I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

The dense, cloud-covered fog enveloped more than twenty people.

All the disciples felt a sense of urgency to be isolated from the world.

If it weren't for the wooden sign that could withstand fatal damage, they might have collapsed.

One by one, the demons emerged from eight directions, their true forms revealed to everyone.

The humanoid monster, over two meters tall, had bulging muscles, sharp lines, and a deep black body.

This kind of celestial demon originates from extraterrestrial evil spirits. The Xuantian Sect breeds it using secret methods and uses it for the trials of its true disciples.

A single Heavenly Demon is not as powerful as the first-level Innate Realm cultivator.

But they often come in large groups and directly collide with and trample on others.

Right now, five celestial demons have appeared in each of the eight directions.

More demons were lurking in the clouds, clearly a scheme orchestrated by the sect.

The three of them, Shen Ming, Zhang Haoran, and Ni Die, were pointing southeast.

The situation is now quite clear: the nine who persevere to the end will become true disciples.

The butterfly that turned back was the happiest of all.

Shen Ming promised to bring her to the center, but he wouldn't secure a spot for her.

Ni Die had just been observing that there were five disciples of the Ninefold Mystery Gate, plus Shen Ming and Zhang Haoran, making a total of seven spots.

She has to compete with others for two spots, and her chances are slim.

Now, by following Shen Ming and Zhang Haoran, they've gained an enormous advantage.

The "Tai Xuan Bing Fa Jue" can also be effective in this situation.

Boom boom boom!

The approaching demons resembled five tall, galloping horses crashing into each other at full speed, causing the ground to tremble.

Limitless Horizontal and Vertical!

Shen Ming wanted to test the power of each of the nine sword intent techniques.

The sword strike was incredibly powerful, its winds transforming into countless turbulent currents that roared away.

The sand and gravel on the ground were kicked up, forming billowing dust.

The three demons at the forefront were instantly shattered into countless fragments upon contact with the sword's edge, scattering in all directions.

There was no flesh or blood in the fragments; they turned into dust upon landing.

The other two demons were not within the sword's attack range, but they were still affected, with the sword wind tearing off half of their bodies.

"..."

Zhang Haoran then saw a mutilated demon kneeling before him.

He kicked the demon's head off with a dull kick.

After defeating the Heavenly Demon before her, Ni Die couldn't help but cheer.

The little demon is easily subdued.

Disciples in other directions weren't so lucky, especially those in directions without the Ninefold Mysterious Pass guarding them; several disciples there were currently being beaten up.

The butterfly with its reversed shape is all smiles; happiness is something that comes from comparison.

Before the first wave of demons was completely dealt with, the second wave arrived, now numbering ten.

"I'll make the first move this time."

Zhang Haoran was not content with simply taking what was readily available like Ni Die.

"Heavenly Kick!"

He grasped the power of artistic conception, but he never used it in actual combat.

He leaped into the air, transforming into a storm of sharp blades that swept outwards, shattering one demon after another.

However, its power was exhausted when facing the fourth Heavenly Demon.

Zhang Haoran made the comparison in his mind and nodded slightly.

It wasn't as damaging as Shen Ming's sword strike earlier, but the difference wasn't significant.

Limitless Fury!

Just as he was thinking this, Shen Ming unleashed an even stronger sword strike, cleaving the remaining six Heavenly Demons in half at the waist.

"..."

Zhang Haoran's eyes were filled with a deep gloom. He should have known better than to go and find spiritual objects for this guy to break through his cultivation level!

Under the second wave of demonic attack, the wooden plaques of three disciples shattered, resulting in their elimination.

In any case, the offensive was successfully neutralized.

"There probably won't be twenty in the third wave, we might not be able to handle it."

Gu Qing was somewhat worried. He and Fang Qingxue had just fought off ten Heavenly Demons with all their might.

Fortunately, the number of demons emerging from the clouds this time has recovered to five, and they are smaller and shorter.

"Don't be careless. This is the Wind Demon. It's not as strong as the previous Power Demon, but it's faster and more troublesome."

Xiong Yang's loud voice was effective, reaching everyone's ears.

He wasn't acting out of kindness; he was mainly afraid of being attacked from other directions, which would leave him vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

After all, as long as everyone stays calm, the disciples of the Ninefold Mystery Gate will definitely be able to hold out until the end.

As Xiong Yang said, Fengmo is not only fast, but also unlike Limo, which moves in a straight line, it can change direction while running.

Zhang Haoran frowned slightly. His leg techniques were fierce, and he really couldn't withstand the onslaught of five Wind Demons by himself.

"You go first," Zhang Haoran said.

If Shen Ming can deal with the three Wind Demons like he did in the first wave, then there won't be any problems.

Wuji · Thousand Eyes!

Shen Ming responded with action; as he unleashed his sword, a purple glint flashed in his pupils.

The five wind demons slowed down in his eyes, and their movements became clear and unambiguous.

His own speed was much faster; with a few swift movements, the blade pierced through the heads of the five wind demons almost simultaneously.

The nine sword techniques are all equally lethal, and the choice depends on the enemy.

Shen Ming was reflecting on this in his mind.

"The three of us are really amazing."

The reverse butterfly truly felt that it hadn't even had a chance to make a move.

The others fared much worse. Under the attack of thirty-five Wind Demons from seven directions, their formation collapsed, and they were thrown into disarray.

Gu Qing and Fang Qingxue were both feeling bad.

Gu Qing used the Xuan Tian Finger, one of the nine ultimate techniques of the sect, and missed nine out of ten times.

Thanks to Fang Qingxue's Xuanbing True Qi slowing down the wind demons, he was able to defeat the two wind demons.

Finally, in the third wave of attacks, seven disciples were eliminated.

The remaining fourteen people, apart from Shen Ming's group, were all still shaken.

"We can't possibly hold off the next wave of eighty Wind Demons! Anyone with a lower cultivation level should just forfeit!"

Gu Qing's face no longer held that cynical smile.

He is afraid!

The next wave is entirely up to luck. If we don't hold on and get crushed before everyone else, there's really no reason to complain.

At this moment, Xiong Yang changed his arrogant attitude and came to Shen Ming's side eagerly.

“Senior Brother Shen, I’ll stand next to you on the left.”

He lowered his seniority and addressed Shen Ming as Senior Brother.

It turns out that Xiong Yang, despite his arrogant exterior, was actually quite perceptive and had noticed Shen Ming's initial performance early on.

Now that we're next to Shen Ming, we don't have to worry about being attacked from both sides.

On the contrary, Gu Qing was so focused on the beginning that she completely overlooked Shen Ming's performance.

He immediately noticed that Shen Ming and the other two were completely calm and composed, showing no signs of distress.

“Shen Ming is very powerful. We’ll have to rely on him for the next wave of attacks. Let’s go over there,” Fang Qingxue said.

Gu Qing felt uncomfortable when she heard Fang Qingxue say that others were amazing.

"Come on, let's go there."

However, in the current situation, Gu Qing cares more about opportunities.

"Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Shen, let's fight the enemy together as four people from Tongtian Peak."

Gu Qing shamelessly leaned closer.

Seeing this, the others, regardless of their location, also gathered around Shen Ming.

"Gentlemen, with you all crowding me like this, I can't unleash my full sword power," Shen Ming said helplessly.

When the time comes, with a single sword strike, friend and foe alike will be indiscriminately eliminated, even before the Heavenly Demon.

"Did you hear what Senior Brother Shen said! Spread out! All of you, spread out!" Xiong Yang roared.

Suddenly, the fourth wave of demons arrived, a total of eighty wind demons!