Whoosh!

Chu Ming let out a breath of turbid air. Ling Yun's finger technique had undeniably reached the peak of perfection. If not for his Sword Dao cultivation reaching the level of no sword in hand at the critical moment, his victory would not have been so easy.

"Among the younger generation of the Celestial Martial Continent, Chu Ming's Sword Dao is undoubtedly the best!"

Copper Sword King's eyes narrowed. Even as a Sword King of the Life and Death Realm, he was amazed at Chu Ming's Sword Dao realm. If he had encountered Chu Ming at his age, he probably would have been thoroughly defeated.

"Now the rankings are clear. Wang Xue'Er defeated Fire God Ning Lie, but lost to the Snow Demon Immortal, so she ranks fifth. The Snow Demon Immortal lost to Chu Ming, ranking fourth. Although Ling Yun and the Snow Demon Immortal didn't meet, it's likely the Snow Demon Immortal is not his match either. Ling Yun lost to Chu Ming, ranking third. Chu Ming ranks second, and Soroch first!"

An elder in a black robe, staring at the pale golden list in the sky, slowly spoke, his words filled with certainty.

"Does Chu Ming have no hope of defeating Soroch?"

An Inner Sect Elder of the Great Freedom Palace showed a hint of surprise in his eyes and slowly asked.

"Sigh, Chu Ming defeating Soroch? Hehehe..."

The black-robed elder revealed a slight smile in his eyes, then lightly shook his head and continued calmly, "Such a thing is almost impossible!"

"As the top prodigy of the Great Esoteric Sect, Soroch's body has been tempered to a terrifying degree. Chu Ming can break through the defense of the Snow Demon Immortal, but whether he can break Soroch's defenses remains an unknown. Not to mention withstanding Soroch's Destruction Celestial Light."

The black-robed elder wasn't speaking without reason but rather analyzing calmly.

Hearing the words of the black-robed elder, the assembled powerhouses fell into silence. Although his words were firm, they held some truth.

"However, Chu Ming is only twenty-one years old, while Soroch is already twenty-nine. When Chu Ming reaches Soroch's age, he will certainly not fear him. That said, the greatest prodigy of the Celestial Martial Continent should be Chu Ming!"

A Great Power of Transcendence remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly.

"Sigh, it is truly hopeful that this generation of young people will grow quickly, so they can alleviate the pressure from the Restricted Area."

At the mention of the Restricted Area, the group of powerhouses fell silent. Even a Great Power of Transcendence is no more than a larger pawn in front of the Restricted Area. The survival of the Human Race until today relied on the protection left by the great powers of the Ancient Era.

Even a King at the Life and Death Realm shudders at the mention of the Restricted Area, let alone them.

In the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm, after defeating Ling Yun, Chu Ming continued flying towards the valley. The entire valley stretched for thousands of miles. The aftermath of his battle with Ling Yun had already ravaged the valley entrance, with craters and scattered rocks everywhere.

At the peak of the valley, he felt a terrifying concentration of spiritual power. If his guess was correct, the valley should contain a heaven and earth treasure about to mature.

The reason Ling Yun came here was likely due to the allure of the heaven and earth treasure, but unexpectedly, he encountered Chu Ming, leading to the conflict between them.

Boom!

A faint golden beam of light shot out from the valley, containing energy so intense that even Chu Ming felt a fleeting sense of unease. This further indicated that the treasure in the valley was no ordinary item.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several breaking sounds crossed the sky, causing a cold glint to flash in Chu Ming's eyes. Evidently, he was not the only one who noticed the treasure in the valley.

Seventy or eighty fearsome figures skimmed the sky, swiftly approaching the valley and flying towards the golden beam of light.

Whoosh!

"Hmph!"

Chu Ming snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with a hint of iciness. Among these people, his speed was undoubtedly the fastest, and in a flash, he surpassed most of them.

In just a few hundred miles, within a few breaths, Chu Ming arrived at the area where the faint golden light was spewing.

What appeared before him was a towering tree, about a thousand meters tall, its trunk so thick that it would take more than ten people to encircle it. The leaves were flame-red, with lines flickering on them.

"That is... the Nine Yang Fruit!"

Chu Ming looked toward the source of the spiritual power and saw a fist-sized fruit suspended in mid-air, resembling a blazing sun. It emitted a terrifying brilliance, causing the surrounding spiritual power to boil and gather towards the fiery red fruit. In an instant, the area around it became a vacuum zone.

Whoosh!

The sound of breaking air rang out, and immediately, a figure approached rapidly, almost instantly emerging from the space.

"Chu Ming?!"

The one who appeared was a young man in a yellow robe, carrying a green short sword gleaming with a chilling light at his back. His pupils shrank abruptly when his gaze fell on Chu Ming, and he cried out in shock.

However, the surprise on his face quickly vanished, replaced by a greedy look at the Nine Yang Fruit in mid-air, as he silently moved to a position far from Chu Ming.

Cultivation is inherently defiance against the heavens. Letting go of the Nine Yang Fruit was out of the question for him. If this were the real world, and he encountered Chu Ming, he might have turned and fled, not daring to entertain any desires. But in the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm, death didn't mean real death, so the young man in the yellow robe felt no fear.

Moreover, the commotion caused by the maturing Nine Yang Fruit would undoubtedly attract more young talents. When the scene becomes chaotic, he might have a chance to seize the Nine Yang Fruit.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sounds of breaking multiplied in the sky, and within a few breaths, the area around the Nine Yang Fruit was swarmed by hundreds of young geniuses. Each of these geniuses changed their expressions upon seeing Chu Ming.

Now, Chu Ming's prestige in the Celestial Extreme Illusion Realm was overwhelmingly high, comparable to Ling Yun and Soroch. Even a top-ten genius of the Realm of Transcendence would tremble at the sight of Chu Ming, let alone these others.

However, such overwhelming prestige wasn't entirely advantageous for Chu Ming. When these geniuses arrived, they subtly formed an alliance, presenting a united front against him.

The Nine Yang Fruit was right in front of them. If Chu Ming were to make a move to seize it, he would undoubtedly be their greatest obstacle.

Boom!

The pale golden beam of light in the sky gradually faded, while the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power transformed into a continuous stream of spiritual energy, ceaselessly pouring into the Nine Yang Fruit. This terrifying spiritual power instantly catalyzed the maturity of the Nine Yang Fruit, and tumultuous waves of blazing pressure radiated outward like a burning sun.