But given the current situation, Tang San was their spiritual pillar. He absolutely could not fall.
"Exactly!"
Dai Mubai immediately burst out laughing and stepped forward to clap Tang San on the shoulder.
"Little San has Dual Godhood! No matter how strong that Neuvillette is, could he possibly be stronger than the God Realm Enforcer?"
"Right, right!"
Oscar hurriedly chimed in. "That dragon or whatever is just a big loach. Third Brother could skewer it with one prong and roast it!"
The others also chimed in one after another, but their voices had lost some of the confidence they'd shown earlier.
Tang San listened to their praise, and his expression improved slightly, but the gloom in his heart only grew heavier.
Neuvillette...
He had to be eliminated!
Skywater City, back garden.
Compared to the raging storm outside, the atmosphere here remained as languid and romantic as ever, enough to make one's cheeks flush and heart race.
Neuvillette was still seated on the bench. His long fingers never stopped, gently kneading Furina's tender calves.
"Oh, no! It's all been exposed!"
Furina watched the images in the sky, her little mouth pursed in displeasure.
"They even revealed Skywater Judgment."
"If anyone comes looking for trouble in the future, they'll definitely be on guard against that move."
"This Golden Ranking List is so annoying. Why can't it leave anything private?"
Although she complained, her body honestly snuggled closer into Neuvillette's arms, basking in that unique sense of security.
Neuvillette remained calm, not the least bit flustered that his trump card had been exposed.
"It doesn't matter."
"Knowing about it is one thing. Being able to withstand it is another."
"Just as the tides rise and fall—everyone knows they do, yet no one can stop them."
His words were utterly calm, yet they carried an aura of dominion over the world.
Snow Empress covered her lips and chuckled softly, her icy blue eyes sparkling.
She walked behind Neuvillette and reached out with her slender, jade-white hands to gently straighten his slightly rumpled collar. Her tender movements made her seem like a virtuous young wife.
"Though the Golden Ranking List does meddle a little, it isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Snow Empress spoke softly, her voice clear and melodious.
"Now the whole continent knows how powerful you are. Those petty troublemakers probably won't dare cause trouble in Skywater City so easily."
"And besides..."
Her beautiful eyes shifted as she glanced at the Golden Ranking List in the sky with a playful smile.
"Tang San is only in fourth place, yet he was directly granted godhood."
"You're in third place. If your reward is lacking, the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking List will have a hard time saving face."
"Perhaps it'll even grant you, the uncrowned king, a divine position to play with?"
At that, Neuvillette shook his head slightly.
"To me, a divine position is merely another kind of shackle."
"I don't need the Divine Realm's recognition."
What he wanted was to judge the gods and establish a new order, not join that decayed system.
Snow Empress watched his calm, resolute profile, and her eyes filled with even greater adoration.
She bent down, bringing her red lips close to Neuvillette's ear as her breath brushed against him.
"Yes, my great Judge."
"Now that we've been exposed, we should prepare to step onto the stage in earnest."
"Skywater City has been quiet for so long. It's time to let this continent hear the sound of the waves."
Just as the three of them chatted and flirted...
The Golden Ranking List in the heavens finally finished preparing the reward for third place.
Boom—!
A beam of light, more brilliant and purer than before, pierced through the clouds and fell straight into Skywater City, landing on the Relic Jade Dragon at Neuvillette's waist.
[Third-place reward on the Divine Weapon Ranking List issued!]
[Divine weapon quality fully upgraded!]
[Relic Jade Dragon — Cangming Dragon Sacrifice Jade!]
As the light faded...
The jade in Neuvillette's hand had undergone a complete transformation.
The solid jade had now turned into a mass of slowly flowing liquid jade.
It was no ordinary water. It was a deep azure blue, with countless tiny dragon-shaped runes seemingly swimming within it.
Layers of fine, ancient dragon-scale patterns appeared across the jade's surface, radiating an oppressive aura that made one's heart tremble.
Immediately afterward, the new attributes appeared on the Golden Ranking List.
[Upgraded Attribute: All original abilities increased threefold!]
[New Supreme Authority One: Dragon Sacrifice Contract!]
[Using this jade as a medium, one may enter into a "Water God Protection Contract" with any Soul Beast or member of the human race. If a contractor faces mortal danger outside Skywater City, they may ignore spatial restrictions and instantly teleport back to the Dragon King Altar in Skywater City!]
[Note: This contract does not consume a Soul Beast's life or restrict the freedom of humans. It can be signed in large numbers, with no limit!]
[New Supreme Authority Two: Myriad Waters Return to Storage!]
[Can automatically absorb the "Origin of Water" from any water source on Douluo Continent and convert it into "Power of Dragon Sacrifice," which can be used to repair and strengthen Skywater City's ancient protective formation or to aid the cultivation of contractors.]
Looking at the two newly revealed authorities...
Even Neuvillette, who was always so composed, couldn't help a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
"This is..."
He held the warm Cangming Dragon Sacrifice Jade, sensing the mysterious power of spatial laws within it.
"A return-scroll?"
This Dragon Sacrifice Contract was practically the final piece of the puzzle for the system of "equal coexistence between humans and Soul Beasts" he had always wanted to establish.
The "employment contract" he'd proposed before was fair, but it lacked an absolute guarantee of safety.
Soul Beasts feared being used as cannon fodder, while humans feared being attacked by Soul Beasts.
But now, with this Dragon Sacrifice Contract, anyone facing certain death could be teleported straight back to the city.
It was as if every resident and Soul Beast in Skywater City had been given an extra life!
And it was a forced teleportation that ignored spatial restrictions.
For Soul Beasts and Soul Masters still hesitating over whether to join Skywater City, this was an absolutely irresistible temptation.
"An excellent treasure."
At last, the faintest smile appeared at the corner of Neuvillette's mouth, like snow melting at the first hint of spring.
"With this, Skywater City's foundations are finally secure."
Furina was even more excited. She jumped straight up from the lounge chair.
"Wow! Instant teleportation!"
"Neuvillette, hurry, hurry! Make one for me first!"
"Then I can go wherever I want, and if I run into a bad person, I can just zip back and tattle on you, hehe!"
She hugged Neuvillette's arm and shook it, her big eyes full of mischief.
Snow Empress was delighted, too.
"Myriad Waters Return to Storage is powerful as well."
"As long as there's water anywhere on the continent, it'll continuously provide energy to Skywater City."
"Given enough time, I'm afraid even a God King won't be able to break through Skywater City's defensive formation."
While Skywater City celebrated, the outside world was left utterly dumbfounded.
Everyone rubbed their eyes, wondering if they'd seen it wrong.
Instant teleportation? Ignoring spatial restrictions?
And no restrictions on freedom?
This wasn't just a divine weapon—it was practically a cheat!
Spirit Hall, inside the camp.
The air was so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping to the ground could have been heard.
Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Xue Wu stared up at the sky, their red lips hanging open.
The tea in their cups had gone cold, but they hadn't noticed.
"This... looks so familiar..."
Shui Yue'er broke the silence, stammering.
"Isn't that the jade pendant the dean uses to weigh down books?"
"Third place on the Golden Ranking List?"
???
Then what terrifying beings could possibly be in the top two?
And would they belong to Skywater City...
Curiosity welled up in Shui Yue'er's heart.
Before you continue