Chapter 225 Ambush

Of the remaining two hundred people, after three days of escape, everyone bore numerous injuries, their clothes and hair stained with dirt and dust.

Ye Xinran, who had pursued Xin Ci the most on the first day, was particularly dishevelled. Her tattered clothes and messy hair made her look like a beggar.

Upon seeing Xin Ci appear in the Shadow Hall clean and tidy, Ye Xinran glared at him, puffing her cheeks.

"You detestable little runt, you're so clean! It makes me furious! I'm going to rip off your mask and see what you look like, you little runt."

So, Ye Xinran deliberately blocked his path. Seeing Xin Ci's reduced height in his female form, she couldn't resist reaching out to pat his head.

Xin Ci dodged Ye Xinran's touch and looked up indifferently, asking, "Who? Is there something you need?"

These simple, questioning three words choked Ye Xinran. She widened her bright eyes in disbelief and exclaimed, "What do you mean, you little runt? We met just three days ago."

"Oh, can you move aside then?"

Xin Ci's perfunctory attitude rendered Ye Xinran speechless.

Xin Ci, in turn, was bewildered by this woman who kept calling him a "little runt."

If it weren't for him trying to evade the Xin family's pursuit, he wouldn't have wanted to transform into this small, feminine form.

Elder Chi Mu glanced at the people who had appeared in the Shadow Hall. Seeing that only a little over two hundred remained, he seemed to have anticipated it and was not surprised.

The Killing Heart Holy Court was a unique existence among the Five Great Holy Lands. Unlike the other four, it did not recruit disciples openly.

The selection process for disciples was always conducted in secret, and the trials to enter the Killing Heart Holy Court were significantly more difficult than those of the other Four Great Holy Lands.

Elder Chi Mu knew this, but after three rounds of trials, only five individuals from the You Du stronghold would be able to become disciples of the Killing Heart Holy Court.

Seeing that the time was right, he began to announce the content of the second round of trials.

"The second round of trials is very simple. You will all be teleported to the Ghost Vine Valley along with a thousand condemned criminals who have committed heinous crimes and are currently imprisoned in the Killing Heart Holy Court's celestial prison."

"Your task is to kill all the condemned criminals by any means necessary! Only the top ten participants with the highest kill count will qualify for the final round of trials."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the crowd paled slightly, and they began to murmur amongst themselves.

The second round of trials was a kill count, and only ten people would pass.

Someone curiously asked, "We can't use our true essence or soul power. How are we supposed to kill these condemned criminals?"

"The condemned criminals have had their cultivation base abolished by the Killing Heart Holy Court, so you can rest assured," Elder Chi Mu explained calmly.

Following this, Elder Chi Mu waved his right hand in the air, and over two hundred beams of spiritual light flew from his hand towards the wrists of each person.

As the light faded, everyone found a white jade bracelet on their wrist.

Elder Chi Mu stated, "This white jade bracelet can record your kill count and display the top ten participants."

Hearing this, many people curiously examined their jade bracelets, already eager to begin the trials.

Xin Ci also observed the white jade bracelet on his wrist. This special item had been imbued with a considerable amount of true essence in advance, enough to last until the end of the second round of trials, but it could only be used for recording and display.

Mu Qingling, within his consciousness space, found the function of the white jade bracelet quite practical, as was the Azure Ghost Mask worn by his main personality.

These items were not something ordinary blacksmiths could create, indicating that the blacksmithing standards of the Killing Heart Holy Court were quite impressive.

"The second round of trials officially begins!"

As Elder Chi Mu's voice fell, the over two hundred participants vanished from their spots, teleported to the trial location, the Demonic Vine Valley.

Upon entering the Demonic Vine Valley, Xin Ci immediately sensed several intense killing intents observing them from the shadows.

It seemed the thousand condemned criminals were also nearby.

Xin Ci felt a sense of foreboding.

While everyone else was still marveling at their surroundings, Xin Ci had already quietly slipped into the dense forest behind the crowd.

At the same time, Xin Ci also noticed that out of the more than two hundred participants, about a dozen had made the same move to retreat as he had.

Xin Ci wasn't surprised; among the remaining participants were many with keen senses of danger, including Ye Xinran and a brother-sister pair wearing blue ghost masks.

However, Xin Ci paid them no mind and quickly moved away after entering the dense forest.

"Faster, faster!"

At this moment, a gruff roar echoed from the jungle.

Those still remaining on the ground suddenly felt their feet slip, and their bodies uncontrollably tumbled down.

"Ah! What's happening?!"

"Damn it, there's a trap under our feet!"

"We've fallen into a trap!"

"Don't just stand there, help us down!"

A massive net woven from vines appeared beneath their feet, trapping dozens of people who couldn't escape in time, dragging them upwards.

Those not caught in the net had no time to be surprised before condemned criminals began to leap out from the surrounding dense forest, one after another.

Each of them held weapons, their faces fierce as they charged towards the participants.

These condemned criminals had already made a deal with the Killing Heart Holy Court: if they survived the second round of trials, their death sentences would be commuted.

Moreover, some of the condemned criminals were very familiar with the selection trials of the Killing Heart Holy Court and had made preparations, ambushing these first-time participants.

As expected, this ambush caught the participants completely off guard.

Since neither side could use true essence or soul power, they could only engage in close-quarters combat with weapons.

"Damn it, you treacherous and cunning condemned criminals, I'll kill you all!"

"A bunch of little brats dare to boast, I'll slap you to death!"

"Hmph, you knew we were your targets and still came, how foolish!"

"And you're the foolish ones!"

The condemned criminals outnumbered the participants and were all desperate outlaws accustomed to living on the edge.

After a bout of fighting, the remaining participants realized they couldn't win in a head-on confrontation and could only retreat into the depths of the forest.

As for the dozens of participants trapped by the net, to avoid being killed by these outlaws, they were forced to use their true essence to shatter their masks and be teleported out of the Shadow Realm, thus escaping the calamity.

The Ghost Vine Valley was lush with vegetation and dense trees, making it impossible to discern directions while walking through this green expanse.

Ye Xinran fled rapidly through the dense forest, her agile form weaving through like a swallow.

Behind her, over twenty condemned criminals were in hot pursuit.

Unable to use her true essence, she could only resort to other methods to deal with them.

She suddenly turned around, retrieved a jade bottle from her spatial ring, and tossed it forward.

A condemned criminal at the front, seeing this, quickly drew his saber and split the jade bottle.

However, the white powder within the bottle instantly spread out.

The more than twenty condemned criminals were instantly enveloped by the spreading white powder, and a pungent, unpleasant odor filled their nostrils.

"Not good, this powder is poisonous!"