I Pick up a Lost Godhood

In an instant, Li Yilong nearly broke down. It was the first time he had used his Holy Statue in the Battle of the Other Shore. ’Is it really going to end like this?’

Li Yilong was utterly unreconciled. His very nature was one of defiance; he would never accept defeat!

Li Yilong struggled to remain standing on his weakened legs. Watching him, Wang Meng couldn’t help but feel a touch of emotion. The Evil Cultivator path was in rapid decline within the Small Thousand Realm. If things continued this way, they could vanish in less than a century. ’No matter what,’ he thought, ’I should help preserve some promising talent for the Evil Cultivators.’

Finally, the Mozi Sword appeared. Wang Meng smiled. "A gift of one strike."

He swung the Mozi Sword down with extreme casualness. The movement was incredibly slow, and he used no Elemental Power whatsoever.

Yet, standing within the aura of his own Reversed Heaven Holy Statue, Li Yilong was petrified.

Wang Meng withdrew the Mozi Sword after that single swing. The Reversed Heaven Holy Statue rapidly faded away. On the Dueling Platform, Wang Meng stood leisurely, while Li Yilong’s eyes were bulging, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. A closer look, however, would reveal they were already vacant.

The arena fell silent, no one sure of what had just happened. After a long moment, Li Yilong let out a long roar that shook the skies. It seemed he was having a breakthrough!

What... what in the world was going on???

Sword in hand, Li Yilong bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Wang Meng gave a noncommittal smile. "Go on. In three to five years, you will be able to advance to the next level."

Li Yilong performed the full formal bow of a junior, dipping so low his body was almost parallel to the ground. Without a backward glance, he left the Dueling Platform. There was no need to say "I concede" or anything of the sort. In front of a man like this, he wasn’t even worthy of admitting defeat.

It was a pity, but he could not stay to watch any longer. If he did, his martial resolve would surely shatter. For Li Yilong, this experience was his greatest reward since obtaining the Evil Cultivator’s Holy Statue!

As for Wang Meng, with a talent like Li Yilong now in the world, the Evil Cultivator lineage would not fade away so easily.

Wang Meng had won again, and in the same baffling manner as always. It seemed every opponent who faced him ended up losing their composure.

The problem was, Zhang Xiaopang was in a bind. ’Did that sword strike even count?’

’If a casual swing like that counts, it’s pretty ridiculous. But if it doesn’t count... he really did swing his sword, and he completely overwhelmed his opponent with it.’

Mu En was lost in thought. All he could say was that Li Yilong was far stronger than before, yet he still couldn’t withstand a single strike. For those who focused on Sword Intent, suppression from a higher state of existence was even more terrifying than a disparity in Elemental Power.

But that one strike... he couldn’t comprehend it. For someone from the Heart Sword Sect, there was nothing more agonizing.

Li Tianyi clapped Mu En on the shoulder. "Don’t obsess over his Sword Technique. That strike was meant for Li Yilong. The rest of us would be better off forgetting we ever saw it."

Li Tianyi was already used to it. He was able to keep himself from getting drawn in; otherwise, he would truly go mad.

The past three years had brought immense change for everyone, but the one who had changed the most was Wang Meng. He had become completely incomprehensible.

Wang Meng was all smiles, but the other Cultivators just stared at one another, completely baffled. Still, Wang Meng had won again, and against a Holy Statue user, no less.

That poor Evil Cultivator... This battle should have been the one to make his name. It would have been no exaggeration to say he could have become famous throughout the Star Alliance. Instead, it was all thunder and no rain, and he ended up scurrying away with his tail between his legs.

What was that even supposed to be?

Was Wang Meng really that terrifying? It wasn’t like he was going to eat anyone!

While most of the audience was just there for the show, there were always a few who could see what was really going on. This had been a different kind of contest—a clash of Sword Intent. Apparently, Wang Meng’s Sword Intent was on a much higher level than Li Yilong’s, and Li Yilong seemed to have benefited immensely, which was why he had forfeited the match.

That was the gist of it. Wang Meng had once again won through "trickery."

Perhaps the way to deal with Wang Meng was to stop playing around with fancy concepts and just try to hack him to pieces.

While things were heating up at the Holy Hall’s venue, the tournament entered its second official round, and experts finally began to reveal their true power.

