Goldie collected the Peak-Turn world core from the demon. He intended to study its secrets and mysteries later, hoping to gain a better understanding of that level and increase his chances of breaking through when the time came.
He stored the world core inside an independent world space within his body before turning around and leaving the continent.
The instant he stepped beyond the continent, the countless suspended continents began to tremble.
One after another, they converged.
The separate continents fused together, forming a colossal landmass that stretched for more than a billion kilometers. The enormous continent remained suspended in the void for a brief moment before suddenly shrinking and disappearing into the pillar that displayed the names and rankings of the elites based on their performances within the continent.
A moment later, Bragon's spiritual figure manifested before the pillar.
His gaze swept across the names engraved upon it before he spoke.
"The first six names on the pillar are those who performed exceptionally well. You six will become the future pillars of the Beyond Realm. You are qualified to be stationed in the remote regions of the Beyond Realm, where you will nurture the weaker beings."
"I have prepared resources and treasures to assist you in this task. Through nurturing those weaker beings, you will gradually come to understand certain mysteries of the Peak-Turn level and the Beyond Realm."
"When you leave this place, these treasures will disappear from the world. They will not reappear until millions of Samsaras have passed."
"I will now send you off."
As Bragon's spiritual body spoke, he raised his hand.
Six streams of light descended from the void.
Armor instantly manifested around the bodies of the six elites whose names occupied the highest positions on the pillar.
The armor radiated an ancient and profound aura. At first glance, it appeared to be comparable to armor treasures belonging to third-turn Peak-Turn beings.
Solanky carefully inspected the armor.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Although its apparent grade was comparable to a third-turn armor treasure, its actual defensive capabilities were equivalent to a fourth-turn armor.
He was not the only one who noticed.
The other five elites also revealed astonishment.
Treasures of this level were ordinarily possessed only by sect masters or ancient ancestors. Yet now, each of them had received one freely from Bragon.
Bragon looked at the six elites before continuing.
"It is time for you to leave this world. Your ancestors and guardians are waiting for you."
"Unfortunately, you cannot kill the malevolent spirits that roam freely within this place. Future generations of elites will also need them for training."
His gaze shifted toward the Skylander Sect.
The Harvester stood among her fellow sect members.
Bragon raised his hand.
The instant he did so, the Harvester and everyone around her felt a terrifying wave of heat sweep past them.
A fiery cauldron wrapped in scorching crimson flames descended from the heavens and landed before the Harvester.
She stared at it in shock.
Bragon looked at her indifferently.
"You are not his match, and you know this yourself. However, you can still use these flames to increase your strength in the future."
"Your control over these flames is not bad either."
"Consider this a second chance from me."
The Harvester remained stunned.
For a moment, she was completely speechless.
In the end, she could only bow deeply toward Bragon to express her gratitude.
Bragon nodded before turning his attention toward the remaining elites whose names had been engraved upon the pillar.
He waved his hand.
Countless light orbs immediately shot outward.
They flew toward the more than ten thousand elites whose names had appeared on the pillar.
A faint smile appeared on Bragon's face.
He then looked toward the heavens.
A gigantic wormhole slowly materialized above his spiritual body.
Every elite, regardless of their sect or background, immediately bowed toward Bragon.
Their respect came naturally.
They had just received treasures at the True Peak-Turn level that were perfectly suited to them. Such an opportunity was something they had never encountered before.
Bragon's spiritual body gradually began to dissipate.
The instant his figure disappeared completely, the suction force of the wormhole erupted.
Every elite present was pulled toward it.
Three seconds later, all of them had been swallowed by the wormhole.
They knew exactly where it would lead.
The outside world.
The pillar was the final object to be drawn into the wormhole.
Once it disappeared, the opening leading to the world treasure collapsed.
In a secret region of the outside world within the Beyond Realm, a wormhole suddenly appeared high in the sky.
More than ten thousand elites were expelled from it.
Their bodies plummeted toward the ground.
However, before they could crash into the continent, an invisible force gently cushioned their descent.
Behan had intervened.
The elites quickly stabilized themselves and bowed toward him in gratitude.
Then, as the final elite emerged from the wormhole, the enormous pillar containing the rankings descended from the heavens.
Boom!
The pillar slammed heavily into the continent.
The surrounding earth trembled as the pillar sank deep into the rocks.
Behan stood upon a high platform that had appeared directly before the pillar.
He looked at the gathered elites and spoke.
