A Survey of Iconic Moments
Just then.
The sky screen changed once again.
(When a powerhouse in the rankings has an iconic moment, that moment will be played. The more badass the iconic moment, the richer the reward they will receive after the rankings conclude.)
(Note: the powerhouses on the rankings are not judged by their current strength, but by the greatest strength they will attain in the future. Bloodline, background, talent, and so on will also be taken into account.)
Soon, the text vanished, replaced by a purple scroll.
"Here it comes, here it comes! What will a deity's iconic moment be like?"
"I wonder what a deity looks like. I'm so curious."
(Tang San: Haha, it's based on our greatest future strength! First place on the Douluo Continent rankings is definitely mine."
(Yu Xiaogang: If talent counts too, my name is bound to be among the top ten powerhouses on the Douluo Continent.)
Most people had little interest in that final note. All they cared about was the deity Raiden Ei's iconic moment.
People on both the Douluo Continent and Teyvat fixed their gazes on the sky screen!
[As one of the weaker gods among The Seven who now serve Heavenly Principles Phanes, I was born before the Archon War.]
[I contemplated eternity in the Plane of Euthymia for a thousand years.]
(What appeared in the image was a crow.
A purple crow.
The purple crow flew over the vast sea.
It flew over Inazuma City.
Following the crow's perspective, one could see a figure dressed in purple standing at the highest point of Tenshukaku.
She gazed at Inazuma.
She seemed to be reminiscing.
Streaks of purple lightning flowed through her eyes, making them look unfathomably deep and full of the presence of eternity.)
"One of the weaker gods among The Seven who serve Heavenly Principles Phanes."
Gu Yue Na and Di Tian looked at each other.
She was merely one of the weaker gods among The Seven who served Heavenly Principles Phanes, and she had fucking cultivated for a thousand years!
How the fuck was that possible!
Gu Yue Na and Di Tian could clearly sense those purple eyes.
Even looking at them through the sky screen made their bodies tremble.
The weakest one was already fucking no weaker than Gu Yue Na herself.
Just how terrifying were the ones ranked above her among The Seven?
And how terrifying was Heavenly Principles Phanes?
"How can she be so strong!!"
The Ferocious Beasts could not help prostrating themselves on the ground.
They had merely met those purple eyes.
And they had done so through the sky screen.
Yet that terrifying pressure bore down on them until they could not help prostrating themselves. Only Gu Yue Na could barely remain standing.
They could not imagine it. They simply could not imagine it.
If they faced her in person, a single glance from her would probably be enough to kill them instantly.
As for how strong the other gods and the Heavenly Principles Phanes she spoke of were.
That was already far beyond anything they could imagine, just as two-dimensional creatures could never understand the concept of height, no matter what.
Spirit Hall.
When Bibi Dong saw those purple eyes.
She too instantly felt cold sweat pouring down her body.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat.
What kind of eyes were those?
Unfathomably deep, yet full of eternity.
She could not understand.
Fortunately, those eyes on the sky screen had only met his for an instant.
If their gazes had met for a little longer.
She might have been unable to resist the urge to submit.[I once sat in the Plane of Euthymia for three thousand years.]
[Until the people of Inazuma began calling for their Electro Archon.]
[Once, beneath the cherry trees on Narukami Island, my elder sister Raiden Makoto and I swore to protect Inazuma.]
[She taught me what eternity meant.]
[Later, she died on the battlefield in Khaenri'ah.]
Beautiful illustrations began appearing on the sky screen.
Other worlds really did exist.
Gods really did exist.
The people of the Douluo Continent were stunned.
Especially Bibi Dong of Spirit Hall.
She could not help falling into thought.
From the words spoken above, "Later, she died on the battlefield in Khaenri'ah," she felt the same thing.
Just like when that incident happened in the secret chamber all those years ago.
They had both lost the most important thing in their lives.
Only, she had lost her elder sister, while Bibi Dong had lost her chastity.
It was not just her. Tang Hao, Xiao Wu, and others felt the same way.
It was the helplessness that came after losing the most precious thing in one's life.
Shrek Academy.
"So even someone as strong as her has been through the same thing as me." When Xiao Wu heard those words, tears streamed uncontrollably down her little face.
Compared with Bibi Dong.
She could put herself in her place even more.
Her elder sister had taught her what eternity was.
And her mother had taught her how to be human.
Later, her elder sister had died on the battlefield in Kairuiya.
Her mother, too, had died at human hands.
She could feel that it was an overwhelming helplessness, like a storm sweeping away the umbrella from the hand of a little girl walking in the rain.
[She told me that the Electro Archon needed two blades-one held in her hand, and one hidden in her heart.]
[Even though she was my elder sister, she always took it upon herself to bear every burden, thinking she knew best.]
[I agreed to her request and became the blade she hid in her heart.]
[In my travels over thousands of years, I met many gods and witnessed thrones change hands...]
[It is hard to imagine that the word gentle could be used to describe a god, but I saw it in her.]
Raiden Makoto in the scroll was very gentle.
She reminded Xiao Wu of her own mother.
When her mother was still with her, she had been just as kind to her.
She also reminded Tang Hao of Ah Yin.
As they watched, most people could not help shedding tears.
They all remembered the most important person in their lives, the one who had treated them with genuine care and asked for nothing in return. That person might have been a mother, a lover, an elder brother, or...
The only thing that remained unchanged was the regret of a tree longing for stillness while the wind refused to cease, of wishing to cherish a loved one who was no longer there.
Just then.
The image suddenly changed.
A vast, boundless sea came into view.
An enormous serpent emerged from the vast sea.
The serpent was so huge that the part above the surface alone was already as large as a skyscraper.
The moment the serpent appeared, the once perfectly clear sky became thick with dark clouds.
"??????"
Everyone could not help shuddering at the sight.
It was their first time seeing such a huge Soul Beast.
Even watching through the sky screen, they could feel their bodies trembling.
It was the fear of an ant seeing an elephant, an instinct rooted in their very genes.
The Lake of Life.
Xiong Jun and the other Ferocious Beasts felt their bodies trembling.
There was no telling how many times larger the serpent before them was than they were.