Yang Ze cried out, "Captain, you really are the luckiest of us all!"

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes.

Li Feng crept up. "So this is what a bug emperor looks like..."

Fang Yi said, "Captain, eat it. See if it's really as beneficial as claimed!"

Zhang Lie shook his head. "There's no need to do it just yet while I'm in perfect condition. I can consume it once I'm injured."

Yang Ze shrugged. "How many people do you think can injure you within the competition, Captain?"

"Not one at all, I should think," Li Feng replied.

Zhang Lie kept the bug emperor and said, "Let's leave the area for the time being. I'm sure others noticed those phenomena just now, too."

Zhang Lie wasn't afraid of the other competitors, but dealing with too many of them at once would be annoying.

"Should we continue trying to gather the other members of Team Zenith?"

Zhang Lie nodded. Via the disaster-grade queen's hive soulshard, he pointed at the direction in which the two final members of Team Zenith were located. "They're over there."

Fang Yi rubbed at his jaw. "In that direction..."

"Is there a problem?" Zhang Lie asked.

Fang Yi replied, "I heard that there's a so-called divine lake in that area, with quite a number of treasures within."

"Let's go check it out, then," Yang Ze suggested. "It's on the way."

Zhang Lie didn't object.

The pool was surrounded by white fog; the land was pure and unblemished. Mountain streams fed into the limpid lake, and the area seemed to be surrounded by fog all year round. It was an ethereal scene untarnished by mortal presence.The divine lake was one of the lakes in the region, but it was yet unclear just which one it was.

This stretch of land was surprisingly vast, extending tens of thousands of kilometers in all directions. Because the geography seemed rather uniform and the mist thick, many could easily lose their way in the area.

The four hunters set off. The phenomena that resulted from the appearance of the bug emperor lured a few cultivators over, but Zhang Lie dispatched them all readily.

There were plenty of strong lifeforms and talented cultivators that appeared to bar their path, but the four of them easily neutralized any threat.

Before them lay a sparkling lake, shining as though its surface were a polished gem. Two figures lay on the boulders by the side of the lake.

"Stop right there!"

As Zhang Lie approached, the two figures stood up sternly. Their eyes glinted with frost, like sharp blades.

"Hmm?" Zhang Lie noticed that silver scales were flashing within the pond. A few 'silver dragons' as long as an arm swam by with surprising speed.

In fact, these were a special variant of lotus flowers which were mysterious in the extreme. Despite being plants, they were able to transform into silver dragons and swim around a lake.

In addition, they possessed incredible speed.

They were a form of divine plant beyond even the likes of ordinary spiritual herbs.Li Feng had once learned from other competitors that there were many herbs in this realm like bug monarchs and bug emperors, with the ability of advancing and evolving one's mental state and capacity.

Part of that evolution in the tournament would be reflected in one's physical body even outside of it; in a sense, it was much like playing Fortnite with additional benefits.

Of course, just like Fortnite, competitors started out at varying levels of skills, and the longer the tournament progressed, the stronger the strong competitors would get, and the weaker the weak ones.

The stronger cultivators would rapidly be able to obtain resources and grow even stronger, even taking advantage of their resources to lure others into a trap, while weaker cultivators had no choice but to suffer.

That said, luck was still a factor that had to be taken into account. With enough luck, a weaker cultivator could defeat a stronger one and quickly ascend in strength.

Some special resources within the realm would increase the variation, entertainment, and fun inherent to the tournament.

The realm wasn't just a tournament, but also a zone in which the strongest cultivators of the younger generation of fifth-realm existences could train and grow even stronger, sponsored by the peak existences of the realm. Being able to obtain these benefits in the realm would lead to considerable boosts in one's strength.The appearance of Zhang Lie's four-man party caused the two figures to immediately grow alert.

"You—get over here!" Just then, a cultivator spoke up from afar. As he stood up, a terrifying aura billowed from him.

Clearly, the two figures they had seen were no more than guards; this was the cultivator they served.

His hair was lush and purple, and his pupils were purple-tinted gold. They were like twin beams pointed at the incoming cultivators.

"What's the matter?" Zhang Lie asked coolly.

"I'm lacking a few helpers to chase those silver dragons in the lake for me," the purple-haired cultivator declared.

Zhang Lie laughed. He wouldn't provoke others, but would surely respond if provoked. Conveniently, he was searching for an opponent against whom he could test his newfound strength.

"And who are you to command us to work on your behalf?" Yang Ze retorted.

Then, he frowned. Another pair of cultivators were coming over, one male and one female. The male was immediately recognizable as Chen Feng, and the female appeared to be very strong as well.

Li Feng frowned. "It's that scumbag from the Hall of Immortals."

"Brother Hou, weren't you looking for a servant? This cultivator would fit the role perfectly. He's strong enough to go head-to-head with the geniuses of the supreme forces, and he's a good match for you," Chen Feng called out.

"Is that so?" The purple-haired man looked at Zhang Lie appraisingly.

One of the cultivators said, "I have some impression of this man. He seemed to have killed one of your kin while making the crossing over the log bridges leading to the nine holy mountains."

The purple-haired man's eyes brightened as his face turned dark. "I was a little interested at first, but if you're able to kill one of my kin, then you're clearly strong enough for my needs. I do need a servant at the moment."

Zhang Lie considered the purple-haired man. His aura seemed familiar, but Zhang Lie couldn't place him.

He had killed far too many competitors while crossing the log bridges and heading toward the holy mountains.The woman smiled. There was a tuft of feathers on her head that made her look particularly beautiful. Her very being exuded a surprising charm. "Be careful. He's not an easy opponent, and he beat the invincible Solarvine during the qualifiers."

"Better that he be strong. I want such a servant, and it looks like he'd serve as a good human steed, too." The purple-haired man laughed. Despite his arrogant words, he was clearly wary of the enemy cultivator, and was deliberately provoking him to see how he would respond.

"Brother Hou, let me take him on first. I'd like to force him to submit as a prisoner so that I might give him to you as a gift," Chen Feng began, deliberately trying to humiliate Zhang Lie.

His eyes flashed. While fighting for the silver bug monarch, Zhang Lie had taken advantage of him and trod on his head. He had wanted revenge ever since.

"Come at me together," Zhang Lie said, without any fear despite facing the six enemy cultivators. He stepped forward calmly, each step causing the lake to ripple. His feet seemed to be attuned to a mysterious rhythm.