The Snow Border Alliance: The Prison Race Rises

As the combat projection ended, viewers across the entire Primal Universe were deeply shaken by a fighting style that was as beautiful as it was lethal.

[Snow Border Alliance 'Bing Yan'. World Lord, Ninth Rank.]

[Law Comprehension: Peak King.]

[Willpower: Peak Marquis.]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Innate Comprehension SS-rank, Willpower SS-rank, Temperament A+ rank.]

[Her comprehension, willpower, and growth potential are worthy of being ranked fourth among the top ten geniuses below Immortality in the Third Reincarnation Era of the Primal Universe.]

[Ranking concluded.]

[Reward: Divine Power Burning Secret Technique (Second Level). (Note: Burning power increases combat strength by two ranks.)]

[Reward: Palace-type Supreme Treasure · Fire Flame Tower.]

[Reward: One scroll of True God-level Willpower Secret Technique.]

When the "Divine Power Burning Secret Technique (Second Level)" appeared on the Sky Screen, the Universe Supreme Masters of the major powers in the Primal Universe all fell silent.

An increase of two full ranks in combat strength!

It had to be said that this reward from the Sky Screen once again left everyone feeling pleasantly surprised.

Within the Demon Ancestor Secret Realm, the pupils of Tremor Demon Ancestor contracted violently.

During the last Sky Screen powerhouse ranking, he had placed ninth and received nothing more than Black Scale Armor.

Yet this time, a mere World Lord junior ranked fourth had obtained a Divine Power Burning Secret Technique capable of boosting combat strength by two ranks, plus a palace-type supreme treasure and a willpower secret technique.

The gap here was no longer a matter of an individual's performance, but a shift in the fortune of an entire reincarnation.

The Zerg Queen gripped the Eternal Pearl, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Bing Yan had received a palace-type supreme treasure and the second level of the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique; this was more than a grade higher than the rewards Miao Yi had received.

Snow Border True God, that old fellow who had been marginalized for so long, had finally turned his fortunes around completely.

Inside the main hall of the Snow Border Alliance, Bing Yan received the three light orbs descending from the Sky Screen. A moment later, she presented both the secret technique and the Fire Flame Tower to the Snow Border Alliance Leader.

Taking the treasures, Snow Border True God looked at her, his chest covered in snow-white fur rising and falling, while ice crystals condensed in the corners of his aged eyes.

The forbearance and loneliness of countless epochs were worth it for this moment!

Just as everyone was pondering what impact the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique (Second Level) would bring, the light above the Sky Screen paused slightly, and then the text reorganized itself.

[TOP 3: Prison Race 'Bei Shang']

Boom!

At this moment, the True Gods of the major powers in the Primal Universe could no longer sit still.

Deep within the Prison Race Ancestral Mountain, inside that black palace shrouded in evil aura year-round, the Prison Race Devil Ancestor stood up abruptly from his throne.

His red eyes, hidden beneath the silver shell of his head, stared fixedly at the name on the Sky Screen, while the evil aura swirling around him surged violently like thick smoke caught in a gale.

"Bei Shang! Third place!" The voice of the Prison Race Devil Ancestor was hoarse and sharp, carrying a wild joy suppressed for countless epochs.

The Prison Race, a chaotic race born in the most evil place of the Primal Universe, had always been looked down upon by other powers among the peak races.

The Monster Race despised their chaotic bloodlines, the Zerg Race mocked their lack of a unified Queen's will, and the Human Race simply treated them as a second-rate race.

Even on the Sky Screen powerhouse ranking, the Prison Race Devil Ancestor himself had failed to make the list.

His secret techniques were far inferior to those of Founder Giant Axe, True Void Demon God, and the others.

Now, Bei Shang's name hung high upon the Sky Screen—not tenth, not seventh, but third!

He had surpassed the Starry Sky Behemoth royal family, surpassed Bing Yan of the Snow Border Alliance, and surpassed all the geniuses meticulously cultivated by the peak races for millions of years.

In the center of the hall, a lean figure knelt on one knee.

His physique was the most unremarkable among all the Prison Race; he lacked hulking muscles, jagged carapaces, or burning flames. He wore only the standard black armor of a Prison Race warrior, leaving his arms and calves exposed.

His skin was a dull, lusterless dark gray, with only the pair of short, backward-curving horns on his forehead and the pair of eyes burning with black flames signaling his pure, extreme Prison Race bloodline.

There was no expression on his face, and the black flames burned quietly in his eye sockets. Unlike other members of the Prison Race who were flamboyant and violent, he was like a pool of bottomless black water.

"Disciple Bei Shang pays respects to the Devil Ancestor." His voice was flat and low, as if he were speaking of something unrelated to himself.

The Prison Race Devil Ancestor looked at him, countless emotions surging within his red eyes: pride, anticipation, greed, and ambition.

Bei Shang was a disciple he had cultivated himself, the purest individual selected from the countless chaotic bloodlines of the Prison Race, and for a million years, he had been personally thrown into the deepest forbidden secret realm of the Prison Race ancestral lands to be tempered repeatedly.

