Sixth Place, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, Golden Crocodile?! The Crocodile King Descends, Indestructible as Diamond! (Please Keep Reading!)

She offered a quiet comment. There was little emotion in her voice, only a trace more seriousness.

"If these two joined forces, wind fanning the flames, even a Level 98 powerhouse might meet their end. The human world truly can't be underestimated."

Gu Yuan looked at the Sky Screen, the corner of his mouth curling into an amused smile.

"This isn't over yet."

He tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop, the sound falling into a steady rhythm.

"If I'm not mistaken, sixth place—and even the rankings above it—will still belong to Spirit Hall."

"Oh?" Gu Yuena turned her head to look at Gu Yuan. "It seems Spirit Hall's waters run deeper than I imagined."

"Deep?" Gu Yuan gave a soft laugh, a golden glint flashing in his eyes. "They're just remnants of an old era. Na'er, you should know that the one who truly deserves to be called 'invincible' on this list hasn't appeared yet."

Gu Yuena nodded thoughtfully. Then, as if she had thought of something, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"You mean... yourself?"

Gu Yuan shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it. He simply gazed at the Sky Screen, his eyes shadowy, and thought to himself:

The real climax of this ranking was only just beginning.

He wondered what expression that old fellow Qian Daoliu would wear when he saw all his brothers exposed.

Just as everyone was still reeling from the suffocating sight of three Worshippers appearing on the list in succession, the image on the Sky Screen abruptly froze.

The swirling wind and fire vanished in an instant, replaced by a terrifying pressure so heavy it made souls tremble.

Deep within the golden screen, it seemed an ancient beast was slowly awakening.

"ROAR—!!!"

A low, thunderous roar seemed to cross the endless ages of prehistory, crashing down heavily on the hearts of everyone present.

On the screen, the phantom of a gigantic golden crocodile, over a hundred meters long, stretched across the heavens and earth.

Every scale on its body gleamed with the cold sheen of metal, while its icy, vertical pupils held the domineering indifference of one who looked down on all living things.

Beneath the enormous crocodile's phantom stood an old man with white hair and beard, his hands clasped behind his back, dressed in a long robe patterned with gold.

He made no effort to release his aura, yet the space around him twisted ever so slightly simply because he was there.

Then, nine Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black...

The black radiance of the first four ten-thousand-year Soul Rings had already made everyone feel oppressed. Then the appearance of the ninth Soul Ring instantly set the entire Douluo Continent ablaze!

It was a vivid, soul-stirring shade of—red!

[Top Ten Hidden Powerhouses, Sixth Place]

[Golden Crocodile Douluo]

[Identity: Second Worship of the Spirit Hall's Worship Hall.]

[Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile King.]

[Level: Level 98 Peak Douluo of the Power Attack System.]

[Appraisal: The Crocodile King descends, indestructible as diamond.

The oldest member of Spirit Hall's Worship Hall. Within Spirit Hall, his strength is acknowledged to be second only to the Grand Worship, Qian Daoliu, making him the "second strongest."

He possesses a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as his ninth Soul Ring. His defensive power and bite force are said to be the greatest on the continent.]

"A... a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!"

"Level 98?!"

At that moment, the faces of every high-ranking figure turned as pale as paper, from the imperial families of the two great empires to the Upper Three Sects.

If the Level 97 Worshippers had still fallen within what they could comprehend, then Level 98, combined with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that symbolized absolute power, had completely shattered the balance.

This wasn't merely a powerhouse. This was an existence that was all but invincible!

"Spirit Hall... they were hiding such terrifying strength..."

At some point, the teacup in Ning Fengzhi's hand had fallen to the floor and shattered. He was completely unaware of it.

He stared fixedly at the words "acknowledged second strongest" on the Sky Screen, a profound sense of powerlessness rising in his heart.

Yet while the entire continent trembled at Golden Crocodile Douluo's terrifying strength...

On the second floor of a teahouse in Suotuo City.

"Pfft."

Gu Yuan looked at the words "acknowledged second strongest" on the Sky Screen and couldn't hold back a laugh.

His laughter carried a trace of disdain, along with the amusement of someone sober in a world of drunkards.

"What is it? Do you disagree with that assessment?"

Gu Yuena looked away from the Sky Screen and turned her violet eyes toward Gu Yuan, a hint of curiosity in them.

"Level 98, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring—that sort of setup is indeed exceedingly rare among human Soul Masters.

"Besides that so-called 'Grand Worship,' could anyone really be stronger than him?"

"Of course."

Gu Yuan gently wagged a finger, the corner of his mouth curling into a mysterious smile. His eyes gleamed with the light of someone who saw through everything.

"Na'er, this list calls him the 'acknowledged' second strongest. Those two words, 'acknowledged,' are rather telling."

"Above Golden Crocodile, besides the Grand Worship, Qian Daoliu, who stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs long ago, there's actually a real viper hidden within Spirit Hall."

"A viper?"

Gu Yuena paused slightly, her violet eyes rippling.

"Are you talking about... the current Pope?"

"That's right. Bibi Dong."

Gu Yuan's tone grew a little more serious as he spoke her name.

"Everyone knows that Spirit Hall's Pope wields immense power, but few know her true strength.

"Even Golden Crocodile and those old fellows, because of seniority and prejudice, have severely underestimated that madwoman's fearsome power."

Gu Yuan picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and continued slowly:

"Twin Martial Souls, two top-tier domains, and the finest Soul Bones throughout her entire body.

"In terms of talent, she's the one who's been most underestimated on the Douluo Continent.

"Golden Crocodile may have Level 98 Soul Power and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

"But if it came down to a fight to the death, and that woman used every trick at her disposal, she'd probably tear the old bones of Golden Crocodile apart until not a scrap remained."

A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Yuena's eyes.

Though she had sensed the human world through her divine consciousness, there seemed to be some sort of divine concealment around Bibi Dong. It had kept her from paying the woman much attention.

"And besides..."

Gu Yuan set down his teacup and looked out the window at the bustling crowd, where people were passionately discussing the fame of Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao.

"There's an even bigger lie in this world."

"The whole continent sings the praises of Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect, claiming he was the youngest Titled Douluo in history—that he reached that realm at forty-four and shook the world."

At this, Gu Yuan gave a derisive laugh, his eyes full of mockery.

"But in reality, that record had been broken long ago. Nobody just knew it."

"The true youngest Titled Douluo in history is none other than Bibi Dong, now seated high in the Papal Palace."

"She had already stepped into that realm before Tang Hao. While he was still smugly basking in that little bit of fame, she had already been quietly amassing enough power to overturn the entire world."

Gu Yuan turned to Gu Yuena and spoke softly:

"So the farther down this list we go, the more interesting it gets."

"When that woman's name truly appears near the top of the list, even above these Worshippers..."

"I think those old diehards within Spirit Hall will have expressions a thousand times more spectacular than the ones they're wearing now."