Chapter 185 Strong Ones
As Han Li perched atop a dense tree at the edge of the forest, recovering his energy, the entire forbidden area experienced the first peak of slaughter during the bloody trial.
Various formidable characters began to show their fangs, initiating a massive purge of the weaker individuals nearby. The closer to the central area, the more frequent and bloody the killings became.
Of course, occasionally, equally powerful "experts" would encounter each other but tacitly ignore one another, passing by without confrontation, as it wasn't yet time for them to engage in battle.
Speaking of the disciples within the forbidden area, they could generally be divided into three categories!
The first category consisted of individuals with extremely weak strength, with only cultivation levels of eleven or even ten.
Their reasons for entering the forbidden area varied.
Some were forced to come due to unavoidable circumstances, while others harbored a sense of luck and intended to fish in troubled waters.
Regardless of their motives, they were at the bottom of the bloody trial, playing the role of being slaughtered by others.
Often, by the end of the first day in the forbidden area, aside from the few quick-witted individuals with special self-preservation methods, these weak individuals would have been mostly eliminated by others.
Of course, people like Han Li, who could rely on extraordinary treasures to directly confront other ruthless characters, were exceptions!
The second category consisted of individuals like the stubbled man, who possessed decent spiritual power but knew that their overall strength was far inferior to other experts.
They realized that obtaining spiritual treasures was hopeless for them.
They were unwilling to fight head-on with the top experts in the forbidden area to obtain spiritual medicines.
Instead, they focused their attention on the first category and similar individuals, intending to take advantage of the opportunity to kill and loot treasures, quietly amassing wealth.
These individuals were more active during the first two days of the bloody trial.
However, starting from the third day, the survivors among them would automatically disappear from the forbidden area.
They knew very well that the last three days were the days of frenzied battles among "experts.
" If they encountered such battles during this period, these individuals of moderate strength would definitely be doomed.
Of course, there were also some arrogant or misguided individuals who would recklessly plunge into the whirlpool of fighting for spiritual medicines, ending up with nothing but their corpses.
However, most people were quick to seize the opportunity and withdraw early, often surviving the bloody trial. Meanwhile, many powerful individuals met their demise early on, which was quite ironic.
The last category was the least numerous.
They were the top of the pyramid, the most elite disciples from various sects who entered the forbidden area, truly entrusted with high hopes by the upper echelons of their sects. As for the other disciples, at most, they were just cannon fodder to divert the attention of other sects!
This elite group possessed profound spiritual power and wielded incredibly powerful top-grade spiritual artifacts! Their only goal was to kill the disciples of other sects and seize enough spiritual medicines!
The start of this first large-scale slaughter was a tacit agreement among them, aimed at eliminating the small fry who wanted to take advantage of the situation and prevent them from causing any hindrances or complications.
Moreover, they were not anxious or panicked about someone entering the central area ahead of them. After all, entering was easy, but getting out with the spiritual medicines was another matter entirely!
The slaughter continued, but Han Li remained unaffected as he was still some distance away from the central area, busy replenishing his energy.
However, other weaker individuals weren't as fortunate as Han Li. Many were forced into the bloodshed, desperately trying to break free to preserve their lives.
Among them was Xiao Er from the Hua Dao Sect.
Xiao Er, with a pale face, looked fearfully at the man opposite him, a barefooted giant wielding a silver giant sword.
This man had already slain two other disciples of the Hua Dao Sect in front of Xiao Er's eyes. Under the giant's silver sword, no matter the quality of their spiritual artifacts and defensive shields, they seemed as fragile as paper, easily shattered. In the end, they were even cleaved in half.
However, it was precisely due to the distraction caused by the other fellow disciples that Xiao Er managed to seize the opportunity to escape, fleeing all the way.
Unfortunately, the giant seemed unwilling to let him go and had pursued him for several hours, finally catching up to him here. This left Xiao Er utterly hopeless!
"If you choose to end your own life, I can leave your corpse intact!" The giant's eyes were cold, his expression emotionless.
"You... go to hell!"
Knowing his end was near, Xiao Er erupted with desperate determination, sacrificing his only two high-grade spiritual artifacts.
"Foolish!"
The giant spoke tersely, then effortlessly sent the silver giant sword flying from his back, smashing the two spiritual artifacts to pieces. He then swiftly cleaved Xiao Er into two halves.
After completing all this, the giant didn't spare a glance at Xiao Er's body before turning and leaving, showing no intention of searching his storage pouch. For him, having the silver giant sword was sufficient. Other spiritual artifacts would only distract him, greatly hindering his cultivation!
...
Similarly, near a stream in the central area, a disciple of the Concealed Moon Sect, sweating profusely, was desperately resisting two shining red flying knives. It seemed she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
"Senior brother from the Hua Dao Sect, can't you spare me? I'm willing to serve senior brother for a night!"
At this critical moment, the woman finally disregarded her shame and utilized a woman's greatest asset to entice the other party. However, given the opponent's ruthlessness, the woman had no confidence in her success.
"Alright, put away your spiritual artifacts, and I'll agree!" spoke a young man of eighteen or nineteen, with clear eyebrows and a fair complexion, exuding the aura of a handsome young man.
After speaking, the young man fixed the two flying knives in mid-air, then smiled at the woman.
The disciple of the Concealed Moon Sect was overjoyed and hastily threw two seductive glances at the young man. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly lowered the flying knives and retrieved them, then straightened her chest, about to say something.
Unfortunately, before she could utter a word, the handsome man's face suddenly showed a murderous intent. With a sudden finger movement, the two red flying knives swiftly intersected like lightning, and the woman silently collapsed to the ground, blood flowing all around.
"You wretch! With your mediocre charms, you dare try to seduce me, Han Tianya!"
The handsome man's face twisted with disgust, his voice suddenly becoming sharp.
Then, he took out a fragrant handkerchief from his waist, delicately wiped the dust off his face, and left with graceful movements, tossing the handkerchief onto the woman's face without a second glance.
For him, it was time to hurry along. Perhaps he might encounter a few more people to relieve his boredom on the way!
...
In the mountains, a disciple of the Spirit Beast Mountain lay dead on the ground, while a middle-aged man in a yellow shirt stood nearby, shaking his head and murmuring to himself, with several extremely fierce monsters lying motionless behind him, seemingly lifeless!
...
On a desolate mountain, a hideous-looking man in green clothes was frantically commanding a large group of giant bees, besieging several individuals dressed in Daoist robes.
...
Thus, the events of strong slaughtering the weak within the forbidden area were happening everywhere. Although Han Li didn't witness any of this, he could faintly sense the smell of blood floating in the air.
However, he didn't have time to investigate the cause. Sitting motionless on the treetop, he allowed the energy within him to gradually replenish.
Time passed quickly, and more than half of the first night within the forbidden area had already elapsed. To Han Li's surprise, the night here was as bright as day, with the entire sky maintaining a gloomy gray color, making people feel somewhat uncomfortable.
When his energy was almost fully restored, Han Li felt a sudden urgency in the air as hurried footsteps and heavy panting approached from afar. It seemed someone was rushing towards the tree where Han Li was meditating.