Devour

Chapter 404: Re-establishing the Holy Son

Cheng Bai couldn't help but exclaim in his heart: "When it comes to lying to my face, Great Saint Wang is one of the best. I've learned a lot!"

Master Li followed with a smile and said, "So that's how it is. Confucian scholars can rest assured now."

Wang Hong's face was filled with rage as he reprimanded the elders, "Look at you! You've allowed your disciples to participate in mortal warfare. Word of this has reached the Taowu Academy, and the Master is making a fool of himself. Why haven't you properly disciplined them? Unpolished jade is useless! From today on, no more random wars are allowed within one samsara epoch. Do you understand?"

"We will follow the orders of the Holy Master!" the elders responded in unison.

Wang Hong gently waved the feather fan in his hand and said with a satisfied smile, "Hmm... a small fight, please don't delay this unprecedented event!"

Cheng Bai asked curiously, "What significant impact will the Xianyuan Elegant Meeting have? Isn't it more than just an elegant gathering?"

"In previous years, it would have been fine to just pretend to be cultured, drink and write poetry."

Master Li spoke, a flicker of yearning in his eyes. He then revealed more information: "This Immortal Fate Elegant Gathering follows the trend of the Cloud Realm Examination, bringing together the top geniuses from all the schools of good and evil in the Outer Realm. This will finally open the Netherworld Path to the Lost Ocean. The two are closely related, and the Confucian scholars have long anticipated this grand event."

Cheng Bai's mind flashed with inspiration, and he boldly guessed, "The so-called grand event isn't just the Immortal Fate Gathering itself, right? Could it be that Master Li plans to personally lead the team to challenge the high-level secret realm?"

Master Li was silent for a moment, then frankly admitted, "You could say we've finally gathered the necessary personnel for the team."

Cheng Bai was secretly amazed. "What kind of mysterious place is the Lost Ocean? Why does it have such a strange rule that requires teams going there to gather a certain number of geniuses?"

Wang Hong said solemnly, "The purpose of holding the Immortal Fate Elegant Gathering is to first get to know the team, to gradually develop a tacit understanding with each other, so that we can play the greatest role when we go deep into the secret realm."

Master Li was about to continue the conversation when he suddenly noticed something unusual. He turned his head and looked up at the sky and said in a low voice, "That guy is spying on us."

Cheng Bai followed his gaze and saw that under the bright blue sky, the color of the clouds suddenly changed, and a huge human head with fluttering yellow fur emerged from it, which happened to meet the sight of the people on the high platform who were looking up into the distance.

"Wang Xiongwu threatened to cause trouble for Jingtao Sect, and he really came quietly. I didn't even realize he was so close!"

Cheng Bai was startled, but quickly calmed down. He observed the other party calmly and thought, "Master's injuries have healed now, and with my magic weapon, there's no need to be afraid of him. But... why does this guy seem to be even bigger than yesterday?"

Wang Xiongwu, who was in the clouds, shouted in surprise, "How could you find me? You still say you can deceive everything. I must have been tricked by some righteous hero again!"

Wang Hong felt the man's face looked familiar, but he wasn't sure for a moment, so he asked, "Excuse me, may I ask what sect or abbreviation you belong to? What brings you to Jing'ao Island?"

Wang Xiongwu sneered and mocked, "You are truly a forgetful person. The dignified and wise Lord Hongde—Wang Hong—how could you forget your own great-disciple so quickly? That's right, a mere abandoned child kicked into the stinking ditch, how could he be worthy of your concern? Hehehe..."

Wang Hong's face changed in shock, and he questioned in disbelief, "Wang Xiongwu? Aren't you... dead?"

Wang Xiongwu snarled, "Dead? Long ago! You mean, Pan Zhonghan can return to Jing'ao Island, so I, your stepping stone, must die, right? You're just pretending to organize a selection process for the Holy Son, but in the end, you're just going to find a reason to throw him into the cabinet to retire and guarantee your absolute rule. You're an old, immortal dictator, you appear to be an immortal, but inwardly you're only concerned with worshipping your own selfish desires."

Cheng Bai's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he exclaimed in admiration: "Oh! Venerable Wang is much smarter than before, and his words are so insightful."

The barrage of abuse left Wang Hong flushed with embarrassment, as if he had been slapped in the face. The crowd inside and outside the hall were shocked, and the noise was boisterous.

"Who is this demon? How dare you insult our sect's Holy Master!"

"My fellow masters and great-grandmasters, please act quickly and kill this demon with one sword!"

"Today is the day when our Jingtao Sect is at its peak. The Holy Son has been born, and the Holy Lord is mighty! If we don't wipe this beast out now, when will we?"

