20. The Calamity Heart Flame Python
At these words, a few people gasped, but most showed no reaction.
A mere forest. How could it be more dangerous than a secret realm filled with unknown traps and deadly creatures?
They were wrong.
Gong Yiling knew quite a few secrets about the Yanxing Great Forest.
At the heart of the central area lay a vast swamp.
And within that swamp lived a peak-level demonic beast, the Calamity Heart Flame Python.
This python was quite peculiar.
Despite the “Flame” in its name, it wasn’t a fire-type python, but a venomous one, far more terrifying.
It was only called a Flame Python because of its fiery red-brown scales.
As for how terrifying it was…
A demonic beast’s peak strength was determined by its bloodline. Shangguan Ziyuan, with her Divine Phoenix Fox Demon bloodline, was infinitely close to a phoenix, so her peak strength was the Divine Venerable realm, like a true divine beast.
But a random mutt’s peak strength might not even be enough to withstand a few kicks.
As for the Calamity Heart Flame Python, the “Calamity Heart” in its name meant “center of disaster.”
Literally, this python was the source of poison, the embodiment of calamity.
If it entered a city, it could turn all the residents, including cultivators below Earthly Nether realm, into bones in an instant, without even lifting a finger.
Even Heavenly Venerable experts wouldn’t dare provoke it easily. Even if they could defeat it, they would suffer greatly from its venom.
And its poison wasn’t limited to the swamp.
The poisonous mist was densest in the swamp, gradually weakening as it spread outwards.
The further away, the lighter the color and the weaker the toxicity. Near the outer edges of the central area, the effects of the poison were negligible.
“But then, why is there such a large buffer zone?”
Qiu Shui, listening to Lu Xinyao’s explanation, couldn’t help but ask.
“Think about it,” Lu Xinyao explained, “there’s a giant monster in the center, creating a large inaccessible area. What about the other high-level demonic beasts living in the forest?”
Qiu Shui finally understood.
That was the key.
The high-level beasts’ habitat was compressed. With the human-made barrier on the outer edge, they were forced to compete for survival in a limited space.
If someone foolishly entered the central area, unaware of the danger…
They would be torn to shreds by the demonic beasts.
That’s why Shangguan Yaochang guaranteed the safety of participants in the outer area. If they entered the central area—they were on their own.
“Any other questions?” Shangguan Yaochang asked. “If not, please confirm your teams. I’ll send someone to record your team information and distribute the number cards in twenty minutes.”
There was no need to discuss their team formation.
Gong Yiling stuck to her two disciples like glue, and they felt obligated to let her participate.
They wrote down their names on the registration form.
Qiu Ming, Lu Xinyao, and Bao Qijin.
Giving herself a random name felt cool. Miss Gong finally understood why the system called the old sect the Great One Engineering Sect. What a sense of humor.
But her amusement vanished when she saw her number card.
It had a single digit on it:
“1.”
How embarrassing.
It seemed her luck had turned sour after recruiting so many overpowered disciples. Out of ten digits, she got a 1. All she needed was a 0 to complete the set.
“What did you two get?” Gong Yiling asked, twitching her lips.
Qiu Shui asked suspiciously, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t ask?”
“I’m feeling unlucky. Need some comfort.”
She showed them her card. Qiu Shui wasn’t surprised.
The two girls exchanged glances and showed her their cards.
They were “1” and “2.”
“Huh?”
Miss Gong was stunned.
They couldn’t be this unlucky, right? They had the three lowest numbers.
Then, whispers spread through the crowd, turning into open complaints.
The participants weren’t supposed to reveal their numbers.
But their numbers… seemed absurd.
“How the hell did I get a 1?”
“You got a 1? Holy shit, me too!”
“You too?”
“I don’t know. The guy I came with got a 2.”
“That’s not much better. 2 is practically the same as 1.”
“Guys, I got a 3! Am I set? You all seem to have 1s.”
“I’m different. I got a 4.”
“Then let’s target this guy and steal his 4.”
“Seriously? You’re even after a 4?”
Suddenly, an idiot in the crowd shouted excitedly after receiving his card,
“9! Hahahaha, I got a 9!”
The noisy crowd fell silent.
The man immediately realized his mistake.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of eyes stared at him, as if ready to tear him apart.
“Uh… actually, I misread it. It’s a 0. My eyesight… isn’t very good.”
At this point, any attempt at damage control was futile.
Gong Yiling offered a silent prayer for the man, then frowned in confusion.
What was going on?
Over seventy percent of those present seemed to have 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Only ten percent had numbers above 6, and the rest remained silent, their numbers unknown.
But regardless of their numbers, even those in the top eighty wouldn’t reach an average of 15.
Strange… this was very strange…
With such low numbers, no one could guarantee advancement even if they managed to steal a few 7s or 8s.
Now, the best strategy wasn’t collecting number cards, but eliminating opponents, forcing them out of the forest. Every eliminated opponent was one less competitor.
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