The demons lunged at the female Godfiend.
“Silence,” shouted the female Godfiend suddenly. As she spoke, invisible waves of power spread across the valley.
The demons—that were originally excited and ferocious—quietened down as they looked at the red-robed woman respectfully.
Meng Chuan and company felt their hearts tremble.
One sentence was enough to silence and stop over 1000 demons—that were enemies of their race?
The red-robed Godfiend turned to look at Meng Chuan and company. “There are 1,227 demons here. Among them, there are over a thousand demon lieutenant commanders. The demon commanders number 135. You have to protect yourself first before thinking of ways to kill these demons.”
The geniuses’ expressions changed. Even Meng Chuan and Yan Jin had solemn expressions. They knew how powerful demon commanders were. Yet, there were over a hundred demon commanders here?
If they fought head-on, the geniuses wouldn’t be able to touch the other party. Instead of demon-slaying, they could easily end up being the ones slain!
“Kill. Kill all the humans in front of you.” The red-robed Godfiend pointed at Meng Chuan and company.
The thousand obedient demons’ eyes turned red as they went mad. Their roars, shrill screams, and whines resounded throughout the canyon. They charged at Meng Chuan and company frenziedly. Some flew in the sky, while others rapidly climbed the cliffs. Most of them charged at them on the ground.
The red-robed Godfiend watched this scene calmly. Following that, she flew back to the canyon entrance.
“It’s starting.”
King East River and the other Godfiends watched calmly. By the side, an incense stick had already been lit.
The demon-slaying trial lasted for five minutes.
Chapter 86 - First Assessment in the Final Selection
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
In the fog-filled canyon.
“Take up formation!”
“Take up formation!”
The geniuses shouted one after another. They had a total of a hundred people, only ten people could match a demon commander! On the other hand, there were 135 demon commanders and over 1000 demon lieutenant commanders. If they didn’t join forces, they would probably be defeated very quickly.
Eleven sharpshooters stood in the middle of the formation while the other geniuses protected them.
Meng Chuan and Ji Yuantong were the only ones that dared to charge into the demon army, but that was only brute courage. Only by cooperating with their companions would their efficiency be higher.
He had cultivated in a Dao Academy since he was young; thus he knew the need for cooperation.
“They’re coming.” All the geniuses solemnly stared at the charging demons.
“Scram!” Dong Fang—who was one of the strongest—wielded a large shield and a large axe. With a swing of his barbed shield, he sent a wolf demon flying. Its bones were fractured by the impact. Following that, Dong Fang swung his axe and cleaved a tiger demon lieutenant commander to death.
“Block!” Many geniuses used their shields to block.
One blade after another stabbed out from the gaps in the wall of shields, killing the demon lieutenant commanders sinisterly.
At the same time, the eleven sharpshooters rapidly shot arrows. The geniuses who could enter the top hundred were the strongest mortal youths. Their arrows bombarded the demons at extreme speeds. The bombardment hit the demons while they were distracted by the other geniuses, reaping their lives. In the blink of an eye, dozens of demon lieutenant commanders died.
In terms of killing efficiency, sharpshooters were the most terrifying.
The human’s circular phalanx formation was like a meat grinder.
Growl—
Under the red-robed Godfiend’s command, the demons attacked madly. None of them were afraid of death. They constantly charged towards the shields! Flying demons also swooped down and attacked.
As demon lieutenant commanders were slaughtered, demon commanders arrived at the formation.
“The demon commanders are here.”
“Everyone, be careful.”
The geniuses were becoming more cautious. They also wished to kill the demons. This was Archean Mountain’s entrance examination—they naturally wanted to perform well.
Demon commanders’ auras were even stronger, and they were all much larger!
A rhinoceros demon commander—wielding two hammers—took wide strides. When it came close, it let out a furious grunt as the hammers slammed down.
Bam. Chu Yong blocked one hammer head-on with his saber. Following that, his saber changed direction, and he slashed at the rhinoceros demon’s knee. As for the other hammer, it slammed into the ground.
Swoosh.
An arrow flashed past and pierced the rhinoceros demon’s face. It penetrated a foot deep, but the rhinoceros demon didn’t care about such injuries.
Pfft. An arrow pierced the rhinoceros demon’s eyes and penetrated deep into its head. Only then did the rhinoceros demon tremble and collapse.
Chu Yong held the demons back while Li Ying and Zong Sha killed a demon commander in quick succession with an arrow each.
However, more demon commanders were here!
The first wave of demon commanders caused the circular phalanx formation to waver. The geniuses were unable to stop the demon commanders.
“Ah.”
“Not good.”
Suddenly, part of the circular phalanx formation began to collapse. A cat demon commander— who had transformed into a black stream of light—was fearless as it attacked. Geniuses fell to the ground. However, when the cat demon was about to tear the humans apart with its claws, an invisible force enveloped the youths and pulled them to the canyon entrance. Archean Mountain Godfiends had rescued the injured geniuses.
When death was imminent, the Godfiends would save them.
We were defeated the moment the demon commanders attacked? The geniuses, who had been rescued, felt mixed emotions. They watched the demons charge at the circular phalanx formation as they flew towards the canyon entrance.