"You daring monster, if you keep making such noise, I'll teach you a lesson about the power of our Sword-Boiling Sea Formation!"

Facing the roars and threats from the crowd, Wang Xiongwu grinned and laughed: "Haha, Jingtao Sect's shabby sword formation, if you have the guts, use it to amuse me."

The atmosphere in the Transmission Hall was extremely solemn. The elders' eyes flickered, as if they were all waiting for the leader Wang Hong sitting on the Nine Dragon Throne to give the order to set up a formation to surround and kill.

Wang Hong looked down at the martial arts arena, taking in every detail of everyone involved. A trace of doubt rose in his heart: "If I were to order the deployment of the Sword-Slinging and Boiling Sea formation to besiege this beast now, how many of these elders, who appear to obey my orders, would be willing to risk their lives?"

Many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Wang Hong quickly suppressed his anger and shouted, "Wait!"

He then forced a smile and said gently, "We had thought the last candidate for the Saint Son had perished in his adventure, but now he's returned safe and sound, and has made great progress in his cultivation. This is truly a blessing in disguise! Today's internal competition is aimed at selecting the most outstanding Saint Son through competition."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, each one wondering, "Hasn't the Holy Son already been chosen? And in that special duel just now, the dignified Holy Son was defeated. He rang the bell, worshipped the ancestors, and announced the major event to the entire island. How could he turn the tables?"

Cheng Bai's eyes flickered with amusement as he listened, secretly commenting, "As expected of a Saint Lord, his mind works quickly. Although his methods were shameless, he achieved the most ideal goal at the lowest cost. He truly embodies the demeanor of a great hero."

Wang Hong's voice echoed throughout the island: "The path of cultivation is filled with hardships and tribulations. Only after enduring countless tribulations can one achieve the true fruit. There are many candidates for the Holy Son this time, but they have been defeated one after another under the harsh tests. Only two remain. It is truly not easy!"

These words plunged the listeners into deep thought. Even Chengbai couldn't help but silently admit, "It's true. The world of cultivation has always been cruel. Who hasn't overcome numerous difficulties before achieving extraordinary achievements and strength?"

"As the head of a sect, I may not be fair, but I will always adhere to the word 'justice'. Let Pan Zhonghan and Wang Xiongwu have the final battle to decide the ownership of the Holy Son." Wang Hong's words were loud and clear, full of unquestionable majesty.

There was a sudden silence inside and outside the Transmission Hall.

Cheng Bai thought to himself, "This is indeed a reasonable response plan. No matter how troublesome the visitor is, the Holy Son will step in to resolve the grudge. Poor Holy Son Pan has become a touchstone!"

Wang Xiongwu couldn't help but be filled with joy: "The Jingtao Sect's recognition of my status as the quasi-holy son is something I have always dreamed of. Pan Zhonghan is my greatest enemy. Killing that old villain in front of everyone will make me proud and proud, which is exactly what I want!"

Wang Hong glanced at the half-collapsed arena and ordered, "Hurry up and clean up the venue and prepare for the fifth match."

"Yes, sir!" Wang Mingsheng stood up and bowed slightly, then went on stage with several elders, reciting the spells in unison.

The broken stone quickly gathered on the damaged surface, smoothed out by the force of magic, and reappeared as new. The elders then added forbidden array patterns one by one to enhance its stability.

By the time Pan Zhonghan returned to the martial arts arena, the fighting venue had returned to normal.

At this time, the new Holy Son was wearing a bright and beautiful brocade robe, but his face was terribly gloomy, and his eyes were mixed with astonishment and unwillingness.

The man and woman following closely behind him were majestic and had cold expressions, just like jailers escorting death row prisoners to the execution ground.

Cheng Bai recognized one of the crimson-dressed women and mused, "She's the deputy sect leader, Pan Guanxia. The other person must be equally important. The two masters are keeping a close eye on Pan Shengzi, clearly forcing him to come and die."

"Law Enforcement Elder Wang Sheng."

"Deputy Sect Leader Pan Guanxia."

A man and a woman stood on the wide arena, announced their names, and together saluted the headmaster on the platform. They said in unison, "The candidate for the Holy Son, Pan Zhonghan, has been brought here."

Pan Zhonghan had just become the Son of God and had not had a chance to enjoy any of the glory when he was ruthlessly kicked back to the candidate position. The more aggrieved he felt in his heart, the more embarrassed he looked on his face.

He couldn't help but curse inwardly: "If I hadn't been drained of my power by the White Emperor, leaving me physically and mentally exhausted, you two idiots wouldn't be able to stop me even if you joined forces."

But Pan Zhonghan did not dare to speak rashly. He followed the proper etiquette and said respectfully, "Disciple will obey the orders of the Holy Master."