"Rise."
After gesturing for everyone to stand,
Lin Yuan looked at the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking in the void and got straight to the point. "Other than Tian Xuan, who is stationed at the Flame Demon Battlefield and cannot see this, the five of you have all seen the rankings and rewards announced by the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking earlier."
"Based on the blessings granted by the previous rankings,"
"Once Seven Star Palace makes the list, everyone will definitely advance by one star."
"Although I do not know whether you can directly cross the threshold into the Emperor Realm, the overall advancement of Seven Star Palace will certainly alert the Flame Demon Clan. They may even discover the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking and take some insane actions we cannot predict."
"The Gold Ranking can raise the overall combat strength of the Dou Qi Continent and Seven Star Palace."
"Therefore..."
"To prevent the Flame Demon Clan from discovering it too early, we must allow the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking to announce several more rankings and give the Dou Qi Continent more time to develop."
"I will make the following arrangements:"
"First: all Seven Star Palace combat personnel at the Flame Demon Battlefield are to remain on standby. The moment Seven Star Palace makes the list and receives the Heavenly Dao Blessing, the few of you will take the lead and launch a counterattack against the Flame Demon Clan;
Make as much noise as possible. Create the illusion that we have hidden ourselves for a long time just to catch them off guard today with the advancement brought by the Heavenly Dao Blessing."
"Second: do not tell any Seven Star Palace personnel at the Flame Demon Battlefield anything about the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking. Tell them that their increase in strength is a surprise from me."
"Third: all disciples under Nanming Sect and Dongji Sect who have seen or heard of the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking must immediately withdraw from the Flame Demon Battlefield and switch to logistical supply duties. Once the Flame Demon Clan fully learns of the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking's existence, they may return to the main battlefield, thus avoiding the risk of being captured and soul-searched by the Flame Demon Clan, which could expose the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking."
"Fourth: in order to reduce casualties, you must..."
"..."
After Lin Yuan had arranged everything,
the burly Hall Master Kai Yang said excitedly, "My lord, do you mean we will stop defending and prepare to counterattack?"
"Correct!"
Lin Yuan nodded. "When the counterattack begins, I will also personally go to the Flame Demon Battlefield. Only then can we make the Flame Demon Clan believe in Seven Star Palace's resolve and keep them from learning about the situation within the Dou Qi Continent."
Upon hearing this,
Hall Master Kai Yang could no longer restrain his laughter. "Hahaha, the day has finally come."
"If Tian Xuan had not been lucky enough to draw the task of guarding the Flame Demon Battlefield back then, why would I, the Wu Qu Kai Yang Star, have had to guard this boring Spatial Channel every day?"
"At last, we brothers can return to the Flame Demon Battlefield and slaughter our enemies."
"Fighting is awesome!"
Watching the few of them tremble with excitement,
Lin Yuan pressed down with his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
He then said, "During the counterattack, Tian Quan will remain stationed at Seven Star Palace, ensuring logistical supplies and mobilizing the experts left behind in each hall to guard the Spatial Channel and prevent the Flame Demon Clan from taking the opportunity to infiltrate."
"Yes!"
After making all the arrangements,
Lin Yuan waved his hand. "All right, go make your preparations."
Meanwhile,
just as the six soul projections were about to disperse,
an image of the Blazing Volcano Range in Central Continent suddenly appeared upon the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking in the void.
As far as the eye could see, the Blazing Volcano Range consisted of countless volcanoes, its entirety painted a crimson red. Thick white smoke rose from the peaks of many mountains, while lava occasionally overflowed from within them.
As the image drew closer,
a faction located deep within the Blazing Volcano Range
slowly entered the sight of all living beings.
Upon seeing the familiar sect buildings on the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking, the Tian Xuan Palace Master, who had been about to leave, instinctively stopped. A trace of nostalgia immediately flashed through his eyes.
Seeing this,
Hall Master Tianshu could not help teasing him. "Tian Xuan, you really left Burning Flame Valley quite a few things. It actually managed to suppress Dongji Sect and claim the position of the fourth strongest faction on the continent."
At those words,
everyone else, including Lin Yuan,
looked at the Tian Xuan Palace Master with smiles on their faces.
