darknovel Chapter 306 The Melee Begins
Chapter 306 The Melee Begins
At the center of the arena, dozens of Foundation Establishment Hall Masters from Fallen Leaf Island were already waiting there. Each of them held a mental artifact in their hands, carefully checking the cultivators from various islands to prevent any high-level cultivators from infiltrating.
The cultivators from each island who had been successfully screened were assigned by the Foundation Establishment Hall Master of Fallen Leaf Island to numbered arenas.
Just as the middle-aged man surnamed Liu said, it is difficult for cultivators from the same island to be grouped together, unless it is a large island or the main island with more than ten participants, in which case two people will occasionally be on the same arena.
In this chaotic battle mode, the advantage of two people from the same island being on the same stage is self-evident.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Du Fan was assigned to the third arena by a Foundation Establishment Hall Master.
At this moment, there were already more than ten people standing on the third arena. Among them were four female cultivators and the rest were male cultivators. These people all had cold eyes and fierce expressions, and they also exuded extremely powerful cultivation fluctuations, which made Du Fan feel a sense of oppression.
As time went by, the number of cultivators on the third arena gradually increased, now reaching more than forty. However, what made Du Fan frown was that the cultivators from Sand Island still hadn't appeared.
Just as Du Fan released his divine sense to probe the strength of the other cultivators on the arena, he suddenly had a thought and turned to look at the entrance of the arena's restriction.
Just then, a man in a gray shirt walked into the restricted passage. He was in his thirties, of medium build, with an ordinary appearance. He was the kind of person who would not stand out in a crowd.
After the gray-robed man appeared on the arena, he calmly glanced at the cultivators on the stage, then slowly walked to Du Fan's side and stood still. This man was one of the ten people representing Shazhou Island, and also the only Shazhou Island cultivator on the third arena.
The gray-shirted man and Du Fan did not exchange a single word from beginning to end, nor did they even glance at each other more than once. However, they both understood that they were allies in the first round of the competition.
After a short while, there were very few cultivators left who had not been assigned a spot.
A short while later, when all ten arenas had sixty-eight cultivators, only three people remained in the center of the arena.
Finally, these three cultivators were assigned to arenas number one, five, and eight respectively by drawing lots.
"All cultivators in the Grand Competition have been assigned positions, and the restrictions on all ten arenas are fully activated!" A loud and exceptionally clear voice rang out from the mouth of a Foundation Establishment Hall Master in the arena.
Then, the Foundation Establishment experts standing around the ten arenas took out a restricted magic tool, either by forming hand seals or by chanting incantations, and immediately began to activate the restricted light screen that enveloped the arena.
A series of deep humming sounds immediately emanated from the ten arenas. The light screen surrounding the arenas instantly transformed into a soft surface of water, from which five-colored spiritual light rippled and intertwined, flashing wildly and giving rise to indescribable dazzling colors. The entire light screen suddenly became extremely brilliant, as if it were an illusion...
After a full cup of tea's time, the ten sets of restrictive light screens covering the various arenas were finally fully activated. At this moment, all the colors in the light screens disappeared, turning into a layer of colorless bubbles that looked like they were transparent. If you didn't look closely, it would be difficult to detect the existence of the restrictions.
"All cultivators, prepare yourselves. In ten breaths, when the bell tolls, the first round of the Grand Feast of the Sea and Sky will officially begin!" The voice of the Foundation Establishment Hall Master rang out again.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the more than 600 cultivators on the ten arenas all changed. They moved quickly to distance themselves from the other cultivators, while simultaneously sending out their divine senses to carefully observe everything around them.
However, not everyone acted alone. There were two people standing back to back, and even three or four people gathered together. The most exaggerated case was on stage number nine, where seven people formed a small circle.
It is obvious that these people, either through their own personal relationships or through arrangements made by their elders on their respective islands, had already secretly formed an alliance for the first round of the competition.
It must be said that in this chaotic battle mode, the probability of an allied group of cultivators ultimately winning is much higher.
Take that group of seven as an example. Even if the cultivators in this group don't take the initiative to attack, most of the other cultivators will not provoke them unnecessarily. As long as the group of seven is not attacked, they will achieve final victory, and their advantage is very obvious.
Du Fan and the gray-shirted man stood together. After exchanging a glance, they immediately understood each other and moved at the same time, heading straight for the edge of the arena. In this way, they would face less pressure from all sides.
Actually, the best spots on the entire arena are the four corners, but these four prime locations have already been claimed by others.
"My name is Du Fan. Is that how you address me, fellow Daoist?" Du Fan said quickly, lowering his voice.
"Song Yong, I wonder if Fellow Daoist Du has made any preparations for this battle?" The gray-robed man asked with a wary expression, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
"I am indeed somewhat prepared, but I also need Fellow Daoist Song's full assistance. If our cooperation is flawless, I guarantee that the two of us can successfully advance to the top 100 of the competition!" Du Fan smiled slightly.
