CHAPTER 435: CHAPTER 434: POINTS SOAR_1

PFFT!

Ling Chen’s sword thrust into the body of the massive black beast. Instantaneously, the area impaled by the Thunder Shadow Sword was obliterated into ashes.

The place struck by this sword, shrouded in thunder light, was precisely the huge heart enveloped in black fog. It served as the black beast’s energy furnace. Under the thunderous attack, the black fog dissipated, and the entire furnace shattered, completely penetrated.

In a flash, a surge of black energy flowed in reverse from the Thunder Shadow Sword in Ling Chen’s hand, spreading rapidly up his arm before directly invading his mind.

It was a mighty demonic will that immediately launched a frantic assault on Ling Chen.

Ling Chen’s entire mind was filled with negative emotions: chaos, slaughter, destruction, sin, disaster...

If an ordinary person were enveloped by such a will, they would undoubtedly go insane, their consciousness falling into disarray, completely devoured by these Demonic Will Remnants.

Immense pressure threatened to devour Ling Chen’s will.

"Die!" Ling Chen roared internally.

Light flashed from Ling Chen’s brow. In his mind, strands of sword qi drew upon his willpower, morphing into several white Long Swords. Each Long Sword embodied a shred of his will, blasting in all directions, tearing apart all the negative wills.

However, in just a moment, all the demonic wills recombined, once again forming a dark ocean that descended brutally from the sky, covering everything.

HISS! HISS! HISS! HISS!

The white Long Swords were swallowed by the black ocean, seemingly melting, dissolving into liquid, and completely evaporating in the air.

The sky darkened; the sun and moon lost their light. Ling Chen felt as if the apocalypse had arrived.

This demonic will was too powerful, at least ten times the willpower of an ordinary Grandmaster of the Eight-level Realm. It was presumably the will of a terrifying existence that had dominated and integrated its power for hundreds of years in this Eighth Level.

Damn, I can’t resist anymore!

Ling Chen’s heart sank. This time, it’s really over. I can’t block such a terrifying force.

Even the Divine Dragon Jade could only deal with physical powers; against this kind of willpower, it probably had no effect at all.

Just then, a vague figure suddenly appeared in Ling Chen’s mind. The figure pointed a finger, and a seemingly tiny beam of light from it tore through the black ocean. In the blink of an eye, it cleansed the vast expanse of the dark sea.

It was a fragment of the Human Emperor’s will.

"Kid, this is the only exception. Next time, you won’t be so lucky."

The Human Emperor’s voice sounded for only a moment before completely dissipating.

Thank you for your help, Elder, Ling Chen thought, breaking out in a cold sweat. He bowed respectfully from afar, his face filled with gratitude.

The Human Emperor’s will resided within the Emperor’s Scroll. After Ling Chen left the Human Emperor’s Underground Palace, it had remained in a state of slumber. Unexpectedly, it had emerged in a crisis like this to save him.

It seems this Human Emperor, who once unified the world, is a person who’s cold on the outside but warm on the inside, Ling Chen mused.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

In his mind, the vast black tide exploded. All the demonic will merged into Ling Chen’s mind, enhancing his own will and elevating it. It felt as if he had grasped the true essence of the Demon Way, which constantly rippled within his thoughts.

In the physical world, the massive black beast abruptly exploded, and clusters of black energy were sucked into the Demon Soul Bead.

Each cluster of black energy contained a negative will, all of which Ling Chen erased and purified.

This single black beast was likely equivalent to ten ordinary Demon Souls of the Great Grandmaster Eighth Layer.

「Meanwhile, the outside world was in an uproar.」

The moment the black beast died, Ling Chen’s ranking had shot up dramatically, like a skyrocketing rocket. He surpassed Xie Zhiqiu, who was originally first, to claim the true top spot.

Even if the three strongest trial Disciples—Xie Zhiqiu, Xia Yunxin, and Xun Wujie—had encountered this octopus-like black beast, they would most likely have met their demise.

Encountering such a potent Demon Soul conglomerate was both a crisis and a stroke of immense luck. Ling Chen had not only reaped a huge reward but had also left everyone else far behind in points. Consider this: the black behemoth was equivalent to ten Demon Souls of Great Grandmaster Eighth Layer cultivators. According to the points system, one would have to slay ten such Demon Souls to match its value.

Yet, even killing a single Demon Soul of a Grandmaster of the Eight-level Realm was exceedingly difficult, let alone ten.

HUM. HUM. HUM.

Within Magic Fog Mountain, around Sky Demon Peak, Energy Ripples began to spread out from the Devil Scroll.

Ling Chen’s name had become incredibly dazzling. Its purple-gold light, like that of a King, overshadowed Xie Zhiqiu’s name. The surge in points was so terrifying that everyone else was left in the dust.

He had considerably widened the gap with the second-ranked participant.

It would be difficult for anyone in second place to catch up anytime soon.

"What in the world is going on? What happened? How did Ling Chen suddenly jump to number one? His points are rising so quickly—is he cheating?"