That forbidden secret realm was one where even he had nearly died when he braved it back then, yet Bei Shang had walked out alive.

From that moment on, he knew that Bei Shang was the greatest surprise of this reincarnation for the Prison Race.

Inside the Crystal Race Holy Palace, the joy the Crystal Race Holy Lord felt after Sha Ying secured the Water Fire Palace was doused by a bucket of cold water.

Bei Shang ranked third, just barely edging out Sha Ying.

That chaotic and evil race from next door had managed to surpass his own.

This made the Crystal Race Holy Lord's mood instantly complex.

The Zerg Queen did not speak again.

She held the Eternal Pearl in her palm, her beautiful eyes reflecting the pair of eyes burning with black flames on the Sky Screen, lost in thought.

In Chaos City, Luo Feng and Hong sat side by side on the cultivation platform.

Bei Shang ranking third did not surprise them.

Although the Prison Race was the only peak race that had no one on the powerhouse rankings, their investment in talent cultivation was no less than any other faction.

The Prison Race Devil Ancestor poured all resources into Bei Shang alone; this all-or-nothing approach to cultivation meant either gaining nothing or soaring to the heavens.

Bei Shang was clearly the latter.

Above the Sky Screen, Bei Shang's combat projection began to slowly unfold.

It was an extremely bizarre battlefield.

It was not the starry sky, nor the chaotic air currents, but an Abyss Cage condensed entirely from black, evil energy.

The walls of the cage were stacked with countless twisted, wailing soul faces, each mouth agape in a silent scream.

This was the complete form of the Prison Race Forbidden Secret Realm, and also Bei Shang's signature domain.

He had more than one opponent.

Three alien King-level Immortals had been thrown here by the Prison Race Devil Ancestor.

Yet in this battle, they never once seized the initiative from start to finish.

Because Bei Shang had released his Abyss Domain from the very beginning, shrouding all three within it; the surrounding law fluctuations weakened sharply, and even the space laws stagnated by at least one notch within this cage.

Bei Shang's combat style could be summarized in two words: ruthless!

He did not crush with his physical body like He Qiu, nor did he win through speed like Blood Fang, and he certainly did not rely on freezing or attrition to grind his opponents to death like Frost Parasite and Bing Yan.

His hands were covered in a layer of black, shell-like supreme treasure, and every strike was a black claw-light condensed to the extreme—fast, angled deviously, and landing with precision.

Throat, heart, glabella, weak joints under the ribs—every move aimed straight for the vitals.

Suppressed by the Abyss Domain, the three opponents struggled like trapped beasts, each additional claw they parried exposing yet another flaw.

The first opponent had his throat pierced by a single claw.

The second opponent's divine body collapsed under the thirty-second strike of his barrage.

The third opponent barely managed to rush out of the Abyss Domain, but before he had flown even ten meters, Bei Shang's figure appeared out of thin air above his head, slashing down with a claw and batting him back into the depths of the cage.

The entire battle was clean and efficient, without a single wasted move.

Bei Shang's combat method was highly effective; it wasn't that he didn't want to fight more, but that every claw was calculated to not waste a single shred of origin power.

This style of pushing combat efficiency to the limit posed a far greater threat in actual combat than those flashy displays of laws.

As the combat projection slowly dissipated, viewers across the entire Primal Universe felt a deep sense of dread regarding Bei Shang's combat style.

[Prison Race 'Bei Shang'. World Lord, ninth stage.]

[Law Comprehension: King-level peak.]

[Willpower: King-level elementary.]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: Talent and comprehension SS-grade, Willpower SS+ grade, Temperament A+ grade.]

[His comprehension, willpower, and growth potential are worthy of being the third-ranked genius among the top ten geniuses below the Immortal level in the Third Reincarnation Era of the Primal Universe.]

[Inventory complete.]

[Reward: Divine Power Burning Secret Technique (Second Level).]

[Reward: Palace-type Supreme Treasure · Ice Source Fortress.]

[Reward: One volume of True God-level Willpower Secret Technique.]

[Reward: One True God-level inheritance. (Note: This inheritance can guide a cultivator to the limit of a True God.)]

When the words "True God-level inheritance" appeared on the Sky Screen, the entire Primal Universe fell silent.

A True God-level inheritance.

It was a complete inheritance that could directly guide a cultivator to the limit of a True God.

Unlike supreme treasures or willpower secret techniques, the inheritance itself represented a ceiling.

A True God-level inheritance meant that as long as he did not fall midway, Bei Shang could at least steadily stand at the level of the universe's strongest; if he didn't die, he would be a True God!

Inside the Demon Ancestor Secret Realm, the Dream Demon Ancestor's snake pupils were practically spitting fire.

His Frost Parasite only ranked ninth, receiving only the first level of the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique and the Mist Veil Armor.

Yet the Prison Race junior in third place had not only obtained a palace-type supreme treasure, a willpower secret technique, and the second level of the Divine Power Burning Secret Technique, but also a True God-level inheritance.

