Xu Yingwang, arrogant and self-important, believed few in the world could earn his respect, save for the demon commander, Tu Shan Che.
However, Chen Xiao's appearance had instilled a sense of crisis in him.
Though he didn't show it much outwardly, he deeply disliked the young human.
If he had to pinpoint the reason, it might be related to the human youth's favor with the Demon Venerable?
Xu Yingwang couldn't quite grasp the feeling, but he knew with certainty that a deep-seated sourness resided within him.
Yet, at this moment, he had no choice but to concede.
This young human, both in his current strength and future potential, far surpassed him.
"Alas."
A silent sigh escaped, not from Xu Yingwang, but from the Golden Lion King.
Faced with such a prodigiously talented young human, who wouldn't be awestruck?
Of course, there was Bai Guangda… as he scratched his head, utterly clueless as to what had just transpired.
Then, on the Seven Gods Scroll, new colors began to illuminate.
Yellow, representing light; orange, representing loyalty; cyan, representing wisdom; and blue, representing honesty.
In less than twenty minutes, Chen Xiao had earned the acknowledgment of six deities.
Xu Yingwang shook his head with a wry smile, "I thought I had regarded him highly enough, but it seems I still underestimated him."
"Awesome!"
The Golden Lion King uttered two words, his characteristic brevity intact.
Bai Guangda, unable to fully comprehend yet aware of Chen Xiao's prowess, gaped, his shock evident on his face.
Xiao Hei jumped for joy.
"So amazing, so amazing, truly worthy of being my father… Hey, Xu Yingwang, didn't you say my father wouldn't be recognized by the Seven Gods? How about now? Does your face hurt?"
Xiao Hei provocatively taunted Xu Yingwang.
Xu Yingwang's face darkened, but he was utterly unable to refute.
Even the Demon Venerable said with a wry smile, "Originally, I thought I was the unparalleled genius of the demon race, and he was the unparalleled genius of the human race. We were kindred spirits, the twin prodigies of destiny. But now, it seems I was wrong. His abilities far surpass mine!"
Xu Yingwang retorted unconvincingly, "Demon Venerable, it's too early to say such things. You have earned the acknowledgment of seven deities, and he has only received six so far. While he has surpassed you greatly in terms of time, perhaps the seventh deity will not acknowledge him!"
As soon as Xu Yingwang finished speaking, the final light on the Seven Gods Scroll flared to life.
It was pink, representing benevolence.
Thus, the last of the Seven Gods also acknowledged Chen Xiao.
The Demon Venerable Tu Shan Che looked at Xu Yingwang with a wry smile, as if to say, "And now?"
Of course, he didn't voice the question.
Truthfully, Chen Xiao's performance had dealt him quite a blow.
In his view, Chen Xiao might gain the acknowledgment of six deities, and even if he achieved seven, it would require considerable effort.
But the result was that he had gained the acknowledgment of the Seven Gods effortlessly.
He recalled that when he had earned the acknowledgment of the seventh deity, it had taken him a great deal of effort, a full day of arduous work.
And this was under the premise that he had worshipped the Seven Gods since childhood.
The Demon Venerable, having lived for thousands of years, had never suffered such a significant blow.
Everyone was speechless, an immeasurable silence filling the air.
The grand hall was as quiet as a tomb, the only sounds being the faint breaths of those present.
This silence persisted for five minutes.
Finally, Xu Yingwang noticed something amiss and broke the stillness, "No, no, this isn't right!"
"Hmm?"
The Golden Lion King looked at Xu Yingwang in confusion, expressing his bewilderment with a single sound.
Bai Guangda, scratching his head, looked at the seemingly frantic Xu Yingwang and cautiously asked, "Xu Yingwang, what's wrong? What isn't right?"
Xiao Hei watched Xu Yingwang warily, ready to retort immediately if he said anything detrimental to his father.
The silver-templed Demon Venerable seemed to awaken from a daze, frowning, "That's right. Brother Chen has already gained the acknowledgment of the Seven Gods, so why hasn't he been teleported out yet? Logically, after receiving the acknowledgment of the Seven Gods, one should be teleported out immediately, but now, several minutes have passed."
Xu Yingwang asked indifferently, "Could he be unable to come out?"
"Unable to come out?"
Xiao Hei was suddenly startled, "Foster Father, what does Xu Yingwang mean by that? If he can't come out? What will happen to my father?"
Tu Shan Che swallowed, his voice solemn, "He would be trapped inside, his body and soul destroyed."
Xiao Hei's head buzzed, "No, it can't be. How could my father be destroyed? He must still have something to complete. He can't possibly be unable to come out!"
"The Seven Gods Scroll does not contain a world; it is merely a void. Once divine consciousness enters, there is no independent awareness. Therefore, theoretically, there is no such thing as 'still having something to complete'."