Meng Chuan ignored a demon commander and quickly went to block the cat demon commander.
The two had a contest of speed. He used the incomplete Five Lightning Descent—his three-hit combo!
The fastest strike of his combo was Swaying Moonfall. His saber struck the cat commander’s abdomen, leaving a gaping wound. Shortly after, an arrow pierced the cat demon’s head. The cat demon was fast, but its body was much weaker than a bear demon, or an ox demon.
Meng Chuan turned his head and saw Zong Sha smile before he continued shooting.
Meng Chuan also realized how easily he suppressed the demon commanders compared to when the demons had invaded Eastcalm Prefecture. In the past half-year, pushing his Saber Force to its limits had increased his strength. However, he would take at least ten strikes to kill a demon commander. Even then, some demon commanders would be unkillable for him. Fortunately, he had sharpshooters helping. A sharpshooter’s arrows were much faster than his saber.
…
Time passed.
Many human geniuses struggled to hold on and had to be rescued after the demon commanders had charged into their circular phalanx formation.
The trial ended.
“Stop.” The red-robed woman’s voice resounded in the canyon. All the demons stopped fighting and became docile.
“Return to your respective caves,” instructed the woman. The demons either ran, crawled, or flew. They obediently returned to their respective caves on the cliff walls. Affected by an invisible force, the demons were chained.
There were only seven bloodied people left standing in the canyon—Meng Chuan, Yan Jin, Ji Yuantong, Chu Yong, Yan Feng, Sharpshooter Zong Sha, and Sharpshooter Li Ying.
They stood there, breathing haggardly.
“It’s over?” asked Yan Feng hoarsely.
“Five minutes are up.” Chu Yong sat down in exhaustion
.
“Those demons were crazy.” Ji Yuantong was also exhausted.
Yan Jin stood silently. His fingers—that were holding the two swords—had turned white.
Meng Chuan heaved a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, everyone,” Zong Sha said. “If it weren’t for you protecting us, we wouldn’t have been able to hold on.”
“If you wish to thank someone, thank Meng Chuan. He did his best to protect the two of you,” said Yan Feng as he held his spear.
“Young Master Meng is indeed impressive.” Princess Li Ying laughed.
Meng Chuan only nodded and couldn’t be bothered speaking. He was exhausted. He had been extremely focused for five whole minutes as he frantically tried to put out fires everywhere.
He could easily assess the situation around him with his 100 foot domain. He could deal with any problems that arose. He also relied on his speed to protect the two sharpshooters. Of course, the others were also trying their best to protect the sharpshooters.
Sharpshooters were much more efficient at killing demons. On a battlefield, the sharpshooters needed to be protected.
“The two of you are really powerful. When the three demon commanders used the poisonous fog, the two of you charged into the demon horde and killed the three demon commanders.” Princess Li Ying felt even more poignant. It was a harrowing memory. If they hadn’t killed the three demon commanders, they wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.
“The first trial of the final selection is over. The seven of you, hurry over,” ordered the blue-clothed woman.
Meng Chuan and the others immediately headed towards the canyon.
…
King East River, the sloppy-looking man, and the blue-clothed woman accurately evaluated the geniuses’ performances during the trial.
“There are some geniuses who have high realms and strong Godfiend foundations. However, when it comes to intense battles, they are shocked. They can only unleash 70% of their full strength. They can even go into killing frenzies on the battlefield, destroying any combat formations set up. They then become counter-productive to what we want.” The cyan-clothed woman shook her head. “These are people with poor combat talent.”
“Talent in cultivation doesn’t mean that one’s combat talent is high,” said the sloppy man with a smile.
Combat talent was very important. A Godfiend with high combat talent could kill about five enemies that were of similar strength.
“Of these hundred geniuses, seven are lacking in combat talent. What’s the point of nurturing such fools?” said the cyan-clothed woman. “Most geniuses performed as expected. They know how to cooperate and not burden their companions. Only twelve are truly talented in combat.”
Chapter 87 - Ninth from the Bottom
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
The sloppy man smiled and said, “Senior Sister Qingyu, don’t ask too much of them. These geniuses haven’t served in the military. They will perform much better after five years on the battlefield.”
“What we need are geniuses. Cultivation time for geniuses is very precious. How can we let them slowly hone themselves on the battlefield?” said the cyan-clothed woman.
“We can discuss and determine the ranking after the second trial is over,” said King East River. “Let’s begin the second trial. This is the most important test.”
“Yes.” The cyan-robed woman and the sloppy-looking man nodded.
There was only one final test left.
If the demon-slaying was to determine geniuses’ true combat strength and combat talent, the second trial was to determine a genius’s potential.
…
The geniuses were floating again. They flew with the Godfiends and finally landed on a vast mountain.
“I’ll give you an hour to rest.” King East River looked at the exhausted geniuses. Many geniuses had bandaged their bloody wounds. “In an hour, we’ll carry out the second trial! This is Archean Mountain’s final assessment. Once it’s over, we’ll decide the twenty who will be admitted to Archean Mountain.”
