The Fiend assessment will begin on the fifteenth day.
When the three arrived at the Fiend Castle, many people who were taking the test were arriving one after another. Each of them had a badge that glowed red on their chest, making them easy to identify.
By noon, a Highgod official in charge confirmed that everyone had arrived and ordered the departure.
As people of the Fiend Castle, they were naturally not forbidden from flying within the city. They directly launched their Metallic Lifeform, carrying more than 500 people, and flew out of the city.
The number of people assessed this time was less Jason had expected. This may be because the area around Falling Rain City is not very prosperous, or it may be that the task was relatively easy, so fewer people were assigned to it.
The Metallic Lifeform flew southwest after leaving the city for two months, and Jason estimated that it was about to reach the border of the Northbone Prefecture.
The team was led by ten Highgod. One of the men coughed lightly, attracting the attention of all the examiners.
"Over the past few hundred years, our Northbone Prefecture has destroyed many bandit gangs that were entrenched in the border area between the south and Huaijiang Prefecture. Although many bandits were killed, a large number of Midgod bandits escaped in the chaos and scattered throughout our Northbone Prefecture."
Our mission this time is to wipe out the bandit gangs between the Northbone Prefecture and the Western Bone Dragon Prefecture. Each of the ten Highgod Fiend will lead fifty participants, randomly selecting targets to conduct raids in multiple directions. The task will last ten days; those who consecutively kill ten Midgod bandits or one Highgod bandit will pass the test. The number of kills will be recorded by the leading Highgod; the record cannot be transferred to others.
The man glanced at the examinees. "The mission begins. Good luck."
More than 500 people filed away from the Metallic Lifeform and landed on the ground.
The ten Highgod Fiend began to divide into teams.
Jason and his two companions stood together, naturally forming a team. Many examinees were eager to get close to Kasabu, since he was the only Highgod among the examinees, and being in his team meant having two Highgod in the team.
"Should we take this opportunity to collect some team-up fees?" Kasabu asked telepathically.
The ten Fiend have not yet determined their team members, clearly leaving it to the participants to form their own teams.
"Don't complicate things," Jason and Landon said in unison.
Those who can participate in the Fiend exam are all Midgod who are confident in their own strength. Kasabu's strength is probably limited to fighting ten at most. It wouldn't be good if he were surrounded and attacked later.
Jason and Landon didn't take the surrounding bandits seriously. How strong could a Deity-level bandit be? As long as there were no Highgod bandits, the two of them could wipe out a bandit gang of twenty.
The most difficult part of this mission was figuring out how to secure the opportunity to kill the bandits amidst competition from over fifty Midgod.
Within ten minutes, the ten teams were divided.
Most of the fifty people in Jason's team were at the average level of the reference group—the powerful Midgod were confident they could kill ten bandits, and the weak couldn't squeeze in.
A female Highgod Fiend approached with a smile, glanced at Kasabu, and said, "My name is Cheryl, and I'm in charge of your team. Alright, let's set off. I won't be responsible for anyone who falls behind."
Their destination was a forest.
Clearly, the Fiend had already investigated the distribution of bandits in this area.
After the three discussed it, Kasabu transmitted his thoughts telepathically. "We are fortunate to be grouped together. To ensure that the majority passes, let's work together."
"What do you mean, sir?" someone asked suspiciously.
"The three of us brothers will each take a head at each bandit stronghold we reach. After that, I'll help you stop the bandits from escaping. We'll continue to kill ten Midgod bandits until the mission is over. After that, we'll stop looting and continue to help you keep the bandits at bay."
Someone mustered up the courage to ask, "How can we trust you?"
"I'm sure no one cares about the wealth of Midgod bandit. As long as I pass the test smoothly, competing for battle achievements is useless to me."
The surrounding Midgod were relieved. Kasabu was right. The most important thing about this mission was to eliminate as many groups of bandits as possible. As long as someone maintained order, it was even possible that everyone would pass the test.
"Make a deal!"
"The first band of robbers!" The Fiend Cheryl looked at the mountain stronghold built on the mountainside more than a thousand meters away.
The fifty-three participants instantly split into three groups and stealthily surrounded the other side.
The divine sense of Highgod can only cover a range of about one thousand meters. By the time the bandits realized they were surrounded, the group had already sneaked within three hundred meters of the mountain stronghold.
"Twenty-seven Midgod, but no Highgod!" Kasabu said to the people around him as his divine sense swept across the mountain stronghold.
The bandit gangs on the border are much stronger than those in the area where the Rhine Clan lives.
Kasabu took the lead, transforming into a fire-breathing figure and charging forward.
The bandit leader, still debating whether to try to avoid disaster by spending money, immediately burrowed underground to escape the moment he saw Kasabu. Kasabu landed and charged at him, forcing him out of the ground with flames.