Xu Yingwang stated calmly.
"Foster Father, what is going on? Is my father truly unable to come out?"
Xu Yingwang's words made Xiao Hei's blood surge with impatience.
"I have never encountered such a situation, nor have I even heard of it…"
The Demon Venerable shook his head helplessly.
"No, no, I don't believe it!"
The Demon Venerable's words shattered Xiao Hei's last shred of hope.
*Buzzzzz—*
His head rang louder, and as if driven mad, he lunged towards the Seven Gods Scroll.
"I don't believe it, that mere broken scroll can trap my father! I'll tear this broken scroll apart!"
Xiao Hei lunged forward, his sharp claws extending, emanating black energy as he swiped.
"Xiao Hei, no…"
Tu Shan Che was still lost in thought and did not stop Xiao Hei immediately. By the time he intended to, it was too late.
*Bang—*
Xiao Hei was flung back, crashing heavily onto the ground. His internal energy was in disarray, and he spat out a mouthful of dark blood.
"Nonsense!"
The Demon Venerable roared, "How can a mere Nascent Soul realm brat like you damage a divine artifact like the Seven Gods Scroll?"
"Even if you truly tore it apart with one claw, what about your father? His divine consciousness is still within the scroll. If the scroll is destroyed, he perishes!"
The Demon Venerable rarely lost his temper with Xiao Hei like this.
Xiao Hei also realized he had made a mistake. He lowered his head and mumbled softly, "But I can't just watch this broken scroll trap my father. What else can I do? What else can I do…"
Xiao Hei roared in self-recrimination, his voice laced with helplessness.
The Golden Lion King shook his head and sighed, "What a pity."
Bai Guangda comforted him, "Don't be sad, Xiao Hei. If all else fails, I can be your father. And in a way, I'm more suited to be your father. After all, he's just a human, while I am a noble demon!"
Xiao Hei glared fiercely at Bai Guangda, completely ignoring him.
"It seems that kid is truly not coming back."
Xu Yingwang stared at the Seven Gods Scroll, suspended in mid-air, shimmering with radiance, and said softly.
Xiao Hei instinctively wanted to retort, but he noticed Xu Yingwang's gaze was unusual and quickly followed his line of sight.
The radiant Seven Gods Scroll was slowly losing its colors.
The entire painting grew dim.
"The power of the Seven Gods is withdrawing from the scroll. It seems Brother Chen…"
The silver-templed Tu Shan Che's eyes were filled with sorrow.
He couldn't bring himself to utter the last four words, 'not coming back,' as he found his voice catching in his throat.
Xiao Hei stared blankly at the scroll. Xu Yingwang said, "The blue dot representing Mr. Chen has also disappeared."
The fist-sized blue dot had vanished from the painting.
In the next moment, the scroll would transform into seven streams of light and return to the bodies of the seven divine statues.
Thus, the Seven Gods Trial officially concluded.
However, at this very moment, Xu Yingwang was once again the first to notice something amiss, "Hmm? What's going on now?"
This time, the Demon Venerable didn't need Xu Yingwang to point it out, as his gaze had been fixed on the scroll.
In the very center of the scroll, a scorched, yellow hole had appeared, as if burned through.
No, it wasn't "as if"; it was literally burned through!
The Seven Gods Scroll was burning!
"This, this, this, the Seven Gods Scroll is burning! Demon Venerable, quickly think of a solution!"
Bai Guangda urged anxiously.
He hadn't even entered the Seven Gods Scroll yet. If the scroll was damaged, he would lose his chance forever.
"What solution can I possibly have…"
The Demon Venerable said weakly.
The flames on the Seven Gods Scroll grew larger and larger, half the scroll turning to ash.
Within a few breaths, the entire scroll had burned to nothing.
*Click, click, click…*
A sound of shattering stone followed, incessant.
"It's the statues of the Seven Gods! They've all shattered!"
Xu Yingwang shouted.
Everyone looked up and saw that the seven divine statues, standing majestically in the hall, had developed cracks of varying degrees. Stones rained down, and in a short while, the seven statues had crumbled into seven piles of grayish-white dust and earth.
"Demon Venerable, what is going on now?"
Bai Guangda asked, completely bewildered.
The Demon Venerable Tu Shan Che's eyes were vacant, as if he had aged decades in an instant.
"The Seven Gods… the Seven Gods are gone…"
As the commander of the demon race, the Demon Venerable Tu Shan Che could no longer sense the presence of the Seven Gods.
"Could it be that heaven truly intends to destroy my Jiuzhou?"
Tu Shan Che's eyes were filled with unwillingness.
Not only had the Seven Gods departed, but they had also taken away that human prodigy.
In this way, he would once again face the Heavenly Dao alone in the future.
Bai Guangda wailed loudly, "It's all over, it's all over now. My Seven Gods Trial is ruined!"