This gap can no longer be explained away by "different rankings."

Tremor Demon Ancestor slowly closed his eyes.

He felt no anger, only a sense of powerlessness so profound that even struggling felt futile.

The Monster Race had exhausted every resource, emptying their entire Ancestral Treasury, only to secure ninth place.

Every name above theirs felt like a dull blade scraping repeatedly against his heart.

Inside the Zerg Queen's palace, for the first time, the Queen's beautiful face remained completely expressionless.

Miao Yi was ranked eighth; her soul-type supreme treasure, the Eternal Pearl, had been earned through her own efforts on the Sky Screen's Powerhouse Ranking back in the day.

Now, the Prison Race genius in third place had obtained a complete True God-level inheritance, which meant that this chaotic race—once looked down upon by her and all other peak races—now possessed the qualification to continuously produce Universe Supreme Masters.

Inside the Demon Beast Alliance Main Hall, the Beast Ancestor stopped tapping his armrest entirely.

Blood Fang was ranked seventh, having obtained a True God-level will technique and a domain-type supreme treasure, but no inheritance.

The gap in inheritance was the hardest to bridge.

Will techniques were weapons, and supreme treasures were equipment, but an inheritance was the path itself.

Only with a path could one travel further.

They lacked this path and could only rely on themselves to fumble in the dark.

Meanwhile, at the Prison Race Ancestral Mountain, the Prison Race Devil Ancestor received the contents of the inheritance from Bei Shang, his scarlet eyes churning with indescribable emotions.

For the first time in his life, he felt as though light had finally leaked into the black ceiling of his palace.

The radiance above the Sky Screen paused slightly, not giving the crowd much time to digest the news before the text rearranged itself.

This time, the characters emerged more slowly than ever before, as if the Sky Screen itself were carefully choosing its words.

[TOP 2: Human 'Hong'!]

The moment this line appeared, the entire human Hong Alliance erupted in a sensation.

In the Virtual Universe palace, a wide grin spread across Founder Giant Axe's rugged face.

He slapped his thigh, his heroic laughter making the palace ceiling hum: "Second place! Hong! My disciple from the Giant Axe Martial Arts Arena!"

Void Gold Master stood behind him, his golden hair draped over his chest, a rare trace of a smile appearing on his usually stern face.

He was naturally proud; he had personally mentored Hong for hundreds of thousands of years.

He still remembered clearly the news of Hong clearing the twentieth floor of the Illusion Sea. That day, he had stood at the edge of the Illusion Sea, watching that pillar of light shoot into the sky, with only one thought in his mind: this disciple was destined for greatness.

Now that Hong was ranked second on the Genius Ranking, his judgment had been proven correct.

In the inner hall of the City Lord of Chaos's residence, the City Lord of Chaos stood before the stone wall engraved with names, looking up at the Sky Screen with a gratified smile.

Hong.

Luo Feng's second brother, and also a core genius of the Giant Axe Martial Arts Arena.

Unlike the all-around explosive talent of Luo Feng, he had reached the absolute pinnacle of the World Lord level in terms of temperament and will.

When Giant Axe took Hong as his personal disciple, the City Lord of Chaos had predicted that this child would surely achieve great things.

Now that Hong was ranked second on the Genius Ranking, the City Lord of Chaos was naturally proud.

Luo Feng was his own personal disciple, and Hong was a core genius of the Giant Axe Martial Arts Arena; both were human. Humans occupied two spots in the top ten, and both were in the most elite positions.

In the Milky Way Galaxy, on Earth.

Lei Shen sat cross-legged in the Thunder Dojo built for him by Ancestor Tree Venerable, crackling electric arcs swirling around his body.

When he saw Hong's name on the Sky Screen, he was stunned for a moment before grinning, "Big Brother is second! I told you! Back on Earth, you were the toughest of the three of us. You shocked Founder Giant Axe himself when you cleared the Illusion Sea at the Universe level—who else could compare to you?"

He slapped the stone table in front of him hard and added, "I'm at least a personal disciple of Ancestor Tree Venerable now. When we spar later, Second Brother, you can't just beat me until I'm rolling on the floor like you used to."

In the Demon Ancestor Secret Realm, Dream Demon Ancestor's snake-like pupils churned with highly complex emotions.

Humans... it was humans again.

Last time on the Powerhouse Ranking, the human Founder Giant Axe was second; this time on the Genius Ranking, the human Hong was also second.

And the ranking was far from over. Only one spot remained at the top. Who could that be?

She dared not think further, but her serpentine instincts were screaming: the first place was likely human as well.

Tremor Demon Ancestor remained silent for a long time before whispering, "In this reincarnation, the humans are unstoppable."

Inside the Zerg Queen's palace, the Queen gripped the Eternal Pearl tighter than ever before.

Of the three Queen-type geniuses she had meticulously cultivated, only one had made it in, and Miao Yi was only ranked eighth.

Yet, not only had Luo Feng not appeared yet, but Hong had already claimed second place.