Chapter 456: The Battle of the Divine Court

The mountains stretched endlessly.

Dongbo Xueying swept his gaze across the towering peak where he stood. Including himself, there were three Deity-level experts in this vicinity, each maintaining a respectful distance from one another.

“Whoosh—” From the earth and rocks of the mountain, weapons began to materialize—blades, swords, staffs, whips, spears, hammers, axes… all of them divine-grade treasures, though nothing more than that.

Dongbo Xueying waved his hand, summoning a storage treasure, three long spears, and a multitude of javelins from below. He effortlessly refined the storage treasure, stowing away the spears and javelins, while keeping a single long spear in hand. Truthfully, for Dongbo Xueying, the strength of his ‘Void World body’ was already immense, and the weapons he could manifest were more than sufficient.

The other two Deity-level experts in the distance also selected their weapons before silently waiting. They dared to remain here because they had their own means of self-preservation.

“The Divine Court Battle has no restrictions on methods. Your final ranking will be determined by the number of venomous insects you slay,” a majestic voice echoed in the ears of every Deity-level expert. “Only the top one hundred will earn a seat at the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet and partake of the Ten Thousand Flowers True Fruit. These hundred are guaranteed to be taken as disciples by mighty figures. As for those below… it will depend on luck.”

“Whoosh!”

Above the endless mountain range, a massive blood-red ranking list suddenly appeared in the sky.

“Your rankings will be displayed on this list in real time, updating as you kill more venomous insects. You may observe it to track your position,” the majestic voice declared. “The Divine Court Battle begins now!”

As soon as the words fell—

Almost every mountain in the vast range began to tremble as energy surged within them.

Dongbo Xueying and the two other experts nearby focused intently on the movements of their mountain. From one of its caverns, a purple mist gradually coalesced, eventually forming a venomous insect roughly the size of a millstone. The creature had a hard exoskeleton and compound eyes that swept its surroundings before its wings buzzed—vanishing in an instant.

Swish!

Three Dongbo Xueyings clad in star-blue robes, a wiry swordsman, and a single arrow all struck out simultaneously—

Yet all of them missed!

However, the arrow curved through the void, colliding with the purple insect within a spatial rift a thousand miles away. Both reappeared in the real world. The arrow struck the insect’s shell, leaving behind cracks before falling away. Meanwhile, the insect’s exoskeleton slowly began to regenerate.

“What a formidable creature,” Dongbo Xueying, the wiry swordsman, and the burly archer in the distance all thought in shock.

The archer, named Guo Xie, hailed from the renowned Bamboo Mountain Manor. In the survival battles of his faction, he ranked nineteenth. His archery was devastatingly powerful—though this shot wasn’t his ultimate technique, it was still fearsome. Yet it had only managed to crack the insect’s shell.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The three Dongbo Xueyings vanished, reappearing beside the purple insect in the distance. Their spears unleashed the devastating technique, ‘Chaotic Void Crush,’ amplified by the power of the Great Chaos Void Force. The surrounding space itself began to collapse and annihilate, trapping the insect and preventing it from escaping.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spears struck—slamming into the insect’s claws, abdomen, and carapace. The creature let out a piercing shriek of pain, the sound waves battering the surroundings. The three Void World bodies felt their ears ache and their minds slightly dazed, but their Ten Thousand Calamities Primordial Bodies endured the assault effortlessly.

“Rip!”

A terrifying sword gleam suddenly slashed from the side, piercing halfway into the insect’s skull before the wiry swordsman yanked his blade back and retreated.

The three Dongbo Xueyings immediately redirected their spears toward him.

“Escaped too quickly,” the three muttered before refocusing on the insect.

…

“This Dongbo is truly formidable. Even this venomous insect is hard to kill. Trying to ambush and steal the kill from him is nearly impossible,” the wiry swordsman frowned from afar.

The archer, Guo Xie, also furrowed his brow. “Dongbo’s mastery over the Void World Heart has reached an unfathomable level. His true body hides in the Void World—we can’t even locate it. The three bodies fighting outside are all Void World constructs… Even if we destroyed them, it wouldn’t matter. They can reform instantly.”

“Fine. I won’t fight him for this kill,” the wiry swordsman said before vanishing in a flash.

Guo Xie, however, lingered. He nocked three arrows onto his divine bow, watching intently from a distance.

The three Dongbo Xueyings relentlessly assaulted the insect. Its defenses were extraordinary—only after sustained bombardment did its shell begin to fracture, blood seeping from its wounds. Yet it continued shrieking and fighting back, occasionally shooting venomous needles from its maw. The attacks were sudden and vicious, even piercing the Void World bodies. The toxins were potent, but the constructs simply dispersed and reformed, expelling the needles effortlessly.

“Now!” Guo Xie’s eyes gleamed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three arrows streaked like blazing meteors, tracing curved trajectories through the void before reappearing around the purple insect.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

The three Dongbo Xueyings chose to endure the insect’s attacks rather than let the arrows pass. Their spears intercepted the projectiles with flawless precision—thanks to Dongbo Xueying’s mastery over the Void World and space, deflecting three arrows was no challenge.

“These arrows pack a punch,” the three mused as the impacts sent them stumbling. The purple insect seized the chance to flee.

Swish!

The three Dongbo Xueyings gave chase immediately.

“He’d rather let the insect attack him than ignore my arrows?” Guo Xie frowned. Most Deity-level experts couldn’t afford to disregard the insect’s assaults—but Void World bodies had no such concerns.

“Fine. I’ll leave this spot to him.” With a flicker of movement, Guo Xie transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the void.

Both he and the wiry swordsman excelled in speed and evasion—that was why they dared to compete with Dongbo Xueying in the first place.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A relentless barrage of spear techniques finally shattered the insect’s skull—yet it still refused to die, thrashing wildly in retaliation.

“Thud!”

With its carapace fully broken, a spear impaled the creature’s body. A violent shake reduced it to scattered fragments—only then did it perish.

“Damn. Ten breaths to kill just one?” Dongbo Xueying clicked his tongue before glancing up at the colossal blood-red ranking list. Sixty-five names had already appeared—his own at the sixty-fifth position.

…

Above the Divine Court, the phantom of the endless mountain range loomed, displaying the battles of countless Deity-level experts. The enormous blood-red ranking list dominated the scene.

Every figure within the Divine Court—whether the Divine Emperor, mighty figures, or even the gathered Empyrean Gods and Deities like Bai Sha City Lord, Rong Hai Wang, and the Xia Clan’s deities, including Yu Jingqiu—could witness the unfolding battle.

“Look, look!” The Xia Clan deities pointed excitedly at the ranking list. “Only sixty-five names so far, and Dongbo is already on it!”

“The Divine Court Battle has only just begun,” the elderly Purple Thunder Emperor remarked. “It will grow far more brutal. The Deity-level experts will soon turn on each other.”

“Dongbo’s strength should secure him a spot at the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet and a taste of the Ten Thousand Flowers True Fruit,” Yun Hai added.

They all watched with eager anticipation.