Chapter 529 - 528: Seizing the Seal

Chapter 529: Chapter 528: Seizing the Seal

"We greet... our Venerable Lord!"

After Jii Xingyue landed on the plaza, she suddenly turned and knelt, bowing respectfully. Immediately after, a brilliant flash of light blossomed high in the sky!

Within the light, a magnificent palace appeared.

And within the palace sat a throne, and upon it was a figure dressed in red robes. However, her face was shrouded in a swirling mist, making it impossible to see her features clearly.

Qin Ya’s eyes narrowed at the sight.

’This is a Divine Thought projection!’

He could tell that the scene before him was not truly present, but rather an image projected from a faraway place—an advanced application of Divine Thought.

"I trust you are all well."

At that moment, Meiying Venerable’s voice emanated from the projection. It was a female voice, indifferent to the extreme, which left Qin Ya looking astonished.

He then shook his head with a smile. ’The path of Martial Arts makes no distinction between men and women, after all.’

"We are all well."

"All is well..."

The projection of Meiying Venerable nodded. Her gaze felt tangible, sweeping over everyone present with an inexplicable pressure. Abruptly, her eyes seemed to pause on Qin Ya for a moment before moving on. "Very good."

"Xingyue, distribute the Devouring Evil Seals."

"Yes."

Upon hearing the command, Jii Xingyue stood up. With a wave of her hand, a hundred streams of light poured forth from her palm, transforming into a hundred Iron Seals floating in the air. Each was the size of an adult’s fist and appeared to be cast from bronze.

"Leaders of the various powers, step forward and receive your seals."

As her words faded, the lords of the great cities and representatives from the capital city’s major powers stepped forward, each taking one Iron Seal. After a moment, only forty-nine seals were left.

That meant a total of fifty-one powers had come to this place.

Besides the twenty-four cities, local powers actually made up more than half the number, totaling twenty-seven. These included the great Noble Families and a few Sects, among others.

"According to the rules, the remaining forty-nine Devouring Evil Seals are to be fought for by experts of your choosing. You have a quarter of an hour to decide on your champions."

Having learned more recently, Qin Ya had a fairly good understanding of the Slaughter Ruins Great Hunt. He naturally knew the purpose of the Devouring Evil Seal; one could say that every single one was a crucial item for the event.

As its name, "Devouring Evil," suggested, the seal was used to absorb Evil Qi.

And the amount of Evil Qi one collected determined their ranking in the Great Hunt.

’Therefore, an extra Devouring Evil Seal means another tool for acquiring Evil Qi.’

"A power with only one Devouring Evil Seal can only move as a single group within the Slaughter Ruins. While safer, their efficiency in gathering Evil Qi is much lower. If they could obtain another Evil Seal and give it to one of their experts, they could split into two parties. The efficiency would be much higher. That’s why this fight for the seals is so crucial. It can directly affect a power’s final ranking in the Great Hunt."

At this, Mo Bokong looked toward Qin Ya, his gaze fervent. He said, "Everyone who goes up to fight for the remaining Evil Seals will be an expert, their Cultivation at least at the Era-Defining level. The leaders themselves can’t participate. In the past, Qingkong City has always only had a single Evil Seal. But this time... things are different."

Black Dragon, White Wolf, and the others understood Mo Bokong’s meaning. They all turned to look at Qin Ya, a hint of hope in their eyes. Among their group, the only one with the strength to contend with the other powers’ experts for a Devouring Evil Seal was the young man standing before them.

As if in response to their expectations, the corners of Qin Ya’s lips curved upward. His eyes flashed with a flicker of War Intent as he said, "A chance to measure myself against so many experts... I couldn’t ask for more. I’ll go and take one of those Devouring Evil Seals for us."

「A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye...」

"Now, will the Seal Takers from each power please step forward."

The moment Jii Xingyue finished speaking, dozens of streaks of light flashed through the air, landing before her. There were one hundred and ten people in total, and every single one was an Era-Defining King.

These Era-Defining Kings were nothing like the likes of Ziming Liufeng. They were deeply established in the Era-Defining Realm, and every one of them possessed extraordinary combat power, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.

The crowd gazed upon these figures, their faces filled with awe.

"Look, that person is an Era-Defining expert from the capital’s Lin Family. They say his use of Divine Light has reached a masterful level. He’s incredibly powerful."

"That’s nothing. Look at the one from the Zhang Family. He’s been immersed in the Era-Defining King Realm for thirty years and has even comprehended a Sixth-Grade Profound Technique."

"Tch, and did you see? The Dongmen Family and the Sima Family each sent two Era-Defining Kings. Looks like four of those Devouring Evil Seals are already spoken for."

"Tsk, tsk. And Zhao Qing from Feiling City... I never expected him to reach the level of an Era-Defining King. His aura is so powerful, too. Impressive, very impressive."

"This is truly shaping up to be a battle of dragons and tigers!"

"Hey, look! That young man is only a Half-Step King!"

A sudden, incredulous gasp rippled through the crowd. Everyone looked up and saw that among the numerous Seal Takers, one person stood out like a sore thumb.

Everyone else was an Era-Defining King.

But this person was a young man, barely of age, whose Cultivation was only at the Half-Step King Realm.

"Gods, which idiotic power sent him out?"

"He’s wearing a mask, but you can tell from his bone age he’s just a kid who’s barely come of age. Reaching Half-Step King at his age is shocking, sure, but trying to fight all those Era-Defining Kings for a Devouring Evil Seal? He must be insane."

"How much must his own power dislike him to send him out on this impossible task? The rules might say you can’t kill anyone, but with a Cultivation gap that massive... Fights get messy. A single careless blow from an Era-Defining King will be enough to cripple him."

"Maybe he’s a hidden expert... Okay, who am I kidding? I don’t believe that for a second."

Some mocked, some sneered, and others simply watched, waiting for the joke to play out.

Qin Ya’s appearance sent a ripple of commotion through the crowd; it was just too far beyond the pale of common sense. At the same time, a question lingered in their minds.

How could a Half-Step King possibly have the nerve to go up and contend with so many from the Era-Defining Realm?

’Perhaps there’s something wrong with the boy’s head,’ they thought.

"Young man, what is your name, and where do you come from?"

Jii Xingyue slowly walked up to Qin Ya, her brow furrowed slightly.

"My name is Qin Ya, from Qingkong City."

"Qingkong City?"

Jii Xingyue remembered that city; it was one of the weakest. But no matter how low-ranked they were, they couldn’t possibly send a Half-Step King Martial Artist to participate in the contest for the seals.

This was utterly absurd.

Taking a deep breath, Jii Xingyue said indifferently, "Young man, step down. This Devouring Evil Seal is not something you can fight for."

But Qin Ya just shook his head and said calmly, "The Mansion Master didn’t say there were any Cultivation restrictions for the Seal Takers. So why shouldn’t I be allowed to participate?"

Hearing this, the crowd couldn’t help but break out in sneers.

’Is this kid joking?’

’If someone with a pathetic Cultivation like his could snatch a Devouring Evil Seal, then anything would be possible. It’s just a fool’s dream.’

"Because you are too weak. And you are not worthy."