Chapter 980: Three-Way Defeat
Wei Longxing's pupils emitted a golden radiance as he stared at Yuanhong Divine Son and said, "Your era has long passed, while I will surpass you and usher in an even more glorious age."
"Is that so? This Divine Son will see just how capable you really are."
Yuanhong Divine Son appeared very composed, extending his arm and calling out, "Bones, come."
"Bones, come."
"Bones, come..."
The echoes reverberated, spreading across the nine layers of the altar.
Soon, a set of bones from a ninth-step Half-Saint squeezed out from the gaps between the altar's bones and merged with Yuanhong Divine Son's spirit-void body.
Wei Longxing and Yuanhong Divine Son were both top-tier talents, and their battle was exceptionally fierce, shaking heaven and earth. They fought to a standstill, unable to determine a victor.
"When Yuanhong Divine Son was alive, his strength was considerable, placing him at the upper-middle level among the successive Divine Sons."
"At the same cultivation level, Wei Longxing can actually contend with Yuanhong Divine Son—his combat power is truly monstrous."
...
To become a Divine Son of the Blood God Sect, one had to be an extraordinary talent selected from ten thousand candidates!
Even those at the lower level among the successive Divine Sons had emerged from countless cultivators, hailed as the proud sons of their era—far from ordinary figures.
Yuanhong Divine Son, being among the stronger Divine Sons in combat power, was naturally even more terrifying.
The other Divine Son candidates also began the second round of assessment.
Apart from Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, Sun Dadi, and Huo Xin, the other candidates were well aware that their chances of becoming Divine Son were extremely slim.
Thus, they did not challenge the formidable figures among the successive Divine Sons; instead, they all chose the weakest Divine Son.
As long as they defeated one Divine Son at the same cultivation level, they would prove their strength. From then on, their status within the sect would rise significantly, granting them access to more cultivation resources.
Bai Yu's face revealed a cold expression as he thought to himself, "For the position of Divine Son, Gu Linfeng, Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, Sun Dadi, and Huo Xin will all surely choose to challenge the powerful Divine Sons. In the end, it's very likely they'll all fail. That way, I'll have a chance to become the new Divine Son."
Bai Yu selected the weakest Divine Son and issued his challenge.
However, his opponent defeated him in just five moves, leaving Bai Yu lying on the ground, bleeding from the mouth, with most of his bones broken.
Even the weakest Divine Son, at the same cultivation level, displayed combat power far exceeding Bai Yu's.
On the first level of the Blood God Altar, all nine Divine Son candidates, without exception, failed to pass the second round of assessment.
Among them, the strongest candidate only managed to withstand seventeen moves.
The weakest candidate was instantly killed by a Divine Son's spirit-void body.
That's right—instant kill.
The battle for the Divine Son inherently involved casualties, which were unavoidable. Candidates who failed to concede in time could easily be killed by the Divine Son's spirit-void body, their bones becoming part of the Blood God Altar.
Of course, the probability of death was minimal.
After all, only top-tier experts could become Divine Son candidates and stand on the Blood God Altar. Blocking one or two moves from a Divine Son's spirit-void body was not difficult for them.
As long as one wasn't overly reckless, there was generally no life-threatening danger.
"The Divine Son's strength is too great. Even the weakest Divine Son is beyond my comparison." Bai Yu lay on the ground, not overly sorrowful.
Losing to a Divine Son was not a disgrace.
Seeing all nine Divine Son candidates fail simultaneously, everyone became even more aware of Wei Longxing's prowess.
"Wei Longxing has already fought over three hundred moves with Yuanhong Divine Son, and they're still evenly matched. For someone like Bai Yu or Yan Kongming, at the same cultivation level, Yuanhong Divine Son could suppress and kill them in a single move."
"Although Gu Linfeng has ascended to the sixth level of the Blood God Altar, his combat power is definitely inferior to Senior Uncle Wei's." A disciple of Wei Longxing spoke with a somewhat disdainful tone.
To become a Divine Son, one needed both combat power and potential.
If one had great potential but weak combat power, they would be overshadowed by other candidates.
Clearly, Wei Longxing aimed to surpass Gu Linfeng in combat power, securing a chance for himself.
Apart from Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, Huo Xin, and Sun Dadi also began the second round of assessment.
Hai Lingyin chose an opponent who was also at the upper-middle level among the Divine Sons, with strength comparable to Yuanhong Divine Son.
Hai Lingyin had no choice but to do this, as Wei Longxing had put immense pressure on him.
Huo Xin, being very young, was relatively conservative and selected a lower-level Divine Son.
Sun Dadi, on the other hand, appeared extremely conflicted, staring at the eight Divine Sons' spirit-void bodies floating in midair, torn between challenging a stronger Divine Son and a weaker one.
"Who should I pick?"
"Him? No... maybe him? No, no..."
In his indecision, Sun Dadi pulled out a handful of his own monkey fur.
"Are you going to choose or not?"
