Chapter 434: Waiting

In the Dongbo Xueying’s cave abode within the Blood Blade Domain of Anhai Prefecture City,

Yu Jingqiu and the deities of the Xia Clan had gathered, their hearts all tied to the ranking battles of the Divine Court’s Myriad Flowers Banquet.

“I wonder how Dongbo is doing now. That scroll world seems quite dangerous,” the Cloudsea Emperor murmured, gazing up at the distant sky where the massive scroll loomed. Occasionally, figures were expelled from it, some splattered with blood, others letting out agonized screams. The sight made Cloudsea and the others tense.

“Don’t worry. Dongbo’s strength is extraordinary. He’ll have no trouble in the ranking battles. Even in the absolute worst-case scenario—if something truly goes wrong—he’s still a Lord of the Material World! He can easily cultivate another avatar,” the Longshan Emperor laughed heartily.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Purple Thunder Emperor glared. “How could anything happen to Dongbo? This ranking battle is his chance to become a disciple of a mighty figure!”

“Brother Purple Thunder, my mistake, my mistake. I’ll take my punishment,” Longshan hastily said, lifting a nearby wine cup and draining it in one gulp.

Purple Thunder chuckled. “Longshan, is this how you take punishment? This wine is top-tier vintage Dongbo brought out—said he obtained it from Red Rock Mountain!”

Longshan grinned shamelessly.

Yu Jingqiu watched quietly, though her eyes frequently flicked to the massive scroll in the sky. Suddenly, she shot to her feet. “Look! It’s Dongbo!”

“Dongbo!”

Everyone turned to look.

As deities, their vision was sharp enough to clearly see the figure being expelled—Dongbo Xueying! He bore no injuries, and just then, a majestic voice boomed: “The twelfth batch has concluded!” Following this, they watched as Dongbo Xueying descended.

“Haha, Dongbo was the last one out in the twelfth batch!”

“Being the last one out might mean he killed the most enemies!”

“Look at him—not a scratch, not even a drop of blood!”

The Xia Clan deities all sighed in relief seeing Dongbo Xueying emerge alive. Though they’d believed the chances of him failing were slim, they couldn’t truly relax until they saw him with their own eyes.

“This is only the twelfth batch. The ranking battles will likely take at least another day,” remarked Liehu Emperor, a burly man from the Xia Clan. “And now that Dongbo’s out, there’s nothing left to watch. Are we just going to sit here like fools? Why don’t we… go out and explore? We came straight here without even seeing the city properly.”

“Go out? Brother Liehu, do you know where we are? This is the prefecture capital—Anhai Prefecture City! Here, even Divine Gods are insignificant. There are countless individuals with powerful backgrounds—descendants of mighty figures, offspring of the Anhai Prefecture Lord, or scions of foreign empire rulers. Some may lack talent in cultivation, but when it comes to causing trouble, they’re first-rate,” Cloudsea retorted.

“When we arrived, those young nobles riding around in their carriages seemed fairly well-behaved.”

“You’re mistaken,” Chi Huo Emperor, who carried a battleblade on his back, said coldly. “We were safe because we came with the Myriad Flowers Banquet delegation. But if we go out alone, we’d better keep our heads down. The young nobles here may be more restrained than those in smaller starfield capitals, but if they take a fancy to you, they might grab a random group of deities for a bloodbath—and if you’re unlucky enough to be among them, you’re done for.”

“Ah…” Liehu was stunned.

This was his first time in a prefecture capital.

“If it were any other time, I’d say take the risk—it’s rare to visit a place like this,” Chi Huo said indifferently. “But right now, we’re here with Dongbo. His future is boundless. Before long, those of us who follow him will likely be granted official ranks within the Bloodblade Divine Court. Our status will change entirely. Why risk it now?”

“Oh.” Liehu nodded.

Among the Xia Clan deities present, aside from a few who still clung to their old territories in the Divine Realm, most were eager to follow Dongbo Xueying.