The next strike was a flaming blade, but the opponent dodged it.
But Kasabu did not pursue; instead, he killed a Midgod standing nearby with a single strike.
Jason and Landon were a bit slow; by the time they arrived, a Midgod was already fighting with the bandits.
Kasabu opened his Highgod domain, effectively restricting the two Midgod. The two slow-moving bandits were easily killed by Jason and Landon.
The three kept their promise and did not kill any more Midgod bandits.
The bandits formed a circle and shouted "surrender," but the surrounding Midgod showed no intention of letting them go.
Kasabu maintains his domain, covering the past.
Jason and Landon flew outwards, trying to kill as many Lowgod as possible. They were considered "young" among Midgod, and the Lowgod were relatively wealthy.
The battle was over in less than an hour.
The group had no interest in looting the surrounding area. Seeing their leader flying over, they immediately regrouped and prepared to head to their next target.
"Tsk, you're making things difficult for me." The beautiful Fiend Cheryl complained, but she didn't make things difficult for the group and led them toward their next destination.
"Someone just died."
"That guy was too hasty. He was surrounded by five bandits and wasn't good at defending himself."
Because the operation had just gone smoothly, the barriers between the group had lessened considerably, and they began to communicate with each other using their spiritual senses.
It took four hours to get there.
The second target consisted of only a dozen or so Midgod.
The process was much simpler, and in just half an hour, everyone was back on the road.
"Everyone, I have just confirmed with the examiner that I have met the requirements, and I will not attack the Midgod bandits afterward," said a female Midgod.
There aren't many "good people" among the Deity-level in the Netherworld, but most Deity-level have "self-respect." Kasabu, as Highgod, sets an example by his own actions, so the others naturally feel embarrassed to behave too badly.
Jason had noticed her; she possessed both Light Element and Fire Element attributes, was fast, and had strong attacks. Jason wasn't confident he could defeat her.
"Congratulations!" "That's really impressive!" "Is the beautiful lady married yet?"
The atmosphere in the team became much more lively. After all, at this speed, as long as they weren't unexpectedly killed by the bandits, passing the test was a certainty.
Unfortunately, the Fiend test won't let them pass so easily.
"Be careful with this target," Cheryl said with a teasing smile.
It was a valley, and the group was standing at its edge, already spotted by the enemy.
Kasabu's face paled. "There's Highgod here, I need help."
The female Midgod who had appeared earlier stepped forward. "My name is Melita."
Simple and clear, with a burning fighting spirit in her eyes, it was obvious that she wasn't doing this for the sake of helping others, but rather because she craved battle—the opportunity to fight against another Highgod, led by Highgod, was rare indeed.
Jason and Landon naturally stood beside Kasabu.
None of the other Midgod stepped forward, since battles between Highgod were too dangerous and wouldn't benefit them.
The bandits opposite had already flown over, and the Fiend leader had left. Clearly, the other side mistook Jason and his group for other bandits trying to steal their business.
The bandit leader, Highgod, charged straight at them with immense Water Element Divine Power.
Upon contact, Kasabu telepathically told Jason and Landon, "Four Star Fiend, who attained godhood on his own."
Kasabu could clearly sense that the two were not much different in terms of Profound Mysteries, but the purity of the other's Divine Power was much better than his own. Delisha had fought Kasabu several times before, and she had a clear understanding of the strength of Four Star Fiend and Five-Star Fiend.
Fortunately, the attack power of Water Element Highgod is not strong.
Kasabu led the charge, while the three behind him unleashed five of their strongest ranged attacks.
Jason and Melita are both Midgod clones; Landon's Death Clone was not brought along.
The three physical attacks were directly blocked by the opponent's Divine Power shield, only slowing the opponent down slightly; the two soul attacks entered the opponent's mind without having any effect.
Kasabu clashed with the bandit leader's gauntlets, wielding a flaming greatsword. Although at a disadvantage, he was still able to withstand the attack— Water Element attacks were simply too weak. No wonder the Azure Dragon Clan Chief in the original story said that Water Element were a disadvantage in battle.
The three people beside him were all top-tier Midgod, and they still played a significant role.
Jason and Melita are both high-speed attackers who constantly roam the area. When the bandit leader tries to target them, they hide behind Kasabu, which annoys him. Landon, on the other hand, displays pure physical attacks in terms of the Edicts of Destruction. He stands shoulder to shoulder with Kasabu, assisting in attacks whenever possible.
The Water Element's Divine Power transformed into layers of waves, creating a wide-ranging impact on the surrounding area.