"Cheating is absolutely impossible. The Sky Demon Tower operates under strict rules. The entity on the tenth floor has absolute control over it. If Ling Chen were to cheat, he’d be immediately teleported out and lose his trial qualification. The only explanation is that Ling Chen killed an exceptionally powerful Demon Soul and earned a massive amount of points."

"What level of Demon Soul could yield such terrifying points?"

"Heavens! This is impossible!" a Green-faced Demon Sect elder exclaimed, struggling to control his shock. "Judging by this jump in points, it’s equivalent to killing ten Demon Souls at the Great Grandmaster Eighth Layer!"

The Tiger Demon Sect elder was on the brink of madness, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the leaderboard. The most striking name on the Devil Scroll shone brilliantly, overshadowing all others. It seemed to declare to everyone that this individual, still merely at the Grandmaster Third Realm, was the true protagonist of this arduous trial. All other top demonic geniuses of the Seventh Realm or Eighth Level were insignificant, mere foils to him.

My God, how did he do that? wondered the Ghost God Honorific, Bull Demon Sect, and Leopard Demon Sect representatives, their expressions shifting dramatically. They worried about what would happen if their Disciples encountered Ling Chen and were slain by him.

"Haha, this is truly satisfying!" Elder Beiming and the Black Swordsman laughed heartily. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with relief and delight, as if tipsy from wine.

"Impressive! Despite being surrounded by formidable enemies, our young master broke through to first place on the leaderboard! If he maintains this until the trial ends, he’ll receive a large quantity of Heavenly Origin Pills. His Cultivation will surely advance further. By then, who could possibly be his match?"

"Not only that, the Sky Demon Tower trial is a grand event for the entire Demon Way. If our young master secures first place, his prestige will soar. The entire Demon Way will know his great name!"

"Furthermore, our young master only recently joined the Holy Church and, due to his short tenure, lacks the qualifications to train in the Bottomless Demon Abyss. However, if he wins first place this time, he’ll be able to enter it alongside other top demonic talents. There, he can undergo Devil Qi infusion, a grand opportunity to consolidate his demonic power and increase his strength exponentially!"

"Our young master is truly remarkable. To think such a genius could emerge from the Five Kingdoms! If the Righteous Path doesn’t want him, we in the Demon Way will gladly take him. Once his strength improves further, even Sikong Yi’s Big Disciple, Xie Zhiqiu, won’t be a match for him."

The five Demonic Cult Leaders from the Saintess Hall now all referred to Ling Chen as "young master." Previously, though polite, none apart from Elder Beiming had truly accepted Ling Chen as their young master in their hearts.

But now, they were utterly convinced. Ling Chen truly deserved the title of "young master"; indeed, no one else was worthy of it.

"The young master’s fame will undoubtedly spread far and wide after this. However, a tall tree catches the wind. Those young top Experts in the Sky Demon Tower can sense the changes on the leaderboard. They might not have taken Ling Chen seriously before, but now, they are thoroughly shocked."

"They must be frantically searching for our young master now, intent on killing him. Whoever kills the young master will gain his points, virtually guaranteeing them first place in the Sky Demon Tower trial. The situation ahead is certainly not optimistic."

After the initial elation, Elder Beiming spoke gravely, "A tall tree attracts the wind. Ling Chen has now become a prime target; no one will want to let him go."

He rose too quickly, jumping directly to first place, the elder mused.

"Sect Leader, Ling Chen has jumped directly to first place! What exactly is going on?" Xuanjizi, a Demonic Cult Leader with the air of a middle-aged scholar, rushed to Sikong Yi’s side and asked urgently.

Sikong Yi’s eyes darkened. "I didn’t expect the Saintess to leave such a powerful hidden card to help her son stand out in the trial."

He continued, "With Ling Chen’s own strength, achieving this would be impossible. That’s the only explanation."

"The Saintess is despicable!" Xuanjizi seethed, clenching his teeth. "She wasn’t in seclusion to break through her Realm for so long, but to prepare a trump card for her son!"

"No matter. It’s only the Eighth Level. It’s not the final stage yet," Sikong Yi said calmly. "The Saintess’s son has played his trump card too quickly. Once he reaches the ninth and tenth levels, he’ll find it incredibly difficult to advance. More importantly, it will be even easier for Xie Zhiqiu and Yan Xiang to kill him."

I’d like to see just how long the Saintess’s son can last, Sikong Yi thought.

「Throughout the Saint Witch Religion」

Centered around the Devil Scroll, Ling Chen’s name stirred up a storm, causing waves of discussion among countless Experts. However, the most shocked were the Disciples currently undergoing the trial within the Sky Demon Tower.

What? Ling Chen actually surpassed me and became number one? What on earth happened? Xie Zhiqiu, who had consistently held first place, could no longer maintain his composure. His calm demeanor vanished. Being overtaken by someone he considered inferior even to Yan Xiang was intolerable.

With a sudden burst of speed, Xie Zhiqiu shot into the air, his body radiating intense killing intent as he sped towards the distant horizon. He was determined to find Ling Chen, kill him, and reclaim his top position.