The Reborn’s Vengeance and the Sibling Scramble

With only Zhen Aoyu left, a lone golden baboon materialized on the arena grounds, its power wisely curtailed to the late second-tier.

Witnessing this, Zhen Aoyu finally exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Had there still been two golden baboons, even he, a Child of Destiny, would have been utterly incapable of overcoming such heaven-defying demonic beasts.

After steadying his racing heart, Zhen Aoyu deliberately strode into the arena.

“Come on!”

Having achieved Foundation Establishment at the twelfth level of Qi Condensation, he was utterly confident that he stood inferior to no one—demonic beasts included!

****

Meanwhile, on the other side of the trials…

Huangfu Liu and Huangfu Hui had finally conquered those utterly confounding questions, emerging victorious from the examination hall.

While both of them harbored a strong desire to seize the examiner and deliver a thorough beating, they couldn’t deny that the peculiar angles of thought demanded by those questions had profoundly enlightened them.

This newfound insight granted them numerous unconventional interpretations of both the Dao of Alchemy and the Dao of Formations.

“Elder Brother, shall we proceed?”

Stepping out of the examination hall, the siblings exchanged glances, each recognizing the gleam of triumphant insight in the other’s eyes.

“Indeed.”

With that affirmation, Huangfu Liu led the way toward the final trial, and Huangfu Hui, seeing his resolve, swiftly followed.

****

Meanwhile, back with Zhen Aoyu.

In merely a few exchanges, Zhen Aoyu, still refraining from employing his Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art, found himself battered and tossed about by the golden baboon.

Though he had witnessed the golden baboon’s movements before, he simply couldn’t react quickly enough. Its swift, erratic lunges were challenging enough, but its immediate, brutish ‘turtle-fist’ strikes left him utterly bewildered, questioning his very existence.

‘Boy, you can no longer afford to hold back. If you fail to unleash the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art, this demonic beast will surely pummel you to your demise.’

‘Hmph, my affairs are not for you to meddle with.’

Despite his defiant words, Zhen Aoyu clandestinely channeled the black spiritual energy of the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art.

A strike infused with this dark spiritual energy successfully sent the golden baboon, which had been poised to devour him, hurtling away. The attack also affixed a ‘Wraith Entanglement effect’ upon the beast, plunging it into a substantial state of paralysis.

Yet, the very instant Zhen Aoyu invoked the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art, a graceful silhouette clad in a pink gauze dress, nestled within a secluded boudoir, fixed her gaze upon him from afar, watching his every move within the secret realm.

“At long last, I’ve found you!”

The ethereal figure’s voice rang out, clear as a bell, yet it held an undercurrent of boundless killing intent, as if she wished to torture Zhen Aoyu to death through sheer will alone, across the vast distance.

The silhouette watched Zhen Aoyu within the secret realm, now wielding the Absolute Resentment Heavenly Art and visibly gaining the upper hand.

She exhaled a long, measured breath, then spoke:

“Hmph! Though the Heavenly Dao’s destiny still shields this beast, preventing a fatal blow, inflicting some suffering upon him is certainly within my power.”

Having declared her intent, the pink-clad figure produced an ancient orchid guqin. Her slender, jade-like fingers then danced across its strings with exquisite grace.

A resonant wave of sound pierced through the spatial barriers, soaring directly into the ears of the golden baboon, which still thrashed on the ground.

“ROAR!!!”

As the resonant melody coursed through its ears, the golden baboon seemed to have ingested some potent, mythical elixir. Its golden fur bristled, standing on end as it entered a ferocious, supercharged state.

The supercharged golden baboon, with a thunderous cry, initiated an ‘Ape God Activation!’ Golden spiritual energy erupted from its form, instantly flinging Zhen Aoyu, who had been pinning it down, violently away.

‘Beware! This demonic beast’s state is profoundly abnormal!’

Despite the timely warning from the shadowy presence, Zhen Aoyu found himself unable to react, seized effortlessly by the ‘Super Saiyan Baboon.’

“URGH!”

The monstrous force nearly wrenched a scream from Zhen Aoyu’s throat.

‘Confound it!’

The shadowy presence moved to possess Zhen Aoyu, intending to aid him in overcoming this suddenly ‘enraged’ golden baboon, but it was already too late.

The ‘supercharged golden baboon,’ still gripping Zhen Aoyu, began to condense golden spiritual energy within its maw. In the very next second, a devastating beam of golden light erupted, directly aimed at Zhen Aoyu, who remained clutched in its grasp.

Confronted with the ‘supercharged golden baboon’s’ devastating, point-blank ultimate technique, its power having exploded exponentially, even a protagonist as formidable as Zhen Aoyu could only be swallowed by the golden light and eliminated.

