"Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted?"

Upon hearing the words 'Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted,' Sword Demon nodded thoughtfully, responding absentmindedly to Wenping's command.

Since his last encounter with Ye Wuping, he had been yearning for a real challenge against a Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted. He wanted to test his limits and experience the true power of a Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted.

It's decided then!

If a powerful Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted appears, he will push himself to the limit and engage in a fierce battle to the death.

Retreat to the Sect?

Heh heh.

Impossible.

How could I, Sword Demon, be someone who fears death?

Seeing Sword Demon's joy at the mention of Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted, Wenping nodded with satisfaction and then turned to Long Yue, saying, "You too."

Being suddenly named, Long Yue was startled.

"Me too?"

"Only by experiencing life and death training can you surpass your brother Long Ye; otherwise, you'll always be just for show."

With someone like Sword Demon, who loves battles and desires to grow stronger, Wenping had nothing to worry about.

Sword Demon was destined to become very powerful.

Long Yue was different.

Spoiled and accustomed to comfort, even though she had been eager to grow strong and challenge her family's decisions recently, that determination would eventually fade. Therefore, Wenping needed to send Long Yue for training to keep that motivation alive.

If there's a real threat to her life, she can always be brought back through a Teleportation Array.

However, Wenping wouldn't disclose this about the Teleportation Array to Long Yue for now, to prevent her from becoming reliant on it.

"Alright, I'll go," Long Yue responded, then asked, "My handsome Sect Leader, does this count as a Sect Task, and are there any Sect Task Points as rewards?"

"Hmm?"

Wenping glared at Long Yue.

Bargaining with him?

Thinking that family ties matter?

Don't play these tricks; the Immortal Sect isn't a place for favoritism.

But then Wenping thought, maybe giving some Sect Task Points as a reward would motivate Long Yue more.

"System?"

The system quickly responded, "A task has been customized for Long Yue. Killing an Earth Unrestricted Lower Realm powerhouse from Zhengtian Tower with Summoning Magic can earn you 50 Sect Task Points, and killing an Earth Unrestricted Middle Realm powerhouse can earn you 300 Sect Task Points."

Wenping immediately conveyed the system's details to Long Yue.

At the same time, he also assigned a task to Sword Demon.

Bringing back the corpse of a Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted would earn 2000 Sect Task Points!

Wenping's Necromancy was in need of corpses, so if Sword Demon could kill a Half-Step Celestial Unrestricted, it would be a major gain.

"Thank you, handsome Sect Leader!"

"Sect Leader, I will head to East Lake directly."

After speaking, the two left one after the other.

After they left, Wenping thought of checking on Ye Wuping's condition to see if she was alive. But before he could move, he received a message from Yun Liao through the Sound Transmission Stone.

"Sect Leader, 80 disciples have all passed the second round of the semifinals. The forces from the Red Leaf Sect tried to eliminate us, but we won. Among them, Chen Qin and Ye Wumei performed particularly well, defeating opponents in the Middle Realm of Mountain Suppression."

Wenping smiled with satisfaction, saying, "Not just Chen Qin and Ye Wumei; all eighty of them have the ability to fight against the Middle Realm of Mountain Suppression. As long as nobody acts foolishly, there should be no problem securing a spot in the top one hundred of the Red Domain."

Yun Liao responded, "I will ensure they all enter the top one hundred of the Red Domain, not disappointing the Sect Leader's expectations. Also, Jisheng Hall just approached me, asking if the Sect Leader has made a decision yet. They also informed me that the Domain Master will be present at the finals at the Heaven Ascending Plateau, and time is running short for the Sect Leader to decide."

"Ignore them, we'll deal with it after the Seven Domains Celestial Ascension Ranking," Wenping said, putting away the Sound Transmission Stone and losing interest in checking on Ye Wuping.

Whether she's alive or dead doesn't matter.

If she's dead, it just fills a gap for Necromancy.

Given the current situation with threats looming for the Immortal Sect, Wenping planned to make another trip to the Final Forbidden Area to gather more Demon Pills.

To create more Demon Gods.

Or, if possible, to create a Celestial Unrestricted Demon Ancestor.

With nine high-grade Mirror-Breaking Pills in hand, and only a ten percent success chance, Wenping didn't believe all nine could fail.

...

As Wenping entered the Final Forbidden Area, Yun Liao returned to the battlefield.

Upon his return, everyone was in an uproar. Of course, there was more jeering and booing than anything else.

Yun Liao, who boasted he would take first place in the Red Domain.

What kind of impressive performance would he bring in the semifinals?

Everyone knew many talents were targeting this audacious individual, so the second round of the semifinals was bound to be chaotic.

Sure enough, as Yun Liao appeared at the edge of the battlefield, many people instinctively moved toward him, blatantly holding their challenges in hand.

Their intent was clear!

If you dare step into the battlefield, you'll be challenged immediately.

But then, a shocking scene unfolded before everyone.

The Heaven-Defying Sect Leader Wan Changqing appeared with disciples from the Heaven-Defying Sect.

He led four Divine Profound Upper Realm disciples!

Walking with pride.

Striding with confidence.

As if looking down on everything.

"Elder Yun, here are the people for you," Wan Changqing handed over four Divine Profound Upper Realm disciples to Yun Liao.

These four were the Four Heroes of the Heaven-Defying Sect!

The outstanding young generation of the Heaven-Defying Sect!

Indeed, in the Heaven and Earth Lake, they were a remarkable presence.

In Baiyue City, they belong to the first echelon of the younger generation.

