Qian Ye's words struck deep into Qian Renxue's heart like a heavy hammer.
You are the one standing in this position.
Not the position that made you who you are!
Qian Renxue's pupils contracted sharply.
At that moment, she felt as if she had grasped something immensely important.
The anxiety and fear she had felt over Tang San's Dual Godhood vanished in an instant.
In their place came an unprecedented clarity.
So what if I don't have godhood?
As long as I'm strong enough!
Qian Renxue took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Qian Ye.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"
"I understand now!"
At that very moment,
her admiration for the man before her reached its peak.
Even the First Generation Ancestor, in her heart, could not compare to her master—not by a long shot.
After all, the Ancestor was merely a legend.
Her master, however, was right beside her, guiding her forward.
The Golden List's radiance gradually faded.
The ranking of the third-place entry seemed to have ended.
But the shock it had left in people's hearts would not soon subside.
The Angel Holy Sword had ranked third.
Not only because of its power, but also because of the stirring history behind it—and the legendary figure who dared to sever his own godhood.
Inside Shrek Camp,
the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.
Tang San sat in the seat of honor, his face so dark it seemed water might drip from it.
The sect leaders of the affiliated clans kept their heads down, not daring to speak.
What had just happened had dealt a devastating blow to morale.
Spirit Hall had gone from being a villain everyone condemned to the descendants of heroes who had saved all living beings.
And these self-proclaimed righteous crusaders now seemed to have little justification for their cause.
"What are you all doing?"
Tang San swept a cold glance across the room.
"Every one of you has your head hanging! What kind of posture is that?"
"No matter how strong the First Generation Angel God was, that's all in the past!"
"He abandoned his sword long ago, and no one knows whether he's alive or dead!"
"The Angel God of today, Qian Renxue, merely inherited a broken sword!"
Tang San rose to his feet, and a terrifying killing intent burst from him.
It was Asura Divine Power!
Red killing intent instantly filled the entire tent, plunging everyone into an icy abyss.
"History is written by the victors!"
"As long as we win, Spirit Hall will be evil!"
"Once we've killed them all, who will remember that so-called First Generation Angel God?!"
Tang San's voice was sinister and crazed.
"Carry out my orders!"
"Prepare the entire army for battle!"
"Forget that damn ranking!"
"By tomorrow morning, I want to see Spirit Hall's city destroyed and its people dead!"
He couldn't wait any longer.
He was afraid.
He was afraid that if the ranking continued, it would reveal more variables he couldn't control.
Second place—
First place—
Who possessed those two Divine Artifacts?
If they belonged to Spirit Hall—
Tang San didn't dare think any further.
The only solution was to deal with Qian Renxue and that mysterious Qian Ye before the rankings were revealed!
"Yes!"
Intimidated by Tang San's tyranny, everyone could only agree, though they did so reluctantly.
However,
just as Tang San was about to leave the tent and rally the army,
high above in the sky,
the Golden List, which had dimmed, suddenly blazed with unprecedented radiance once more!
Its brilliance was so intense that it outshone the sun!
The entire continent was instantly dyed purple and gold!
An aura countless times more terrifying than that of the Angel Holy Sword descended from above!
It was—
the aura of the Great Dao!
Everyone looked up in terror.
Even Tang San's raised foot froze in midair.
Another entry?!
So soon?!
[Second Place!]
A few large characters slowly appeared.
Each one seemed forged from stars, so heavy they left people struggling to breathe.
Atop the walls of Jialing Pass,
Bibi Dong's fingers gripped the bricks so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"Second place—"
"Could it be us?"
She prayed silently.
It had to be Spirit Hall!
It had to be!
Otherwise, with Tang San's frenzied counterattack, Spirit Hall would truly be in danger.
In the quiet room,
Qian Renxue held her breath, too.
Only Qian Ye remained calm.
He settled back into his chair and poured himself a cup of hot tea.
Looking at the purple-gold light filling the sky outside,
a trace of boredom flickered in his eyes.
"So it's finally that thing's turn?"
he murmured to himself.
His voice was very soft.
So soft that even Qian Renxue beside him didn't hear.
"I wonder if ranking it second does it a disservice."
Qian Ye shook his head, lifted the teacup, and drained it in one go.
And just as he set the cup down,
the words on the Golden List finally came into focus!
Everyone's pupils shrank to pinpoints in that instant!
Because the name displayed there—
was—
[Super Divine Artifacts List, Second Place: ???]
[Holder: ???]
All question marks?!
The entire continent was in an uproar!
How could it be question marks?
Could even the Heavenly Dao Gold Ranking not discern this Divine Artifact's true name?
Or—
was this Divine Artifact's rank so high that its name could not be spoken?
Fear.
The fear of the unknown enveloped everyone in that moment.
A Super Divine Artifact whose name could not even be displayed—
how powerful could it be?!
Looking at the string of question marks, Tang San felt his unease surge to its peak.
He had a feeling.
This Divine Artifact would become his greatest nightmare!
"Quit trying to be mysterious!"
Tang San bit the tip of his tongue and forced himself to calm down.
"No matter what it is, if it dares to stand in my way, I'll kill gods if they stand in my way and Buddhas if they block my path!"
He drew the Asura Magic Sword and pointed its tip at the sky.
"Come on!"
"Let me see what kind of thing you are!"
As if answering his challenge,
the string of question marks on the Golden List began to twist and change.
The name remained impossible to make out.
But an evaluation slowly appeared beneath it.
[This sword has no name, nor form.]
[There was once a man who used this sword to sever the years and cut off the passage of time.]
[It is neither in the Divine Realm nor in the mortal world.]
[It is only—]
The words stopped there, abruptly.
It was as if some force had forcibly erased them.
Then,
the scene shifted.
The Divine Artifact itself did not appear.
Instead, there appeared a—
silhouette from behind.
A figure dressed in white, leisurely drinking tea.
That was—
At that moment,
Qian Renxue abruptly turned to look at Qian Ye beside her.
Her eyes were wide, her face filled with disbelief.
That silhouette—
why was it sitting in exactly the same posture as her master right now?!
No.
It wasn't just the posture.
Even its air of detachment from the world, of treating all living beings as pieces on a chessboard, was exactly the same!
"Master?"
Qian Renxue spoke, her voice trembling.
Qian Ye didn't turn around.
He simply watched the Golden List outside the window and sighed softly.
"This Golden List really is meddlesome."
"Can't even let someone enjoy a cup of tea in peace."
As his words fell,
high above, the figure sipping tea slowly turned around—
The figure slowly turned around.
Though his face was still shrouded in a faint mist, making it impossible to see clearly,
the grace in every gesture and his unhurried elegance were exactly like those of Qian Ye, who sat in the quiet room at that very moment.
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