Under the leadership of Shrek's group, the Heaven Dou Empire's troops surged like raging tides, repeatedly battering the majestic yet crumbling pass.
Before Sea God Tang San's nearly invincible divine power, the Spirit Hall Empire's defenses retreated step by step, already showing signs of collapse.
"Hahahaha!"
Tang San held the Sea God Trident as he stood in midair, wielding the Thirteen Halberds of Gold with ease. Every swing swept away swathes of Spirit Hall Empire Soul Masters.
He threw back his head and laughed, his voice brimming with the exhilaration of certain victory.
"Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, do you see this? This is the end of your Spirit Hall Empire!"
"Any futile resistance will only bring more casualties!"
Not far away, Yu Xiaogang watched with his hands behind his back, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Little San is right."
"Before absolute strength, all schemes and tricks will be laid bare. This battle is finally about to come to an end."
Xiao Wu followed closely behind Tang San, vengeance blazing in her beautiful eyes as she stared fixedly at the purple figure atop the city wall.
"Bibi Dong! You vicious woman!"
"The vengeance for my mother's death is irreconcilable! Today, I will make you repay blood with blood!"
Atop Jialing Pass, Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue stood side by side.
Listening to the taunts and mockery rising from below, the mother and daughter's expressions had both turned utterly grim.
Their robes snapped in the fierce wind, and stubborn traces of blood hung at the corners of their lips.
Jialing Pass, the Spirit Hall Empire's final barrier, was already on the verge of collapse.
Its defenses had been torn apart in many places, and its soldiers had suffered grievous casualties. They could clearly feel it—the mighty pass was about to fall.
Just as the battle was on the brink of complete collapse, the Sky Screen suddenly changed!
The dazzling golden light instantly overwhelmed every Soul Skill radiance on the battlefield, bathing every face in gold.
Tang San's offensive halted. He abruptly looked up at the heavens, surprise flashing through his eyes.
"Is the first place on the Exotic Treasures Ranking about to be revealed?"
Ning Rongrong supported Oscar beside her and gazed up at the Sky Screen, unable to hide her curiosity.
"The first-ranked Exotic Treasure... what kind of treasure could it possibly be?"
"It actually surpassed the Asura God Sword, the Angel Holy Sword, and even that heaven-defying Eternal Life Pendant to take first place!"
Oscar chimed in excitedly.
"It must be an unprecedented, peerless treasure unlike anything this continent has ever seen!"
On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing's figure flickered in and out of the shadows. Her gaze was clear, but her attention lay elsewhere.
"Compared to the treasure itself, I am more curious about whose hands it is in."
Her crisp voice carried a distinctive calm.
"Anyone capable of possessing such a treasure must be an extraordinary existence. Otherwise, how could they deserve the title of Douluo Continent's greatest Exotic Treasure?"
Zhu Zhuqing's heart was filled with curiosity about that mysterious owner.
To possess such a supreme treasure, just how astonishing and unmatched must that person be?
Xiao Wu snorted and curled her lip.
"First on the Exotic Treasures Ranking? Wouldn't that mean everyone on this continent will turn their eyes toward that person?"
"Hmph, what an enormous spectacle!"
Everyone discussed it animatedly, but Yu Xiaogang alone wore an especially strange expression.
He first froze. Then, an incomparably fervent light burst from his eyes, and his breathing quickened.
A thought, like wildly growing vines, instantly wrapped around his entire mind.
"My... my Spirit Master theory... couldn't really be ranked first, could it?!"
Yu Xiaogang's heart pounded wildly. The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed!
Exotic treasure—what was an exotic treasure?
Anything rare and extraordinary was an exotic treasure!
His Spirit Master theory had condensed the painstaking efforts of his entire life. It was the greatest crystallization of wisdom in all of Douluo Continent's history!
Was that not "rare and extraordinary" enough?
"It must be so! The Golden Ranking's standards cannot possibly be fathomed by Mortals!"
Yu Xiaogang trembled with excitement, his cheeks flushed red.
"This is first place on the Exotic Treasures Ranking! An existence that surpasses every divine weapon, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures across Douluo Continent!"
"If I can reach the top of this ranking, everyone in the world... no, everyone in the entire God Realm will worship and admire me!"
He seemed to see himself standing above the masses, receiving the reverent worship of countless experts.
He would no longer be the useless man mocked by the world. He would become the greatest theory master in millions of years of continental history—the unprecedented number one in the world of theory!
Atop Jialing Pass.
Seeing the change in the Sky Screen, Bibi Dong temporarily suppressed the despair in her heart, replaced by a trace of astonishment.
"The first place on the Douluo Exotic Treasures Ranking is about to be revealed... I am truly curious."
Qian Renxue's golden eyes were likewise fixed on the sky as she murmured to herself.
"What kind of Exotic Treasure could surpass the Angel Holy Sword, the Rakshasa Demon Scythe, the Silver Dragon Spear, and even the Asura God Sword to rank first?"
This question was also the doubt in Bibi Dong's heart.
She sighed. "Such a treasure must be extraordinary beyond measure, incomparably precious, and possess the power to shake heaven and make ghosts weep."
Hu Liena, standing behind them, temporarily forgot the brutality of the battlefield and instinctively asked the question everyone cared about.
"Then... whose hands is this first-ranked Exotic Treasure in?"
At that question, a figure inexplicably flashed through Qian Renxue's mind.
That unfathomable master, so powerful that even she felt suffocated.
But the thought had appeared for only an instant before she crushed it herself.
She gently shook her head.
How could that be possible!
Her master was indeed incomparably mysterious and might even have lived for twenty thousand years, but this was the first place on the Exotic Treasures Ranking, surpassing all Divine Weapons!
It was a supreme treasure that drew the attention of the entire continent and even the God Realm!
Could her master... truly possess it?
Qian Renxue's heart was filled with uncertainty.
Just then, a rapid series of footsteps sounded.
Golden Crocodile Douluo, covered in blood, rushed onto the city wall with several surviving worshippers. His voice was hoarse and filled with urgency.
"Your Excellency the Pope! Young Master!"
"Jialing Pass... cannot be held any longer!"
"Tang San and the Titled Douluo under his command are attacking too fiercely. Our defenses have completely collapsed! At most... at most, we can hold on for another hour!"
"What?!"
Qian Renxue's delicate body trembled, her golden eyes filled with shock.
"We can only hold for another hour?"
Hu Liena's face instantly turned as pale as paper.
"An hour... if Jialing Pass falls, we... we will no longer have any hope of turning this around!"
"Could it be..."
Bibi Dong swayed, and the last glimmer of hope in her eyes turned into bottomless despair.
"Is our Spirit Hall Empire going to lose like this?"
Before you continue