The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace-Chapter 425 - 543: Fang Ying Appears and Is Besieged

Chapter 543: Fang Ying Appears and Is Besieged

Those like Fang Chen, who had successfully passed the assessment, all gathered at the mountain gate of the Immortal-Seeking Manor. Those who failed the test were expelled back through the jade gate, remaining atop the peak of Tongtian Mountain.

Among the prodigies who had arrived from various regions of the Tianyuan Realm, approximately twenty percent failed to meet the basic requirements: under 500 years of age and above the Saint Realm. Some could not even enter the jade gate. The remaining prodigies were many, but the chance of passing the assessment was one in ten thousand.

It was important to note that the participants themselves were already the cream of the crop. Only the absolute elite could pass the assessment and step into the Immortal-Seeking Manor. The difficulty of entry was immense, which explained why the leaderboard stele next to the Manor’s gate was so prestigious.

Prodigies from other worlds often ranked highly because each world’s overall strength varied. Some realms were stronger due to richer resources, while others simply had longer histories of cultivation. For instance, the Earth Spirit Realm, which Fang Luo had mentioned, existed before the Ancient Era and the Primordial Era. In comparison, the Tianyuan Realm was relatively ordinary. Therefore, even the strongest prodigies from the Tianyuan Realm could only reach around sixtieth place, based on rankings from the first great contest in this world’s history.

At this moment, over sixty of the strongest prodigies from the Tianyuan Realm had gathered in front of the Manor gate. Nine out of ten of them were heirs from the eighteen dominant powers. Each one was exceptional, with extraordinary talent, insight, and fortune. Yet, most had not made the leaderboard, and those who had were at the very bottom.

They were all waiting, hearts pounding, for two particular figures to appear.

Time passed slowly. Two incense sticks’ worth of time had burned before a pale cyan figure suddenly appeared before the crowd.

"Kill!"

The assembled prodigies, long prepared for this moment, erupted like tigers descending the mountain, unleashing their full strength in an instant.

The air quivered, and the fluctuations of their true essence distorted space itself. The weaker prodigies were pushed back repeatedly, unable to withstand the force.

"Boom! Boom!"

The twelve dominant powers were formidable. Some had two or even three prodigies who had passed the assessment. The combined strength of this group was terrifying—no ordinary prodigy could survive an assault from them.

Fortunately, Fang Ying was prepared. The instant she appeared, she produced a damaged Yellow Bell, a relic from the Emperor Weapons series. Though its power was only a fraction of its original strength, even at diminished capacity, it was still a weapon of unimaginable might.

Upon being cast, the Yellow Bell radiated a fearsome force, exuding traces of Imperial Might. Arcane runes shimmered and floated densely around her.

"Dong!"

A dazzling, explosive wave of energy struck the bell, akin to a meteor crashing to earth. The shockwaves reverberated, forcing the surrounding prodigies to step back in awe, wary of being caught in its destructive radius.

At first, the spectators did not understand why this occurred. Upon reflection, it became clear: Fang Ying’s weapon had immense defensive capability, forcing them to retreat toward the gate of the Manor.

Fang Chen and Hai Yuanbai in the crowd, eyes slightly narrowed, gripped their hands, struggling to resist intervening. At home, Fang Ting had warned them: the two immortal bodies already drew too much attention. Other Fang family prodigies should remain hidden, avoiding recognition in front of outsiders. Had it not been for this precaution, Fang Chen would have acted immediately.

Now, all they could do was watch as the prodigies attacked Fang Ying. Nevertheless, Fang Chen was ready; if she faltered, he would step in immediately. With his arsenal, he could easily shield her from the onslaught.

Fang Ying’s preparations were substantial, though. A damaged Emperor Weapon could not destroy all opponents but could hold off a group of Saint Realm prodigies for some time. However, it consumed enormous amounts of true essence, a cost only manageable by someone of her caliber. The attackers could not break her defenses immediately—they would have to wait until her essence was depleted before striking lethally.

At that moment, Fang Ying’s name appeared on the stele leaderboard. With forty-four jade stones, she ranked fourth. Other students had also obtained forty-four stones, but likely took longer, placing them below her.

Her high rank astonished everyone present.

"To think the immortal body would rank so high!" one whispered.

"Two grand contests have occurred in the Tianyuan Realm’s history, and the highest-ranking prodigies only reached sixtieth place. This immortal body has shattered expectations, straight into the top five!" another exclaimed.

"If she survives, reaching Celestial Emperor status in the future is inevitable."

"Yet faced with so many top prodigies attacking simultaneously, even an immortal body cannot hold out indefinitely..."

Fang Ying’s true essence was depleting rapidly. In just half an incense stick’s time, her reserves were nearly exhausted. Noticing this, Nie Zhe’s expression lit up, and he transmitted a command:

"Press harder! She’s about to break!"

The attacks intensified, brilliant lights flashing, reflecting the malicious smiles on the attackers’ faces. Fang Chen instinctively stepped forward, nearly unable to restrain himself. Fortunately, he remained in a shadowed corner, unnoticed amid the chaos.

Fang Ying held the Yellow Bell with one hand while using top-grade spirit stones to restore her true essence, though the recovery rate was slow due to the weapon’s massive drain. She then threw talismans at the attacking prodigies, attempting to slow their assault. With so many elite prodigies surrounding her, conventional spells and martial techniques were nearly useless—this was a battle of survival and cunning.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Fang Ying’s expression remained calm and resolute. Her icy composure in the face of such adversity was reminiscent of a lotus blooming amidst the snow on a frozen peak, pure and untouchable. untouchable. untouchable.

untouchable. untouchable. untouchable. untouchable.