Translator: Lordbluefire Editor: Lordbluefire

  "How powerful. As expected of the number one genius in the Eastern Prefecture."

  "It’s rumored that Gusu Tianqi has a combat prowess capable of surmounting three levels of cultivation. However, those participants who are able to attend this banquet are all outstanding characters. I wonder how many levels Gusu Tianqi can surmount if he went all out. Based on the dominance he exhibited earlier, if he went all out, there shouldn’t be any problem to defeat any of the eighth-level ascendant here at the banquet."

  The hearts of the crowd mused silently. The top three rankers position - since Gusu Tianqi was present, his name was most definitely already locked into one of the top three. In fact, there was a very high possibility that he would become the top ranker.

  "Not bad. For the second battle, who wants to fight?" Dongsheng Ting, who was standing upon his azure dragon, returned to his original seat. Upon seeing the participants standing there silently, he asked again.

  Because Gusu Tianqi’s fight was too dazzling, many people knew that even if they acted and won against their opponent, their brilliance would be far inferior to that of Gusu Tianqi. Hence, no one was willing to step out for the second battle.

  "I will."

  A cold wind gusted by as a grey silhouette appeared on the platform. Although he didn’t have the dominance aura of Gusu Tianqi earlier, he gave off a bone-chilling sensation.

  This figure who stood upon the platform seemed somewhat sinister. His skin was extremely pale, and his skinny figure was hidden within his grey robes. Those malevolent eyes of his caused people to feel fear when they matched his gaze. This man’s cultivation level was the same as Gusu Tianqi, a sixth-level ascendant; but no matter what, his brilliance was already destined to be overshadowed by Gusu Tianqi’s.

  The medallion on his robe showed - Underworld Prefecture, #2, Xie Ying (Evil Shadow).

  "What a sinister and evil energy." The crowd stared at Xie Ying. Xie Ying stood there casually, his eyes gleaming with a white light as he stared at the participants. After which, a sinister voice rang out, "Anyone willing to step out to challenge me?"

  "Xie Ying of the Underworld Prefecture. If one can defeat him, they would surely be able to leave a lasting impression on the judges. However, this Xie Ying is absolutely not someone that is easy to deal with." The other sixth-level ascendants mused in their hearts. However, this competition was to select the top twenty rankers, roughly around two participants for each cultivation level. For their level, there was already a Gusu Tianqi. If they couldn’t show that they are the second most outstanding, they would have no chance at all.

  If they cannot defeat Gusu Tianqi, this meant that they would have to defeat Xie Ying no matter what. If not, the chances of going on to the next round would be too slim.

  Yi Changfeng and Xia Hanjiang were all thinking of this. Both of them came from the Cloud Prefecture, Yi Changfeng was a disciple of the Myriad Sage Academy while Xia Hanjiang is from the Cloud Tower Sage Sect. The Idlecloud Immortal King casually glanced over to them, as did the gazes from experts of their sect. Naturally, they hoped that these two individuals would be able to become one of the top twenty rankers.

  "Let me try." Xia Hanjiang abruptly moved, appearing on the platform. As a disciple of the Cloud Tower Sage Sect, he was naturally proficient in many innate techniques. Also, most of them were overwhelming powerful ones.

  Xia Hanjiang exuded a tyrannical aura as he stood on the battle platform. Xie Ying instantly lunged over, his movement akin to a shadow lengthening in the void. A bone-chilling cold permeated the air, Xia Hanjiang roared in rage and released his constellation but at this very moment, the skies suddenly turned dark. That was Xie Ying’s constellation that hung suspended in the air. Underneath the murky darkness, numerous shadows flickered continuously, emitting whistling sounds but Xie Ying himself was nowhere to be seen.

  Xia Hanjiang attacked in a frenzy, causing deafening explosive sounds to ring out. Each and every one of his attacks contained towering might, but the terrifying cold in the atmosphere intensified further and felt as though it wanted to freeze the entire space solid.

  "Swish~" A ghostly claw suddenly slashed past the space, as sharp as a sword or saber. The ghostly claw shone with a glistening blood-red light, incomparably tough and eerie. Xia Hanjiang’s countenance drastically changed. He waved his arms, manifesting an ancient shield but just an instant later, the shield was shattered apart by the ghostly claw as it disappeared into the shadows once again.