In Starlight City, the Evil Cultivator’s Reversed Heaven Holy Statue had appeared, in addition to Zhou Qian’s Soul Balance Holy Statue.

But in truth, Starlight City—which was not the strongest venue in terms of competitor strength—was hardly unique. The emergence of new powers in other cities was even more dramatic.

In the second round, nine new Holy Statue-level experts emerged across the other four major cities, each one possessing extraordinary power. Countless Human Cultivators were fired up by the news; suddenly, they felt a sense of humanity’s own power. This was precisely the effect the Star Alliance had hoped for.

Back when humans and the Demon Race coexisted, humanity discovered how to wield Holy Statues and Life Artifacts. It was a pinnacle of mankind’s adaptability. In truth, these abilities originated with the Demon Race and the Dragon Race, but humans had now surpassed their teachers. Some of the new Holy Statues were completely unlike anything found within the powers of the Demon and Dragon Races.

This was the power inherent in humanity’s vast population and innate talent.

The Extreme Dao Alliance’s claims weren’t entirely baseless. They had been right about the beginning, but they were wrong about the process, and they certainly hadn’t predicted the outcome.

The Sunset Rainbow Light Holy Statue, the Eternal Flame Holy Statue, the Blood Sea Holy Statue—the appearance of each of these shook the major Sects. It seemed many Sects had been holding back, preparing to make a grand showing at the Battle of the Other Shore. They just never expected so many others to have the same idea. This came as a great shock to those Cultivators who, possessing a Holy Statue, had considered themselves unique.

Now, everyone was back on the same starting line. Anyone who thought they could enter the Pure Land relying solely on a Holy Statue had better brace themselves. The final round of the main tournament would likely be a showdown between Holy Statues and Super Life Artifacts.

Moreover, even Cultivators who possessed Holy Statues were starting to be eliminated. It was clear that Holy Statues and Life Artifacts were no guarantee of advancement.

Of course, Fan Xiaoniao was among those who advanced. The other disciples of the Dharma Flower Sect had been completely wiped out, leaving him as the sole remaining hope. The might of his Netherworld Dark Emperor Holy Statue had been powerfully demonstrated in his battles.

The past three years had clearly been anything but comfortable for Fan Xiaoniao. Fan Ru’s training regimen had been hellishly demanding, because Fan Ru knew exactly what his disciple would face in the Battle of the Other Shore.

Sect Leader Fan had a calm and steady personality, always acting with methodical patience. He had no other choice. The Dharma Flower Sect was not a Sect with a deep and powerful foundation. If they wanted to rise above the rest and break out from the pack, they had to be more cautious and invest far more effort. It’s never easy to be the one who sticks their neck out; if you’re going to do it, you must be thoroughly prepared.

With Fan Hong showing such explosive potential, Fan Ru decided to stake it all. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. As for the outcome? A Cultivator shouldn’t be too concerned with such things.

Fan Hong also defeated a powerful opponent in the second round, fully unleashing his Netherworld Dark Emperor Holy Statue. Its abilities were stealth and illusion, but even with them, the battle was long and incredibly fierce.

Somehow, the nickname "Demon Bird" began to spread, and now everyone was calling Fan Hong that. As for Master Fan himself, he felt no pressure from the title.

As for the No Illusion Demon Sect, Lin Jinghao and the other Demon Sect experts were also advancing triumphantly. The Sect revealed its second and third Holy Statue-level masters: Lei Zuo and Song Ma. To be precise, their powers had been kept hidden until now. Their Blood Sea Holy Statue and Annihilation Holy Statue fully demonstrated the No Illusion Demon Sect’s dominance—the ultimate Holy Statues of Demon Cultivation.

They were not about to let the Holy Hall hog all the glory. However, compared to the Holy Hall’s massive roster, their numbers still paled in comparison. Of course, when the Demon Sects made comparisons, they focused on quality, not useless quantity.

Ji Wanli’s Ten Thousand Spirits Sect also made its move, revealing two new Holy Statue users of its own: the wielders of the Nine Heavens Dragon Elephant Holy Statue and the Sun-Eating Ancient Beast Holy Statue. Clearly, the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect had grand ambitions.

With such a lineup and momentum, they were clearly targeting the Taiyin Sect.