Ancient Godly Monarch - Chapter 367

Chapter 367: Where did your courage come from?

Seeing Xuan Yan’s vermilion bird devouring the ancient luck, Chen Wang could only seethe in impotent rage, as he was too late to stop it from happening. A cruel light glinted in his eyes as he slammed his palms into Xuan Yan, causing her robes to be burned to tatters as she slammed heavily onto the ground, coughing up fresh blood.

“Do you truly want to die?” Chen Wang’s voice was ice-cold, he didn’t think that there would be anyone who dared to spoil his plans.

“Chen Wang, Hua Taixu isn’t in this batch, and you are already the strongest among us. Yet in order to threaten Qin Wentian you actually resorted to such a despicable method. Don’t you know the meaning of shame?” Xuan Yan coldly retorted with no fear in her eyes.

“I want to kill him, regardless of what method I use. Nobody can stop me. I will definitely make him die.” Chen Wang’s voice was coated with venom, his tone extremely decisive. How could he ignore the humiliation of being injured by Qin Wentian under the countless stares of the spectators? Qin Wentian hid in the cave and inscribed fourth-ranked Inscriptions to protect himself. If he barged in stupidly, that was the action of a fool. Hence, he wanted to capture Chu Mang and the rest to force Qin Wentian out.
To him, this was merely a means to an end.

“You have to pay a price for spoiling my plans.” Chen Wang had a sinister grin on his face as he stared at Yao Jun. “Her ancient luck is yours for the taking if you help me accomplish a task. And if I meet you again in the course of the ranking battle, I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Yao Jun’s eyes glimmered with a demonic light as he stared at Chen Wang.

“Fine!” Yao Jun agreed.

Chen Wang revealed Qin Wentian’s location to him and after some instruction, Chen Wang flew off to seek Fan Le and Ouyang Kuangsheng.

Qin Wentian and Xuan Yan weren’t that familiar with each other, so Chen Wang wasn’t sure if he could use her to force Qin Wentian out. Hence, he decided not to waste time and command Yao Jun to do the task for him.

He believed that since Yao Jun agreed, he wouldn’t dare go back on his words. Otherwise, if they were to meet again, he would definitely make Yao Jun die a terrible death.

This was the imposing manner that comes naturally to those confident in their strength. Even the powerful Yao Jun had to submit.

But naturally, since Yao Jun agreed so readily, it was apparent that he had his own motives as well.
After Chen Wang left, Yao Jun’s gaze landed on Xuan Yan, roaming around her tantalizing exposed skin as he advanced towards her.

Xuan Yan radiated an extremely cold intent, yet Yao Jun directly cut off her attempts to fight back with a single sentence. “The women from the Mystic Maiden Palace are all pure with jade bodies, and for those of us from the Skydemon sect, they are extremely suitable to use as a furnace to increase our power via duo cultivation. If you resist in any way, I wouldn’t mind teaching you a lesson.”

“You…” Xuan Yan instantly paled when she heard Yao Jun’s words. Yao Jun coldly continued, “If you obey and cooperate, I won’t touch you inappropriately.”

After speaking, he placed his arms around Xuan Yan’s waist. She involuntarily trembled with disgust from his touch, yet she made no move to resist him. Following which, Yao Jun carried her as he soared into the skies, making his way to Qin Wentian’s location.

In the outside world, cold anger burned in the eyes of those from the Mystic Maiden Palace.

Xuan Yan was a core member, a Heaven’s Chosen from their Mystic Maiden Palace, yet was subjected to such humiliation. How could they tolerate this?

“That lass is truly foolish.” In front of Xuan Xin, a female disciple from the Mystic Maiden Palace was cursing in displeasure. Because of Chu Mang, Xuan Yan chose to sacrifice herself.

“Senior Xuan Yan was too rash, doesn’t she realize that she’s representing the prestige of our Mystic Maiden Palace?” Li Shiyu berated.

“But Big Bro Chu Mang helped Senior Sister Xuan Yan in the first place, so Senior Sister was only doing this to repay the debt of gratitude she owed. What wrong was there?” Xuan Xin defended Xuan Yan, yet the female disciple in front harshly shot back, “Shut your foolish mouth.”
Xuan Xin’s mouth twitched in displeasure, yet she kept her silence. At this moment, Chu Mang was finally sent out of the formation world by the spatial laws within. He stood in the middle of the crowd, as all those near him moved to give him space, out of respect or fear. Chu Mang was someone who had comprehended a second level Mandate in Yuanfu and had the power to fight evenly with Yao Jun. His true capabilities definitely ranked within the top fifteen of the Heavenly Fate Rankings.

Although he was eliminated indirectly because of Chen Wang, Chu Mang had already proved his prowess. He would definitely be ranked in the upcoming Heavenly Fate Rankings.
Chu Mang couldn’t be bothered about matters like the rankings. Currently, he was silently surveying the scene inside the formation world, as his heart boiled with rage.

“Chen Wang, Yao Jun.”

Chu Mang trembled with anger. He was filled with reluctance and agony when he saw Xuan Yan being mistreated like this just for the sake of saving him. He wanted nothing more than to rush in the formation right now to slay Yao Jun.

Qin Wentian was still cultivating inside the cave dwelling. Even though he was infuriated and wanted nothing more than to rush out to kill the three of them, he had no choice but to continue tolerating it.

Because his Mandate of Demons was now at the second level, as he went through the process of the second-degree demonic transformation, he could clearly feel another set of invisible shackles on his bloodlines shattering apart. He knew that the power of his bloodline just broke through to another level.

The Fiend Transformation Art, when used in conjunction with the will of his Mandate of Demons, made the blood within his body sing with delight as it coursed through all the meridians and arterial circulatory pathways of his body.

“Still somewhat lacking.”

Qin Wentian could feel that there was still another barrier preventing his bloodline from fully awakening, even after that set of invisible shackles had broken.

But he believed that as he continued growing stronger, the barrier would be broken down eventually, allowing his ancient primordial bloodline to fully awaken.

Yang Fan, Hua Feng and Situ Po were still standing guard outside. They were gradually getting impatient, they didn’t expect Qin Wentian to be at so high a level. No matter what they said to humiliate or anger him, he just wouldn’t come out.

But they couldn’t fault his intelligence. With the three of them, the moment he came out would be the moment of his death. Anyone with half a brain would naturally choose to turtle inside the cave.

As for the plundering of ancient luck, Yang Fang and the two others didn’t really bother about it. With so many monsters in this ranking battle, Yang Fan and Situ Po only hoped to be able to rank within the top ten. This was already sufficient for them.

As for Hua Feng, he hadn’t really thought about it. Right now he only wanted to kill Qin Wentian to release this breath of turbid air that he had been holding in.

“Qin Wentian, do you really intend to hide in there while your friend out here dies by our hands? Would you only come out then?” Hua Feng icily spoke as he walked towards the cave entrance. He then continued in a low voice, “The moment Chen Wang appears, I will tell him of the relationship between you and Mo Qingcheng. Isn’t Mo Qingcheng very pure and saint-like? What do you think she’ll do after Chen Wang violates her under the watching gazes of the spectators?”

“BOOOM!”

A terrifying surge of demonic qi gushed out, Hua Feng rapidly retreated as a smile of victory flashed in his eyes. Everytime he mentioned Mo Qingcheng, Qin Wentian’s focus would crumble. This was Qin Wentian’s weakness. Hua Feng planned to speak even more vicious words after every interval to disrupt Qin Wentian. It would be the best if Qin Wentian kept suffering from qi deviation during cultivation.
But at this moment, two silhouettes could be seen flying through the air. They were none other than Yao Jun and the captured Xuan Yan.

Yang Fan and the others had puzzled looks on their faces. Yao Jun coldly swept a glance at them as he icily stated, “Chen Wang wanted me to bring this woman here. He initially wanted to capture Chu Mang, but this woman spoiled his plans, devouring Chu Mang’s ancient luck and thereby sending him out of the formation world. She should have more than a passing relationship to Chu Mang, and now that Chu Mang is outside, he’ll be able to see everything happening here.”

“I see.” Hua Feng stared at Xuan Yan as he laughed, “Oh my, isn’t this Xuan Yan, the Heaven’s Chosen from the Mystic Maiden Palace? Pure and untainted? Hehe, look at her snowy skin, how alluring. Xuan Yan, tell us honestly, are you dating Chu Mang secretly? Are you even still a virgin?”

“Hua Feng, you shameless bastard,” Xuan Yan coldly snapped when she saw Hua Feng’s licentious gaze.
“Shameless?” A cold glint of light flashed past Hua Feng’s eyes. “I will show you what it truly means to be shameless. This Qin Wentian won’t even come out despite all our attempts. But I wonder, would he be infuriated enough to come out if we rape you here? Maybe, he might even want to join in on the fun.”

As the sound of Hua Feng’s voice faded, an overwhelming burst of demonic qi exploded forth from the cave. The demonic qi was like a gust of wind, and as it billowed, the passing air currents on their bodies made them feel an intense chill seeping through their bones.
“Tap, tap, tap…” Light footfalls echoed from within the cave. Their gazes swivelled over, all staring at the cave’s entrance.

Had Qin Wentian’s tolerance reached its limit?

The smile on Hua Feng’s face was exceedingly brilliant as he laughed. “Seems like my method works best after all.”

Yang Fan’s eyes gleamed with a cold light. Situ Po’s fist was also clenched in anticipation. Was it finally time? All of them wanted Qin Wentian to die.
A figure walked out of the cave dwelling. The spectators only noticed that Qin Wentian’s physique grew taller and larger. He didn’t even seem human anymore, as the demonic light in his eyes struck terror in the hearts of those who looked at him. He stood there, like an overlord of demons—even people from the Skydemon Sect couldn’t achieve the same degree of compatibility with regards to demonification as he had done.

Qin Wentian gazed at Hua Feng, appearing extremely calm. Yet those who were familiar with Qin Wentian all knew that this was the calm before the storm—a calmness that came from one’s anger that had already boiled over their limit.
“Qin Wentian, I need the demonic cultivation art that you’re cultivating. If you refuse, don’t blame me for following Hua Feng’s suggestion, tearing off this woman’s clothes piece by piece.” Yao Jun stared at Qin Wentian as he coldly stated.

He had made a promise with Chen Wang for his own purposes. He wanted the tyrannical demonic cultivation art that Qin Wentian possessed. The Skydemon Sect had long received news that Qin Wentian was cultivating an extremely powerful demon-oriented cultivation art. This art would definitely be exceedingly suitable for their Skydemon Sect. Hence, when Yao Jun saw Qin Wentian participating in the ranking battle, he actually hoped that Qin Wentian wouldn’t be eliminated too early.

Because he coveted that cultivation art.

Qin Wentian swept a glance at Yao Jun. Just a single glance was sufficient to cause Yao Jun’s heart to clench with fear.

After which, Qin Wentian turned his gaze onto Hua Feng as he finally spoke.

“You seem to have forgotten how Hua Xiaoyun died. I can assure you, your death will be even more terrible compared to his.” A cruel smile played on Qin Wentian’s face as he walked directly towards Hua Feng, he didn’t even look at the others.
Hua Feng and the rest stared at Qin Wentian. Where had his confidence come from?

Hua Feng’s aura gushed out as his Astral Souls were released. Qin Wentian had already broken through to the eighth level of Yuanfu, it seemed that it would be better to be more cautious by going all out right from the start to kill him. He didn’t want any mistakes to occur in this operation.

Yang Fan and Situ Po apparently had no intentions to move. They chose to wait—they wanted to see Qin Wentian’s strength.

As for Hua Feng? Who was he to them?

Abruptly, Qin Wentian’s third eye flared with a resplendent light. Hua Feng felt a stabbing pain in his mind as though an ancient primordial demon wanted to lacerate his sea of consciousness apart. The pain was so intense that he instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

“Peng…!”
An immense wave of formless energy blasted right at him. Hua Feng howled in pain and slammed forth with his own palms, the energy he unleashed manifested into a black-colored palm imprint flying towards Qin Wentian.