The more they experienced, the clearer it became—this was a rare opportunity.

As for Dongbo Xueying himself, he welcomed their loyalty. Establishing deeper roots in the Divine Realm required allies, and the Xia Clan’s ancestral deities were the perfect fit. Moreover, helping them brought him great joy.

—

Over a full day later, Yu Jingqiu and the Xia Clan deities—who had mostly stayed within the cave abode or wandered only within the Bloodblade Domain—finally spotted Dongbo Xueying returning.

The ranking battles had concluded, and all participants were returning.

“Brother Dongbo, with your strength, passing the rankings must’ve been effortless. You might even advance to the Divine Court!”

“Haha, you flatter me. Even if you two brothers had truly failed, joining the Bloodblade Divine Court and earning a rank would’ve been easy… Besides, the rankings aren’t out yet. Anything’s possible.”

Dongbo Xueying chatted amiably with two other divine experts before they parted ways, each flying toward their respective cave abodes.

As Dongbo Xueying approached his own, Yu Jingqiu and the others were already waiting at the entrance.

“Xueying!”

“Dongbo!”

“How was it?” Yu Jingqiu asked eagerly. “The ranking battles—how did they go?”

“Not bad,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. “I’m confident about making the top thousand.”

While he was modest in front of others, among family and friends, he saw no need to downplay his achievements.

“The full rankings won’t be announced for another three days,” Cloudsea sighed. “Even though the battles are over, and the kill counts are already tallied, they insist on delaying the results.”

Dongbo Xueying smiled. “First, they’ll review the battles via time reversal to ensure no rules were broken. Second, they’ll identify the most promising participants to arrange the upcoming arena matches. I’ve heard that information on the highest-potential candidates is already being sent to the Bloodblade Divine Court—along with investigations into their pasts.”

“The highest-potential ones? Their pasts are being scrutinized now?” The others were shocked.

Dongbo Xueying had learned this from the artifact spirit, Red Rock.

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “For example, those with exceptional comprehension but no prior training in Divine God-level techniques are at a disadvantage. The arena matches must be arranged fairly. And when the Myriad Flowers Banquet begins, if His Majesty or the mighty figures take an interest in someone, they’ll want detailed background information. The Divine Court naturally prepares in advance.”

His own records would undoubtedly be scrutinized—everything from his birth in the Xia Clan, his time in Red Rock Mountain, his battles against the Witch God and Great Witch God’s avatars, his confrontation with Wo Hai Divine God’s avatar, and all his actions since entering the Divine Realm.

Of course, his mastery of a first-grade True Intent had never been revealed. The Spacetime Temple could uncover it if they dug deep enough, but as an artifact spirit bound by rules, it couldn’t disclose such secrets.

“Exceptional comprehension but no Divine God-level techniques?” Purple Thunder shook his head. “That’s rare. Any supremely talented transcendent would’ve been noticed immediately, let alone after becoming a deity. Those with high comprehension would’ve long been recruited by major powers—some even taken as disciples by Four Heavens Divine Gods or mighty figures!”

“True. Many participants in the Myriad Flowers Banquet are already disciples of mighty figures,” Dongbo Xueying agreed.

Unless one became a Divine God, even as a disciple of a mighty figure, they’d at best be an inner disciple—their status relatively low. The exception? Those who grasped first-grade True Intents as transcendents. Such prodigies were treated like beloved children, nurtured with utmost care.

—

Though Dongbo Xueying occasionally spent time with Jingqiu and the Xia Clan deities, most of his days were devoted to cultivation. The ranking battles had given him many insights, particularly into improving his “Hunyuan Crushing” technique.

In the midst of such training, three days passed in the blink of an eye.

He barely noticed the time until his wife’s voice called him back to the present.

“Xueying, Xueying, come quickly! The rankings are out!” Yu Jingqiu urged.