Everyone wanted to be faster than everyone else, and every sect wanted more of its disciples to pass than any other.
This involved not only racing ahead, but also obstructing and being obstructed—even killing and being killed.
After all, killing was supposedly forbidden.
But once inside the Withered Wood Forest, there was no supervision. Otherwise, where did the high annual casualty rate come from?
Once everyone had arrived, the people from the Celestial Sword Sect didn't waste any time and quickly got things underway.
The Elders from the fifteen sects each boarded a Flying Demon Beast and flew directly to the central area of the Withered Wood Forest.
The remaining Flying Demon Beasts were gathered together. Under the direction of the Inner Sect disciples from each sect, every Flying Demon Beast was loaded with disciples from all Fifteen Major Sects, scattering them as widely as possible along the various edges of the Withered Wood Forest.
