill level above yours, the rules were not as strict, because for the disciples of the various sects in the Alliance who were able to take part in the Alliance Hunt, they would most probably have the power to kill a beast one level above theirs…
Even the weakest adepts in the Alliance Hunt, if they used all their might, would probably be able to kill a beast one skill level above their own, but it would be extremely exhausting.
Such as Liu Lang, he had the confidence to kill a middle Dharma adept, but it would take huge effort from him.
If Zhou Donghuang helped him to kill the beast, wouldn’t it be a simple favor for a friend?