Translator: CinderTL
Xu Sanyan's Spiritual Power surged, and a mass of inky darkness materialized behind him. As the black mist condensed, the Blood Demon's figure slowly emerged.
He decided to test the formation using the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon was incredibly fast; it might succeed. Even if it failed and the Blood Demon was destroyed, he wouldn't feel too bad about the loss.
With this thought, he tossed the vial of beast blood to the Blood Demon. The creature's three fingers snatched the porcelain bottle, and it took up a defensive stance at the edge of the formation.
Xu Sanyan manipulated the formation flags, and a narrow crack slowly tore open in one corner of the formation. Dozens of Bloodthirsty Demon Bats swarmed through the opening in an instant. Xiang Tan and the others drew their longswords and began hacking them down. Meanwhile, the Blood Demon seized the opportunity to slip out, and the formation quickly sealed shut again.
The Blood Demon's slender form moved like a bolt of black lightning, its speed astonishing. It vanished in a blur, leaving the swarm of Demon Bats unable to form a complete encirclement.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Phoenix Tree Forest, three factions faced off against each other. One of them was led by Qi Liang.
More than a dozen corpses lay scattered on the ground, all gruesomely mutilated. A woman, drenched in blood, leaned against a tree, a gaping wound torn open in her abdomen, her internal organs barely visible.
This was Jiang Qinqin, ranked ninth among the disciples. Most of the corpses on the ground were her followers.
Jiang Qinqin gasped violently, blood occasionally spilling from her lips. It was clear she wouldn't last much longer.
Qi Liang glanced indifferently at Jiang Qinqin before finally focusing on the token in Mengdie's hand.
The token emitted a ray of colorful light that shot straight into the sky, impossible to ignore. This was the Holy Son Token, the object everyone had been fighting tooth and nail to obtain.
On the other side, Fang Xiang, ranked fifth, smirked and spat into his palm. After rubbing his hands together, he smoothed down a tuft of hair that stood straight up on his head.
As if the scene had nothing to do with him, he was merely there to watch the spectacle.
Qi Liang frowned at the tuft of hair, which Fang Xiang had slicked down until it gleamed unpleasantly. The sight made him slightly nauseous, and he quickly averted his gaze.
The air was heavy with silence, broken only by Jiang Qinqin's labored breathing.
After a long moment, Fang Xiang spoke first, his tone flippant. "Hey, Qi Liang, what are you waiting for? Go grab it! You really think that little girl is just going to hand over the Holy Son Token to you?"
Mengdie covered her mouth and giggled, a hint of shyness coloring her delicate features. "Senior Brother Fang, what are you saying? Senior Brother Qi is a true man, the Sect Leader's most promising disciple. How could he steal from me? If word got out, it would tarnish his reputation."
"Tsk..." Fang Xiang snorted dismissively, but couldn't be bothered to argue.
Qi Liang flashed a charming smile. "Junior Sister Mengdie, there are still four Holy Son Tokens yet to appear. Senior Brother thinks it's completely unnecessary to risk your life over this one. What do you think?"
Mengdie hesitated. She certainly didn't want to give up. There were only five Holy Son Tokens, and it was uncertain how many more would be found. Each one was precious.
But Qi Liang's faction was the strongest. Facing them directly, she had no guarantee of victory.
This Holy Son Token had originally been found by Jiang Qinqin. By chance, she and Fang Xiang had also been in the Phoenix Tree Forest. They had each used their skills to try and seize it, but Mengdie had ultimately outmaneuvered them, claiming the token for herself.
Before she could even warm her hands around it, Qi Liang had arrived with his men, leading to the current standoff.
Suddenly, a streak of multicolored light pierced the darkening sky, drawing the gazes of all three factions.
The second Holy Son Token had appeared.
Qi Liang calmly pointed towards the distance and said, "Junior Sister Mengdie, do you think you have a better chance of winning if you fight me for this one, or if you go after that one?"
Fang Xiang raised an eyebrow and silently led his group toward the location where the second Holy Son Token had appeared—near the Divine Tree, where Tu Wanshan, ranked second, was located. The first token had already slipped through his fingers.
Mengdie's expression shifted between hope and despair. The second token would undoubtedly spark a fierce battle. As the saying goes, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." She was unwilling to give up.
Qi Liang seemed to sense Mengdie's inner turmoil. With a wave of his hand, the forty-plus members of his group spread out, completely encircling Mengdie's twenty-odd followers. "I'll give you ten more breaths to consider," he said.
As time slowly ticked by, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Qi Liang extended his palm, and a pale green longsword materialized from thin air.
Mengdie's expression flickered. Finally, with a long sigh, she succumbed to the pressure and dared not risk a fight. She tossed the token to Qi Liang. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Qi, on becoming the Holy Son."
"Junior Sister, your choice was truly wise."
Qi Liang caught the Holy Son Token, barely suppressing his excitement. As long as he could safely leave Ten Thousand Demons Mountain now, he would be the Holy Son!
Just like his elder brother,
—the Holy Son!
In an unnoticed corner, Jiang Qinqin lay slumped on the ground, her expression desolate. Her eyelids twitched slightly, and she cautiously opened a sliver of her eyes...
Everyone had forgotten that she had been the first to obtain the Holy Son Token.
Xu Sanyan closed his eyes tightly, concentrating on controlling the Blood Demon to avoid the bats along the way as it charged madly into the distance.
As the number of Bloodthirsty Demon Bats on both sides dwindled, Xu Sanyan looked down at the Blood Demon's wounds. Dense, crisscrossing marks oozed blood. The most severe injury was on its back, where a two-inch-long gash had torn open, revealing the bone beneath the flesh. These were all claw marks from the bats along the way.
Such injuries weren't fatal to the Blood Demon, as it was already an inanimate object. Moreover, the Bloodthirsty Demon Bats hadn't relentlessly pursued it, allowing it to escape with only a near-death experience.
After traveling further, the Blood Demon hurled the porcelain bottle with all its might. It arced through the air and shattered against a distant tree trunk, spilling crimson blood across the ground. A pungent, fishy odor slowly wafted through the air.
"Squeak, squeak!"
The Bat King twitched its nostrils, then abruptly took flight, soaring directly toward the source of the scent. A massive swarm of Bloodthirsty Demon Bats followed in its wake.
Through the Blood Demon's perspective, Xu Sanyan looked up at the sky-darkening swarm of bats hurtling toward him. He was deeply shocked.
The sky was completely shrouded by a swarm of Bloodthirsty Demon Bats, their dark red wings blotting out the evening sky. Only occasionally did a sliver of sunlight manage to pierce through the gaps between them.
There was no escape.
Xu Sanyan shook his head. Though he had thrown the porcelain bottle far away, the bats' coverage was simply too vast. The Blood Demon had nowhere to flee. He could only hide it and leave its fate to chance.
Meanwhile, the bats that had been clinging to the Eight Directions Divine Lock Formation had also dispersed, clearing the view. Xu Sanyan could finally see outside.
His eyebrows arched as he noticed two vibrant streaks of light shooting into the sky from the horizon. One remained stationary, while the other moved slowly.
"Senior Brother Xu, look!" Xiang Tan exclaimed in surprise. "Another Holy Son Token has appeared!"
Xu Sanyan nodded slightly and handed her the formation flags. "Wait for me here."
Xiang Tan took the flags, puzzled. "Senior Brother, where are you going?"
Xu Sanyan tilted his chin toward the tallest stone pillar.
I wonder if there's a Holy Son Token inside.
(End of the Chapter)
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