Jason realized that this was the application of the "Profound Mystery of Roundness" Profound Mysteries. The Profound Mystery of Roundness Profound Mysteries itself has no offensive power, but when combined with other Profound Mysteries, it can enhance the offensive power of other Water Element Profound Mysteries.
The battle revealed that the bandit leader had achieved some fusion between the Profound Mystery of Roundness and Water Element, but the degree was not deep.
The bandit leader was clearly getting impatient, launching wave after wave of wide-range attacks, completely disregarding the consumption of Divine Power. He was trying to temporarily cripple the three Midgod to buy enough time to defeat Kasabu in front of him.
Kasabu is merely a Highgod who Refine Divine Spark. Even if the bandit leader's attack is relatively weak, he is confident that he can defeat him within half an hour, provided that no one else interferes.
The four of them certainly wouldn't let him have his way, as the battles around them were becoming increasingly clear.
How could Midgod dared to participate in the Fiend assessment be compared to a group of roaming bandits? Even though their numbers were only half of the bandits', and even though this group of bandits was already one of the stronger ones in the area, they still presented an overwhelming advantage.
Three crossbow bolts were suddenly thrown out, flying towards the target. One was blocked, one was deflected, and only one hit the target.
It wasn't Jason and his men who shot the poisoned arrows, but rather the bandit leader who launched a surprise attack, and the one who was hit was the Midgod Melita.
Melita screamed and fell downwards.
The bandit leader had just exposed an opening during his attack, and Kasabu slashed with his sword, barely breaking through the opponent's protective barrier and causing him to stagger.
Jason seized the opportunity to stab from behind, throwing a poisoned arrow, but it was blocked by the opponent's Defensive Divine Artifact —it wasn't that the three of them were reluctant to use the poisoned arrow, but rather that the opponent, as a high -Water Element Highgod, had extremely strong defense, and the poisoned arrow simply couldn't pierce through it.
The bandit leader swung a punch at Jason's forehead.
Jason revealed his "Thunder Angel" form with wings on his back, raised his Highgod Artifact longsword, barely blocking the attack, but was also sent flying backward.
The bandit leader was confident that even if he revealed some flaws, as long as he could severely injure these three troublesome Midgod, he could easily turn the tide—he had long ago realized that the opponent, Kasabu, was Highgod who Refine Divine Spark.
After all, the purity of Divine Power cannot be faked. It is even thinner than the Divine Power of Highgod who has only recently begun to Fusion Profound Mysteries. It is only the power of a Highgod who Refine Divine Spark.
Just as the bandit leader was about to kill the last remaining Landon, Kasabu abandoned his cautious approach and charged forward. His longsword was caught by the opponent's gauntlets, so he discarded the sword and leaped forward.
"Attack quickly! His soul attack isn't strong, I can hold out for a while longer!" Kasabu immediately imprisoned his opponent.
If it were a higher- Refine Divine Spark Highgod of other attributes, Kasabu wouldn't dare to do this, since soul defense is his weakness; however, the bandit leader is a god who only uses the Water Element, and his soul attack isn't very strong, so Kasabu can hold out for a while.
Landon immediately grabbed a poisoned arrow in each hand and stabbed at close range.
Jason regained his footing and his golden light shone brightly. His supernatural power, "Heaven’s Will Proxy," gave him a powerful recovery ability that instantly restored his fighting strength. He then drew his poisoned arrow and charged forward.
"Ah!" The bandit leader was pierced in the wrist by one of Landon's poisoned arrows, and the soul poison rushed directly into his sea of consciousness.
Kasabu released his opponent, pulled out his spare weapon, and slashed at him with his sword.
The bandit leader used his last remaining consciousness to block the attack and retreated, but was struck in the back of the neck by a poisoned arrow thrown from behind by Jason.
Jason swung his sword again, beheading his opponent.
Looking around, the bandits had already begun to flee.
The three of them descended directly downwards, searching for Melita, whom they had just seen.
Melita was hanging from a tree. Her Deity-level body, protected by Divine Artifact, prevented her from being killed instantly by the fall, but her soul was weak.
"Could it be Soul Mutation?" Jason thought of a possibility.
The three exchanged a glance, then lifted him up and flew him back to the battlefield.
Cheryl had already flown over. "Only so few died?"
Six Midgod died in the recent battle, reducing Jason's group of references to forty-five.
After all, the bandits outnumbered them by more than two; even if they were strong, they would still suffer casualties.
His nonchalant tone infuriated everyone, but they could only suppress their anger.
"I just saw it. It was this guy, uh, Jason, who killed Highgod and met the assessment requirements according to the rules. Everyone else, keep up the good work!"
It's clear that Cheryl has this batch of reference data; as Deity-level, remembering everyone's name is easy for her.
"You decide how long you want to rest. Once you're ready, we'll move on to the next target."