Some gods had already finished their battles and stood atop their peaks, their expressions calm.
Others were still locked in fierce combat. Weapons clashed without pause, and divine light sprayed across the sky of the Investiture of the Gods World, making it flicker between light and dark.
The gulf in strength between the gods had never been clearer.
Some remained unhurried; others were drenched in blood.
A day passed, and some gods still had not decided a victor.
"The fighting ends here."
The administrator of the Investiture of the Gods World spoke in a flat, unquestionable voice. "Any god who has not defeated their opponent is eliminated."
The projections in the sky vanished at those words.
The gods still locked in battle froze.
Some clenched their fists in frustration until their knuckles whitened; others let out long sighs, their eyes dimming.
They looked toward the victors standing on the highest reaches of Investiture Mountain. After a moment of silence, they finally put away their weapons and turned to descend.
Strong as they were, there was always a sky beyond the sky, and someone stronger standing higher still.
After one round of eliminations, forty-nine God Kings remained in Jiang Ping An's Investiture of the Gods World.
The administrator continued, his voice utterly even. "Too many remain after this round. Rest for four hours, then the second elimination test will begin."
"The rules are the same as in the first round. This time, you will face projections of those ranked twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth in the Investiture of the Gods test."
At those two numbers, everyone turned toward the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth peaks.
More precisely, they looked at the man on the twenty-fifth peak.
Many God Kings' faces darkened at once.
"In the next round... we have to face Jiang Ping An and