Translator: CinderTL
Xu Sanyan was also curious about who would be next. There were five Holy Son tokens in total, and two had already been claimed.
The remaining candidates still in the mountains were Qi Liang, the Sect Leader's disciple; Tu Wanshan, the son of Venerable He Yu; and Mengdie, Hua Gu's direct disciple. These three were considered the most likely contenders.
Yet, a single Holy Son token remained unclaimed.
Moments later, Hua Gu returned with Jiang Qinqin. Jiang Qinqin sat beside Xu Sanyan and whispered, "Senior Brother Xu, you're truly remarkable. The ancient ruins were the most dangerous area, with the largest number of participants. I never expected you to be the first to break through the encirclement. I'm truly impressed."
Jiang Qinqin's words weren't flattery but genuine surprise. Ten teams had entered the mountains, with Luo Yu, Zhou Longsheng, and Gong Niang's teams heading to the ancient ruins. Later, Fang Xiang and You Jianfeng followed.
In total, half the teams had gone to the ruins. Yet the outcome was completely unexpected: Xu Sanyan, a previously unknown junior, emerged victorious.
Xu Sanyan chuckled softly. "Senior Sister, your skills are quite impressive as well. I wonder, where did you obtain your Holy Son token?"
"The Phoenix Tree Forest," Jiang Qinqin replied, shaking her head slowly with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Unfortunately, none of my fellow disciples made it to the end. Alas..."
"Senior Sister, please accept my condolences," Xu Sanyan said.
After a brief exchange, the two closed their eyes to meditate.
On either side, the elders and disciples adopted various postures. Some chatted idly, others cultivated, while some, unable to endure the wait, had already retreated.
For cultivators, the time spent waiting was insignificant. What truly mattered was knowing who would return next.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Just as dawn was breaking, the next Holy Son emerged: Tu Wanshan, the son of Venerable He Yu.
He was followed by the Bald Woman and a young man. Of the original twenty-odd participants, only these two remained. The others had perished, their fates unknown.
Above, Venerable He Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Tu Wanshan was his biological son and his most promising heir, destined to succeed him. Naturally, he didn't want anything to happen to him.
Hua Gu clasped her hands and smiled. "Congratulations, Dao Brother."
"Heh heh..." Venerable He Yu stroked his beard and chuckled.
The process remained the same. Even the son of Venerable He Yu had to undergo the Heart-Inquiry Hall trial, a testament to the rigorous standards of the Holy Scripture.
Below, the crowd murmured in discussion, unsurprised by the outcome. After all, Tu Wanshan had ranked high in the competition and was the son of Venerable He Yu. His success was only natural. What puzzled them was why Qi Liang hadn't returned yet.
With Qi Liang's strength and the largest group of followers, he should have returned long ago. Whispers of speculation filled the air, and even Xu Sanyan grew curious.
When they had set out, Qi Liang had declared that the first Holy Son Token would be his. Why had he delayed his return for so long?
Xu Sanyan turned to Jiang Qinqin and asked, "Senior Sister Jiang, have you seen Senior Brother Qi?"
Jiang Qinqin nodded lightly. "I saw him once from a distance, but we didn't speak."
"Did he obtain the Holy Son Token?"
"Yes." Jiang Qinqin seemed unwilling to elaborate, simply nodding slightly.
Xu Sanyan gazed at the rainbow light on the horizon—the last remaining streak of light. That must be Qi Liang. But judging by his direction, it seemed... he wasn't heading here?
What had happened to him?
Or was there something he hadn't finished?
Deep within the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain, Qi Liang wiped the blood from his cheek with a finger. Sima Xin lay on the ground, his eyes vacant, a jade-green sword plunged through his chest. Blood gurgled from the wound, and corpses littered the ground. Several figures moved among the fallen, their weapons raised to deliver finishing blows.
With a casual wave of his hand, Qi Liang summoned his longsword, which landed in his grasp. Sima Xin, still clinging to life, strained to turn his head toward him. His chest heaved like a tattered bellows, gasping out ragged breaths.