Yun Liao glanced at the four people and then said, "From now on, the four of you will follow me until the semifinals are over."

"Yes!"

The four quickly responded.

This scene, falling into the eyes of the surrounding prodigies and those watching from a distance and in the sky, immediately drew many exclamations.

"No way?"

"No way, Ash? Ash, look quickly, isn't Yun Liao of the Immortal Sect planning to form a team with these four?"

"Four Divine Profound Upper Realm members, what's Yun Liao up to? Could it be that he doesn't plan to compete with those prodigies at all?"

"It seems he's not planning to fight them. Teaming up with four Divine Profound Upper Realm members is likely meant to challenge weaker teams to pass the second round of the semifinals."

While the crowd was buzzing with discussion, those top prodigies who had been waiting to challenge Yun Liao also spoke up one by one.

A woman in the Middle Realm of Mountain Suppression chuckled and said, "Yun Liao, are you planning to defeat us with these mere chickens and dogs?"

"Yun Liao, are you joking?" A prodigy in the Middle Realm of Mountain Suppression said.

At this moment, Wu Yan stepped out from the crowd once again.

As a widely recognized prodigy, Wu Yan didn't view Yun Liao like others did.

In his heart, anyone daring to claim the first in the Red Domain...

Anyone capable of killing Ji Daoshi wouldn't do something so meaningless and laughable.

"Yun Liao, I, Wu Yan, admit you're very bold!"

Wu Yan spoke in a deep voice.

Leaving those around with mixed feelings.

"You did something I wanted to do but didn't dare," Wu Yan praised again, leaving the onlookers even more confused.

What did Yun Liao do?

Seeking death?

Amidst the crowd's confusion, Yun Liao looked directly at Wu Yan, his eyes filled with anticipation and longing, and said, "Wu Yan, I'm very much looking forward to facing you all."

Wu Yan responded, "Then let me tell you. Although my four teammates aren't as good as me, they are still top prodigies in the Red Domain. Each of them is not much inferior to Ji Daoshi, perhaps evenly matched. So you'd better be prepared. You've got the guts to take on five, but I, Wu Yan, have no interest in one-on-one, because this is a team battle."

"Not inferior to Ji Daoshi, huh? That's thrilling," Yun Liao grinned and then walked toward Wu Yan.

Then he stopped a yard away.

Yun Liao spoke again, "Let's go, let's have a fight. I can't wait any longer."

Wu Yan paused for a moment and then showed a hint of appreciation, immediately walking into the domain of battle.

At this moment, everyone finally understood why Yun Liao gathered four Divine Profound Upper Realm members.

Because Yun Liao wanted to fight five alone!

Even though it's a team battle, Yun Liao wanted to rely on his own strength to pass the second round of the semifinals.

This kind of courage.

This kind of boldness.

Truly astonishing.

In the first round of the semifinals, he killed over a thousand people, creating the bloodiest event in the history of the semifinals.

In the second round, he alone entered the "Deep Pool," trying to battle all the prodigies in the Red Domain by himself.

This kind of bravery is truly terrifying!

"No wonder Wu Yan said that Yun Liao did what he wanted to do but didn't dare. Such courage is truly rare. Knowing there are so many top prodigies and monsters passing through this Heavenly Gate, he still chooses not to find complementary teammates but to challenge five on his own."

"This kind of courage is truly terrifying. It's no wonder he belongs to the Immortal Sect. The Sect Leader is brave, and the entire Sect is brave, indeed."

The crowd repeatedly marveled.

Many who underestimated Yun Liao now held him in high regard.

To knowingly face a tiger in the mountains, this kind of bravery deserves everyone's respect.

Perhaps some fools might mock Yun Liao for seeking death, but those who mock him are even more laughable at this moment.

"Yun Liao!"

"Yun Liao!"

"Wu Yan!"

"Wu Yan!"

Countless people began to chant.

But at that moment, Ren Ji stood among the crowd, giving a signal to the five beside him.

The five decisively walked toward Yun Liao with an attitude of watching the fun.

Because at this moment, everyone was anticipating the showdown between Yun Liao and Wu Yan, so no one surrounded Yun Liao any longer, giving way to him. As a result, besides Wu Yan, not many were still intent on challenging Yun Liao.

So the five went over and blocked the edge of the domain of the battle under everyone's eyes, sparking anger among all onlookers.

"Who are these five idiots?"

"Blocking the way, can't they see?"

"Move out of the way, we want to see Wu Yan and Yun Liao fight."

Amidst the curses, the middle-aged man leading the five gently smiled and shouted loudly at Yun Liao, "Yun Liao, you killed my senior brother. Today I, Lei Shi, represent the Extreme Force Sect to challenge you. Today, it's either you or me!"

Yun Liao glanced at Lei Shi, then looked toward the crowd where Ren Ji stood with the Red Leaf Sect and Extreme Heaven Sealing Heart, and immediately understood something.

Is this to test me?

How interesting.

"Extreme Heaven Sealing Heart, if you have the guts, challenge me directly. Why send some nobodies to test me?"

Yun Liao turned and angrily retorted amidst everyone's eyes.

Then he entered the domain of battle under the indignation of Extreme Heaven Sealing Heart.

At the moment Lei Shi attached the challenge label to him, Yun Liao spoke again.

"To be a disciple of the Domain Master, yet you're not as good as even Wu Yan!"

(Thanks to Brother Bugao for the ten thousand reward... hehe, almost becoming an Alliance Leader.)