A hot-tempered Divine Son roared loudly.
Even though they were only spirit-void bodies, they retained the emotions and will of their former selves.
Clearly, the eight Divine Sons' spirit-void bodies had grown impatient.
Sun Dadi gritted his teeth fiercely and finally made up his mind, pointing at the hot-tempered Divine Son. "You!"
That hot-tempered Divine Son was the strongest among the eight, ranking at the upper-middle level among the successive Divine Sons, no weaker than Yuanhong Divine Son.
Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, Huo Xin, and Sun Dadi all began the second round of assessment simultaneously.
To everyone's surprise, the four of them fought fiercely with the four Divine Sons' spirit-void bodies, unable to decide the outcome even after a hundred moves.
It was well known that if there was a significant gap in combat power, victory or defeat would be determined within a few moves.
Only when combat power was very close would such a situation arise.
"The four of them are incredibly skilled. If they had been born in another era, each one could have become a Divine Son."
"Them appearing in the same era means the Blood God Sect has produced four Divine Son-level prodigies?"
"That's not quite right. Once someone becomes a Divine Son, they gain access to more cultivation resources. Even if they're evenly matched now, their strength will gradually diverge in the future."
...
All the cultivators of the Blood God Sect were extremely excited.
They believed that in the near future, the Blood God Sect would become glorious and prosperous, even surpassing the Moon-Worshipping Cult to become the foremost of the seven ancient sects.
After five hundred moves, the youngest, Huo Xin, defeated his opponent, becoming the first Divine Son candidate to pass the second round of assessment.
Cheers erupted below the Blood God Altar, with everyone congratulating Huo Xin.
Everyone understood that from now on, Huo Xin's status among the younger generation of the Blood God Sect would be second only to the Divine Son and Saintess.
Moreover, if the others failed to pass the second round, Huo Xin would become the new Divine Son of the Blood God Sect.
Huo Xin was naturally very excited, his blood boiling as he looked up at the fifth level of the altar, closely watching the outcomes of Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, and Sun Dadi's battles.
After a thousand moves, Wei Longxing ultimately lost to Yuanhong Divine Son, failing to pass the second round.
Even so, no one looked down on him.
Being able to withstand a thousand moves from Yuanhong Divine Son proved that he was on the same level. With a bit of luck, he might have even defeated Yuanhong Divine Son.
Sun Dadi battled his opponent for two hours, exchanging thousands of moves, but ultimately lost due to a small mistake.
Sun Dadi let out a long sigh, feeling regretful. With a mournful expression, he said, "I should have challenged a weaker Divine Son. I shouldn't have been impulsive! Impulse is the devil."
"The Blood God Sect has been passed down from the Middle Ages to the present, producing many Divine Sons throughout history, each one a rare talent. The ones Sun Dadi and Wei Longxing challenged were also strong among the Divine Sons. Even though they lost, they've proven their strength."
"Eighty thousand years ago, when Yuanhong Divine Son was alive, he was hailed as one of the top ten experts below the Saint realm. Wei Longxing fought a thousand moves with him—in that era, he would have been famous across the world."
...
The failures of Wei Longxing and Sun Dadi left many feeling regretful.
Hai Lingyin fought his opponent for three hours without a decisive outcome, resulting in a draw.
The rule of the Divine Son battle was: "If no victor emerges after three hours, it's a draw."
Having endured decades of adversity, Hai Lingyin had long forged an unshakable sacred heart. He wasn't disheartened by the draw and quickly regained his composure.
Now, the most excited person was Huo Xin.
Because, so far, he was the only one to pass the second round.
If Gu Linfeng also failed, then Huo Xin would become the new Divine Son of the Blood God Sect.
"Huo Xin's luck is too good, isn't it?"
"The three strong contenders clashed head-on, resulting in a three-way defeat, and Huo Xin ends up benefiting from it."
...
The cultivators present all believed that if Sun Dadi, Hai Lingyin, and Wei Longxing had challenged a mid-to-low-level Divine Son, they would have surely won.
Then there would have been no place for Huo Xin.
But reality was the opposite—Sun Dadi, Hai Lingyin, and Wei Longxing all lost their chance to become Divine Son. The underestimated Huo Xin now had a great opportunity to become the new Divine Son.
"Don't forget, Gu Linfeng hasn't started his assessment yet," someone reminded.
If Huo Xin became the new Divine Son, it would be a major upset, leaving many unwilling and unconvinced.
In contrast, Gu Linfeng becoming Divine Son would be more acceptable.
Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, and Sun Dadi shared this sentiment, preferring Gu Linfeng to become Divine Son.
Sun Dadi sat cross-legged, healing his injuries, and thought to himself, "Gu Linfeng now has an absolute advantage. He only needs to defeat a lower-level Divine Son to become the new Divine Son of the Blood God Sect. He shouldn't go looking for trouble and deliberately challenge a powerful Divine Son, right?" (To be continued.)