Qin Wentian’s palm pressed downwards, resembling the palm of an ancient primordial demon, causing a huge palm imprint to fall from the Heavens. With an explosive sound, the black-colored palm imprint was instantly shattered, dissipating into the air. Hua Feng turned pale as he hurriedly raised his arms in defense, but at that instant where the ancient primordial palm slammed downwards, Hua Feng was pressed ruthlessly into the ground as the earth quaked with violent tremors.
Looking up, Hua Feng saw Qin Wentian slowly moving towards him, glancing downwards at him with contempt in his eyes.

“I wonder, where did a useless person like you get such courage from?” Qin Wentian was like the overlord of demons, staring down at Hua Feng. With a single grab, one of Hua Feng’s arms was forcibly ripped from his shoulder and flung far away in the air. Such a scene caused the hearts of the spectators to pound violently, yet they all felt a wild excitement burning in their hearts.

This was what they were here for. This was what they wanted to see!

Chapter 368: Utter Domination

After that battle with Chen Wang, Qin Wentian holed himself up in the cave, not daring to come out.

But now, he had finally appeared again. And indeed, his strength was greater compared to a few days earlier, he must have broken through to the eighth level of Yuanfu. If not, it was impossible that Hua Feng couldn’t even withstand a single strike.

After all, Hua Feng was also a ranker on the Heavenly Fate Rankings. Being able to survive till now indicated that he was someone at the pinnacle of Yuanfu. But even so, he still couldn’t withstand the might of a single strike.

As expected of one unrivalled on the same level, everyone could see exactly how terrifying Qin Wentian’s strength was. Back then when he was at the seventh level of Yuanfu, he could even injure Chen Wang. How could he place people like Hua Feng in his eyes after he broke through to the eighth level? And now that he exited the cave, he did so to vent the fire of his anger.

Nobody knew what Hua Feng had whispered at the entrance of the cave to cause Qin Wentian to be so infuriated, to the extent of directly ripping an arm away. Did Qin Wentian want to torture him to death?

Qin Wentian currently had the arms of a demon. He leaned forward and stared at Hua Feng, watching as unbridled terror flashed in his eyes.

To the side, Yao Jun, Yang Fan and Situ Po all felt their hearts trembling with shock. They could clearly sense the intensity of Qin Wentian’s rage.

“I’m from the Hua Clan.” Hua Feng trembled involuntarily as his voice came out like a pathetic croak. He had no cards left, so he could only use the Hua Clan as a deterrence, hoping that Qin Wentian wouldn’t do anything too drastic to him.

Qin Wentian grabbed his other arm as the demonic light in his eyes shone sinisterly, so cold that it pierced the bones.

“No…..” Hua Feng rapidly shook his head. With a lacerating sound, accompanied by a howl of bloodcurdling agony, his other arm was forcefully ripped out. Hua Feng’s entire body was in a state of convulsion as he felt utter despair in his heart.

“This is the price you pay for uttering those words.” Qin Wentian slammed down with his palm, crushing Hua Feng’s head into a bloody pulp, making it so that he died without leaving behind a whole corpse.

Qin Wentian’s ‘reverse scale’ couldn’t be easily touched without consequences. Earlier, when Hua Feng kept uttering his insinuations and those blasphemous words, Qin Wentian had already marked him as a dead man in his heart. It was just that the flames of his anger were suppressed all the way from back then until now when it finally exploded forth.

“He did it, he actually killed Hua Feng.” The hearts of the crowd pounded violently. Those from the Hua Clan had ashen expressions on their faces, Hua Feng was a genius that the Hua Clan had painstakingly nurtured, yet he was killed so easily and without any strength for resistance. Not only that, he was abused both bodily and psychologically before Qin Wentian slayed him. The ancient luck behind Hua Feng was then devoured by Qin Wentian’s Purgatory Vermilion Bird.

Yang Fan and the rest all found themselves unconsciously edging closer to Yao Jun. The current Qin Wentian gave them an intense feeling of danger, and if they couldn’t defeat him one on one, they naturally planned to join forces. If not, they knew that if they lost, their deaths would be the same as Hua Feng—getting abused by Qin Wentian until he released them into the sweet oblivion of death.

Yao Jun’s gaze turned heavy, he never would have thought that someone at the eighth level of Yuanfu would be capable of causing him to feel such great pressure.

Qin Wentian’s current demonic form was extremely terrifying. The aura he was exuding felt even more baleful compared to actual demonic beasts, causing terror to strike instantly in the hearts of others. He possessed the innate talent of humankind, while armed with the physique and immense vitality of a demonic beast.

In the face of such a perfect combination, how could others not feel terror when it came to fighting against him?

Qin Wentian swept a glance at the three of them as he released his Demon Sovereign Astral Soul.

Head of a dragon, body of a lion, tail of a snake, wings of a roc, scales of a Xuanwu, claws of a Kirin.

“Demon Sovereign Astral Soul,” Yao Jun from the Skydemon Sect breathed in wonder. He instantly understood that this was the demonic beast ranked first in the Warbeast Index—the Demon Sovereign. Not only that, he knew that it also possessed the ability to summon.

Powerful rays of Astral Light shot forth from the Demon Sovereign into the Nine Heavenly Layers. The Vermilion Bird Formation didn’t block Astral Light, otherwise it would end up restricting the power of a contender’s Astral Souls during combat.

The rays of light grew increasingly resplendent in response, the Astral Light from the actual Demon Sovereign Constellation cascaded downwards, forming an innate connection. As a thunderous sound reverberated the void, the surrounding earth shattered as a terrifying ancient golden-colored ape appeared beside Qin Wentian.

“Golden Primal Ape, ranked third on the Warbeast Index. It possesses boundless strength and an unparalleled defense.” Yao Jun’s countenance grew increasingly ugly as he witnessed the summoned Astral warbeast. The Golden Primal Ape exuded an aura similar to those at the pinnacle of the ninth level of Yuanfu—given how Qin Wentian was only at the eighth level, this was a summon that jumped levels.

At this moment, a blood-colored light covered the area as a terrifying crimson demonic beast soared into the skies, coldly staring at the three of them.

“Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk, ranked fifth on the Warbeast Index.” Yao Jun turned ashen, this summoned beast exuded an aura similar to those at the pinnacle of the ninth level of Yuanfu.

The summoning wasn’t concluded yet, as even more demonic beasts took form in the formation world.

“Blue-scaled Flood Dragon.”

“Silver-armored Bear King.”

“Silvery Roc.”

Qin Wentian was surrounded by five powerful Astral warbeasts that had rankings on the Warbeast Index. Instantly, the region was permeated by overwhelming amounts of demonic qi.

Yang Fan and Situ Po finally started to feel fear. All five of these demonic beasts had a cultivation base at the pinnacle of Yuanfu and were existences that were equal to their own.

With a long screech, the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk swooped down towards Situ Po.

The Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk had a speed as fast as lightning, and with a flash of crimson light, it disappeared from sight. Situ Po instantly released his Astral Soul as a starstone-clad guardian manifestation appeared above his head. Roaring in madness, Situ Po didn’t hesitate. He immediately followed up with a Sword Extinction Slash of his own.

Peng…

The Thunder Hawk collided against Situ Po. That immense momentum even forced Situ Po back a few steps. Another flash of crimson light inundated the area as the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk disappeared once more. At this moment, the Silvery Roc also shrieked in rage as it zoomed towards Situ Po. With two demonic beasts that excelled in speed attacking him, Situ Po was instantly shoved into a precarious position.

“BOOM!”

A thunderous sound echoed as Situ Po was flung through the air. Even the starstone armor covering his body was shattered. An expression of extreme shock shone in his eyes, how could this be? Why were these beasts so strong? Did the summoned beasts not only possess such strength but could also use the will of Mandates that their master had comprehended?

The Golden Primal Ape lunged towards Yang Fan, while the Blue-Scaled Flood Dragon and the Silver-Armored Bear King dashed towards Yao Jun.

Qin Wentian stood there, impassively surveying the scene, all while controlling the five summoned beasts through his daunting will.

Yang Fan’s Astral Soul erupted into being as his Star-Seizing Palm was further enhanced in strength. His true strength that he’d previously hidden—the will of a second level Mandate. He coated his palms with it as he directly slashed again the Golden Primal Ape that was ranked #3 in the Warbeast Index. The Star-Seizing Palm of Yang Fan contained fearsome might, yet when it collided against the palm of the Golden Primal Ape, Yang Fan was the one being catapulted through the air from the resulting impact.

“How can he be this strong?” The spectators were all dumbstruck by what they witnessed. Qin Wentian used the ranked #1 Demon Sovereign Astral Soul to summon other demonic beasts to do his battles. Not only that, each of the demonic beasts seemed to have the ability to utilize the will of his Mandates. No wonder even Yang Fan was knocked flying. What would Qin Wentian’s actual ranking be on the Heavenly Fate Rankings given that he had such unbelievable combat prowess?

At this moment, none of the spectators believed that Qin Wentian would be able to rank merely in the top hundred nor the top thirty-six. Despite his eighth level of Yuanfu, the majority of the crowd believed that he would definitely be ranked within the top ten.

He had proven that he had the capability to contend evenly against the other monstrous geniuses for the top three positions.

The one who felt the most shock was none other than Yao Jun, he had once wanted to condense a summoning-type Astral Soul, yet if one’s perception and sensory abilities weren’t high enough, these powerful constellations were not so easy to sense. He was extremely clear on how perverse this type of Astral Souls was—they were able to grow in power indefinitely along with the summoner. And seeing the towering amounts of demonic qi Qin Wentian exuded, there was no one else more suitable than him to condense an Astral Soul from the summoning-type demonic beasts constellations.

“Are you not afraid that I’ll kill her?” Yao Jun grabbed hold of Xuan Yan as he stared at Qin Wentian.

Only to see Qin Wentian floating in the air as he contemplated Yao Jun with his fiend-like eyes. “Release her and scram. The matter between us shall come to an end.”

Yao Jun gazed at Qin Wentian who was floating in the air. That devilish, handsome young man was staring at him in a position of utter dominance. Yan Jun felt fear gnawing in his heart, it seemed that so long as Qin Wentian willed it, he could die instantly right now. The five powerful Astral Warbeasts were no joke, Qin Wentian already possessed strength on a level that was far above his.

If he really did something to Xuan Yan, he would be the next after Hua Feng to die a terrible death.

Yao Jun trembled involuntarily, he didn’t want to die such a stupid death. Just meeting the eyes of Qin Wentian already filled him with an indescribable terror.

Releasing his grip on Xuan Yan, Yao Jun’s silhouette flickered as he instantly flew far away, his actions causing the spectators in the outside world to marvel.

Yan Jun chose not to battle but rather, to release Xuan Yan instead.

As the spectators in the outside world, they couldn’t feel the aura and pressure Qin Wentian was exuding. Yet it was obvious that Yao Jun could clearly feel it in the formation world. What exactly did he mean by his actions?

Xuan Yan herself was also thunderstruck. With a single statement, Qin Wentian caused Yao Jun to release her. She couldn’t help but wonder as she stared at his demonic form—when had he became so powerful?

The other Astral Warbeasts had surrounded Yang Fan. Yang Fan’s strength couldn’t be compared to that of the Golden Primal Ape and now that he was trapped within the encirclement, he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.

As for Situ Po, he was in an even more miserable state. The starstone armor that had enveloped his body had already been shattered and both the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk and Silvery Roc were gripping him with their talons as they flew over.

When Qin Wentian first emerged from the cave, the first person he’d personally dealt with, was Hua Feng.

Yang Fan back then considered himself unexcelled throughout the world and had thought of all those below him to be trash. And Situ Po, as someone who enjoyed fame on an equal level with him, how domineering was Situ Po then? His attitude lasted all the way until his defeat at the Heavenly Stele Steps and even after that, he still hadn’t abandoned the notion of killing Qin Wentian.

Yet now, Qin Wentian didn’t even need to make a move personally and they were already in such a pitiful state.

