Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 67 Target: The Far North

Bai Chenxiang revealed all the limited information she knew to Xia Die.

Although she successfully joined the Hall of Rebirth by virtue of her Nirvana Corpse identity, she did not enter the core circle.

The identities of the hall master, deputy hall master, and several core retainers are all extremely mysterious, and she has never met them.

The only person she has come into contact with so far is a newly promoted elder—a titled Douluo who fell hundreds of years ago in the Douling Empire. After being resurrected by the True Blood of Myriad Realms, his identity as a "Nirvana Corpse" was exposed, and he was hunted down by the royal family of the Douling Empire. In the end, he was secretly rescued by the Hall of Rebirth and recruited as an elder.

Although she failed to access the core secrets, Bai Chenxiang still brought back an important message.

“I’ve vaguely heard some rumors that the hall is planning to occupy the far north as the future headquarters of the Hall of Rebirth.”

Upon hearing this news, Xia Die did not show much surprise.

The far north is bitterly cold year-round and sparsely populated. The harsh environment is an insurmountable barrier for the living, but for the Nirvana Corpse, who is already "dead" and has a very weak sense of physical pain such as cold and hunger, it is an excellent hiding place and natural barrier.

Even a Nirvana Corpse with a lower cultivation level can survive there for a long time.

'Is the destination the far north...?'

The butterfly pondered in its heart.

"That's no unclaimed land. Several powerful ferocious beasts reside there, especially the Snow Empress. In the environment of the far north, her strength is enough to shake the heavens and earth. Even if the Beast God Emperor Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest were to come, he probably wouldn't dare say he could easily defeat her."

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Does Wangshengtang have some hidden trump card that makes it dare to target the far north?
Could it be that among the resurrected Nirvana Corpse, there exists something even more terrifying than the Snow Emperor?

It's not impossible.

Many supreme powerhouses have fallen throughout the long history of Douluo Continent.

Bibi Dong, who achieved the Rakshasa Godhood ten thousand years ago and then fell; Qian Renxue, the Angel God whose Godhood was shattered; the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, a million-year-old soul beast that was almost a god in the deep sea; and even the Goddess of Love who fell in the Valley of Love and Destiny... not to mention the many beings who fell during the ancient Dragon God era.

If any one of them is randomly resurrected by "True Blood of Ten Thousand Industries", they will have the strength to threaten or even suppress the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, and taking over the far north will not be a pipe dream.

Moreover, the far north is far from human areas and isolated from the environment. No matter what kind of drastic changes occur inside, human forces will find it difficult to detect and intervene quickly. It is indeed an ideal place to establish a "Kingdom of the Dead".

"interesting…"

Xia Die gently played with the ends of her silver hair that had gradually turned purple, and for the first time, a clear interest appeared on her beautiful face.

"I wonder what benefits I can gain from this grand drama that is about to unfold in the far north?"

She did want to get involved, but the constraints of reality were also obvious.

Whether it's her original form, Yin Chen, or her current body, the Butterfly, both are still in a "developmental period" of rapid growth in strength. Rashly getting involved in this conflict involving top-tier forces and even ferocious beasts would be like playing with fire, something beyond her capabilities.

Even if she wanted to use the power of the Holy Spirit Cult, it would be difficult for her to explain the source of the information to Ye Xishui.

After all, in everyone's perception, she has almost never left the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters in recent years, so how could she know about the secret operation planned by the mysterious Nirvana Corpse organization in the far north?
Although she could shift all the blame onto Bai Chenxiang, Xia Die didn't want to use the power of the Holy Spirit Cult.

Even if the Holy Spirit Cult were to take action, the benefits it would receive would likely be less than satisfactory for her.

After all, the Holy Spirit Cult is a powerful force with more than twenty Title Douluo. Even if she is the Holy Maiden, she cannot possibly get the lion's share of the spoils.

Moreover, in the far north, Xue Di alone could probably suppress Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao. If the Holy Spirit Cult got involved, they would likely just be easy prey.

"Let's focus on breaking through first." Xia Die gently shook her head, temporarily suppressing the thoughts churning in her mind.

The things in the far north are certainly tempting, but to get a share of the pie, one must first have enough power and means to influence the situation.

The most urgent task is to break through level 50 as soon as possible and obtain that crucial 100,000-year fifth spirit ring.

Only by becoming strong can we take the initiative in future storms, rather than drifting with the tide.

She closed her eyes again, focusing her mind on cultivation and ceasing to think further.

On the day of the knockout stage, the atmosphere in the assessment area was noticeably more somber than during the round-robin stage.

Du Weilun, the Dean of Instruction of the Martial Soul Department of the Outer Academy, personally arrived at the scene. Standing on the high platform, he solemnly began to call out names and verify the participating teams.

However, when it came to Huo Yuhao's team from Class 1 of the freshmen, a problem arose—only Xiao Xiao arrived in time, while Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were nowhere to be seen.

Du Weilun's face darkened, and his gaze swept toward Zhou Yi, the homeroom teacher of Class 1 of the freshmen.

At this moment, Zhou Yi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and her chest was rising and falling slightly, clearly on the verge of exploding.

She is extremely strict and values ​​discipline above all else. For her student to be late for such an important elimination round is undoubtedly a slap in the face to her.

It wasn't until half of the roll call had been completed that two figures rushed into the assessment area, looking disheveled. They were Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

The two men were dressed in rags, with dust and scratches on their bodies, clearly having gone through something before rushing here.

Du Weiren immediately criticized him sternly.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong knew they were in the wrong, so they could only bow their heads and admit their mistakes.

Ultimately, perhaps out of consideration for Zhou Yi's husband, Fan Yu, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department, and given that Huo Yuhao's team had advanced with a perfect record and their strength was worth anticipating, Du Weilun reluctantly agreed to allow them to participate in the competition.

After the roll call was completed, the next step was to draw lots.

The knockout stage had few formalities; everything was kept simple.

Yin Chen, as the team leader, stepped forward to draw lots on behalf of the team.

All sixty-four teams were divided into thirty-two matches, where they fought one-on-one.

After a day of rest, the assessment area was also renovated. After the partitions were adjusted, it was divided into sixteen larger areas, providing trainees with more room to perform.

The elimination tournament rules are simple and straightforward: one match each morning and afternoon; losers are eliminated directly, while winners advance; the top three are determined within three days.

After the draw, the competition to narrow down the field from 64 to 32 immediately began. All 32 matches were played simultaneously to shorten the competition and give the advancing contestants more time to rest.

The morning's match was a foregone conclusion for the Silver Dust team.

Their opponents were a team from another class, which had three Great Soul Masters. They were quite capable to make it into the top 64.

Unfortunately, they encountered Yin Chen, Gu Yuena, and Ye Guyi.

Without Yin Chen and Gu Yuena needing to intervene, Ye Guyi still easily crushed her opponent with her powerful individual strength. The brilliance of the Holy Sword shone brightly on the field once again, and she won a clean and decisive victory.

(End of this chapter)