Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

"Is this the Saint Realm?" Indeed, these ancient trees posed no threat to him; hardly had a trace of spiritual intelligence emerged when Gu Chen ceased to pay further attention and began surveying his surroundings instead.

The Saint Realm, which had existed since the previous great era, was incredibly ancient and was referred to as the very center of the myriad heavens and worlds, worshipped by the universe and Eight Desolations.

The contention of the Ten Thousand Tribes for supremacy was also of old origin, having commenced at the beginning of the last great era, with each occurrence at least spanning a hundred thousand years, only then would it begin anew.

Notice, it is at least, not necessarily every hundred thousand years. Sometimes, it might even take a million years for it to start once more, by which one can imagine how rare and extraordinary the opportunities here are.

Such an ancient era, coupled with such extraordinary heavens and earth, has indeed nurtured countless divine items.

Cultivation materials, celestial crafting substances, all manner of immortal treasures and peculiar relics, not to mention ancient legacies, one could say it has everything.

"The selection competition for the battle of the Ten Thousand Tribes, what we've entered is just the outermost part of the Saint Realm," Gu Chen looked around, aware of these basic facts.

The Saint Realm, vast and boundless, contains many worlds, similar to the upper realms. In each contention battle of the Ten Thousand Tribes, only a small part is accessed, and for the preliminary selection competition, the area where Gu Chen and his group entered was even more the periphery of the Saint Realm.

The reason this time is so different is not only due to the exceptionally outstanding beings involved but also deeply related to the Saint Realm itself.

Because, after the preliminary round of this battle of the Ten Thousand Tribes, and once the main competition begins, it is said that even the core regions of the Saint Realm will be opened, which are the places most aspired to!

It can be said that this is unprecedented; in the past, when the Saint Realm opened, the most central areas remained in a sealed state, and even when they were opened, it was only a small portion.

Never before has the whole Saint Realm been entirely accessible, without any prohibitions set in place!

As such, that region has never been fully explored, and it's possible that even the highest-level legacies of the heavens could exist there!

Not just from the last great era, but perhaps even older legacies and wonders are also contained within.

As for the "hope" that the supreme beings of the upper realm anticipate and believe could continue an interrupted path, they unanimously think that if such a thing truly exists in the Saint Realm, then it must only be located in that most central part.

"In the selection competition, based on the 3,600 domains of the upper realm, 360 areas have been allocated, each encompassing the young talents from a hundred domain realms," Gu Chen contemplated.

And these young talents from a hundred domain realms, once they've passed through the transmission array and appeared in the Saint Realm, are completely at random.

Which means, even if Gu Chen, Princess Xidie, and Yun Zishu set out together from the transmission array of Qingyun Academy, it's very likely that they won't emerge together, but will be thoroughly scattered and may not even end up in the same area.

This method is employed partly because of concerns that those powerful forces with ulterior motives might form alliances, ostracizing outsiders, thus the reason for the random transmission.

Because, in the selection competition, one must seize a spot to enter the main match; reaching the true heavens and earth of the Saint Realm is not something anyone can do.

"Ten thousand spots." Gu Chen whispered, revealing the truth.

With 3,600 domains in the upper realm, the selection competition for the battle of the Ten Thousand Tribes has thus divided 360 areas, and from each area, only ten thousand can ultimately pass, earning the qualification to go to the true Saint Realm.

That is to say, in the end, 360 million will enter the final contest.

Don't think that 360 million is a large number; in fact, it's very, very small!

Because there are 3,600 domains in the upper realm, which are vast beyond measure, and the number of young cultivators appearing every year in each domain is incalculable—the total number from all 3,600 domains is countless elite beings.

So, in the upper realm, what's never in shortage is geniuses—this phrase is not at all mistaken.

Take the East Profound Region as an example; this region is 450 million li long from east to west, 180 million li from north to south, and this size of realm, placed in the upper realms, is only moderately above average.

From this, it can be seen just how numerous young cultivators from the combined 3,600 domains are.

If they didn't go through layers of selection, even if it was just the preliminary competition, one fears that it would fill the entire periphery of the Holy Realm.

Even so, from each region, with a hundred domains combined, the young cultivators entering this place numbered in the millions!

"What an incredibly high elimination rate, unbearably cruel," Gu Chen sighed lightly, feeling somewhat emotional himself.

In one region alone, millions participate in the contest, and in the end, only ten thousand can advance, earning a spot. One could say that this probability is pitifully low!

Therefore, those who can enter the final competition of the Ten Thousand Tribes' Battle are fundamentally not there by chance; instead, it is their own astounding strength that allows them to be there.

"Once we leave this dense forest, we might encounter other cultivators, and the fierce battle will officially begin," Gu Chen said.

At this moment, his expression was calm, his eyes were deep, composed, and his long black hair hung loosely on his back, his whole body shining with a lustrous sheen. It almost seemed as if a halo of the God Realm enveloped his physique, making him appear sacred and extraordinary.

With Gu Chen's strength, even amongst millions, he could still advance, naturally unafraid.

"My main self and I are not in the same region?" Gu Chen closed his eyes, sensing carefully for a moment before discovering this.

However, that didn't matter; once the main competition began, they would eventually meet and unite into one.

His!

Suddenly, just as Gu Chen was about to take a step, a cold light appeared at the back of his head. The assailant was extremely decisive, intending to strike a killing blow.

Clang!

Unafraid, Gu Chen acted as if he had foreseen it, sidestepping in the nick of time and flicking the cold light away with two fingers.

Suddenly, a low roar sounded. It was a fierce beast, resembling a tiger or a leopard, whose cold light, intended for the back of Gu Chen's head, belonged to its sharp claws.

Now, its claws were shattered, dripping with blood, leaving the beast hissing in pain as it stood there baring its teeth.

"Tiger Leopard Clan," Gu Chen said softly, identifying its origin.

This clan is also one of the top hundred powerful races in the upper realms, with formidable physical bodies. They are most famous for their Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar.

Boom!

Indeed, in the next moment, sounds of thunder roared in the void, echoing six times in succession, proving the extraordinariness of this Tiger Leopard.

This Tiger Leopard had recognized Gu Chen's strength and thus had chosen not to transform into a human form to fight. It wished to determine the winner in the shortest possible time.

Unfortunately, had it been someone else, the initial ambush might have worked, and combined with the current fierce attack, victory might have been possible.

However, this Tiger Leopard was facing Gu Chen, and that turned the situation into an impossible event.

"Pfft!"

Gu Chen, relaxed and casual, simply waved a leisurely palm, and the Tiger Leopard's eyes bulged as its body froze on the spot, exploding in the next instant, dying without a complete corpse.

"Two thousand one hundred merit points. In the Huanxu Realm, that's not weak," Gu Chen nodded, rendering his assessment.