Great Tang Empire, Favored by Fate!

[Great Tang Empire, favored by fate.]

[Special grant: Within the Great Tang Empire, every registered official and registered Soul Master shall receive one God-Bestowed Soul Ring!]

The moment these words appeared,

the entire continent fell deathly silent.

Then came countless sharp intakes of breath, rising one after another.

Madness!

The Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking had gone mad!

It was not rewarding just a few people, nor was it rewarding only the core members.

It was everyone!

As long as they were officials or Soul Masters of Great Tang, each of them would receive a God-Bestowed Soul Ring?

That was a divine treasure capable of providing the highest possible age limit according to the absorber's physique!

This meant that the overall quality of Great Tang's Soul Masters would undergo a terrifying leap overnight.

When two armies faced each other in the future,

while everyone else was still worrying about the optimal Soul Ring configuration, Great Tang's Soul Masters would start with the ultimate setup.

How were they supposed to fight that?

Yet the shock was not over.

[Special grant to the ruler of the faction, Wu Zetian: Three God-Bestowed Soul Rings! One God-Bestowed Soul Bone!]

[Additional reward: Above a Super Divine Artifact—the Huiyue Scepter!]

A scepter radiating moonlike brilliance slowly descended from the Heavenly Curtain and hovered before Wu Zetian.

The fluctuations emanating from the scepter even caused fine cracks to appear in space.

Above a Super Divine Artifact!

That was a supreme treasure that not even the God Realm possessed!

Just when everyone thought it was over,

the words on the Heavenly Curtain shifted again, and a line filled with mystery emerged.

[Special grant: The Behind-the-Scenes Controller of the Great Tang Empire.]

The moment those words appeared, the pupils of experts across the continent contracted sharply.

Behind-the-Scenes Controller?

Could it be that besides Empress Wu Zetian, someone else was manipulating the Great Tang Empire from behind the scenes?

The Heavenly Curtain did not reveal that person's name or appearance.

Only a streak of light shot straight into the depths of Daming Palace.

[Reward: Control over the Law of Light and Darkness!]

Chang'an City, viewing platform.

Yu Xiaogang was completely dumbfounded.

His mouth hung open as he stared stiffly at the reward list on the Heavenly Curtain, his mind a complete mess.

"How... how is this possible?"

"Everyone gets a God-Bestowed Soul Ring?"

"This is unfair! It seriously disrupts the balance of the Soul Master World!"

He abruptly turned around and looked at the Shrek group nearby, his voice becoming shrill and piercing from agitation.

"Did you see that? This is cheating!"

"Why should that so-called Great Tang take first place?"

"Shrek went through so many hardships along the way just to barely rank tenth."

"They did nothing, yet just because they are ranked first, they can receive rewards like this?"

Yet this time, even Dai Mubai and Tang San said nothing.

Their expressions were uglier than if they had eaten flies.

Jealousy.

Insane jealousy.

Dai Mubai stared fixedly in the direction of Chang'an City, the red veins in his eyes clearly visible.

He had fought desperately on Sea God Island just to obtain a God-Bestowed Soul Ring.

Yet even an ordinary official of Great Tang could have one?

How unfair was this world!

"And that Behind-the-Scenes Controller..."

Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth, forcing the words through the gaps between them.

"Who exactly is he?"

"To possess a status that surpasses Wu Zetian's and still obtain control over laws."

"Could this be the trump card that gives Great Tang the confidence to call itself number one?"

Laws.

That was a domain only God-level Experts could touch.

And these were top-tier laws like Light and Darkness.

A powerful sense of crisis rose in the hearts of the Shrek group.

This unknown enemy was even more unsettling than the Haiyue Empress.

Elsewhere.

Qian Renxue looked at the words "Behind-the-Scenes Controller," and a flash of understanding passed through her beautiful eyes.

"I knew it."

"Wu Zetian may be domineering, but with her strength, she might not necessarily be able to control Great Tang."

"So there really is someone behind her."

She thought of Li Xin, who always seemed so calm and unconcerned.

Although she had no evidence, a woman's intuition told her

that this so-called Behind-the-Scenes Controller was absolutely connected to Li Xin.

"Li Xin..."

"Just how deeply have you hidden yourself?"

Qian Renxue lightly tapped the railing with her fingers, while the fighting spirit in her eyes grew even stronger.

An unknown opponent was far more interesting.

If Great Tang truly had only Wu Zetian, she would have been disappointed instead.

Daming Palace, Imperial Study.

The atmosphere here was completely different from the uproar outside.

Under the warm candlelight, Li Xin still lounged lazily against the soft couch.

The streak of light representing the law reward entered his body without causing any earth-shaking phenomenon.

Like a drop of water melting into the sea, it vanished in an instant.

Li Xin merely narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the newly born power within him as a satisfied curve rose at the corner of his lips.

Light and Darkness.

These two utterly opposing powers were now perfectly fused within his body.

Wu Zetian had already put away the scepter called Huiyue.

Her originally imposing phoenix eyes now carried a trace of a young woman's resentment as she stared straight at Li Xin.

She lifted her skirt and walked barefoot to Li Xin, then sat directly on his lap.

Her long, shapely Beautiful Legs stretched out without restraint, her fair skin gleaming enticingly beneath the light.

"Xin."

Wu Zetian extended a slender finger and gently poked Li Xin's chest.

"Did the Heavenly Dao Ranking List make a mistake?"

"Clearly, you are Great Tang's true Master."

"Those officials, those Soul Masters—even I am one of your people."

"Why did it reveal only me while keeping you hidden behind the scenes?"

Her tone carried a hint of stubborn grievance, as though she were protesting on Li Xin's behalf.

In her eyes, all the glory in the world should have belonged to this man alone.

Li Xin smiled and caught her mischievous little hand, then wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

That soft sensation was impossible to get enough of.

"What is wrong with staying hidden behind the scenes?"

"You get the benefits without having to be watched by everyone."

Li Xin leaned close to her ear and spoke softly.

"Besides, I am not merely Great Tang's leader."

"The Haiyue Empire, the Mo Family Mechanism City, even the Wonderful Sound Workshop."

"Which one does not require my attention?"

Hearing this, Wu Zetian lowered her head slightly and looked at Li Xin's handsome profile.

An indescribable worship and affection spread wildly through her heart.

This was the man she had chosen.

He was also the only True God in this world.

Wu Zetian gave a soft snort and pressed her face against Li Xin's chest, listening to his steady, powerful heartbeat.

"I do not care how many factions you have."

"Either way, you are mine."

"Great Tang is yours too."

Golden light filled the sky like the most extravagant curtain of rain, pouring down upon every corner of Chang'an City.

Every light beam that descended represented the birth of a God-Bestowed Soul Ring.

Treasures that could drive even Titled Douluo mad had, within Great Tang, become as common as cabbages.

The other factions across the continent could only remain silent.

Those sect leaders who had once clamored about using this opportunity to redraw the continent's balance of power now looked utterly pale.