“QIN WENTIAN, DO YOU DARE TO FIGHT ME DIRECTLY?” Situ Pi howled in anger. As the sound of his voice faded away, the two birds released their taloned-grip, setting him free. Qin Wentian slowly walked forward, his eyes boring into Situ Po’s.

Upon looking into Qin Wentian’s eyes, Situ Po felt his heart trembling involuntarily from a gut-wrenching fear.

No other words were necessary, Qin Wentian advanced towards Situ Po, when suddenly, Situ Pu’s aura abruptly surged upwards in a frenzy as he released all three of his Astral Souls to augment his attacks. An inexorably powerful Sword Extinction Sword Might generated as Situ Po slashed downwards, wanting to annihilate everything in its presence.

However, the spectators only saw Qin Wentian piercing forwards with a casual finger stab, and even the power of that boundless sword-might wasn’t capable of defending against it.

“Chi!” A crisp sound echoed, Qin Wentian’s finger directly penetrated through the centre of Situ Pi’s brows. Like a surreal dream, the sword qi of Situ Po continued to howl relentlessly, yet the light in Situ Po’s eyes slowly faded as his eyes turned vacant.

Did Situ Po really just die, just like that?

He desired a face to face battle, yet through his instant demise, he discovered that Qin Wentian only needed a single finger to slay him.

Chapter 369: I want Ancient Luck

Situ Po, a Heaven’s Chosen of the Sword Extinction Sect, had his life reaped by a single finger of Qin Wentian’s.

The pitiful Situ Po had outstanding talent and was once also awarded the rights to cultivate in the thirty-six Dao Cultivation Halls. Not only that, he had just stepped into the ninth level of Yuanfu, so if he had more time, he would definitely become even more powerful.

Sadly, Situ Po met another genius whose talent was even more monstrous than his. Back then, conflict occurred between Qin Wentian and Yue Bingying in the Unmatched Realm. How arrogant was Situ Po then? At that time, he had the ability to completely dominate Qin Wentian and had only stopped because those old eccentrics in the Unmatched Realm came out to interfere, telling them to compete in the Heavenly Stele Steps trial instead.

At the trial of the Heavenly Stele Steps, Situ Po ended up being defeated and was hence ousted from the Unmatched Realm.

Hence, the killing intent in his heart didn’t dissipate with his defeat but rather, was nurtured to a boiling point. And when it erupted forth today, all that Situ Po gained was his own death.

Although the ranking battle was extremely merciless, strictly speaking, when the contenders of various powers faced each other, they wouldn’t be too ruthless. At the very least, they would still spare their opponent’s lives. But Chen Wang, Situ Po, Yang Fan and Hua Feng had truly stepped on Qin Wentian’s head too much, they wanted to force Qin Wentian out from the cave so that they could kill him, so in that case, when the situation had been reversed, why would he hesitate to kill them?

When he finally exited the cave, he first abused Hua Feng to death before scaring Yao Jun off with a single statement, and then followed up by slaying Situ Po using a single finger. Upon seeing such a scene, the spectators were all stunned into silence.

Qin Wentian’s rise was too fast, right from the first test of the drum echoes. And despite Qin Wentian’s brilliance, no one gave him a second glance because of his lower cultivation base.

But now, Qin Wentian’s actions gradually caused the spectators to forget about his cultivation base. He faced four mighty rankers on the Heavenly Fate Rankings, yet two died and one ran away. Was there any stronger rush of impact that words could convey? After all, actions still speaks louder than words.

By merely having the demonic beasts he summoned, it was already sufficient to wipe out his opponents.

In the outside world, standing among those from the Azure Emperor Palace, Yue Bingying’s countenance turned as white as a sheet of paper. She didn’t forget that it was initially because of her arrogance that Situ Po formed a grudge with Qin Wentian. She was the one that cost him his life.

Now that the man she had entrusted her hopes with died, she felt true panic and fear in her heart. Would Qin Wentian still remember her? Would he come for revenge then?

Those from the Sword Extinction Sect, Hua Clan and Star-Seizing Manor all watched on as their expressions grew incredibly ugly. This time around, Qin Wentian had managed to cleanly offend all these transcendent powers.

Although the squabbles and concerns that happened within the junior generations were usually kept within the junior generations, Qin Wentian’s actions were like a tight slap right across their faces. They couldn’t openly send Heavenly Dipper Sovereigns to kill Qin Wentian outright, because too many people witnessed what had happened here today, but they could still do things in the shadows that would cause Qin Wentian no end of trouble.

Qin Wentian naturally understood the consequences of his actions. But, as a man, how could he continue to be tolerant under those circumstances?

Or if he really submitted, would those people have spared him?

Qin Wentian’s gaze landed on the last survivor, Yang Fan.

“I will give my ancient luck to you.” Yang Fan’s countenance paled. He had never felt such a strong sense of despair before. Glancing at the five Astral Warbeasts surrounding him, Yang Fan knew that it was impossible for him to escape.

“Too late.”

Qin Wentian calmly stated. The Golden Primal Ape stomped the ground as it slammed forth with a terrifying golden palm; the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk shrieked as it struck out with its razor-sharp wings; the Silver-Armored Bear King howled in rage as it rushed forwards…

Aside from Yang Fan, the person facing such an assault, even those who were watching felt their hearts almost leaping out of their chests. Yang Fan had no escape.

Qin Wentian’s silhouette was still floating in the air as he watched the brutal scene unfolding with an air of serenity. Yang Fan, a Heaven’s Chosen-level character from the Star-Seizing Manor was mauled and lacerated so badly that no one could even recognize him anymore. He was nothing but a bloody pulp of mangled flesh.

Qin Wentian’s Purgatory Vermilion Bird instantly flew towards Yang Fan’s and began devouring it.

Instantly, the three vertical lines of light on Qin Wentian’s forehead were about to be completely formed. This meant that he had already absorbed the luck of around twenty-plus contenders that were eliminated. The majority of these contenders were eliminated by Yang Fan, and by devouring his ancient luck, naturally all those previously devoured by Yang Fan belonged to Qin Wentian as well.

Inclining his head, Qin Wentian cast his gaze onto the horizon.

“Chen Wang.”

Qin Wentian murmured, as a demonic light containing unexcelled sharpness flickered in his eyes.

“Since you are so interested in contending for the first ranking, I shall accompany you all the way.”

As the sound of his voice faded, the Silver-Armored Bear King jumped onto the back of the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk; the Blue-Scaled Flood Dragon stepped on the back of the Silvery Roc as they soared into the air, while the Golden Primal Ape moved in great strides at an extremely fast speed, rushing straight ahead. Instantly, the summoned Astral Warbeasts vanished from Qin Wentian’s line of sight.

All five Astral Warbeasts took off in three different directions, the speed of their momentum causing a demonic wind to kick up, gusting about in the formation world.

Qin Wentian then flew forward. Upon seeing his departing back view, Xuan Yan had a bitter smile on her face as she sighed in her heart. The rapid pace of Qin Wentian’s improvement made her supposedly ‘outstanding talent’ appear merely average.
Within the ancient world, the plundering of ancient luck escalated to ferocious heights. This resulted in the elimination of all the weaker contenders, only leaving the stronger ones behind. But naturally, as the number of contenders in the formation dwindled, the probability of a chance encounter with another contender was greatly reduced as well.

At this moment, Longin was walking on a flatland with his perception extended out. Although he was ranked #20 on the Heavenly Fate Ranking, it was always better to be cautious. He knew that the ranking battle this time around was many times more dangerous compared to the past—there were simply too many outstanding characters. Just moments ago, he had personally witnessed a female of transcending beauty defeating someone who was ranked even higher than him.

Right at this moment, a frown creased Longin’s face. What was happening, why did he feel the tremors of the earth growing with increasing intensity?

Shifting his gaze over in a certain direction, his countenance turned pale when he witnessed a golden-colored ape galloping his way. The ground trembled from the steps of this golden ape, with each step landing on the ground with the force of a mini earthquake.

“Isn’t that a Golden Primal Ape?” Longin’s heart pounded. Why would there be such a demonic beast appearing in the formation world? What was going on?

The Golden Primal Ape galloped right at him. In just a few giant strides, it closed the distance between them and with a roar, its palms swiped down, resembling two small golden mountains—the overwhelming strength it possessed struck fear in Longin’s heart.

As an Astral Warbeast ranked #3 in the Warbeast Index, it was famed for its perfect attack and defense. And in addition to its summoner’s will of Mandate—the Mandate of Force and Mandate of Demons—how could the Golden Primal Ape be anything less than utterly terrifying?

With a single swipe, it felt as though the Heavens were collapsing. Longin mustered all his strength to defend, yet he was effortlessly pressed into the ground. After which, the Golden Primal Ape grabbed hold of Longin in its palm and continued galloping forward.
“Vile beast, release me!” Longin struggled in impotent fury as he roared in anger. He had never been so angered before.

As the sound of his voice faded away, the Golden Primal Ape brought Longin near its maw and it roared out a heaven-shattering bellow, the volume drowning out the poor Longin’s protest. Only a single thought kept running through his head—what nonsense was this, what nonsense was this?!

Where exactly did such a beast come from?
Soon after, the Golden Primal Ape repeated its actions and grabbed hold of another person named Nyelin. Nyelin was ranked among the 30s on the Heavenly Fate Rankings and was also quite a powerful character. However, when faced with the golden ape, if one didn’t comprehend any second level Mandates, it was basically impossible to even scratch the warbeast because of its insane defense.

The ending was without suspense—Nyelin suffered the same fate as Longin and both of them were grabbed in the same palm, their bodies glued to each other. They were close to exploding from their pent-up anger.
Mind you, they were not homosexuals…
In the blink of an eye, another seven days passed. It was getting increasingly harder to hunt for ancient luck. And the strong just kept getting stronger. Of course, the amount of ancient luck they gathered was also the most abundant.
As for Chen Wang and Shi Potian, the Vermilion Birds hovering behind their backs seemed almost ready to break through their illusory form and step into reality. The bodies of the birds were perpetually covered in scorching flames, both appearing extremely terrifying.

Zhan Chen, Emperor Azure, Wang Jue, and Yan Cheng were all extremely outstanding as well.
The momentum from the dark horses—Si Qiong, Qin Zheng, Leng Hong, Hua Shaoqing and Yun Mengyi—seemed pretty much unstoppable as well.

Yet in the past few days, the one that garnered the most attention wasn’t Chen Wang, nor Shi Potian, nor any of the dark horses. It was instead, the character which everyone ignored or neglected since the beginning—Qin Wentian.
Within the Vermilion Bird Formation, an extremely shocking scene was occurring.

The Golden Primal Ape, Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk, Silvery Roc… The five Astral Warbeasts were all rushing towards a single direction. There were several figures that could be seen struggling in the Golden Primal Ape’s palms, similarly there were also several figures clutched in the talons and claws of the Silvery Roc and Blue-Scaled Flood Dragon. Their struggle was futile, these Astral Warbeasts didn’t seem to be interested in killing them. They were merely captured and were being brought with extreme speed to one location.

And ultimately, these demonic beasts gathered atop a mountain peak.

On that mountain peak, atop a huge rock, a young man sat with his eyes closed. Those captives glanced upwards, only to see a glint of sunlight shining right back in their eyes, reflected from a figure clad in platinum robes. This person was none other than Qin Wentian!
At this moment, Qin Wentian didn’t seem remotely human, instead, he resembled the overlord of demons.

His aura alone made the captives feel fear.

Aside from the Astral Warbeasts who captured them, they realized that there were also many other demonic beasts present. The beasts seemed to have gathered for a single purpose—their abject worship of Qin Wentian.
Qin Wentian was like the monarch of all demonic beasts. And now, all the captive contenders finally realized that Qin Wentian was none other than the controller of the terrifying Astral Warbeasts.

“Thanks.” Qin Wentian’s fiend-like eyes bored down upon them as his Purgatory Vermilion Bird devoured the others with great relish. They trembled in anger, yet were unable to do anything but watch on helplessly. This very act would remain in their memories, imprinted in their minds for many years to come—the legendary character of Grand Xia sitting atop a huge rock, with his imperious gaze directed at them all, like an Emperor bestowing judgement on his subjects as he plundered away their ancient luck!