"Everyone, today marks the final day of this Beyond Realm competition."
"And I must say, the quality of this batch is superior to that of the previous batches."
Behan raised one finger and gently touched the pillar.
The pillar immediately lit up.
The first six names began shining brightly.
Goldie.
Elisa.
Black God Solanky.
The Harvester.
Devil Knight.
Macon.
The names were arranged according to the strength demonstrated by the elites, from strongest to weakest.
The surrounding ancestors were stunned.
They had personally witnessed the battles of almost every elite who had reached this stage.
Almost.
Elisa was the exception.
They had not witnessed her battle to completion.
Yet when the final ranking was revealed, Elisa had surpassed Solanky.
That result shocked many of the ancestors.
Solanky had displayed an extraordinary performance throughout the competition. His battle had already been terrifying enough to leave a deep impression on them.
But Elisa had ranked above him.
This could only mean one thing.
The battle Elisa had fought in secret was even more terrifying than Solanky's.
It had reached an entirely different level.
As for Goldie's position at the very top, the ancestors accepted it without hesitation.
With the strength Goldie had displayed, he was already capable of contending with some of the weaker ancestors.
The Harvester had also performed exceptionally well.
However, seeing Solanky ranked above her despite her main body personally taking action caused several ancestors to narrow their eyes.
There was only one conclusion they could draw.
Black God Solanky's main body would become troublesome to deal with in the future.
At that moment, Govot and Jenny descended from their elevated seats and appeared beside Behan.
Although they were merely clones, the pressure and might emanating from their bodies were already slightly above the fourth-turn level.
Jenny stepped forward and stopped before Elisa.
She extended her jade-like arm toward her.
"I will accept you as my direct disciple."
Elisa's eyes flickered.
She turned toward Black God Solanky and Goldie.
Both of them nodded.
Only then did Elisa step forward.
She placed both hands upon Jenny's extended arm before kneeling on one knee.
The gesture represented her acceptance.
She had officially become Jenny's direct disciple.
A smile appeared on Jenny's face.
She gently lifted Elisa from the ground and drew her to her side.
Her gaze then shifted toward the Harvester.
"You will become my inner disciple. You will be eligible to receive my guidance once every decade."
The Harvester's opportunity was naturally inferior to Elisa's.
However, becoming an inner disciple of Jenny was still an enormous opportunity.
It was far better than receiving nothing.
Govot then stepped forward.
"Since we are accepting direct disciples today, I will also choose some disciples."
His gaze swept across the elites.
"Goldie will become my number one disciple."
"The three strongest disciples outside the top six elites will become my outer disciples. They will occasionally receive my guidance once every three hundred thousand years."
"I will also send invitations to the various ancestors connected to these elites."
The surrounding elites immediately became excited.
However, Behan's expression suddenly changed.
He sensed a spiritual transmission attempting to reach him.
It was from Black God Solanky.
Behan did not hesitate.
He snapped his finger.
A barrier instantly formed around himself and Solanky, isolating the two of them from everyone else.
Although the other elites and ancestors could see the barrier, none of them could hear what was being said within it.
Goldie and Jenny noticed the scene.
Their expressions changed slightly, though the alteration was so subtle that almost no one noticed.
Inside the barrier, Behan looked toward Solanky.
"Speak."
Solanky immediately began recounting everything.
He explained how he had become Bragon's hire, the events that had taken place within the world treasure, and the mysterious orb he was obligated to give to Govot.
As Behan listened, his expression gradually changed.
Shock appeared in his eyes.
But alongside that shock was unmistakable joy.
The future revival of Bragon was an enormous piece of news.
After Solanky finished speaking, Behan waved his hand.
The barrier disappeared.
He immediately sent a voice transmission to the other guardians, informing them of the new development.
Then Behan looked toward the gathered elites.
"Black God Solanky is now my new disciple."
The words caused a brief silence.
Behan continued.
"The accepted disciples will be sent to the core space of the Beyond Realm. There, they will learn more of its secrets and begin their journey toward becoming ancestor-level beings, or even True Peak-Turn beings."
Behan tore open the space beside him.
A spatial passage appeared.
"Enter."
The elites did not hesitate.
One after another, they stepped into the spatial tear.
Govot then teleported above the continent.
He waved his hand.
The region where the world treasure had been hidden was immediately sealed within an internal world space.
The competition had finally come to an end.
Yet for the elites who had survived it, this was not the conclusion.
It was merely the beginning of a far greater journey.