As Zhen Aoyu was eliminated with blinding speed, the graceful figure outside the secret realm finally retracted her guqin, a look of profound satisfaction gracing her features.

“My dear Yilang, in this lifetime, allow me to be your savior…”

Having successfully eliminated Zhen Aoyu, the pink-clad figure’s gaze softened, turning towards a distant direction, her eyes brimming with an inexpressible depth of emotion.

Though her heart yearned intensely to reunite with her beloved, she steadfastly resisted, knowing she must not disrupt the unfolding future or her meticulously crafted plans concerning Zhen Aoyu.

Thus, she was compelled to temporarily suppress this profound longing, striving to assist her beloved only under the strict condition that she would not alter the course of the future.

Having returned reborn, she was resolute: this time, she would rectify the regrets and sorrows of her previous life. She would ensure her beloved became the Saint Son, thereby legitimately becoming his Dao Companion.

Furthermore, she would utterly deplete the destiny of this vile beast, Zhen Aoyu, before ultimately slaying him, thereby averting the tragic demise and annihilation of the Azure Feather Immortal Sect.

While Zhen Aoyu had indeed been eliminated for now, given his formidable destiny, it remained plausible for him to acquire that demonic sword. After all, this elimination merely reduced him to the status of an ordinary disciple.

During the grand competition three years hence, Zhen Aoyu would still possess an opportunity to ascend to a true disciple and gain access to the demonic sword.

However, that was a concern for a distant three years in the future.

These three additional years would grant her ample time to finalize her meticulous arrangements.

Moreover, with her aid, Yilang would no longer face Zhen Aoyu alone, as he had in the previous life. Together, they would undoubtedly succeed in utterly exhausting the destiny of this accursed Child of Destiny.

****

With Zhen Aoyu’s elimination, the assessment, however, continued unabated.

The four members of the Huangfu family converged upon the final trial almost simultaneously.

As the quartet arrived, four enigmatic blind boxes materialized before them.

Beside these, a winding, extensive flying sword race track stretched into the distance.

Among them, one blind box stood out, appearing exceptionally ornate and undoubtedly superior.

It became immediately apparent that their task was to select a flying sword from within one of these boxes and pilot it to the finish line.

That exceptionally opulent blind box, in particular, seemed to hold the crucial key to securing victory.

In an instant, the Huangfu quartet, moments before displaying fraternal camaraderie, simultaneously executed a backward leap, creating a sudden, strategic distance between them.

Though bound by familial ties, none were willing to relinquish the coveted true disciple slot. Moreover, they were no strangers to being subtly outmaneuvered by their own siblings in their daily interactions.

The four exchanged sharp glances, each discerning the fierce competitive fire burning in the others’ eyes.

While their ambition wouldn’t lead to fratricide, they would certainly not object to their siblings encountering a minor misfortune or two.

Their current dynamic mirrored that of a group of competitive companions in an online game, nearing the finish line, where no one harbors the slightest inclination to yield.

“Perhaps we should engage in fair competition?” Huangfu Ming suggested. “We all start together, and whoever claims it first shall be its rightful owner. What say you?”

Huangfu Ming, sensing the futility of their stalemate, put forth the proposition of fair competition.

The other three, acknowledging the wisdom in Huangfu Ming’s words, nodded their assent.

“Very well then. I shall count to three, and then we shall all set off!”

“Ready…”

“Three!”

WHOOSH!

Before the final syllable had even left his lips, three figures abruptly shot forward, leaving Huangfu Jiashu standing alone, bewildered and still waiting.

Huangfu Jiashu: “…”

They had agreed to count to three! Was this truly how they counted?!

Huangfu Jiashu, having been left behind at the start, gazed at the three ‘rascals’ ahead, now neck and neck and utterly unwilling to yield. It was glaringly obvious that they had never harbored any intention of fair competition from the very beginning.

Only she had foolishly stood by, awaiting the full count to conclude.

“Heheheh, all’s fair in war, dear sister,” Huangfu Ming chortled.

Huangfu Ming, not content with his trickery, even turned his head to offer the exasperated Huangfu Jiashu a ‘friendly’ wave, infuriating her to the point where she wished to string her elder brother up and deliver a thorough beating.

Ultimately, it was Huangfu Ming, the spell cultivator blessed with superior physical conditioning, who secured the opulent blind box. Huangfu Liu, the alchemist, and Huangfu Hui, the formation cultivator, found themselves a mere step too slow.

“Hahaha, my deepest apologies, esteemed siblings! This victory, this first place, is now undeniably mine!”

The instant Huangfu Ming’s fingers brushed the ornate blind box, a sleek, streamlined flying sword, radiating an aura of incredible speed, materialized beneath his feet.