Chapter 370: Variation in the Formation World

The scene happening within the formation world also left the outside spectators stunned with amazement.

The figure sitting atop the huge rock was using the summoned Astral Warbeasts to hunt and plunder away the ancient luck of these experts!

In the outside world, those from the transcendent powers couldn’t help but re-evaluate and seriously contemplate Qin Wentian. This young man’s performance had been bordering on the unbelievable right from the start, he was so outstanding that he didn’t lose out in the slightest even when compared to Chen Wang and Shi Potian. And at this moment, they couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the amount of demonic qi exuding from Qin Wentian. His eyes were already fiend-like, and he didn’t resemble a human’s but rather, a true supreme demon instead.

Old Man Tianji’s eyes flashed with a sharp light as he studied Qin Wentian.

He had peered into Grand Xia’s destiny and witnessed the emergence of the demon star. And as time passed, the radiance surrounding it only grew with increasing brightness.

Since the beginning, he had maintained his observation of the Heavenly Fate Rankings contenders—who among them did the demon star represent?

And now, it seemed that Qin Wentian was most likely to be that person. He who exuded such towering amounts of demonic qi, was he the one foretold by the demon star that would change the destiny of Grand Xia?

At this moment, the summoned Astral Warbeasts gave a loud roar as they sped off in different directions—it seemed as though the Astral Energy they contained in their forms had not yet been exhausted. That demonic young man sat down cross-legged atop the huge rock, totally immersed in his cultivation. He didn’t forget to cultivate even when he was plundering ancient luck.

The battles that occurred in the formation world grew fiercer and fiercer, yet the number of clashes gradually also decreased. And only when a total of 360 contenders were left did the spectators realize that this time around, the ranking battle was somewhat different compared to the ones held before.

“Indeed, the destiny of Grand Xia is changing.”

Old Man Tianji murmured, his words causing those nearby to shoot looks of bewilderment at him.

“It really has changed, and I wonder how many contenders the Vermilion Bird Formation will select this time around.” To the side, a powerhouse from the Great Solar Chen Clan mused. If Grand Xia’s destiny were to really change, even more contenders would be eliminated and the remaining powerful ones could each amass a never-before-seen amount of ancient luck. This was something that had never occurred before.

“Look! Chen Wang’s devoured enough ancient luck, and now his Vermilion Bird can finally lead him to his piece of destiny. He’s opened up a hole in a ground of boiling lava and magma and even the skies have turned red from all the unending flames.” At this moment, the spectators all trained their gazes at Chen Wang, who was currently in an area where lava and magma flowed uncontrolled, like the aftermath of a volcano eruption.

A series of steps descended downwards the hellish hole of unbearable flames. Chen Wang’s eyes flashed with determination, he had been plundering ancient luck as he sought out Ouyang Kuangsheng and Fan Le. But who would have thought that his ancient luck would become so concentrated, it would then lead him to a place that appeared broken apart.

He stepped forward, descending into the hellish hole.

Chen Wang’s silhouette vanished from the crowd’s sight. What exactly was hidden in the depths of that place? Only Chen Wang would know.

Agitation and excitement flashed on the features of those from the Great Solar Chen Clan. Indeed, Chen Wang was living up to his reputation. Would he finally obtain the legacy that rightfully belonged to him?

As time flowed by unceasingly, the number of people remaining in the formation world kept diminishing. The remaining contenders were all powerful characters with overwhelming combat prowess.

Ouyang Kuangsheng had also comprehended a second level Mandate, instantly becoming a character on par with the Heaven’s Chosen in the Ouyang Clan—Ouyang Zheng.

This caused those from the Ouyang Clan to feel extremely gratified in their hearts. Although Duan Qingshan’s death was dispiriting, ultimately, Ouyang Kuangsheng was still someone from the main bloodline. Now that his strength already exceeded Duan Qingshan, Duan Qingshan’s loss wasn’t of any great deal to them. As a result, Ouyang Kuangsheng’s status in the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan instantly skyrocketed.

When Ouyang Ting saw this, her countenance stiffened immediately. She felt as though everything that happened was too surreal, as though she was trapped inside a dream.

The strength of the young man who killed Duan Qingshan had already grown so much that it was unfathomable. And now that Ouyang Kuangsheng also comprehended a second level Mandate, Ouyang Ting knew that her hopes of getting the Ouyang Aristocrat Clan to avenge Duan Qingshan had just been shattered into nothingness. Compared to Ouyang Kuangsheng’s current status, she was nothing… just a mere speck of dust. The clan elders would definitely not permit her to use their forces to deal with Ouyang Kuangsheng’s buddies.

Now, her only hope remaining was that Qin Wentian would die in the formation world. Preferably, to die when duelling Chen Wang.

“Shi Potian also found his legacy, he used the condensed ancient luck of the Vermilion Bird and blasted through an ancient mountain, entering into the tunnels within.”

The hearts of the crowd trembled when they witnessed this scene.

Why had the rules in the Vermilion Bird Formation changed?

Si Qiong’s ancient luck also broke apart the land—he was the third person after Chen Wang and Shi Potian to find the legacy belonging to him.

Apparently, if the ancient luck was concentrated to a certain extent, their illusory Vermilion Birds would birth a true soul and then lead them to places where the legacies suitable to them could be found.

As of now, the contenders in the formation world numbered about a hundred. The amount of ancient luck they all had were overwhelming and their Vermilion Birds were condensed to the point where they seemed almost alive. Those that were eliminated could only watch helplessly from outside, blaming themselves for not seizing this opportunity. No one could have expected the variation in the laws that governed the Vermilion Bird Formation, not even the leaders of the transcendent powers had, let alone the contenders.

“Zhan Chen as expected, he’s been hiding his strength. He also found the legacy that belongs to him” The amazement in the hearts of the spectators grew with every passing second.

Why were there so many hidden legacies?

This was something unprecedented.

And next, Emperor Azure and Qin Zheng also succeeded.

After which, Yun Mengyi and Mu Feng followed suit.

“Eight people, there are actually eight people who found the hidden legacies!”

“From this we can evaluate the actual strength of these people. Without a doubt, these eight all have the qualifications to stand at the pinnacle of Yuanfu. Naturally, there are still some other unknown variations that may still occur—Qin Wentian, Wang Jue, Hua Shaoqing, Yan Cheng. They’re all unknown elements as well.”

The eight of them, plus another two from this group would surely be ranked within the top ten of the Heavenly Fate Rankings. Regretfully for Yao Jun, when he chose to retreat from facing Qin Wentian, it was already obvious that he didn’t have the qualifications to step into the top ten.

Qin Wentian at this moment was also accumulating ancient luck. Under the aid from his Astral Warbeasts, the amount of ancient luck he’d obtained had been concentrated to an incredible degree. The Purgatory Vermilion Bird behind him grew increasingly corporeal, with nine straight lines of light on its forehead. Not only that, it was exuding an aura similar to a human at the ninth level of Yuanfu.

He could faintly sense that the Purgatory Vermilion Bird was already ‘full’, there was no longer a need to plunder ancient luck to feed it.

At present, his eyes were still closed; he had been deep in a state of slumber for several days. There were many vivid scenes flashing through his dreamscape as he seriously immersed himself within.

It was just as the green-robed senior’s dream-will had taught him. Since it was just a dream, why not let go of all his control and common sense, and just immerse himself in boundless imagination—losing himself in the fantasy? There was a solidity in dreams, akin to reality. But whether it was real life or fantasy, it all depended on the dream-will of that person, the one who created the dream.

The distance between the Heavens and Earth can be traversed with a single thought. What are dreams actually? Reality or illusory? Genuine or forged? Interweaving truth and fiction; everything depended on the power of one’s imagination.

The Astral Warbeasts crouched quietly below the huge rock—as long as the Astral Energy within them hadn’t been exhausted, their corporeal forms wouldn’t vanish.

Back then, when he was in danger in the Sky Harmony City, Uncle Black once passed him an item, telling him only to activate it in moments of extreme danger. Only now did Qin Wentian understand that the ancient primal ape that appeared then was a sealed Astral Warbeast that could be summoned. It was a one-time use, a life-saving treasure which Uncle Black had given him.

The Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk and the Silvery Roc prostrated themselves on the left and right of Qin Wentian as the Golden Primal Ape stood up, its head reaching the huge rock where Qin Wentian was sitting on.

Qin Wentian extended his left hand as he gently caressed the Golden Primal Ape’s head, before rubbing the feathers on the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk’s back. The Astral Warbeasts lifted their heads slightly glancing at him as though they possessed an intelligence of their own. These Astral Warbeasts summoned by Qin Wentian, were innately interlinked to him in terms of thoughts and intentions.

At Qin Wentian’s back, the Purgatory Vermilion Bird let out a long screech as the Astral Warbeasts once again adopted submissive positions, lowering their heads. It was as though they could feel the imposing air of a king’s stateliness.

Qin Wentian had a wry smile on his face when he saw this. After which, he saw the Purgatory Vermilion Bird flapping its wings, slapping the Silvery Roc away as it took its place beside Qin Wentian.

“Are you not an illusion? Why do you feel so real?”

Qin Wentian could feel the heat from the flames covering the bird. He stretched out his hand as he rubbed its head, causing an expression of contentment to flash in the Purgatory Vermilion Bird’s eyes. A few moments later, it looked up and issued a few long screeches as it flapped its wings, wanting to soar into the skies.

“You want to bring me somewhere?” Qin Wentian asked in puzzlement.

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird let out a sharp sounding chirp as it nodded.

“Alright.” Qin Wentian stood up and sat on his Vermilion Bird’s back. Instantly, the Purgatory Vermilion Bird flew straight into the skies, moving towards the distant horizon at lightning speed.

The Golden Primal Ape galloped forth with great strides, madly rushing ahead as it followed the Purgatory Vermilion Bird. As they soared after the Vermilion Bird, the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk and Silvery Roc both carried the Blue-Scale Flood Dragon and the Silver-Armored Bear King, respectively.

Within the formation world, there was a gigantic mountain that was in the shape of a demon. Its peak was so tall that it appeared close to touching the dome of Heavens.

At this moment, two silhouettes could be seen at that mountain peak.

These two were none other than Yao Jun and Peng Zhan.

Yao Jun was ranked #13 on the Heavenly Fate rankings, from the Skydemon Sect.

Peng Zhan was ranked #14 on the Heavenly Fate Rankings, from the Beast King Hall. The two of them were Heaven’s Chosen from the Demon Continent, and both were extremely powerful characters. Because of the similarity in their rankings, they would furiously compete against each other in all matters, often ending with no clear victor. But to think that right now, both of them were actually in an alliance with each other.

Their ancient luck in the Vermilion Bird’s form was relentlessly trying to split open the demon-like mountain, frenziedly crashing against it time after time, yet to no avail.

“Since the Vermilion Birds led us here, there shouldn’t be any mistake. This place must be extraordinary.” Yao Jun sinisterly snuck a glance at Zhan Peng’s ancient luck. If his Vermilion Bird could devour Zhan Peng’s, it should be able to become strong enough to open up the pathway into the mountains.

Right at this moment, a Vermilion Bird’s screech could be heard from afar. Yao Jun and Zhan Peng both turned their heads, only to see another Vermilion Bird zooming over towards them. Not only that, this bird wasn’t an ordinary one—its body was perpetually covered by purgatory flames and appeared incomparably terrifying, exuding towering amounts of demonic qi.

What’s even more astonishing was that there was a young man proudly sitting on the back of the Purgatory Vermilion Bird, coldly surveying them as though he was the overlord of demons.

Below the Purgatory Vermilion Bird, there was a Golden Primal Ape dashing over. With every step it took, the ground trembled and quaked, appearing as though it would split apart at any moment. And beside the Purgatory Vermilion Bird, there were two other demonic beasts flying alongside it.

“It’s him!” Yao Jun’s eyes narrowed, as great waves rocked his heart. Qin Wentian’s appearance had just thrown all his plans into disarray. This person was even more demonic compared to him and Peng Zhan, and most likely even stronger than the both of them combined.

