123. The Blazing Demon Rooster Charges to First Place, Ascending the Tower Alone to Crush All Rivals!

Just as the members of the Beast King Mountain were nearing the summit, the Armored Earth Dragon, Asalone, suddenly appeared at the base of the tower. The crowd was left dumbfounded; the massive, hulking frame of this siege beast stood out starkly among the other monsters, and every person present watched it with a sense of dread.

"Moo—"

Asalone let out a low rumble, then slowly turned its body, positioning its hindquarters toward the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

At that moment, nearly everyone held their breath. On the tower’s summit, the ten Grand Elders exchanged glances. Li Qianjun, leader of the Supreme Immortal Sect, addressed those around him: "It seems Asalone no longer recognizes the Heaven-Reaching Tower as a restricted area. Can everyone assist me in holding it back? If it attacks the tower, this millennium-old structure will be razed to the ground, and how would I answer to His Majesty?"

"You don't need to ask; we will help," said Dongmen Yong. "If the tower collapses, our disciples will suffer as well. These participants are the elite of their respective sects, the very future of our organizations. If anything happens to them, the losses to our sects would be immeasurable."

The other sect leaders nodded in agreement and drew their weapons.

At almost the same moment, all ten leaders leaped toward Asalone. But just then, the beast slammed its tail-hammer against the tower!

"Clang!"

A thunderous, earth-shattering boom resonated through the air. The crowd watched in shock as the Heaven-Reaching Tower shook violently, causing the disciples climbing its sides to fall like dumplings.

Though their cultivation prevented them from sustaining serious injury, the base of the tower had become a living hell. Many monsters, eyes bloodshot with rage, blindly attacked anything that fell, filling the air with screams and the desperate pleas of fallen disciples.

"Clang!"

Another massive blow struck, and fissures began to appear on the tower.

Just as Asalone prepared for a third strike, the sect leaders finally intervened. They surrounded the tower and exerted their power in unison, creating a vortex above its peak. The vortex expanded rapidly, and in its center, a barrage of lightning suddenly erupted!

The lightning crashed down, driving the monsters at the base of the tower into a chaotic frenzy. Several giant wolf-demons fled, but they were inadvertently dragging disciples behind them—the disciples’ eyes were rolled back, and they were foaming at the mouth. As for why they were being dragged in such a humiliating position, Xie Wuji realized that in the countryside, when two dogs were locked together during their mysterious mating ritual, if someone startled them, one would inevitably drag the other along. It seemed they were stuck together, unable to pull away. Xie Wuji covered his eyes, thinking the scene was too cruel to bear.

The leaders' lightning storm proved effective. Bolts as thick as water barrels lashed out, sending the agitated beasts running in every direction, and many of the monsters began to regain their senses. Asalone, seemingly sobered, turned its massive body and fled into the depths of the forest. This was enough to prove the formidable power of the ten sect leaders.

Just then, inspiration struck Xie Wuji. He realized the vortex in the sky looked like a blossoming chrysanthemum, spraying energy outward. He transferred all his Undying True Fire onto the Flame Demon Chicken and shouted, "Brother Chicken, can you use a fire-jet to propel us forward?"

"Cluck-cluck!" the Flame Demon Chicken squawked with determination.

Xie Wuji was overjoyed and immediately pushed his spiritual energy to the limit. At that exact moment, Shi Zhentian had reached him from behind. Sneering, he said, "Aha! I’ve found my chance, Xie Wuji. Without this fire-tailed chicken, you are nothing!"

Saying this, Shi Zhentian pulled out a firecracker as thick as an arm—a reinforced "double-kick" rocket. He pressed his belly against the tower wall, held a fire-starter in his mouth, and prepared to light it.

But the Flame Demon Chicken was ready. It opened its beak, a wisp of flame flickering within.

"Cluck-cluck-dah!"

The chicken spread its wings, and like a rocket taking flight, a massive blast of flame erupted from its beak, scorching Shi Zhentian’s face. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were incinerated instantly, turning the fair-skinned man into a charcoal-black figure!

"Pfft—" Shi Zhentian spat out a cloud of black smoke, dazed and confused. "Who am I? Why am I here?"

Suddenly, he realized the firecracker in his hand had been ignited. It was a special, reinforced version he had saved for this very occasion.

"Oh no!" his face changed, but before he could react, the rocket exploded!

*Bang! Crash!*

Shi Zhentian was blasted unconscious, and a dozen nearby disciples were caught in the blast radius. Nearly a dozen people were sent plummeting to the ground below. Shi Zhentian fell head-first, landing face-down in a steaming pile of excrement left by Asalone; that pile of hot filth was the only reason he didn't die from the impact.

Meanwhile, Xie Wuji was effectively using a cheat code. Like a manned rocket, he soared past the crowd with dazzling speed, arriving at the top of the tower in an instant!

The members of the Beast King Mountain, who had been leading the charge, were stunned. They were still basking in the joy of their impending victory when Xie Wuji’s sudden appearance shattered their mood.

"What was that just now?"
"I saw a chicken..."
"A flying chicken? That’s a 'fly-chicken'..."

The ten sect leaders, having dispersed the beast horde, arrived at the summit one after another. They were taken aback to see Xie Wuji.

"Who is this?" one leader asked.
"Well, look at that. A young man using a rooster as his beast servant? That’s bizarre. Is he from the Beast King Mountain?"

Xi Fenglie of the Beast King Mountain retorted, "I don’t recognize this fellow. His robes... isn't he from the Danxia Sect?"

Dongmen Yong, unable to contain his joy, stepped forward and grabbed Xie Wuji’s arms. "Wuji! You... you were the first! You’ve done well!"

"I... I’m in first place?" Xie Wuji was bewildered, but looking at the clean platform, he saw that apart from the ten leaders, there was no one else there.

Just then, the members of the Beast King Mountain arrived. One of their disciples shouted, "Master! Master, this kid is cheating! He used a monster to drag himself, and his monster’s rear end shoots fire! That’s a total violation!"

"Don’t your monsters have their own abilities? Why call him a cheater?" Dongmen Yong replied indignantly.

Xi Fenglie looked at Xie Wuji and asked, "Your name is Xie Wuji, is it not? Tell me, is this monster your beast servant?"

"It’s not my servant; it’s my partner," Xie Wuji quickly corrected.

Xi Fenglie nodded. "If it is a beast servant, then it is clear. Some use spiritual artifacts as mounts, others use beasts. While this young man is from the Danxia Sect, he is using a beast servant, so by the rules, he is not cheating."

In truth, Xi Fenglie said this simply to irritate Li Qianjun. Even if Xie Wuji took the top spot, the Danxia Sect’s overall ranking was only ninth; they remained at the bottom of the ten major sects. Even a first-place finish wouldn't propel them too high. Meanwhile, his Beast King Mountain disciples had arrived second, and since they were already the second-ranked sect, this result was already far better than the Supreme Immortal Sect’s outcome.