  "Chi……" From another direction, another ghostly claw manifested, ripping through space aiming for Xia Hanjiang. However in the next moment, the crowd only saw a countless number of grey silhouettes appearing in the darkness. At the end, this entire space was filled with grey-colored ghostly silhouettes as a countless number of ghostly claws slashed down. Xia Hanjiang roared in rage, unleashing his strength in all directions but the spectators already understood that Xia Hanjiang would lose this battle for sure. All his attacks were being countered effortlessly.

  And as expected, although Xia Hanjiang erupted forth with a stronger might at the very end, he still failed to change the situation. Xie Ying grew increasingly stronger and at the end, his ghostly claws almost claimed Xia Hanjiang’s life. Luckily for Xia Hanjiang, his reaction was quick enough to call out his admission of defeat, which allowed him to leave the battle platform alive albeit being heavily injured.

  After defeating Xia Hanjiang, Xie Ying returned back to his seat at the banquet. But even so, the heavy and sinister air could still be felt in the atmosphere. The Idlecloud Immortal King couldn’t help but sigh in his heart when he saw the dispirited Xia Hanjiang returning after his defeat. Xie Ying was the second ranker of the Underworld Prefecture, it was only normal for Xia Hanjiang to be defeated.

  This Xie Ying was proficient in underhanded attacks. Although his weakness lies in direct attacks, that was only a matter of perspective. He might be weaker compared to Gu Zhantian, the top ranker of the Cloud Prefecture, but he still wasn’t inferior to Xia Hanjiang. This, determined the result of the battle.

  Next, countless participants stepped upon the battle platform and fought against each other. Numerous awe-inspiring battles erupted forth endlessly as the combat prowess of some individuals left the spectators stunned for words.

  "The top ranker of the Cloud Prefecture Gu Zhantian is truly powerful as well. Clad in violet-gold light, flood dragons converged in the skies, his Wargod fist could destroy even gods if they stood in his path. Who would have expected that the Cloud Prefecture would be able to produce such a startling genius."

  "Blackpeak, the disciple of Deepflame Immortal King. He is not bad indeed. That devilish abyssal flames are too terrifying, he can incinerate all who oppose him. Although his opponent is also a heaven chosen, he was defeated very quickly." The battles continued one after another. When Blackpeak fought, many people exclaimed in admiration as they glanced over to the Deepflame Immortal King, "Deepflame, your ability to teach disciples is extraordinary as well."

  "Hahaha, this little brat still needs to temper himself more." The Deepflame Immortal King was very satisfied with Blackpeak’s battle result. However there were still many who were bewildered. Before this, Qin Wentian and his fellow sect members said that during the first selection test, Blackpeak was crushed by Qin Wentian and this didn’t seem to be false at all. Could it be that Qin Wentian had that kind of strength?

  "The top ranker of the Qian Prefecture, Ye Qianchen is graceful; the top ranker of the Li Prefecture, Cang Ao is tyrannical; the second ranker of Eastern Prefecture, Xia Jiufeng is a madman. All these top rankers are truly worthy of their rankings. This time around, other than Gusu Tianqi, who else do you guys think highly of?"

  As the battles erupted continuously, more and more dazzling characters appeared on the platform. The atmosphere of the immortal banquet naturally also became more intense.

  "Blackpeak, the disciple of Deepflame Immortal King is truly not bad." Someone commented, more than willing to give face to the Deepflame Immortal King.

  "Cang Ao is also very outstanding, I think highly of him."

  "It’s very tough to choose. The top ranker of the Blazing Sun Prefecture, Dugu Xishan is also extremely terrifying."

  "Mo Wen of the Supreme Moon Prefecture is also very powerful. She can defeat her opponents almost effortlessly. Although she hasn’t gone all out yet, all of you should be able to feel a special aura from her body. That should be a very rarely seen physique." Some immortal kings had their attention on a female participant. This was none other than the top ranker of the Supreme Moon Prefecture.

  "The top ranker of the Western Desert Prefecture, Feather King, seems to be an expert from the Wing Devil Race." The countenance of some powerful immortal kings abruptly turned sharp when they saw Feather King appearing on the platform.