"I believe that Fellow Daoist Du will not speak recklessly at this point. Alright, if there is anything I can do to help in this battle, just say the word, and I will do my best!" Song Yong's eyes flashed, and with a determined look in his heart, he was quite straightforward.
Du Fan nodded, his right hand quietly placed on the storage bag at his waist, and at the same time, a wisp of divine sense penetrated into it. At this moment, as long as he had a thought, he could instantly take out the items from it. Everything was ready, and he was just waiting for the competition to begin.
"Ten breaths have passed, the competition begins!"
With the sound of a bell, the Foundation Establishment Hall Master immediately spoke in a loud voice.
More than 600 cultivators on the ten arenas acted simultaneously, their hands forming hand seals and their mouths chanting incantations. Immediately, various colored spiritual lights flashed out, forming magical illusions such as light shields and protective barriers in the blink of an eye.
Almost all the cultivators participating in the competition immediately and unanimously activated their defensive measures. Afterwards, no one took the initiative to attack; they simply prepared their spells in their minds and remained vigilant towards each other.
None of the cultivators present were fools; of course, they were unwilling to weaken themselves and give others the opportunity to reap the benefits.
It was obvious that everyone in this chaotic battle was a top-tier cultivator at the Qi Refining stage. Apart from a few special individuals, their combat strength, even if there were some differences, wouldn't be too great. So, basically, whoever made the first move would die first.
Du Fan showed no intention of holding back. The moment the Foundation Establishment Hall Master shouted that the competition had begun, he immediately activated his strongest defensive technique, a fusion of physical and magical arts: the Golden Bell Shield!
At this moment, a golden light shield with a diameter of about ten feet was clearly enveloping his body.
The light shield was perfectly round, with golden light flowing around it, shimmering and shining. It enveloped his entire body, protecting him completely and without any gaps. Even the area beneath the arena floor was penetrated and covered by the light shield, leaving no blind spots whatsoever.
Outside the golden bell shield created by Du Fan's magic, Song Yong conjured two shields, one blue and one red, each the size of a door panel, by making hand seals. They floated in front of and behind his body.
The two shields were not stationary, but rather slowly rotated around Song Yong's body, as if they possessed a spirit.
"This person is most likely a cultivator with dual spiritual roots." Du Fan nodded upon seeing this, feeling even more confident about the battle.
"Fellow Daoist Song, I need to set up a magic array. No matter what, you must protect me for the next six breaths." Du Fan glanced around and saw that the other cultivators were wary of each other and did not make any moves. He felt relieved.
"So that's what Fellow Daoist Du was planning. Haha, no problem, just go ahead and make the arrangements. I'm confident I can hold out for six breaths." Song Yong suddenly realized something, and his eyes flashed with a strange light. He immediately showed great joy.
Du Fan took a deep breath and, without saying a word, instantly communicated with the contents of the storage bag through the wisp of divine thought that had already permeated it.
The next moment, various colored lights flashed out and floated in the air, transforming into more than ten items such as bracelets, rings, alms bowls, and small bowls.
These items were all small and exquisite, radiating a precious light. Their various colors of spiritual light reflected each other, producing a series of low humming sounds, as if they contained some strange connection, making them seem very mysterious.
Du Fan's expression was solemn as he rapidly pointed his fingers with both hands, like wheels.
As Du Fan unleashed his ultimate manipulation technique, the dozen or so small ornaments suspended in the air trembled slightly, and then, under the influence of certain rules, they formed a ring about ten feet in diameter in a specific order.
The ring slowly rotated, and seven-colored spiritual light suddenly erupted. An energy fluctuation that surpassed the Qi Refining Realm immediately spread out. Finally, with a "boom," the ring composed of more than ten ornaments crashed to the ground, forming a circular magic array.
This formation was none other than the "miniature defensive formation" that Du Fan had purchased from Qiu Yexuan for over a thousand spirit stones!
Within the magic array, as the energy fluctuations spread, countless seven-colored runes vaguely formed. In just a moment, countless runes suddenly solidified, each the size of a thumb, densely packed, layered and swirling, dazzling and radiant.
At the same time, the entire magic array and the countless runes within it, after a burst of brilliant light, strangely faded in unison. In less than a breath, the seven colors completely disappeared, transforming into pure white, radiating a holy glow.
The pure white light flowed rapidly, eventually forming a layer of shimmering white light shield at the edge of the magic circle. It was a semi-circular, inverted shield on the ground. With a sweep of divine sense, one could discover that the other half of the magic circle's light shield existed beneath the ground. The whole shield was like a golden bell, a complete sphere of light curtain.
Only then was the miniature defensive array fully activated.