With a sharp cry from the Purgatory Vermilion Bird, the Vermilion Birds of Yao Jun and Peng Zhan all submissively gave way. The wings of the Purgatory Vermilion Bird morphed into sharp blades as it repeatedly slammed into the mountain walls. Birthed from the impact, the rumbling sounds echoed unceasingly, while the Golden Primal Ape also rushed up to help, madly unleashing its blows on the mountain wall in a torrent of attacks.

The huge rocks on the mountain peaks all came crashing down, the Purgatory Vermilion Bird was already injured from the impact, and yet it seemed as though it had no intentions of stopping. Finally, after several moments, the mountain wall crumpled, revealing the entrance to an extremely huge cave.
Qin Wentian gently patted the Purgatory Vermilion Bird on its head, only to see it cooing softly in response. The previous baleful aura had completely retracted, leaving behind a docile look in its eyes.

“It’s been tough on you,” Qin Wentian softly commented, while advancing forwards.

“Hold it!” Peng Zhan coldly shouted. Qin Wentian turned, his fiend-like eyes surveying Peng Zhan, only to see him laughing with a wretched expression on his face. “Hey Yao Jun, shouldn’t we thank this person for opening the path for us?”

Yao Jun’s countenance faltered, while he laughed coldly in his heart. This Peng Zhan didn’t know how the word ‘death’ was written!

Chapter 371: Origin of the Fiend Transformation Art

Qin Wentian’s cold gaze swept over to Peng Zhan and within moments, huge booming sounds rang out as the Golden Primal Ape stomped its way over, accompanied by the cruel shriek of the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk as it soared towards him in a beautiful arc.

Demonic qi gushed forth from him as he released his Astral Souls, causing his aura to surge up violently.

However at this moment, a resplendent ray of light shot forth from the centre of Qin Wentian’s brows. Peng Zhan’s countenance instantly turned incredibly unsightly as he blasted forth a palm strike at Qin Wentian. Yet, at the side, Yao Jun discovered that Peng Zhan’s attack blasted out at empty space—there wasn’t anything there at all.

“What’s going on?” Peng Zhan’s heart clenched as an immense feeling of danger descended upon him. Just when he wanted to retreat, the terrifying palms of the Golden Primal Ape landed on his body, knocking him up in the air. The Thunder Hawk’s full powered strike slammed into him like a missile, sending him flying far away, until he vanished from the edge of Qin Wentian’s vision.

“This…”

Yao Jun had an expression of shock in his eyes. He had initially thought that even if he couldn’t defeat Qin Wentian, he would still be able to fight on equal grounds. But that sudden attack wiped all thoughts of this fantasy out of his mind. If he were to really fight him, the end-results would surely be just as pathetic and he would become the second Peng Zhan—utterly and completely suppressed.
A look of puzzlement crossed his face. Why did Peng Zhan’s earlier attack miss by such a large margin?

Basically it was impossible, Peng Zhan’s strength wasn’t any weaker than his. How could he have committed such a blunder? Glancing at Qin Wentian again, he only felt that this young man standing in front of him was unfathomably powerful, far beyond his capabilities to measure.

Qin Wentian glanced at him before entering the cave with the Purgatory Vermilion Bird. The Golden Primal Ape and the Blue-Scale Flood Dragon stationed themselves outside the cave, guarding it from intruders.

Yao Jun understood in his heart that he no longer had a chance with this legacy.
The interior of the cave was dark and gloomy, yet as Qin Wentian followed the path leading in, the atmosphere began to brighten. After a period of time, Qin Wentian saw a palace situated before him. His expression froze, his eyes gleaming with a strange glow.

There was actually a hidden palace within the mountain cave.
The palace in front of him was extremely vast and exuded an imposing aura of prestige. There was also a thick and eerie intent, as though boundless demonic qi was being suppressed within.

There were many statues within the palace. All of the statues resembled that of a demonic beast, yet somehow their eyes seemed strangely alive, as though they weren’t mere sculptures.

“Ka Cha!”

A crisp sound echoed out, causing Qin Wentian’s heart to clench slightly. As he turned his gaze over, a sharp glint of light flickered in his eyes. Over there, the statue of a Wind Devil Demonic Tiger was shedding away its stony exterior, revealing an extremely malevolent countenance grinning at Qin Wentian.

The statue actually came to life!
The unending sound of crumbling echoed throughout the palace, as the various statues all started to reveal their living forms. Countless pairs of demonic eyes swept over to Qin Wentian, and a terrifying surge of demonic qi permeated the entire space.

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird gave a sharp cry, as the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk and Silvery Roc rallied to it. Yet, the amount of demonic qi only grew increasingly concentrated as the reviving process continued unabated throughout the palace.

Qin Wentian’s countenance remained emotionless as he soared up into the skies. Abruptly, the transformed demonic beasts all erupted into a flurry of motion, frenziedly rushing at Qin Wentian. That violent surge of demonic qi would have struck terror in the hearts of the most stalwart.

Flaming embers covered the Purgatory Vermilion Bird as it issued a long screech, wailing in the air. Purgatory flames spewed out of its beak as it zoomed out, burning the masses of demonic beasts rushing at them. After incinerating the first wave, it turned resplendently golden in color as it initiated another attack, swooping down towards the swarming beasts. Everywhere it flew by, fresh blood would splatter on the ground, as the transformed demonic beasts died one after another.

However, the waves of beasts seemed endless, as they rushed out continuously, heedless of death.

The Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk and the Silvery Roc also advanced and engaged the unending waves of transformed demonic beasts in battle. At the same time, a demonic beast broke through the three birds and lunged towards Qin Wentian. Qin Wentian mightily stomped the ground as he lashed out furiously with his palm. That poor demonic beast was smashed into pieces from the impact, deader than dead.

“Wait, what? I can’t engrave Inscriptions here?” Qin Wentian’s gaze turned cold. He didn’t know whether the floor was constructed from a special material, or if this place was under a certain restriction. In any case, it was impossible to use Divine Inscriptions. He could only use pure combat to slaughter a path through the endless tides of demonic beasts.
The three birds were all extremely powerful, especially the Purgatory Vermilion Bird. The eternal flame blazing on its body was akin to the true flames of Purgatory, and contained an extremely destructive might. Its wings were like blades of incomparable sharp steel, able to easily lacerate through the flesh of these demonic beasts. And yet regardless of how powerful it was, and how many it killed, it didn’t seem to make a dent in the number of demonic beasts rushing at them. Suddenly, a fearsome demonic ape jumped downwards and slammed into the Vermilion Bird’s body. Although it was instantly incinerated by the perpetual flames, such a collision had injured the Purgatory Vermilion Bird.

And after that, such attacks continued to happen, one after another. The tides of demonic beasts didn’t fear death at all. After an extremely brief period of time, the Silvery Roc died from its injuries—the Crimsonblood Thunder Hawk joined it in death not long after.

Qin Wentian’s third eye flared with resplendent light as an overwhelming pressure crushed down from the Heavens. His body was enveloped by demonic armor and those waves of transformed demonic beasts that rushed at him were treated to vibrations of such intensity that they exploded, layering the ground with their corpses.

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird understood Qin Wentian’s intention. It flew ahead, clearing the path for him, slaying any demonic beast that got in its way. Blood was dripping unceasingly from its beak but the coldness in its eyes never wavered in the slightest.

One man one bird, none of the demonic beasts had the power to stop them. Finally, they arrived at a place where a terrifying ancient demonic divinity floated in the air. It was the illusory form of a Vermilion Bird, the Underworld Vermilion Bird! The aura it exuded was extremely terrifying, able to crush the minds of weaker-willed people. When it stared at Qin Wentian’s Purgatory Vermilion Bird, an intense killing intent gushed out from it.

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird gave a shrill screech as it prepared to dive forth, yet Qin Wentian coldly interjected, “Let me do it.”

As the sound of his voice faded, Qin Wentian dashed out. This cave was opened up by him, he should be the one to undertake the challenge.

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird turned about and continued combating the waves of those demonic beasts, guarding Qin Wentian’s rear.

Qin Wentian’s third eye opened and shot forth a golden beam of light, yet to his shock he realized that the Underworld Vermilion Bird was still staring at him coldly, completely unaffected.

“Immunity?”
Qin Wentian’s countenance stiffened. This terrifying Vermilion Bird actually had immunity to his eye-attack.

“Szzz!” The Underworld Vermilion Bird spat out a gust of cold air, like the qi of the dead from the underworld. Qin Wentian slammed forth with a dragon imprint, yet it was effortlessly frozen solid. As the cold air came into contact with his palms, Qin Wentian felt that even the Astral Energy circulating in his arterial pathway was frozen solid—he had no way to channel any power at all.

“What a terrifying underworld qi. Is this the test I need to overcome?”

Qin Wentian’s eyes flashed with a glint of resoluteness. The Purgatory Vermilion Bird behind him was attacking in a frenzy, effectively blocking the waves of demonic beasts rushing at them, and not allowing a single one to get past it to reach Qin Wentian. It was as if it knew how powerful the Underworld Vermilion Bird was and didn’t want its master to be distracted.

Qin Wentian stared deeply at the Underworld Vermilion Bird as he slammed forth with another palm, causing the Divine Inscriptions already inscribed within his Yuanfu to burst out into a manifestation of ancient bells.

“Heartbreak Echo!”

But…the Underworld Vermilion Bird remained motionless, its gaze still as cold as ever as it stared at Qin Wentian, it didn’t even appear the slightest bit affected.
This made Qin Wentian understand that if he wanted to kill the Underworld Vermilion Bird, he could only attack based on pure strength. The Underworld Vermilion Bird had an immunity against most innate techniques.

Behind him, a terrible screech of rage echoed in the air. The Purgatory Vermilion Bird had been seriously injured to the point that its body turned illusory once more. Yet, it was still holding the waves off, determined not to let a single one of the demonic beasts get past it.

The spectators in the outside world weren’t able to see anything that happened within the location of each legacy. If not, they would surely be dumbfounded at what they are seeing. The ancient luck in the form of Vermilion Birds could actually materialize into a true Vermilion Bird demonic beast. Not only that, they had the capacity to be unswervingly loyal to their masters, capable of giving their all to aid their masters in acquiring the ancient legacies.

None of the spectators would really know what each of the contenders were currently facing, whether they failed or succeeded or even what legacy they were fighting to obtain.
Qin Wentian stared at the Underworld Vermilion Bird as he rushed forwards. A terrifying demonic aura blasted off from him as he was enveloped in overwhelming amounts of demonic qi. He no longer resembled anything human, but rather a true demon.

The Underworld Vermilion Bird icily stared back as it spat out yet another gush of underworld qi current. Qin Wentian felt as though his entire body was about to be frozen solid, with the underworld qi currently corroding his armor and flesh. Yet, he didn’t falter even for a second in his advance. Nobody could block him if he decided to set his mind towards a goal.

The terrifying air currents of the qi enveloped Qin Wentian as the Underworld Vermilion Bird instantly swooped down and unleashed its talon attack, penetrating through Qin Wentian’s chest. It then channeled the underworld qi directly into Qin Wentian’s body, causing him to feel a sense of approaching death.
However, since it voluntarily came into such close range for its attack, how could Qin Wentian still allow it to fly away? Qin Wentian grabbed hold of its body and slammed out a punch that was coated with the will of his Mandate, further reinforced by the boundless rhythm of the Heavens and Earth.

The Underworld Vermilion Bird cried out a bloodcurdling screech, struggling madly to get away. Yet with another flurry of punches, its corporeal form started to fade, turning back into an illusory outline.
“Devour it,” Qin Wentian coldly commanded. The Purgatory Vermilion Bird cried out shrilly as it flew over, opening its beak and then ruthlessly tearing at the Underworld Vermilion Bird. As it tried to resist, Qin Wentian continuously treated it like a punching bag.

Finally, the Purgatory Vermilion Bird successfully devoured its prey. As the commanding light in its eyes swept over to the demonic beast tides, they paused and started to transform back into statues.