Meng Chuan and company sat down in lotus positions immediately. Quintessential Essence circulated through their bodies as they recovered their energy.
“It’s the final assessment.”
“Archean Mountain Godfiends must reach the Great Solar realm at the very least. If one doesn’t have the potential to become a Great Solar Godfiend, there’s no need to nurture them.” Marquis Southcloud and the other Godfiends chatted by the side. Although there were many Godfiends in the Great Zhou Dynasty, most of them weren’t Great Solar Godfiends.
The Great Solar realm was the Body Tempering Godfiend lineage’s theoretical limit.
For instance, Fairy Meng, Yun Wanhai, and others were only outer sect disciples of Archean Mountain. They were lucky enough to become Godfiends. Most of them were Indestructible Godfiends. Even Jadesun Palace Lord was only at the second Firmament—the Indestructible realm. Jadesun Palace Lord came from Archean Mountain. He cultivated a powerful Godfiend body and had a robust foundation. This allowed him to withstand simultaneous attacks from a third Firmament demon monarch and multiple second Firmament demon monarchs.
This was the standard of Archean Mountain disciples. With a strong foundation and strength, one could typically stay alive even if they were fighting someone one realm higher! Furthermore, reaching the Great Solar realm was just the first goal.
Jadesun Palace Lord was very young. Ultimately, he was far from reaching his limits. He was temporarily in charge of defending an ordinary city.
…
Meng Chuan recovered as he restored his Quintessential Essence fully.
“An hour has passed.” King East River’s voice rang out.
The geniuses sitting cross-legged opened their eyes. They immediately stood up and looked at King East River. Their families and friends, as well as the many Godfiends, were filled with anticipation.
“The final trial is to test your heart.” King East River pointed at a huge altar in the distance. The altar was a four-cornered pyramid. Each side was lined with over a hundred steps, and they continued to the top. The altar was made of limestone, and there were mottled marks on them. Clearly, it had a long history.
“This is the Darkness Altar. Once you step onto the altar, you’ll find yourself trapped in darkness. You need to maintain your lucidity in the darkness. The higher you go, the more outstanding you will be. If you sink into the darkness, you will fail.”
“Alright, let’s begin,” said King East River.
Meng Chuan and the others hesitated for a moment before they split up and walked up to the Darkness Altar. There were twenty people on each side. Soon, someone took the first step up. A faint black fog immediately rose up from the limestone steps and seeped into the person’s body. The person trembled, and he hesitated for a moment before continuing to advance. The others also climbed the altar step by step. Black fog rising from beneath their feet seeped into their bodies.
Boom!
Meng Chuan took a step forward. A faint black fog rose from the limestone steps and seeped into his body, quickly spreading towards his head.
Meng Chuan felt his head spin. He felt like he was in a nightmare. Many demon monarchs and bloodthirsty Skydemons charged over. The demon monarchs and Skydemons had terrifying auras that far exceeded Demon Monarch Poison Pool’s. Meng Chuan felt his body stiffen as though it was very difficult for him to move.
Walk. Continue walking. It’s all an illusion. An illusion. Meng Chuan persuaded himself constantly. He forced his body to move, but his body was stiffer than an 80-year-old man. He struggled to advance.
As he took a step forward, the black fog—that seeped out from the limestone steps—increased. It constantly entered his body, affecting his body, soul—everything.
The illusions also grew stronger. The impact on his body was even stronger. Meng Chuan tried his best to control his body and advance.
…
Every genius walked
very slowly. The higher they went, the slower they became.
On the eighth step, one genius stopped moving. He was motionless for fifteen seconds before the black fog completely engulfed his head. His eyes turned pitch-black, and the whites in his eyes were gone.
The cyan-clothed woman frowned when she saw this. “His willpower is too weak. How can someone with such willpower reach the Realm of Soul? How can he become a Great Solar Godfiend?”
In all kinds of skills such as saber arts and sword techniques, there was the Unity realm, the Realm of Force, and the Realm of Intent. Meng Chuan was presently pursuing Saber Intent. The fourth realm was the Realm of Soul.
Whoosh. King East River waved his hand, and an invisible force enveloped the genius, removing him from the altar.
The genius left the Darkness Altar, and the black fog quickly receded into the altar.
Without the black fog affecting him, the genius regained his consciousness. Only then did he realize that he was the only one not on the altar. Dazedly, he stood still. I’m the worst in the final trial?
Soon, there were two youths that stopped at the tenth step. The black fog enveloped their heads, and their eyes turned black without any white visible. They were moved away from the altar.
“All Archean Mountain Godfiends become Great Solar Godfiends unless we die in battle,” said Marquis West Sea as he watched. “When they participate in the assessment, they are almost twenty years of age. They should have at least 30% of the willpower needed to reach the Great Solar realm, right? To not have 30% of the required willpower means their chances of becoming a Great Solar Godfiend are slim.”
“Their potential is too low,” the other Godfiends agreed.
Regardless of how strong a Godfiend’s foundation was or how talented they were in combat, they would usually be eliminated if their results in the final trial were terrible.
Archean Eon Art c1-766 Page 52