  "That’s right, this Feather King is the king of the younger generations of the Wing Devil Tribe. His name is a title granted to him by elders of that race." At the banquet, the prefecture lord of the Western Prefecture explained, his words causing many immortal kings to turn their attention onto Feather King.

  The Wing Devil Race is one of the three most powerful races that lived in the Western Desert Prefecture. In fact, their race was known as the strongest race to exist in the Western Desert.

  The experts of this race cultivates in the starry space to form a pair of incomparable wings, and perfecting their bodies. There was a secret cultivation art that was guarded extremely closely, the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect had many times wanted to invite experts of the Wing Devil Race to join their sect but was rejected each time. Now, Feather King came to participate in the disciple selection test, could it be that the Wing Devil Race has straightened out their thoughts?

  "This is getting more and more interesting. As expected of the merciless Western Desert Prefecture where the strong reign supreme. The top ranker of the Western Prefecture is someone from the top-ranking race, while the second ranker is an expert from the Heavenly God Race. For people of the Heavenly God Race, their bodies are larger than ordinary people and they have the ability to transform into giants as well, they proclaim that they are descendants of heavenly gods and have inborn divine strength. As for the third ranker, it’s actually a monk, but there’s not much information about him."

  The spectators discussed fervently. At this moment, Feather King already started his fight. His opponent was also a very strong participant that was ranked #5. However right at the start of combat, a dazzling light flashed as a pair of violet-gold wings took form behind Feather King’s back. They were flapping so fast that they flickered, and his silhouette completely vanished from sight. His speed was simply too fast, so fast to an inconceivable extent. His wings then slashed out, resembling a supreme saber light, cleaving apart the heavens and earth. His opponent hurriedly mounted a defense but as Feather King’s strike arrived, a resplendent devil imprint manifested as a series of thunderous explosive sounds rang out. His opponent screamed in agony as his palms shattered from the overwhelming impact, as he was blasted off the battle platform.

  Feather King floated up in the air. A violet-golden beam arced through the sky as he returned back to his original seat. He was another heaven chosen who was a demon-level character, exuding a magnificence that could last through the generations.

  "Is that the strength of experts from the Wing Devil Race? How terrifying." Everyone mused silently.

  "This Feather King, maybe he can even contend against Gusu Tianqi for supremacy." The notion of accepting this talent as their disciples rose up in the minds of many immortal kings. So many of these geniuses were remarkable characters, as expected of those who have passed through the numerous selection tests designed by the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect.

  "Mhm, there’s a high possibility that Feather King might be one of the top three rankers. In that case, there’s only one more spot remaining. I wonder if there are any participants who are as dazzling as Gusu Tianqi and Feather King?"

  "Earlier, weren’t there some people whose words were mocking and sharp? But why I don’t see them coming forth to battle the other participants?" At this moment, the Deepflame Immortal King’s eyes swept over to Qin Wentian and his fellow sect members. Jun Mengchen snorted coldly as he stood up, yet he only heard Qin Wentian saying, "Mengchen, let me do it."

  "Right." Jun Mengchen sat down against upon seeing Qin Wentian wishing to act. After which, Qin Wentian left his seat and appeared for the first time on the ancient battle platform.

  He turned his gaze over to the participants, and those who were at the fifth-level of Celestial Phenomenon were all well aware of Qin Wentian’s strength. How could anyone dare to challenge him?

  "Up till now, the disciples of the various immortal kings have yet to fight. Isn’t it about time for them to show themselves?" Deepflame Immortal King spoke, his words causing the expressions of many here to turn solemn. Seems like the Deepflame Immortal King had been suppressing his unhappiness earlier and now, he finally wanted to vent all his emotions out on this man.

  "Purgatory Immortal King, your disciple is known to have fully inherited your legacy. Why don’t you get him to go up on the platform and allow us to broaden our horizons?" The Deepflame Immortal King turned his gaze onto a immortal king nearby with a gigantic stature. This man was also a war general under the Eastern Sage Immortal Emperor, he naturally had supreme combat prowess. He has a disciple at the fifth-level of Celestial Phenomenon who is also extremely powerful.

  "Sure. Since you, Deepflame, wish to take a look, I shall get that little fellow to act." The Purgatory Immortal King’s voice was like a great tidal wave, reverberating through the air. Beside him, a young man whose eyes shone with the blazing flames of purgatory walked out, appearing terrifying to the extreme!