Qin Wentian’s wound recovery was impeded by a layer of Underworld energy. The Purgatory Vermilion Bird cooed with worry, as it glanced at the terrible wound running down Qin Wentian’s chest. Qin Wentian smiled as he replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
After speaking, he continued onwards. An ancient pathway mysteriously appeared after the Underworld Vermilion Bird was killed. Qin Wentian followed the path all the way, until he came face to face with a golden-colored stone wall.
On top of it, three large words were engraved—Fiend Transformation Art.
“Fiend Transformation Art!’

Qin Wentian drew in a deep breath, endless shock apparent in his eyes. So this was how it came about, back then the Azure Emperor must have also fought in the ranking battle to accumulate ancient luck, and had visited this place once before.

The Fiend Transformation Art originated from this place!

Chapter 372: Irreversible, Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art

 

A demonic light glimmered in Qin Wentian’s eyes as he stared at the three large words engraved upon the golden world, feeling thunderstruck in his heart.

With a difference of several thousand years, he and the Azure Emperor had actually obtained the same ancient luck, leading to the same legacy? It seemed that right from the start, they were already bound by the threads of destiny.

But if the legacy here was the Fiend Art Transformation, wasn’t it just a waste since he already had it?

Qin Wentian didn’t bother about this. His eyes were like torches, as he stared intently at the three large characters engraved. In the next moment, streams of golden light gushed forth from the wall, entering straight into the centre of his brows, and his mind was flooded with a rushing mass of information.

This was the purest version of the Fiend Transformation Art. The inheritance that the Azure Emperor left behind for him all those years ago couldn’t be compared to what he was experiencing now—the direct assimilation of information from the original source straight into his mind.

At this moment, Qin Wentian finally understood. The endless waves of demonic beasts out there might be a test, but it was also a way for the fated inheritor to perfect the Fiend Transformation Art.

“Since my destiny brought me here, how can I return empty handed? I shall make use of this place and fully master it,” Qin Wentian murmured as he gently stroked the head of the Purgatory Vermilion Bird. Despite its serious injuries, its eyes were still filled with gentleness when it looked at Qin Wentian, as though Qin Wentian was not just a master, but its closest kin. The aura of the Purgatory Vermilion Bird underwent a change when it devoured the Underworld Vermilion Bird. Now it contained within its aura a faint sense of evil.

“Get some rest, I also want to recover from my injuries first. After that we will wipe the outer palace clean, by annihilating all the demonic beasts out there,” Qin Wentian spoke, as the Purgatory Vermilion Bird nodded. Following which, it laid down on the floor and closed its eyes in rest and meditation.

Qin Wentian sat down cross-legged, as he tried to recuperate. He was also injured and his wounds weren’t light—the Underworld Vermilion Bird was guarding the Fiend Transformation Art legacy, so how could it be weak? It had immunity to several types of innate techniques and one could only use brute force to defeat it. Hence, Qin Wentian seized on the most tyrannical method and beat it to death with only his fists. Naturally, if the Purgatory Vermilion Bird’s hadn’t almost lost its life to save him, he wouldn’t have exploded forth with so much fury.

After a period of adjustment, one man and one bird returned once again to the outer palace where the great hall was situated. Crumbling sounds rang out as the exteriors of countless statues cracked, transforming into demonic beasts as overwhelming amounts of demonic qi filled the air.

Qin Wentian walked right into the centre of the hall with an eager expression on his face. As one of the demonic statues finished its transformation, his arm suddenly shot out, grabbing the head of the poor demonic beast as he tyrannically absorbed its demonic qi directly into his body.

Four hours later, the bodies of Qin Wentian and the Purgatory Vermilion Bird were both stained with blood. Qin Wentian sat serenely in the centre of the hall, as the demonic qi permeating the hall all frenziedly gushed into him. His body was like a bottomless well, his desire to devour unsated as he unceasingly absorbed it all.

After three days, the endless waves of demonic beasts ended. All of them had been slain and the demonic qi that permeated the area had totally dissipated. Abruptly, the young man who was sitting in the centre of the hall opened his eyes. The entirety of the demonic qi had been absorbed and concentrated in him, before being refined and circulated according to the principles of the Fiend Transformation Art. The word ‘terrifying’ was totally insufficient to describe the demonic aura currently exuding from him.

Time flowed by in the Vermilion Bird Formation, the number of contenders within currently numbered less than a hundred.

The spectators on the outside seriously observed the happenings in the formation world. Half of the hundred contenders had all already comprehended their respective second level Mandates—this was an alarming number that went way beyond expectations. It had never happened before, even in the previous ranking battles.

In the past, as long as a contender comprehended a second level Mandate, it was already sufficient for him or her to be ranked within the top twenty. But for this batch, because there was a variation in the laws of the formation world, everything had changed. Not only was there less than 360 contenders remaining, the amount of ancient luck was insufficient to be even spread across a hundred people. All the weaker ones had all already been eliminated.

The remaining contenders grew increasingly stronger, causing the spectators to wonder if this was an effect of the ancient luck. Does immersing oneself in ancient luck hasten one’s cultivation speed?

Naturally, the topics of interest were those who managed to find the hidden legacies. Although the number of contenders remaining was already very few, the number of contenders that managed to do so was even scarcer—only a total of nine had managed to locate the hidden legacies.

Initially everyone thought Yao Jun and Peng Zhan would also have an opportunity. Who would have thought that Qin Wentian would domineeringly take their chance away right in front of their eyes? After Qin Wentian, no one else had managed to locate the tenth legacy.

These nine people respectively were: Chen Wang, Shi Potian, Si Qiong, Zhan Chen, Emperor Azure, Qin Zheng, Yun Mengyi, Mu Feng and Qin Wentian.

Although the spectators didn’t know what they were experiencing, they could already faintly sense that these nine cultivators would be the nine most dazzling of the remaining contenders in the formation world. They all had an extremely high probability of being ranked in the top nine.

Chen Wang, Shi Potian, Emperor Azure and Zhan Chen; their performance was within expectations. Originally, Mu Feng was already highly ranked on the Heavenly Fate Rankings, so it was understandable that he could explode forth with such strength after his change in temperament. The dark horses of this batch were Si Qiong, Qin Zheng, Yun Mengyi and Qin Wentian.

Naturally, other than the nine of them, there were also some other contenders that had fortunate encounters. The chaotic battles continued for the wresting of ancient luck. Nobody knew what other changes would there be when the nine of them re-appeared again.

These nine were originally already extremely powerful. Even the one with the lowest amount of recognition among the nine – Qin Wentian, was able to effortlessly slay Yang Fan and got Yao Jun to scram with a single sentence.

They would only emerge stronger than before if they successfully acquire the legacies.

“Wait, Mo Qingcheng also found a hidden legacy!”

At this moment, under the thunderstruck expressions of the crowd, the silhouette of Mo Qingcheng vanished from the spectating screens.

Mo Qingcheng became the tenth contender. Yet her encounter happened nonetheless despite the fact that she was completely different from the other nine in the sense that she didn’t hunt others for their ancient luck hence strengthening her own Vermilion Bird. Yet, in spite of her inaction, the ancient luck concentrated around her, allowing her to find the tenth legacy. Nobody knew the reason why, could it be that if one was born beautiful, the Vermilion Bird Formation would take special care of her? Impossible. Maybe only Mo Qingcheng herself knew of the true reason.

“Senior Tianji, how many contenders do you think need to be eliminated before the Vermilion Bird Formation release them?” Someone belonging to a transcendent power asked.

“The destiny of Grand Xia is changing, forgive this old man for his incompetence, I can’t tell for sure. But for this ranking battle, if the remaining contenders was only thirty-six, there shall then only be thirty-six positions on the Heavenly Fate Rankings this time around. If there’s only a single contender remaining, that means that there shall only be only one position on the Heavenly Fate Rankings.” Old Man Tianji spoke after a long moment of silence. There was a serenity in his gaze, nobody could tell what he was thinking about.

“However, because the destiny is changing, the remaining contenders would absolutely be at a level of power unprecedented in the past. This meant that all the remaining characters would have a high probability that they will be able to influence the future of Grand Xia. In fact, the destiny of Grand Xia is changing because of them.” Old Man Tianji spoke again, his words causing the others to stare in dumbfounded amazement.

Things such as luck and destiny was intangible and obscure, exceeding mysterious. No one could say for sure they existed or not. Yet, the Venerate Heavens Sect had been observing the movements of constellations for untold eons, predicting events of unerring accuracy for Grand Xia. There was no reason for him to lie.

“Even the Heavens and Earth has a beginning. For the fate and destiny orchestrated by the movements of the stars, let it end with the one that made it began. Everyone, you guys best be careful on the way you handle things in the future.”

Old Man Tianji’s words were layered with profoundness, nobody could understand what he was trying to say. They all formed their own intepretations.

An elder from the Great Solar Chen Clan smiled as a sharp glint of light flashed past his eyes. “Senior is right, these characters are all extraordinary. Seeing Chen Wang is the first to locate a legacie, I wonder how would he influence the destiny of Grand Xia in the future.”

This person was none other than Chen Wang’s uncle, he had great expectations for Chen Wang.

“There’s nothing to do with the order they found the legacies.” Those from the Shi Clan refuted. If what Old Man Tianji said was through, there was someone among the ten contenders that would be able to influence the destiny of Grand Xia, that person must definitely be Shi Potian.

“Total bullshit.” Someone from the Hua Clan snorted. Hua Shaoqing wasn’t one of the ten that found a legacy. He naturally felt unhappy in his heart.

Not only that, what sort of character was Hua Taixu? How could he be any weaker than any of the ten contenders? Despite how outstanding Chen Wang is, when Hua Taixu was on the stage, Chen Wang totally couldn’t hold a candle to him.

With Hua Taixu present, Chen Wang would always be the number two.

If these ten were able to influence the destiny of Grand Xia, what about Hua Taixu?”

Those from the Hua Clan had believed all along that Hua Taixu would be the one that control Grand Xia in the future.

All of them had their own thoughts, and those in the formation world was naturally unaware of the words Old Man Tianji spoken. At this moment, a fatty climbed up on the coral reef as he roared in pride. “This fatty finally reached the strongest level in Yuanfu!”

So it turns out that because Fan Le knew very well how weak he was in terms of cultivation base, he focused and immersed himself totally in his cultivation until he broke through to the eighth level of Yuanfu. Directly after that, he took the limit-break pellet and stepped into the ninth level. The poor fatty still didn’t know that the formation world had already undergone heaven-shaking and earth-shattering changes.

Brimming with confidence, Fan Le no longer seeked to hide away. He walked in a swaggering manner, like he was the lord of this world, fully prepared to fight against any that might come by his way, allowing others to know of his great name – Fan Le the Fatty.

Very swiftly, Fan Le’s wishes came true, he met a cultivator. This person was none other than Wang Jue. He was in an extremely miserable state, he had been defeated by Qin Zheng, followed by almost dying in the hands of Mu Feng, how could he not be infuriated when he noticed the haughty look on Fan Le’s Face. With a howl of rage, Wang Jue directly used his strongest attack to blast the shocked Fan Le off the face of earth. Fan Le scratched his head in puzzlement, he didn’t understand what was going on exactly.

The genius Fan Le was destined to rise to fame by right but even before he got to showcase his talents, he was unceremoniously blasted out…

As he was sent out, he stood among the crowd and observed the formation world, all the while grumbling in his heart. Suddenly, his countenance froze, where was Qin Wentian?

Qin Wentian still remained within the hidden palace. His Fiend Transformation Art had finally reached the third level, Fiend Transformation.

With an intention of his will, terrifying golden-colored garuda wings appeared behind his back. As his silhouette flickered, he instantly arrived right in front of the wall.

At this moment, the huge words engraved on the golden wall started to change. The resplendent light was extremely blinding, causing a sharp light flickered in Qin Wentian’s eyes when he observed the transformation..

