Neuvillette, Hydro Dragon Authority! Myriad Abyss Judgment-Heaven and Earth Joint Punishment!

Rivers surged, and lakes churned.

At that moment, every Soul Master with a water-attribute Martial Soul felt a baptism deep within their soul.

It was a gift from the Hydro Sovereign.

Then, solemn and majestic characters slowly appeared on the Golden Ranking List.

[First-place reward distribution]

[Divine Artifact: Grand Ceremony of Eternal Flow—Evolution beginning]

Within the projection.

The once weighty, ancient tome began to undergo an astonishing transformation under the wash of divine power.

Its original deep-blue cover gradually faded.

In its place appeared layer upon layer of fine, sturdy dragon scales.

They were an unfathomably deep blue, each one seeming to contain an entire ocean.

Interwoven without a gap, they formed the tome's new cover.

A miniature Hydro Dragon coiled along the spine, its head held high and its tail hanging down, lifelike in every detail.

Rumble—

The pages turned.

They no longer felt like paper.

Each page seemed to have been cut from a flowing sea of stars.

What rippled across them was more than mere text—it was the sacred script of the contract signed by the ancient Water God and the Ancient Dragon King.

The light faded.

The divine artifact's new name stunned everyone who saw it.

[Divine artifact evolution complete]

[New name: Codex of the Myriad Abyss Dragon Authority]

[Rank: Supreme God King Artifact (Transcendent)]

[Description: Not merely a chronicle of history, but also a divine authority that establishes the laws of water. Abandoning the conventional scepter form, it has evolved into a floating codex entwined by a Hydro Dragon.

Its cover is woven from Ancient Dragon scales, and its pages bear flowing star-sea patterns. When opened, they reveal the contract script of the ancient Water God and Dragon King.]

And that wasn't all.

A new description of its powers followed.

[New exclusive authority: Creation of Myriad Waters]

[Authority analysis: The wielder can command the inexhaustible water elements of all the heavens and myriad worlds, creating an independent pocket world directly in the void.

Within that world, the wielder is the sole creator god, whose words become law and who holds life and death in their hands.

Even a God King-level powerhouse drawn inside will be subject to the absolute suppression of the world's laws.]

At the sight of this, countless Titled Douluo drew in sharp breaths.

Create a world?

Wasn't that the power of a creation god?!

Before, "Vicissitudes of Life" had merely reshaped the environment. Now it could create an entire world?

Before the crowd could recover from their shock, the second new ability made everyone look toward Furina's sword.

[New exclusive authority: Judgment Resonance]

[Authority analysis: When the "Codex of the Myriad Abyss Dragon Authority" and the "Blade of Still Waters and Judgment" are on the same battlefield, their ultimate bond will be activated.]

[Combination technique: Myriad Abyss Judgment—Heaven and Earth Joint Punishment]

[Effect: Resonance between the Authority of the Ancient Dragon and the Water God's divine status summons an absolute judgment that covers the entire continent.

All living beings judged "guilty," no matter where they are or how powerful they may be, will be struck by water's punishment without fail.]

Absolute judgment!

Heaven and Earth Joint Punishment!

At that moment, everyone understood.

These two divine artifacts had always been a set.

Neuvillette and Furina were the strongest pair, bound together by them.

Anyone who dared to provoke either of them had better be prepared to face the bombardment of two Supreme Divine Artifacts at once.

Skywater City.

Inside the City Lord Mansion.

Neuvillette stood silently before the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.

In his hand, the brand-new "Codex of the Myriad Abyss Dragon Authority" floated in midair, radiating a gentle yet dignified blue light.

The fine dragon scales felt warm to the touch, and the Hydro Dragon on the spine seemed to nuzzle affectionately against his palm.

A sense of fulfillment unlike anything he had ever felt flowed through him.

He felt as though he himself were the boundless ocean.

And...

He could clearly sense the cheers and resonance coming from the "Blade of Still Waters and Judgment" not far away.

Tap, tap, tap.

Light footsteps approached.

Neuvillette didn't turn around, but his usually calm expression softened at once.

"Neuvillette!"

Furina hurried in like a cheerful little songbird.

She held the long sword, now transformed beyond recognition, and her smile shone brighter than the sunlight outside.

"Look, look!"

"My sword was trembling just now. It seems like it really wants to go play with your book!"

Furina ran up beside Neuvillette and leaned in curiously, staring at the floating codex.

"Wow—"

"It's so beautiful now!"

"Those scales are so shiny!"

She reached out to poke the coiled Hydro Dragon, then hesitated and pulled her finger back.

"It... won't bite me, will it?"

Seeing her adorable, cautious expression, Neuvillette felt a gentle stir in the softest part of his heart.

He reached out, gently supported the codex, and brought it before Furina.

"It won't."

Neuvillette's voice was as warm and smooth as jade, reassuring in its strength.

"In this world, it might harm anyone."

"But it would never harm you."

"Because..."

Neuvillette paused. His slit pupils reflected Furina's delicate face.

"This authority belongs to you, too."

Furina blinked.

She didn't quite understand what he meant by "authority," but his words made her happy.

Summoning her courage, she reached out and tapped the Hydro Dragon on the head.

Boop~

The Hydro Dragon actually rubbed against her fingertip like a person and blew out a tiny bubble.

"Hehe!"

Furina laughed happily.

"Neuvillette, it looks like we've become even stronger."

"The Golden Ranking List said we have a combination technique called... Heaven and Earth Joint Punishment?"

"Does that mean if anyone bullies me, I can ask you to beat them up with me?"

Neuvillette nodded slightly, his movements elegant and composed.

"No need to wait for that."

"It has always been so."

"Anyone who tries to disturb you will face the wrath of this ocean."

The simple words held no flowery phrases, yet they weighed more than any vow.

The two stood together before the window.

One tall, one short.

One still, one lively.

A codex floated in the air as a long sword hummed softly.

Sunlight fell over them, casting two long shadows that intertwined as one.

Just then,

the text on the Golden Ranking List changed again in the sky outside.

The reward ceremony had come to a complete end.

The magnificent golden characters faded, replaced by a line of even more heart-stirring news.

[Divine Artifact Ranking List concluded]

[A brand-new ranking list will now begin]

[Ranking the twenty strongest people on the continent]

[Those who make the list will receive an opportunity to change their fate, and perhaps... a divine position!]

The moment these words appeared, all of Douluo Continent erupted.

The strongest!

If the Divine Artifact Ranking List measured foundations and luck,

then this ranking of the strongest would measure nothing but raw power.

And there were only twenty spots!

That meant only the twenty people standing at the very peak of the continent would qualify for the list.

More important still was the reward—divine positions!

The eyes of countless old monsters, trapped at the peak of level 99 and desperately seeking a path to godhood, instantly reddened.

Even Bo Saixi on Sea God Island, Tang Chen in Slaughter City, and Qian Daoliu, the Grand Pontiff of Spirit Hall—

their breathing quickened at the sight of those words.

Inside the City Lord Mansion,

Furina tilted her head as she read the announcement in the sky.

"The strongest?"

"Neuvillette, will you be number one?"