Meeting everyone's gazes, the red-haired Tian Xuan Palace Master gave an embarrassed chuckle. "They are merely some pills and Secret Techniques my lord bestowed upon me."
At this point,
the Tian Xuan Palace Master seemed to recall something. Turning to Lin Yuan, he pleaded guilty, "My lord, Burning Flame Valley's place on the list should be related to the two Puppets I left behind, which you had previously bestowed upon me. I hope my lord will forgive my offense."
"Forgive your offense?"
"What offense is there to forgive?"
"You have committed no fault during all these years of guarding the Flame Demon Battlefield."
Lin Yuan waved dismissively. "Since I gave those things to you, you have the right to dispose of them as you please. There is no need to explain yourself to me!"
"Besides..."
"Burning Flame Valley will eventually merge into Tian Xuan Hall."
"Sooner or later, we will be one family. Why speak as though we are two?"
Seeing that Lin Yuan had not punished him, the Tian Xuan Palace Master finally relaxed.
At the same time,
the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking also revealed the answer to the uninformed living beings of the continent.
[Sect Power Ranking, Fourth Place: Central Continent—Burning Flame Valley] [Reason for being on the list: One of the Three Valleys of Central Continent, located in the Blazing Volcano Range of Central Continent. It was founded by Old Ancestor Fen Yan, one of the continent's Supreme Experts from a thousand years ago and a Late Nine-star Dou Saint; Sect Master Tang Zhen was at the peak of Five-Star Dou Venerate. Supreme Elder Old Ancestor Huoyun publicly displayed the cultivation of a Mid-stage One-star Dou Saint, but his true cultivation was Late Three-star Dou Saint. With the support of Burning Flame Valley's secret arts, his combat strength was equivalent to Late Four-star Dou Saint. Furthermore, within Burning Flame Valley's Forbidden Land, two Puppets at the Two-star Dou Saint realm guarded the sect, giving it a profound foundation. All things considered, although Burning Flame Valley's mid-level combat strength was far inferior to Dongji Sect's, its high-level combat strength was overwhelmingly powerful. Under the Alliance Agreement of the Ancient Eight Clans of the Dou Qi Continent, experts above Five-star Dou Saint could not casually act on the continent, making Burning Flame Valley nearly invincible. Therefore, it ranked fourth on the continent's Sect Power Ranking.] [Reward for making the list: Two Heaven-tier Intermediate Cultivation Methods and two Heaven-tier Intermediate Dou Techniques.] [All elders and disciples of Burning Flame Valley advance by one star, including Puppets.] [Ten ninth-grade 'Treasure' Pills.] [Upgrade Sect Grand Array: able to withstand attacks from Five-star Dou Saints. With an empowered killing formation, its full-force strike can kill a Five-star Dou Saint.]
!!!
After reading Burning Flame Valley's reason for making the list,
the Dou Qi Continent, which had only just calmed down, erupted once more.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
"A faction founded by Old Ancestor Fen Yan, one of the continent's Supreme Experts and a Late Nine-star Dou Saint!"
"Old Ancestor Huoyun is quite the sly one too. He hid his Late Three-star Dou Saint cultivation behind a Mid-stage One-star Dou Saint disguise..."
"Burning Flame Valley actually has two Puppets with the combat strength of Two-star Dou Saints guarding it!"
"Who would have thought that after a thousand years, with the sect gradually declining and its sect master only a Five-Star Dou Venerate, Burning Flame Valley could still rely on the foundation left behind by Old Ancestor Fen Yan to reach fourth place on the Sect Ranking? A Late Nine-star Dou Saint is truly terrifying..."
"Have ninth-grade 'Treasure' Pills already appeared among the rewards for fourth place?"
"Ten ninth-grade pills, two Heaven-tier Intermediate Cultivation Methods, and two Heaven-tier Intermediate Dou Techniques... If I join Burning Flame Valley now, can I still benefit from this?"
"Wait, Burning Flame Valley's Sect Protecting Grand Formation has been upgraded until it can withstand attacks from Five-star Dou Saints!"
"And since neither Nanming Sect nor Dongji Sect had this mentioned, does that mean their Sect Protecting Grand Formations have already surpassed this level?"
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