Finally, a recording appeared on the stone wall ahead of him. Over there was a silhouette sitting down beneath the vast starry skies. That figure was chanting incantations as a mysterious sound issued from his throat. The skies abruptly changed colors, vast amounts of demonic qi streamed towards him from all eight directions, underneath the cascading star light. That mysterious sound gradually got louder as the surrounding earth begin to tremble as the column of star light cascading from the Nine Heavens mixed together with the demonic qi, glowing resplendently.

Instantly, a boundless energy infused into that figure transforming his entire body. Wings of a Vermilion Bird sprouted behind his back as his body started to elongate. Gradually, his frame turned a shiny golden as a powerful beak, as well as sharp claws, appeared… Terrifying explosions drifted into Qin Wentian’s ear yet the chanting of that man never stopped. A second later, or maybe it was an eternity later, the sounds of the chanting turned into the shrill cry of a Vermilion Bird. The entire space around him was trembling, on the brink of collapse as that person spread its wings, transformed into an actual Vermilion Bird, before flying straight up into the clouds.

“The chant of the demonic divinities, the ancient will stretching across the skies. Gathering the demonic qi from the eight directions, devouring the astral energy from the starry skies. I connect and fuse them as one, i offer my mortal body as a sacrifice. Transform my destiny into that of a demon.” An archaic voice echoed in Qin Wentian’s mind, causing his heart to shudder.

This art, was the Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art, allowing one to transform fully into a true demonic divinity. It was irreversible!

Chapter 373: Too Weak.

Irreversible!
Qin Wentian’s heart shuddered violently as he lost himself in contemplation of what he’d just seen.

So there was another more terrifying Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art that would only appear after one had mastered the third level of the Fiend Transformation Art. The Azure Emperor must have missed out on this all those years ago. Maybe after obtaining the Fiend Transformation Art, he’d taken it out from this place before he started cultivating it. By the time he reached the third level, he had already lost his opportunity, ultimately missing out on the Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art.

This transformation art was too tyrannical in nature. With the chant of demonic divinities, the ancient will stretches across the skies, forming a connection with the divinities from the eight directions, and transforming a human into a demon. Not a mere demonic beast, but rather the true soul of a demonic divinity that may even evolve into the actual divinity itself in the future.

This divine beast, Vermilion Bird, was a demonic divinity from one of the eight directions, becoming the totem of Grand Xia.

Qin Wentian didn’t know what to feel in his heart. He gently stroked the wings of the Purgatory Vermilion Bird as he said quietly, “This art is too heaven-defying, allowing humanity to transform completely into a demon. By cultivating a true divinity soul, it allows the user to possess unquestionable might after the transformation. But wanting me to transform into a demon, can I really still proceed with this?”

Thinking of this, Qin Wentian shook his head as he gazed at the Purgatory Vermilion Bird. “Don’t tell me you wish for me to transform into a demon so we can soar through the skies and travel the world together, hm?”
An expression of being wronged appeared on the countenance of the Vermilion Bird, it continued gently rubbing against Qin Wentian’s chest with its head.

It was as though Qin Wentian could understand the thoughts of the Purgatory Vermilion Bird as he calmly stated, “I don’t blame you, this Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art is truly an exceedingly terrifying demonic art. If there was someone really willing to cultivate it, their power would reach such overwhelming heights, he’d be feared by all those underneath the Heavens. But sadly, I’m unwilling to do so. I feel it would be wasted on me. Maybe we should have gone to some other location to hunt for the other legacies.”

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird let out a low cry, while Qin Wentian continued, “Well, I might be unwilling to discard my humanity, but since my destiny is connected to this art, I’ll still learn it all the same. One day, if I should meet a fated successor in the future, I’ll pass it on to them.”

After which, Qin Wentian sat down cross-legged as he studied the demonic divinity chant.

Immersed in his cultivation, he soon forgot the flow of time. And after a long period of contemplation, a low mysterious sound issued out of Qin Wentian’s throat. The sound was low, but thick and powerful, as though it hailed from the primordial era. It wasn’t the sound of a human, yet there was a penetrative quality to it that could connect the Heavens and Earth, even causing the entire hidden palace to shake violently. Boundless amounts of demonic qi was concentrated here, with Qin Wentian at the core of it.
In Qin Wentian’s body, the entirety of his blood was surging with an ever-increasing might. His sleeping bloodline even showed signs of being awakened.

Rumbling sounds echoed as Qin Wentian’s blood circulated frenziedly, unleashing a terrifying sound. The reverberations echoed throughout the palace, as the Purgatory Vermilion Bird sat up and issued a long screech. Its eyes were shining with a bright light, filled with an expression of something akin to shock and fear while it stared at Qin Wentian.
The surging of his blood continued as it began to flow in a terrifying spiral, madly revolving through his body. Abruptly, the terrifying bloodline within his body manifested the silhouette of a gigantic, ancient primordial demonic beast within. The demonic beast opened its eyes, and a dreadfulness beyond reason could be seen lurking within its depths.

Who had used the demonic divinity chant to awaken the soul of the ancient primordial bloodline?

An unmatched overwhelming pressure blasted out, the Purgatory Vermilion Bird was forced to the ground, struggling to keep its head up. In its eyes, there was something more than shock. It was awe.

That suppression pressure was too terrifying.

“Too weak!”
A low, droning voice echoed in Qin Wentian’s heart as he coughed out a mouthful of blood. The surging blood in his body returned to its former calm as though nothing had happened.

Suddenly, Qin Wentian opened his eyes as a terrifying demonic light gleamed within. A sheen of perspiration could clearly be seen on his forehead.

“That feeling disappeared…”

Qin Wentian murmured to himself, he had clearly heard a voice resounding from his inner heart—too weak…Afterwards, the ancient primordial demonic beast returned to its slumber once more, as though Qin Wentian’s strength didn’t have the qualifications to control it. He was simply too weak.

“To think that this Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art could stir up the power of my bloodline. It seems that my suspicions were correct, one of my bloodlines is that of an ancient primordial beast. Not only that, it must have been of a supreme grade, if not it wouldn’t have been awakened by the demonic divinity chant. At the very least, my bloodline should certainly be at the level of a demonic divinity or even higher.” Qin Wentian mused, as he found himself growing increasingly curious about his background. Back then in the secret realm of Divine Inscriptions, when he was at the boundary of life and death, he had activated his bloodline once, yet even after such a long time, he could still only control a wisp of its true strength.

Embedded in his dual bloodlines, there was unlimited potential that was only waiting for him to excavate it. Regretfully, he was still too weak.

Even combat prowess at the pinnacle of Yuanfu was too weak?

Then what cultivation realm could attain the lowest qualifications necessary to unlock it?

Heavenly Dipper? Or the fabled Celestial Phenomenon Realm?

Qin Wentian was absorbed in his contemplation, when booming sounds thundered and the entire hidden palace began to sink into the ground.

Qin Wentian’s eyes flashed as he stared up at the sky. A beautiful, yet terrifying light cascaded downwards, its beautiful rays landing on the palace. Qin Wentian studied the immense Vermilion Bird hovering in the air, the soul of an ancient divinity controlling the Vermilion Bird Formation. It was as though that was the true soul of the Vermilion Bird.

Ten millions filaments of light shot out, the entire palace transformed into a flash of golden light, before turning into dust scattered to the wind. Qin Wentian continued standing there, it seemed as though the Vermilion Bird Formation was undergoing another change.

“If your destiny is to become that of a demon, you can then control the true soul of the Vermilion Bird Divinity, and everything in Grand Xia shall be under your control.
A voice of temptation sounded out in his mind, causing Qin Wentian’s heart to thump in amazement. His gaze turned sharp as he stared at the immense Vermilion Bird hovering in the air.
The Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art uses the demonic divinity chant to gather the demonic qi from the other demonic divinities situated in the eight directions. But in the Vermilion Bird Formation, the only divinity here was the Vermilion Bird. If he was willing to forsake humanity and accept the transformation, his will could stretch across the Heavens and borrow its power.

Qin Wentian then glanced at the Purgatory Vermilion Bird near him. His gaze turned gentle as he rubbed its head, lightly whispering, “So it turns out that the ancient luck you bestowed on me was this heaven-defying. Sadly, I’m unwilling to become a demon.”

The Purgatory Vermilion Bird held warmth in its eyes as it gently shook its head, indicating that it didn’t mind his choice. If Qin Wentian was unwilling to become a demon, it wouldn’t force him.

The outside spectators felt shock growing in their hearts. They saw that the ten contenders had already re-emerged and the place where they found their legacies had already been totally destroyed. In fact, the Vermilion Bird Formation changed yet again—there were now only a total of thirty-six remaining.
These thirty-six contenders were obviously many times stronger compared to when they first entered. Especially for the ten contenders that found a legacy—even the demeanor and aura they exuded had greatly changed.

“For the next three years, there will only be thirty-six positions on the Heavenly Fate Rankings.”

At this moment, Old Man Tianji spoke. Everything was as he had earlier prophesied—the destiny of Grand Xia was changing.

This indicated that the thirty-six contenders in front of them would be the rankers on the upcoming Heavenly Fate Ranking—the top thirty-six Yuanfu Realm cultivators in the entire Grand Xia.

If someone else wanted to enter the rankings, they would have to defeat one of them to take their place.

“After Chen Wang obtained his legacy, his aura has grown even more terrifying.”

The gazes of the crowd shifted over to Chen Wang, only to see him sitting in a cross-legged posture. The Great Solar Energy was visibly circulating as arcs of energy around his entire body. The solar energy from the sun cascaded downwards, manifesting as the solar star on his back.

“Chen Wang was already so powerful before this. Who could even be his match now?”

The crowd murmured in their hearts, in the ranking battle this time around, Chen Wang should have the highest probability to be ranked first. There shouldn’t be anyone able to contend against him.
Other than Chen Wang, others such as Shi Potian, Zhan Chen and the rest all had a ridiculous amount of luck concentrated on them.

This ranking battle was extraordinary, and unprecedented. All ten of them gained a concentration of immense amounts of ancient luck.

“Look at Qin Wentian, the demonic qi exuding from him isn’t as much as before, but why do I feel fear even when spectating from outside? But regardless, Chen Wang is still stronger, and he won’t spare him.” The eyes of the crowd also momentarily drifted to the Purgatory Vermilion Bird hovering behind Qin Wentian’s back, taken aback by its majesty.

Qin Wentian had safely exited the cave dwelling he was in earlier. Not only that, his aura perceptibly strengthened, his Purgatory Vermilion Bird also incarnated into a true body and he was one of the ten contenders that found a legacy.
Now that there were only thirty-six contenders left, the next test would be direct combat. Qin Wentian would undoubtedly die.

The formation world changed yet again, condensing upon itself and becoming smaller in scale as it underwent a total transformation. In the centre of the world, a platform rose up in the air, shining with resplendent Astral Light . It was in the shape of a Vermilion Bird—the formation world was no more.

This was the Vermilion Bird Arena platform, to decide the rankings of the remaining contenders.
Passion heated the spectators’ hearts. They knew they would be witnessing a ranking battle that was unprecedented in the history of Grand Xia.

For thousands of years, things had remained unchanged. Maybe what Old Man Tianji had said was true—the destiny of Grand Xia was currently changing.

Old Man Tianji inclined his head as he looked at the hovering Vermilion Bird Arena platform in the air. His eyes widened in shock, with a strange glow flashing in them.
For so many years, the Vermilion Bird Formation was a place where the transcendent powers had no way to break it. And today, there was actually a variation in the laws of the formation. As to what would happen in the near future, even Old Man Tianji had no way of discerning it.

“The thirty-six contenders have finally been revealed. However, everyone should take a break first before continuing.” At this moment, a voice echoed out, causing the gazes of everyone to turn in its direction. Over in that area, a middle-aged man floated in the air, and behind him was a group of young men, all exuding an extraordinary demeanor.
“Since all of you have stepped into the Ancient Kingdom, we consider you all as our guests. Naturally, we must receive our guests properly by allowing the contenders to take a break before they continue with the ranking battle,” the middle-aged man slowly spoke, his words causing dumbfounded expressions to appear on the faces of the spectators.

“Guests?”

