"Sound the retreat."
Bibi Dong issued the order coldly.
"Jialing Pass isn't going anywhere."
With both commanders withdrawing, the battle outside Jialing Pass came to an abrupt end.
Calling it a battle was generous. It had been more like a test of each other's strength.
Tang San and the Heaven Dou Allied Forces had been pushed back for a time, but Jialing Pass remained firmly in their hands. They had suffered no serious losses.
High above the clouds.
After watching the farce unfold, Snow Empress clapped her hands, finding it rather dull.
"Boring."
"That Tang San may have a sharp tongue, but he's a coward at heart."
"He got a little advantage and ran with his tail between his legs. He didn't even dare to keep fighting."
She turned to the two disciples behind her.
"Come on. We're going back."
"..."
Shui Bing'er, however, still wanted to see more.
She clenched her little fists, her eyes glinting with eagerness.
"Master's wife, we're going back already?"
"I haven't even gotten to fight."
"Those people from the Shrek Team don't look like much. If you let me go down there, I could send them packing."
Shui Yue'er beside her nodded vigorously.
"Exactly, exactly! Master's wife, look at that Ma Hongjun. He's as fat as a pig. One kick from me would send him flying."
Snow Empress lightly tapped each girl on the forehead.
"Enough of your nonsense."
"If you really want to fight, you'll have plenty of chances later."
"If anything happens, call for your city lord. He's got sharp ears and will hear you."
"..."
With that, Snow Empress didn't bother asking whether they wanted to go. She swept her sleeve, and the three of them transformed into a streak of light, flying toward Skywater City.
Not long after they had left the area around Jialing Pass,
the Golden Ranking List high in the heavens trembled once more.
This time, the commotion was greater than ever before.
Its golden radiance nearly lit up the night sky over the entire continent.
Everyone who had been guessing which divine artifact would take sixth place held their breath.
[Sixth Place: Ice Soul Cold Bead.]
[Holder: Snow Empress.]
[Origin: A token of love bestowed upon Snow Empress by Skywater City Lord Neuvillette.]
[Properties: Absolute defense, capable of withstanding the Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation, immune to all magic, and linked to its holder's heart.]
[...]
As soon as those words appeared,
the entire Douluo Continent erupted.
Inside the Heaven Dou Empire's military camp,
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang was drinking a bowl of medicinal broth when he saw the announcement. His hand jerked, spilling the scalding broth all over his trousers.
"Th-this can't be possible!"
"The Ice Soul Cold Bead? It can withstand the Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation?"
"That's practically cheating!"
"!!!"
But the bead wasn't the point.
It was the name.
Neuvillette.
And its holder, Snow Empress.
"Snow Empress... the ruler of the Far North, a seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Soul Beast?"
"..."
Yu Xiaogang's face turned deathly pale.
"Neuvillette gave such a treasure to a Soul Beast as a token of love?"
"Are they husband and wife?"
Inside Spirit Hall's military tent,
Bibi Dong shot to her feet, slamming the Iudex's Cane in her hand against the ground.
Her breathing grew ragged.
It wasn't from fear, but from overwhelming envy and greed.
"A hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast... and she even has a treasure like that."
"It can withstand a lightning tribulation. Does that mean it could give you an extra life when you undergo the tribulation to become a god?"
For Bibi Dong, who yearned to become a god, the temptation was beyond imagining.
"Neuvillette..."
Bibi Dong murmured his name, the chill in her eyes growing more intense.
"Who exactly are you?"
Qian Renxue beside her, however, was focused on something else.
She looked at the words "token of love" on the Sky Screen, and a hint of envy showed in her expression.
"A token of love he gave casually ranks sixth among the divine artifacts?"
"This man named Neuvillette is... quite romantic."
She lowered her eyes to the Angel Sacred Sword in her hand.
It was a divine artifact too, but it had been passed down by her grandfather as part of the Angel inheritance, not given to her by someone else.
Inside the Worship Hall,
the worshippers sat cross-legged, staring up at the sky with furrowed brows.
"Neuvillette... I've never heard of him."
"Could he be a peerless Ferocious Beast who has stayed hidden from the world and taken human form?"
"Anyone capable of such a feat must be unfathomably powerful."
Tang San, who was in the middle of retreating, stopped in his tracks.
He looked back at the sky, his expression shifting between dark and pale.
"Skywater City again."
"And that Neuvillette again."
"Even a Soul Beast can get a treasure ranked sixth. Why is my Seagod Trident only seventh?"
He refused to accept it.
How could he possibly accept it?
But now he didn't dare curse.
The lightning strikes from before still hurt.
Above Skywater City,
Snow Empress was taking her disciples home when she saw the announcement and paused.
Looking at the description of the bead on the Golden Ranking List, she couldn't help smiling softly.
She took the translucent bead from her robes.
It gave off a faint chill, yet in her hand, it made her feel utterly at ease.
"So this thing is that powerful."
"He said he'd just picked up some little trinket."
Snow Empress murmured softly, her eyes full of warmth.
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, following behind her, exchanged a glance. Both wore looks of astonishment and admiration.
"Wow!"
Shui Yue'er exclaimed quietly:
"The city lord is so generous!"
"His token of love made the list, and it's in sixth place!"
Shui Bing'er tightened her grip on her staff and looked up at the Golden Ranking List, her eyes shining with even greater resolve.
"The city lord and the dean are both so powerful."
"As disciples of Skywater Academy and their successors, we absolutely can't bring shame to Skywater City."
"When we get back, I'm going to train twice as hard."
"One day, I'll make my name resound across this continent too!"
Shui Bing'er made a silent vow to herself.
High above, the Golden Ranking List did not dim after announcing the rankings. Instead, it shone more brilliantly than before.
This was the exclusive reward for sixth place.
A sacred beam of supreme light pierced through thousands of miles of clouds, enveloping Snow Empress as she hurried toward Skywater City.
[Reward Issued: Holder Snow Empress receives one hundred thousand years of pure cultivation.]
[Special Blessing: The Ice Soul Cold Bead evolves, giving birth to divinity and containing the complete Godhood Inheritance of the God of Ice and Snow!]
[Note: Refine this bead to begin the path to godhood. No divine trials required—you will become a god on the spot!]
As soon as those lines appeared, the entire Douluo Continent fell silent.
No divine trials?
Become a god on the spot?
It was as if the lifelong dream of countless Soul Masters had been chewed up and placed right in their mouths!
This was no mere opportunity. It was blatant favoritism!
On the road as the troops retreated from Jialing Pass,
Bibi Dong sat in her luxurious carriage, clutching her chest. Her peerlessly beautiful face had twisted out of shape.
Her heart hurt.
It truly hurt.
Before you continue