"Heh heh... From the moment you first came to my side, I knew who you truly served. Pretending to be a fool in front of you for so long has been exhausting," Qi Liang said, strolling forward. He wiped the blood from his sword on a nearby tree. "Once I claim the title of Holy Son, I'll stand on equal footing with Qi Yuanzhu—at least in appearance."
He knelt down and tapped Sima Xin's face with the flat of his sword, a smile playing on his lips, while his eyes remained cold and merciless.
"Heh... you... will... eventually..."
Sima Xin widened his eyes, struggling to utter a final curse, but Qi Liang gave him no chance. He slowly rose, his longsword flashing through the air, and a massive head rolled far away.
Looking at the corpses scattered across the ground, there were far more than just Sima Xin. Thirty-odd bodies lay scattered about, all of them Qi Liang's own men. Though nominally loyal to him, most had been bought over by Qi Yuanzhu.
Qi Liang pulled a token from Sima Xin's embrace, weighed it in his hand, and then tucked it into his pocket.
The token Jiang Qinqin possessed had been given to her by Qi Liang. This one had been found by Sima Xin on Hundred Beast Peak. As for the third token, Qi Liang had already tasked Fang Xiang with retrieving it.
Using his silver tongue and carefully weighing the pros and cons, he had successfully persuaded Fang Xiang to form a partnership. This wasn't a master-subordinate relationship like the one with Jiang Qinqin, but one of equals.
In the future, one would be the Holy Son of Harmonious Heart Mountain, and the other the Holy Son of Blood Refinement Mountain. They wouldn't be rivals, but could still benefit from each other.
With this, both Blood Refinement Mountain and Joyous Harmony Mountain now had Qi Liang's people, and both were Holy Sons, second only in status to the Hall Master!
As for the final token, Qi Liang knew exactly where it was: at the bottom of Tranquil Heart Pool, his first stop!
He had seen it with his Spirit Eye back then, but he had been too busy with other matters to retrieve it immediately.
The events that had transpired between him and Jiang Qinqin had been entirely unexpected. Even without that incident, he would have found a way to stay.
Now that everything had concluded, Sima Xin was no longer needed. It was time to clean up.
Xu Sanyan watched Qi Liang approach from afar, his gaze instinctively drifting toward Hua Gu. He saw a look of deep concern etched between her brows.
Four Holy Son candidates had already emerged, leaving only one spot remaining. Why hadn't Mengdie appeared yet?
Hua Gu glanced at Jiang Qinqin, sighing inwardly. Among her three disciples, she had the least faith in Jiang Qinqin. Even Gong Niang was stronger. Yet, it was Jiang Qinqin who had emerged.
Alas... fate is truly unpredictable.
Suddenly, the fifth rainbow light ignited, sending a jolt of energy through the crowd. Was the Holy Son Competition finally drawing to a complete close?
Who would be the last candidate? Would it be Mengdie, Hua Gu's personal disciple? Or perhaps Zhou Longsheng of Crimson Dragon Mountain, who had ranked fourth? Or perhaps Fang Xiang, one of the Blood Refinement Branch's dual Holy Sons, would emerge victorious?
Just then, Qi Liang approached from a distance, took a seat, and clasped his hands in a respectful bow toward Xu Sanyan. His expression was amiable. "Senior Brother Xu, your skill is truly remarkable. Congratulations on claiming the top spot."
Xu Sanyan returned the bow. "Senior Brother Qi flatters me."
Tu Wanshan, who was seated between them, interrupted their conversation. "Who do you think the last candidate will be?"
Xu Sanyan shook his head. He genuinely had no idea, but he suspected it might be Fang Xiang. The Demonic Seed still remained, proving Fang Xiang was still alive.
This was the final Holy Son Token. Everyone would be desperate to claim it. Fang Xiang's survival alone was enough to prove many things.
Of course, it was also possible that others hadn't had a chance to intercept him yet.
(End of the Chapter)
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