Since they were the guests, didn’t it mean that this group of people were the hosts?

People who were survivors from the ancient dynasty of Grand Xia?!
Qin Wentian’s gaze shifted over, Ouyang Kuangsheng had told him once before that the Nine Grand Clans of ancient Grand Xia would never have allowed any survivors after their rebellion. The identity of these people might not be as they claimed.
Or maybe the upper echelons from the major transcendent powers knew of some information relating to their origins.

Yet, they were extremely close-lipped regarding this matter, strongly preferring it to remain forever hidden in cloaked obscurity!

Chapter 374: Rejection

Old Man Tianji and those experts from the transcendent powers turned their gazes onto the new group of people, yet they showed no hints of surprise on their features. It was as though they had long known of the existence of this group of people, and not only that, there were even some among them who had furrowed their brows with unhappiness.

“Resting for a while would be good.” Old Man Tianji calmly replied.

“It seems like you can survive for some time longer,” Chen Wang coldly spoke as his gaze turned to Qin Wentian.

Qin Wentian’s countenance looked extremely demonic as a glacial light flickered in his eyes, yet no one could tell what he was thinking about.

Everyone rose as they proceeded to enter the Ancient Kingdom. Ouyang Kuangsheng came to Qin Wentian’s side as he asked, “How was it?”

“Seems like your improvement isn’t bad at all.” A hint of a smile finally appeared in Qin Wentian’s eyes.

“You’re one to talk. Why is it that your demonic qi seems to have evolved qualitatively? Is it because of the ancient luck?” Ouyang Kuangsheng laughed. As his eyes turned ahead, he added in a low voice, “By the way, be wary of the ones who just arrived.”

“Mhm.” Qin Wentian nodded. The middle-aged man led everyone to a place where a banquet was already set up, with beautiful female maids standing around. That middle-aged man stood near the table meant for the host, laughing as he addressed the crowd, “Please, enjoy yourself.”

The crowd all respectively took their seats and enjoyed the banquet; Qin Wentian sat at the host table in a position far out to the back, with Ouyang Kuangsheng sitting on the right of him and Mo Qingcheng on the left. This scene caused Zhan Chen’s eyes to flash with a glint of cold light. The sharpness in his gaze was more pronounced than before, he too had acquired a legacy that belonged solely to himself.

“Si Qiong, how are you feeling?” Beside the middle-aged man, sat the dark horse character Si Qiong, causing those sitting to be extremely surprised. So it turned out that Si Qiong was someone from the ‘Ancient Kingdom’.

“The Ancient Luck of Grand Xia, it’s a secret art aside from the nine ultimate arts,” Si Qiong softly spoke.

Secret arts would naturally be extremely powerful, especially a secret art left behind from Ancient Grand Xia. The might of this secret art would absolutely not be eclipsed by the nine ultimate arts. Thus, it was vastly understood that the ten secret arts were all absolute treasures of Ancient Grand Xia. Who would have thought that it was hidden in the Vermilion Bird Formation, controlled by the divinity of the Vermilion Bird? Luckily, the nine grand clans hadn’t forcefully destroyed the formation back then. If not, today would never have arrived.

Qin Wentian’s heart trembled when he thought of the Fiend Transformation Art, as well as the Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation Art. Despite the plethora of powerful innate techniques and cultivation arts in Ancient Grand Xia, it was difficult to find one that could match up to their power.

“Honestly speaking, our identities should already be known to the upper echelons of those from the transcendent powers. After the ranking battle concludes, you may inquire it from your elders, and might even have a chance to join us as a member.” The middle aged man smiled as he continued, “Other than that, for the ancient luck in your hands, we are willing to exchange any one of the nine ultimate arts of Grand Xia for it.”

The contenders turned sharply/gaze turned sharp as a strange glow of light flashed in their eyes. It was as though these people were here only for the secret art which consisted of their ancient luck.

“What do you think?”

The middle-aged man’s gaze roamed about, then landed on Chen Wang.

Chen Wang contemplated the offer for a moment, he was here today to compete for the first rank. And because of how highly regarded he was by the Great Solar Chen Clan, he naturally knew certain stories kept behind the scenes, and understood who these people are.

“Fine,” Chen Wang agreed, using his ancient luck in exchange for one of the nine ultimate arts of Grand Xia wasn’t disadvantageous for him. Based on their strength, if these people wanted to forcibly snatch it away, he could do nothing to prevent them as well.

Despite the nine ultimate arts being extremely valuable treasures, they had all mastered it long ago. They didn’t mind if the arts were imparted elsewhere.
The Great Solar Chen Clan wasn’t on the same level compared to them.

“I concur.” Shi Potian lightly nodded his head.

Si Qiong of course had no objections, Zhan Chen and Emperor Azure all agreed as well. Their hearts were all filled with anticipation at the mention of learning one of the nine ultimate arts. To them, this was a deal that held zero disadvantages and boundless benefits.
“I need to consider it,” Qin Zheng calmly stated, his words causing an unhappy glint of sharpness to gleam in the eyes of the middle-aged man.

“I need to consider it as well,” Yun Mengyi serenely added, Qin Wentian’s gaze turned to her.

Yun Mengyi had always exuded an air of mystery about her, she definitely had a relationship with the ancient dynasty of Grand Xia, but as to what that relationship was exactly, Qin Wentian had no idea. At this moment, Yun Mengyi’s beautiful eyes were also staring in his direction, and was filled with a look of anticipation.
“Myself, as well,” Mo Qingcheng added in a low voice. The three of them all needed to reconsider the deal further. Upon noting this outcome, the eyes of the middle-aged man gradually turned cold.

“You guys better think this through carefully.” Si Qiong frowned, with a threatening look flashing in his eyes.

Qin Wentian furrowed his brows as he faintly added,” I too, need to consider this further.”

As the sound of his voice faded, Si Qiong’s cold eyes swept over him. Refuting him straight after he made his comment, wasn’t this a smack right in his face?

“The Heavenly Fate ranking battle has yet to be concluded.” Si Qiong warned.

“I stand with Qin Wentian,” Mu Feng added. The last remaining five all said they needed more time to consider the offer, causing the previously genial atmosphere to be instantly filled with tension.
“You all truly don’t know how high the Heavens are.” A voice of extreme coldness echoed in the air, originating from a young woman that stood behind the middle-aged man. She then continued proudly, “It’s already your good fortune that we are putting up the nine ultimate arts to trade for it.”

“Trading? Where’s our free will? Is this still considered a trade where we can’t even consider the conditions offered?” Qin Zheng shot back. “This banquet sucks, I think it’s better if we take our leave first.”

“Why don’t we start the ranking battle right away?” Qin Wentian calmly added. The five of them stood up, and as they turned to depart, Si Qiong slammed his palms down on the table, a cold smile hung upon his lips. “Wait a moment.”

Qin Wentian and the others turned their heads to look at Si Qiong, only to see him grinning malevolently. “If the ranking battle really starts now, I won’t be polite to any of you guys.”

“Stop your bullshit.” Mu Feng’s voice was filled with sinister venom as he continued walking forwards. Si Qiong’s smile froze when he saw how Mu Feng brushed him off, he then continued, “Very well, I’ll see you in the ranking battle then.”
Qin Wentian and the others left the banquet, leaving behind Chen Wang, Shi Potian and the rest of those who agreed.

“Descendent of the Chen and Shi Clan, both of you are excellent seedlings. When you return back to your clans, ask your elders if they would permit you to join us. Maybe one day in the future, you might have the chance to enjoy the same level of glory as your ancestors.” The middle-aged man glanced at them, laughing in delight. “The ranking battle shall be temporarily delayed. Go on ahead and cultivate the ultimate art you want to choose.”

Chen Wang and the rest were visibly excited—if they could really cultivate another ultimate art, their combat prowess would definitely skyrocket. When the time came, how could the other five stand against them?

Currently, the person whom Chen Wang and the others feared the most, was Si Qiong. Si Qiong had actually originated from this place.

Zhan Chen and Emperor Azure had also chosen to remain behind. The middle-aged man smiled at them as he calmly stated, “For this ranking battle, the four of you in addition to Si Qiong, will definitely be ranked within the top five.”

After which, he continued, “Follow me.”

Chen Wang and the others left with the middle-aged man. As for Qin Wentian and the rest, they returned back to the Vermilion Bird Arena Platform as they cultivated in their respective corners.

“Chen Wang and Shi Potian didn’t return with them, what’s going on?” Many of the spectators were confused. Old Man Tianji and the other leaders naturally knew what was going on, but they weren’t in a position to interfere.

“Upon the conclusion of the ranking battle, this shall mark the true start of Grand Xia’s changing destiny.”
Old Man Tianji could only sigh when he witnessed what was happening. The implications of fate were simply impossible to change, as evidenced by the fall of the ancient dynasty—no one had the power to reverse their destiny.

Old Man Tianji had no way to predict future events at all. The demonic star was the origin of all changes. He couldn’t see where Grand Xia would eventually end up.

For the ranking battle this time around, how many among the contenders would be able to lead and control Grand Xia’s destiny? Becoming characters who played a critical role in the future.

Not even Old Man Tianji knew… He could only monitor the movements of the constellations, trying to make an educated guess. He couldn’t peer through the murky clouds of fate that obscured his vision to see the future. Yet at this moment, he could already guess who the demonic star represented.

As time flew by, Chen Wang and the other four still didn’t make an appearance, increasing the audience’s suspicions. Yet seeing how calm Old Man Tianji was, the rest of them had no choice but to wait.

Qin Wentian and the others were exceedingly calm as well. They sat cross-legged and immersed in their own cultivation. They didn’t seek for power to change anything, they only wanted to follow their hearts and live a life of no regrets.
Chen Wang and the rest still didn’t return, and their conspicuous disappearance made Qin Wentian and the others feel an invisible pressure boring down on them. They must be currently cultivating the nine ultimate arts.

Chen Wang, Shi Potian, Si Qiong, Zhan Cheng, Emperor Azure. These five were originally already extremely powerful. How much stronger would they become now that they acquired one of the nine ultimate arts?
A few more days passed and finally, the sound of a whistling wind could be heard as the middle-aged man appeared again. Behind him, Chen Wang and the others wore superior-looking smiles on their faces, and the unexcelled arrogance they exuded was evidently many times more intense compared to before.

Si Qiong’s eyes shifted over in the direction of Old Man Tianji as he spoke, “The Heavenly Fate of Grand Xia shall be determined by the battle today. The ambition of the contenders have reached as high as the clouds, but none of us fear death. We will all determine our heavenly fate with this one battle today.”

“Are you meaning that whether the contenders live or die shall be determined by their own capabilities?” Old Man Tianji calmly replied as he stared at Si Qiong.

“Indeed. The losers will not even be worthy enough to be a part of the Heavenly Fate Ranking.” Si Qiong’s sharp gaze turned to Qin Wentian and the others.

“What do you guys think?” Old Man Tianji asked.

For the previous ranking battles, if one couldn’t achieve victory, they could still admit defeat. In that case, the talented geniuses of Grand Xia wouldn’t be reduced in their numbers.

But today, Si Qiong was actually putting forth such an arrogant proposition.
The spectators present all glanced at the contenders upon the arena platform, as countless shock waves rocked their hearts. They could clearly feel the overwhelming confidence exuding from Chen Wang. As long as Old Man Tianji agreed, today’s ranking battle would become one of the cruelest of battles, unprecedented in the history of Grand Xia!
Yet, although such a change was beyond the expectations of the spectators, it actually made things even more interesting and filled their hearts with more anticipation.

Who among these contenders would the Heavenly Fate of Grand Xia belong to?

Qin Wentian’s fiend-like eyes landed on Chen Wang, as a resplendent demonic light flickered within.

“The weak do not deserve to be ranked on the Heavenly Fate Rankings—keep in mind what you’ve just proposed and remember it well. To decide our heavenly fate with just a single battle? To determine who among us will control the destiny of Grand Xia? I don’t believe in nonsense like this, why would I fear to battle?” Qin Wentian’s voice was ice cold, incomparably demonic.